W.W.T.C. – Favorite Find

Wednesday Weekly Theme Challenge (July 27 – Aug 2): Favorite Find

This theme could be applied in a variety of ways.

• a) What’s something you discovered about yourself while in Active 20-30?
• b) Or a favorite tradition your clubs does?
• c) How about a neat find at a location that has a connection to 20-30? Like a plaque on the wall at a store, a news article about an event on a diner menu? (I’ll have to find the info on that, it was pretty neat). A dedication at a park?
• d) How about an item that you got or someone shared with you?
• e) How about finding out some celebrities were in the club or an honorary member? Two honorary members that come to mind are Frank Sinatra and Charles Lindbergh.

Recently I was doing a search and came across a post in a Facebook group for Hawthorne residents, where someone had a photo of her dad with a 20-30 sign that he painted. She was trying to get more information on what 20-30 was. I was happy to tell her.

“My Dad worked at the Navy base in Hawthorne after WWII. I wasn’t born until 1953. I never remember hearing about this group. Sounds like a group they might want to revive.”:

Play along. Comment below or tag this page in your post for any stories or photos you would like to share.

St. Helena 20-30 Club Builds Bus Stops 1965

I’ve seen photos and articles of several clubs building shelters. Clubs like Napa, Santa Rosa, Coronado, and here is one from St Helena in 1965. Have you participated in building shelters, or know if your club did this type of project in the past?

20-30 Club to Build Bus Stop Shelters

As school begins the members of the Active 20-30 are busily constructing as many bus stop shelters as the club treasury will allow, before the rainy season begins. Due to the overwhelming response of parents requesting shelters, there are many more needed.

The club’s motto is “Youth to serve must be served.” In an effort to serve all the youth of the school district, if possible, the club will give away an R.C.A. Color T.V. Oct. 29 at Carpy Field during the half-time of the St. Helena vs. Willits football game, profits going toward additional shelters. “Help us to help your children,” by obtaining your tickets for the television at any of the home games or from any 20-30 member. Anyone requesting a shelter may write to St. Helena Active 20-30, P.O. Box 65, St. Helena.

“20-30 Club to Build Bus Stop”, The St. Helena Star, 16 September 1965, p 2, Newspapers.com. Accessed 25 August 2021.

Photo Caption: St. Helena Active 20-30 Club is engaged in the project of rebuilding or in some case renovating the old school bus shelters once provided by the earlier club. A color TV will be awarded as a prize this fall. Shown above in Taylor Electric is Marshall Sears buying the first ticket from John Mathis, treasurer of the 20-30 Club with Ralph Turnidge looking on. Proceeds will go to help finance the shelter project.
The other pictures show a shelter which can be salvaged, and one which is simply done for. Working on the project when the pictures were taken were Ray Torres, Ernies Butala, Bob Stemler, Don Martin, Leroy Cox and Ralph Duer. In the bottom picture Ralph Turnidge’s sons help spray the new type shelter the club is building. Since the project started the club has had many requests for shelters, and has to raise money by awarding the color TV set.

20-30 Women & Fashion

The women auxiliary clubs and some current clubs have held fashion shows through the years. They have offered these shows as part of the women’s events during conventions, or as part of fundraising events that the men’s clubs were hosting, or as their own events.

“Balcony Scene at Brookdale lodge yesterday during the 20-30 Anns’ fashion show-luncheon features Mrs. William Martine modeling a pink and white checked tissue gingham frock from Rittenhouse’s. Interested spectators are (l-r) Mesdames Dolly Thornton of the Albuquerque, N. Mex., “Thunderbirds,” Dina Madison, Nancy Arno and Opel Napolitano of the Coronado “Beachcombers.” Nearly 100 of the 20-30 convention delegates’ wives attended the mid-day event, arranged for their entertainment by the Santa Cruz 20-30 Anns headed by Mrs. Dick Hackbarth. Miss Susan Bronson, reigning Miss California, was a special guest, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Ray Bronson of San Lorenzo. Tomorrow the 20-30 wives are invited on a sightseeing bus tour and in the evening will return to Brookdale lodge with their husbands for the closing installation of officers and dinner-dance beginning at 7 o’clock.”

“20-30 Anns Looks At Fashion”. Santa Cruz Sentinel, 23 June 1960, Newspapers.com. Accessed 21 July 2021.

Honorary Member – Robert P. Shimmin

Does your Club have any Honorary Members?

Honorary Membership can be “conferred to any person for meritorious service to the club, community or nation.” This membership is granted according to procedures in Clubs’ bylaws.
So far in rediscovering our past, we’ve come across a few famous people being given honorary membership into different clubs. Aviator Charles Lindbergh was honored by the Chehalis Club in 1927, Frank Sinatra by the Portland Club in 1947, and Pete Wilson (later became Governor of California) by the San Diego club in 1972. More recently, young Billy Warner was given honorary membership to several clubs in 2017.

An very interesting person we’ve come to learn of, is Dad Shimmin. Robert P. Shimmin was given honorary membership by Phoenix #99 soon after his son, Jack Shimmin had passed away. Jack was a founding member when they chartered in April 1932. He unfortunately became sick and died in November of that year. Soon after they asked his dad to “join”, and Dad Shimmin started visiting 20-30 clubs across the nation and attending conventions. He was also given the titles of “Grand Old Man of 20-30” and “International Ambassador of Good Will”.

Dad Shimmin kept going until his death in 1965.

(photo of newspaper article was in the El Paso Herald-Post in 1958)

Power & Leadership (#4 – Feb. 22-28, 2021)

I’m taking this week’s theme to highlight the growth of leadership in our clubs. Learning the skills needed in leadership positions can help with a person’s career later on. If you take a look at our Wikipedia page, you can find several notable people that got where they are by learning new skills while in Active 20-30.

This is Sherrill “Bud” Halbert of the Porterville #28 Club (California). He became National President of the Association of 20-30 Clubs in 1932.

from Sacramento Bee Newspaper, 1932

From his Wikipedia page: “Sherrill Halbert (October 17, 1901 – May 31, 1991) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.”

© 2001 United States District Court for the Eastern District of California Historical Society

Who are some notable past actives from your club? What else do you think of regarding the word “power”? Does that mean physical strength, political power, or electrical power? Did your club help a charity in some “power” related way? Do you have / had a member with the last name of “Power”? Yes. It’s a vague theme on purpose 🙂 It’s whatever the theme sparks in you.

(These weekly themes are inspired by 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

Auburn Club Marks Active 20-30 Week

The following is a transcription of a newspaper article first written in the Auburn Journal in 1969.

Members of the Auburn 20-30 Club are observing Active 20-30 Week with a highlight scheduled tonight at 7:30 in Walker’s Restaurant where a Bosses’ Night will be held.

Tom Kassis, owner-operator of Bonanza Family Billiards in Auburn, will present the program, featuring is gridiron days at Notre Dame and participation in the first annual East-West Shrine Game.

Club President Ron Lipsmeyer said a special guest this evening will be Paul Claiborne, an honorary member of the Auburn Club and founder of 20-30 International. Claiborne joined with a few other individuals to establish the first club in Sacramento in 1926.

Auburn Mayor Don Russell also will speak at the meeting, according to Vice President Bill Brock-Jones, program chairman.

The Auburn 20-30 Club was formed in 1928, with Claiborne and Ray Carlisle among the first members. The late Jim Dobbas served as the first president.

Many of Auburn’s leading businessmen are former members of the local club. An important phase of the service club work is that provided by a wives’ organization which holds regular meetings and assists with the 20-30 projects.

The club, which operates 25 non-profit projects, was voted the outstanding club in this district, at a recent district convention held at Forest Lake. Don Yamasaki was named the outstanding district member and was elected sub-district governor.

Among the club’s fund-raising projects are fireworks sales, concession stands at the Auburn District Fair and 100 Mile in One Day Trail Ride, and the 100 man hour program.

Listed among the club’s projects are an annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsorship of a Little League baseball team, assisting the Auburn Babe Ruth League, sponsorship of the Auburn Robalos swim team, assisting in the Toys for Tots Drive, the Big Brothers organization, sponsoring an Outstanding Boy Scout of the Year Award and a Cub Scout Pack, organizing a Camp Pahatsi work party, Girl Scouts, a helping with the Punt, Pass & Kick football contest, Christmas baskets, Thanksgiving baskets, staging a Fourth of July fireworks display, a traffic safety program, a Captain’s Trophy for the Placer High wrestling team, sponsoring an entry in the Auburn District Fair Pageant, and the installation of a drinking fountain at the fairgrounds.

Club members participate in local sports activities, such as the men’s basketball and lob ball leagues, bowling and a benefit donkey basketball game.

On Saturday evening the club will hold a Valentine party with their wives at Driftwood Village. Other social events include an annual New Year’s dance, a Halloween party, ladies’ night dinner and the annual Past Active Night.

Club dinner meetings are held each Thursday evening with dinner at 7:30. Membership chairman Kurt Carlstedt may be contact at 885-6135 for additional information.

“Auburn Club Marks Active 20-30 Week,” Auburn Journal, Feburary 13, 1969 vol. 96, no. 23, p. A-6.

20-30 Club Week to Be Observed in Napa

The following is a transcription of a newspaper article first written in The Napa Valley Register in 1971.

Monday opens International Active 20-30 Club week which will be observed in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America.

The 20-30 Club, as it was originally known, was organized in Sacramento in 1922 by Paul Claiborne who saw a need for a young men’s service club.

According to George Carl, local president, the club has grown from four to more than 200 in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America.

The Napa group was formed in 1929 and charter members are still active in local community affairs.

Although no special events have been announced for this week, the annual membership drive will conclude Wednesday (Feb 17) during the 7pm meeting at the Red Hen Restaurant. Persons wishing to join should contact Carl or the Napa Chamber of Commerce. Membership is open during the year.

“All of our club projects are youth oriented,” said Carl.

Some of the projects are the maintenance and construction of bus stop shelters throughout the Napa area, supply raingear to the junior traffic patrol, supply a Christmas Party for the children at Wintun School, maintain the Silverado Boy Scouts Summer Camp at Silver Lake, distribute Christmas baskets of food to needy families, sponsor a scholarship program at Napa School, restoration of the Old Bale Mill, the Napa Antique Fire Engine, the March of Dimes project, kite contests, bicycle safety contest, Enchanted Hills project, sponsors a little league team, a diabetic detention project, Riverside park project, and other selected activities.

Funds for the club’s many projects are raised through the sale of ice cream at the local parades and a hole-in-one golf contest.

Officers for the year are Carl, president; Dan Schramm, vice president; Ken Dal Porto, secretary; and Craig Colledge, treasurer.

“20-30 Club Week to Be Observed,” The Napa Valley Register, no.150, Saturday, February 6, 1971, p8B

 

Past Members: Jose Napoleon Duarte

This will be a series for sharing Notable people that were past members of Active 20-30. If you know of any that we should highlight, please reach out at: mchlspil@gmail.com

Go visit the Active 20-30 Club Wikipedia page. Now, scroll down the page to the Membership section and take a look at the list of notable members & alumni.

From Jose Napoleon Duarte Wikipedia page

I was recently looking for information on a different past member when I came across this (AP) news story regarding Jose Napoleon Duarte. Within the article, it states he was a “founder of the Salvadoran branch of the Active 20-30 Club” Which I am pretty sure was in 1952 (when it was 20-30 International).

He went on to become President of El Salvador from June 1, 1984 to June 1, 1989. What was interesting (to me) was the number of times he had to leave El Salvador, but he kept coming back.

Makes me wonder if we can find more information on his time with Active 20-30. Did he learn about 20-30 while going to college at Notre Dame? Or from other Salvadorians? What was his exact involvement with 20-30?

 

Remembering: Lt. Col Herbert Mills, Jr.

Today we are honoring Lt. Col Herbert Mills, Jr. Herbert came to El Paso in 1939 from Sterling City and joined the Active 20-30 Club of El Paso #96 shortly thereafter. In 1940 he joined the Army and was stationed in Fort Bliss before being deployed to the European Theatre. While serving with the 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division he was awarded a Silver Star and Bronze Star for his actions. On November 17th, 1944 near Scherpenseel and Hastenrath, Germany, Lt. Col Mills led his task force over difficult terrain, across dense minefields and through devastating enemy fire to secure a vital objective. On the initial day of the assault, one of his tanks was hit blocking the advance of the column through a lane cleared of mines. Lieutenant Colonel Mills dismounted from his tank, personally directed engineers in clearing another lane, and led his force through the minefield. While reorganizing his position, a shell struck within a few feet of him, causing injury to his right leg. Though in much pain, he refused medical aid and continued his reconnaissance on foot to improve his positions. Although he lost all officers of his medium tank companies and thirty-three tanks, Lieutenant Colonel Mills kept his force effectively organized and, in the face of enemy opposition, captured his objective without infantry support. While Lieutenant Colonel Mills was in the process of communicating with higher headquarters to report that his mission was accomplished, a shell struck the building above his tank, fatally wounding him. For his actions he was awarded the army’s second-highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross. He was survived by his wife Claire Mills and his two year old son Herbert Mills III.

Members from New Mexico in WWII

To kick off the week of Memorial Day, we would like to take today to remember the Active 20-30 members from New Mexico who lost their lives during WWII. While it may seem odd to focus on the state instead of a club or an individual, their stories are tragically similar. All of these men were also members of various units of the New Mexico National Guard and were inducted into federal service as The 200th Coast Artillery Regiment on January 6th, 1941, for one year of active duty training. They were chosen for an assignment in the Philippines over a regiment from Arkansas because of the fluency in Spanish and arrived in Luzon in September of 1941.

On December 8th, 1941, a mere 10 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese bombers appeared over the horizon in the Philippines. After 3 months of fierce fighting, the 76,000 starving and sick American and Filipino defenders in Bataan surrendered on April 9, 1942. While they managed to survive the infamous Bataan Death March on which 7,000–10,000 POWs died or were murdered, all but one were unable to survive their internment at the various POW camps. The lone survivor was killed when the ship taking him to Japan for interrogation was sunk in the Pacific. Some only lasted a few weeks while others lasted years but their names and stories are engraved on twelve granite columns at Bataan Memorial Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Those brave men were:
• Pfc. Claude Fleming, Carlsbad #202 – 6/10/1942
• 1SG George Moore, Artesia #231 – 5/20/1942
• Maj. Richard Riley, Albuquerque #103 – 11/13/1942
• Capt. Karl Schroeder, Clovis #225 – 1/19/1945
• Capt. John Beall, Clovis #225 – 2/8/1945
• Sgt. John Shields, Jr., Clovis #225 – 11/24/1942

Thank you for your service.