Club History  

An Incomplete But Mostly True Account of

Historical Antics and Adventures of the

TUSCOLA KIWANIS CLUB

The Tuscola Kiwanis Club was chartered in March 1986 with twenty-five members.  About half of them promptly paid their dues and never showed up at another meeting.  Their names remain proudly inscribed on the Club Charter, however no one has seen the Charter since 1988 so only they know who they are (if they remember).

The Club was off to a rocky start, but remained undaunted.  Chuck Talbott, Chief Deputy Sheriff, was elected first President, and other officers included Wayne Ward, Jim Wood, Rich Carter, Carl Quinn, Darrell Boege and Paul Wisovaty.  Other than Talbott, their specific offices and functions (like the Club Charter) are lost to history.  But we are certain that they served honorably.

The Club may have started out with little more than a handful of active members, but it was also broke.  So when the local Salvation Army Unit asked for a donation that first year, red faces abounded and little coin of the realm was forthcoming.  Undaunted, Club members decided as an alternative to volunteer their time ringing the bell at the Tuscola IGA.  This tradition, we proudly report, has continued to the present day.

While it may seem odd in today’s world, it is none the less true that our twenty-five Charter members were, in accordance with national Kiwanis by-laws, all of the male persuasion.  In 1988, someone of the female persuasion, apparently realizing that this was the 20^th century, sued a fellow service club with a similar prohibition, demanding to be granted membership.  The U.S. Supreme Court agreed, and the walls came a-tumblin’ down.  The Tuscola Kiwanis Club signed Lynn Taylor as its first female member, and the rest, as they say, is history.  To put this in perspective, anyone who has attended more than a few inter-clubs meetings (visits with other Kiwanis clubs) is aware that we are one of the few clubs in the area (possibly the country) with more than 50% female membership.  We are certain that this has made us a stronger club and cannot for the life of us understand why other clubs have not followed our lead.

By Paul Wisovaty

 (as best as he can remember)