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A brief history of the New London club as published in 2000 for the club's sixtieth anniversaryAs the Storm GatheredKiwanis International, founded in Detroit, Michigan, was celebrating its 25th anniversary when a group of business and professional men from New London established the local club.The Kiwanis doctrine of service to the community and fellowship among men of good will appealed to the group; and so began a 60 year passage through all of the trauma and dramatic change of the 20th century. Dick Pugh, later to become club president and division Lieutenant Governor, was host to the founding group in his office at the head of State Street across from the courthouse and next to the Garde Theater. There the organization foundation was laid, and on December 2, 1940 the charter was presented to the Rev. Frank S. Morehouse, the first of some sixty presidents, in elaborate ceremonies at the Lighthouse Inn. Dick Pugh's beach house on Pequot Avenue, incidentally, was to become the venue of the club picnic, a social highlight for several generations of Kiwanians. The Nazi war machine was already churning inexorably through Europe, and the United States' subsequent entrance into the conflict was to dictate the activities of the club for the next decade. Some members went off to war; those staying behind organized projects to assist the war effort; selling war bonds, raising funds to assist families separated by war, volunteering for duty as air raid wardens (made all the more urgent because of New London's strategic importance). The Movable FeastMeanwhile, club meetings shifted from one locale to another as the ripples of the war touched every facet of American life.Come war's end, much was to be done to restore domestic normality. Helping the returning servicemen to readjust to civilian life and the civilian population to welcome them home became paramount among the club's priorities. The 1940's saw the establishment of "Camp Kiwanis" at Lake Pattagansett, where scores of underprivileged youngsters were treated to a healthful summer of learning and fun. One young counselor at the camp, an Air Force veteran returned from the war, was to become eventually synonymous with the Kiwanis name and credo. His name: John Kashanski. The camp continued well into the 1950's. Similar activities were likewise undertaken by the Fresh Air Fund. The Salvation Army and the Boy Scouts, all of whom were assisted by New London Kiwanis. The 1950's, much celebrated as an era of growth, innocence and tranquility, brought with it new directions for the club's charitable endeavors. Fueled by a national sense of optimism, New London Kiwanis burgeoned, becoming the city's largest service club and taking on a variety of creative efforts to make life in this little city more pleasant for all of its inhabitants. And after bouncing around various downtown restaurants, the club settled comfortably into the Mohican Hotel, a State Street landmark built by the famous newspaper mogul, Frank Munsey. The club continued to meet there through the 1960's, until the building was converted to public housing. (The changing fortunes of New London eateries over the past forty years would move club meetings to Holiday Inn, The Gondolier, Buckley House, Lorelei, Pedo's, and eventually to Timothy's.) As the New London club matured during the 1950's several members climbed the hierarchy to assume divisional leadership positions. Most notable climb was that of N. Blake King, an adopted son of New London by way of Georgia who progressed steadily up the ladder until winning the New England governorship in 1965. Membership growth slowed in the 1960's, but the club retained its status as the largest and most visible of the city's service clubs. Perhaps the most notable project was the annual sponsorship of The Herald Tribune Fresh Air Fund Program, which brought inner-city youngsters from New York to enjoy a healthful and fun-filled vacation with many Kiwanis activities, developed this effort. And as drugs became an international scrounge, New London helped in the establishment of the Southeastern Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency (S.C.A.D.D.). Col. Les Williams, retired executive officer of the Connecticut State Police, became its spokesman and a dedicated Kiwanian. With the "Great Society" of the 1960's came the gradual dissolution and re-location of many downtown businesses. Lost in the process was the core of the club membership. A similar phenomenon occurred in the late 1980's, when the real estate market crashed and, with it the club's substantial membership from the banking industry. Although membership suffered, Kiwanis never wavered in its efforts to scare up money for community causes. An indoor circus became a lucrative staple into the 1980's. When it phased out, on came the beer concession during waterfront celebrations, and after the public attitude shifted away from the suds, the club grilled sausages. Theater parties, modest in their fund-raising goals, complemented the sidewalk sales. Still to come in the 1990's were the golf tournament, which since has grown into a major producer of revenue, and the barbecue outing at the Norwich Navigators ballgame, which introduced many members to minor league baseball while generating a few dollars for charity. The fruits of these fund-raisers regularly have been distributed among the needy of the community by the vote of the board of directors, funds funneled through social agencies, some given directly, all through the John Kashanski Service Fund. The fund was named in 1997 to honor the man who continues to devote his considerable energy to Kiwanis. A portion of each fund-raiser and in some cases the entire proceeds are diverted into the N.B. King Scholarship Fund, which confers scholarship gifts upon recent graduates of New London, Waterford, Old Saybrook and St. Bernard high schools. Local Foundation CreatedFollowing several years of consideration, the New London club established its own foundation to close out the last millennium, a device enabling the club to accumulate funds and solicit tax-exempt contributions. Although a distinct and separate entity, the foundation is governed by the same board of directors as the club.An unfortunate dispute regarding control of the foundation led in 1999 to the resignation of several stalwart members despite the pleas of would-be mediators. A Cultural ShiftThe beginning of another landmark cultural phenomenon, profoundly affecting the club, was felt in 1987 when the Supreme Court deemed women to be acceptable company for the men of service clubs. Atty. Barbara Quinn, who left us to become a judge in Middletown, became New London's first female member. Marybeth Foley, the next of her gender, rose to the presidency; and Dr. Dorothy Leib went one better to win the post of divisional lieutenant governor. Karen Hall, who saw in the new millennium as president, likewise will ascend to the divisional post.The arrival of women launched a new era, which sees us through now into the club and the conduct if its activities. Throughout the ebb and flow of membership, no matter the nature of the schemes to generate funds, contributions to charity and toward the enrichment of the community have continued; and it is difficult not to detect there the woman's pervasive touch. On a Broader ScaleAfter decades of concern with drugs and such other national problems as child abuse, Kiwanis International in recent years has elected to combat a global problem, largely affecting youngsters: Iodine deficiency. The New London club joined the effort, not only conducting specifically earmarked fund-raisers, but also calling for donations from its membership.Likewise, the club lent a hand to the New England District in support of the Pediatric Trauma Institute, an inspired idea and pioneer effort that has proliferated as other regions recognized its importance in medical care of the young. Not all Kiwanis causes call for great expenditures; in fact, among its most visible and effective undertakings began in New London in 1965 with the founding of the area's first KEY Club, a high school service club organized first at Waterford High. East Lyme and Old Saybrook followed sometime later, and just out of its infancy but thriving is a "Builders Club," instituted at the Old Lyme Middle School by the Old Saybrook Club with a big assist from the Olsen family. Spearheaded also by then Governor-Elect Marty Olsen, New London took to the air waves a year ago, presenting a regularly scheduled television show on the cable television's public access channel. (Webmasters Note: This article appeared in the New London Kiwanis Club's sixtieth anniversary booklet. Contributors to this article were Theodore L. Hargrove, Gordon A. Jackson, John Kashanski, Helen H. McCartin and Christopher J. Vallas. This booklet was edited by then club secretary Theodore L. Hargrove who added this note: Many of the members referred to herein are no longer with us, but no attempt has been made to identify "late" members or "former" members. All were at one time living, contributing members of the Kiwanis family and it is as such that they are remembered here.) Past Presidents
Past Governors of New England District
Past Lt. Governors of New England District
Legion of HonorMembership of at least 25 years is required for entry into the Legion of Honor. Those in red with an asterisk are still working on another five-year increment in their Legion of Honor designation.Name Joined
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