Alex Dawson follows a path his great-grandfather created 95 years ago. 

By Tony Knoderer 

In 1920, Charlie Dawson was a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. He became the club’s president in 1931 — and remained a member until 1970, the year of his death.

If you think that’s an impressive record of longevity and leadership, consider this: His great-grandson, Alex, is the club’s president 106 years later. In fact, he is the fourth generation in the Dawson family to be the club’s president — following his great-grandfather, his grandfather and his father, Tom. (See Alex and Tom above in a recent photo. A childhood photo of Tom with his father and grandfather is at the end of this post.)

With such a history, you might think a Dawson-family presidency is a recognized tradition within the club. But Alex and Tom say that each person’s leadership resulted organically from personal commitment — rather than from planning or expectation.

“The presidency was not something that was even on my radar,” Alex says. “But as I’ve become more integrated with the club, it’s gotten to be something I’ve been more comfortable accepting — but it’s not something I would say I ever sought out.” 

A common path to leadership
When Alex first joined the Fargo club in 2013, Tom had been a member for 27 years — and had served as club president in 1999-2000.

The path to leadership was similar for both Tom and Alex, and it’s a common one for Kiwanians throughout the organization: As club membership continues and the Kiwanis connection solidifies, a move into a leadership role seems less daunting.

“I can honestly say that when Alex got into the [club committee] chairs,” Tom says, “there wasn’t any presumption that he should be there or that that’s why he was there.”

There certainly wasn’t any presumption in Alex’s mind. When he was approached for leadership roles by fellow members, he didn’t know what to expect regarding his impact on those roles — or their impact on him.

“I mean, public speaking is not even something that I relished,” he adds. “So, as I got to familiarize myself with the chairs, the presidency was not something that was even on my radar.”

For all four generations of Dawsons, the leadership trajectory has been consistent. Charlie set the precedent, joining the club and then becoming its president more than a decade later. His son, Bob (Tom’s father and Alex’s grandfather), was elected president in 1973 — after having joined the club in 1950.

“There’s no rush to move people into those positions,” Alex says. “The club has always been kind of intentional about leadership, whether it’s the club president or the chair of our pancake event.”   

Family-based memories
Of course, multigenerational membership has resulted in a lot of family-based Kiwanis memories. For instance, that pancake event — the Kiwanis Club of Fargo Annual Pancake Karnival — was a youthful introduction to the organization for both Tom and Alex.

“My early recollections of the club are going to the Pancake Karnival,” Tom says. “I was going when I was 15 — so, going on 60 years now. I remember fairly well the locations and just the whole pancake experience.”

Years later, Alex had similar experiences of the event, which was then held at the local civic center.

“I remember the lines were really long, and you smelled like, I mean, sausage,” he says, chuckling. “And at some point in my teens, I started helping with those (events) — whether it was pouring pancake batter for a little bit or just odd jobs here and there.

“Civic or social service organizations were just something I was exposed to early in life.” 

Family tradition, club stability
As Alex starts his year as president, the Fargo club has a roster of about 80 members and a steady slate of projects and fundraisers. (The Pancake Karnival itself continues to be a signature project, even winning the Group II Silver Award in the 2026 Kiwanis International Signature Project Contest.)

Four generations of club membership and leadership are a proud family accomplishment, but the Dawsons remain modest about its place in history. The significance, Tom says, is what it tells people about the club’s future.

“I think it’s important and impactful for new members to know about legacies in the club — just to know that we didn’t pop up 10 years ago, but that we’ve been going for 126 years,” he adds. “So when it comes to joining the club, they’re just not joining some newfangled service club.” 

More families’ stories
Families within the Kiwanis family — it’s not uncommon! In fact, a previous blog post offers more stories of multiple members in the same club. 

Tom Dawson (center) with his father, Bob, and his grandfather, Charlie (left and right respectively).