This is a history of the Michigan District of Key Club International. This is a story of high school aged men and women who have served their school, home and community now for some 53 years in the state of Michigan through over 200 different high schools. They have made a different in the state with assistance from the many clubs of the Michigan District of Kiwanis. Each year there are changes made as some of the weaker clubs disappear and new club appear to take their place. No one club has lasted for a half century but some are now entering their fourth decade of service.
Key Club was begun in May of 1925 at Sacramento Senior High School, Sacramento, California under they sponsorship of the Kiwanis Club of Sacramento. The original idea was to provide vocational guidance to “Key” boys in the high school in order to combat elitist organizations such as high school fraternities and secret organizations. The idea grew slowly and it was not until 1930 enough Districts had been created that Kiwanis International officially recognized Key Club as a national organization worthy of their sponsorship. Thus Key Club became the first high school service club sponsored by an adult service club in the United States.
In the fall of 1944, soon after hearing about Key Club at the Kiwanis International Convention, John Bunker, the president of the Eaton Rapids Kiwanis Club started a Junior Kiwanis at his local high school. From this group in 1945 the Eaton Rapids High School Key Club was officially formed and chartered in January 1946. Kiwanis Governor Dan Heathcote of Kalamazoo, himself a school superintendent, presented the first charter. This was not only the first Key Club of Michigan but also the first in northern United Sates.
During the summer of 1946 two members of the Eaton Rapids club went to the Key Club National Convention in New Orleans. Charles Page, the club secretary ran for and was elected a National Trustee for all of the northern states. Of course, Eaton Rapids was the only club from the north at that time. In December 1946, a car full of Key Clubbers traveled across the state to Windsor, Ontario and helped to form the Windsor Assumption High School Key Club, making it the first time a Key Club was formed outside of the United Sates.
Key Clubs were initially frowned upon by various state officials including the Michigan Attorney General and the Michigan Education Association they considered the group elitist and just another name for a fraternity. One of the main reasons for this could be found in the original Key Club charter that read “for white boys only.” After protests to Kiwanis, the wording was officially dropped in 1947, but it took almost two decades for most clubs to admit girls.
Key Club took off slowly in Michigan with Bangor being formed in 1947, then Fenton and Hastings in 1948. In 1949, Parma Western, Wayne Memorial and Kalamazoo Central came into the fold. This growth was largely due to the two Kiwanians who had taken over Key Club as Advisors-Ralph Keyes of Ann Arbor (who would later be a Michigan District Governor and Kiwanis International president), and Charles Poor a superintendent from Eaton Rapids. In 1950, South Haven, Jackson Northwest, Coldwater and Deerfield came into the fold, as the southwest corner of the state was the growing ground for early clubs. Mason joined in 1951. In 1951, the Michigan District of Key Club was formed as a unit at the Kiwanis District Convention in Lansing, though they did not elect student officers. At the same time the Kiwanis advisor, Robert Sherwood, was given five divisional assistants as Kiwanis was anticipating Key Club growth.
The first Michigan District of Key Club officers were presented to the Kiwanis Michigan District Convention in Ann Arbor in August 1953. They included Rex Roberts of Fenton High as Governor, Bill Dager of Fenton High as Secretary and Gary Clippard of Eaton Rapids as Treasurer. Key Club was now under way. It was fitting that Ralph Keyes, one of the first Key Club advisors, was elected Kiwanis Governor that year.
Kiwanis International held their annual convention in Detroit in 1955. In an effort to show the Kiwanis world that Michigan was a leader, they advertised their many new Key Club charters as well as expanded their Kiwanis-Key Club board to include an advisor and fourteen assistants.
Michigan Kiwanis continued to show their support for the next twenty years as each year they appointed a Key Club Divisional Advisor for each Kiwanis Division. By 1960, the Michigan Builder reported that 43 clubs were operating in the District, although all of them were in the southern portion of the state. In 1963, Del Borgsdorf of Detroit Redford was elected Key Club International Vice President. The first clubs in the far north came in 1964 when Traverse City and St. Ignace were chartered. By 1967, there were 85 Key Club chartered in the state.
By the 1970s Key Club was starting to see a change in youth membership. Many smaller clubs folded and something had to be done. In 1975 help came in a big way, for that year Michigan District Key Club agreed to allow girls into membership. The Michigan District has been on a growing much more ever since.
Cynthia DeHagen of Utica was the first female secretary in 1977 and the same year Jan Rittola of Traverse City became treasurer. In 1979, Sue Petrisin of Alpena High School became the first female governor of the District. By 1979, the Michigan District of Kiwanis had seen enough growth of Key Clubs to again allow them to have a separate convention, instead of a joint convention with Circle K that had been the norm for several years. Now, each year the Michigan District of Key Club International holds a convention where hundreds of Key Club members and advisors from across the state come together to celebrate their year of service. While there, the club delegates also elect the District Board members.
The 1980s were a great time for the Michigan District. Frank Mattson of Alpena and Dave Steger of Battle Creek served as Administrators. New clubs were formed all over the state; two members became International Trustees and two clubs placed four times at the International Convention of Achievement. Soon Mickey Hildreth of Detroit became and administrator and oversaw excellent growth. In 1996 , George Brown of Whitmore Lake, took over the reigns and Key Club has seen its largest expansion ever within the Michigan District. In 2004, Greg Smith of the Utica Shelby Kiwanis began serving as District Administrator and continues to today.
Currently there are 115 Key Clubs and 16 divisions in the Michigan District, the largest size in the District History. Many new clubs are also being chartered and the 2007-2008 District Board hopes to build at least 5 during their term. Key Club is always growing and today is the largest high school service club in both the state and the world, spanning 33 districts and over 24 countries.
Every Key Clubber should remember to keep up their service to their school, home and community as the objectives of Key Club today are the same as they were in 1927 when they were written.