Economic Round Table |
from the 75th anniversary book: The Economic Round Table Seventy-Fifth Anniversary 1932-2007
History of the Economic Round Table
Philip V. Swan ERT Historian
In 1939, our founder, Durward Howes, presented these comments about the foundation of The Economic Round Table:
In the spring of 1932, mindful of the chaos of the times, it seemed that much benefit might be derived by the individuals participating, if a group of the younger business and professional men sat down together once a week and discussed our various city, state, national and international problems, as well as those inherent in the various departments of life. Accordingly, I mailed out eighteen post cards, advising each individual addressed that a first meeting was to be held of a group which would be of economic rather than of political significance. Seventeen of those addressed came to the meeting and The Economic Round Table was born. It is not an exaggeration, I believe, to say that its accomplishments and its scope have both exceeded my expectations for it. Its membership includes and has included some of the keenest minds in this community, and the wealth of material which has been presented and discussed has had a broadening influence on the lives and work of all of us. |
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Durward HowesThere follows a list of members who received Durward's invitation and became Charter Members of The Economic Round Table -
Howard Ahmanson, Edward G. Barcome, Ralph L. Carver, Karl Lynn Davis, Franklin H. Donnell, George W. Elkins, Edward L. Elliott, Caine Farrell, J.H. Gilliland, Durward Howes, Wallace Moir, Leroy D. Owen, Ulysses Floyd Rible, Edward S. Shattuck, Arthur C. Stewart, Gerald S. Toll, E. Richard West.
Membership in The Economic Round Table usually includes 52 individuals of various business and professional backgrounds. Meetings were held on Friday mornings at the University Club until 1961, when our meeting place was moved to The Fireside Room of The California Club, and the breakfast was changed to Thursdays. Meetings are held from late September to early June.
Durward Awards, named in honor of our founder, have been given for the best papers presented during the year. The year-end Symposium, where the Durwards are awarded, was held at the Bel Air Country Club until 1961. Since then, the Annandale Golf Club has been the site of the Symposium.
Each new year of The Economic Round Table begins with a social dinner at The Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena. A new tradition was established several years ago with a January dinner meeting including wives and guests. These meetings have been held at The California Club, The Athenaeum and The Huntington Library, and have become popular and well-attended events.
Since the Club's inception in 1932, 305 members have enjoyed the opportunity for fellowship and the exchange of ideas and information through the papers of our members. There has never been a guest speaker at our unique organization, and every imaginable subject has been explored and discussed. It has been a long tradition for a member to use a misleading title for this paper. There is usually a period of lively discussion and questions at the conclusion of each presentation.
The Economic Round Table has fostered lifelong friendships and enriched the lives of its members from its inception to the present.
