100 Member Club History
 
 
 
Who are we? Following a poorly attended alumni meeting in 1944, the late Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson urged the formation of a project committee to explore different options to revive school spirit. The project committee was headed by Frank E. Taylor '38. The One Hundred Member Club of the Jamestown High School Alumni Association was conceived as the means by which to revive school spirit through an annual award to the outstanding student of the J.H.S. graduating class. The committee met bi-weekly over a period of three months and compiled an invitation list of 125 alumni who were invited to become charter members of the Club. Ninety-five alumni joined before the organizational meeting. At first the committee considered limiting membership to 100 alumni. However, memberships rolled in and the limit was quickly forgotten but the name, "One Hundred Member Club," has endured. Today the membership exceeds 1,800 active alumni. The first Club meeting was held at the Hotel Jamestown as a dinner. Afterward the club members marched across town to the J.H.S. Auditorium to attend the annual meeting of the Alumni Association. The original officers of the club along with President Taylor were Miss M. Jeannette Granger, Vice-President; Miss Bonny B. Dean, Secretary; and Reuben J. Carlson, Treasurer. At the original club dinner in 1945, Howard Wellman, chairman of the award committee, called on Virginia Thomas to come forward and receive the club's $100 award, as having been selected by her classmates and faculty as the outstanding member of the J.H.S. Class of 1945. Some years later, the annual meeting format was changed to a brunch and program. Those Club members in attendance were invited to adjourn to the High School for the afternoon alumni association meeting. In recent years, the awards have been announced at the J .H.S. commencement, with the presentation of the awards made at the Club brunch the following day. The One Hundred Member Club continues to award scholarships each year in the tradition that began in 1945. In recent times, two scholarships have been awarded each year, one each to the outstanding male and female graduates chosen by their classmates and faculty. In addition, the Club makes contributions to JHS programs that are identified as important and in need of financial support. This is really neat! Created by: Information Services Department Jamestown Public Schools Copyright 2007