1929!

1929!
by Franci Hart

In 1929, Oklahoma was mainly an agriculture state. Oklahoma farmers who had been facing economic difficulties for some time, found lowering prices due to the market crash debilitating. Many tenant farmers were forced to accept charity and soup lines began to form. The Dust Bowl was just beginning. In addition, a worldwide oil glut forced oil prices down. Prior to the crash, Oklahoma had been producing over 24% of the nations oil.

There was a great out migration in Oklahoma due to the economic situation

Globally, there were the Palestine riots between Arabs and Jews over the West Wall in Jerusalem, civil war in Afghanistan, and clashes between China and the Soviet Union over a Chinese railroad. Fascism was rising in Italy and Germany was facing unemployment and economic instability. A global flu epidemic killed over 200,000 people. 1929 marked a dramatic global shift from optimism to widespread crisis and instability.

Then the stock market crashed. Eventually over 4000 banks failed; unemployment reached an all time high of 25%; there was widespread poverty; and the economy contracted.

At that time Rotary Club was meeting at the Huckins Hotel and had around 200 members. James R Baden, superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools, was president. Rotary Anns had been founded the year before by Mamie Brown, wife of Virgil Brown, and would become a model for other Rotary Clubs to use. The Club saw a slight decrease of about 20 members and reduced dues after the market crash. The Club instituted a Boys Work Committee where members would mentor boys. It started a Student Loan program which loaned fund to needy students. And, at Christmas, Rotary members volunteered to take the children at Sunbeam Family Homes Christmas shopping. Every child in the agency got to go shopping.

Although numerous members were probably very aware of the economic setbacks, worries about the economy were not reflected in the October-January newsletters. They were chatty, funny and full of lively gossip. Apparently, the full impact of the stock market crash was not yet understood by the majority of the Rotary members.

Reading the old Rotary Newsletters and looking at old membership roosters is like walking through Oklahoma City history. Some members of note:  Clarence Page, who purchased an airplane in 1929, C.R. Anthony, John A. Brown, Virgil Brown, Clarence Burg, Stanley Draper, Allen Street, Harvey Everest and Fred Jones.