Included are the records (1961-2020) of the Dilettante Book Club of Greenville, North Carolina. Members of the ECC (East Carolina College) Faculty Wives Club met in September 1961 to start the book club and established the name Dilettante Book Club at their October 1961 meeting.
The Dilettante Book Club of Greenville, NC was formed in September 1961 at one of their organized meetings. Chairman of the meeting was Kathy Rainey and she helped establish the group who were part of the East Carolina College Faculty Wives Club. The sponsor of the group was Mrs. J.B Cummings of the Atheneum Book Club. The ten charter members consisted of Joyce Boone, Jeppy Calhoun, Gina Carlton, Evy Fahrner, Jackie Heath, Shirley Pennington, Kathy Rainey, Betty Simpson, Ann Strong and Rachel Welborn. The first president of the club was Kathy Rainey, and at the second meeting the name Dilettante (a lover of the fine arts) was chosen. The second choice was Faculty Wives Book Club. In the coming years membership of the club fluctuated quite a bit. This is partly due to numerical limits on membership by the members that changed often. While books were the major interest of the club, meeting minutes reveal that more time was given to managing the books than reading them. This consisted of the purchase, distribution and eventual disposal of the books. Books were donated for circulation early in the club's formation, but later were bought with member's dues. The group was also able to purchase the latest best sellers by dealing with commercial book clubs that offered various incentives. The club was also known for offering its members interesting and informative programs. Their connection to the university obviously helped them in this endeavor. One of the earliest programs presented by a professor was Dr. Jim Batten's program discussing his role in training astronauts. The club also managed to enjoy many social events as well, later sponsoring "mystery" trips to undisclosed places. The group's Christmas social was discussed a lot and many locations were chosen to host it. The group was also known for their birthday party, the first being held in March 1980, where members would attend to congratulate each other one more year of service to the club.
Source: Chronicles of Pitt County, Volume II
Club records (1961-2020) consist of meeting minutes with treasurer's reports (1961-1976, 1996-2020), one ledger of financial records (1970-2012), yearbooks (1961-2016, some missing), and correspondence (1975-2020). In addition, items (1977-2012, undated) including photographs, book lists, recipes, invitations, bookmarks, a history article, two group photographs marking the 50th anniversary, 2018-2019 list of officers and hostesses, and the club by-laws.
July 1, 2021 (addition 1), 0.15 cubic feet; Includes minutes (2012-2020), correspondence (2013-2020), 2018-2019 list of officers and hostesses, and a 2016 obituary for a club member. Received May 25, 2021. Donor: Mary Kathryn Thorton
Gift of Brenda B. Philips, chair of History Committee, Dilettante Book Club
Gift of Mary Kathryn Thornton
Processed by Dale Sauter, January 2020
Additional Processing by Martha Elmore, July 2021
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.