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Have you heard of the Half Century Club? It's been around since 1924. If you have an interest in local history, you might want to check it out. As Tom Kacich wrote in his column in the Sept. 24, 2000, News-Gazette:
"As clubs go, it's pretty hard to beat the Urbana Half Century Club.
"There is no initiation. There are no dues. There's one meeting a year, and it's a dinner meeting. A few people do all of the work. Members don't have to sell bags of peanuts, rolls of candies or Christmas trees to raise money.
"The only real requirement is that you are on the plus side of 50, and sometimes they fudge that."
According to the late Judge Charles Webber, the Half Century Club was formed as an annual reunion to celebrate the history of Champaign County by those on the plus side of 50. This year, we will gather for the 101st meeting and the 100th dinner.
Past dinner meetings featured entertainment by Sol and Julius Cohen, Dorothy O'Donnell on piano, a dramatic reading by Virginia Sale, the piano stylings of Rick Murphy, and last year, a rousing performance by the Banks, Bridgewater & Lewis Fine Arts Academy ensemble. Prizes of candy were awarded to the oldest and those who traveled farthest to attend; the youngest received a sucker.
Reporting on the festivities, clippings from the Courier and The News-Gazette sport playful headlines such as: "Half Century Youngsters See New Lincoln, Douglas" and "Fred Finder To Tell Urbana Elders of 'Bathtub Romance'" and "Busey Stumps 50-Year Club With County History Quiz".
Past presentations included, in 1954, a reenactment of the Lincoln-Douglas debates with attorneys Fred Green and John Finfrock in the roles, and Richard Cogdal spoke on the history of the Urbana Country Club. In 1974, librarian Nelle Carpenter spoke on the history of the club at the celebration of 50 years.
Dan Perrino shared "America's Fascination with the Big Band Era" in 2002. More recently, we learned of the DAR's 8th Judicial Circuit markers at 100, and the new African American Heritage Trail from Dr. Barbara Suggs-Mason and Angela Rivers. Brian Adams helped us celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Urbana-Lincoln Hotel, soon to be Hotel Royer.
This year, we will commemorate Abraham Lincoln's speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act at the Champaign County Courthouse, 170 years ago on Oct. 24, 1854. A social time at 5:30 will precede the dinner meeting at 6 p.m., Oct. at the Unitarian Universalist Church (309 W. Green St, Urbana). Tickets to cover expenses are $35 per person. Reservations are due Oct. 11. For more, please email Steve Beckett at [email protected].
The common thread is now, as it has been all along, a love of local history and a shared belief that we stand on the best soil on Earth, on the shoulders of great men and women.
After dinner, we have a very short business meeting and honor those who have made our lives immeasurably better through their decades of service, with the awarding of the J.O. Cunningham award, in memory and recognition of the public service of J.O. and his wife, Mary Cunningham. This year, we honor historic preservationist Alice Novak, Former state Rep. Helen Satterthwaite and Ray Cunningham, the chair of the Homer Historical Society.
We conclude each year with a short sing-along full of gusto. This year's should be a wonderful dinner meeting. According to longtime past Treasurer Waneta Mehaffy: "The gatherings are about more than just history ... you get to see people you may not have seen all year. It's a good chance to get reacquainted and to have a good time."