History

In 1948, a group of business and professional men decided they would benefit from the program offered by Toastmasters International. The only Toastmasters club in the Rochester, N.Y. area at that time had a backlog of applications. Rather than waiting for an opening in that club’s membership, they decided to form their own club. Thus Lilac City Toastmasters came into being and received its charter January 27, 1949. Lilac City’s eclectic membership included doctors, lawyers, engineers, and sales executives. The club held its meetings at the prestigious University Club in Downtown Rochester and dinner was served at all meetings. Some of the present members of Lilac City still fondly remember those lively early meetings, the interesting people and the community leaders that were members of Lilac City at that time.

With the passage of time, however, club membership underwent changes as members’ needs changed. Job relocations, family responsibilities and other circumstances resulted in new and different members for Lilac City Toastmasters during the years to follow. Even Toastmasters International itself could not escape the effects of change. Toastmasters had originally been founded as a men’s organization. Women who had wanted to improve their communication skills had been encouraged instead to join a women’s group called “Toastmistresses”. Recognizing the changing roles of women and their increased need for better communication, Toastmasters International amended their charter in 1975 allowing women to join. Lilac City was then able to open its doors to women and a new era in the club began. Some husband and wife teams became members, adding a new dimension to the Toastmaster experience.

As the needs of the membership continued to change, Lilac City Toastmasters moved its meeting place to the Walnut Room restaurant at McCurdy's in Midtown Plaza where they met for many years. When McCurdy’s closed their Midtown location, the club moved the meeting location to restaurants located in Henrietta, then Brighton. Finding a restaurant that would cater to a small group and that was within the membership’s dietary restrictions and budget became a challenge. The dinner portion of the meeting was therefore abandoned when the club met for a brief period in the Xerox facilities in Henrietta. In 1998, the club relocated its meeting place to the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Webster. Since the move to Immanuel, Lilac City Toastmasters Club has nearly doubled its membership, drawing new members from the surrounding communities.

In 1999 Lilac City Toastmasters proudly celebrated their 50 year anniversary with a dinner at the Log Cabin Restaurant in Macedon, New York. Over 50 members, alumni and guests attended this event, with several of the former members participating in the program. The Democrat and Chronicle featured an article about Lilac City, interviewing some of its members and applauding their 50 year contribution to the Rochester Area.

A Toastmasters International president once said, “If you are going to get out of Toastmasters all you can get out of Toastmasters, you will never get out of Toastmasters.” That is apparently true since Lilac City has members who have been Toastmasters for more than forty-five years. The age of the current membership ranges from members in their twenties to some in their eighties. In fact at the present time, the club has three generations of one family as members. Our members live as near as one mile and as far as sixty miles. Obviously, Lilac City Toastmaster Club offers its members what they seek in speaking opportunities, leadership training, and social fellowship to earn this loyalty.