Dublin Core
Title
Centennial Monograph: Rodettes
Description
An auxiliary group supporting the Maynard Rod & Gun Club that operated from 1951 to around the end of the 1960s.
Creator
Helen Mark Ketola
Date
ca1970
Identifier
2019.245
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
When the hard-working members of the Maynard Rod & Gun Club were busy building their new Club House, their wives gave freely of their time and efforts by helping to make and serve sandwiches and coffee on Saturdays plus preparing and serving dinners on Sundays to all the workers.
After the building was erected and dedicated on May 21, 1950, the women relieved the men in the canteen and kitchen so that the men could be utilized elsewhere at every Saturday night activity.
Therefore, through the tireless efforts and cooperation of some of the active members of Maynard Rod & Gun Club, the RODETTES were duly organized on February 4, 1951 with 21 Charter Members. Mrs. John McNamara, the former Alma Shalsten, now deceased, was the first President.
The purpose of the Rodettes was to assist the members of the Maynard Rod & Gun Club to promote better understanding of conservation and sportsmanship in the community, and through the years the Rodettes have proven themselves and have been a credit to the Community as well as creating "good will" for the Rod & Gun Club until the past few years when a new group took over the helms and didn't encourage participation.
As the Rodettes are an independent auxiliary, naturally their first allegiance is for the good of their own club but have ever been mindful that they owed a great deal to the Rod & Gun Club for the privilege of being Rodettes and until recently for the use of their club rooms for meetings. The Rodettes have always offered a helping hand to the Club whenever they have needed and requested it as they faithfully assisted them at every Saturday night party during the early years at the new clubhouse, plus assisting them at many clambakes, outings and various dances.
With its limited membership, its charitable and community services have included sponsoring a boy for five years to the Junior Conservation Camp run by the Massachusetts Natural Resources Division; presenting a scholarship yearly to a deserving graduate of Maynard High School; for six years sponsoring a Little League Team plus having a party for the team they sponsored; sponsoring dances for youngsters up to and including the sixth grade, youngsters who generally would not have an opportunity to attend and enjoy regular dances. Many of these dances had attendances over 150 youngsters at a time.
Large donations for conservation projects have teen made to the Squannacook Land
Acquisition Project, Weston High School Trout Fund, Mass. Federation Test Case.
Various Community Fund Drives which also included Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Swimming Pool Project, Maynard School Band for Uniforms also National Drives such as Heart Fund, Salvation Army, Cancer Fund, Red Cross.
Donations also have been made to the Emerson Hospital Building Fund, Rose Hawthorne High School and Christmas remembrances for needy families and lately to the Beacon Santa Fund.
The Rodettes made and replaced draperies many times for the Rod & Gun Club, donated materials in 1952 to fix the clubhouse kitchen plus purchasing many items for the kitchen such as used refrigerators, top stove ovens, coffee makers, kettles. utensils, etc.
In 1955 (we) donated a large sum to the Grounds Committee plus an additional amount for their outdoor rest rooms. In 1958 purchased light fixtures for the Hall and in 1960 a donation for repairs in the Ladies Room.
With our very small membership we feel that we have done wonders especially when everyone knows how hard it is to raise the necessary funds to do all these things. We have held rummage sales, sold greeting cards, held penny sales, and had several raffles to raise these funds.
The RODETTES have also been affiliated with the Middlesex County League of Sportsmen's Clubs, the Mass. Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs which is now the Mass. Wildlife Federation. These organizations highly respected the RODETTES as both Julia White Metcalfe and Helen Mark Ketola attended many of their meetings and conventions representing the RODETTES and gave them invaluable assistance.
At the present time the RODETTES have been inactive but still meet occasionally to keep the "spark" of good sportsmanship alive.
The President's in succession after Alma McNamara in 1951 included:
1952 - 2nd: Ranghild Mansfield
1953 - 3rd: Evelyn Wood
1954 - 4th: Mary Nelson
1955 - 5th: Helen Mark Ketola
1956 - 6th: Sue McMahon
1957 - 7th: Sue McMahon
1958 - 8th: Sue McMahon
1959 - 9th: Anna Tarara
1960 - 10th: Anna Tarara
1961 - 11th: Julia White Metcalf
1962 - 12th: Rose Drinkwater
1963 - 13th: Rose Drinkwater
1964 - 14th: Dorothy Hudson
1965 - 15th: Mary Hayes
1966 - 16th: Virginia Keene
1967 - 17th: Virginia Keene
1968 - 18th: Virginia Keene
1969 - 19th:
1970 - 20th:
After the building was erected and dedicated on May 21, 1950, the women relieved the men in the canteen and kitchen so that the men could be utilized elsewhere at every Saturday night activity.
Therefore, through the tireless efforts and cooperation of some of the active members of Maynard Rod & Gun Club, the RODETTES were duly organized on February 4, 1951 with 21 Charter Members. Mrs. John McNamara, the former Alma Shalsten, now deceased, was the first President.
The purpose of the Rodettes was to assist the members of the Maynard Rod & Gun Club to promote better understanding of conservation and sportsmanship in the community, and through the years the Rodettes have proven themselves and have been a credit to the Community as well as creating "good will" for the Rod & Gun Club until the past few years when a new group took over the helms and didn't encourage participation.
As the Rodettes are an independent auxiliary, naturally their first allegiance is for the good of their own club but have ever been mindful that they owed a great deal to the Rod & Gun Club for the privilege of being Rodettes and until recently for the use of their club rooms for meetings. The Rodettes have always offered a helping hand to the Club whenever they have needed and requested it as they faithfully assisted them at every Saturday night party during the early years at the new clubhouse, plus assisting them at many clambakes, outings and various dances.
With its limited membership, its charitable and community services have included sponsoring a boy for five years to the Junior Conservation Camp run by the Massachusetts Natural Resources Division; presenting a scholarship yearly to a deserving graduate of Maynard High School; for six years sponsoring a Little League Team plus having a party for the team they sponsored; sponsoring dances for youngsters up to and including the sixth grade, youngsters who generally would not have an opportunity to attend and enjoy regular dances. Many of these dances had attendances over 150 youngsters at a time.
Large donations for conservation projects have teen made to the Squannacook Land
Acquisition Project, Weston High School Trout Fund, Mass. Federation Test Case.
Various Community Fund Drives which also included Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Swimming Pool Project, Maynard School Band for Uniforms also National Drives such as Heart Fund, Salvation Army, Cancer Fund, Red Cross.
Donations also have been made to the Emerson Hospital Building Fund, Rose Hawthorne High School and Christmas remembrances for needy families and lately to the Beacon Santa Fund.
The Rodettes made and replaced draperies many times for the Rod & Gun Club, donated materials in 1952 to fix the clubhouse kitchen plus purchasing many items for the kitchen such as used refrigerators, top stove ovens, coffee makers, kettles. utensils, etc.
In 1955 (we) donated a large sum to the Grounds Committee plus an additional amount for their outdoor rest rooms. In 1958 purchased light fixtures for the Hall and in 1960 a donation for repairs in the Ladies Room.
With our very small membership we feel that we have done wonders especially when everyone knows how hard it is to raise the necessary funds to do all these things. We have held rummage sales, sold greeting cards, held penny sales, and had several raffles to raise these funds.
The RODETTES have also been affiliated with the Middlesex County League of Sportsmen's Clubs, the Mass. Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs which is now the Mass. Wildlife Federation. These organizations highly respected the RODETTES as both Julia White Metcalfe and Helen Mark Ketola attended many of their meetings and conventions representing the RODETTES and gave them invaluable assistance.
At the present time the RODETTES have been inactive but still meet occasionally to keep the "spark" of good sportsmanship alive.
The President's in succession after Alma McNamara in 1951 included:
1952 - 2nd: Ranghild Mansfield
1953 - 3rd: Evelyn Wood
1954 - 4th: Mary Nelson
1955 - 5th: Helen Mark Ketola
1956 - 6th: Sue McMahon
1957 - 7th: Sue McMahon
1958 - 8th: Sue McMahon
1959 - 9th: Anna Tarara
1960 - 10th: Anna Tarara
1961 - 11th: Julia White Metcalf
1962 - 12th: Rose Drinkwater
1963 - 13th: Rose Drinkwater
1964 - 14th: Dorothy Hudson
1965 - 15th: Mary Hayes
1966 - 16th: Virginia Keene
1967 - 17th: Virginia Keene
1968 - 18th: Virginia Keene
1969 - 19th:
1970 - 20th:
Storage
SU9-4