It is both an honor and a pleasure to stand before you today to take a small part in the First International Congress of Twin Studies.
For several years, we have dreamed of someday visiting the Mendel Institute. We first became aware of Dr. Luigi Gedda's work with twins in a psychology class at the State University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1954. We are here today as Ambassadors-at-large of a rather unique organization for twins - the International Twins Association, Inc.
The International Twins Association, Inc (I.T.A.) was organized By and For Twins in 1932. Rev. Edward M. Clink of Silver Lake, Indiana, U.S.A. was on a tour of the United States. He encountered several sets of twins and thought that they should get together. He and his twin sister, Elsie Clink inserted an article in several newspapers requesting twins to bring a basket dinner to Center Park in Warsaw, Indiana, on Sunday, August 29, 1932. Twenty-four sets of twins were present at that first meeting.
One year later, a basket dinner was served to 200 sets of twins. And by the next year, 400 doubles and 2000 onlookers were present. The 4th annual meeting in Warsaw Park in Indiana in September 1935 found more than 900 sets of twins parading before 5000 spectators. That year, many states of the union were represented.
On August 1937, Fort Wayne's Trier Park in Indiana was host to 1,900 sets of twins for the 5th annual convention with 10,000 spectators. But the largest attendance, still unequalled to our knowledge, occurred the following year on August 29, 1937 when the National Twins became known as the International Twins Association, Inc. An old newsclipping states that 20,000 twins were in attendance. At this time co-officers were elected (a set pf twins holding an office to emphasiee the twin idea), and By-laws written to govern the association. The International Twins Association, Inc. (I.T.A.) conventions were held in Fort Wayne until 1939. Then the conventions moved from city to city throughout the United States, giving more twins an opportunity to learn about this unique fraternal organization.
