Bert Nash and Lawrence Kiwanis Club have long history — and the legacy continues

Bert Nash, the man, as well as the mental health center that bears his name, are forever linked to the Lawrence Kiwanis Club.

Cindy Hart is now part of that history.

In 1937, Bert Nash, who was 38 at the time, served as president of the local Kiwanis Club, which was the first in Kansas. The chapter was started in 1919.

Seventy-six years after Nash was Kiwanis president, Hart, who is development director at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, has followed in his footsteps.

And those are big footsteps, said Hart, who was installed September 26th.

“Just knowing Kiwanis meant so much to him, and he was such an amazing man who did so much for the community, there is a wonderful history there,” Hart said.

Hart, 39, is almost the same age as Nash when he was Kiwanis president.

“It’s really intimidating, because I feel like he did so much more than I have,” Hart said. “No one can fill those shoes, but I am honored to be a part of the Bert Nash-Kiwanis connection.”

Nash’s mark is ever present, from the name of the Center to his signature that serves as the organization’s logo to his legacy as a proponent of mental health reforms.

Nash’s community good works are also well documented in a book about the history of the Center, “Commitment to Community: The Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.”

“Nash’s sociability, as well as his community spirit, led to his membership in informal groups as well as civic and social clubs. Especially meaningful was his membership in the Lawrence Kiwanis Club...The work of the Kiwanis fit with his professional interest and his idea of community service.”

Among his other interests detailed in the book, Nash was a passionate sports fan. He served on the KU Athletic

Board and regularly took his family to KU football and basketball games. A project of his —a volunteer recreation committee — was a precursor to the city’s Parks and Recreations Department.

Hart said the Kiwanis mission of “changing the world one child and one community at a time,” aligned with Nash’s own personal beliefs.

“Bert Nash had a great passion for children and giving back to the community,” Hart said.

So did the Kiwanis. In 1922, members of the Lawrence club voted to support monthly mental health clinics known as “nervous clinics,” which were conducted by the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger of Topeka. Nash was a protégé of Menniger’s.

In 1934, Nash was elected president of an organization called the Kansas Mental Hygiene Society, whose stated educational mission was “the prevention of mental disease.” The following year, Nash steered the Lawrence Kiwanis committee for underprivileged children, which sponsored the local mental health clinics. In the November 1935 Kiwanis Magazine, Nash wrote an article declaring that every community should have behavior and mental health clinics.

Sadly, Dr. Nash died of a brain hemorrhage in 1947 at the age of 48. But his work lived on.

Three years after his death, the Bert Nash Clinic was opened as a “living memorial” to honor the man who had zealously advocated for mental health services in the community. Local leaders, as well as Nash’s fellow Kiwanians, were determined to see Nash’s vision of advancing community mental health reforms continue.

When David Johnson became CEO of Bert Nash in 2001, he learned of the history between the Center and Kiwanis. He made it a priority to continue that connection.

“It’s been important to us as a Center that we have some representation in Kiwanis, because of their historical support of the work that we do,” Johnson said. “And, certainly, Cindy’s appointment reflects the quality of leadership that we have at the Center. We’re proud of her.”

Hart became aware of Bert Nash’s connection with Kiwanis soon after she began her job at the Center in May 2009.

“I wasn’t aware of any of the history until I started working here,” Hart said. “But becoming involved in Kiwanis was part of my job, in a sense.”

It is a role she is proud to have taken on.

“There is a wonderful history with the legacy of the Kiwanis Club and Bert Nash and the impact they have had on the community,” Hart said. “There are some amazing individuals in the club, and to be able to share a common goal with them is an honor.”

Hart’s mother, who has been an example of community service for her daughter, is a member of the club.

“After she retired, she moved here to be close to us and the grandkids, and I thought this would be a great way for her to get to know Lawrence better and to get plugged into the community,” Hart said. “Plus I get to have lunch with her once a week.”

As a new Kiwanian in 2009, Hart invited staff members from the Bert Nash Center to give the weekly programs during May as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.

“After one of those programs, Russ Mosser (a longtime Kiwanis member who died in 2011) came up and introduced himself and said he used to play on a softball team with Bert Nash,” Hart said.

As Hart learned more about Dr. Bert Nash the man, she gained a deeper appreciation for the legacy he left behind. In recognition of the Center’s 60th anniversary in 2010, the Nash family was honored at the organization’s annual Pioneer Celebration.

“He had a vision that was really ahead of its time,” Hart said. “After reading the book about the history of  Bert Nash and then meeting his children, I better understood the significance of Bert Nash the man and his connection with Kiwanis. I am honored to be part of his legacy.”