#263: Dr. Ralph C. Smedley’s Legacy: Hidden Stories and Rare Finds – Bob Palmer
November 15, 2024Categories: Club Experience, Storytelling
The Toastmasters Podcast with Greg Gazin with Ryan Levesque and Bo Bennett
The Toastmasters Podcast is a talkshow designed to amplify the Toastmaster magazine content, featuring interviews with Toastmasters, contributors and those connected with the articles of this monthly publication. ALL 250+ Episodes can be found at ToastmastersPodcast.com.
[28:26] In this episode, we speak with Bob Palmer, a retired elementary school teacher and Toastmaster with a passion for historical research, who helps us uncover some lesser-known facts and hidden mysteries about the father of Toastmasters International, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, and the early days of the organization before its official incorporation 100 years ago in 1924.
Bob shares a wealth of stories, including how he identified people in an undated, unannotated photo from 1925 that hung on a wall at Toastmasters' world headquarters for nearly a century and discovered the exact building in Bloomington, Illinois, where Smedley started his first club.
He tells us about Dr. Smedley’s humble beginnings, his education, his work as an educational director at the YMCA, and how all of this unfolded. We also learn about a little-known fact regarding Smedley and why, despite being the founder, he was not the organization's first International President, and more.
Bob shares his own introduction to Toastmasters 51 years ago, back in August 1973, and also introduces us to several resources where people can see, read, and hear about some of his findings and the untold history of Dr. Smedley, including his blog and a flipbook he created.
Bob Palmer has been a Toastmaster since 1973 and is a member of Prime Time Toastmasters in Riverside, California. His vast knowledge makes him a walking encyclopedia on the topic; we dub him the "Indiana Jones of all things Smedley and Toastmasters." Bob has been on a crusade for over three decades.
His passion for historical research began over 30 years ago, uncovering materials that have been referenced or used for both the Toastmasters' 90th and 100th celebrations and numerous articles.
Bob Palmer can be reached at ToastmastersAt100.blogspot.com as well as on Facebook.
You can also find resources at Bob’s Prime Time Toastmasters club at https://130.toastmastersclubs.org and Pomona Valley Toastmasters at https://12.toastmastersclubs.org.
Additionally, you may want to check out the "Untold Smedley Flipbook," a collection of various artifacts compiled by Palmer.
Stephanie Darling’s article referenced in this episode, Club Follows in Smedley’s Footsteps: Toastmasters’ Original Club Is Still Going Strong, can be found in the October 2024 edition of the Toastmaster Magazine.
