1987 - KIWANIS GOES CO-ED

The date was July 7, 1987. Kiwanis International was holding its annual convention in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. A vote taken that day that would profoundly change the nature of Kiwanis forever. The membership that day voted to allow women to join the organization, relegating to the trash bin the good old boys' club mentality that had defined the club's existence since its inception in 1915. In one fell swoop, Kiwanis, worldwide, had gone co-ed. The path leading to that day had not been smooth. In the beginning, the idea that Kiwanis would be a for men only organization was simply taken for granted. However, by the 1970's, the pressure to admit women was mounting to a crescendo. However, resistance to change held steadfast. Then, a few clubs began admitting women in blatant violation of the club's constitution. Kiwanis International's response was to attempt to oust the renegade clubs. The clubs fought back, court action ensued, and by the mid 1980's, Kiwanis was faced with the choice of either voluntarily admitting women to the club or waiting for the courts to mandate admittance of females. Even with the change in official policy, things did not proceed smoothly. Many individual clubs resisted change. However, the handwriting was on the wall, the genie was out of the bottle. Today, Kiwanis is fully integrated, its male and female member working hand in hand to serve the communities of the world and, in particular, the world's children. LARRY ELKINS