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THE MONDAY CLUB, INC. WILMINGTON, DE (1876)

The Monday Club, Inc. Est. 1876 Incorporated 1893

The Presidents 1893 - 1920                                      1933   Voted Honorary President
 * 1) 1  Alonzo G.B. Anderson
 * 1)  2  J. Victor Dorrell          	1921 - 1934
 * 2)      William H. Till
 * 1)  3  Elmer E. Stubbs          	1935 - 1937
 * 2)  4  Harland A. Cuffs        	1938 - 1939
 * 3)  5  John H. Ayers             	1939 - 1940
 * 4)  6 William Emory            	1940 - 1941
 * 5)  7 Patrick Harris              	1942 - 1945
 * 6)  8 L. Douglas Giles             	1946 - 1947
 * 7)  9 William Emory            	1948 - 1952
 * 8) 10 l. Douglas Giles            	1953 - 1956
 * 9) 11 Loran P. Hunt             	1957 - 1961
 * 10) 12 Carroll Bailey             	1962 - 1983
 * 11) 13 Leroy Gaines               	1984 - 1985
 * 12) 14 Pete Butler                 	1986 - 1987
 * 13) 15 Lacy Jackson               	1988 - 1989
 * 14) 16 General Jackson          	1990 - 1993
 * 15) 17 Gary Fullman              	1994 - 1995
 * 16) 18 Vernell Proctor, Jr.      	1996 - 1997
 * 17) 19 William Stewart          	1998 - 1999
 * 18) 20 Donald Evans            	2000 - 2005
 * 19) 21 Robert Oliver              	2005 - 2009
 * 20) 22 Kendall B. Mobley      	2010 – 2015
 * 21) 23  Christopher Joyner       2016-

Preface

Writer Ralph Ellison wrote that "it is well that we keep in mind the fact that not all American history is recorded" and that "we possess two basic versions of American history: one which is written and as neatly stylized as ancient myth, and the other unwritten and as chaotic and full of contradictions, changes of pace and surprises as life itself.” In other words, there are two sides to our history.

We proudly proclaim the Monday Club was founded in 1876 although the actual date is not chronicled, as far as we can determine. However, we can be fairly certain that at least seven men came together to commiserate and discuss issues of the times on their day off - Monday - at a small tavern on Front Street, in Wilmington Delaware. Those seven men were Alonzo G. B Anderson, Walter S. Glasgow, Burnside E. Anderson, William H. Till, John Mason, John H. Benson and Hiram M. Colder.

We certainly know these men determined over the next seventeen years they would purchase a clubhouse and incorporate as The Monday Club in Wilmington, DE.. On November 4, 1893, the Club was incorporated, granted a charter and the legacy began. This history is documented.

The Beginning

The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865 and the Secretary of State declared in a proclamation the amendment ratified by 27 of the 36 States on December 18, 1865. The Fourteenth Amendment (1868} which provided citizenship and the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) which guaranteed voting rights to black citizens, were not ratified by Delaware until February 12, 1901. Since Delaware did not recognize the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, Black men were not recognized as the new law intended and so there remained the stigma of slavery and second class citizens. In Fact, the Delaware legislature passed “Jim Crow Laws" (1875). Which indeed made black Delawareans second class citizens.  The law was not appealed until 1963.

In 1876, seven men came together, spending Monday’s, their day off, together at a hotel / tavern at Front and French Street to socialize. As a result of their need to be more active in the community they decided that it would be to the benefit of the community to bring men of like minds and form the Monday Club, a quality facility where members could gather, socialize offer support to one another and satisfy their responsibilities as leaders and role models in the community.

Traditionally, history is seldom written down until many years after it actually happens. Usually there are anecdotes passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another. So it is with the history of the Monday Club. Surely there is some embellishment in the telling and retelling of the stories, but the basis and foundation of the stories is factual. The facts can be verified only by interviewing some of our more tenured citizens in the community.

They will tell you that Mr. John Hopkins was the owner of the National Theater and the Hopkins Theater. Dr. Samuel Elbert was a pediatrician and family practitioner and owner of the French Street Pharmacy. While they were not members of the Monday Club, they were active in the community and worked to uplift their black counterparts.

Others may not have been notable professionals, but they did their part to shape the fabric that is interwoven in the history that is the Monday Club. Club members who were butlers trained the younger men in the art and skills of their trade, the cooks trained their protégés to cook and serve meals; as did the porters and other laborers who gathered at the Club to exchange thoughts, plans and ideas. It is our undocumented history that is yet to be found. Our members over the years have passed on stories of our founders and early members that is the history of the Monday Club but most importantly to the community the Club serves. The Club can boast of many prominent members and a lot of their history is recorded. There were members who made contributions to the community at large that were never recorded in the history books. For example, there is a story about a young man who wanted to go to Lincoln University but didn’t have the funds. Some members met to discuss the young man’s qualifications and character then decided they would contribute to make his dream to go to college a reality. That may have been the first scholarship award made by the Club and the beginning of a tradition that we continue today.

The Club began just after emancipation but the politics of the time made it difficult for black men to realize their full potential. We know that the laws of the time didn’t allow much advancement or opportunity for African Americans. That history is documented and chronicled in many ways, the laws passed by the general assembly and in court records. Our history states that the founders were cooks, butlers, coachmen and domestic workers who worked for the prominent white families of Wilmington. But we can document our early members as doctors, lawyers and educators, business owners and otherwise well to do. Our history of the Monday Club as with so many other historical facts that have been misplaced in the fabric of documentation is the untold story; the story told by our members and passed on to each generation that followed. And so, the Monday Club continues its history with the stories of the past and the future stories of accomplishments for which this group of men has and continues to accomplish. The Monday Club is an institution like no other. It's the oldest African American organization in Delaware, and possibly the United States. Begun in 1876, the men's club was named for members' only day off from their jobs as waiters, janitors, butlers, and drivers and other hired help for rich white families. The Club has grown over the years to include judges, teachers, lawyers, doctors, lawmakers and more. The original founders were A. G. B. Anderson, Burnside E. Anderson, John Benson, Hiram Colder, Walter Glasgow, John Mason and William H. Till. From the Club’s humble beginnings in 1876, these men, who envisioned the Monday Club, would stop by a tavern at Front and French Street in Wilmington to have conversation and socialize on their day off. In 1893, the Club’s founders applied for a Certificate of Incorporation and drafted the constitution which stated in Article V that the “said Corporation shall commence on the seventh day of November, AD 1893 and shall terminate on the sixth day of November AD 1913. The Secretary of State, John D. Hawkins, signed and affixed the official seal to the Certificate of Incorporation on November 4, 1893. The Club received its permanent Charter in June 1913. The members came together and purchased the building at 917 French St., which became the home of the Monday Club. The cornerstone of the building they purchased was laid in 1896. Over the years, the Club expanded to include 913 and 915 French Street. The Club flourished in downtown Wilmington for more than 100 years until, in the late 1990’s with the rexpansion of MBNA Bank in the neighborhood, the membership realized that the Club could not survive at that location. The Club sold its location to the bank and moved in 2000 to its present location at 4020 New Castle Avenue. Over the years, many of the Club’s members were considered, and rightfully so, active and visible leaders in the community. For example, Dr. Conwell Banton was a well-known physician in the fight against tuberculosis and he was Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Delaware and its Jurisdiction, F & AM, Lodge # 21. Dr. W.W. Goens was another member who practiced family medicine on East 10th Street. It is believed that Dr. Goens was the first black doctor in Wilmington. Other members of the Club who were activists for change include Louis Redding, Sydney Clark, James H. Gilliam, Jr., Al. O Plant, Herman Holloway, Sr., and James Sills. Redding began practicing law in Delaware in 1929 and was the first African American lawyer in Delaware. He was the only black lawyer for more than 25 years. He successfully challenged discrimination in housing, public accommodations employment and the criminal justice system but he is probably best known for his role in the Brown vs. Board of Education (1954). Sydney Clark was the first black judge in Delaware and was active in city and national politics and chosen as a delegate for the Democratic Party.

James Gilliam, Jr. was also a prominent attorney, businessman and civic leader. In 1977, he became the first black to hold a cabinet level office in Delaware as Secretary of Community Affairs and economic Development in the administration of Governor Pierre S. DuPont IV.

Al Plant was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives and was an active member organizing the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, which represented workers throughout the State of Delaware.

Herman Holloway, Sr. was the first black senator in Delaware. He was considered by many to be the voice of the poor and fought tirelessly in the area of social services.

James Sills was elected as the 53rd mayor of the city of Wilmington–the first African American to hold this office–in 1992, and re-elected in 1996. A former state representative, he also served as Wilmington's first black elected city councilman-at-large, as president of the Wilmington NAACP, as vice president of the New Castle County School Board and as president of the Christina School District. Jim Sills is an active member of the Club.

Ernest ‘Trippie’ Congo and Justin Wright, current Wilmington City Council members along with Norman Oliver and Charles Potter, Jr., all current active members of the Club, continue to serve in the community. Norman Oliver served as Fourth District City Councilman for twelve years and continues to serve his district as an activist and entrepreneur. Charles Potter served as First District City Councilman and now serves as the First District Representative in Dover.

Other members of the Monday Club who made contributions to the community at large during the 1930's and 1940's were men like Edward R. Bell, who was active in many movements that enabled blacks in Wilmington to enjoy the privilege of our freedom even during the dark days of “Jim Crow” laws in Delaware. Mr. Bell was the owner of Edward R. Bell Funeral Home and the first African American Cab Company. Granville Brewington, affectionately known as “Boots” was also known as Mr. South Bridge. He owned and operated Empire Caterers. Victor Newman, retired Captain of the Wilmington Fire Department was the first black firefighter hired in 1961. Robert Snow was the first Black Officer hired by the New Castle County Police Department in 1968, Charlie Kent was the longest serving and by some members the best Financial Secretary to serve on the board of the Monday Club. These men are the legacy of our Club and today, we; the current men of the Monday Club continue to carry on the great history they began.

The Monday Club now spans three centuries, and our commitment to our community, our friendships and fellowship continue. The men who serve and belong to the Club continue to make T Insert non-formatted text here he Monday Club the best it can be. Service has been the Club’s focus since its beginning. The founders believed every man has value and dignity and the ability to help others. In the words of Dr. Woodrow Wilson, “The Monday Club is about uplifting the community. It’s about pulling together to uplift each other and our children and our children’s children to come. No one man is bigger than the Club.”