History

WESTERN CKI

EASTERN CANADA DISTRICT

CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL

1978

1984

In 1984, Susan E. McClernon of the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota was elected the first female president of Circle K International.

In 1936, Jay N. Emerson, a member of the Pullman Washington Kiwanis Club, presented a plan to his club proposing that the Pullman Kiwanis Club purchase a house that could be rented to young men in need of assistance to attend the local college. The plan became a reality as the Kiwanians established the "Circle K House" at Washington State College.

For 10 years the "Circle K House" became affiliated with a Greek letter organization (Kappa Iota Phi), although it continued to be sponsored by the Pullman Kiwanis Club.

For 2 years, the Carthage College Circle K Club existed alone. But on March 26, 1949, the University of Western Ontario became the second Circle K Club to charter – making Circle K officially international!

1953

With the formation of Circle K clubs, Kiwanis International established a Special Committee on Circle K Clubs in 1952.

First annual convention was held October 17-19, 1954, at Carthage College. 114 members, representing 35 Circle K Clubs, attended the convention.

After the elections, Eugene C. Alford, Jr., from Georgia Institute of Technology, was elected the second President of Circle K.

As Circle K International began to award charters to individual clubs, plans to form Circle K Districts began. By the summer of 1956 there were 4 unofficial Circle K Districts: California-Nevada-Hawaii, Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, and Missouri-Arkansas.

With six Clubs, the Ontario-Quebec-Maritimes Circle K District became an official District. The six Clubs were University of Western Ontario, Ryerson Institute of Technology, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Waterloo College, Carleton University and Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology (the precursor to Algonquin College).

By 1964, Circle K had become the largest collegiate service organization on American and Canadian college campuses.

Membership had topped 10,000 members.

Another milestone in Circle K history was also reached as Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, became home to the 500th Circle K Club to be chartered by Circle K International.

In addition to being the largest collegiate service organization, Circle K became the fastest growing collegiate service organization on the North American continent with a membership of over 12,000 in 600 clubs during the 1964-65 administrative year.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada hosted Circle K International’s first International Convention outside of the United States.

The District name was changed to "Eastern Canada and the Caribbean District" to reflect the international expansion into the Caribbean District and to mirror our Kiwanis District's name.

Cathy Ann De Diana, from the Ryerson Circle K Club, became the first female District Governor a year after women were allowed into Circle K.

The first club to be officially chartered outside of the United States and Canada was the College of the Bahamas on April 25, 1977.

A fourth nation joined Circle K International on October 27, 1977, when Mico College of Jamaica was chartered.

Circle K International extended into a fifth nation with the chartering of a Circle K Club at the University of Suriname, Suriname, which became part of the Eastern Canada and the Caribbean District of Circle K International.

1936

1947

1950

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1964

1949

1952

1977

1967

1965

Original "Circle K House" (1940s)

Eleven years later in 1947, Donald T. Forsythe, Trustee of Kiwanis International, aided in transitioning Circle K from a fraternity to a service-oriented organization.

That year, during September, the first Circle K club similar to our present day organization, was chartered at Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois. (The college moved to its present-day location of Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1962.)

Circle K gained momentum and grew rapidly throughout the United States; 16 more clubs chartered in 1950.

25 Circle K members, representing 15 clubs, along with several Kiwanis International Board members met at the 1953 Kiwanis International Convention from June 22-24, 1953. At the end of the meeting, Kenneth B. Creasy from Ohio Wesleyan University emerged as the first President of Circle K.

CKI Constitution and Bylaws adopted.

The Board of Trustees of Kiwanis International voted to grant official international recognition to Circle K, October 23, 1955 – Circle K International was finally a reality.

The Kiwanis International Board of Trustees accepted a proposal to allow the establishment of Circle K Districts on February 22, 1957.

The very first Circle K District to be officially recognized was the Texas-Oklahoma District.

The second Circle K District was Kentucky-Tennessee which was closely followed by Michigan. Four more Districts were added in the 1957-58 administrative year: Missouri-Arkansas, California-Nevada-Hawaii, Ohio, and Alabama.

The First Ontario-Quebec-Maritimes Circle K District Convention was held in the Spring of 1959. Michael B. Martin, of the University of Western Ontario was elected the First Governor of the new District.

Carthage College, Illinois

University of Western Ontario (1940s)

Circle K International Convention (1964)

1971

1972

John D. Eadinger, from the University of Western Ontario Circle K Club, London, Ontario, Canada, became the first individual from our mighty District to be elected as Circle K International President.

The Circle K House of Delegates at the 1971 International Convention overwhelmingly voted to allow women to join Circle K.

Gregory Faulkner (1975)

1975

In 1975, Gregory Faulkner of the New York District was elected to the position of International President, serving as the first African-American to hold this office.

John D. Eadinger (1965)

During the 1977-1978 service year, the Eastern Canada and Caribbean District was chosen as an outstanding district owing to the significant increase of membership from 108 to 345 students.

Susan E. McClernon (1984)

1989

Recognition of outstanding leadership and service is a cornerstone of Circle K International operation. 1988-89 introduced the first Circle K International "honor society," the Society of Distinguished Collegians. The Society of Distinguished Collegians was established to recognize no more than 2% of each district's membership who qualify for the Society of Distinguished Collegians based on their academic achievements and contributions as a members of Circle K.