Ecorse Kiwanis Club Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary
Burton E. Loveland, charter president of the Ecorse Kiwanis Club, cut the anniversary cake at the club's 25th anniversary in 1952. He was the first president of the Ecorse Kiwanis Club.
The Ecorse Kiwanis Club observed its 50th Anniversary in March 1977. The Club was orgganized back in 1927, near the end of the roaring twenties. From that point on, its members committed good deeds in Ecorse.
In the 1920s the United States prospered more than any other nation on earth and changed more than any other time in its history. Ecorse was a little village, its people virile in character, rugged from making steel and automobiles, yet possessing strong individuality and a deep religious faith. Ecorse people matched the personality of their village.
Only eleven years after the national Kiwanis Clubs had been organized, Dr. William Angus, then the minister of the Ecorse Presbyterian Church, first suggested the idea of an Ecorse Kiwanis Club to Burton E. Loveland, Claude J. Miller and Ellis S. Underill. These men-despite the fact that Detroit's number one Kiwanians Joe prance, Harry Young and Donald Johnson did not believe that such a club would last very long in Ecorse - set out with dogged determinated to show the world that Ecorse, too, had civic pride. They held many organizational meetings in Jack Riopelle's law office. Finally, on March 17, 1927, Ecorse Kiwanis Club was chartered as club number 1385, sponsored by Kiwanis Club Number One with Donald Johnson, Joseph Prance and Harry Young officiating.
The Governor of the Michigan District, Lewis C. Reimann, presented the official charter to Burton E. Loveland as the charter president and Clarence R. Mead as club secretary.
The years after the charter were years of struggle. During these formative years, the organizers met wherever possible. They met in their homes, in Standard Restarant, over Loveland's Pharmacy, in the high school cafeteria, in the Leonard Duckett Center. From the very first meeting at the Standard Restaurant, the Kiwanis proved to be a training ground for leadership. Its beginning projects tended to be highly individual because the economic conditions of many families presented opportunities for helping to pay dental and doctor bills, buy glasses for children, and buy crutches and braces for crippled children.
As the years went on, the Ecorse Kiwanis began to sponsor civic projects and assist cit officials in making them a reality. Some examples of the first 25 years of activity in the Ecorse Club include:
These were just a few of the Ecorse Kiwanis Club Projects over the next 25 years.
Over the years that Ecorse Kiwanis Club served the City of Ecorse, 50 men served as the Kiwanis Club's president. They were:
The Ecorse Kiwanis Club observed its 50th Anniversary in March 1977. The Club was orgganized back in 1927, near the end of the roaring twenties. From that point on, its members committed good deeds in Ecorse.
In the 1920s the United States prospered more than any other nation on earth and changed more than any other time in its history. Ecorse was a little village, its people virile in character, rugged from making steel and automobiles, yet possessing strong individuality and a deep religious faith. Ecorse people matched the personality of their village.
Only eleven years after the national Kiwanis Clubs had been organized, Dr. William Angus, then the minister of the Ecorse Presbyterian Church, first suggested the idea of an Ecorse Kiwanis Club to Burton E. Loveland, Claude J. Miller and Ellis S. Underill. These men-despite the fact that Detroit's number one Kiwanians Joe prance, Harry Young and Donald Johnson did not believe that such a club would last very long in Ecorse - set out with dogged determinated to show the world that Ecorse, too, had civic pride. They held many organizational meetings in Jack Riopelle's law office. Finally, on March 17, 1927, Ecorse Kiwanis Club was chartered as club number 1385, sponsored by Kiwanis Club Number One with Donald Johnson, Joseph Prance and Harry Young officiating.
The Governor of the Michigan District, Lewis C. Reimann, presented the official charter to Burton E. Loveland as the charter president and Clarence R. Mead as club secretary.
The years after the charter were years of struggle. During these formative years, the organizers met wherever possible. They met in their homes, in Standard Restarant, over Loveland's Pharmacy, in the high school cafeteria, in the Leonard Duckett Center. From the very first meeting at the Standard Restaurant, the Kiwanis proved to be a training ground for leadership. Its beginning projects tended to be highly individual because the economic conditions of many families presented opportunities for helping to pay dental and doctor bills, buy glasses for children, and buy crutches and braces for crippled children.
As the years went on, the Ecorse Kiwanis began to sponsor civic projects and assist cit officials in making them a reality. Some examples of the first 25 years of activity in the Ecorse Club include:
- 1928. Provided Christmas dinner and entertainment for underprivileged children.
- 1935. sponsored a circus and carnival for an entire week during the month of May.
- 1939. Sponsored the Allen Park Club.
- 1944. The Ecorse Kiwanis Club was involved in the war effort, collecting tin cans and scrap iron.
- 1946. Built a wading pool for the city's small children.
- 1947. Provided flowers for Sunday morning church services.
- 1951. Built another wading pool for the city's small children.
- 1952. Chartered buses to take children to the Tiger baseball games.
These were just a few of the Ecorse Kiwanis Club Projects over the next 25 years.
- Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Senior Scouts
- Sending kids to the Shrine Circus
- A long range youth program
- A long range building program
- Ecorse Goodfellows
- Cancer Fund
- Salvation Army
- Downriver Guidance Clinic
- Forney Clement Fund
- Michigan Society for Crippled Children
- Ecorse Boat Club
- Red Cross and Junior Red Cross
- Midget Baseball Teams
- Recreation
- Downriver Community Concert Association
- Wolverine Boys State
Over the years that Ecorse Kiwanis Club served the City of Ecorse, 50 men served as the Kiwanis Club's president. They were:
- 1927 Burton E. Loveland
- 1928 Claude J. Miller
- 1929 Dr. R.B. Crill
- 1930 Guy E. Pooley
- 1931 Louis R. Hawkins
- 1932 Clarence Mead
- 1933 James R. Morris
- 1934 Bruce McNeilage
- 1935 Ellis Underill
- 1936 Dr. Lee Hileman
- 1937 Charles Dilfill
- 1938 Don Beckman
- 1939 Glen Hunt
- 1940 John Davis
- 1941 John Bauer
- 1942 Ray Meade
- 1943 Eugene Ochaner
- 1944 Edward Freeman
- 1945 Carl Vollmerhausen
- 1946 Richard Evans
- 1947 Roy Guy
- 1948 Rudy Virta
- 1950 Ray Montie
- 1951 Lambert Pfeiffer
- 1952 Donald Kelly
- 1953 Lawrence Heller
- 1954 Edward Stauder
- 1955 Magnus Meier
- 1956 Nick Stroia
- 1957 Walt Seavitte
- 1958 Harry McMahon
- 1959 William Weeber
- 1960 Robert Sander
- 1961 Melvin Meyers
- 1962 Harvey Kromrei
- 1963 James Simko
- 1964 Sig Nelson
- 1965 Ralph Brant
- 1966 Harold Lang
- 1967 Clifford Ballheim
- 1968 John Ghindia
- 1969 Chester Fleming
- 1970 Robert G. Heller
- 1971 Louis McQuiston
- 1972 Clarence Williams
- 1973 William "Jerry" Bush
- 1974 Norman Fryer
- 1975 Robert Heller
- 1976 Anthony Sanflippo