Evening star., 1933-11-05
48 GR|D|R0N YEARS
REVIEWED IN BOOK
Ernest 6. Walker Complies
History of Famous News
paper Club.

"Forty-eight Gridiron Years is the
title of a chronicle of the Grldiron
Club written by Ernest G. Walker, a
former president Of the club and at
present its historian, which has just
come from the press OF w. F. Rob-
ertS, Inc.
Mr.. Walkers new book is the only
comprehensive volume dealing with the
famous newspaper club, from the time
of its organization in 1885 down to
the present day. He has welded into
a composite picture the history, the
personalities of the members of the
club and their achievements. 1t is
record essentially for the use of the
members of the Gridiron Club. but a
record that is interesting throughout
its more than 300 pages.
Reviews 1913 Dinners.
To its guests and to the general pub
lie through published accounts. the
Gridiron Club is known by its dinners
and the entertainment provided dur
ing these dinners. Mr.. Walker has
passed in review of 123 of these famous
entertainments, from the first Grid
iron Club dinner. February %, 1888,
given at Welcker's, with Vice Presi-
dent Hendricks and Senators HaWley
of Connecticut and Manderson Of Ne
braska among the guests, down to the
dinner given last April.
It was in January, 1885, that the
proposal to form such a club was
launched at a dinner given at John
Chamberlain'S by Judge r. F. Crowell.
auditor for the Post Office Depart
ment at that time, a dinner attended
by q considerable company Of news
paper men. The motion was made by
P. v. De Graw and an organization
committee was named, headed by Maj:
John M Carson, afterward called
father and nursing mother of the
Gridiron Club"
Prominent Members.
The Gridircn Club has not only
during its history brought together at
the dinner table the greatest number
Of men of distinction in this country
and others. but it has included in
its membership men of notable ca
reers. Not only have brilliant repor-
torial feats and the Interpretation OF
public events been in their line OF
duty, but also public service, civil and
military. Henry V. Boynton, char
ter member, was a brigadier in the
Civil War and later in the War with
Spain. Two of the members have
been called upon to fill places in the
cabinets of Presidents. Frank Hatton,
an Iowa editor, was Postmaster Gen
eral before he became member OF
the Gridiron Club and Beriah Wilkins
had been three times elected Demo-
cratic representative from Ohio, but
both men had resumed their news
paper work. which made them eligible
for membership in the club at the
time Of their election. Robert j. Wynn
was appointed Postmaster General by
Theodore Roosevelt Robert Lincoln
O'Brien, who has for many years been
a member of the club, is now serving
as chairman of the United States
Tariff Commission. A half a dozen
more members have held assistant cab
met positions. And the books written
by members of the Gridiron Club would
fill a private library.
The clubs little band of limited
members, as Mr.. Walker points out,
who, with one or two exceptions, have
not been newspaper men, have also
been men of recognized ability and rep
utation. Among them was John Phil
lip Sousa, the march kind, who wrote
one of his marches in honor of the
club.
Good Fellowship Aim.
The sole aim Of the Gridlron Club
has been "the promotion of good fel-
lowShip." 1t has no politics nor axes
to grind, although it deals in its enter
tainment programs with politicians and
politics on a national scale. Every
President of the United States since
Benjamin Harrison, who was Chief EX-
ecutive at the time Of the organization
of the club. has been a guest at Grid
iron dinners, and many Of the Presl-
dents have attended majority, If not
all. the dinners given by the club dur
ing their terms of Office.
In the whole period of its existence
the active membership of the club has
comprised not quite 200 men. The
ceed SO active Washington newspaper
men. Not few of the members have
become newspaper owners and pub
fishers. or have been publishers at the
time of their election to the club. In
this list were William E. Barrett of
the Boston Advertiser and Evening
Record. Edwin w. Barrett of the Bir-
mingham Age-Herald, Edwin Fleming
of the Buffalo Courier, Crosby Noyes
Of The Evening Star Rudolph Kauff-
mann of The Evening Star, Frank
Hatton of the Washington Post. Beriah
Wilkins of the Washington Post. Perry
S. Heath of the Salt Lake Tribune,
Ambrose w. Lyman of the Helena
CMont) Independent and Robert Lin
coin O'Brien of the Boston Herald.
Members Write Songs.
Gridiron dinners have made famous
q number of songs, some of them writ
ten by members of the club, and 9TH
ers adopted" by the club. Hubbard
T. Smith, a limited member, wrote
Swinging in the Grapevine Swing"
and The Country Band" None of the
Gridiron songs, however. has been more
popular than DE Watermillion Hangin'
on de Vine" as sung by Maj Alfred
E. Stofer. one of the oldest members
of the club. The words and music of
this song were written and composed
by Thomas P. WeStendorf of Bartlett,
Tenn. There we're only three verses
of the song originally. but two more
have been added since it became ia
nous as song at Gridiron dinners.
The GrldrOn library now carefully
cherished by Mr. Walker. corsYises
back TO the organization of the club,
the official records of the club and a
Large number of scrap books about
Gridiron nights and the members of
the club