At the Annual Capital Kiwanis District Convention in Washington, DC on October 13 and 14, 1922, the position of District Historian was created. Harry G. Kimball, who had been District Secretary and had just refused re-election to that office, was elected Historian, a position he has held ever since.

Published in 1924, Volume I of the History of the Capital Kiwanis District and its constituent clubs covered 1917 through 1923. Major events during this time when the Washington club was organized (Feb. 1917), when the District was organized by Washington and Baltimore (August 29, 1928), to the end of 1923.

This was the first Kiwanis history of any kind to be published, but was followed by histories of New Jersey and California, while later a committee was appointed to prepare a history of International. That committee, however, has not as yet presented such a work.

Volume II of the Capital District History covers the years 1924-1926.

Volume III of the Capital District History covers the years 1927-1929.

While the history of some of the clubs is not as complete as the activities of those clubs might warrant. The clubs have not supplied the data.

The work of the historian for the past eight years has been a labor of love for Kiwanis and our District, but it has compensated him by a knowledge of Kiwanis activities and Kiwanians which could have been obtained in no other way.

HARRY G. KIMBALL, Historian.

After the publication of Volume 3 that contained the history of the clubs 1927 - 1929, Harry G. Kimball continued to collect history data for 1930 and 1931, and in January 1932, he gave the copy for these years to the District Secretary in hopes that another volume could be then published. The condition of the Capital District treasury precluded such a possibility at that time and nothing was done in regard to continuing the history of the District until January, 1934. Henry A. Converse was elected District Historian in the hope that at some future time sufficient funds would be available for publication. By laying aside a certain sum each year for that purpose the District is now able to publish this history from 1930 to 1937, inclusive, but in order to do this it has been necessary to condense somewhat the reports of the activities of the clubs, and your historian has attempted to do this partly by leaving out headings and partly by arranging the activities of the clubs in the following order, and separating them as nearly as possible merely by paragraphing in this order:

Your historian has felt that a history of Kiwanis should be the history of the club activities rather than the achievement of individuals. Therefore, in most instances the officers are referred to not by name but as the Governor, the LTG, the President, etc. The preparation of this history has given the writer a wide and comprehensive view of the activities of the clubs in the Capital District, and he presents this history to the District in the hope that it will encourage the clubs to widen the scope of their activities and aid them in carrying out the objects and objectives of Kiwanis International.

HENRY A. CONVERSE, Historian.

In presenting Volume V of the History of the Capital District your Historian has followed much the same plan as outlined in the preface to Volume IV. Since the Capital District has now completed a quarter of a century of service to the communities comprised within its limits as well as furnishing a part of the personnel in the further development of the International organization, thereby serving the world as well as its own locality, it seems pertinent to attempt to give a picture of the activities of the District over a quarter of a century.

These facts are presented in the hope that the accomplishments of our predecessors may spur us on to greater effort in the future.

HENRY A. CONVERSE, Historian.

Since the activities of the Capital District are the activities of the individual clubs, the history of the District itself has been written rather in statistical form.

It is understood in connection with each year's District Convention that besides the reports of the club activities, the business meetings of the Trustees and the inspirational addresses on Kiwanis objectives, there is always furnished ample entertainment for the ladies and in most instances one afternoon is given over to a golf tournament for those who desire to play golf, and a sight-seeing tour for those who wish it. The last night of the Convention is always given over to the Governor's banquet and ball, which in every instance has been a delightful entertainment.

New clubs at Narrows, Virginia, and Milford, Delaware was organized.

District Governor-elect training for Lieutenant-Governor at Winchester, VA.

Conventions:
Mid-Winter Conference - Baltimore, MD January 19 with 104 present.
International Convention - Boston, MA June 18-22, present 240 from Capital District.
District Convention - Baltimore, MD October 12-14, with 750 present.

International was represented by the newly-elected International President, Bennett 0. Knudsen and International Trustee Fred Barnes. Past International Presidents Joshua Johns and Harry Karr present.

At the Baltimore convention the District bylaws were amended, Division 6 split putting all Delaware clubs together with Elkton and Salisbury in the new Division 7.

District Governor-elect held training for District Officers in Fredericksburg, VA.

New clubs Bridgeville, Taneytown and Salisbury.

Conventions:
Mid-Winter Conference - Charlottesville, VA January 16, with 126 present.
International Convention - Minneapolis, MI June 16-20, with 92 present Capital District.
District convention - Richmond October 10-12, with 929 present.
International was represented by International Trustee Ben Dean.

New clubs during the year
Ellicott City, MD, Bland County, VA, and Halethorpe, MD

The District Governor-elect held training for District Officers at Arlington, VA

International Secretary Fred C. W. Parker retired and George W. Kimball, a cousin of Past Governor Kimball was made acting Secretary.

Conventions:
District convention - Washington, October 9-11 with 825 present
with International Trustee James P. Gallagher.

District Governor-elect held training for District Officer Frederick, MD, November 18.

The District was sadden of the death of Past District Governor Joseph M. Fentress.

0. F. (Pete) Peterson was elected International Secretary to succeed Acting-Secretary George W. Kimball, deceased.

Conventions:
Mid-Winter Conference - Charlottesville, VA Jan. 18, with 129 present.
PG George G. Peery was endorsed unanimous as a candidate for International Trustee.
International Convention - Cleveland, OH June 14-18, with 136 from the Capital District
George Peery was elected International Trustee.
District Convention - Wilmington, DE Oct 8-10, with 41 in attendance.
International Trustee George Peery and International Vice-President Fred Barnes

"We Build," The Story of Kiwanis, by Past International President, John H. Moss and Merton S. Heiss was put on sale. Past President Moss spent many years collecting data for the history of the first 25 Years of Kiwanis. He lived to see 25 Years completed but died in 1941, before the book was published. A copy should be in the library of each club.

The Governor-elect's training for District Officers was held in Richmond on November 17.

Number of Kiwanians of the Capital District to enter the Armed Forces of the United States during 1942, and therefore eligible for Military Service Membership is 230 or more than six per cent of the entire membership.

New clubs this year are Abingdon and Saltville.

Mid-Winter Conference - Baltimore, MD Jan. 14, with 150 delegates.
Past International President Harry Karr and International Trustee George Peery.

This Conference was really a "war council participated in by civilians." The keynote of the Governor's "inaugural address" was that Kiwanians and every other group of Americans must lay aside other consideration "until the crooked cross and the yellow stain" are removed forever from world influence.

At the noon day luncheon, Senator Tydings, speaking on "Victory by United Effort", quoted a letter which Marine Private William Smith wrote from Guadalcanal to certain friends of his in a war production plant. This letter made such an impression on the delegates that the Conference voted to have sufficient copies of the letter made to supply all the workers in war plants in the District. This was done, and the distribution was made through Kiwanis clubs from the northern-most part of Delaware to the furthest reaches of southwestern Virginia, so that more than 50,000 workers on the home front were able to read of the necessity of continuous united effort to support the men in the field.

It was announced at this conference that the District had invested, from surplus funds, in war bonds to the amount of $1,500.

International Convention - Chicago, IL Jun 22 - 24, had been arranged as a streamlined convention, with only delegates present and no entertainment. In April it appeared that the Capital District would be represented by 100 delegates. However, early in May at the request of the Office of Defense Transportation the convention was cancelled and a meeting of the International council was called for the same place and date. At this, the District was represented officially by Past International President Harry Karr, International Trustee George Peery, Chairman of the International committee on Public Affairs for the United States, Waitman Zinn, and the Governor. At this meeting the District was honored by the election of Roe Fulkerson, first president of the Washington club, as Honorary International vice President for life.

District Convention - Roanoke, VA Oct. 14-15 with 367 attendance. The District Secretary-Treasurer's report showed that the Victory Membership Goal set up at the Mid-Winter Conference had resulted in a net membership increase of 289.

At this Convention two important resolutions were passed.
First, that the Kiwanis clubs of the Capital District endorse an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, limiting the power of the Congress to impose income taxes, inheritance and gift taxes, upon the people to 25 percentum, except in time of war; and that the States of Maryland and Virginia be requested to join with 15 other states in requesting that such an amendment be proposed and submitted to the states for ratification.

Second, it was recommended that the educational and recreational facilities established by the Federal Government in connection with the war effort be not dismantled or abandoned until they have first been offered to the states and localities in which they are situated, to be transferred to them for proper consideration, to be used by the states and localities, free from Federal control, for educational and recreational purposes.

Copies of these resolutions were sent to the State and Federal officials concerned, to the Officers of Kiwanis International and to the officers of all Districts and Kiwanis clubs in the United States.

The cost of this coupled with the cost of sending out the Guadalcanal letter, represented something over $400.00, spent by the District in worthwhile Public Affairs activities.

District Governor-Elect's training for District Officers held Richmond, VA Nov 16.

The number of Kiwanians in the Armned Forces at the end of 1943 was 363.

While it is not the policy to laud men, but rather to praise their deeds there are certain men of the Capital District whose influences in determining the policies of the International organization and in planning its objectives have been so important, that their names and their services become naturally apart of the history of the Capital District.

Past International President Harry E. Karr, a charter member and twice President of the Baltimore club, served 2 years as International Trustee, 1 year as International Vice-President, was largely responsible for the adoption of the Underprivileged Child Objective.

Roe Fulkerson, Charter President of the Washington club, served four years as International Trustee, became International Vice-President and through his editorials and his Personal Page in the Kiwanis Magazine has done more, perhaps than any other one man, to disseminate the principles of Kiwanis among the individual members. At the meeting of the International Council in Chicago, June 22-24, 1943, he was elected Honorary International Vice-President for life.

J. Randall Caton, Jr., President of the Alexandria club, District Governor 1925, and served 4 years as International Trustee. There was no more enthusiastic Kiwanian in the District than Randall Caton until the time when he found it necessary to give up his membership in the organization.

Russell S. Perkinson, President of the Petersburg club, District Governor 1927, and served two years as International Trustee, Chairman of the International Convention Program Committee.

Edwin F. Hill, President of the Washington club, LTG, District Governor 1933, and served 2 years as International Trustee. Everyone loved Ed Hill and had he lived he would have gone on and on in extending the influence of Kiwanis.

George G. Peery, president of the Salem club, became LTG Division 3, District Governor 1937, and International Trustee, 1942-43.

Other Kiwanians in the District have served effectively on International Committees taking a full share of the work of International, but a complete record of this is not available, suffice it to say that no member of the District has refused to do to the best of his ability any task assigned to him by International.

It is to be remembered that Kiwanis is not primarily an eleemosynary institution, but rather a promoter of enterprises of public value by means of Community education. In other words Kiwanis attempt, to give publicity to a community need and show how that need is filled if the people of the community will work together.

Among such needs recognized by clubs in their respective communities and finally carried to fulfillment through Kiwanis leadership, are the following: Community houses, new hotels, good restaurants and tea rooms, bond issue; for school building, armories, city auditoriums, public libraries, building and loan associations, radio systems for hospitals, schools for crippled children, boy's homes, additions to hospital facilities and wards in sanitariums and the like.

Other needs not requiring constructions of buildings: playgrounds and equipment, summer camps, municipal swimming pools, fresh air farms, boy and girl bands, glee clubs, community nurses, cars for nurses, hospital beds for underprivileged children, crippled children's clinics, school lunches for undernourished children, milk and ice funds for babies, drives for funds for Community Chests, for the Salvation Army, for the Red Cross, and for the YMCA, the immunization of children to diphtheria, the organization and fostering of Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, the bringing of fresh air children to the country in the summer.

Kiwanis clubs have given prizes in athletic meets and scholastic contests.

They have sent boys and girls to summer camps, they have sent boys to Boy State, they have aided the 4-H clubs and the First Farmers of America, they have furnished outings for the inmates of orphans homes, and crippled children's wards and homes for the aged. They have given Christmas parties to underprivileged children, they have furnished band concerts during summer months to inmates of hospitals. They have had kite days and marble tournaments and athletic meets and baseball leagues for small boys,

In one instance a club built a tabernacle and brought an evangelist to the community for a six weeks revival and in another instance a club dedicated a church, and almost all clubs have either sent Christmas baskets to the needy or contributed to recognized agencies for this purpose.

They have set up community Christmas trees, and have sponsored community carol singing. They have been responsible for the President's Birthday balls and the March of Dimes and they have put on informational campaigns which have resulted in cities adopting the City Manager form of government. They have given banquets to local football and baseball teams, and entertained the graduating classes of local high schools. They have had as their guests at luncheon the local police force, the ministers of the town (Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish), the telephone operators, and the teachers in the schools, to show these groups that their services in the community are appreciated.

These and many other things the Kiwanis clubs of the District have done in the past 25 years, things which cost their members time and thought, which they gave willingly.

Some of the money used of course came from the allocation of a part of the dues to such purposes, but to have obtained sufficient money to carry on these activities in this way would have made the membership dues prohibitive to many worth while men, hence, since the work to be done is for the community the larger part of the necessary funds should rightfully be raised by the community.

This has been made possible by the clubs giving dinners, oyster suppers, card parties, benefit movies, bazaars, minstrel shows, plays, donkey baseball games and other activities, in which the public gets something for its money while the profits of the project goes to funds for community betterment.

So Kiwanis has been of value to the district and Kiwanians have had a good time in making it possible.