Material Type

Mixed Media

Date Range

1965-2000

Physical Condition

Very Good

History Biographical

The Lethbridge Minus One Club was founded in the fall of 1965 by Mrs. Catherine Zelinsky. After her husband Fred died on 27 November 1958, Mrs. Zelinsky moved away from Lethbridge for a time. Returning to the city in the mid 1960s, Mrs. Zelinsky found that there was almost no social life for people who had lost spouses through death, divorce or separation. In the fall of 1965 Mrs. Zelinsky called in to the “Phone Bill” program hosted by Bill Matheson on CJOC Radio. She asked that any single person contact her with the aim of forming a club. Twenty women and one man showed up for the first informal meeting, and in January 1966 the organizational meeting of the club was held. At that first meeting the name “30-60 Unattached Social Club” was adopted, and membership dues were set at $2.50 annually. The first president of the “30-60 Unattached Social Club” was Dorothy Anderson, who served from 1966 to 1967. Meetings were held at the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) until 1967, when the club moved to the Civic Centre boxing room. The club held a meeting or a social every two weeks, and member Dave Owen would canvass local merchants for items that could be raffled off to raise money. In 1968 the schedule was changed to a meeting on the first Monday of every month, and one social a month as well. The socials featured pot luck suppers, games of bingo, films, card games and dancing to records. In 1967, on one Monday evening each month, the club hired the Dietrich Orchestra to play. Bad acoustics in the Civic Centre boxing room prompted the club to move to Southminster United Church, where they remained for several years. In 1966 the club held the first of its Christmas Banquets at the Lotus Inn. The cost was $1.00 a plate for members and $1.25 for guests. Members held barbeques at their homes, as well as pancake breakfasts. On 25 September 1967 the club changed its name to the “Minus One Club”. The name change created a problem because there was already a club in the province with that name, incorporated under the Societies Act. The Minus One Club had branches in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. In November 1967 Lethbridge joined the provincial organization. Eight members of the Lethbridge Minus One Club went to the 1968 provincial convention held in Edmonton. In 1969 the provincial convention was held in Lethbridge, at the Park Plaza Hotel. One of the rules of the provincial organization was that anyone who had never been married could not be a member of the club. Seven single men wished to join the Lethbridge Minus One Club, and so the rules of the local group were changed to permit their membership. The club’s monthly dances were held in the Civic Centre until October 1968, when they were moved to the Polish Hall at 8 Avenue and 13 Street North. The location of the monthly meeting was also moved, to the Labour Club on 13 Street North. In January 1969 the meetings returned to Southminster United Church, and after a few years were moved again, this time to the Bill Kergan Centre at 207 13 Street North. In the early days of the Lethbridge Minus One Club, many members had children under 12 years old. A Christmas party was held for them, with presents supplied by the club as well as a lunch and a film. Other club activities included pot luck suppers, meals at local restaurants, picnics at Henderson Lake Park during the summers, and dances. Among the bands that played at the dances over the years were Jasmin, Long Acres, Western Gentlemen, The Vagabonds, Bow River Boys, Bridgetown Trio and many others. The Lethbridge Minus One Club continued until 2001, when declining membership forced it to disband. [Source: History of the Lethbridge Minus One Club, by Lorna Earl as told to Garnette Shippobotham. The history is in the fonds]

Language

English

Acquisition Source

Lethbridge Minus One Club c/o Loretta Schwartenberger 1213 9 Street North Lethbridge, Alberta T1H 2A2

Scope and Content

Records of the Lethbridge Minus Club including three photograph albums; individual photographs; financial ledger books (1966-1999); a scrapbook; newsletters (1969-1999); membership lists (1865-2000); annual financial statements; meeting minutes (1966-2000); club bylaws and certificate of incorporation; history of the club.

Access Restrictions

Public Access

Accession No.

20011052000

Collection

Archive

Less detail