In September 1953, five men met in on the second floor of the Commercial Bank on the corner of 2nd and Main in Hillsboro, Oregon. Dale Scheller, a local dairy farmer, was a member of the Forest Grove club for the four previous years. Jack Murton was Kiwanis Lt. Governor from the Gresham Kiwanis Club. Bob Gales was president of Beaverton Kiwanis. Lew Glass of the Commercial Bank and Bill Hunegar of 1st National Bank were both bankers.
November 30, 1953 is the official club date for our organization. Twenty-five men met (men-only in those years) on a Tuesday evening at Chuck’s Restaurant on 1st and Baseline. Tuesday has been the weekly meeting night for the club’s entire history. The first officers installed were Dale Scheller, president; Lou Glass, vice president; and William Huneger, secretary-treasurer. The first meeting began with the singing of “America,” and “O Canada,” which is sung because Northwest Canada is part of the same Pacific Northwest District. On that night, the evening ended with the additional singing of “Cruising Down the River,” “Home on the Range,” and “The Band Played On.” No records exist if the singing was on key, sometimes a problem at meetings.
Charter Night was February 15, 1954 when a large crowd of 180 people, including twenty-nine charter members, assembled at St. Matthews School for dinner. The Beaverton Kiwanis Club was the official sponsor.
The club always held dinner meetings, first at the Times Restaurant (on East Main Street across from the courthouse), then at Chucks Restaurant (on 1st and Baseline), then Merrills (on Baseline – now Spaghetti Western), then the Senior Center, Anthony’s Restaurant (now Miller’s on 10th Avenue), the Tuality Health Education Center, the Main Street Diner, the Farmhouse Restaurant (on Cornell), Cornell Estates, and lately at Coyote’s Bar.
President Dale Scheller led the inauguration of the first community service project with the establishment of the “Strawberry Days” Festival. This was the forerunner for what became known as “Western Days,” which since has been replaced by the Farmers’ Markets on Saturday mornings and Tuesday Marketplace. Also that first year, the ambitious President Scheller had a March of Dimes sidewalk event to raise funds for that cause. As a dairy farmer, he was also the natural man to sponsor the Washington County Dairy Princess contest, which the club continues to sponsor and the princess visits the club each year.
An early fundraiser was selling gumballs in glass-display machines in barbershops and other public places. The machines eventually wore out. Recently we sold Sees Candy online, so our sweet tooth continues.
With $20 seed money, Charlie Graham and Malcolm Blohn started the July 4th pancake breakfast in 1967.
The “Greater Hillsboro Kiwanis Club” was founded in 1978. This club met over lunch at noon, while the original club continued to meet over dinner in the evening. The new club suffered dwindling attendance over the years and finally merged back into the dinner club in 1984.
Key Clubs are high school clubs sponsored by Kiwanis. The Glencoe High School club was chartered on the night of the Hillsboro Kiwanis’ 35th Anniversary, November 29, 1988. The Key Club at Hillsboro High School which started in 1978 was started again during the school year 1993-94 and the new Century High School started a club its first year, 1996-97.
History
In September 1953, five men met in on the second floor of the Commercial Bank on the corner of 2nd and Main in Hillsboro, Oregon. Dale Scheller, a local dairy farmer, was a member of the Forest Grove club for the four previous years. Jack Murton was Kiwanis Lt. Governor from the Gresham Kiwanis Club. Bob Gales was president of Beaverton Kiwanis. Lew Glass of the Commercial Bank and Bill Hunegar of 1st National Bank were both bankers.
November 30, 1953 is the official club date for our organization. Twenty-five men met (men-only in those years) on a Tuesday evening at Chuck’s Restaurant on 1st and Baseline. Tuesday has been the weekly meeting night for the club’s entire history. The first officers installed were Dale Scheller, president; Lou Glass, vice president; and William Huneger, secretary-treasurer. The first meeting began with the singing of “America,” and “O Canada,” which is sung because Northwest Canada is part of the same Pacific Northwest District. On that night, the evening ended with the additional singing of “Cruising Down the River,” “Home on the Range,” and “The Band Played On.” No records exist if the singing was on key, sometimes a problem at meetings.
Charter Night was February 15, 1954 when a large crowd of 180 people, including twenty-nine charter members, assembled at St. Matthews School for dinner. The Beaverton Kiwanis Club was the official sponsor.
The club always held dinner meetings, first at the Times Restaurant (on East Main Street across from the courthouse), then at Chucks Restaurant (on 1st and Baseline), then Merrills (on Baseline – now Spaghetti Western), then the Senior Center, Anthony’s Restaurant (now Miller’s on 10th Avenue), the Tuality Health Education Center, the Main Street Diner, the Farmhouse Restaurant (on Cornell), Cornell Estates, and lately at Coyote’s Bar.
President Dale Scheller led the inauguration of the first community service project with the establishment of the “Strawberry Days” Festival. This was the forerunner for what became known as “Western Days,” which since has been replaced by the Farmers’ Markets on Saturday mornings and Tuesday Marketplace. Also that first year, the ambitious President Scheller had a March of Dimes sidewalk event to raise funds for that cause. As a dairy farmer, he was also the natural man to sponsor the Washington County Dairy Princess contest, which the club continues to sponsor and the princess visits the club each year.
An early fundraiser was selling gumballs in glass-display machines in barbershops and other public places. The machines eventually wore out. Recently we sold Sees Candy online, so our sweet tooth continues.
With $20 seed money, Charlie Graham and Malcolm Blohn started the July 4th pancake breakfast in 1967.
The “Greater Hillsboro Kiwanis Club” was founded in 1978. This club met over lunch at noon, while the original club continued to meet over dinner in the evening. The new club suffered dwindling attendance over the years and finally merged back into the dinner club in 1984.
Key Clubs are high school clubs sponsored by Kiwanis. The Glencoe High School club was chartered on the night of the Hillsboro Kiwanis’ 35th Anniversary, November 29, 1988. The Key Club at Hillsboro High School which started in 1978 was started again during the school year 1993-94 and the new Century High School started a club its first year, 1996-97.
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