Wednesday Club celebrates its 100th birthday

The Wednesday Club's unassuming name might lead some to believe it is simply a group of people who gather on Wednesday to discuss books, politics or other matters.

While it did start out as a literary meeting largely organized by the wives of Southeast Missouri State University's faculty, the Wednesday Club soon burgeoned into a progressive crew of various women who initiated many of Cape Girardeau's basic humanitarian programs.

"I think it is one of the oldest and most successful groups in our area," said Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History at Southeast. "And one of the main points about this club is it proved that women can motivate and accelerate the needs of a community."

The Wednesday Club celebrated its 100th birthday on Wednesday afternoon at Chateau Girardeau where Nickell delivered a speech on the club's history and accomplishments.

According to a May 11, 1942, article in the Southeast Missourian, the Wednesday Club was formed on Oct. 22, 1902, when 25 local women met in the home of Mrs. L.J. Albert Jr. at the suggestion of Amy Kimmel. Kimmel had visited similar clubs in Texas during the summer.

At that first meeting, officers were elected and a committee appointed to prepare a constitution. Just a few years later, the club was admitted to the Missouri Federation of Women's Clubs in 1906 and the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1908.

Community work

According to Vernice Baumstark of Cape Girardeau, who joined the Wednesday Club in 1942, it was after the group joined the state and general federations that it really branched out from being a literary club. At 85, she is the longest-living member of the Wednesday Club.

"We do community work. Anything that is good for the community, we usually support it," Baumstark said. "Our meeting programs vary. We'll use almost any subject that is worthwhile, but we especially like educational programs where we learn something."

The club was active from the very beginning, sponsoring a concert by a St. Louis professor in March 1906 in which the operas of Wagner were described and performed, a lecture by Jane Addams of Hull House in October 1914 in which she addressed the issue of women's suffrage.

It was during the fall of 1914 and the spring of 1915 that the Wednesday Club successfully worked toward the development of Cape Girardeau's public library. Club member Mrs. Burwell Fox served as the first librarian.

According to Nickell, the Wednesday Club's agenda often followed a national lead as the group initiated well-baby programs, a compulsory school program, Clean-Up Cape, the city's public swimming pool, a Sophomore Pilgrimage in which high school sophomores tour Jefferson City's governmental affairs, playground equipment in local parks, a city milk inspection project, scholarships for women, the clean up of old Lorimier Cemetery as well as numerous other programs, many still ongoing.

Many lives touched

It is impossible to calculate all the lives that the Wednesday Club has touched, Nickell said. "If someone made a list of all the things that Cape Girardeau wouldn't have without the Wednesday Club, it would be a long list," he said.

In 1942, the club had a closed membership of 60, with a waiting list of women anxious to join, according to the Southeast Missourian. Committees at that time included American citzenship, American home, fine arts, international relations, legislature, motion pictures, publicity, public welfare, education, literature, library extension and defense.

"The Wednesday Club is really a who's who of women in Cape Girardeau, and this organization has been the vehicle that promoted the leadership of women in the community," Nickell said.

The Wednesday Club meets every third Wednesday. The group still contributes to programs such as Girls Town, the food pantry FISH, and SMILE, a program in which doctors and nurses travel to foreign countries administering dental treatment, and many others.

jgosche@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133