Kiwanis Club Goofs, Lets In Women--Waits for Ax to Fall

CABOT, Ark. — The Cabot Kiwanis Club, misinterpreting a letter from Kiwanis International, jumped the gun and admitted five women on a unanimous vote by its 33 male members. Now the group is waiting to hear what the national leadership has to say about it.

Sam Smith, the club’s president, said he thought rules against female membership had been changed.

Smith said a letter from the International’s board left him with the impression that it had sanctioned membership for women. The board endorsed the measure, but could not get the membership to accept its recommendation at a convention in Houston on Tuesday.

“I read that sucker two or three different times and I read it to say ‘Go get ‘em,’ ” he said. “They got a problem in Cabot, Ark., because we got five.”