The Wellesley Club gets history lesson at January meeting, readies for Town Affairs Night in March

 .
Courtesy of Sharon Gray

The Wellesley Club is the town’s oldest civic club, established in 1889 for men from all over the still-new town to gather and discuss issues important to the life of residents. Well over a century later, the Club is still bringing together civic-minded Wellesley residents three times a year, hosting speakers who highlight current events, challenging topics, and fascinating history.

The upcoming 250th birthday of the United States inspired the Club’s most recent meeting on January 22, featuring Don Ryan, author of “Colonel William Prescott: Heroic Commander of the Battle of Bunker Hill.” A former economic analyst and consultant, Ryan began volunteering in 2018 for the National Park Service at Bunker Hill National Monument Park. He quickly became fascinated with the under-reported life of Colonel William Prescott and dived deeply into research, eventually turning his new hobby into a book.

Wellesley Club members always love a tale well told, and were lured in by Ryan’s descriptions of Prescott’s heroics on the battlefield against a far more formidable British military, and his service under George Washington until the British were ultimately driven out of Boston in 1776. Ryan also outlined Prescott’s participation in a series of major events during the Revolutionary Era leading to the establishment of the United States Constitution.

Town issues will be the focus of the next meeting of the Wellesley Club, the annual Town Affairs Night on March 16. This annual tradition will recognize members of Town staff and highlight the work of town boards including the Select Board, School Committee, and Advisory Committee.

Interested in exploring membership in the Wellesley Club? Please email info@wellesleyclub.org for more information.