The 'International' is added to Toastmasters
[New Text added in 2011 is
shown in green type]
Once upon a time a Y.M.C.A. General Secretary wrote to another
Y.M.C.A. General Secretary; and thus was born the Toastmasters in
British Columbia. Frank Paulding
wrote to
Ralf Smedley before July 26, 1930 from the New
Westminster Y.M.C.A., to Ralf Smedley at the "Y" in
Santa Ana, California.; and the founder of Toastmasters.
Frank was running a speakers club they call “The Spokes”.
As a result of his letter he was at a meeting of Toastmaster at Whittier College
on July 26th. The meeting discussed a name
that they could use for
their ‘Federation of Toastmasters’, and since Frank was from Canada it
occurred
to Ralf Smedley to call it “Toastmasters International”, like Rotary
International of whom he also was a member.
Before he could form an official Toastmaster's Club in New Westminster,
Frank Paulding moved
to Victoria with the Y.M.C.A. as
General
Secretary in 1932; and like Ralf Smedley continued with the
Toastmaster speaking concept in Victoria, and
like Ralf Smedley had done when
he was transferred, Frank started another speaking club called the
“Y-Speakers' Club” for the young men at the “Y” in Victoria. Frank was
transferred because of his fund raising ability, the Victoria “Y” was
having financial trouble at the time in the doldrums of the thirtys.
It took Toastmasters until December 19th, 1932
for
Toastmasters International, Inc. to be incorporated under the laws of California. In
Dr Ralf Smedley's book “The Story of
Toastmasters” © Copyrighted in 1959, it is recorded
at the October 7th., 1933 ‘Council
Meeting’ of Toastmaster in Glendale, California that of the 18 clubs,
the 18th
Toastmaster Club came from Victoria, British Columbia. At the 1934
Convention in San Diego,
Ralf Smedley states that of the 28 clubs they had on October 6th.,
that one club was from Canada.
The next date we have is on October 24th, 1935,
the
day that the Charter Members were in attendance to charter the
first International
Club of Toastmasters International Inc. Thus creating First Canadian
Toastmasters #38 saying at every meeting .... "Putting the
International
into Toastmasters"
.
In the following year on May 9th, 1936 the second
Canadian club was charted in
Vancouver, the Toastmaster Vancouver Club 59. The Chilliwak
Toastmasters Club was formed, relinquished, then revived, Union
Club Toastmasters #331 was chartered in September
1945 in
Victoria. A huge Speechcraft was held in the summer of 1946
with 80
people enrolled. Thunderbird Toastmasters Club #396 was the result of
this effort, they received their charter on July 20th, 1946.
four days before the 1st Toastmasters International Convention in
Seattle, Washington after the end of the war. It was a motion at the
Conference that created District 21, after it had chartered 5 clubs,
which was the minimum need for a District in 1946.
While the BC clubs were part of District 2
(covering Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana ,and British Columbia),
some of the BC club members achived a part of Distict 2 History.
District Governor (1938-39) William Butchart, of Vancouver, British
Columbia.
Lt. Governor, Frank
Paulding of Victoria 1938-1939
Lt Governor of Area 6 (1945-46), Barry Goult of Victoria, BC.
Information on this web site contains (c) Copyrighted
Material of
Toastmasters International Inc. and it's Districts and Clubs; Brian
Dodd; and 3001 by Zarcom System Inc., 2007-2011