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| The Little Rock Civitan Club |
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History
The Civitan organization was founded in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew as the international secretary traveled and established clubs in other states. Civitan was begun as a service club for men only. Charter #1 was Birmingham, AL; #2 Helena, AR; #3 Memphis, TN; and #4 West Helena, AR.
The Little Rock Civitan Club was chartered on August 6, 1920, as Charter #5. Jim Lathrop joined the Civitan Club in 1939. In 1940, Jim Lathrop was elected secretary/treasurer and served for the next 44 years. Dr. J.D. Jordan provided a book of the minutes for each weekly meeting from the chartering date in 1920 until November 1929. This book indicated that a board of directors was elected but contains no record of board meetings. Instead, all matters of business were noted in the records of each weekly meeting. The club was young and no mention was made of a budget or constitution and bylaws. This book has been forwarded to the Civitan International Archives in Birmingham.
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| “Civitas,” (above) an adopted carousel pony on the Arkansas "Over-the-Jumps" Carousel, was named in honor of the Civitan organization. Read the History of the Little Rock Civitan Club to learn more... |
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One of the first projects by the club was to assist with the State Fair. On Nov. 18, 1921, the Little Rock Club hosted the state convention of Civitan clubs, and delegates from Newport and Fort Smith attended. On Dec. 30, 1921, the club added 19 new members.
In 1922, the club passed a resolution to authorize the spending of $650 to construct and equip “Civitan Park,” which was on the location now occupied by Little Rock Central High School.
Members of Little Rock Civitan Club Charter #5 included: Dr. J.D. Jordan (dentist), Mo Gay, Thurston Runyan (investments), Hardin Bale (Chevrolet car sales), P.G. Keeby (jeweler), C.P. “Tom” Newton (sheriff), R. Bossinger (real estate), Gilroy Cox (salesman), Holcomb Gum (vice president of 555 Tire & Service Co.), Grady Greene (555 salesman), W. King O’Leary, and Jesse Bate Kirten (self employed). Jim Lathrop later worked with Lion Oil Co., at which time King O’Leary also worked in the same office.
The club disbanded in 1929 when the stock market crashed and the Depression followed. Two years later, on Jan. 30, 1931, a new Little Rock club was chartered and given Charter #250 (which indicates how fast the organization was growing). Eight of the original members were charter members of the new club. Six decades later, in 1991, Little Rock Club Member Markham Howe took this information to the International Board of Directors, and the original Charter #5 was restored. The Little Rock Civitan Club is now the third-oldest club in Civitan International and the oldest club west of the Mississippi River!
On June 3, 1932, the Little Rock Civitan Club placed a monument on the grounds at Little Rock City Hall. It was made from the “little rock” on the riverbank for which the city was named. The inscription on the “little rock” marker reads:
“The Little Rock - 1722. A section of the Little Rock located at the foot of Rock Street, forming the south pier of the railroad bridge over the Arkansas River, being the first rock seen by the French explorer Bernard de la Harpe on his voyage from the mouth of the Mississippi River up the Arkansas in 1722.”
“For 100 years prior to the founding of the town, this rock marked the crossing of the north and south trail of the early settlers, the river being fordable at this point, and was known as ‘the Little Rock.’ In 1821, Little Rock was made the capital of Arkansas Territory, and later, when the territory became the state and admitted to the Union in 1836, the capital.”
“The “Little Rock” is the northwest corner of the Quapaw line surveyed after the signing of the Treaty of Cession between the Quapaw tribe and the United States, June 24, 1818.”
“Erected with the aid of officials of Little Rock by the Civitan Club, June 3, 1932.”
This monument can be found today in front of Little Rock City Hall on Markham Street, and plans are currently underway to move it to the River Market District for a permanent location.
At the request of the Little Rock Civitan Club, the city park containing the birthplace of Gen. Douglas MacArthur was renamed “Douglas MacArthur Park.” Dr. Dale Alford was club president at that time.
When Jim Lathrop joined in 1939, the Little Rock club met at the Hotel Sam Peck. Meals were 50 cents. Subsequent meeting places were the Frederica Hotel, the Lafayette Hotel, Coachman’s Inn, Holiday Inn on Broadway, First United Methodist Church, and then back to the Holiday Inn, later called the City Center Plaza Hotel. The club has also met at the Best Western Inn Towne until renovations forced the club to meet at different locations to accommodate all members. The club now meets weekly at the Radisson, formerly the Holiday Inn location on Broadway.
For over 30 years, Charles Oliver was a waiter for the club, with the exception of its stay at the First United Methodist Church.
The club’s association with the Little Rock Zoo began in 1953, with the purchase of a boa constrictor, an eland and several other animals. Ray Squires was the zookeeper at that time, and when animals were born he had to take them home and raise them until they were able to eat and fend for themselves.
The city set aside a large area of the Zoo for the club to develop as the Civitan Kiddie Zoo. The first exhibit featured the Three Little Pigs’ houses, with three little pigs fed by the city. A barn was constructed to house a mule and donkey, and an otter pool was built for two otters that were purchased. The shoe and pumpkin exhibits were later built and the members spent many Saturdays and workdays painting these and other exhibits.
Julius Breckling was director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Director, and he worked with the LR Civitans in a statewide campaign for funds to buy two giraffes. The LR Civitans built a pen for them and raised one offspring.
At one time, the city had a concession stand at the Zoo with picnic tables out in front where visitors could buy food and take it to the tables to eat. On Saturday mornings, 15 to 20 Civitans would arrive at 7 o’clock and cook pancakes and bacon with hot maple syrup. They would eat, too, and then work until 11 o’clock leveling the ground by cutting down the high places with shovels and filling in the low places. This area is now where the Civitan pavilion is located, an area with tables and seating for zoo visitors to take shelter from the elements of weather while eating or just resting and enjoying the surroundings. The pavilion features ceiling fans and heaters where zoo visitors can enjoy it year-round.
Civitan Charley Harper saw the potential for a miniature train ride in such a setting and located a used train with track in Missouri, which the LR club purchased. The Missouri-Pacific Railroad delivered it at no cost, and Missouri-Pacific employees laid the track — including crossing signals and bells — on their own time and at no cost. Charley Harper also persuaded the Arkansas Foundry to construct a steel frame for a tunnel and cover it with concrete at no cost to Civitan. The club constructed the train station, and Dr. J.D. Jordan donated the entrance sign bearing the club name.
For the first year, an engineer was hired for the train — and a salary was paid to him with social security tax and reported to the IRS.
The train was expected to operate at a profit with the money put back into improvements at the Zoo, but it was learned that the city had a contract with one individual to own and operate all concessions. Therefore, LR Civitans had to sell the train to the concessionaire. The contract stipulated that he pay LR Civitans 15 percent of the gross proceeds, which was put back into the Zoo for improvements.
Civitan Z. Bensky donated the Zoo’s popular contact pen. The club also constructed and equipped a Zoo nursery — which was badly needed in order to raise animals for sale and trade - at a cost of $24,000. The club contributed $22,000 to renovate the waterfowl exhibit near the Kiddie Zoo and later $5,000 to the “Bring Down the Bars” campaign for the big cat display. Before that, all animals were housed in cages and in a large building.
From 2001-2003, the LR Civitans hosted “Wild Night Under the Stars,” a fundraiser to help raise funds for various projects at the LR Zoo, which raised several thousand dollars.
In other community efforts, the club sponsored a plan to organize the current Little Rock Traffic Court to take traffic disputes out of the Municipal Court, where long delays were encountered.
Orval E. Faubus was elected to four terms as governor. At that time, it was the custom for the new governor to fire all the state board and commission members and appoint his friends and supporters. The club decided to get enough signatures on a petition to amend the State Constitution so the terms of each board or commission would be staggered and a new governor would only be able to appoint one board or commission. The Missouri-Pacific shops were in North Little Rock, so LR Civitans would go at noon when the workers got off for lunch and get them to sign our petition. They got the required number and the petition passed.
Over the years, the Little Rock Club sponsored and chartered new senior clubs in Benton, North Little Rock, Searcy, Conway, Pine Bluff, Sheridan, Jacksonville, River City Singles Club, West Little Rock, Southwest Little Rock, the University Club, the UALR Club, Siloam Springs, the Northside Club, Fort Smith and Hot Springs, and most recently...the Jefferson County Civitan Club in Pine Bluff.
A most noteworthy accomplishment during the 2004-05 year was the chartering of a Junior Civitan Club at the Historic Central High School in Little Rock, with a letter of congratulations signed by former President William Jefferson Clinton was presented. President Clinton was also a Junior Civitan when he was in high school.
The club has also helped finance a summer camp for children with cognitive disabilities at Camp Aldersgate and a local school for special children, assisted Sheriff Tom Gulley in starting the Junior Deputy organization, and helped finance the Junior Deputy playground.
In 1973, Civitan International became the first service club in the nation to freely admit women as members — and it was optional with each club. The Little Rock Club voted to accept women in 1974, and the first woman member, Dorothy Rogers, was installed that year.
The club fell to below 20 members, and in 1978 Buddy Matson became president and doubled the membership. The club continued to grow to a membership of 75.
In 1980-81, under the leadership of Don Griscom, the club started the statewide run-shoot-dribble competition for people with disabilities, and it is now an annual event, renamed as “Basketball Skills,” and has featured several high-profile celebrities as Harlem Globetrotter Geese Ausbie and former Arkansas Razorback Joe Klein. The club also met the requirements to become Civitan Honor Club.
The Noel Don McGuire Award was established in memory of the son of Noel McGuire, a past president of the club. As a member of the Little Rock Police Department, Noel Don (the son) was killed in the line of duty in 1980. Each year, a plaque is given to the outstanding graduate of the police academy in his honor.
Harrison House, a home for families who come to Little Rock for kidney treatment, received a total of $33,000 from LR Civitans for the purchase of a site and construction of a new home.
Another important effort in the 1980s was the DeeDee Goad Project, where Little Rock Civitans provided financial support for medicine and medical care for DeeDee Goad, a young woman with a disability following an auto accident.
Markham Howe, past president of LR Civitans, was elected President of Civitan International and served 1991-92. He then served as chairman of the International Board of Directors, 1992-93.
Pam Gentry was the first woman elected president of our club. Later, President Lee Truesdell led the club to receive its highest honor, before or since — that of first runner-up for the Founder’s Award.
The club’s association with the Little Rock Zoo continued in the 1990s with a $25,000 contribution to an effort to save the “Over-the-Jumps” Arkansas Carousel, a well-known landmark at the Zoo. The rare, 1920s Spillman Engineering, Inc. carousel was destined to be sold, and moved out of state until Friends of the Carousel organized and began efforts to raise money to purchase and restore the historic landmark. Under the leadership of president Jim Barham, the club agreed to give $25,000 of its Zoo-designated funds to this project. The club named its adopted carousel horses “Civitas,” in honor of the organization, and “Jim” for Jim Lathrop, the club’s senior member. Most recently, the LR Civitans donated $50,000 to the Friends of the Carousel (FOC) “Over-the-Jumps” Arkansas Carousel Project, helping the FOC complete their carousel project restoration goals.
Past president George Mallory (1999) was elected chairman of the newly formed nine-member Little Rock Zoo Board of Governors. George was instrumental in arranging a $100,000 gift to the Zoo from Little Rock Civitan Club, which helped construct the new Civitan Amphitheater. The Little Rock Zoo was formerly a department within the Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department. Thanks to George’s efforts, it is now a separate department in city government.
There are also many other community service projects the LR Civitans are involved in such as the placement of Fund-raising Candy Boxes at local businesses and restaurants; outreach to a needy family during the holidays; Annual Fruit Cake Drive; service to people with disabilities; “Rainbow of Love” Bowling event for underprivileged children; War Memorial Stadium Concessions Fundraiser at Arkansas Razorback Football Games and special events; and the annual Special Olympics Summer Games.
New community service projects are always welcomed by the LR Civitan membership, including a Civitan Garage Sale and a newly added New Year’s “Hap-Pea” Project to benefit the Civitan Center in nearby Benton, Arkansas. Other community service projects are being planned even now as the club extends its services to those in need.
Patriotism, education, growth, and retention abound with the membership of the Little Rock Civitans. The caring, sharing, and fellowship amongst its members at social gatherings is what keeps this club strong, as it has done now for 87 wonderful years.
If you have any suggestions on how to make the Little Rock Civitans
stronger, or know someone who might like to take part of this wonderful organization, please contact one of the members or officers of the Little Rock Civitans.
[*Note - This history was originally compiled by Jim Lathrop and later updated by Keith Dover.] |
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