Cranford's Dramatic Club Marking 40th Anniversary
1959 MAY 28 - THE CRANFORD CITIZEN AND CHRONICLE
Yesterday was an important date in the history of Cranford, for on that date 40 years ago a meeting was held which resulted in the formation of one of the community’s outstanding organizations - the Cranford Dramatic Club. The story is told in the following words from the original minutes:
In March, 1920, a club constitution was adopted, and in May of that same year the organization produced its first three-act play, “Green Stockings,” in Cleveland School. It was a “guest night” affair and no admission was charged. In December, 1920, the club moved to the Casino for its monthly assemblies.
The now well-known emblem of the entwined CDC was designed by the late A. B. Lewis in 1921. The monogram was first used on the curtain at the Casino. It now has become the official emblem of the Cranford Dramatic Club and is used on all programs and is mounted above the main entrance of the group’s new theatre on Winans avenue.
In March, 1922, Mr. Lewis formed an orchestra for the club. Members were Harry Heins, Rod erick Smith, Lisle Beardsley, Carl Mason, Robert Addoms and the late Harold Sweet, Florence Samson Meister, William Wilhelm and Mr. Gilmore.
A building fund drive was started in 1934 under direction of a committee consisting of John Cloud, Harold Haskins and Leslie Crump.
In December of 1934 the first “Club Dramatique” was held to raise money for the building fund, .and since then, the proceeds of all benefits for the Cranford Dramatic Club’s own profits have been applied toward the goal of having its own theatre.
This goal was reached in 1957 with completion of the theatre on Winans avenue, and “The Solid Gold Cadillac” was presented there in November of that year as the club’s first major production in its own theatre.
Through contributions to the Clara Low Memorial Fund, established last year in memory of one of the club’s charter members and director of many of its productions, the Cranford Dramatic Club is creating a Memorial Lounge in its new theatre in honor of all deceased members. The “gold stars” to whom the Memorial Lounge pays tribute include the following, with (C) after a name indicating a charter meber and (F) a founder:
Arnold Addoms (C), Roger Aldrich, Roger Aldrich, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Charles Atwater, Mrs. Harry Atwater (C), Miss Laura Babcock, Mrs. John W. Banker (F), Mr. and Mrs. James Barrett, Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Barrett, J. Ross Bates (C); Mr. and Mrs. H. K. Beach.
Mr. and Mrs. George Bienfang, Harold Birkmire, H. R. Best, Walter J. Bodine, Brenton Boggs (C), Karl Breckenbridge, John Jacob Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Seeman Brown, Leeman Browne, Mr. and Mrs. William Buckley, Sr. (C), IAndrew Burley, Mr. and Mrs; Henry S. Chandler, Mrs. Harriet Chapin, 'Mrs. Adelaide Chapin, Harry Chapin (C), Mrs. Harriett Chapin.
John Christy (C), Miss Barbara Clancy, Mrs. D.C.N. Collins (C)i, G. W. Cole, Moses Craig (C), Mrs.
Sally Craig (C), Mrs. Spencer Damon, Mrs. Marcia Darby, Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Denman, John Doniphon, Richard Doyle.
Frank Elser, Harry Flintoff, Harry Folk, Mrs. Carolyn Franklin (F), Frederick Franklin (C), Ted Franklin, Mrs. Marcia Furman (F), Mr. Furman (C), Mrs. Elizabeth Garrison (F), Mrs. Walter Gee, Mr. Gillmore, Dr. Friend B. Gilpin, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Green, Mrs. Mortimer Gross, Earl Guy.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Hansel (C), 5 C. Francis Hansel, Mrs. George Hansel (F), Mr. and Mrs. Frank Harriett, Mr. and Mrs. O. T. Harris; Walter Hay, Mrs. Karl Herrick (C), William M. Hicks, Russell J. Hill, Carl Hoe, Jr., Charles Hoe, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hollingsworth.
Mr. and Mrs. G. B. Jones, Kenneth Jones, ,Charles Kaltenbach, Mrs. J. Angus Knowles, William Konstanzer, Mrs. Alice Lakey, Wallace J. Law, Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Lewis, Mrs. George Littel, Fred Lovell, Ralph Lovell, Mrs. Clara Low (C), Mrs. John Marston, Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Mason.
Mrs. Josephine Mathey, Louis Mathey, Mrs. Marion Miller Mathey, Mr. and Mrs. James Mc Grayne (C), Mrs. W. W. McKee, James D. McMeekan, William C. McPherson, Mrs. Florence Sansom Meister, Robert Miller, Mrs. George Millett, A. W. Morley, Samuel Morrison, Albert Mount, Mr. and Mrs. F. Mount, Edward O’Brien, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Palmer, Mrs. Duncan W. Patterson (F), John Peniston, Judge Carlton B. Pierce (C), Mrs. Martha Plum (C), Joseph Plummer, Olin Putnam, George D. Rankin.
Milton Reinhart, Mr. and Mrs. F. St. John Richards, Paul Richardson, Mrs. Elsie J. Rumble, W. B. Ruthrauff, Miss Emily Sanderson, Edward Sansom, W. B. Scheumann, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Silkman, Mr. and Mrs. Bayard Simpson, Mrs. Ruth Skillman, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sloan, Mrs. Etta Smith, and Mrs. J. A. Sperry, William Sperry, II, Mrs. Hugh Spillsbury, Mrs. Eleanor Sproul, Harold Sweet.
Mrs. Neva Sykes (F), Carson Taliaferro, Latimer Tatnalle, M. L. Thompson, W. Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Tomlinson, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Towler (C), Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Truslow (C), Mr. and Mrs. John VanSickle, Arnold Vreeland, Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Warfield, Mr. and Mrs. James Warner.
Andrew Warnock, John Watson, Ernest Wemple, Mrs. Henry Whipple, William Wilhelm, W. W. Williams, Lemuel Woodland, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Woodward, Frederick Yard, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Yawger, Frank Young (C), and Mrs. Agnes Zundel.
Anyone noting any omissions in the above listing is requested to contact Mrs. Everard Kempshall or Roger Norton, who were in charge of preparing it in connection with the club’s memorial project.
Living founding members of the Cranford Dramatic Club as recorded in the original minutes through December, 1919, are Mrs. J. Ross Bates, Mrs. Robert Miller and Mrs. Henry D. West. Serving presidents during the club’s 40-year history have been the following:
- “On May, 27 1919, at the home John S. Garrison, seven women met to discuss plans for forming a Dramatic Club in Cranford. Those present were: Mrs. Henry West, Mrs. Robert Miller, Mrs. John Banker, Mrs. Duncan W. Patterson, Mrs. Carolyn Franklin, Mrs. Elizabeth Garrison and Mrs. Marcia Furman. A motion was made. and carried that a dramatic club be organized. Its purpose was to be philanthropic and social. One or more plays were to be read at the homes of members during the year and one play was to be publicly produced. Officers elected were: Mrs. Henry D. West, chairman; Mrs. George Hansel, vice-chairman; Mrs. Neva Sykes, recording secretary; Mrs. Marcia Furman, corresponding secretary; Mrs. J. Ross Bates, treasurer.”
- “The officers that had been elected in the spring having resigned,” the minutes of this meeting read, “the first business was electionof officers: President, Mrs. Henry West, vice-president, Mrs. R. H. Whiton; treasurer, the Rev. Kenneth Martin; recording secretary, Mrs. Sally Craig; corresponding secretary, Miss Marjorie Pierce. It was moved by Mrs. Miller and seconded by William Buckley that meetings be held at regular intervals and that a play or portion thereof should be read, and in addition a short play was to be acted by members. Motion by Miss Hannah Mc Allister that the first Tuesday evening of each month be the regular night. Mr. Whiton seconded.”
In March, 1920, a club constitution was adopted, and in May of that same year the organization produced its first three-act play, “Green Stockings,” in Cleveland School. It was a “guest night” affair and no admission was charged. In December, 1920, the club moved to the Casino for its monthly assemblies.
The now well-known emblem of the entwined CDC was designed by the late A. B. Lewis in 1921. The monogram was first used on the curtain at the Casino. It now has become the official emblem of the Cranford Dramatic Club and is used on all programs and is mounted above the main entrance of the group’s new theatre on Winans avenue.
In March, 1922, Mr. Lewis formed an orchestra for the club. Members were Harry Heins, Rod erick Smith, Lisle Beardsley, Carl Mason, Robert Addoms and the late Harold Sweet, Florence Samson Meister, William Wilhelm and Mr. Gilmore.
A building fund drive was started in 1934 under direction of a committee consisting of John Cloud, Harold Haskins and Leslie Crump.
In December of 1934 the first “Club Dramatique” was held to raise money for the building fund, .and since then, the proceeds of all benefits for the Cranford Dramatic Club’s own profits have been applied toward the goal of having its own theatre.
This goal was reached in 1957 with completion of the theatre on Winans avenue, and “The Solid Gold Cadillac” was presented there in November of that year as the club’s first major production in its own theatre.
Through contributions to the Clara Low Memorial Fund, established last year in memory of one of the club’s charter members and director of many of its productions, the Cranford Dramatic Club is creating a Memorial Lounge in its new theatre in honor of all deceased members. The “gold stars” to whom the Memorial Lounge pays tribute include the following, with (C) after a name indicating a charter meber and (F) a founder:
Arnold Addoms (C), Roger Aldrich, Roger Aldrich, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Charles Atwater, Mrs. Harry Atwater (C), Miss Laura Babcock, Mrs. John W. Banker (F), Mr. and Mrs. James Barrett, Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Barrett, J. Ross Bates (C); Mr. and Mrs. H. K. Beach.
Mr. and Mrs. George Bienfang, Harold Birkmire, H. R. Best, Walter J. Bodine, Brenton Boggs (C), Karl Breckenbridge, John Jacob Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Seeman Brown, Leeman Browne, Mr. and Mrs. William Buckley, Sr. (C), IAndrew Burley, Mr. and Mrs; Henry S. Chandler, Mrs. Harriet Chapin, 'Mrs. Adelaide Chapin, Harry Chapin (C), Mrs. Harriett Chapin.
John Christy (C), Miss Barbara Clancy, Mrs. D.C.N. Collins (C)i, G. W. Cole, Moses Craig (C), Mrs.
Sally Craig (C), Mrs. Spencer Damon, Mrs. Marcia Darby, Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Denman, John Doniphon, Richard Doyle.
Frank Elser, Harry Flintoff, Harry Folk, Mrs. Carolyn Franklin (F), Frederick Franklin (C), Ted Franklin, Mrs. Marcia Furman (F), Mr. Furman (C), Mrs. Elizabeth Garrison (F), Mrs. Walter Gee, Mr. Gillmore, Dr. Friend B. Gilpin, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Green, Mrs. Mortimer Gross, Earl Guy.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Hansel (C), 5 C. Francis Hansel, Mrs. George Hansel (F), Mr. and Mrs. Frank Harriett, Mr. and Mrs. O. T. Harris; Walter Hay, Mrs. Karl Herrick (C), William M. Hicks, Russell J. Hill, Carl Hoe, Jr., Charles Hoe, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hollingsworth.
Mr. and Mrs. G. B. Jones, Kenneth Jones, ,Charles Kaltenbach, Mrs. J. Angus Knowles, William Konstanzer, Mrs. Alice Lakey, Wallace J. Law, Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Lewis, Mrs. George Littel, Fred Lovell, Ralph Lovell, Mrs. Clara Low (C), Mrs. John Marston, Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Mason.
Mrs. Josephine Mathey, Louis Mathey, Mrs. Marion Miller Mathey, Mr. and Mrs. James Mc Grayne (C), Mrs. W. W. McKee, James D. McMeekan, William C. McPherson, Mrs. Florence Sansom Meister, Robert Miller, Mrs. George Millett, A. W. Morley, Samuel Morrison, Albert Mount, Mr. and Mrs. F. Mount, Edward O’Brien, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Palmer, Mrs. Duncan W. Patterson (F), John Peniston, Judge Carlton B. Pierce (C), Mrs. Martha Plum (C), Joseph Plummer, Olin Putnam, George D. Rankin.
Milton Reinhart, Mr. and Mrs. F. St. John Richards, Paul Richardson, Mrs. Elsie J. Rumble, W. B. Ruthrauff, Miss Emily Sanderson, Edward Sansom, W. B. Scheumann, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Silkman, Mr. and Mrs. Bayard Simpson, Mrs. Ruth Skillman, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sloan, Mrs. Etta Smith, and Mrs. J. A. Sperry, William Sperry, II, Mrs. Hugh Spillsbury, Mrs. Eleanor Sproul, Harold Sweet.
Mrs. Neva Sykes (F), Carson Taliaferro, Latimer Tatnalle, M. L. Thompson, W. Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Tomlinson, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Towler (C), Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Truslow (C), Mr. and Mrs. John VanSickle, Arnold Vreeland, Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Warfield, Mr. and Mrs. James Warner.
Andrew Warnock, John Watson, Ernest Wemple, Mrs. Henry Whipple, William Wilhelm, W. W. Williams, Lemuel Woodland, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Woodward, Frederick Yard, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Yawger, Frank Young (C), and Mrs. Agnes Zundel.
Anyone noting any omissions in the above listing is requested to contact Mrs. Everard Kempshall or Roger Norton, who were in charge of preparing it in connection with the club’s memorial project.
Living founding members of the Cranford Dramatic Club as recorded in the original minutes through December, 1919, are Mrs. J. Ross Bates, Mrs. Robert Miller and Mrs. Henry D. West. Serving presidents during the club’s 40-year history have been the following:
- Mrs. Henry D. West 1919-20
- Arnold H. Addoms 1920-21
- William W. Buckley 1921-23
- Henry J. Chapin 1923-24
- Moses Craig 1924-25
- James D. McMeekan 1925-26
- R. Robinson Barrett 1926-28
- Lisle R. Beardslee 1928-30
- Eugene Towler 1930-31
- Ray A.Clement 1931-32
- Harry S. C. Folk 1932-34
- J. Branch Darby 1934-36
- Richard H. Lackey Jr. 1936-37
- Charles H. Messerve 1937-39
- E. Armstrong Damon 1939-40
- Harold W. Fisher 1940-42
- Hector C. Evans 1942-44
- Mansell Richard 1944-46
- J. Webster Skerratt 1946-48
- Mrs. Hector C. Evans 1948-49
- Richard Keppler 1949-51
- Jack Bannon 1951-52
- Mrs. Jacob Stanley 1952-54
- G. Winfield Scott 1954-56
- Arba Taylor 1956-57
- G. Winfield Scott 1957-58
- George Trumpore 1958-60
- 1925 The Giant’s Stair - Clara Low, Cranford Canoe Club
- 1931 The Squall - Leslie Crump, Cranford Central Relief Committee
- 1934 Death Takes a Holiday - Leslie Crump, Milk Fund of Cranford Junior Service League
- 1935 The First Mrs. Frazer - Mrs Frank Carter, Jr, Cranford College Club
- 1936 Reunion in Vienna - Leslie Crump, Junior Service League
- 1938 Green Grow the Lilacs - Mr and Mrs Moses Craig, CDC Building Fund
- 1939 Reunion in Vienna - Leslie Crump, Junior Service League
- 1940 Tovarich - Leslie Crump, Finnish Relief and CDC Building Fund
- 1941 First Lady - Allan Whitney, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Welfare Association, Visiting Nurse Association and CDC Building Fund
- 1941 Berkeley Square - Clara Low, British War Relief
- 1942 Kiss the Boys Good-Bye - Clara Low, Cranford Chapter, American Red Cross
- 1943 Old Acquaintance - Dean Hodgin, Cranford Post 212, American Legion
- 1945 Kind Lady - Clara Low, mobile kitchen for Red Cross
- 1945 My Sister Eileen - Alice Mathews, field house at Walnut Avenue Oval
- 1947 Fresh Fields - Clara Low, Union Junior College (auspices of College Club and Dramatic Club)
- 1948 Return Engagement - Helen Kempshall, Cranford Lions Club and Cranford Boys’ Camp
- 1949 While the Sun Shines - Clara Low, Junior Service League and CDC Building Fund
- 1949 Over Twenty-One - John Giles, Cranford High School PTA
- 1950 See How They Run - Clara Low, Cranford Kiwanis Club and CDC Building Fund
- 1951 Hawk Island - Allan Whitney, Junior Service League for Brownie Camp Fund and CDC Building Fund
- 1951 The Silver Whistle - Clara Low, Cranford Rotary Student Loan Fund and CDC Building Fund
- 1952 The Unguarded Hour - Helen Kempshall, Trinity Church and CDC Building Fund
- 1952 The Curious Savage - Elsie Midgley, Sherlock Hall Equipment Fund and CDC Building Fund
- 1953 Gramercy Ghost - Clara Low, Couples’ Club of First Presbyterian Church and CDC Building Fund
- 1954 The Barton Mystery - John Giles, Trinity Church Building Fund and CDC Building Fund
- 1954 Harvey - Helen Hoffman, Kiwanis Charity Benefit Night
- 1955 And Inspector Calls - Alice Mathews, Trinity Church School Building Fund and CDC Building Fund
- 1956 The Little Foxes - Clara Low, CDC Building Fund
- 1957 My Three Angels - Allan Whitney, Cranford Rotary Club
