Members of the Nineteenth Century Club have always been recognized as women of style and grace. First president Marie Remick was described as "fearless and eloquent;" founder Elizabeth Ball was "dignified and serene." Throughout the club's history, there have been members interested in community and social issues who share a zest for learning, travel and the arts.

Vivid personalities and exceptional members are remembered as part of the club's history. May Estelle Cook described Minnie Marks Ward, Rachel Erwin, and Gertrude Russell Lewis as "brilliant and faithful workers." Today, members talk of Verna Orndorff, "Mama Guinn," and Ruth Sofield. They remember Bess Wilmarth, who was a vital part of the Social Welfare Department, even though she herself was not a Club member.
Verna Orndorff made an immediate and lasting impression on everyone she met. A patron of the arts and student of colonial history, she was also an inveterate traveller and collector who loved dressing up. She performed as a Spanish dancer on the Club stage, wore her Tartan to a program on Scotland, and arrived in a Tyrolean costume for a Swiss travelogue. She also dressed "for" the opera; on opening night, she would wear an outfit that suited

the performance. Her elaborately designed "Swan Lake" hat featured seven perfectly sculpted swans.

As tea chair, Mrs. Orndorff began a tradition that continues to today. When told there was no money for flowers, she determined to decorate the tables with memorabilia that reflected the program. Members eagerly share their collections, from Wedgewood China to Boehm birds, from Egyptian antiques to family photographs.

"Mama Guinn" was a much-beloved matriarch and a true daughter of the South. At the beginning of the Club year, she would arrive with her daughters, who reported that "Mama fairly wore us out in Europe this summer." Even at 90, she always wore enormous wide-brimmed hats that caught the attention of all the speakers.

Ruth Sofield, lovely and serene, is remembered by many club presidents as a source of wisdom and practical advice. As finance chair in 1964, she was faced with the challenge of raising the money needed to install an air conditioning system on the first floor. Unwilling to mortgage the building itself, Sofield arranged for a mortgage on the parking lot and a pledge campaign among the members. In less than a year, the funds were raised and the equipment installed.

Involvement in Club activities keeps members young, no matter what their chronological age. At 93, May Estelle Cook participated on a panel with the village president and the co-chairman of the planning commission to discuss "Community Planning in the Villages." Dorothea Coburn, now in her 90s and a member since 1928, came to the opening day of the Club's Centennial year with a specially designed floral piece. Mrs. Cornelius Peeples brought her doll collection to decorate a tea table when she was in her nineties.

The Social Welfare Department of the Club has many members who do not belong to the club itself. Perhaps the best remembered is Bess Wilmarth, mother of club member Nelle Render. This "brilliant and faithful worker" was still sewing and knitting garments for children when she herself was 103 years old!

The Club continues to attract women of style, substance and grace. Members appreciate each other's worth, support each other's talents, and let the show go on.

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