The D.C. Pro chapter has presented the National Press Club's Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library with a check of $500 in appreciation of the Club's generous hosting of the chapter's archives.
The accumulation, which takes up several feet of space on shelves in the climate-controlled archives rooms on the club's fourth floor, includes minutes, treasurers' reports and old issues of this newsletter dating back a half-century or more.
Also included in the collection is a "time capsule" sealed on the chapter's 50th anniversary in 1986. It is to be opened in 2036. Perhaps by then someone can find the long-missing key to the rather standard-issue gray cash box. A hairpin may suffice.
The chapter archives were invaluable in finding the date of our start, so we knew when to hold our recent 75th anniversary celebration.
The board is considering establishing a history committee to go through the files to better organize them and de-clutter. Although Press Club staff has performed some organization chores over the years, there is much work to be done. Volunteers to help with this interesting effort can contact Chapter President Andy Schotz at lawygyland@aol.com
In accepting the check, Press Club President Mark Hamrick expressed the hope that the Club and the chapter could organize joint professional development programs during his tenure as president, an offer the board endorsed.