Torch Club of Delaware.Torch Club of Delaware records1930-2012
MSS
522 2.3 linear
feet and 1 oversize folder (3 boxes) Spanning the dates 1930 to 20123, the Torch Club of Delaware records include administrative documents, financial records, monthly meeting minutes, annual reports, correspondence and newspaper clippings documenting the social, intellectual, and financial changes this civic club underwent throughout the twentieth century. Materials entirely in
English.
University of Delaware Library - Special Collections
Source Gift of Dr. James B. McNeely, April 2003.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and
Reproduction Use of materials from this collection beyond the
exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S.
Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is
required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections
Department, University of Delaware Library,
http://www.lib.udel.edu/cgi-bin/askspec.cgi
Citation MSS 522, Torch Club of Delaware records, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark,
Delaware.
Shelving Summary
- Boxes 1-2: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons
- Box 3: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes
- Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)
Processing
Processed by Emily Holloway, February 2006. Encoded by Lora J. Davis, August 2011.
Historical Note The International Association of Torch Clubs, established in 1924, is a non-profit organization comprised of local Torch Clubs located throughout the United States and Canada. The Torch Club of Delaware was founded six years later in 1930.
The International Association of Torch Clubs organizes annual Torch Conventions, as well as provides support and guidance for regional Torch Conventions and the formation of new local clubs. It also publishes a quarterly magazine,
The Torch, which highlights papers presented at local meetings. The local Torch Clubs provide a setting where "respected persons practicing recognized professions enjoy the cultural interchange of knowledge." Each member is responsible for annual dues, which offset the cost of the monthly meetings and other operation costs. Each local club has a monthly dinner meeting, including the presentation of a paper by a member or guest, followed by a discussion of the topic. On June 16, 1930, thirty men in the Wilmington area formed the Torch Club of Delaware. The first officers of the Club were also elected at this meeting, and their professions reflect the intended diversity of the Torch Club: President, Dr. Walter Hullihen, President of the University of Delaware; Vice President Dr. Charles Candee, Minister, Westminster Presbyterian Church; Secretary Dr. W.O. La Motta, Ophthalmologist; and Treasurer Elwyn Evans, Vice President, Wilmington Trust Company. From the beginning, existing members elected or invited new members to join. The Torch Club of Delaware began admitting women in 1975, even though the International Association of Torch Clubs had changed their policies relating to gender in 1972. A simple change in the local club's by-laws from "only professional men" to "only professional persons" thereafter allowed for the admission of women into the Delaware Torch Club. The Torch Club of Delaware remains in existence, holding monthly dinner meetings at the University of Delaware.
International Association of Torch Clubs, Inc. official website, http://www.torch.org/, viewed on February 20, 2006.All other information derived from the collection.
Scope and Content Note The records of the Torch Club of Delaware were a gift of Dr. James McNeely in 2003. Over 2.3 linear feet of administrative documents, financial records, monthly meeting minutes, annual reports, correspondence and newspaper clippings comprise the collection, spanning the dates 1930 to 2012.
The collection is divided into two series. Series I. consists of miscellaneous administrative materials, information on the International Association of Torch Clubs, as well as the original charter and by-laws of the Torch Club of Delaware. This series also includes financial records covering bulk dates, copies of the quarterly magazine,
The Torch, and a series of price lists for potential venues for monthly dinner meetings. The second series consists of the Torch Club of Delaware records from 1930 to 1993. The arrangement of this series is chronological and includes administrative documents, correspondence, financial records, monthly and annual reports, and newspaper clippings. This organization reflects the original arrangement of the collection at the time of its receipt at the University of Delaware Library. Some overlapping dates remain, and records for the year 1988 are missing. The Torch Club of Delaware records provide researchers access to the intellectual and social history of Delaware from 1930 to 2012. The diversity of materials in the Torch Club records offers a well-rounded view of the social, intellectual, and financial changes the club underwent throughout the years represented in the collection.
Arrangement
- I. Administrative and financial records, 1930-1994
- II. Club records, 1930-2012
Selected Search Terms
Corporate Names
Torch Club of Delaware. International Association of Torch Clubs.
Topical Terms
Clubs--Delaware--History--20th century. Men--Delaware--Societies and clubs--History--20th century.
Geographic Names Delaware--History--20th century.
Form/Genre Terms Charters. Programs (documents)Minutes.Financial records.Bylaws (administrative records)Administrative records.Membership lists.Correspondence.Clippings (information artifacts)
Detailed Contents List
Series I.
Administrative and financial records
1930-1994
Includes administrative materials of the International Association of Torch Clubs, Charter and By-Laws of the Torch Club of Delaware, "New Member" informational packets, financial records of the Torch Club of Delaware, select issues of
The Torch quarterly magazine, and menus and price lists for potential meeting locations.
1
F1
International Association of Torch Clubs, Inc.
1972-1988
Informational literature and administrative materials of the International Association of Torch Clubs.
1
F2
Charter and by-laws
1930-1986
Includes original by-laws adopted in 1930, and the revised by-laws of 1986. Charter has been removed to SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches).
1
F3
"History of the Torch Club of Delaware, 1930-1980" by Herbert T. Pratt
1985
1
F4
New member informational packets
1990, 1992
1
F5
Administrative materials
undated
1
F6
Account books
1954-1977
1
F7
Bank statements
1982-1987
1
F8
Bank statements
1983-1988
1
F9
Bank statements
1988-1993
1
F10
Menus and price lists
undated
Information for potential venues for monthly meetings and special events.
1
F11
Torch quarterly magazine
1981-1994
Selected journals that include articles by members of the Torch Club of Delaware.
Series II.
Club records
1930-2012
This series includes the records kept by the Torch Club of Delaware. Items include correspondence, financial records, program reports, annual reports, and newspaper clippings.
1
F12
Membership lists and dues reports
1930-1944
1
F13
1930-1934
1
F14
1935-1937
1
F15
1938-1941
1
F16
1942-1943
1
F17
1944-1947
1
F18
1945-1946
1
F19
Membership data
1946
1
F20
Notebook of membership list
1946-1947
1
F21
1947-1949
1
F22
1948-1955
1
F23
1955-1958
1
F24
1958-1960
1
F25
1960-1964
2
F26
1964-1965
2
F27
1965-1966
2
F28
1966-1967
2
F29
1967-1968
2
F30
1968-1969
2
F31
1969-1970
2
F32
1970-1971
2
F33
1971-1973
2
F34
1972-1974
2
F35
1975-1976
2
F36
1976-1978
2
F37
1978-1978
2
F38
1979-1980
2
F39
1979-1982
2
F40
1979-1983
2
F41
Secretary and treasurer reports
1980-1986
2
F42
1980-1981
2
F43
1981
2
F44
Newspaper clippings
1979-1983
2
F45
1981-1982
2
F46
1983-1985
2
F47
1984-1985
2
F48
1985-1986
2
F49
1986-1987
3
F50
1989-1990
3
F51
1990-1991
3
F52
1991-1992
3
F53
1992-1993
3
F54
2011-2012