History Bulletin: By Donald J. Cox

An Abbreviated History of Ewing Kiwanis.

Early in the Spring of 1954 the Hamilton Township Kiwanis Club undertook to start a club in Ewing. With a few of the mainstays such as George Lockwood, Ira Beebe, Jim Fitzpatrick, Charlie Smith, etc. of the Hamilton club, which started only 7 years earlier, a strong effort was made to begin a Kiwanis Club in Ewing. Some of the earliest members were Charlie Apple, Herb Bohl, Bob Martin, George Berrell, Carl Jacobelli, Tony Alach, Ellwood Cook, Walter Heil, Ed Good, Kirby Blackford, Rocco Casarella, Mario Lombardo and a few others. The first meeting was held at the home of Vi and Charlie Apple on Clover Avenue. The meetings gained momentum and there were enough members to organize a club in April of that year. The Charter Night was held on May 18th of 1954 starting with 42 members. Bob Martin was the first President of record. The club met at Landwehr’s Restaurant and met their continuously until the late 1970’s. The first secretary of the club was Tony Alach, the treasurer was Walter Heil. Carl Jacobelli that year donated a house to the club that would be chanced off at a drawing to be held the following year. The club made a handsome profit and that started the club off in it's long history of providing service to Ewing Township. For more than 18 years the Ewing Kiwanis sold out a performance at the Lambertville Music Circus and on that one fund raising event to supply the club with sufficient money to operate the budget. We had several members that sold hundreds of tickets, such as Mario Lombardo, Clarence Lord, Rocco Casarella and others. Clarence Wilson single handedly produced the ad book and he printed it at Trenton Printing where he worked. When it was announced by St.John Terrell that he was closing the Music Circus the club started with a pancake breakfast held at the Prospect Fire House and then a spaghetti supper. After a couple of years we moved to the High School for both the pancake breakfast in the Fall and the spaghetti supper in the Spring. The pancake breakfast became the chicken dinner on the first Sunday of November and the spaghetti supper became a Palm Sunday event. The Club later started the December fruit sale and several years ago began the September golf tournament. We have had projects to sell light bulbs from Westinghouse, place mats, coloring books, peanuts, etc. The club has always raised sufficient money to operate successful programs for the citizens of Ewing. The annual budgets of the club have gone from $3,500. to nearly $30,000. during the 50 years of the club. The Ewing Kiwanis Club started in 1954 giving Outstanding Boy and Girl Awards at the first graduation of Ewing High School. Although the school opened in 1951 for 7th, 8th and 9th graders the first class graduated in 1954. Kiwanis has given Outstanding Service awards ever since with certificates and bonds. When Hopewell Valley Central H.S. opened we gave awards there as well and when Fisher Jr. H.S. and Antheil Jr. H.S. opened we gave the same awards at both those schools. Today we continue those awards at all three schools. During the 1958 school year the club chartered it’s first Key Club at Ewing H.S. Kiwanis had just secured the membership of Donald Cox who had been the Circle K International Vice-President and joined the club in the Fall of 1957 after returning from the military. He immediately started the Key Club at Ewing H.S. and Robert Mosier was the first President. The chartering of the Key Club was held in May of 1958. Following the Key Club chartering the Key Club at Notre Dame H.S. was completed the following year and a Key Club was begun at the new Hopewell Valley Regional H.S. as well. After the three Key Clubs were started the Circle K Club was begun at Trenton State College in 1970. During the early years of the KC sponsorship of local sports teams for children was begun. Kiwanis has sponsored baseball, softball, basketball, soccer and many special sporting events in Ewing. Ewing Kiwanis club member Don Cox started the N.J. Kiwanis Foundation Youth Leadership Conference for 7th and 8th graders from around the state to participate in a one week live-in program at The College of New Jersey. Thousands of students have participated in this program. Since it was started here several Ewing Kiwanis members have been the directors of the program since starting in 1971. Ewing Kiwanis has aided in several Township programs such as raising the money for the first Ewing Life Mobile, Bullet vests for the Ewing Police, the first bicycles for Ewing Police on neighborhood patrols. Several Ewing Kiwanians have served on the NJ District Board of Trustees. The first was Bob Martin and all of those that followed are on the list of club presidents. Ewing Kiwanis has always been an active participant in community activities. Although this brief history does not describe all of the activities of Ewing Kiwanis it gives a brief overview of highlights.