Toastmasters’ Second-Oldest Club Turns 100

Toastmasters got a big membership boost on January 19, 1926, when the club that would eventually be known as Anaheim Club 2 held its initial meeting, at the Marigold Café in Anaheim, California. The Smedley Chapter One Club, the first club of the organization, was slightly older, having debuted on October 22, 1924, in nearby Santa Ana.

It was a small leap numerically—from one club to two. Yet it signaled the potential of Toastmasters founder Dr. Ralph C. Smedley’s pioneering program to teach essential speaking and leadership skills by practicing in a supportive club setting. Sparked by the hard work of Smedley One and Anaheim 2, and many other early clubs, the idea took off.

Current members of Anaheim Club 2.

Anaheim Club 2 celebrates its official 100-year mark in January 2026. Festivities at January meetings include speeches, awards, special guests, fellow Toastmasters visiting from around District 100 (Southern California), and plenty of toasts, says Club President Al Batinga, who joined Toastmasters in 2010.

“We want to honor our long history and inspire the next generation of Toastmasters,” he says, adding that paving the way for new professionals is important. “In the world of AI, communication and leadership skills will be more important, not less.”

Anaheim members today carry on the vibrant vision of their predecessors. Membership length ranges from one year to more than 40 years and, as a community club, it represents a wide range of ages and perspectives that enrich club culture, says Dave Flores, DTM, Vice President Education and a former District 100 Director. Flores joined the club in 1983.

From left, Anaheim 2 Club President Al Batinga, member Anna Q. Nguyen, and Past Club President Tony Clement.

The Anaheim club grew from these same principles. Shortly after Smedley Chapter One began, J. Clark Chamberlain, an Anaheim businessman, paid a visit to see what the Santa Ana group was all about. He came away so impressed he’d soon recruited 26 new members to launch a second club.

In the early days, the two clubs often met jointly. Smedley himself attended Anaheim meetings for a few months as a mentor.

Anaheim Club 2 members were early organizational leaders. Chamberlain was Toastmasters’ first International President, serving for two one-year terms—from 1930 to 1932—and becoming the only International President to succeed himself. Anaheim club leader Paul Demaree took the position from 1932 to 1933. Their colleague Olin Price served as International President in the 1934–1935 program year.

In 1981, Anaheim Club 2 donated some of its early materials to the Anaheim Public Library.

Early details about the Anaheim club in Toastmasters records can make for fascinating reading. Like clubs now, they debated club procedures and activities. “Critics,” now called evaluators, weighed in on speeches ranging from the history of the Boy Scouts to the specter of war. Like every club at the time, Anaheim 2 struggled during the Great Depression. One poignant speech honored the work of shoe repairmen as “the true friends” of those devastated by the times.

The club also emphasized speaking outside the club, noting that over several months in 1933, members made 71 community speeches.

What is Anaheim Club 2 like now, after so many years? It’s still member-focused, challenging, and fun. The club meets weekly in person, a practice reinstated as soon as possible after acute COVID threats settled. There is an online option for members who can’t make in-person meetings.

Very few things make it to 100 years these days, notes Vice President Public Relations Cristian Dubon. He joined the club in 2023 for many reasons, including hearing advice to join Toastmasters twice in one week, from a professional speaker and then a college professor.

Now, and over the club’s long history, seasoned members have guided club success, Dubon says. “We have so many natural-born leaders … people you want to be around to learn from,” he says.

Toastmasters “is a long-haul engagement for me,” he adds. “I’ve learned that repetition is the father of success. And I enjoy being in this club because it’s so warm, accepting, and diverse.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the early history of Toastmasters, you can find more information in the book Confident Voices: The Story of Toastmasters. Learn more

Editor’s Note: The Anaheim Heritage Center, a branch of the Anaheim Public Library, houses a significant collection of Toastmasters records and artifacts, many dating from the club’s earliest days. Anaheim Club 2 originally donated materials to the Anaheim Public Library in 1981, in advance of Toastmasters International’s 55th anniversary. Current club member Cristian Dubon shared some of these for this article.

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