About Us

Some History

Wisconsin was the eighth state to have a Kiwanis club. That was the Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee, organized on October 24, 1916. Racine became the second on November 24, 1916, followed by Madison, February 5, 1917; Kenosha, April 25, 1917; Fond du Lac, August 11, 1917; Green Bay, October 3, 1917 and Oshkosh, November 1, 1917.

These seven clubs formed the nucleus for the Wisconsin District of Kiwanis International when it was formed on September 24, 1918. Upper Michigan was added to the Wisconsin District on November 27, 1920 to form the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District we know today, less the three easternmost counties of the UP which were returned to the Michigan District in 1935 because of distance and winter travel conditions.

In June of 1918, International President George F. Hixson (after whom the Hixson Fellowship is named) appointed E.A. Marthens of Milwaukee the first Governor of the District. The first convention convened in Milwaukee on September 24, 1918 with four accredited delegates present... representing Milwaukee, Racine, Oshkosh and Kenosha.

District officers elected were: Governor, E. A. Marthens, Milwaukee; Secretary, Eltinge Elmore, Milwaukee. For the purpose of defraying the expenses of the district governor's office, a tax of 10% of the dues received annually by each club was levied.

For more history of our District, a copy of the district history, written by Past Governor and past International Trustee Will Sundt in 1991 is available from our district office.

Our Present/The Future

The Wisconsin Upper Michigan District is currently led by Governor Michael Fitzpatrick, seven trustees and a Lt. Governor from each division. Our District Executive Director, Mark Finger, has served us since 1994 from our office in Berlin, Wisconsin.

Just as Kiwanis International is evolving to better serve our members' needs and reflect the lifestyles of the 21st century, so will we evolve. The technology of the last 1990s has brought new ways to communicate, track data, and serve our membership. The Internet and e-mail are only harbingers of things to come.

Notables

Through its history, the WI/UM District of Kiwanis has contributed greatly to the International organization. International Presidents John Moss (26-27), Joshua Johns (33-34), I.R. "Whitey" Witthuhn (61-62), and Bill Solberg (78-79), International Vice President J. Donovan Jackson (86-87) and International Trustee Will Sundt, (94-95) hail from our District. At the International Convention in June, 2004, we continued the tradition when Case Van Kleef of the Kiwanis Club of Plover was elected International President.