Appendix A Chronological Summary Major M Club Actions 1923 - 1998   1923 The M Club was founded in April by Dr. H.C. "Curley" Byrd who was later named President at the first Annual Meeting on November 12. The other founders were: George F. Pollock (baseball); H. Burton Shipley (basketball); Geary F. Eppley (track); Reginald V. Truitt (lacrosse); Burton Ford (tennis); William G. Morris (football); and Dr. William B. Kemp (track). Annual dues were set at $1. The M Club founded the first "Homecoming" day under the leadership of R.V. Truitt. 1924 Dr. Byrd authorized the M Club to sell life memberships in the Athletic Association to raise funds to help pay for the new football stadium on Route 1 seating 5,000. Eventually, Dr. Byrd raised $69,500 privately. A song-writing contest was inaugurated. Mr. Lou Jones, whose song was entitled "Sons of Old Maryland," was voted the winner. 1925 Three-hundred and sixty letterwinners were eligible for membership of whom 107 paid dues. 1929 A banquet was held on campus honoring all letterwinners, and the Athletic Association (comprised of student officers and an advisory board of three faculty members). 1930 A constitutional amendment was approved to elect Honorary Members, limited to not more than 10 percent of the active members. Don Adams chaired the scholarship committee. They awarded the first two athletic scholarships to football players Al Woods and Ray Poppelman (both of whom were subsequently elected into the University's Athletic Hall of Fame). 1932 A scholarship endowment fund was set up by Chairman Adams, using Homecoming profits, plus $200 transferred from the treasury. 1933 The M Club presented the University with an outdoor board track. 1934 A Baltimore chapter of the M Club was sanctioned. 1935 Geary Eppley organized a College Park chapter. 1936 Dr. Byrd was named president of the University. He made funds available to remodel the Rossborough Inn, with space allocated for the M Club. In order to increase the permanent Endowment Scholarship Fund, members pledged $25 and were designated as Life Members. An annual scholarship of $200 was awarded. Profits from food and drink concessions at football games were awarded to the M Club. E. F. Zalesak served as supervisor. 1937 Geary Eppley's College Park chapter was responsible for securing from the Athletic Association the award of a sweater in recognition of athletes receiving their first letter. A second scholarship of $135 was authorized. 1938 The annual Homecoming dance was held in Ritchie Coliseum at a cost of $1.50 per couple. 1939 Secretary Ernest Cory reported a potential active membership of 734. There were 25 paid Life Members. 1940 A spring luncheon was held at Beaver Dam Country Club with many young high school athletes present as guests of the M Club. Members of the 1915 football team were guests of honor at Homecoming. A committee was appointed to canvass alumni for summer jobs for student-athletes and high school prospects. 1941 The "Roll Call," a publication edited by Ed Powell and Jimmy Stevens, contained a biographical sketch of over 200 letterwinners. It was distributed to members for $1 each. A spring dinner had guests from high and prep schools. 1942-44 No meetings were held during World War II. The Homecoming dances were managed by the Student Government Association as the University continued a varsity football program. 1945-46 Ed Powell arranged a Homecoming program for all alumni that included a dance at the Armory. The M Club received the entire profit, $165 in '45 and $899 in '46. Football Coach Clark Shaughnessy and Al Heagy were mainly responsible for organizing the Terrapin Club. 1948 Membership dues were: annual $2; supporting $5; contributing $10; sustaining $25; and life $50. Our first Sports Awards Banquet was held on April 24 at the Dining Hall's Rotary Room, under the direction of President Burt Shipley and Chairman Al Heagy. A successful buffet supper was held at the Burlington Hotel following the Duke football game. 1949-50 We entertained senior letterwinners to help motivate them to become active members. The "M News" was published in 1950, our first newsletter. An annual Social Golf Outing was initiated in Baltimore by Milt van den Berg and Sam Silber. It was held annually in Baltimore from 1950 through 1955. 1951 On May 28, the "M Club, University of Maryland, Inc." was approved as a Maryland corporation. The inaugural Alumni-Varsity football game was held on April 27. It was founded by Coach Jim Tatum, Joe Deckman and Ralph Shure. This annual event ended after the 1965 game. All profits, ranging from a low of $699 to a high of $4,472, went to our scholarship fund. 1955 A "Sports Letter" was published highlighting reports by coaches, plus relevant information on our program. The M Club founded the State of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame under the leadership of Joe Deckman, Charlie Ellinger and "Chic" Allen. 1956 Frank Cronin founded an All-Maryland Golf Day on May 18 at the Prince George's County Golf Course. 1957 George Knepley promoted our first outside event, a basketball game between the Harlem Globetrotters and a College All-star team at Cole Field House. The M Club received $2,500 and the Athletic Department received $1,000. 1958 The University's Golf Course opened on August 22, and our annual Shotgun Social Golf Tournament was the opening event. In June 1998 we celebrated its 40th anniversary. George Knepley was named the M Club's paid promotions director. He booked four major events in Cole Field House. 1959 We revised our by-laws to provide for approving associate golf members for a $25 annual fee. Members totaled 107. 1962 Sales of M Club ashtrays, pins and other memorabilia were initiated for raising money for the scholarship fund. 1963 The "Voice of the Turtle" was published, edited by Ron Brooks with major support from Van Sigworth. It was initially a four-page publication issued quarterly. 1966 On June 21, the "M Club Foundation, University of Maryland, Inc." received an exemption as a charitable organization from the IRS. George Knepley was commended for his key role in bringing the Final Four NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to Cole Field House. The finals produced the famous Kentucky vs. Texas-Western game. 1968 Our first investment of $5,000 was made in the Washington Mutual Fund. The M Club's former secretary, Jim Kehoe, was named Athletic Director. 1969 An agreement was signed with the CYO to hold an annual January indoor National Invitational Track Meet as a joint venture using Cole Field House. This event opened the indoor track season, and was featured in Sports Illustrated. 1970 Space was provided for our first permanent office in the Trophy Room, Cole Field House. We retain the same location today. Our annual scholarship aid increased to $10,000. 1971 Al Heagy was named our first executive director. "Whitey" Miller developed a money raffle that generated $5,000 annually for the scholarship fund (later increasing to $7,500). A key successful promotion held was a Jack Nicklaus -Deane Beman Golf Outing. 1972 A 32-page format was developed for the quarterly "Voice of the Turtle" under the co-editorship of Van Sigworth and Al Heagy. 1973 The Athletic Department commended us for our substantial contribution for the Football Building. It enabled other varsity sports to have better locker rooms. 1974 The first Celebrity Golf Tournament was held under the initiative of Len Rodman, "Whitey" Miller and Doug and Tom Fields. It was later named after Len Rodman. Due to the success of our promotions and investments, our annual scholarship aid was increased to $20,000. 1975 We had 950 paid members (642 letterwinners and 308 associate members). The quarterly newsletter was distributed to 2,300 letterwinners. 1976 We increased our annual scholarship aid to $35,000. Varsity programs were initiated for the following women's teams: basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, swimming, tennis and track and cross-country. 1977 Bill Lake organized our sports representatives to contact by phone all out-of-town letterwinners. Our dues-payers increased from 616 to 822. 1978 The Athletic Department placed a moratorium on promotions in Cole Field House. 1979 Tony Santy initiated a "Welcome Wagon" at two home football games. The board approved two new awards at the Annual Banquet: the Beebe Award for a woman athlete, and the Founders Award in memory of our eight founders. Women's gymnastics was introduced as a varsity sport. 1980 Connie Hemphill's plan to raffle ACC Basketball Tournament tickets was approved and implemented in 1981. 1981 Membership dues are: regular $10; contributing $25; sustaining $50; and life $250. Diane Dunning and Connie Hemphill coordinated a "Career Reference" file that assisted athletes in their decisions on a vocation. 1982 Annual dues were increased to $15, and we increased our annual scholarship aid to $50,000. Under Bob Heinbaugh's initiative, we earned $5,000 for co-sponsoring the Sugar Ray Leonard-Hearns boxing match on closed circuit TV in Cole Field House. Jack Flynn's plan to have the ACC establish a M Club Award for the best women's athletic program (similar to the Carmichael Cup for men) was approved by the Athletic Director. The first M Club 10K Classic was held in May by Chairman Dave Ungrady to support the Special Olympics. One hundred and thirty-five men and 48 women competed. We founded the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame. The first awards were made at the Annual Banquet in December. The M Club joined the Alumni Association in supporting the cost of an advertising film for the University. 1983 The Athletic Department approved our recommendation to have them award letter jackets to all letterwinners earning their first letter and were dues-paying members of the Varsity M Club. 1984 John Lamon arranged for a watch with an M Club logo to be offered to all letterwinners. Profits went to our scholarship fund. 1986 Al Heagy retired as executive director, and was replaced by Jack Flynn. Board meetings were reduced from eight to five a year, with two held before a football and basketball game and the others at the Fireside Inn. Jim Hennessey proposed a merchandise concession plan to the Athletic Department that resulted in a large increase in revenue from clothing sales and logo licensing. Our assets grew more than 15 percent to $528,000. We provided administrative support for the Department's radio and TV broadcasts for which we received $7,500. 1987 The M Club became a voting member of the Athletic Council with Jack Flynn serving on the Executive and Budget Committees. Annual dues increased to $20, while we increased our scholarship aid to $75,000. We sold "Go Terps Go" car window flags, netting $1,000. Nearly 500 supporters attended our 37th Annual Banquet. We had 220 patrons listed in our Banquet Program earning $4,400. The Annual Meeting was held in the Adult Education Center after a football game, with a reception in the President's Room and dinner in the Regent's Room. Soccer was added as a women's varsity sport. 1988 More than 500 supporters attended the banquet celebrating our 65th anniversary. Another varsity women's sport was added: volleyball. We purchased our first computer. Chairman Dave Diehl had a membership database installed. Additional information was recorded from a questionnaire mailed to all letterwinners. Five hundred M Club auto window sun shades were sold, netting $2,500. Our total dues-payers increased to 917. We raised $54,635 for an Al Heagy Scholarship, resulting in an annual $3,000 scholarship for a selected athlete. The M Club purchased a $250,000 life insurance policy on Len Rodman to permanently secure our most profitable promotion, the Rodman Celebrity Golf Tournament. Jim Hennessey's family arranged for an annual $5,000 scholarship to be awarded in his name to a baseball player. We provided the University's of Florida, North Carolina State and Toledo with information so they could start letterwinner clubs. 1989 The role of the Sports Representative was formally spelled out by Logan Schutz. They now make seasonal reports at each Board Meeting. Our lacrosse representatives, Milt van den Berg and Joan Murphy, prepared a four-page publication for lacrosse letterwinners, entitled "The M Club Story." We added a tennis tournament to our list of in-house promotions. It attracted 52 players, netting over $3,500. For the banquet, we obtained table sponsors to pay for the head table and honored student-athletes. 1990 Under Chairman Chuck Day, our dues-payers increased to a record 1,140, generating a record $30,915. Special events netted $60,662 due mainly to the annual success of the Rodman Celebrity Golf Tournament, the ACC Ticket Raffle and the "Whitey" Miller Money Raffle. We pledged $100,000 to the Athletic Department to improve the athletic facilities, a pledge matched by the State. A special four-page newsletter was mailed to Life Members that resulted in increased donations. Tom Fields reported that 169 donors pledged $177,655 for the planned new track facility, a sum matched by the State. We met with the Athletic Director and proposed that a specific criterion be established for retiring player jerseys. Dues were increased to $25. Our assets exceeded $720,000. 1991 Effective January 1992, we agreed with the Athletic Director to use the M Club as the basic vehicle for attracting major scholarship gifts from athletes, using the same donor levels and benefits as the Terrapin Club. For the first time, our executive director would be an employee of the Department (with the M Club paying half of the salary). Our 33rd Social Golf Tournament drew a record number of players aided by Joan Murphy recruiting a large number of women golfers. Jack Flynn retired as executive director on June 30. He was replaced by Greg Manning, who was recommended by our Selection Committee. A record crowd played in the 18th Rodman Celebrity Golf Tournament. More than $800,000 has been generated for our scholarship fund during its current 24-year history. Our Annual Meeting was held in the new Tyser Tower, Byrd Stadium. 1992 Effective January 1, new support levels went into effect, ranging from $25 to $5,000. Since the Department will publish a monthly newsletter that will include a special M Club section, we tentatively decided to cease publishing the 32-page "Voice of the Turtle." Our board voted to change the date of future banquets from December to May. We arranged for a Baseball Card Show in Cole Field House that earned $2,000. Jay Phillips' motion was passed to honor the late George Knepley by displaying a plaque in the M Club office in Cole Field House. Our assets reached $789,000 with dues/donations accounting for $92,758 under our new dues structure. 1993 We changed our dues structure to a minimum of $100, except for recent graduates who will pay $25. We increased our annual scholarship aid from $75,000 to $200,000. A Network System was set up in Baltimore and Anne Arundel County with other chapters planned in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Ralph Lary arranged for eight pre-game socials in Tyser Tower prior to each home ACC basketball game. We honored our 1953 National Football Champions, and also made arrangements for recognizing honorary football and basketball captains at half time of each home game. The ACC ticket raffle netted a record $18,595. Our total assets were $822,599 with dues/donations accounting for $80,625. 1994 The board recommended that the University approve Nick Kovalakides' recommendation to name existing unnamed fields/buildings after specific former athletes. We implemented a "Open a Terp Locker" program. By designating a $3,000 gift to your sport, your name became a permanent fixture on a locker. We again donated $200,000 for scholarships. Dues/donations accounted for $93,560 with 430 members. 1995 We supported a reorganization and consolidation of the Department's fundraising efforts. It returns the M Club to our pre-1992 role where memberships begin at a modest $25. Our executive director is now fully paid by the Department and also responsible for coordinating all special events. Our office moved from Room 1142 in Cole Field House to an office next to the lobby. The Department named Greg Manning as director of major gifts. He was replaced temporarily by Bob Heinbaugh, who volunteered to serve as interim executive director until a Search Committee selected a permanent replacement. We donated $1,000 to pay for two tables at the ACC's Football Banquet in Atlanta for bowl representatives. We collected $13,851 from a new program, credit card commissions. On September 16, the James H. Kehoe Track and Field was dedicated. Our assets increased to $825,000 and for the third year we donated $200,000 for athletic scholarships. 1996 The M Club signed a new Operating Agreement with the University where we agreed to commit 50 percent of our investment income each fiscal year to the Department, rather than paying a set amount of aid. A Search Committee selected Dave Diehl as our new Executive Director, effective in January. Our unique M Club license plate program, initiated by Bob Stumpff, was approved for sale to dues-payers and life members living in Maryland. Softball was introduced as a new women's varsity sport. A "Final Four Lacrosse Alumni Weekend Reunion" was held on May 24. Our assets reached $933,770. With a return to our $25 dues structure, we collected $18,102. Under our new Operating Agreement, we paid the University $10,889 for scholarship aid. A revised Constitution was approved on November 21. A football team reunion for the 1964-69 classes was held at the Homecoming game on October 19. The First Annual Letterwinner's Day was held on September 7. 1997 M Club members contributed $7,000 to purchase computers for Athletic Student Services. The M Club sponsored all awards for the inaugural President's Cup brunch honoring 70 athletes for their academic achievements and community service. "Terp Talk" now features a special column from our executive director, in addition to Van Sigworth's famous report on M Clubbers' news. The newly named "M Club/Cronin Shotgun Golf Outing" paid tribute to Frank Cronin under the leadership of Logan Schutz. A Memorial Monument describing his accomplishments was presented and will be erected close to a new golf club house. All donors contributing $500 or more will be a part of the monument. The late A.V. Wiliams' estate has donated nearly $11 million to the University. At our 46th Annual Banquet, his former business partner, Barry Gossett, donated $1 million to the Department. He subsequently made a $2 million gift to name the football team house after Mary and Barry Gossett. Our assets reached a record $1,168,355, with investments accounting for over $1 million. We paid the University $17,889 for scholarships. On September 20, we honored Maryland's first bowl team during half time of the Carolina game. The team tied Georgia in the Gator Bowl 50 years ago in 1947. 1998 Jack Heise is chairman of the Athletic Capital Campaign to raise $57.8 million by the end of 2002. Since 1989, 14 former athletes have returned to the campus to earn their degrees. We celebrated our 75th anniversary at the Annual Banquet on May 1. The M Club is the nation's fourth oldest letterwinner organization. We are coordinating a program with the Athletic Department which will award letters to those women athletes who competed against other varsity teams prior to their sport awarding letters. A women's M Club reception was held on January 24. A reception for all wrestling alumni was held on February 14. M Club members were the major contributors for a plaque honoring swimming coach Bill Campbell that was installed in the new Recreation Center. The M Club hosted a party honoring our 1973 men's national lacrosse champions. The Cronin Scholarship fund now exceeds $35,000. We paid the Athletic Department $14,624 in scholarship aid. During fiscal '98, we had 725 dues-payers donating $18,670. In support of our goal of "Athletes Helping Athletes," we sponsored most of the awards presented at our annual Banquet, purchased new computers for the Athletic Academic Support Unit ($16,000); sponsored the President's Cup Awards for academic achievement and community service ($3,254), and produced the new Maryland Athlete Placement Source directory ($7,050). Furthermore, we paid $10,000 for football mezzanine seats, $9,000 for football and basketball tickets and donated $1,000 for the Annual Walk, Run & Roll benefit for women's athletic scholarships. Credit card commissions jumped to $43,495 from $37,699 in 1997. Our total assets reached a new record of $1,418,481, with investments accounting for $1,364,659. Letterwinner's Day is planned for September 5, the 25th Rodman Celebrity for September 15 and our 75th Annual Meeting for September 17.