Pilot Club of Laurinburg charter members Sadie Odom (left) and Billie Gibson were both present during the club's celebration of its 40 year history on Sunday. The two pose here next to the organization's charter document.
Those in attendance were invited to have a look back at the club's origins by delving into the history collected in Pilot Club of Laurinburg's presidential scrapbooks. Those scrapbooks, a collection of press clippings, photos and project information turned in following each president's term since the club's inception, were on display Sunday, laid out in chronological order from one end of an expansive table to the other.
"The scrapbooks are just fascinating," said club member Jane Quick, who took part in the design of this timeline display.
The history of the club was brought to life in another way, Quick pointed out, through the many past members in attendance, witnesses to the events represented in the scrapbooks.
"You don't remember half of what is in those books until you look into them ... but there is also a lot that wasn't in those books," she said.
The Pilot Club of Laurinburg's charter members are the most prized relics of the club's history, and two of the three surviving charter members were in attendance Sunday, serving a living vessel for the many stories that make up the club's past.
Sadie Odom, joined by Billie Gibson, was moved at the sight of the many current Pilot Club members in attendance.
"It makes me feel good to see all these younger people who are interested in holding the club together and continuing to do things for the county," said Odom.
"It makes me feel good to be among the remaining charter members," added Odom, who served as the club's second president from 1971-72.
While Odom said she could not have predicted that the club would ascend to its position as one of the strongest in North Carolina, she did always believe that it would succeed "as long as it had interesting, new members that were coming in with the same enthusiasm" that the charter members had.
Odom recalled how the Laurinburg club was instigated by a letter campaign put on by the women of the Pilot Club of Kannapolis. Odom, as the postmaster and mayor of Gibson, was targeted by Kannapolis members to lead the organization of the Scotland County club.
"There was no club like this in Scotland County for women ... only the book club," said Odom.
Current club president, Rebecca Brooks, feels the weight of the club's history and looks at what went on Sunday as a contemporary addition to that legacy.
"This will be a highlight for a lot of us," she said.
"We didn't want to wait until 50 years had gone by, because you never know what will happen in ten years.
"We felt it was time to go ahead with the celebration."
In addition to Laurinburg members, past and present, were representatives of Pilot Club at both the state and international levels.
Shannon Clegg, North Carolina District Governor, called the Pilot Club of Laurinburg one of the state's most active and reliable organizations.
"This club is one that is always there when you need it," Clegg said.
Asked what she thought the key to that success was, Clegg surmised that "having a diverse membership, and being willing to work outside the box and change" were likely contributors to the club's longevity and prosperity.
"Things aren't the same as 40 years ago, and they are good business women and teachers, and that is what keeps them healthy, strong and alive -- they're one of the strongest clubs going."
That assessment of the club's strength is based on the fact that statewide Pilot Clubs average 25-30 members, while the Pilot Club of Laurinburg has over 45, not counting Laurinburg's Scottish Pilot Club (founded by the Pilot Club of Laurinburg), which meets during the day. That club also has over 45 members to its credit.
"Scotland County is amazing, to have two extremely strong groups," commented Clegg.
The Pilot Club of Laurinburg was chartered on May 7, 1969 by the Pilot Club of Winston-Salem, NC.
Helen Ramsey, the club's first president, chartered the club with 28 original members at a celebration on June 7.
Pilot Club is, according to club literature, a "global organization of executive and professional leaders working together to improve the quality of life in local communities and throughout the world."
The national club was founded in 1929 in Macon, Georgia.
"The Pilot Club of Laurinburg members are proud to have served over the past 40 years, but even more proud of the friendships that have been lasting over the years while serving," read a recent club press release.
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