Thursday night, May 31st marked an exciting milestone for Club 6572, Texas Wesleyan Spellbinders, as club members and guests celebrated the club’s 25th Anniversary with an Open House. The “silver” theme permeated decorations at the Bobby Bragan Fellowship Hall in the historic Polytechnic United Methodist Church building on the TWU campus, and sparkled on the clothing and in the eyes of members and guests alike.

Our exciting club meeting featured an Icebreaker speech from Ann Bradley, one of our newest members, and an inspirational message from Aldean (Al) Pearson. Al, the club Vice President of Membership, also  spearheaded the planning committee for this successful event.

Special guests from the District, District Governor Diana Patton and Lieutenant Governor Marketing  Dean Lampman provided insightful and meaningful evaluations. A panel of members shared “What does Toastmasters mean to me” in Table Topics fashion, providing sometimes-humorous and sometimes-profound perspectives on their Toastmasters journeys and lessons learned over time.

Club President Diana Pittman shared some of the history of the club as the meeting progressed. Chartered while Past International President Pauline Shirley was District Governor in 1987, the club started with 40 employees of Colonial Financial Company in Fort Worth. Charter members included the legendary founder of the company James (Jimmy) DuBoise himself. Another charter member, Brenda Daniels, is now not only a Distinguished Toastmaster but also a well-known figure in District 25 leadership.

Originally named CF Communicators, the club later morphed into a Spanish/English club and changed its name to Club Bilingüe. Finally, in 2004, the club restructured as a community club and found a home at Texas Wesleyan University, choosing the moniker Texas Wesleyan Spellbinders to signify its new identity.

With such a sterling backstory, Texas Wesleyan Spellbinders looks forward to the next 25 years and the golden opportunities ahead.

Sara Boepple

VP Public Relations

Texas Wesleyan Spellbinders

See more photos of the occasion on the Spellbinders’ website.

 

By Jodie Sanders