Founding member Gerry Bartz said, "The City Club started when complained to a friend about the lack of anything like it in Salem. He said stop complaining and start one." Several hundred luncheon programs later, the Club's mission  
continues to be to provide a common meeting ground for persons of divergent beliefs and opinions, and to inform and activate its members. The volunteer-led club provides bi-monthly forums on issues including schools, neighborhoods, politics, and health care. While there are City Clubs throughout the country, each location has  its own mission, structure, and topics.

In Salem topics have ranged from "Sex in the Schools" in 1968 to diagnosing the problems in the Salem-Keizer school district with the superintendent last year. National issues such as immigration and the Iraq war also have been featured.

"The subject matters that were top on their list [40 years ago] continue to be top on our list now," volunteer Raquel Moore-Green  said. "What motivated original founders of the club continues to motivate the club today." Change, however, has occurred through the years.

"Community volunteerism has changed so much in the last 5-10 years, with the Internet and people's schedules. The idea of people coming  together every 2 to 3 weeks is almost antiquated," says Moore-Green. "But we have really tried to keep ideas relevant over the last year. And City Club is a place where guest speakers feel safe coming to speak."

She cites one program which combined an anti-war activist, a Bush supporter, and a soldier who served in Afghanistan, "without anyone throwing anything at them."

For the 40th anniversary, the City Club will host an event at Mission Mill Museum on September 28 with speaker Gerry Frank, who was also  the Salem City Club's first speaker 40 years ago. The first program of the 2007-08 season will be September 7 in the Dye House at Mission Mill Museum.

For more information, visit salemcityclub.com.