Evening star., 1938-05-22
WORK Of MEMBER
UNIT IS OUTLINED
Much of Success of Trade
Board Credited to This
Committee.

Much Of the success of the Board
Of Trade as Washington's outstand-
ing civic organization can be attrib-
uted to its Mem bership Committee.
With all due respect to the other COM
mittees Of the trade organization,
whose accomplishments have gained
a high reputation for the board. the
membership unit must be credited in
q large measure for the boards more
than 1000 membership today
The committee never conducts
citywide membership campaign, as
membership units Of other similar
organizations do, but the trade boards
strength has increased steadily be-
cause the committee is continually
looking over the field and urging busi-
ness men, young and old, to join the
board.
Small Business Included.
It always has been a policy OF the
board not to conflne membership to
large business establishments alone.
and that probably has played part
in building its membership from 100
on December %. 1891, to some 1000
today Then, too, its annual dues
$l2-probably are the lowest OF any
similar organization.
The Membership Committee has its
own officers, elected by the commit
tee itself, the chairman being ap-
pointed by the president Of the trade
board. Today it includes 100 active
members.
The committee each year holds a
number of social affairs for its per-
sonnel-dinners, boat rides, etc
and, indirectly, it has charge Of the
big shad bake and midwinter dinner
each year. The personnel of the COM
mittees in charge OF these two af-
fairs are drawn almost exclusively
from the membership unit
Leaders Serve Unit.
A large percentage Of the business
and civic leaders of Washington have
served on this committee, and num-
ber of chairmen OF the unit have gone
on to become president of the board
itself.
BY 1900 the membership Of the
board had increased to 660. J. H.
Small. jr. was chairman Of the COM
mittee then. Five years later the
membership list included 724 business
and professional men. 1t was not
until seven years later, however, that
it passed the 1000 mark
Under the Craftsmanship of Ed
ward F. Colladay. immediate past
president of the board, the committee
in 1915 increased the membership by
300 The 1000 mark was reached
and passed in 1920 and in 1923. when
the committee was headed by John
Saul. the membership increased to
3,l33
Records Set and Broken.
Two years later the committee,
under the Craftsmanship Of William
r. Ellis, added 757 new members,
establishing a record for new men,
berships that stood for seven years.
The record was broken in the 1867
year, when Granville Guide was chair
man. In this period 8l4 members
were added
This mark was Immediately broken
by the committee which served under
Karl FARRELL during the last year,
when 8l6 new members were signed
up. Deaths and designations have
subtracted from the total membership
each year. but it is now over the
1000 mark
Crosdale Wits, vice president Of
the United Clay Products Co.. is the
new chairman for the 1889 year.
Serving with him are Fred A. Smith,
liaison officer: c. Hayward Marshall,
first vice chairman: Henry S. Owens.
second vice chairman; Robert j.
Cottrell, secretary; George Clendaniel
and William H. Press, assistant secre-
taries; Joseph Monaghan. treasurer;
Joseph McGerraghy. sergeant at
arms; Edmund Carl, chairman of the
Entertainment Subcommittee. and
Charles Jerman. chairman of the
Sick" Committee.