CLUB HISTORY

" Without continuous personal development you are now all that you will ever become."
 

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

 1903-2006  -  103 years    FROM CONCEPTION TO PRESENT

 1924-2006  -  82 years    FROM FIRST MEETING TO PRESENT

Dr. Ralph C. Smedley was the founder of Toastmasters International.  He graduate from Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1903, and took a job as director of education for the local Young Men’s Christian Association.  He realized the older boys needed training in communication and began a public speaking club, “The Toastmasters Club”.  When he went to other organizations, he always organized clubs, but they dissolved when he moved. 

On October 22, 1924 as YMCA director in Santa Ana, California, he held his first meeting of the new “Toastmasters Club.”  The idea soon spread and other clubs sprang up.  The new clubs were organized into a federation that incorporated in 1932 as Toastmasters International (TI), the first manual was copyrighted, and officers elected.  It became international with a club in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. 

TI continued to add new clubs.  The first club organized in the US outside of California was in Seattle, Washington, in 1933 and chartered two years later in 1935.  In 1933, the first issue of the Toastmaster magazine was published.  District 1 was also instituted in Southern California in 1935. 

By 1938, Charter No. 100 was presented to TI in Santa Ana.  An Inter-Club speech contest started in August of that year.  By 1946 District 18 of Scotland became the first district organized outside of the U.S.  In 1948 the First TI Articles of Incorporation were published.

From 1950 to 1968 the processes to achieve CTM and ATM awards were improved.  Dr. Smedley died in 1965 at the age of 87.  TI continued even stronger than before.  In 1970, the first Distinguished Toastmaster Award (DTM) was issued.  Then a milestone was achieved in August 1973—the membership opened to women. 

In the years since 1973, the organization was been invigorated – no resting on laurels or retirement here.  The Success/Leadership Program was introduced in 1979 and membership reached 100,000 in 1982.  The ATM-Bronze and ATM Silver programs began in 1984 and membership reached 150,000.

The two track educational requirement recognition system began in 1997 and the latest newsletter states the number of members at over 200,000 with over 10,000 clubs (average 22 members per club) in approximately 70 countries.

  SIGNAL PEAK TOASTMASTERS

Club Chartered
September 30, 2002

Distinguished Club
2002-2003

President's Distinguished Club
2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010 

D3 Leadership Excellence Award
2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010

Our club had its first orientation meeting on January 4, 2002.  Abbott-Ross Laboratories and Central Arizona College were the two sponsoring organizations--our parents so to speak.  Our first Club Officers were elected.  The birth was a struggle.  Should we increase our membership by meeting at Ross rather than CAC?  CAC’s conference room was free, but the college was a long distance for some members.  We decided that Ross was closer to Casa Grande and a beautiful meeting room was given to us free-of-charge.  Our birth was difficult.  Attendance was sparse at times, and we had to build the membership.

Finally, after 9 months the club was chartered with 20 Charter members on September 30, 2002.  We celebrated with a dinner at CAC and invited family and friends to celebrate the event.  District officers came from Phoenix and presented our charter.  We passed from infancy to youth.  Our members were giving speeches and achieving their CTMs (Competent Toastmaster).  But we continued to struggle and club declined to 18 members.   

We actively sought members.  We set the goal and were fulfilling the requirements to become a Distinguished Club on June 30, 2003-no small feat since we had only received our charter on September 30, 2002 – nine months before.   Finally, on March 28, 2003, we held our first speech contests and competed at the area level.  Even though we did not win, this was our transition time to becoming adults.  In our first year we attained Distinguished Club status.

On June 30, 2003 we became a Distinguished Club.

On July 1, 2003 Beth Price our first ATM B became the G2 Area Governor. Also, in July of 2003 Art Nieto DTM was selected Outstanding Toastmaster of The Year or District 3.

We have become assured of our future with many presentations by our present 25 members.  We elected our new Club Officers for 2003-2004.  We are a long way from maturity, but have formed a firm basis for continuing the club. 

We approached the end of our second year by electing our Club Officers for 2004-2005.  The President's Distinguished Club Award almost in our grasp, by mid June we would know. 

On June 30, 2004 we became a President's Distinguished Club.

On September 30, 2004 we celebrated our 2nd Anniversary as a Charted Club.  Our Club moved its meeting location to CAC Plaza in June and at the end of August we moved into our new meeting place at Fidelity National Title Company.  Our quest for a permanent home is still ongoing, in January 2005 we moved to the Boys and Girls Club of Casa Grande. 

On June 30, 2005 we became a President's Distinguished Club  for the second year in a row and received the D3 ribbon for Club Leadership Excellence.

We have ended our third year with resounding success and have elected our new Club Officers for 2005-2006.  We think we have found our permanent home, Plastic Technology in Eloy, AZ. 

On July 1, 2005 Al Gramando ATM B/CL became the G2 Area Governor.

On September 30, 2005 we celebrated our 3rd Anniversary as a Charted Club.

By May of 2006 our club was a Founding/Sponsoring club for a new club; Florence Toastmasters.  Veronica Joaquin CTM was our leader in helping to start the club along with Al Gramando ATMS/CL.

Club President Donna Craven CTM/CL conducted our clubs first Youth Leadership Project.  Assisting Donna was Al Gramando, Nancy Chavez and a new member Kristin Williams.

On June 30, 2006 we became a President's Distinguished Club for the third year in a row and received the D3 ribbon for Club Leadership Excellence for the second year in a row.

We have ended our fourth year with resounding success and have elected our new Club Officers for 2006-2007. 

On July 1, 2006, Al Gramando became the first member of our club to attain Advanced Leader Silver (AL-S), Advance Toastmaster Gold (ATM-G) and Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM).

On July 1, 2006, Al Gramando DTM became the Gila Division Governor and Kristin Gramando ATM-B/CL became the G2 Area Governor.

On December 1, 2006, Al Gramando DTM announced that he was running for Lt. Governor of Marketing for District 3.  The election campaigning will officially begin in March 2007.  May 19, 2007, election campaign was unsuccessful.

January/February 2007, Donna Craven CTM/CL conducted the club's first SpeechCraft which resulted in 4 new members.

June 30, 2007 our club once again ended the year as a President's Distinguished Club  for the fourth year in a row and received the D3 ribbon for Club Leadership Excellence for the third year in a row.  As the Gila Division Governor Al Gramando DTM ended his term with Gila Division being President's Distinguished.  Kristin Gramando AC-S/CL ended her term as G2 Area Governor with G2 being Select Distinguished.

We have ended our fifth year with resounding success and have elected our new Club Officers for 2007-2008.  Unfortunately we had to move our club once more, we had two great years at Plastic Technology.  On July 3, 2007 we found a temporary home at The United Methodist Church of Casa Grande. 

November 2007 Al Gramando DTM announced that he was running for Lt. Governor of Marketing again.  On May 31, 2008, election campaign was unsuccessful (the margin was 16 votes)

On April 17, 2008, Kristin Gramando became the 2nd club member to attain Advanced Leader Silver (AL-S), Advanced Communicator Gold (AC-G) and Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM).

April 30, 2008 our club was awarded our first "Talk Up Toastmasters" ribbon for signing up 5 new members between March 1 and April 30.

June 2008 our club was a Founding/Sponsoring club for a new club: "Talk The Talk" Toastmasters located at the University of Phoenix.  Al Gramando DTM was our leader in helping to start this new club along with Kristin Gramando DTM.

June 2008 our club was awarded our first "Beat The Clock" ribbon for signing up 5 new members between May 1 and June 30.

June 30, 2008 our club once again ended the year as a President's Distinguished Club  for the fifth year in a row and received the D3 ribbon for Club Leadership Excellence for the fourth year in a row.  Because of all our members working towards their goals, not only did our club excel, but our Area G2 and Gila Division ended the year as President's Distinguished.  We have ended our sixth year continuing the legacy!  We have elected our new Club Officers for 2008-2009.  

Our home at The United Methodist Church of Casa Grande  has become our permanent home.

August 21, 2008 Al Gramando DTM is awarded his second AC-G.

On August 28, 2008 Al Gramando DTM is awarded his second DTM.

November 2008 our club was the Founding/Sponsoring club for a new club: Cool Town Toastmasters located in Coolidge. Kristin Gramando DTM was their club mentor.

May 14, 2009 we elected our new Club Officers for 2009-2010.  Deann Drottz CTM President, Don Casebolt VPE, Kristin Gramando DTM VP Membership, Don Kramer Jr. VP PR, Remy Miller Sec., Al Gramando DTM Treas., and Orlando Enriquez SAA.  We also discussed how our club was going to pay the rent on the room used for our meeting.

May 28, 2009 for the first time in our club's history we have to pay for the use of our meeting place.  By a majority vote it was decided that each member would pay an additional $20 per dues period.  This will cover the cost of the room rental.  For the past year the payments have been paid by a secret benefactor.  Unfortunately that person is no longer able to help us.

June 30, 2009 our club once again ended the year as a President's Distinguished Club for the sixth year in a row and received the D3 ribbon for Club Leadership Excellence for the fifth year in a row.   We have ended our sixth year continuing the legacy!  We could not have done it without all our members working towards their goals.

July 2, 2009 the newly elected club officers for 2009-2010 took office. 

September 3, 2009 our club was awarded our first Smedley Ribbon for signing up 5 new members during the months of August and September.

May 6, 2010 we returned to twenty members.  We are projected to end the TM year as President's Distinguished.

May 13, 2010 we elected our new Club Officers for 2010-2011.  Megan Williams President, DeAnn Drottz CC VPE, Rodney Williams CC VP Membership, Don Kramer Jr. VP PR, Remy Miller Sec., Al Gramando DTM Treas., and Nancy Henderson SAA.

June 30, 2010 our club once again ended the year as a President's Distinguished Club for the seventh year in a row and received the D3 ribbon for Club Leadership Excellence for the sixth year in a row.   We have ended our seventh  year continuing the legacy!  We could not have done it without all our members working towards their goals. Our club also helped sponsor and charter two new clubs; Think Tank Toastmasters and Repartee' Toastmasters, both are advanced dining clubs. Signal Peak Toastmasters has now sponsored and chartered 5 new clubs in its brief 8 years of existence.

July 1, 2010 the newly elected club officers for 2010-2011 took office. 

July 24, 2010 Al Gramando DTM was selected the Outstanding Toastmaster of The Year for District 3, he is the second member of our Club to receive this honor.

July 29, 2010 Dee Fiedler DTM was elected Club President to replace Megan Williams who move to Australia with her husband Jason.

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