Osterville Men's Club

ARTICLE 1 — NAME

The name of the Club shall be the Osterville Men’s Club.

ARTICLE 2 — PURPOSE

The general purpose of the club shall be to promote sociability among its members and to support, by scholarship and otherwise, the educational and charitable objectives of selected individuals and organizations.

ARTICLE 3 – MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1

There shall be three classifications of membership as follows: Active, Lifetime, and Distinguished Member of Honor. Membership shall be open under the conditions set forth in this Article to men who at the time of application and at the time of becoming members are listed as residents of the County of Barnstable. Any question as to the eligibility of an applicant shall be resolved by vote of the Executive Committee of the Club. Existing members may remain so, even after moving out of Barnstable County, if they so wish. Active members of the Club shall not exceed 250.

SECTION 2

An application for Active membership will be completed by the applicant and endorsed by a member as sponsor. The Membership Chairman will recommend to the Executive Committee a group of applicants who will become members. The recommendations will be subject to approval by the Executive Committee.

SECTION 3

Active Member

An Active member may participate in any or all of the activities of the Club once he has paid his membership dues in full for the current year.

SECTION 4

Lifetime Member

An Active member in good standing will be granted Lifetime Member status upon the completion of twenty (20) years of membership in the organization. Starting with the 21st anniversary year of the member, the payment of membership dues will no longer be required, and the Lifetime Member will retain all of the rights and privileges of active membership.

SECTION 5

Distinguished Member of Honor

Any Active member of the Club who has been a member for five (5) years or more and who has made outstanding contributions to the activities and welfare of the Club (beyond the ordinary holding of one or more offices) may be made a Distinguished Member of Honor. Recommendations for this membership designation shall be submitted to the Executive Committee and, if approved by it, the recommendation shall be voted on by the membership at the next regular meeting of the Club. Distinguished Members of Honor will retain all of the rights and privileges of active membership and shall not be required to pay annual dues.

 

SECTION 6

Applicants for membership may not invite guests to Club activities nor may they vote or attend regular meetings of the Club except as a guest of a member. They may participate on a regular basis in the bowling, golf and Wesley F. Rennie activities of the Club and may also attend the Annual Picnic, Holiday Party and any other social events upon payment of the required fee for those activities.

SECTION 7

Guests: A member may invite male guests to attend regular meetings, golf, and bowling; Members may invite female guests to the Wesley F. Rennie Discussion group and to certain social activities.

SECTION 8

Annual Dues: The Executive Committee shall make a thorough examination of the Club’s financial condition in September of each year and shall establish the amount of dues for Active Members for the following calendar year. Applicants who are admitted to the Club in September or October shall pay one half of the regular dues. Those admitted in November shall pay no dues for that year. Dues shall be payable in January. By March 25, the Treasurer shall notify members whose dues have not been paid. If dues are not paid before the April meeting, the Executive Committee shall take the appropriate action deemed necessary.

ARTICLE 4 – OFFICERS

SECTION 1

The Officers of the Club shall be a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Membership Chairman and Assistant Membership Chairman, and Historian.

SECTION 2

Officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting for a term of one year, with the exception of the Historian, who will be appointed by the President. The President and Vice President shall not be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. It is expected that the Officers of the Club shall not be absent from more than one meeting for reasons other than illness or unexpected emergencies.

SECTION 3

In the event of a vacancy in any office, except President, the Executive committee shall appoint a successor.

SECTION 4

The duties of the officers are as follows:

PRESIDENT: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club, shall appoint all committees and shall designate the chairman of each committee; he shall be a member ex officio of all committees. (He does not appoint the Executive Committee, which is elected, but he is the chairman thereof.) The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Club.

VICE PRESIDENT: In the absence of the President the Vice President shall have the same responsibilities as the President. The Vice President shall serve as Program Chairman for all regular meetings of the Club and be responsible for the recruitment and orientation of invited speakers for each event.

SECRETARY: The Secretary shall have charge of all papers and records of the Club. He shall cause notices of all meetings to be mailed to members. He is authorized to send Club records and other material to the Historian for retention, publication, distribution or disposal. He shall take minutes and report on the Executive Committee and General Meetings. He shall distribute duties between himself, and the Assistant Secretary as agreed upon.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY: The Assistant Secretary shall assist the Secretary and in the absence or disability of the Secretary shall perform the duties of the Secretary.

TREASURER: The Treasurer shall receive and have custody of all the funds of the Club and the records related thereto and shall pay its just bills. The Treasurer shall keep the membership informed as to the amount of monies held in the operating and scholarship funds and provide a written annual report.

ASSISTANT TREASURER: The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and in the absence or disability of the Treasurer shall perform the duties of the Treasurer.

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN: The Membership Chairman shall receive all applications for membership and be responsible for carrying out the relevant provisions of Article 3 of the Constitution and Bylaws.

ASSISTANT MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN: The Assistant Membership Chairman shall assist the Membership Chairman and in the absence or disability of the Membership Chairman shall perform the duties of the Membership Chairman.

ASSISTANT MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN: The Assistant Membership Chairman shall assist the Membership Chairman and in his absence or disability shall perform the duties of the Membership Chairman.

HISTORIAN: The Historian shall prepare and assist in the distribution of occasional papers concerning significant and/or entertaining aspects of OMC history. He will also serve as Club Archivist, in which capacity he will retain in his possession (or in some other acceptable depository) all important OMC records except those which pertain exclusively to Scholarship, Financial or Membership matters.

ARTICLE 5 – COMMITTEES

SECTION 1

The Executive Committee shall consist of the Club’s officers and the immediate past president, the Scholarship Committee Chairman, and three members elected by the Club and shall meet any time at the call of the President or any three of its members and shall exercise general supervisory control over the affairs of the Club. It is recommended that the three non-officer positions be reserved to allow electees to become familiar with club governance, which could be useful to them if elected to a club office. A non-officer Executive Committee member may serve no more than three consecutive terms.

SECTION 2

The Badges Committee shall provide name tags or badges for members and guests to wear at meetings and, if requested, keep a record of persons to whom badges were issued at each meeting.

SECTION 3

The Fellowship Committee shall send messages of cheer and good wishes to those who are ill and send flowers or take such action as may be warranted in case of death of a member and make reports to the meetings.

SECTION 4

The Wesley F. Rennie Discussion Group shall meet periodically to discuss topics of interest to the members and, on occasion, invite speakers to address the group.

SECTION 5

The Golf Committee shall arrange a schedule of golf tournaments and supervise such tournaments during the golfing season.

SECTION 6

The Bowling Committee shall take such action as may encourage members and applicants for membership to bowl on one of the teams or be listed as a substitute in the “Osterville Seniors” League.

SECTION 7

The Scholarship Committee shall raise money annually by voluntary contributions from Club members and it shall keep the members informed regarding the disposition of money in the Fund. Basis for the scholarship awards shall be financial need, scholarship, character and leadership qualities without regard to sex, race, creed, color or national origin. Recipients shall be selected from members of the senior class at the Barnstable High School. The selection of worthy students shall be made by the Scholarship Committee.

Following the selection, the Chairman, Scholarship Committee, will furnish the names of the students chosen to receive the scholarship awards to the Club President, Executive Committee and the general membership. The checks covering the awards shall be made payable to the recipient by the Club Treasurer following receipt by the Chairman, Scholarship Committee, of documentation indicating satisfactory completion of the first semester by the awardee.

 

SECTION 8

The Audit Committee shall consist of such one or more members appointed by the President for the purpose of auditing the books and records of the Treasurer prior to his annual report.

SECTION 9

The Nominating Committee chaired by an active past-president and consisting of two other Club members, all appointed by the President, shall present a slate (of officers) for all of the elective offices enumerated in Article 5, Section 1, at the annual meeting but this shall not preclude further nominations from the floor.

SECTION 10

The Arrangements Committee, whose members shall be appointed by the President, shall provide a place for the Club’s regular meetings, suitable menus and other services for the members at regular meetings.

SECTION 11

The Awards Committee, whose members shall be appointed by the President, nominates deserving Active or Lifetime OMC Members to the Executive Committee for both the Distinguished Members of Honor Award and the Robert L. Grunewald Good Guy Award. Upon approval by the Executive Committee, the Award will be presented to the recipient at. an upcoming Membership Luncheon Meeting. Two OMC members may also nominate a member for the Good Guy Award or the Distinguished Member of Honor Award to the Awards Committee for consideration.

AWARD DEFINITIONS:

The Robert L. Grunewald Good Guy Award recognizes a member who has participated in bettering the Cape Cod Community through continued volunteer service in civic, religious, or humanitarian activity or similar OMC volunteer programs. A Good Guy should have performed any combination of at least three volunteer activities in one or more of the service areas.

The Distinguished Member of Honor Award recognizes someone who has been a member for five years or more, who has served the OMC leadership positions, executive and committee chair(s) over an extended period of time, providing outstanding contributions to the activities and wellbeing of the Club, and significantly been responsible for other meritorious action or events.

SECTION 12

The Investment Club, whose members shall be appointed by the President, shall provide an informal gathering of Club members for the purposes of discussing investment strategies.

SECTION 13

The Meals on Wheels Committee, whose members shall be appointed by the President, shall provide driversand delivery support for the Meals on Wheels Program of Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands (ESCCI).

SECTION 14

The Miracle Kitchen Committee, whose members shall be appointed by the President, shall provide manpower support for the meal program of the Salvation Army.

SECTION 15

The Day of Service Committee, whose members shall be appointed by the President, shall conduct an annual event involving Club members in support of local nonprofit organizations.

SECTION 16

The Distinguished Members of Honor Committee, whose members shall be appointed by the President, shall review recommendations for members to be considered for Distinguished Members of Honor status. Candidates approved for this designation by the Committee shall be presented to the membership of the Club for final approval.

SECTION 17

The Poker Club, whose members shall be appointed by the President, shall conduct regular gatherings of Cub members interested in playing poker.

SECTION 18

Other Committees: The President shall appoint such other permanent and temporary committees authorized by the Executive Committee as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the Club.

SECTION 19

Attendance Waiver: The rules pertaining to attendance at OMC-sponsored events as outlined in Article 3, Section 7, may be waived in specific instances upon the approval of a majority of members present at a regular monthly meeting of the Club at least one month in advance of the event.

SECTION 20

Committee Reports: Committee Chairmen will present reports at the Annual Meeting regarding their activities for the year.

ARTICLE 6 – MEETINGS

SECTION 1

Regular meetings of the Club shall be held on the first Wednesday of each month or the first practical date thereafter, except June, July, August and December.

SECTION 2

Special meetings may be called by the President or any three members of the Executive Committee.

SECTION 3

The Annual Meeting shall be held on the first Wednesday in the month of January.

SECTION 4

A Quorum, for an in-person meeting of the Club shall consist of the presence in person of fifty members of the Club.

A Quorum for remote meetings of the membership of the organization, such as video conferences, shall consist of the presence of twenty-five (25) members of the Club, including a minimum of eight (8) members of the Executive Committee.

In an emergency situation, the Executive Committee may take action deemed prudent, necessary and expedient in the situation, prior to a duly called meeting and quorum of the membership. Such action shall be reported to the membership in a timely fashion.

SECTION 5

Attendance at the regular meetings shall be restricted to members and their male guests.

SECTION 6

Votes: All matters requiring a vote of the membership other than those provided for in this Constitution and By-laws shall first be presented in writing to the Executive Committee at least thirty days prior to the date of the meeting at which the vote is proposed.

ARTICLE 7 — AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1

This Constitution and By-laws may be amended by majority vote of those present and voting at any regular meeting of the Club, providing that the proposed amendment shall have been presented at the previous meeting.