One
of the energetic members of the Boosters, Club was Charles A.
Berkey, a Detroit wholesale jeweler, who carried the spirit and
principles of this group into the formal organization of the first
Exchange Club. On March 27, 1911, Mr. Berkey, honored as the founder
of Exchange assembled the men who formed the original Exchange Club.
The first meeting of the new organization was held at a noon
luncheon in a small room of the Penobscot Inn in downtown Detroit.
According to the earliest records available, and the recollection of
Mr. Berkey, the organization meeting was attended by twelve men.-
Mr. Berkey, E. 0. Geissler, H. A. Stormfeltz Walter S. Conely Dr. F.
B. Smith, J. E. Blackmore, E. A. Loveley, Wells D. Butterfield,
Waldo F. Moore, Dr. Robert Beattie, 1. L. Wood and E. A. Waterfall.
At this meeting, following the suggestion of Mr. Berkey, the name
"Exchange" was selected for the club. Officers were elected, and
plans for the constitution and bylaws were drafted. A course of
activity was also charted. The club's first officers were: E. 0.
Geissler, president-, E. A. Loveley, vice president-, Wells D.
Butterfield, treasurer; and Waldo F. Moore, secretary. Talking of
the history of the formation period, Mr. Berkey once said, "Without
any thought of this organization ever becoming of great national
significance, the first Exchange Club was launched. I presume that
we went about the selection of members much the same as it now is
being done in the forming of a new club. While we had in mind the
representation of businesses and professions, our first thought was
to select representative men not only in their respective lines, but
in citizenship as well. The idea of most importance to us, "was that
we would take only members in whom we could place implicit
confidence ... who lived up to the old-fashioned idea of truth and
integrity, in their relationships with one another. To me, the
emblem of the Exchange Club should designate a man in whom the
fullest confidence could be placed under any and all circumstances."
One
of the energetic members of the Boosters, Club was Charles A.
Berkey, a Detroit wholesale jeweler, who carried the spirit and
principles of this group into the formal organization of the first
Exchange Club. On March 27, 1911, Mr. Berkey, honored as the founder
of Exchange assembled the men who formed the original Exchange Club.
The first meeting of the new organization was held at a noon
luncheon in a small room of the Penobscot Inn in downtown Detroit.
According to the earliest records available, and the recollection of
Mr. Berkey, the organization meeting was attended by twelve men.-
Mr. Berkey, E. 0. Geissler, H. A. Stormfeltz Walter S. Conely Dr. F.
B. Smith, J. E. Blackmore, E. A. Loveley, Wells D. Butterfield,
Waldo F. Moore, Dr. Robert Beattie, 1. L. Wood and E. A. Waterfall.
At this meeting, following the suggestion of Mr. Berkey, the name
"Exchange" was selected for the club. Officers were elected, and
plans for the constitution and bylaws were drafted. A course of
activity was also charted. The club's first officers were: E. 0.
Geissler, president-, E. A. Loveley, vice president-, Wells D.
Butterfield, treasurer; and Waldo F. Moore, secretary. Talking of
the history of the formation period, Mr. Berkey once said, "Without
any thought of this organization ever becoming of great national
significance, the first Exchange Club was launched. I presume that
we went about the selection of members much the same as it now is
being done in the forming of a new club. While we had in mind the
representation of businesses and professions, our first thought was
to select representative men not only in their respective lines, but
in citizenship as well. The idea of most importance to us, "was that
we would take only members in whom we could place implicit
confidence ... who lived up to the old-fashioned idea of truth and
integrity, in their relationships with one another. To me, the
emblem of the Exchange Club should designate a man in whom the
fullest confidence could be placed under any and all circumstances."