May (Mary Elizabeth) Wright Sewall (May 27, 1844—July 22, 1920)
The Contemporary Club was started by well-known and civically active Indianapolis resident May Wright Sewall. In 1890, there were no organizations that encouraged the intellectual gathering of both men and women. Ms. Sewell envisioned a club where members of both sexes stood on equal ground, discussing topics of the day and enjoying programs highlighting speakers from all walks of life. Poets and politicians, athletes and artists, explorers and executives – all have been welcomed to bring their unique stories and perspectives to generations of club members.
Both men and women have held leadership roles in the Contemporary Club since the beginning. Many of central Indiana’s most outstanding community leaders have played an important role in guiding the club through three centuries. Click HERE for a complete list of Contemporary Club leadership through the years.
A comprehensive history of the Contemporary Club has been assembled for those wishing to delve more deeply into the club’s fascinating past. It includes “The First Fifty Years 1890-1940,” a piece written in 1940 by long-time members Charlotte Jones Dunn and May Louise Shipp. The second part is by Jane Moore Howe Brown and is titled “The Third Quarter Century 1940-1965.” Ruth Farq Banta contributed “The Century Mark 1965-1989” and an excerpt from Nelson Price’s highly entertaining program at the 120th Birthday Celebration in 2010 rounds out out the rest of the 20th Century. Click HERE to download and enjoy this unique glimpse into the history of Indianapolis and one of its oldest social organizations.
Here are just a few speakers who have entertained and enlightened audiences since 1890:
Raymond A. Spruance, US Navy Admiral
William Raspberry, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
Harriet Goodhue Hosmer, American sculptor (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
William F. Buckley, Sr., lawyer and oil developer
William Merritt Chase, American Impressionist artist
Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of The United States
Jo Ann Gora, 14th President of Ball State University
Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of The United States
Philip Gulley, Quaker pastor and author
Paul Page, broadcaster for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Cornelia Otis Skinner, American author and actress
Jane Addams, activist/reformer and author
William McKinley, 25th President of The United States
Nelson Price, Indianapolis-based author, historian and radio host
A’lelia Bundles, journalist and great-granddaughter of entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker
Glen Kwok, Executive Director of the International Violin Competition
Greg Ballard, Mayor of Indianapolis 2008-2015
Gertrude Stein, American poet and novelist
Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics & Law at the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Univ. of Minnesota
General George C. Marshall, US Army Chief of Staff / US Secretary of State / US Secretary of Defense
Edward Everett Hale, American author and Unitarian minister
Hal Holbrook, American screen and stage actor
Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute and author (Photo by Harris & Ewing/Interim Archives/Getty Images)
Herman B. Wells, 11th President of Indiana University and 1st Chancellor
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, American novelists
Dame Rebecca West, British author and literary critic
Richard Lugar, US Senator and 44th Mayor of Indianapolis (Photo by Bill Clark/Getty Images)
Amy Lowell, American Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Victor Davis Hanson, American military historian
Elvis J. Stahr, Jr., US Army Lt. Col. / Secretary of the Army / 12th President of Indiana University
Contemporary Club of Indianapolis 