It's a Diamond Jubilee

Tallahassee Toastmasters

Tallahassee Toastmasters 60th Anniversary

On Tuesday, August 7, 2012 Tallahassee Toastmasters will celebrate its Diamond Jubilee. For the past sixty years, people of Tallahassee in many different professions have been given the opportunity to improve their public speaking skills in a friendly environment. Although our celebration may not be as extravagant as the Diamond Jubilee celebration for the Queen, we promise you will be inspired if you attend. We anticipate a reunion of some of our club's charter members. The first President of Tallahassee Toastmasters, Dr. Robert Greenberg, will be our keynote speaker for the event.

The Tallahassee Toastmasters Club is the oldest Toastmasters club in Tallahassee and the second oldest club in the State of Florida. The club was chartered on August 7th, 1952. To give you some perspective, The Tallahassee Toastmasters Club was formed during the time the first diet soft drink was sold; the toy Mr. Potato Head was patented; and Cecil B. DeMille's “The Greatest Show on Earth” received the Best Picture nod.

The club's first officers were: Dr. Robert Greenberg (President), Dr. Robert E. Lee (VP), Lee A. Everhart (Deputy Governor), E.C. Allen (Treasurer), George Langford (Secretary), Karl Adams (Sgt- At-Arms). Other charter members were: Gene Berkowitz, Bert Boer, John Brown, Ed Dillon, Dr. Robert Ellman, Edwin Fleet, James Gwynn, Paul Hartsfield, Rodgers Heiss, Walter Kehoe, Bob Lauer, Frank Lewis, Larry Murry, Bob Rafnel, Salvador Ramos, Jim St. John, Paul Skelton, C.E. Taylor and B.B. White.

The Tallahassee Toastmasters Club was quickly adopted by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), who saw the organization as an opportunity to improve its workforce through personal development and affordable training. As such, the FDOT allowed the Tallahassee Toastmasters to use one of its meeting rooms for weekly meetings where the club holds its meeting every Tuesday at noon to this day.. Because the make-up of the club consisted largely of FDOT employees, for many years, it was known as the FDOT Toastmasters. However, The Tallahassee Toastmasters prides itself for the diverse group of members from a variety of professions and nationalities.

Noted past members are Akin Akinyeme, current Leon county commissioner; Dale Nute, Current Professor at Florida State University's Panama City Campus, and Winston Whigham (retired US Air Force).

At Tallahassee Toastmasters, we look forward to another 60 wonderful years!