Old Bostonian Association
The Old Bostonian Association (OBA) is the alumni group of Boston Grammar School, founded in 1900. Membership is open to:
- All former pupils who have attended Boston Grammar School for at least one year.
- Past or present members of staff.
History
Towards the end of the 19th Century, suggestions were made that a dedicated alumni organisation should be formed. Two former students are credited as being the original instigators:
- Dr. Arthur Hopewell-Smith
- Harry Whilton Palmer - the winner of the Parry Gold Medal in 1885.
They met socially in late 1899 and the idea of a club was conceived.
The OBA was officially founded as the 'Old Bostonian Club' on 20th April 1900. On that date, 18 former pupils met at Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, London[1][2] to form the new organisation. Two alternative titles were considered but they received fewer votes in a ballot: “Boston School Old Boys’ Club” and “Boston Old Boys Club”. There were originally two branches, each of which had its own secretary: one in Boston and one in London. The membership fee was set at 5 shillings per annum.
The first OBA President was William White, BGS Headmaster from 1887 to 1912. The first OBA dinner took place on 2nd August 1900, in the Guildhall, on the evening of Speech Day (now called Prize-Giving).
By 14th September 1900 the club had one hundred members.[3]
Club activities were mostly halted by the onset of World War I in 1914. A revival meeting was held on 15th December 1921, and the club resumed, although without a London branch.
From the 1920s onwards, the organisation was referred to more frequently as the 'Old Bostonian Association' rather than the 'Old Bostonian Club'. There is however no record of a formal decision to change the name.
An announcement of the 1922 AGM on 14 December 1922 was under the heading "Old Bostonian Club", but was described as "THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of OLD BOYS".[4] The first local newspaper reference to the Old Bostonian Association may be in the account of a cricket match between the association and the BGS First XI on 21 July 1923.[5] Use of the title "Old Bostonians Club" continued in the press well into the 1930s although it is sometimes unclear whether it is referring to the Association or its affiliated Old Bostonian Football Club.
In January 1955 the Old Bostonian Association had almost 700 members, having risen from about 250 in 1945.[6]
In 2000 the OBA celebrated its centenary.
Objectives
- To promote union and good fellowship amongst the members;
- To provide a means whereby Former Students may co-operate with the Boston Grammar School Foundation, School Governors, the Teaching Staff and BGS support organisations in promoting the welfare of the School;
- To promote fellowship between Association and School through sporting events and social occasions.
Publications
The first edition of the “Gazette of the Old Bostonian Club” was published in 1901. The introduction, written by former pupil Professor Arthur James Grant, concluded with the following lines:
“All of my comrades of the school-room and the playing field and all those of the generations before and after mine will join me, I know, in crying not only ‘Floreat Bostona’ but also ‘success and a long life to the Old Boys’ Club’.”
The current OBA magazine, The Old Bostonian, is published annually - usually around Christmas or New Year.
To date the OBA has published two books about the history of BGS:
- Floreat Bostona - 1985
- Centennial Anthology - published in 2000 to mark the centenary of the OBA.
Association tie and colours
The OBA has its own tie, which can be worn by members at the annual dinner and at other school events such as Prize Giving, Charter Day and the remembrance service. First introduced in 1929, the colours are blue, amber and black.
Events
The Old Bostonian Association has a diary of events which can be found on its web site[7]. The main event each year is the Annual Dinner, which takes place in the Spring. Like most of the OBA's events the dinner is open not only to members but also to those who qualify as members of the association but have not yet joined. It is open to both sexes, and both members and qualifying non-members may bring one non-qualifying guest.
Structure
The OBA operates a committee system, with the following roles:
External links
- Old Bostonian Association (official website)
References
- ↑ 1879 – Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, London - archiseek
- ↑ Anderton’s Hotel, 162-165 Fleet street, St Dunstan in West EC4 - Londonwiki
- ↑ Stamford Mercury, 14 Sept 1900 - page 4
- ↑ Boston Guardian, 9 December 1922 - page 6
- ↑ Boston Guardian, 28 July 1923 - page 8
- ↑ Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian, 15 January 1955 - page 5
- ↑ Old Bostonian Association official website