Elgin Navy Club still afloat at almost 70
Through smooth sailing and turbulent seas, one Elgin veterans group has managed to keep afloat for nearly 70 years.
In 2008 the Elgin Navy Club will mark its seventh decade of existence in the city. It's a group that has a long and storied history, and has included veterans from the Spanish-American War to the present day.
The beginnings of the Elgin Navy Club can be traced back to January 1938, when representatives of 10 Navy clubs across the United States met at the Fox Hotel, now Center City Place.
Out of that meeting grew the Navy Clubs of the United States -- now the Navy Clubs of America -- which was organized six months later in downstate Quincy. The Elgin meeting also laid the groundwork for the Elgin Navy Club, Ship No. 7, which got its start in October 1938.
The youngest Elginite present at the organizational meeting, according to newspaper reports, was 24-year-old Marine veteran Evan Evans. The oldest was Homer Peabody, who served in the Navy during the Spanish-American War of 1898.
Others included veterans of the "Great White Fleet," a circumnavigation of the globe undertaken during Teddy Roosevelt's administration to demonstrate the superiority of U.S. Naval forces.
Early bylaws and minutes of the Elgin Navy Club shared by longtime members Becky Demmin and Warren Sullivan, show that Ship No. 7 was formed to "encourage, promote and maintain camaraderie." Members also said they planned to "honor their departed shipmates" and "encourage public interest in the Navy and its history."
Eligibility in the Elgin club was open to anyone who had served in the maritime services, including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Naval Reserve.
Those who had been in the Merchant Marine -- an arm of the Navy during wartime -- were also eligible to join. Jack Peck was chosen as the navy club's first commandant.
One of the first projects of the fledgling group was the sponsorship of a ship of Sea Scouts -- a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts with an emphasis on water-based activities. More than a dozen youths from the beginning years went on to join the Navy, club records show.
Another early tradition begun by the Elgin Navy Club that still goes on today is the strewing of a floral tribute onto the Fox River on Memorial Day each year.
This solemn ceremony, which is conducted on the Highland Avenue Bridge in the downtown area, is designed to honor those who lost their lives in the maritime services, as well as others who found their final resting place in any of the world's oceans.
During World War II, the Elgin Navy Club involved itself in Navy relief, the raising of funds to help veterans and their families. The war years also saw at least three Elgin naval veterans -- H. Woleban, Orlo Davis, and Harold Bea -- re-enlist to serve in World War II, newspaper reports said.
The return of service personnel following World War II swelled the group's enrollment to more than 400 members, said present commandant Robert Shirley, a member since 1946. Post-war activities also included family breakfasts, baseball games with other Navy clubs, and the ever-popular raffle -- sometimes for prizes as large as a boat and trailer.
The club also assisted those outside the group, including working toward better conditions at the Rock Island veterans cemetery, and financial aid for veterans at the Elgin State Hospital (now the Elgin Mental Health Center). At the peak of the polio crisis in the 1950s, the Elgin Navy Club donated an iron lung to assist Elgin victims of the disease.
Fundraising was often accomplished by selling little paper anchors, similar to the poppies sold by other veterans' groups today.
The growing club eventually acquired a building on North State Street, on Elgin's west side, for meeting purposes. A longtime feature in front of the building was the anchor of the U.S.S. Aaron Ward. Acquired by the parents of Richard Jacobs, Elgin's first World War II casualty, the anchor was relocated to Bluff City Cemetery when the building was sold.
The west-side club holds many special memories, say longtime members Demmin and Sullivan. Parties, especially those on Navy Day (Oct. 27) and New Year's Eve, drew large crowds, as did family breakfasts. Club members also fondly remember a unique liquor storage area, built under a sidewalk vault in front of the building.
By the 1960s, a declining membership led to the sale of the building. About a decade ago, the group even talked of disbanding and had gone so far as to distribute its assets among several charities.
But more recently there has been a resurgence in membership and vitality.
The nearly 70-year existence of the Elgin Navy Club is only eclipsed by that of Elgin American Legion Post No. 57, which has operated for 88 years, and Elgin VFW Post 1307, which has survived for 78 years.
"We now have about 40 shipmates of all ages and meet monthly at the Elgin VFW post," notes Shirley. "The Elgin Navy Club is still very much alive. We'd love to have new members join."