Page 23 - 2017.May Voices

EARLY OREGON TOASTMASTERS - PART 1

by Harvey Schowe, DTM - Distrit 7 Historian

The successful establishment of members with
Toastmasters clubs in Oregon resulted from speeches. On
the dedicated and hardworking efforts of November 2, 1939,
early Toastmasters club members. Arnold E. Ernest C. Davis, held
Kuhnhausen, born in Glenwood, Washington in a Toastmasters demonstration meeting at
1889, was a member of Portland Toastmasters a Hillsboro Rotary Club meeting. Portland
Club #31. His friend Charles Stidd, a charter Toastmasters members Jack Carney,
member of Portland Toastmasters Club, prob- Toastmaster, and Phil Thurman, General
ably invited him to join Toastmasters in 1936. Critic ran the meeting. Speakers were Ernest
Both were Oregon State College graduates Sinett, Ralph Walstrom, Arnold Kuhnhausen
and members of the Orange Council Alumni and Ernest C. Davis. Hillsboro Toastmasters
Association. Arnold Kuhnhausen was toast- club chartered January 1940 because of this
master at the January 1937 Annual Orange meeting. After 1939, Kuhnhausen’s involvement
Council Banquet. Charles Stidd spoke at the in Toastmasters remains unknown.
Annual Orange Council Banquet honoring high During the May 1944 election, Arnold
school students on the interscholastic football Kuhnhausen received 8,745 votes as Multnomah
team. County candidate for Republican State
After graduating from college in 1914, Representative on a platform for restoring free
Arnold Kuhnhausen, his brother Walter C. private enterprise with elimination of regu-
Kuhnhausen, and his father E. Kuhnhausen lations that interfere with businesses, farms
started the first success electric appliance and workers. Arnold became president of the
business in Portland in 1919. This business Northwest Appliance Retailers Association
expanded in 1948 with a new store on East in 1949. After retiring in 1958, he moved to
Burnside that still operates today. Woodburn, Oregon where he died in 1969.
In 1937, District 2 Toastmasters was divided Photograph reproduced with written copyright
into five Areas. Area 5 was Oregon with four permissions from the Oregonian Newspaper
clubs; Portland # 31, Portland No. 2 #92, Baker
#56 and Medford #67. District 2 Governor Ray
C. Gruhlke of Olympia, Washington appointed
Arnold Kuhnhausen as first Lieutenant
Governor for Area 5 from 1937 to 1938. During
the spring of 1938 Olympia, Washington
District 2 members Arnold Kuhnhausen and
Robert Nixon participated as speech contes-
tants. William Butchart was the Toastmaster and
Rev. Elmer B. Christe, Olympia, was General
Critic for this contest. Forrest B. Richardson
of Aberdeen, Washington placed first with
speech title “Thank God for the Depression”,
Henry Johnson of Seattle, Washington placed
second with the speech “Free Speech Savior of
Democracy” and Ernest R. Owen of Vancouver,
British Columbia placed third with his speech
titled “Friend O’ Man”. He supported the Red
Cross Multnomah Charter annual October 1938
roll call along with other Portland Toastmasters A.E. Kuhnhausen

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