Golden Age of Eagles

On Saturday, Jan. 19, the New Rockford Eagles Club celebrated the 70th anniversary of its inception, and four of the club's original charter members were on hand for the festivities.

New Rockford Aerie 2923 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles held its institution on Sunday, Dec. 12, 1948. R.M. Schlosser was the local organizer in charge of circulating the charter, and he reported to the "Transcript" that the quota of 100 members had been exceeded and that managing organizer for the Eagles, M.L. Brown of Kansas City, Mo., had approved the plans. Maynard Finch of Fargo, past president of the bi-state aerie, was slated to be the guest speaker at the event.

More than 150 men attended the institution, which was held at the Brown Memorial Auditorium on Central Avenue. According to the Dec. 17 "Transcript" report, the institution was "said by state officers attending to be one of the largest on record for the fraternal organization." A total of 117 men had filed applications for the charter list, and 95 of them were initiated at the event.

Among those 117 were four men who now make up the last of the living charter membership. Charles Richter, William Starke, Theodore Allmaras and Arden Nygaard were all at the club Saturday to celebrate its 70th anniversary and new member initiation.

Richter remembers attending that institution event at the Brown Memorial. He also noted that there was a nucleus of about 10-12 guys who went around recruiting men to join the Eagles. "Marcus Lesmeister grabbed me by the back of the neck and signed me up," he recalled.

Allmaras said George Settelmeyer recruited him. Nygaard told stories of washing dishes out of a washtub that night after supper.

Charles W. Placek was elected the order's first worthy president. Other inaugural officers included Raymond English, junior past worthy president; Harold Berglund, worthy vice president; Joseph A. Gaffrey, worthy chaplain; Ronnie H. Fines, worthy treasurer; Martin A. Buchli, worthy secretary; Jacob Specht, worthy conductor; James R. Anderson, inside guard; Virl Stafford, outside guard; Douglas Kepner, trustee for two years; and August Settelmeyer, trustee for one year.

The club at the time was set up in the former International Harvester building, on the same block as the current clubhouse along Eighth Street. The building consisted of the space that now occupies the kitchen and small dining area immediately south of the kitchen. As Richter and Allmaras recall, it cost just 10 cents for a glass of beer in 1949. "You could have 10 beers for a dollar," noted Allmaras, acknowledging that dollars weren't in quite the ample supply they are now.

When asked what the primary purpose was for organizing the club, Richter joked, "selling whiskey."  Of course, the Eagles has always been a social club, and whiskey was popular in the early days. Allmaras said many ordered a "cloudy," which was a drink consisting of mostly whiskey with a little coke and a splash of water that cost 25 cents at the club.

The motto of the organization, however, is "People Helping People," and the actions of the local Fraternal Order of Eagles reflect a 70-year history of giving back to the community. Greg Anderson, past president and current trustee of the local aerie, outlined the national charities to which all aeries contribute, such as the Art Erhmann Cancer Fund, the Max Baer heart fund and the Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa. There are several funds under the umbrella of the F.O.E. Charity Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the organization.

Locally, the Eagles are known for their regular financial contributions to various community organizations and projects, from the fire department and ambulance service to youth sports and activities. Tens of thousands of dollars are placed into the local community each year by the Eagles through their charitable gaming fund.

As the club's membership grew over the decades, so did its physical presence in the community. The old Transcript office north of the original clubhouse was purchased by the aerie and used for many years.

In the '70s, the club was at the height of membership and activity. In the Jan. 12, 1977 issue of the "Transcript," the current clubhouse was first unveiled to the public. The newspaper report, which featured three pictures of the new building, read, "The doors of the new Eagles Club will be swinging open this Friday and Saturday for Open House which will include initiation of about 100 new members Saturday afternoon." The newly-constructed 100-by-42 addition nearly doubled the size of the former club and cost about $100,000 to build, according to the article. Another feature of the building was its large dance floor, which was reportedly made of hardwood blocks. Total membership at the time was about 650.

The 1990s brought more changes, as the current kitchen was built. Several years later the former Transcript building was demolished, making room for the current storage area on the north end of the building.

In recent years the membership has fallen a bit, but new members are initiated each year in January. Four men joined the club on Saturday: Steve Davis, Ethan Haley, Tim Eichelberger and Dusty Lyman. Total membership is now around 390, and a 70-year-old institution in our community lives on.