"Kiwanis Rocks"

Prance had met Browne only a few weeks earlier when he was trying to organize a group of Detroit businessmen under the title of the Loyal Home Fraternity, but the venture had failed. Brown had returned to Joe Prance's tailor shop to discuss a different type of organization; a fraternal group of business and professional men without insurance benefits. Joe listened to the proposal and added a few suggestions of his own. Ultimately he agreed to be the first member of this new organization. Likely, Joe was not aware of the impact his decision would have upon Detroit and the world.

Out of that conversation between a professional organizer and a respected but otherwise unremarkable tailor came one of the great service organizations of the world, Kiwanis International.

A private charter was soon issued to Allen Brown for the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order Brothers. The membership of this new business fraternity flourished, but quickly grew tired of belonging to an organization known as BOB for short. With a helping had from Detroit's official historian, an Otchipow Indian phrase -- "Nunc Kee-wan-is" -- was adapted as a name. Loosely translated it meant, "We have a good time, we make a big noise." During a club meeting at the Griswold Hotel during the first week of January, 1915, the club dropped the first word, Anglicized the pronunciation, and approved Kiwanis as a name for this club which had attracted nearly 200 members in only six months. The corporate charter was returned by the state of Michigan, dated January 21, 1915, the recognized birthday of Kiwanis ever since.