Do you know how many miles you have driven to 20-30 events?
What is a fun memory you have?
When carpooling, what was the mode of transportation? Car, van, bus, RV, plane, train, ….?
Yesterday, I was at a meeting and we were talking about all the upcoming 20-30 events happening. And how much fun it is to go and support each other clubs’ events. Either by attending, volunteering, or going to meetings to promote our own club events.
The other bonus of going, is the road trip to get there. It is a great bonding experience to carpool with your own club members. I was asked how many miles I must have put on my car just attending 20-30 events. That stumped me, because other than to answer “A LOT,” I did not know. It did make me remember some great memories connected to those road trips.
(Pictured) This might not be my car, but it was the first part of a trip to the 2012 International Convention in Costa Rica. We decided to head out of Sacramento to San Francisco airport in style. Which was also my first Convention outside the United States.
Play along. Comment below or tag this page in your post for any stories or photos you would like to share.
Here’s a few pins showcasing some of the projects our clubs have done / are doing. Do you have any club project pins?
This is a weekly feature to show off all the wonderful pins. Let us know of any you would like to share. Please include the story behind the pin, if you know the year, how you got it (any fun trade stories), or other memory you connect to that pin (for example, it’s a pin that represents your term as club president or going past active). Even if you don’t have info to include and it’s just a neat pin you like, please share.
Last year I found a weekly genealogy challenge with different topics, and realized some of the themes can be easily applied to our history.
Have you come across a photo or story related to Active 20-30 and wanted to know more?
There has been quite a few that I have found, and others that have been shared, that had me going down rabbit holes. Some of them have been from people finding 20-30 dedicated plaques at parks, a photo of a horse at an indoor meeting promoting an event, or names of famous people.
I came across a photo of an 20-30 club putting on a Donkey Basketball benefit game. I’ll have to find that photo later. For now, here is a newspaper one from the Arizona Republic (6 Apr 1937), “Phoenix 20-30 Club decided to stage a series of donkey softball and polo games”.
At each Annual General Meeting, we start with a moment of silence for those members that had passed away since last June. Those in this photo album were found via obituary alerts or if someone contacted the National Office.
We wish to recognize and honor their time in 20-30 International, Active International, or Active 20-30 International.
If we are missing anyone, please send us the information so we can add them to our “in memory” section.
With the start of September this week, it’s 10 months until our 2022 Convention – Centennial Celebration (JUL 13 – JUL 17, 2022)!
We are going to switch from weekly themed memory prompts, to sharing the Active 20-30 timeline. Each month we’ll focus on one decade and have posts on timeline of events, photos, stories, and member spotlights.
Our story begins in 1922, in two different cities. Aberdeen, Washington and Sacramento, California.
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.
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.
What I love most about history are the personal stories that you can read about and really feel. Going through and reading these Twenty-Thirty Magazines, we get to read articles that have that personal connection to events in the past. I enjoy seeing these little slices and how they affected people in our age group, not just the big world picture. Here is one article (of several during the 1940’s) that touches on World War II and a talk with a lady that has become such an inspiration to so many.
Eleanor Roosevelt on 20-30 By Edward Ryan
Never in all our history has a First Lady so thoroughly impressed herself upon the national mind as has Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Opinion as to the worth of her activity is hopelessly divided, but the sincerity of her interest in national problems and events is graciously admitted by her friends and critics alike. When applied to Eleanor Roosevelt the term “First Lady” is not just a flattering compliment but a simple statement of truth. With a quiet ease she has assumed the duties incumbent upon a President’s wife and is prosecuting them in what she considers the best and most direct way.
Not long ago Mrs. Roosevelt and your editor were, by a whim of chance, fellow passengers aboard the Union Pacific’s “Pony Express” making the run from Ogden to Denver. We happened to sit across from one another in the diner, so I sent her a note asking if she would be good enough to grant an interview for the pages of THE TWENTY-THIRTIAN. She answered she would be more than happy to do so and sent someone to bring me to her compartment where she and Miss Thompson, her secretary and traveling companion, received me.
The ease with which the First Lady welcomes one is a warming experience. When she smiles and extends her hand you have a feeling that she means it, that she is sincere, and that the act is not simply just another of the sometimes bothersome social amenities.
“You have asked me to tell you something,” she said, “but I’m sure that you have more to tell me about the 20-30 organization than I could possibly tell you about anything at all.”
That remark is typical of her.
Without delay and as briefly as possible I sketched the whole 20-30 picture for her, beginning with the founding of the first club and bringing the story completely up to date. Mrs. Roosevelt listened intently and seemed especially interested when 20-30’s objects were mentioned. In the middle of an explanation of our national objectives she placed a question.
“Civilian fingerprinting?” she queried. “Tell me more about that.”
I told her the history of the project and of our success with it. She was particularly pleased when I mentioned that we advocated voluntary fingerprinting for means of identification only.
“I myself have been fingerprinted,” she said, “and quite agree that it is an excellent protection. I am very much in favor of your plan since it stresses the words voluntary and identification. Fingerprinting for everyone under those conditions is certainly to be desired, but I would most certainly oppose any plan to fingerprint forcibly any particular group of our population.”
I gathered that she was thinking of the proposed plan to fingerprint aliens and asked if that was the group to which she had reference.
“Aliens, or any other group,” she answered. “Such procedure is basically unfair and essentially un-American. It is discrimination of the worst sort and should never be indulged in.”
I assured her that 20-30 would never be discriminating if only because Twenty-Thirtians had no wish to be discriminated against. That brought us around neatly to the war situation on which I sought to trap her, but Mrs. Roosevelt can’t be trapped.
“Speaking of discrimination,” I said, “it seems to me that all this war talk is discrimination, too. It discriminates against young men in general and 20-30 in particular.”
But Mrs. Roosevelt refused to be drawn out. She smiled and refrained from comment.
“These are bad times,” I continued, “and I’d like to know what advice you’d give to the young men living in these times. I’d like to know, in fact, just what advice you’d give to those of your sons who are of 20-30 age.”
She thought a moment and then began her reply, speaking slowly and emphatically.
“We must of course realize,” she said, “that the world today is not at all secure. That some sort of an effort on the part of our young men is necessary we are aware, and in my opinion that effort should be to remain as sane and calm in the present circumstances as is possible. Instead of being what one might call “war minded” in the extreme, we must continue our effort to solve our peacetime problems for today we are the only great nation in the world who can do just that. There are many things in our domestic life in need of our attention and we must not let the present conflict so distract us that we fail to give these things the full consideration they deserve.”
From there we went to our other national objectives and Mrs. Roosevelt strongly voiced her approval of Safety Sally and the Blood Donning Project. The varied local activities of our individual clubs were discussed and Mrs. Roosevelt showed herself to be in favor of them all. But we had mentioned the war and it seemed to be in both our minds so we were not long in getting back to that unpleasant subject.
“If the war continues,” the First Lady said, “we are certain to feel its effects. Although we must continue to hope and pray for non-involvement, we should bend every effort to end the war and we should be giving a great deal of thought to what kind of a peace we can help to obtain once the war comes to an end.”
I wanted to know just what sort of a peace that should be.
“It must be a just peace,” she said, “and it must give security and protection from force. For when force is abroad in the world there cannot be any security. Should force ever become a basic instrument of this nation’s policy the results to us would be most unfortunate. We would have to pay more and more for defense and it would not be long until we would be unbearably burdened with taxes the greatest part of which would be used to pay for armaments. Our job, as I see it, is to demand of the warring nations that the peace they will eventually conclude be a fair peace so that from that peace may be built something which may insure an even greater peace. They must be prevailed upon to adjust their grievances fairly so that the matter may be decided once and for all. And force as an instrument of national policy must be ruled out.”
I remained silent considering her statement.
“Not long ago,” she continued, “I read the galleys of a book shortly to be published which deals with the problems of young people from eighteen on. I remember one chapter in particular which was written by a young English Army Officer. He makes the statement that the Allies won the last war but that they lost the peace. He realized the vindictiveness of the Treaty of Versailles, that peace treaty which has destroyed peace. He goes on to state that the obligation of youth in this present war is to be concerned not so much with winning the war as in winning the peace.”
I was still silent.
“So when the time comes we must be in a position to win the peace so that justice may be accorded to all belligerents and security given to them as well as to the rest of the world. At least this is how I see the problem. I should like to tell 20-30 that.”
I assured her that her message would be delivered duly and after a brief chat about things less weighty I took my leave.
I couldn’t help thinking that in Eleanor Roosevelt 20-30 had a good friend, a friend to whom we could go, should ever we need an intercessor before the high tribunals of the land. Her charm is inescapable and her graciousness is a characteristic of which a queen might be envious.
Perhaps she’ll be the mistress of the White House for another four years and perhaps she is destined to leave it soon. Either way it will not matter, for she has carved for herself a place of honor on the American scene entirely independent of the political fortunes of her husband, and I for one am proud of the fact that she knows and is interested in 20-30. She is not only the First Lady – she is also a great one.
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?
Love getting inquires from people researching their family member’s time in Active 20-30. They either knew their family member was in the organization, or are surprised to find out when going through mementos after they passed away. I would like to share these with you because it’s nice for us to also learn about some wonderful past members.
“I am doing family research and my father Herbert Noel Worsham (1924-1981) was a member of the 20-30 Club during the 1940’s-1950’s while residing in Yorba Linda, California. He spoke of various things that he was involved in with that group while I was growing up. I have 2 small 20-30 Club lapel pins that he had and used as tie pins. He had served as President at some time during his involvement in the 20-30 Club.”
This photo was included in the email; Herbert Noel Worsham is the one on the left. The other two gentlemen are Tag Manning (middle) immediate past president for Southern California District, and Jimmy Walker, Orange Club president in 1953.
This photo was included in the email; Herbert Noel Worsham is the one on the left. The other two gentlemen are Tag Manning (middle) immediate past president for Southern California District, and Jimmy Walker, Orange Club president in 1953.
Active 20-30 Club Historical Findings 