Part 1 (Mss 277): Original Collection, 1916-19732.0 cubic feet (5 archives boxes)
The Records of the Madison Civics Club consist of the Articles of incorporation and by-laws, Correspondence, Minutes of Board of Directors' meetings, Minutes, Luncheon Meeting Records, Reports by Presidents and Secretaries, Financial Records, Membership Records, Records of Activities, Public Affairs Committee Records, and Scrapbooks.
The Articles of incorporation and the by-laws are dated September 30, 1960. The by-laws delineate the purpose of the Club, the officers and their duties, the types of members, and the determination of dues and meetings.
The Correspondence concerns luncheon reservations, the atmosphere of Madison at the time of the Club's founding, the earliest beginnings of the Club, and the possibility of the publishing the Club's history in the Wisconsin Magazine of History. Arranged chronologically, the correspondence runs from June 1951 to February 1963.
The Board of Directors' file lists Board members and includes minutes of the Board's meeting, 1958-1965.
In a small notebook, the Minutes list members of the Executive Committee, the speaker, the subject of each meeting, and the actions taken by the Club. They are arranged chronologically from 1917 to 1968.
The Luncheon Meeting Records (1916-1966) list the attendance at each luncheon, the cost, the speaker and his or her subject, and the members of the Executive Committee for each season. “Meetings (1916)” is prefaced by an anonymously written history of the Club's origin. The “President's Book (1950-1958)” lists the chairmen from 1913 to 1970, the Club officers, those sitting at the speaker's table, an annual financial report, and members of the Public Affairs Committee. An example of the invitations sent to honor guest is included among these chronologically arranged records which cover the years 1916 to 1943 and 1950 to 1958. Also included is a list of committee chairmen from 1958 to 1973.
Reports by Presidents and Secretaries cover the proceedings of Club meetings from 1935 to 1939 and 1951 to 1953, in chronological order. The 1935-1936 report by President Mrs. E. Eugene Neff lists the general procedures of the president's activities, and the 1937-1938 secretary's report by Mrs. Oscar Rennebohm gives a detailed outline of the secretary's work.
Falling between the years 1934 and 1964 are the chronologically arranged Financial Records, which include receipts and disbursements, annual reports, treasurers' notes, paid bills, deposit slips, cancelled checks, checkstubs, and bank statements.
The Membership and Dues Records are comprised of notebooks and lists chronologically noting the members, the payment of dues, the Executive Committee members, the Club officers, and the waiting lists from 1934 to 1967.
Among the Activities Records is the December 13, 1919 report of the Club's Committee to investigate the Socialized Court, which sought information on the court's administration of mothers' pensions, juvenile delinquency, and domestic relations in order to make recommendations. Luncheon notebooks from 1939 to 1961 chronologically list the menu, attendance, and those sitting at the speaker's table, and for some dates, the speaker and his subject. With these notebooks is a list of the program speakers and their subjects from 1916 to 1973. The records of the 50th Anniversary Program, held November 13, 1962, include correspondence, comments by Ann Birge on the Club's history with suggestions for a skit, the program, a speech, the cast and script of a play, memoranda, and photographs. There are also reading lists the Club received from the Madison Public Library from 1964 to 1969.
The Records of the Public Affairs Committee span the years 1953 to 1973 and include minutes, newspaper clippings, its history prior to 1956 and a summary of its reports (1956-1973), reports presented by the Committee, and specific activities undertaken during 1954-1956 (“Litterbug” campaign, auditorium campaign, and volunteer service). Arrangement is chronological within each folder.
The Scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, notices of meetings, photographs, correspondence, and memoranda of Club actions for the years 1919-1931 and 1937-1960.