Quarter Century Club Records

The Quarter Century Club Records document the functions of the club, located at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Through this collection, researchers may gain insight into the social and administrative roles of a club in the 20th century.

Series I: Administration The administrative papers of the Quarter Century Club document the fundamental business of the organization. Included in the first part of this series are: descriptions of officer duties, the club's constitution and history, meeting minutes, and examples of the stationary used in club functions. The second part of this series details the financial element of the club.

Series II: Membership The second series of the Quarter Century Club Records is composed of three distinct sections: membership lists, correspondence, and individual member files. The first of these are membership lists that detail board and officer members, new and current members, and deceased members of the Quarter Century Club. These membership lists were largely compiled by the club's longtime historian Russell S. Lyle. The correspondence portion of this Membership Series includes "Dear Member" newsletters and invitations, correspondence from members to the club's officers, and memos and letters written by Russell S. Lyle to the club's secretaries. Also included are individual member files for Margaret Cash, John Wolfe, and Russell S. Lyle. Within the Lyle folder (box 3 file 7) are letters from President Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Doolittle, and a signed Jimmy Doolittle postcard. A postcard of Major Shorty Schroeder, a personal friend of Russell Lyle, dates to 1924.

Series III: Events This third series is made up of programs from the Quarter Century Club's semiannual dinner meetings. The programs span the years 1953 to 1999. Most include information about the dinner itself (menus), new members, special guests, and deceased members.

Series IV: Photographs Within the Photographs Series are two sets of photographs taken circa the 1960s and the 1990s. The photographs are undated and many individuals are not identified.

Series V: Scrapbooks The largest series of the Quarter Century Club Records, the scrapbooks begin in 1946 and span to 1988. They were compiled by the club's historians and include letters, newspaper clippings, obituaries, photographs and minutes. They document the club's activities and important events in members' careers. Some years have multiple volumes; in cases in which the scrapbook is labeled with a volume number but the surrounding volumes do not exist, the original volume number has been preserved. No scrapbooks exist for the years 1976-1979. Scrapbooks that have been preserved may be contained in multiple folders, designated by "Part X of Y". A notable document in this series is a Jimmy Doolittle letter in the 1952 scrapbook (box 5 file 5).