History of TOPS®
         
             

(Since TOPS® was founded in 1948, we've made some significant achievements and grown both as an organization and as a family. We're looking forward and planning for the future, but we always want to remember our past!)

TOPS was born around a kitchen table (wouldn't you know it!) in 1948 when Esther S. Manz, Grace Messner, Verna Konings and Frances Eggers gathered at the Beulah Brinton Recreation Center in Milwaukee. They hoped that they could support each other to thinner figures and better health.

Soon TOPS was earning headlines everywhere and drawing letters from as far away as England .

     
             

Celebrating its sixth anniversary in 1954, TOPS held its first national convention (the forerunner of today's IRD) in Chicago at the American Medical Association's headquarters. From the very beginning, the AMA had helped TOPS establish the sound medical ties that made it so different from commercial weight-loss organizations. The first KOPS graduation was held at this convention.

In 1955, TOPS' first Canadian chapter was chartered in Hamilton , Ontario .

     
             

In 1962, TOPS acquired a red brick building on South 27th Street in Milwaukee . But within two years TOPS had outgrown that structure. A new TOPS headquarters was constructed at 4575 South Fifth Street and dedicated in 1965. With several additions, it now comprises 48,000 square feet and is the home TOPS occupies today.

     
             
Esther S. Manz had long dreamed of a research program to help find causes and remedies for the problems of overweight. In 1966, thanks to members' contributions, this dream came true with the establishment of the TOPS Club, Inc. Obesity and Metabolic Research Program. By 1971, more than 200 TOPS members had participated in its short-term inpatient studies in Milwaukee .
     
     
             

The future looks bright for TOPS' efforts to conquer the problems of obesity. With the support of TOPS, Dr. Kissebah began groundbreaking research in 1994 in the study of the genetics of obesity. This study holds the promise of more scientific means of treating, preventing and curing obesity.

 

     

The local chapter 1395 was begun in Jamestown , Ohio by Jeanette Morgan. Two of the first members of that humble beginnings are still active in the Chapter. Lillian Klontz & Juanita Chandler have seen this help expand and encourage many people in the years since. The chapter presently has 16 members and new prospects are visiting almost each Monday evening. The meetings get underway at 6:30 PM at the Friends Church 48 E. Washington Street each Monday. The motto of the chapter is simply,” We want to Welcome Everyone who has an interest in sensible & affordable weight loss.” Contact either Lillian Klontz at (937) 675-5961 or Juanita Chandler at (937) 675-2029.