Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Inquiry club records, 1894-2018
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Inquiry Club
- Title
- Inquiry club records
- Dates
- 1894-2018 (inclusive)18942018
- Quantity
- 2.9 linear feet, (5 boxes)
- Collection Number
- WCMss.051
- Summary
- On December 26, 1894, in Walla Walla, Washington, a group of business and professional men met and agreed to form the Inquiry Club, which was to serve two purposes. One, to promote the cause of higher education; two, to encourage each other in intellectual pursuits. This collection contains record books, speeches given by members, constitution, by-laws and membership information from the Inquiry Club.
- Repository
-
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Penrose Library, Room 130
345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla, WA
99362
Telephone: 5095275922
Fax: 5095264785
archives@whitman.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
On December 26, 1894, a group of business and professional men met and agreed to form the Inquiry Club, which was to serve two purposes. One, to promote the cause of higher education; two, to encourage each other in intellectual pursuits. The group then drafted a constitution and by-laws and agreed to meet weekly at the home of one of the members. Membership was initially limited to twelve and later expanded to fifteen.
There were no prescribed qualifications for membership, but the club was typically composed of clergymen, lawyers, doctors, college professors, public school administrators, public officials, and businessmen.
The original by-laws stated that at each meeting at least one member "shall read a prayer, or deliver an address, not less than ten, nor more than sixty minutes in length, upon a subject chosen by himself." Dr. Chester C. Maxey, former president of Whitman College, was a member for 58 years and stated that he presented "no fewer than forty papers" to the club.
Mr. W.H. Upton, a Superior Court judge, was elected the first president and Mr. H.S. Blandford, an attorney, the secretary. Other prominent original members, were Rev. Stephen B.L. Penrose, president of Whitman College from 1894 to 1934, and Whitman College professor Louis F. Anderson, who served on the faculty for over sixty years. The Inquiry Club is still active today.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Inquiry Club records contain papers delivered at meetings, record books, research materials, and biographical information on club members from the years 1894 to 2018.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by John M. Reese, September 9, 1974, 2008, and October 21, 2018; Dr. Ralph Stevens, May 9, 1979. The accession numbers are retro-0556, 2008-007, and 2018-046.
Preservation Note
Portions of this collection were partially burned before they were donated. Originals require fragile handling.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
1: LettersReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
3 | 15 | Judge Upton's Lucky Seven |
Undated |
3 | 16 | Draft of sympathy letter from the Inquiry Club to Mrs. Upton |
31-Jan-1906 |
3 | 17 | Letter from Everett J. Smith |
7-Feb-1929 |
3 | 18 | Letter from Allen Reynolds to Dr. Chester Maxey |
Sept. 1929 |
3 | 19 | Note of appreciation from Mrs. Rowland Smith, Frances Smith and Edward Smith |
April 1929 |
3 | 20 | Letter from Ben H. Kizer to Chester C. Maxey |
1931-1932 |
3 | 21 | Letter of resignation from James Gail Sheldon to Inquiry Club |
23-Oct-1950 |
3 | 22 | Note of appreciation from the Lyman family |
Undated |
3 | 23 | Note of appreciation from Mrs. John W. Langdon |
Undated |
2: Record booksReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | object | ||
5 | 1 | Transactions of the Club |
1894-1897 |
Folder | |||
3 | 1-4 | Transactions of the Club |
1894-1897 |
3 | 5 | Speakers and Subjects for 1895-1904 |
1895-1904 |
3 | 6 | Summary 1927-28: Meeting date, host, speaker, subject |
October 5, 1927- April 4, 1928 |
3 | 7 | Inquiry Club Meetings |
Undated |
3 | 8 | List of Papers and Place of Meetings |
Undated |
3 | 14 | List of papers and authors |
October 1896-March 1897 |
3 | 9 | 20th Anniversary Meeting |
1914 |
3 | 24 | Meeting Minutes-- Secretary C.E. Tuke |
October 1913- April 1914 |
object | |||
5 | 2 | Minutes of the Thursday Inquiry Club |
1916-1930 |
4 | 1 | Record Book: Constitution and Meeting Minutes |
1894-February 22, 1905 |
4 | 2 | Record Book: Constitution and Meeting Minutes |
1906-April 26, 1950 |
4 | 3 | Record Book: Constitution and Meeting Minutes |
Mary 17, 1950-September 11, 1997 |
4 | 4 | Record Book: Constitution and Meeting Minutes |
October 9, 1997-February 14, 2008 |
4 | 5 | Meeting minutes |
2008-2018 |
3: Member informationReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
3 | 27 | Inquiry Club History |
2018 |
3 | 25 | Membership List |
2008 |
3 | 10 | Roster of Members |
Undated |
3 | 11 | Club Forms for Club Member Information |
Undated |
3 | 12 | Roster of Members |
Undated |
3 | 13 | List of past and present members (possibly 1905 or later) |
Undated |
4: SpeechesReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
2 | 22 | "An Old Ballad Told to a Different Counterpoint" by Craig C. Esary |
6-May-1987 |
2 | 20 | "Forty-Six Years as a Writer" by Bill Gulick |
5-Feb-1986 |
2 | 21 | "A Brief History of the Inquiry Club 1894-1985" by Chester C. Maxey |
20-Nov-1986 |
2 | 1 | "Dissection of a Genius: Frank Lloyd Wright" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
15-March-1961 |
2 | 2 | "Our Daily Bread: A Little History of Fleshpots, Stewpots, and Crackpots" by Chester C. Maxey |
6-Sept-1961 |
2 | 3 | "The History of Cataracts" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
7-March-1962 |
2 | 4 | "Spices and Modern Civilization" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
3-April-1963 |
2 | 5 | "Something About Humor" by Chester C. Maxey |
7-Oct-1964 |
2 | 6 | "Duf or Duffer?" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
2-Dec-1964 |
2 | 7 | "Horses in North America" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
1965-1966 |
2 | 8 | "A Young Man Named Garfield" by Chester C. Maxey |
5-Oct-1966 |
2 | 9 | "Understanding Aggression" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
1966-1967 |
2 | 10 | "Natural Superiority of Women" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
3-March-1971 |
2 | 11 | "Some Random Observations" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
6-Dec-1972 |
2 | 12 | "Walla Walla Since 1937" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
April 1974 |
2 | 13 | "A Man Named Stevens" by Bill Gulick |
5-Feb-1975 |
2 | 14 | "My Special Report to the Building Facilities Review Committee of 1970" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
7-May-1975 |
2 | 15 | "The Evolution of Christianity, Part One" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
4-May-1977 |
2 | 16 | "The Evolution of Christianity, Part Two" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
3-June-1978 |
2 | 17 | "Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area" by Bill Gulick |
1-Feb-1978 |
2 | 18 | "On Ben Holladay" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
2-May-1979 |
2 | 19 | "Dr. Clifford M. Drury" by Bill Gulick |
6-Feb-1985 |
2 | 23 | "A Search for Peace" by Dr. Richard D. Simon |
1992 |
1 | 20 | "The Third Term Comes Home to Roost" by Chester C. Maxey |
1943 |
1 | 21 | "A Plea for the Politician" by Chester C. Maxey |
1944 |
1 | 22 | "Throttlebottom Makes Good" by Chester C. Maxey |
1946 |
1 | 23 | "The Mystery of the Cycle" by Chester C. Maxey |
1949 |
1 | 24 | "A Review of the Inquiry Club of Walla Walla" by Almos K. Reynolds |
4-Apr-1951 |
1 | 25 | "A resume of the Race Question" by Chester C. Maxey |
1951 |
1 | 26 | "Careers of Henry Villard" by Almos K. Reynolds |
2-April-1952 |
1 | 27 | "The Oldest Profession" by Chester C. Maxey |
3-Dec-1952 |
1 | 28 | "Rabbits or Human Beings?" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
1954 |
1 | 29 | "Right and Wrong" by Chester C. Maxey |
1954-1955 |
1 | 30 | "The Atomic Revolution" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
Dec. 1955 |
1 | 31 | "The Custer Tragedy" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
Dec. 1956 |
1 | 32 | "Mormonism: An All-American Phenomenon" by Chester C. Maxey |
2-October-1957 |
1 | 33 | "Smoking and Lung Cancer" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
1957-1958 |
1 | 34 | "Religious Education in the Public Schools" by Chester C. Maxey |
3-Sept-1958 |
1 | 35 | "Medical Quackery" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
October 1958 |
1 | 36 | "The Enduring Western" by Bill Gulick |
1-April-1959 |
1 | 37 | "Pusses and Pooches" by Chester C. Maxey |
2-Sept-1959 |
1 | 38 | "Pandora's Box and the American Economy" by Dr. Ralph Stevens |
October 1959 |
1 | 39 | "What About the Jews?" by Chester C. Maxey |
7-Sept-1960 |
1 | 1 | "Introduction" by Chester C. Maxey |
Undated |
1 | 2 | Includes: "Atomic Energy and Heredity", "The Problem of Radiation", "American Education" by John C. Lyman |
Undated |
1 | 3 | "Mind: A Physical Force (synopsis)" by H.S. Blandford |
9-Jan-1895 |
1 | 4 | "The All- Knowledge: Or the Reason for Progressive Evolution" by H.S. Blandford |
30-Jan-1895 |
1 | 5 | "The Future of Socialism (synopsis)" by W.D. Lyman |
20-Feb-1895 |
1 | 6 | "Alexander Hamilton, The Lawgiver" by W.D. Lyman |
13-March-1895 |
1 | 7 | "The Homeric Question" by L.F. Anderson |
18-March-1895 |
1 | 8 | "The Necessity of Subordinating Reason to Faith" by H.S. Blandford |
2-Oct-1895 |
1 | 9 | "Hawaii" by L.F. Anderson |
27-Nov-1895 |
1 | 10 | "Development of Special Senses from a General Sense" by Benj. H. Brown |
11-Dec-1895 |
1 | 11 | "Some Thoughts on Education" by H.L. Blandford |
22-Jan-1896 |
1 | 12 | "The Hope Dynamics of Nature" by Benj. H. Brown |
4-March-1896 |
1 | 13 | "Our Alchemist" by H.S. Blandford |
1-April-1896 |
1 | 14 | "The Ultimate Object of the Social Organism" by H.S. Blandford |
22-April-1896 |
1 | 15 | "Profit: Weighed on a New Pair of Scales" by Prof. W.A. Bratton |
29-April-1896 |
1 | 16 | "The Evolution of Christian Ethics, Versus Natural Evolution" by H.S. Blandford |
30-Dec-1898 |
1 | 16a | "A memorial paper to C.B. Upton and Dr. J.E. Bingham" by L.F. Anderson |
7-March-1906 |
1 | 17 | "Some Grounds for Hope in the Immortality of Man" by Rev. Austin Rice |
16-Oct-1908 |
1 | 18 | "How Much is the Consitution in Danger?" by Chester C. Maxey |
1935 |
1 | 19 | "Shall We Amend the Court or the Consitution" by Chester C. Maxey |
1937 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Clubs--Washington (State)
Corporate Names
- Inquiry Club