The group is having a Centennial Celebration Dinner next Thursday in honor of its long years of service to the community.
The Kiwanis Club of Plant City is officially holding its 100th anniversary party next week via a Centennial Celebration Dinner.
The event will be at the John R. Trinkle Center at HCC, 1206 N. Park Rd. and the entire community is invited to RSVP and join the group in a celebration of a century’s worth of work in the community. The event will be a moment to reflect on the club’s past as well as to highlight the current endeavors. A meal will be provided by Second Plate Catering and there will be music, awards and guest speakers.
“This is a great event to celebrate a civic organization that’s been around for 100 years,” Sharon Moody, vice governor for the Kiwanis Florida District, said. “Kiwanis is such a great organization and does so many things for the community. One of my favorite things is all of the work it’s done for children in our community.”
Kiwanis annually hosts the Stuff the Bus project, which provides backpacks and school supplies to 28 schools in Eastern Hillsborough County. It also is responsible for Christmas for an Angel, where the group gives toys to children in 18 local elementary schools. The Plant City High School Key Club is sponsored by Kiwanis as is the Terrific Kids Program at local elementary schools and the Builders Club at Marshall Middle School and Faith Christian Academy.
Each year the group also designates a Citizen of the Year and honors the recipient for their lifetime of service to Plant City.
Those — as well as a variety of other services Kiwanis provides — will be highlighted next Thursday evening during the celebration dinner. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and speakers from Kiwanis’ state office and from the Tampa Bay area will be adding depth to the ceremony. They will discuss what Kiwanis does globally, nationally and right here in Plant City as well as to share some history on how the group started.
Kiwanis history in Plant City is deep and over the past century has become an intricate part of civic service projects in every corner of the community. In the 1920s the group was formed as a way for prominent businessmen in the community to connect and give back. It was first led by Club President Dr. John Walter Alsobrook just six years after Kiwanis Clubs officially began forming in the U.S. Its first year it had 50 members.
The dinner is free to attend, but an RSVP is required as only 100 guests are allowed at the event. While the deadline has officially passed to RSVP, Moody said a few spots are still left and they will still accept interested attendees until the spots fill. If you wish to come, RSPV to the Plant City Photo Archives, 106 S. Evers St. For more information contact Moody at 813-453-7134 or SharonMoody91@yahoo.com or Gil Gott at 813-754-1578 or gvgott@gmail.com.
If you go:
What: Kiwanis Club of Plant City Centennial
Celebration Dinner
When: July 22 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Rd.
Cost: Free, but RSVP required.
KIWANIS PRESIDENTS
1921: Dr. John W. Alsobrook
1922: William E. Lee
1923: Dr. Calvin T. Young
1924: Asa Richard Larrick
1925: Fenton M. Prewitt
1926: Robert M. Morgan
1927: David Earl Harper
1928: William Schneider
1929: James William “Jim” Henderson
1930: J. Edwin Cassels
1931: Henry M. Kilgore
1932: George M. Carey
1933: Henry Shelton Moody
1934: John Gordon Smith
1935: Francis D. Goff
1936: John R. Trinkle
1937: Llewellyn “Lew” J. Prosser
1938: William T. Watkins
1939: James D. Bruton, Jr.
1940: Chester W. McDonald
1941: Fred C. Kelley
1942: Willard D. McGinnes
1943: Walter C. Busk
1944: Dr. Luman E. Black
1945: Don E. Walden, Sr.
1946: Chandler C. Bone
1947: J. O. “Joe” Armor
1948: Fred E. Barwick
1949: Rev. J. Sam Garner
1950: Edwin H. Chapman
1951: Frank H. Moody
1952: Edward L. House
1953: Don A. Storms
1954: Loyall Hardy Duyck
1955: Henry C. Durrett
1956: Nicholas J. Bella
1957: Clarence R. “Jack” Hooker
1958: George Friend
1959: Wilson R. Rogers
1960: Willard Y. Duyck
1961: Fred B. Gill
1962: Robert S. Trinkle
1963: Bryan M. “Mac” Smith, Jr.
1964: Bert E. Davidson
1965: Charles J. Edwards
1966: Williams N. Crowe
1967: Arlen Cruttenden
1968: Winfred W. Nicholson
1969: Victor F. Kohlmeier
1969-1970: Harley S. Miller
1970-1971: William S. Herold
1971-1972: Alex B. Hull
1972-1973: MacIntire Hooper
1973-1974: Phillip Panos
1974-1975: Rev. Roy L. Reynolds
1975-1976: Dr. Harold D. Brewer
1976-1977: Donald Montgomery
1977-1978: Elton Hinton
1978-1979: Edward Snowden
1979-1980: James K. “Jim” Wilson
1980-1981: Don Walden, Jr.
1981-1982: W. A. Smith
1982-1983: Salvador D. “Bud” Nabong
1983-1984: David H. Galloway
1984-1985: William C. Meriwether
1985-1986: Gary T. Crowley
1986-1987: Ken W. Buchman
1987-1988: Richard Olson
1988-1989: Don Mason
1989-1990: Olin Britt
1990-1991: Oscar Lastinger
1991-1992: Tony Malatino
1992-1993: Shirley O. Gill
1993-1994: James McDaniel
1994-1995: Chuck Christensen
1995-1996: Terry Capron
1996-1997: Edward Verner
1997-1998: William Veltheim
1998-1999: Larry Liggett
1999-2000: James Jeffries
2000-2001: Robert Brown
2001-2002: Ken Gibbs
2002-2003: Jim Brown
2003-2004: Matt Buzza
2004-2005: John McCaughey
2005-2006: Ken Hawthorne
2006-2007: Denise McDaniel
2007-2008: Bill Watkins
2008-2009: Don Mason
2009-2010: Sharon Moody
2010-2011: Anna Reitz
2011-2012: Earl Burkett
2012-2013: Earl Burkett
2013-2014: Anna Reitz
2014-2015: David Wolf
2015-2016: David Wolf
2016-2017: Ricky Coronado/Sharon Moody
2017-2018: Sharon Moody
2018-2019: Gil Gott
2019-2020: Gil Gott
2020-2021: Jimmy Conrow
2021-2022: Marilyn Williams
