Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club President Dr. Hubert Tucker Jr. accepts a proclamation marking the club’s 100th anniversary from Mayor David Still, a former member. (Photo by Lou Camerio.)
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
May 30, 2023 | Two of the oldest civic clubs in Gwinnett marked anniversaries recently, and we were pleased to be at both of those meetings.
The Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club had its 100th anniversary celebration at Dominick’s restaurant on the square in the city. The original members first met in the same location when the club was first proposed, which then was the Ewing Hotel.
In early December of 1922, the Lawrenceville News-Herald reported, 25 men said they would be interested in the club. The idea came from hearing of Kiwanis Clubs in Atlanta and Athens.
However, by the time the official charter came from Kiwanis International, on May 25, 1923, 43 men signed up. First president was F. Q. Sammon, a funeral director. The newspaper reported that “Quill Sammon is the real daddy of the club, and no man has worked harder than he. Any city would be fortunate in having him to head their organization.”
And while it was the first men’s civic club in Gwinnett, it’s interesting that the meal for approximately 150 people was served by the Lawrenceville Woman’s Club, apparently already functioning as the possible first civic club in the county.
Since the Kiwanis Club founding, it has consistently seen its members as prominent leaders of the county. And the club has served to endorse and sponsor significant improvements for the city and county.
Among them:
- Started a movement for the initial Chamber of Commerce for the county.
- Pushed for the paving of the road to Atlanta, and also sought improved roads to Athens, Buford and Snellville, and endorsed the paving of the Buford to Atlanta highway.
- Instrumental in starting the Gwinnett Fairground at its old location, the present Central Gwinnett High.
- Endorsed the bond issue for the Hill-Burton hospital.
- Sponsored the idea of a city manager for Lawrenceville.
- Led efforts for new Kiwanis Clubs in six other cities.
- And many more. Altogether, the club has made over $400,000 in donations to local charities.
Dr. Hubert Tucker is the current president, as was his father before him. He remembers attending a meeting when he was 12 to recite the Gettysburg Address. The club also sponsored his Boy Scout troop which went to the Okefenokee Swamp for a week on several occasions in a bus bought by the Kiwanis Club. But one year, when 30 Scouts went, the bus broke down. The Scoutmaster called the club to wire money to Waycross to repair the bus for the Scout’s return.
The other civic club marking an anniversary is the Gwinnett Rotary Club, which was met for the first time on June 29, 1973 with 27 charter members at the Dutch Mill Restaurant in Duluth. Its first president was Troy Chatham of Norcross. The only living charter member is Dr. Wallace Lail of Duluth.
The actual Rotary 50th anniversary was recognized May 9 at its regular Tuesday meetings at the 1818 Club. The club that previous weekend on May 6 had celebrated its annual major fundraiser for charity, its Derby Down South party, by watching the Kentucky Derby on giant outdoor billboards at Formetco in Duluth, which manufactures the boards. Organizations benefiting from the 2023 fundraiser include: Rainbow Village, JM Tull Gwinnett Family YMCA, The Haven at Hebron, and the Rotary End Polio Now Campaign.
President of the club is Wanda Weegar of Georgia Banking Company, with Joe Godfrey the incoming president. Besides seeing a local video of what Rotary means to different members, older members of the club spoke of its early days, and cited its continual “Service Above Self” work for the community.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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