In November, 1923, George F. Shaner, Lewis H. Neumann, and Wendell C. Thomas, members of the San Jose Kiwanis, met at the Hotel Lyndon in Los Gatos to consider founding a Kiwanis Club in the Town of Los Gatos. A second meeting was held on December 1, 1923, at Leroy Brandts studio in San Jose with a committee from the San Jose Club and fifteen men from Los Gatos, including Walter Crider, P.E. Curtis, E. H. Melvin and Dr. L. S. Frary representing Rotary. The first proposal was to form an unaffiliated mens club, but the conviction grew that such a club would not succeed, and the final decision was to form a Kiwanis Club affiliated with Kiwanis International.
On December 7, another meeting at Hotel Lyndon, presided over by Wendell Thomas saw representatives from the San Jose, Oakland and Alameda Kiwanis confirm the forming of the Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos and sign up Charter Members. The December 13 meeting reported the following officers and directors elected: the Rev. John A. Collins--president, Edward W. Vodden--first vice president, George F. Shaner--district trustee, Eugene H. Rounds--treasurer, Dr. E. M. Miller, J. D. Farwell, C. F. Hamsher, Dr. Blake Franklin, Authur Templeman, Dr. A. E. Osborne and Henry Kissenger--directors, Lewis H. Heumann--sergeant-at-arms, and Cecil A. Dickinson--secretary. A final organization meeting was held December 20 to appoint committees and set the meeting time as Thursday at 12:15 pm at the Hotel Lyndon.
Charter Night was observed March 8, 1924, with a dinner and program at the Hotel Vendome, San Jose, under the sponsorship of the San Jose Club. Weekly meetings were held at the Hotel Lyndon until 1933 when they were moved to the Black Cat Tea Room on South Santa Cruz Ave. From there the Club went to the Little Hamlet and then the American Legion Hall. In 1945 the Club moved back to the Hotel Lyndon, and finally to the present meeting place, Los Gatos Lodge. The original meals cost seventy five cents.
The Club has performed many community services including: sponsorship of a Boy Scout troop; aided in support of a community nurse; supported a study for the establishment of a sanitary district; aided in securing transportation for public school children; sponsored a movement to pave downtown streets in Los Gatos; supported the school milk fund backed a program for tree planting in the downtdown area; assisted the establishment of a dental clinic in public schools; raised funds for an underprivileged childrens home in Los Gatos; planted trees at the Los Gatos High School; established a Key Club at Los Gatos High School; provided a flagpole for the new Town Hall; participataed in Chamber of Commerce Business Experience Day as well as other civic projects.
The Club supports Los Gatos and Santa Clara County residents through financial assistance and manpower commitments on many community projects which support the aging, the needy, and the youth of the community and supplement the work of government agencies. The Los Gatos Kiwanis Club has provided thousands of dollars in scholarships, given Christmas food baskets and purchased school clothing for economically deprived families; replaced $9,000 of band uniforms destroyed by arson, financed environmental studies regarding bicycling in County Parks; rehabilitated the bridges in Belgatos Park; sponsors and cleaned-up a portion of the Los Gatos Creek Trail;provided assistance to California Parks Ministry Program, Crippled Childrens Society, KCAT Community Access Television, Childrens Hospital Miracle Mile, San Jose Rescue Mission, Southwest YMCA, Red Cross, Live Oak Senior Nutrition Center, Live Oak Adult Day Care, Los Gatos Senior Coordinating Council, Family Services Association, Ming Quong, Youth Science Institute, Los Gatos Community Foundation, and continues to sponsor the Los Gatos High School Key Club and the Los Gatos Youth Park.
In 1996 the Club became the sponsor of the Los Gatos Fiesta de Artes, which has become the major fund raising event.On March 6, 1999, our Club celebrated its 75th Anniversary at the La Rinconada Country Club. Life Membership was presented to Paul Dubois, Immediate Past Lt. Governor of Division 12; Hixon awards to Rich Lang and Steve Stratton; and Legion of Honor Awards to Len Brothers, Tom Davies, Brad Honholt, Ben Nerenberg, Ernest Patterson, Seiji Shiba, Richard Stowers, Art Thimann, Warren and Richard Welde. Los Gatos Weekly Times Article
In May, 1999 we began by providing five Turnaround Scholarships to Los Gatos and Saratoga High School students, who for various reasons had gotten off to a slow start, but have turned around their academic careers and have been accepted to College.
In September of 1999, the Club also chartered our second, very dynamic Key Club at Saratoga High School.
On the evening of March 7th, 2004, the Club celebrated it's 80th year at Pigalee Restaurant Francais, 27 N Santa Cruz. The theme was that of the gay 20s, with everyone coming in appropriate costumes.
TODAY: the Club does Highway 17 Interchange and LG Creek Trail clean-up; provides assistance to California Parks Ministry Program, San Jose Airport Chaplaincy, Southwest YMCA, Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Los Gatos Community Foundation, Flying Doctors, and continues to sponsor the Los Gatos High School Key Club and the Los Gatos Youth Park. Club members read to 1st graders and conducted a “Kids in Cars” awareness program. Also, was a sponsor of a Domestic Violence Prevention Conference.© Copyright 2004, Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos, CA.