Club History

The Kiwanis Club of Paris was chartered on March 16, 1945 with 52 members. The club president was Jimmy Lawson of radio station KPLT.
The club started the Rural Urban Dinners in the county. Their purpose was to get rural and city men together for an evening of fellowship. Kiwanis members took covered dishes to the first one held in Cunningham.
The club also began a campaign to lift the rural communities out of the mud. Later, the project became known statewide as the Farm-to-Market Highway program.
It initiated what later became known as Paris Parks System by cleaning up and placing playground equipment in the area now known as Culbertson Park.
The club held “Go To Church Sunday” drives for a number of years to encourage attendance. These were very successful.
Club presidents:
1946 – Odis Rucker
1946 – Paul J. Files in 1947. Club letterhead on documents dated in 1947 show that the club was meeting on Tuesdays at 12:05 p.m. at the Gibraltar Hotel.
1948 – Aubrey R. Cartlidge
1949 – Jack T. Adams
1950 – L. B. Killebrew
1951 – Noah Cleveland. The first Key Club in Lamar County was organized at Cunningham. Lonnie Kennedy was its first president.
1952 – Ray Sissel
1953 – Jesse Thrasher. Annual Pancake Day began in 953 with 58 club members and wives doing the chores. The one-day event raised $235.88 profit and fed approximately 350.
1954 – Gyles Norwood
1955 – Ray Wunch
1956 – William C. Ragan. Paris High School Key Club was organized with Joe Monk as its first president.
1957 – Fred Clemons
1958 – Jack Mackey. In 1958 the club was meeting at the Nicholson House on Bonham St. ·
1959 – C. B. Coons
1960 – Dean Aikin
1961 – Jeff Methven
1962 – Randy Morphew
1963 – J. B. Bankhead
1964 – Marshall Nichols
1965 – Richard Babb
1966 – Grady Morphis. During Grady’s tenure as president he attended Kiwanis International conventions is Austria, and Portland, Oregon. The first round pancake grill was manufactured. John Tower, a Kiwanian and first Republican Senator from Texas came to Paris, was hosted by our Kiwanis Club, where he delivered a speech.
1967 – E. L. McEver
1968 – Vernon Daniel. This year the club was meeting at the old Holiday Inn on Hwy. 271.
1969 – George Roper. North Lamar Key Club was sponsored.
1970 – Jimmy Guthrie
1971 – Bill Phillips
1971-72 – Paul D. Payne
1972-73 – H. (Jay) Thomas
1973-74 – Roy M. Welch. The first Keywanette Club in T/O District was organized at North Lamar.
1974-75 – Eugene Thomas. Starting this year and for at least 20 years the club provided the award for the Lamar County Food & Fiber Producer recipient, and honored farmers and ranchers with a “Washpot Chili” feed.
1975-76 – Walter Franklin
1976-77 – James Allcorn
1977-78 – J. L. McVay
1978-79 – Albert Ware
1979-80 – Don Viergever
1980-81 – W. G. (Hoot) Gibson. With about 80 club members, Pancake Days grossed about $22,000. A special service project that year was to collect money for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. This was a county-wide project. Later Hoot would help to start Lamar County Crimestoppers in January of 1986.
1981-82 – Lonnie Kennedy
1982-83 – Charles Christian. For years, the club membership had been fluctuating between 30-40 members. As a club project Charles organized a Member Recruiting Committee. This committee was very successful, and our Club membership was increased to almost 100 members. On Tues. June 14th, 20 of the new members were inducted into the club. The Club was meeting on Tuesdays at the Quality Inn. During his presidency Charles and wife went to Washington D.C. hosting 38 youth.
1983-84 – Herbert (Hub) Martin
1984-85 – George Kimbrough
1985-86 – Ed Atkins
1986-87 – Hamburger Hindman
1987-88 – Joe Iglehart
1988-89 – Gary Pirtle
1989-90 – Frank McHam
1990-91 – Don Pryor
1991-92 – Ray Banks
1992-93 – Gary W. Ballard. During this year the club meetings moved from Sizzlin Sirloin on Lamar St to the new Holiday Inn on Loop 285 and Pine Mill Rd.
1993-94 – Larry Tischler. The club meeting moved to the Sirloin Stockade at Lamar and 12th Street. The club fed 4,656 paid customers at Pancake Days.
1994-95 – Russel Figgins. This was a memorable year for the Kiwanis Club of Paris. Our club celebrated its 50th anniversary. During a celebration banquet, at the Love Civic Center the first lady members of the Kiwanis Club of Paris were inducted. Also on this anniversary none of the charter members remained in the club. Only two were alive (Odis Rucker and Ray Sissel). Current membership was 125, a new high in membership for the Club.
1995-96 – Bob Phillips
1996-97 – Doug Sims
1997-98 – Tim Masters
1998-99 – Todd Varner
1999-2000 – Joe Farmer
2000-01 – Linda Suarez. Linda was the first female Club President, and she went on to be Division Lt. Governor 2001-02.
2001-02 – Ronald Stripland. During Ronald’s term, our club meetings moved to Chili’s and then to the PJC Ballroom.
2002-03 – Rickey Mackey
2003-04 – Phil Payne
2004-05 – Don Wall
2005-06 – Jon McFadden
2006-07 – Darrell Hawkes, Sr.
2007-08 – Tish Holleman
2008-09 – Rudy Kessel. This year the annual Pancake Days fundraiser served a record 6,640 people.
2009-2010 – Lynn Patterson. Ramp Project becomes big service project.
2010-2011 – Robert High. Another record year for Pancake days with an extra day added (Thursday). Imagination Library project started.
2011-2012 – Johnny Williams. Another record year serving Pancakes. Club grows and continues to serve Lamar County.
2012-2013 – Jerry Williams. Another big year for Pancake Days. Positive growth in the Club. Paris Club sponsors the new Aktion Club, chartered in September of 2013.
2013-2014 – Thom Callaway. Another record year for Pancake Days 8,378 served. Club signed pledge for Eliminate project to be a Model Club (pledged $82,500 over next 5 years). Awarded 18 Zeller Fellowships. Chartered new K-Kids Club in August 2014 at Crockett Intermediate School campus.
2014-2015 – Claudia McKinney
2015-2016 – Don Dickerson
2016-2017 – Sally Wright
2017-2018 – David Nichols
2018-2019 – Bill Mabry. Pancake Days served 11,125. Paris Kiwanis Pancake Days 2019 was named a Top 10 Signature Project at the 2020 Kiwanis International Convention.
2019-2020 – Denise Kornegay. Pancake Days cancelled due to COVID 19. Virtual meetings. 15 new members.
2020-2021 – Jimmy Steed. Pancake Days cancelled again due to COVID. In person meetings resumed. Service projects continued.
2021-2022 – Jerry Patton. Pancake Days returned, served 11,291. New record.
2022-2023 – Donna Burnett. Pancake Days served 12,008. Another new record. Chartered new Key Club & Builders Club at Trinity Christian Academy. Named Distinguished Club for 2022-2023.
2023-2024 – Michael Woodson. Pancake Days served 12,245.

More history:

Even though we have held many successful projects, we have had some “flops”. A “one time” project was a Kiwanis Donkey Baseball Game even though the club won. Another was the Gainesville Community Circus where the club made $80 profit.

The club held a variety of fund-raising projects during its first 50 years that enabled it to serve the community. In the early years, we held Rummage Sales (now known as “Garage Sales”). We parked cars at the fair for many years. We sold Christmas Fruit Cakes for many years until everyone had their refrigerators full of the “things”.

During the first 50 years our community service projects have been many and varied. In addition to those already listed, the club has held annual “Shoe the Shoeless” and “Clothe the Needy” projects; supported Salvation Army and Goodwill; purchased baby chicks for 4-H & FFA youth; sponsored baseball and softball teams; played Santa Claus to residents at all county Nursing Homes each year at Christmas; provided prescriptions, food, rent, transportation and on and on to hundreds of needy individuals.

The one project that was our greatest undertaking is the development of Camp Kiwanis through a lease contract with the Army Corp of Engineers at Pay Mayse Lake. This was the first time that the Corp had ever entered into such an arrangement. Several thousands of dollars and un-countable hours were put into this development. The facility is being utilized more and more by youth groups in the area.