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Youth

Born on February 22, 1878, Ralph Smedley jumped through many hoops to make Toastmasters what it is over 125 years later. His birthplace of Waverly, Illinois, is a city located twenty miles southwest of Springfield. Not much is recorded about his childhood, but he remained in Illinois most of his youth. Upon finishing high school, he taught schools in the countryside before enrolling at Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, Illinois. After he graduated in 1903, he landed his first full time job after college at the YMCA. Waverly is a city located in Morgan County, Illinois. ... Nickname: i did your mom a fovor tomake you a sandwich Motto: poo poo smells Location of Springfield within Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Sangamon Founded 1819  - Mayor Timothy Davlin Area    - City 156. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Ames Library, located on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. ... location in McLean County, Illinois Coordinates: Founded 1822 Incorporated Dec. ... This article is about the association. ...

Little did he know that it was through this amazing career that he would give birth to a knowledge providing masterpiece known as Toastmasters. As Educational Director of the "Y" he discovered there was a need for training in speech. As he began to design the club, he struggled for a name. The General Secretary of the "Y", George Sutton, suggested calling it a Toastmasters club. The boys liked the name and the club was a success. Toastmasters International (TI) is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. ...

The Beginnings of Toastmasters

So how did the prototype club work? There was a rotation of duties with members taking turns at presiding and speaking. Short speeches were evaluated by Ralph and the other older men, and the boys were invited to join in the evaluation to learn more. The club performed its intended purpose as leadership and speech improved in the other educational groups with which these young men were associated.

With World War I on the brink of submerging, adult education started at this "Y" in the fall of 1906, and it included night school work in various practical lines. They followed the principles of learning by doing and improving through evaluation. The group was blessed with the leaders of the city and business and professional men. The club was strong and popular, but it only lasted a year after Ralph Smedley moved to the YMCA at Rock Island, Illinois, as General Secretary in 1910. He quickly organized a Toastmasters Club at the Rock Island "Y" which soon reached a membership of 75. When Ralph Smedley left the Rock Island "Y", the Toastmasters Club there also soon perished. This article is becoming very long. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Rock Island is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

After he spent over two years with an architect working on YMCA architecture he accepted the post of YMCA Secretary at San Jose, California, in September 1919, and soon had a Toastmasters Club flourishing at his new YMCA. Again the club lasted only a short time after he moved to Santa Ana, California, in 1922. Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Location of Santa Ana within Orange County, California. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

The Apex

A club was immediately organized and still exists as Club No. 1 of Toastmasters International. He introduced the Toastmasters Club idea and the first meeting was held at the YMCA Building on October 22, 1924. We measure Toastmasters history from that date. Until then, the Toastmasters Club was an educational arm of the YMCA but this was to change. In the autumn of 1925, J. Clark Chamberlain of Anaheim, California, visited the Toastmasters Club and the following winter, Ralph Smedley helped a group in Anaheim to form a Toastmasters Club. It is still labeled as Club Number 2 in Toastmasters International. The Toastmasters Club idea spread to Los Angeles, Long Beach, and other southern California cities. Representatives of these clubs met and organized an association. Location of Anaheim within Orange County, California Coordinates: Country United States State California County Orange Mayor Curt Pringle Area    - City 130. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Long Beach is the name of several places: Long Beach, British Columbia, Canada Long Beach, California, United States of America Long Beach, Mississippi, United States of America Long Beach, New York, United States of America Long Beach, Washington, United States of America Long Beach Township, New Jersey, United States of... Official language(s) English Capital  Sacramento Largest city  Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Birth of Manuals

In order to save the time consumed in replying to many letters and inquiries, Ralph prepared a "Manual of Instructions" and "Ten Lessons In Public Speaking" which he mimeographed and bound in paper covers. On October 25, 1928, Ralph obtained copyrights on his publications and copyrighted the name Toastmasters Club all of which he later assigned to Toastmasters International.

The new association needed a name and because of one club in British Columbia, Canada, they chose to call it Toastmasters International. There were about 30 clubs when the association was formed in 1930, and in 1932 Toastmasters International was incorporated as a California Non-profit corporation. The Toastmasters Club was the brain child of Dr. Ralph C. Smedley and we honor him as our Founder. Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo Area 944,735 km² (5th)  - Land 925,186 km²  - Water 19,549 km² (2. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is something other than the generation of profit. ...

In addition to his time consuming job as Secretary of the YMCA, Ralph was the Secretary and Bulletin Editor of the Santa Ana Rotary Club and now undertook the dual role of Editor and Secretary of the new Toastmasters International. In 1936, Ralph published his first article to give special recognition to General Henry Martyn Robert, the author of Robert's Rules of Order. His interest in General Robert continued for the rest of Ralph's life and culminated in the book The Great Peacemaker by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley published in 1955. Among Toastmasters he will always be remembered for "Basic Training". Logo of Rotary International Rotary International is an organisation whose members comprise Rotary Clubs (service clubs) located all over the world. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Henry Martyn Robert Henry Martyn Robert (May 2, 1837 – May 11, 1923) was the author of Roberts Rules of Order, which became the most widely used manual of parliamentary procedure in the United States. ... 1876 edition Roberts Rules of Order and Parliamentary Procedure is a book containing rules of order, intended to be adopted by a deliberative assembly as its parliamentary authority. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At Toastmasters International Convention at Atlanta, Georgia, August 18-20, 1960, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley shows the model of the new Toastmasters International Headquarters, 2200 North Grand, Santa Ana, California, (which was so occupied until June 1990) to the District 19 delegation. Hotlanta redirects here. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Dr. Smedley recalls the problem and the solution in "The Story of Toastmasters" (1959) page 39, "It came as a result of many demands for some kind of guide for the new member ..... I was then, as always, opposed to the use of any 'course' in public speaking for our clubs, but under pressure I bowed to the inevitable...This publication met with good reception... It has been used by a number colleges and universities as a textbook for beginners in speech... The sales of the book outside our organization have contributed a considerable amount to our income."

Later in 1950, Dr. Smedley yielded to the pressure and wrote "Beyond Basic Training", which two works served after Dr. Smedley's death. As Toastmasters grew his work load became heavier and at an age when most men consider retirement he resigned as YMCA Secretary in 1941 to devote more time to Toastmasters International. Through the war years he operated out of a small office and kept the organization together for its destiny. When the war was over it was time to turn the reigns over to a new Secretary, Ted Blanding, but Ralph was to remain active as Educational Director for the rest of his life and a permanent member of the Board of Directors. Ralph Smedley's contributions to society have not gone unnoticed. In 1950, Illinois Wesleyan University recognized his service to mankind by conferring the degree of L.H.D. -- Litter arum Humaniorum or Doctor of Humane Letters. He would be Dr. Ralph C. Smedley to the hundreds of thousands of men who benefited from Toastmaster training in all those years. Santa Ana named a junior high school after him in 1955. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... In relation to a company, a director is an officer of the company charged with the conduct and management of its affairs. ... Middle school and junior high school cover a period of education that straddles primary education and secondary education and serve as a bridge between them. ...

His Legacy to Us

In the summer of 1964, Ralph's health began to decline and by the next summer he was confined to a medical facility, and he died on September 11, 1965. Although Ralph has passed on, his legacy will never die. Today, more than 200,000 members take part in over 10,300 clubs in the United States, Canada, and many other countries. Thousands of corporations and government agencies sponsor in-house Toastmasters clubs as communication training for their employees. Specialized clubs meet at military bases, colleges and universities, churches, and prisons. There are Toastmasters clubs for senior citizens, professional groups, bilingual groups, singles, and visually impaired. 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... St. ...

In 1956, Toastmasters itself honored him with the title of honorary president and lifetime board member. The Santa Ana Toastmasters Club even renamed itself the Smedley Number One Club in honor of its founder. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A photograph of Ralph Smedley and the original club charter are placed in an empty chair near the lectern to represent his continuing inspiration. This started at Club Number One, but several other clubs around the world also chose to honor Dr. Smedley in this way.