]> co1000-30 Guide to the Conversational Club Collection, 1862 - [ongoing] Processed by: Lina Makdisi; machine-readable finding aid created by: Valerie Gillispie &hdrsca;

© 2007 Wesleyan University. All Rights Reserved.

 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: June 2007 Description is in English Finding aid was prepared using DACS June 11, 2008 This electronic finding aid was updated to reflect a new accession of items. A new series was created, and the frontmatter was updated to reflect the changes. June 11, 2008 This electronic finding aid was updated to reflect a new accession of items. A new series was created, and the frontmatter was updated to reflect the changes. Inclusive dates for the collection were modified. Guide to the Conversational Club Collection, 1862 - [ongoing] Special Collections & ArchivesWesleyan University Middletown, CT, USA

© 2007 Wesleyan University. All Rights Reserved.

 Descriptive Summary Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University Conversational Club (Middletown, Conn.) Conversational Club Collection, 1862 - [ongoing] 1000-30 Material in English 4.5 10 For current information on the location of these materials, please consult Special Collections & Archives staff. The Conversational Club was formed in 1862 by the faculty of Wesleyan University to discuss topics of interest along with other Middletown residents. The collection has four series: Minutes, Chronological Files, Addition of June 2008, and Addition of December 2009. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

 Copyright Notice

Copyright for Official University records is held by Wesleyan University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Conversational Club Collection, Collection #1000-30, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA.

 Acquisitions Information

Given by club members prior to 1997 (Acc. 1000-20), Kay Briggs in 2000 (Acc. 2000-45), Karl Scheibe in 2008 (Acc. 2008-10), and John Shaw in 2009 (Acc. 2009-50).

 Processing Information

Processed by Lina Makdisi and Valerie Gillispie, February 2007

Encoded by Valerie Gillispie, June 2007

Additional materials processed and added to finding aid by Valerie Gillispie, June 2008, December 2009.

 Historical Note

The Conversational Club was formed in 1862 by the faculty of Wesleyan University to discuss topics of interest along with other Middletown residents. Meetings typically included dinner, a paper delivered by a club member, followed by discussion. Meetings rotated among the homes of the club members. Topics included world events, scientific and literary topics, philosophy, and anything else of general interest. The membership of the club was all male until 1987.

Collection Overview

The collection has four series: Minutes, Chronological Files, Addition of June 2008, and Addition of December 2009. The Chronlogical Files include meeting notes, speeches, reply cards, bills, invitations, attendance lists, and other materials documenting club meetings. The Addition of June 2008 (Acc. 2008-10) includes program announcements, including members names and topics of discussion, from 1870 to 1963. It also includes some papers read at meetings, correspondence, meeting programs, financial information, and photographs. The materials have been arranged in roughly chronological order. The Addition of December 2009 (Acc. 2009-50) includes minutes and abstracts of meetings from January 2003 to May 2006.

Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Conversational Club (Middletown, Conn.) Middletown (Conn.) --History. Detailed Description of the Collection Minutes, 1862-1970 1 Notes from Secretary's Record, November 17, 1862-January 24, 1876 Book I: Minutes, 1862 Book II: Minutes, 1879-1893 Book III: Minutes, 1893-1908 Book IV: Minutes, 1908-1921 2 Book V: Minutes, 1921-1934 Book VI: Minutes, 1934-1947 3 Book VII: Minutes, January 20, 1947- December 4, 1950 Book VIII: Minutes, January 15, 1951- February 2, 1953 1 Minutes, 1953-1958 2 Minutes, 1958-1961 3 Minutes, 1961-1963 4 Minutes, 1954-1970 Chronological Files, 1887-1999 4 1 1887-1900 Undated handwritten club histories Club Notes: a paper read at the regular meeting of the Conversational Club, by O. Vincent Coffin, November 21, 1887 Invitation, November 16, 1887 Treasurer's report, 1899 Invitation, February 1900 Bills and receipts, 1898-1900 Attendence, 1893-1900 2-7 1900-1910 Memorial minutes, circa 1900-1910 Fortieth Anniversary Invitation, 1902 Bills, 1903-1910 Letters received, 1904-1910 Reports, 1904, 1910 A few days in the fjords of Norway, George A. Craig, April 27, 1908 8-13 1911-1919 Co-operative Building and Loan Association, Shanklin, December 18, 1911 Submarine War-Craft, April 19, 1915 Correspondence, 1916 Memorial minutes, 1917 Prohibition, 1918 Something about the Federal Reserve Bank, George A. Craig, February 17, 1919 14-23 1921-1928 Commonplaces, Prof. Andrew C. Armstrong, circa 1920 Something about foreign exchange, G. A. Craig, November 14, 1921 Record of meetings, 1921-1926 Invitation, Sixtieth Anniversary, November 6, 1922 Things learned and unlearned since 1914, A.C. Armstrong, November 3, 1924 The industrial and agricultural future of Connecticut, E. Kent Hubbard, November 17, 1924 The stuff of which our life is made, R. [Fauley?], January 5, 1925 A Connecticut Crook, George A. Craig, April 6, 1925 Early banking and banks in Connecticut, George A. Craig, January 3, 1927 A home institution (Long Lane Farm), George A. Craig, November 5, 1928 24 Method, A.C. Armstrong, November 7, 1932 25-28 1937 Correspondence, 1937 Invitation, seventy-fifth anniversary, 1937 Remarks of the Honorable E. Kent Hubbard, January 4, 1937 Club history, on 75th anniversary, Karl D. Harrington, November 15, 1937 29-34 1940-1949 Great Britain and India, Morris B. Crawford, April 15, 1940 Records of meetings, 1940-1949 The need for defense against military and economic aggression, E. Kent Hubbard, February 3, 1941 The parable of the irrational points, B. H. Camp, April 21, 1941 Supplementary historical notes, May 20, 1946 Group photo, 1949 5 1 1962 A Commemorative Pamphlet, 1862-1962 (2 copies) The Conversational Club, 1862-1962: The First Century 2-7 1964-1969 Records of meetings, 1964-1969 Speeches Made, not born: the life and times of J.S. Carberry, John W. Spaeth, March 16, 1964 What do you want?, T.C. Dunham, April 19, 1965 28 Wooster Street, Burton H. Camp, February 7, 1966 Thee and me, Jules D. Holzberg, January 9, 1967 The communication of the gospel in a secular age, Rev. Joseph C. Harvey, April 3, 1967 1897, Burton H. Camp, April 8, 1968 Schedules of meetings, 1966-1967 Schedules of meetings, 1967-1968 Schedules of meetings, 1968-1969 Schedules of meetings, 1969-1970 October 1970-1971 8 Minutes The Ivory Tower by Burton H. Camp, October 19, 1970 Hero?--Anti-Hero, November 2, 1970 The Greening of America, summary of paper delivered by Edwin D. Etherington, December 7, 1970 Who Minds the Store, newspaper article by John Kenneth Galbraith, December 7, 1970 Abstract of a talk, The Private Press, by Wyman W. Parker, January 11, 1971 Summary of paper, West of Philadelphia, by Donald G. Arnault, February 1, 1971 The Delicate Air, April 5, 1971 The Last of the Big-Time Spenders, by Ralph H. Shaw the 2nd, October 4, 1971 Record of meetings, 1970 Correspondence, 1970 Constitution, 1970 Summary of meeting and speech, October 6, 1970 9 Schedules of meetings, 1970-1971 1971 10 Records of meetings, 1971 Summaries of meetings and speeches, November-December 1971 Correspondence, 1971 Q.H.F. and Others, John W. Spaeth, Jr., March 1, 1971 Memorial minute, October 4, 1971 Music program, November 1, 1971 The stuff of fiction, John W. Paton, December 6, 1971 11 Schedules of meetings, 1971-1972 1972 12 Records of meetings, 1972 Correspondence, 1972 Served dinner suggestions, April 10, 1972 Summaries of meetings and speeches, February-December 1972 13 Schedules of meetings, 1972-1973 1973 14 Summaries of meetings and speeches, January-December 1973 15 Not for bread alone, Victor L. Butterfield, January 8, 1973 Records of meetings, 1973 Correspondence, 1973 16 Schedules of meetings, 1973-1974 1974 17 Summaries of meetings and speeches, January-December 1974 18 F.R. and C.R., Gordon B. McWilliams, March 4, 1974 A chicken in the pot, Max Tishler, December 2, 1974 19 Schedules of meetings, 1974-1975 1975-1976 20 Summaries of meetings and speeches, January-May 1976 Minutes American Bird Photographers and Bird Photography by Joseph R. Swain, May 5, 1975 The Drafting of the Declaration of Independence Precis--The Man Who Couldn't Seak Japanese Summary of paper on Near Eastern themes: Tawfik al-HJakim, Egyptian Abrabic literature by Mehadin K. Arafeh The P of P & Z (planning and zoning) by R. H. Shaw, II, February 2, 1976 Grandfather and Leo, summary of paper delivered April 5, 1976 Influences, a precis speech about education, by John W. Paton 21 Schedules of metings, 1975-1976 22 1976-1977 Election letter, October 1976 Summaries of meetings and speeches, 1976-1977 Minutes f/64 paper on Ansel Adams by Russell G. D'Oench, Jr. Myths and Paradigms: The Interaction of Humanities and Scientists summary of a presentation to the club, February 7, 1977 Schedules of metings, 1976-1977 1977-1978 6 1 Summaries of meetings and speeches, 1977-1978 Minutes Summary of Mr. Lockwood's paper, October 3, 1977 'Tis the Seanson Melancholy by Mr. Roberts Summary, For Better or For Worse Abstract, Skulduggery in Middletown 2 Schedules of metings, 1977-1978 1978-1979 3 Summaries of meetings and speeches, 1978-1979 Minutes M I I: Help! by J.R. Swain (Indian ivory carvings) Summary of paper, The Fateful Year by W. M. Wallace Paper, Defense (author unkown) 4 Schedules of metings, 1978-1979 1979-1980 5 Summaries of meetings and minutes, October 1979-April 1980 Minutes Precis of Paper Summary of paper, Henry, Hudson and Beaver by John W. Paton Summary of talk, Freud Never Cured An Eskimo February 4, 1980 6 Schedules of meetings, 1979-1980 7 Reply cards, 1980 1980-1981 Summaries of meetings and minutes, 1980-1981 Minutes Memos Old Woman River by W.M. 1902 Summary A précis of a presentation to the club, Nuns, A Sports Day, the Virgin Kumari, and Academia, given on May 4, 1981 Speech, The Story of Penicillin, by Max Tishler, November 2, 1981 Schedules of meetings, 1980-1981 10 1981-1982 Schedules of meetings 11 1982 Minutes Speech by Henry J. Naruk (untitled) In Defense of the Hangman, February 1, 1982 (2 copies) Soldiers Stones Wilson at Wesleyan by Willard M. Wallace Recollections of Wesleyan in the 1920s Outline of Mr. Dunham's paper on Bombs Away 12 1982-1983 Schedules of meetings 13 1983 Minutes Precis of paper, Veritas? Precis of Except for Money Middlesex Memorial Hospital Community Mental Health Clinic, summary of paper, YAC 14 1983-1984 Schedules of meetings 15 1984 Minutes Was Lavius the One? Abstract of talk on Joel Barlow Precis, A Slight Case of McCarthyism Precis, Are There Limits to Genetic Engineering? Summary of paper, Expectations, Possibilities, and Realties by Gordon B. McWilliams Precis, J.W.C. Pennington 16 1984-1985 Schedules of meetings 17 1985 Minutes Speech, Lui, Mu and Jimmy, about trip to China Speech, Jouney to Outer Space Speech, Was Lavius the One? 18 1985-1986 Precis of A Crisis of Presidential Succession in a Land of Kings, by Karl E. Scheibe Speech, Learning the Hard Way: 1758, 1775, 1815 Precis, Una Passeggiata 19 1986-1987 Minutes Speech, An Eighteenth Century Loner Summary of paper, The Common Bowl Paper, Plauge-American Style Results of anonymous questionnaire about admitting women to the Conversation Club Newspaper article about Conversation Club member Rev. Joseph R. Swain Jr. Pamphlet from funeral service of Rev. Joseph R. Swain Jr. Precis, Hiki Ni Kidole 20 1987-1988 Precis, Looking Backward Summary of speech, Seven Sleepless Years Market to Market, Bah Humbug Precis, Fifty Million Dollars Per Year PA Commemorative Pamphlet, 1862-1962-1987 (2 copies) 7 1 1988-1989 Minutes Precis, The Athroposphere: What Are We Doing With It? Precis, Zitti, Zitti, Piano, Piano! Precis, Winslow Homer Precis, An Alsatian Elegy Hartford Canoe Club pamphlet 2 1989-1990 Mr. Barlow's speech on Parks and Fields and the metaphysics of baseball Precis, Exit Parens: Init Lex Precis, Blowin' Snow paper to be delivered by Karl Scheibe 3 Membership and attendance, 1980-1989 4 1990-1991 Minutes Speech, R.E. Litigant Speech, Q is for Quadruped Speech, Count the Days Precis, These Are A Few Of My Favorite Theorems 5 1991-1992 Speech, When I Was A Lady Speech, Why Are Our Children Having Children? Speech, Diary of a Frenchman Precis, The Overworked American Precis of offering at Conversation Club (essay on different types of thinkers, i.e. are you a fox or a hedgehog?) 6 1992-1993 La Plume de ma Tante and the Old School Tie Ever Since Columbus Abstract, Knute Kenneth Rocknue, a Legend in His Time At the Gates, by Peter Frenzel Precis, Little Johnny Riordan, a talk given by George Creeger Abstract, The Couch and the Mirror Middletown 2000 7 1993-1994 Minutes Precis, One's Name is One's Destiny Speech, Fat Mary Precis, The Far Shore by Derry D'Oench Estado Libre Asociado-The 1993 Puerto Rican Referendum Precis What's a Nice Girl Like Me Doing in an Old Boys' Club Like This? Synopsis of paper Broken Heaventalk by Jon Barlow 8 1994-1995 Minutes Precis, Extreme Groups by Karl Scheibe Summary, Economy, Unexpectedness, and Inevitability Precis, The Simple Machine Paper, Fair Trail-Free Press Speech, A Twirl of Colors by David Lavine Precis, Life After Wesleyan? by Edgar F. Beckham 9 1995-1996 Minutes Handwritten notes from meetings on small note pad paper Speech, Lady Gregory Abstract of paper on Education Precis, HardDrive Memory: Around the World on a Laptop Speech, Where's the Beef? 10 1996-1997 Minutes Abstract, The Trojan Horse in our Midst-Friend or Foe? Abstract, What You See Abstract, Caruso in Petticoats, about Rosa Ponselle, opera singer from Meriden, Connecticut Abstract, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Letter to the club members about Proposed nomination conventions Precis, The End of the Affair 11 1997-1998 Minutes Abstract, Keener Sounds Precis, Sagarmartha Abstract, They don't make 'em like this any more Abstract, Man, Reproduction, and the 20th Century Abstract, CASSP Abstract, The Tongues of Fire Abstract, Middletown Lawyers and Other Colorful Characters, 1789-1813 Handwritten club meeting notes on notepad paper 12 1998-1999 Minutes Abstract, Dear Miss Lucy Abstract, Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity: Federal Patronage of the Arts in the Great Depression, by Willian J. Barber Abstract, Lost in the Parking Lot by Robert L. Kirkpatrick, Jr. Abstract, Charley at the Batby Jon Barlow Abstract, Fore Abstract, Inappropriate Relations and the Twentieth Century Decline of the Nation State Precis, Loss by Derry D'Oench Notes on the nomination process Addition of June 2008 (Acc. 2008-10), 1862-1987

The materials in this series have been arranged roughly chronologically.

 8 Program cards, 1870-1963

These were sent to members prior to each meeting. They list current members and the host, topic, and speaker for the upcoming meeting.

 9 1 Club member index cards, 1862-1874 2 Club Notes: a paper read at the regular meeting of the Conversational Club, 22 March 1880 3 Club member index cards, 1888-1959 10 1 Anniversary meeting programs, 1902, 1912, 1922 10 2 Season programs, 1911-1914, 1916-1918, 1925-1926, 1965-1971, 1973-1974 10 3 Group photo, circa 1948-1949 10 4 Socratic Literary Society, 1950-1953 10 5 Group photo with negative, circa 1960 10 6 Meeting photos with negatives, circa 1960 10 7 Club member index cards: present members at Centennial, 1962 10 8 Correspondence, 1962-1966 10 9 Hosts, 1965-1968, 1972-1984, 1990 10 10 Financial information, 1963-1967 10 11 Richard Winslow correspondence, 1975-1983 10 12 Financial information, 1980-1981 10 13 Administrative materials, 1983-1984 10 14 Correspondence, 1984-1987 10 15 List of dates when constitutional votes were taken 10 16 Paper about Mayan culture, undated 10 17 The Santiago Campaign: some personal experiences, by Rev. John D. Welwood, undated 10 18 Taboo by Raymond Walsh, undated 10 19 Town Clerk's office: notes Addition of December 2009 (Acc. 2009-50), 2003-2006 10 20 Minutes and Abstracts, January 2003-May 2006