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TCP History

A Century of Progress

The Traffic Club of Philadelphia is one of the oldest traffic clubs in the United States. It was founded in March of 1908 at a time when Philadelphia was known as the "Workshop of the World" and when the term "traffic" connoted transportation and economic activity.

The first President of the Club was Robert S. Perry of Harrison Bros. & Co., and initial meetings were held at the Bourse Building. The initial objective of the Club was "to cultivate closer relations between those directly interested in the handling of traffic, both as shippers and carriers, and to promote their best interests." Early meetings featured notable speakers such as President William Taft (following his presidency).

Member initiation fees were $5.00, with annual dues of $10.00. In 1911, the Club's annual budget was $300.00. In 1917, the Club's annual dinner was suspended because of World War I and, in its place, money was raised for war bonds.

The Club had three classes of membership: resident, non-resident (i.e., for persons living more than 100 miles from Philadelphia), and honorary. Resident membership was capped at 450 persons and new members were admitted in the order of the receipt of their membership applications and as vacancies occurred.

Among the events sponsored by the Club in the 1920s were boxing matches and musical performances by actual railroad bands. In 1927, the "Traffic Messenger" made its debut as the Traffic Club"s newsletter. Favorite events in the 1930s were Vaudeville Acts, Ladies' Night, and Shad Dinners.

Rosters have always been a staple of the Club. In 1930, the roster identified 43 Club members from the Pennsylvania Railroad, 41 members from the Reading Company, and 24 members from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

In 1930, after a long relationship with the Warwick Hotel, the Club moved its headquarters to the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, where the Club had its own chef and a daily lunch was served.

In 1940, the Club boasted 20 committees to guide its operations and functions. Among them were a "Card Committee" and a "Plant Inspection Committee." During World War II, war bonds were once again purchased in lieu of a formal annual dinner. The 1946-1947 Club roster highlighted 56 members who had or were serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

In 1958, the Club observed its 50th anniversary. That milestone year, 1,000 people attended the annual dinner. Each guest was pre-listed in the dinner booklet along with their table assignment. A giant birthday cake was provided and each member took home a piece as a souvenir.

In 1961, the Club sought to host the National Convention of Associated Traffic Clubs of America in Philadelphia. In their bid, Club representatives showed up at the national headquarters dressed as Amish people, and their efforts proved successful!

In 1971, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was the guest speaker at the Annual Dinner. In 1973, Jim Fleming became the first ever recipient of the Club's annual scholarship. During this same decade, National Transportation Week grew in popularity and united all transportation clubs in the Delaware Valley in a common event. In 1977, the Club held its Annual Night at the Races at Liberty Bell Race Track.

In 1980, the Club moved to the Engineers' Club Building. Legal counsel to the Club, Robert Einhorn, became a fixture in educating Club members on a number of transportation related legal issues during this period of the deregulation of the transportation industry.

In 1997, Don Schneider spoke to a packed house at the annual dinner about the operation of a national truckload carrier. 1997 was historic for the Club for another reason: Mary Maseker was elected its first female President, making the Club one of the most progressive traffic clubs in the nation.

After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the Club was in the forefront of highlighting the need for heightened security measures and hosted Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher, a member of the Governor's Task Force on Terrorism, as keynote speaker at the 2002 annual dinner. William Shoaf became only the second person to serve two full terms as President of the Club (2003 and 2004).

From 2000-2007, the Club's education and communications programs made important gains. New General Daniel Bray and William Tucker academic scholarships were formed, and joined the already existing Einhorn, Langley and Yetman scholarships administered by the Club. To improve its visibility, the Club hopped on the information superhighway with its own website (www.tcphila.org) and re-introduced a Club newsletter called The Philadelphia Dispatch.

In 2007, Marylou Robinson of CSXI was named President of the Club. Recognizing the historical significance of the Club�s 100th year, she lead the Club through a landmark year that remained true to the origins of the Club, grew its mission and visibility, and welcomed many new members.

Looking back, the period 1908-2008 has been an exciting one for The Traffic Club of Philadelphia. While the transportation industry has undergone revolutionary changes over this time, the Club has remained a constant in fostering professional growth and fellowship. In its next 100 years, the Club surely has a bright and vibrant future and will continue its strong growth and success.

Submitted by Robert B. Kessler, Historian 2007-2008


Historic Images

View scans of historic images from our past (originally published in The Traffic Messenger, the Club's former newsletter) in our online photo album titled Historic Images.


Past Presidents of The Traffic Club of Philadelphia 

A select group of highly distinguished individuals has served as President of The Traffic Club of Philadelphia and has guided the Club through times of prosperity, challenge, and opportunity. Presidents are drawn from the Club's Board of Governors following a demonstration of commitment and capability, and typically serve a term of one year (April 1 - March 31). 

Name Term
William J. Halloran 2012
Roy Kardon 2013

Jim Fleming

2014

Robert Childs

2015

Tony Bandiero

2016

 Matt Haskins  2017
 Charlie Baselice 2018
Name Term
John J. Needham 1960
Edward D. Heilbrun 1961
John W. Friel 1962
J. G. Robison 1963
C. R. Burr 1964
W. Lennig Travis 1964
W. L. Kimsey, Jr. 1965
Stephen F. Taylor 1966
John D. Martelock 1967
Joseph F. Queenan 1968
George F. Mohr 1969
Thomas X. Judy 1970
Robert J. Weir 1971
James C. Moorehead, Jr. 1972
Robert L. Lund 1973
Richard H. Weinsheimer 1974
Dean W. Palmer 1975
Edward J. Lamsback 1976
George H. Blankley 1977
Martin F. X. Ivers 1978
James J. Gillin 1979
Louis H. Reeve 1980
James E. Duffy 1981
Paul F. Raggio 1982
Al Brancato 1983
A. E. Montileone 1984
Robert F. Toia 1985
Jack T. Fink 1986
Richard P. Ryan 1986
Thomas J. Tomasco 1987
Philip J. Quirolo 1988
Bruce W. Hochman 1989
Paul C. Blasko 1990
Francis X. Yetman 1991
John J. Novak 1992
Scott Deasy 1993
Alfred L. Hull 1994
David Blount 1995
Larry F. Mungiole 1996
Mary S. Maseker 1997
David W. Heller 1998
Paul J. Zielinski 1999
Michael J. Cavoto 2000
John P. McCreavy 2001
Linda M. Edwards 2002
William W.Shoaf, Jr. 2003-4
Jesse S. Leadbeater, Jr. 2005
Joseph A. LoCastro 2006
Marylou Robinson 2007
Theodore K. Dalhburg 2008
Kevin J. Fisher 2009
Anthony DiArchangelo 2010
Nicholas Walsh 2011
Name Term
Robert S. Perry 1908
Edward Knight 1909
William A. Sproull 1910
Frank A. Bedford 1911-12
H. Billings 1913
Charles W. Bowden 1914
George J. Lincoln 1915
Howard M. Newlin 1916
Don C. Hunter 1916
H. G. Sickel 1917
F. E. Snively 1918
Wilmer M. Wood 1919
W. H. Reed 1919
John A. Tait 1920
W. B. Grieves 1921
E. D. Hilleary 1922
Lewis Eckel 1923
R. C. Smith 1924
E. H. Porter 1925
James Potter 1926
Joseph P. Brown 1927
J. C. Dawson 1928
T. Noel Butler 1929
Alfred J. Ball 1930
R. S. Mawson 1931
W. McCracken 1932
J. K. Hiltner 1933
J. W. Babneau 1934
C. H. Rolf 1935
Charles A. Devlin 1936
F. L. McManus 1937
Alan Browning 1938
E. C. Carson 1939
Harold J. Fink 1940
Charles R. Ritter 1941
Colin C. Brown 1942
Harry C. Hoffa 1943
Joseph A. Fisher 1944
Richard F. Hogan 1945
Charles N. Hale 1946
C. J. Goodyear 1947
C. S. Rogers 1948
Robert Maguire 1949
Fred H. Hicks 1950
S. W. Mason 1951
Howard B. Armstrong 1952
J. F. Kuehnhold 1953
John W. Hartzell 1954
Edward J. Bolton 1955
Joseph A. DeGeorge 1956
John T. Deering 1957
Thomas H. Ramsey 1958
W. E. Callum, Jr. 1959



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