March 17, 1917 was no ordinary day...nor were the people involved ordinary men.  They were business and professional leaders concerned, not only about their community, but about world events.  They were dreamers too, wanting to make a difference in their world.  They believed their actions could build a better world.

They had been meeting as a civic club which was slanted just a little too much toward personal gain to suit these men.  They gave up the charter they had purchased and set out to make a club suitable to them.  Gregory Johnston was elected as the first president of the group.  Eventually they settled on the name Civitan, a phrase coined from the Latin "civitas," loosely meaning citizenship.   It had been suggested by Jelks K. Cabaniss.  "Builders of Good Citizenship" was a natural motto for the civic-minded group.  Arthur C. Crowder was the Civitan who suggested this symbolic phrase.

The club continued on a purely local basis during the frantic World War I years which began only a month and eleven days after the club formed.   The group succeeded in every effort to benefit soldiers.  It was a job of untiring loyalty and patriotism.

Arthur C. Crowder was the club's second president.   Returning soldiers were heartily welcomed back into the club, and service projects began to focus on children.  Crowder was followed Dr. Courtney W. Shropshire, who served two terms as president.

The dream of a international organization began with Shropshire, a surgeon seldom seen without a red carnation in his lapel.  He shared his dream with a few close friends in the Birmingham club, and the proposal was given unanimous approval by a small but enthusiastic group present at the Shropshire home that day.  In that group were Jelks Cabaniss, Arthur Crowder, Reid Lawson, Percy W. Brower, H.E. Shropshire (Courtney's father), C.E. Woodrow, Kenneth C. Charlton and John V. Mix.

The process to incorporate was begun, and on April 15, 1920, the group met at the Southern Club, and Civitan International was born.  Officers elected were: Dr. Courtney W. Shropshire, president;  Rev. J.A. MacSporran, vice president;   John Fry, treasurer;  and John Mix, secretary.  Charter Number One went to the Birmingham Civitan Club, later designated as "The Mother Club of Civitan International."

In the following months clubs in Helena, Arkansas; Memphis and Knoxville, Tennessee; and Jacksonville, Florida were chartered.  By June of 1921, when the first international convention was held in Birmingham, there were 30 clubs and more than 300 delegates at the convention.

At the second convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee, delegates from 115 clubs attended.  There were more than 3,300 Civitans throughout the United States.

Delegates to the 1925 convention bestowed the title, "Founder of Civitan International" on Shropshire.  He is the only person to serve two terms as president.  By then Civitan had 180 clubs.

Shropshire had many dreams for the organization, some he would live to see, others would be accomplished only after his death.  Shropshire viewed women as partners, not only in life, but in civic involvement as well.  The late 1920's would see a ladies auxiliary informally adopted by the organization, but the dream of women as full members would not be realized until much later.

In 1974 at the Boston Convention, a proposal to delete the term "Male" from membership requirements was hotly debated.  In fact, it was first thought the motion was defeated.

A delegate, who was also a lawyer, pointed out that only the Bylaws required changing because membership requirements were in the Bylaws, not the Constitution.  After a conference with the Judge Advocate and other legal experts in attendance, the point of order was upheld and the motion passed.  Soon Civitans were building all-female clubs, a concept that changed as many established clubs decided to go co-ed.

From the very beginning, Civitan encouraged its clubs to seek out needs within their communities and to fulfill those needs.  Some truly outstanding projects were among those tackled by these far-sighted leaders.  They found crippled children living in dire poverty and paid for operations to help them walk.

They built hospitals, parks, playgrounds.  They served as big brothers to troubled boys.  They registered voters.  Their dreams were big, their sights high, their accomplishments great.

The dream of a truly international organization was fleeting.   Early clubs in Switzerland and Canada failed, but leaders kept trying.  It was not until 1932 that the Toronto Civitan Club was chartered.

And, it would be nearly 40 years before Civitan would establish clubs in Europe.  In 1969 the Oslo Norway Club was chartered.  By the mid-1970's, clubs would be chartered in other European countries and in Asia.

From the time Civitan chartered its first clubs, aid to those less fortunate was a notable project.  Concern for developmentally disabled was a natural expansion of the early effort to assist physically challenged children.  By the decade of the 1950's, Civitan work in this area had made giant strides and the momentous decision was made to adopt the developmentally handicapped as a major emphasis project..

While on a business trip in 1951, Civitan Earl Carver stopped by a small bakery in Claxton, Georgia.  He purchased a loaf of the bakery's fruit cake.   It was so good, he purchased others to take home to Florida.  He got the idea of his club selling the cake to raise money for projects.  His club liked the idea and the cakes.

Civitan's most profitable fund raiser began and continues to be the chief fund raising project of many clubs.  Civitan and Claxton Fruit Cake have become synonymous during the holiday season in Canada and the United States.

In 1960 the Civitan International Foundation was established by the executive board.  It took the death of our founder, Courtney W. Shropshire in 1965, to provide the impetus to get the foundation really going.

That year a scholarship fund for needy college students was established in his memory.  Programs to honor outstanding members were created to collect funds.  Only interest from these funds would be used as scholarships.

Other plans were made for the expansion of the Foundation, but little else was accomplished until 1976 when Louisville, Kentucky, Civitans approached the executive board about a project to place candy boxes in restaurants.  Patrons would deposit loose change in return for a mint.

The first funds completed construction of Cedar Lake Lodge, a home for developmentally disabled adults near Louisville.  Later projects would find homes and other projects on behalf of people with developmental disabilities.  Soon after this project was adopted, Civitan had funds to expand its work for people with developmental disabilities...all because of the dream of Louisville Civitans.

Today another dream is a reality.  The Civitan International Research Center was dedicated in 1992 during the Birmingham Convention.  Civitans are once again reaching out to those in need in new ways--this time not only to provide treatment but to look for ways to improve the quality of life and perhaps eventually prevent mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.

Projects have always been a shining monument to the work and concern of Civitan clubs for their communities.  Extraordinary projects were accomplished by ordinary citizens like you and me.  The thought that a project cost too much did not stop them from working hard for the community.  Here are a few projects from the first ten years:

"Umm-mm!  Ain't this great!" was the comment of hundreds of youngsters returning home from Washington D.C.'s Civitan Fresh Air Camp.   Children spent two weeks at the camp, 35 miles from the city, among cool, shady trees.  Over the summer nearly 800 youngsters enjoyed the camp experience, thanks to Washington Civitans.  (August 1922)

Little Rock, Arkansas establishes a park for the city, complete with benches, children's playground and landscaping.  One of the club's fund raising projects on behalf of the park was the sale of fly swatters.  (August 1922)

Charlotte, North Carolina institutes an essay contest for high school and junior high school students on the duties and privileges of citizenship.   (November 1922)

Chattanooga, Tennessee got into the movement to help crippled children, earmarking 60 percent of the revenue from their next Civitan show for this project.  Club president T.C. Thompson discovered an 11-year-old crippled girl living in dire circumstances in the mountains near the city.  She cooked for a family of eight.  Against the opposition of the stepmother, the girl was taken from the family, and given new clothing and medical attention.  (November 1922)

In January 1922, after learning of the plight of tuberculosis patients, Knoxville, Tennessee took on the responsibility of building a hospital for the care of indigent tuberculosis patients.  The Tennessee Tuberculosis Association had purchased a 128-acre farm and had $3,000 cash for the project.  Civitans committed themselves to raising $100,000 and set out to raise the money.  By June 6 they had completed the campaign and were working on plans for the new hospital.  Construction began and the city soon had a new, three-story facility.  (March 1923)

"Save Your Waste Paper and You Save Forests" was the title of a feature story dealing with paper conservation and using paper products again.   Collecting, sorting, bailing and shipping waste papers is a gigantic industry.   Pictures accompanied the article and testified to the mountain of paper.  The article was written by Past International President O.B. Andrews, owner of a paper mill outside Chattanooga.  It was reprinted from Forbes Magazine.  (October 1924)

Atlanta, Georgia presented a 76-acre tract of  land to the Girl Scouts.  Named Camp Civitania, the land is ten miles from Atlanta.  The camp was developed with a swimming pool, sleeping quarters and huts built by Civitans and Kiwanis.  Civitans also held meetings at the camp during the summer.  (October 1924)

Washington, D.C. financed a Boy's Garden Club for delinquents.   Boys were turned over to W.R. Beattie, an official of the Department of Agriculture with an interest in helping youngsters.  Each boy was assigned a plot of land and tended the garden, from planting seeds to harvest.  It was a successful project that grew annually.  (September 1925)

St. Paul, Minnesota voted to fund completion of one of the children's wards of a new hospital.  (November 1925)

Sacramento, California provided a light spring wagon for odd jobs around the Sacramento orphanage.  (December 1925)

Akron, Ohio joined with Rotary, Kiwanis, Exchange, Lions and Optimist to provide welcome signs at six prominent locations in the city.  (October 1926)

A banner headline proclaimed "Civitan Club Lands $2,000,000 Mill and $175,000 Hotel for Dalton."  The Dalton, Georgia, Club chartered in 1921 and was faced with the lack of a location for a luncheon meeting.  The town was booming and lacked any type of accommodation for travelers.  A hotel committee was formed, went to work raising money, purchased land and built the hotel.   (December 1926)

An auto race was a big project of Wichita, Kansas -- but it was not a typical race.  This one was a race for membership with the Studebaker Big Six against the Chrysler Imperial Eighty.  Points were awarded, in terms of miles, for new members and reinstated members.  Miles were also awarded for team members at meetings, for ball teams present at games, Civitan and wife attending games, and visitors at luncheons.  Penalties were also deducted from points earned for flat tire (member absent), foul spark plug (member late) or out of gas (without name badge).  (January 1927)

Greenville and Greer, South Carolina joined together to sponsor a 100-bed sanitarium to help stamp out tuberculosis.  Clubs pledged to contribute $1.00 a day for each charity patient.  (February 1927)

Children at the Trumbull County Home enjoyed a special evening of entertainment compliments of Warren, Ohio Civitans.  They were treated to sandwiches, soft drinks, ice cream and cake, and then enjoyed the Corlett Orchestra.  Civitans toured the home after the program.  (September 1927)

More than 5,000 toys were distributed to hundreds of underprivileged children by Wichita, Kansas Civitans for Christmas.  They collected new and discarded, but still useable toys the first Monday of December, and encouraged other clubs to adopt similar projects.  (December 1927)

Rogersville, Alabama needed a high school, but cost and location had the local committee deadlocked.  After the Rogersville club chartered, they went to work securing a location, pledged $10,000 and secured another $30,000 in additional funds from the state and other citizens of Lauderdale County to build the school.   (May 1929)

Birmingham, Alabama presented the Founder's Cup to Civitan International to recognize the one club performing the most outstanding service to its community.  (July 1929)

Winston-Salem, North Carolina started libraries in the city's public schools.  (July 1929)

Dallas, Texas provided swimming suits for several hundred undernourished youngsters under the age of  12 who attend the children's rest camp.   (September 1929)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma took 687 "problem boys" in hand and gave then two glorious weeks at the YMCA camp  (November 1929)

In the early years of Civitan International, growth was an important goal to Civitan leaders.  As the word of what Birmingham Civitans were accomplishing spread to other cities, the foundation group sent members to other cities to talk about Civitan and to form clubs.  Later, Civitan would form a network of field representatives to charter clubs in distant cities.

Civitan's first club outside of the United States was chartered in Geneva, Switzerland in 1922.  In May of 1925 the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Civitan Club was chartered.  Both of these clubs failed to survive the depression years, but Canada came back strong in 1932, this time firmly established with the Toronto Civitan Club.

Civitan K.Y. Benson, a former president of the Birmingham Civitan Club, moved to Toronto because of his business.  He felt that when the time was right, he would get a club started there.  With the help of Major Frank M. Brown, one of Toronto's foremost citizens, they got a select group together to hear International Secretary Arthur Cundy tell the Civitan story.  The group went to work getting more prominent citizens together and they were finally ready for charter.

On January 25, 1932, Cundy again traveled to Toronto and presented them with Charter 264 at the King Edward Hotel.  Officers of the club included Frank M. Brown, president; K.Y. Benson, secretary-treasurer; and Fred Halls and A.J. Walker, vice-presidents.

Civitan was now in two nations - Canada and the United States.   In the following years, due to the high cost of maintaining clubs in foreign countries and worldwide conditions, Civitan would concentrate on Canada and the United States for growth.  It would take Civitan 37 years to venture outside North America, crossing the Atlantic to Norway.

"Now Under Four Flags" was the banner headline proclaiming the chartering of the Oslo, Norway and Monterrey, Mexico Civitan clubs in the October 1969 issue of the Civitan Magazine.  A group of men, interested in joining a major service club, had looked into various groups, deciding on Civitan.

Civitans attending the May 30 ceremonies in Oslo were International President Eddie Lunn of Nashville, Tennessee; Executive Administrator Rudolph T. Hubbard and John L. Badeau of Birmingham, Alabama and J.D. Blackburn of Kingsport, Tennessee.  They were accompanied by their spouses.  The Mother Club of Civitan International, Birmingham, Alabama, sponsored the Oslo Club.

A formal banquet with master of ceremonies Kai E. Roland, a former Civitan from Portland, Oregon, got the new club off to a good start.  Charter officers were Trygve Klinkenberg, president; Einar Barnes, vice-president; Otto Munthe-Kass Pay, secretary; and Anders Roland, treasurer.

The Monterrey, Mexico Club chartered June 20.  International President Eddie Lunn and International Vice President Bill Haehnel and their wives were greeted at the Monterrey Airport by an enthusiastic group of Texan and Mexican Civitans.

Texas District Governor Jack Blackmon presented the charter to Rev. Drew Wolcott, president of the new club.  Lunn installed the officers and Haehnel initiated members.  Officers were Wolcott, president; Bart Espinosa, Mario Serrano and Ramiro de la Garza, vice-presidents; Oscar Salinas, secretary; and Sergio Gardea, treasurer.

Norwegian Civitans went to work, growing not only in Norway, but adding other countries.  In January 1970, the Hanover, Germany Club chartered followed in just a few months by the Stockholm, Sweden Club in June.

In 1974, Atlanta, Georgia Civitan Howell Jordan, a career army officer and former Junior Civitan, was transferred from Fort MacPherson, Georgia to Seoul, Korea.  Before leaving for his new post, Georgia North District Governor-elect Dick Lang asked Jordan to establish a new Civitan club in Korea.

Jordan sought outstanding business and professional people and quickly connected with Dr. Young Seek Choue, an internationally known educator, author and president of Kyung Hee University.  The Seoul Civitan Club chartered in August 1974.

Officers of the club were assisted by American servicemen.   The charter officers were: Kim Dong Up, president; Joseph Len, vice-president; Ye In Su, secretary; and Chin Tae Chong, treasurer.

Yoshio Nishimoto, an executive with the Coca-Cola Company, was transferred from Atlanta, Georgia back to his native Japan.  While in Atlanta, Nishimoto was a member of the Sandy Springs Civitan Club.  In Japan, he went to work to build a club, and the Nippon Civitan Club chartered in June 1975.

The Nippon Civitan Club chartered with two experienced Civitans -- Nishimoto and Dr. Makoto Hara, a professor of economics at Tokyo Gaku Gei University.   Hara had taught at the University of North Carolina.

Civitan International President M.M. Richards attended the charter ceremonies.  Yoshio Nishimoto was the charter president of the new club.   Growth in the Orient would be slow, but steady, and clubs continue to charter with the elite in business and professional men and women.

In 1989, Bangladesh was added to the roster of Civitan nations.   Five clubs were chartered in and around the capital city of Dhaka, principally through the work of Towhid Hasan Kibria, who is general secretary of the area.

The year 1990 would see two additional nations -- Denmark and Hungary -- join the world of Civitan.

Denmark was the natural outgrowth of expansion by Civitan's European Division.  Saeby, Denmark chartered in April 1991 through the efforts of club builders Ingegjerd Birkeland, John Gunnar Gregerson and Vagn Sorensen.

Gyor and Tet, Hungary chartered on September 18 and 19, 1991, through the effort of one Civitan, Ferenc Relle, an Eastern Columbus member who had dreamed of seeing Civitan in his homeland for many years.  Relle is a past governor of the Ohio District.

It all started in Birmingham, Alabama but it is spreading around the world.  Civitan was the dream, the gift of our founders, to the world.  It is a rich heritage, a proud heritage for us to pass on, just as Shropshire and those early leaders passed it on to you and to me.