pdf 10.7 mb - Multnomah Athletic Club

50-Year Members
by Jennifer Brown
A mong the awards presented to MAC members annually
is the pin given to those who have maintained their resident
membership for 50 consecutive years.
Although many members have been born into a club membership
or have used the club since their youth as part of a family
membership, a person’s membership begins once they are elected
as a senior member.
At the Annual Meeting Tuesday, Feb. 10, the club acknowledges
32 members for attaining this status. Following are the stories of
several of the members who became senior members in 1958. See
page 17 for a list of this year’s honorees.
� Selwyn A. Bingham �
Selwyn A. Bingham has been a MAC member “since day one,”
he says. His grandfather, A.J. Bingham, was a member, as were his
father, Selwyn Sr., and his brothers, Stuart and Clarke. Continuing
the tradition are his son Selwyn and three grandchildren.
The biggest change Bingham has seen in the past 50 years is the
number of members. “It was a close club in the beginning; I knew
everyone.” He acknowledges that this growth is neither good nor
bad; “it’s just change,” he says.
Although Bingham now primarily uses the E&C Room, his
past interests included volleyball, basketball and tennis. In the mid
’70s, Bingham played volleyball in nationals, and remembers that as
one of the highlights of the past 50 years. He considers the camaraderie
at the club one of the top values of his membership.
Bingham served as club president in 1975. During that year, he
was the impetus behind the first Father Daughter Dinner Dance. “My
daughter, Leslie, said to me, ‘You do a father/son event, why not
father/daughter?’” he explains. This successful annual event continues
to be a popular way for fathers and daughters to spend a day together.
The club’s annual Crab Feed was one of Bingham’s conceptions
as well.
� Jack Faust �
Jack Faust joined the club as a recent graduate from law school.
He was looking for a place to play squash and work out. He had
After his year as 1975-76
MAC president, Selwyn
Bingham, Jr. appears ready
and happy to use his gift
from MAC in appreciation
for his dedication.
14 • The Winged M • February 2009
Jack Faust, his wife, Alice
and son, Charlie were
photographed on the Indoor
Track in 1965.
just begun to practice practice law when he became a member. At the time,
membership cost $50.
Faust Faust and his wife, Alice, have two daughters daughters and and one son.
Although their their daughters daughters gave up up their membership, their son,
Charlie, remains an active member.
The No. 1 change Faust has seen within the past 50 years is a
common one heard from long-time members: the physical facilities.
The facilities are also what Faust values the most about his
membership. He has used several of MAC’s reciprocal clubs, such as
New York, San Francisco, and the Outrigger. “I’ve traveled a lot
around the country,” he says. “The club has no equal.”
Faust has never thought about dropping his membership. “It’s a
one-way gate,” he explains. “I would never want to give it up.
There’s nothing that can take its place.”
Throughout the years, Faust was a familiar face on the squash
and tennis courts. Although he has taken a temporary break from
his workouts, he plans to return to the Exercise and Conditioning
Room soon. He and his family also enjoy dining at the club.
Some of Faust’s fondest memories include the “bull sessions”
with different people in the locker room, he says.
� Donald Holman �
Donald Holman received his MAC membership as a gift from
his in-laws in recognition of graduating from law school. His wife,
Susan, had been active at the club since she was in third grade.
The Holmans have three children; two of them – Donald Jr. and
Laura O’Brien – have retained their memberships; eight grandchildren
are members as well.
During the past 50 years, Holman has played a lot of squash and
tennis on MAC’s courts, and has enjoyed using the E&C Room. He
is a past member of the club’s Board of Trustees; he served as vice
president during his third and final year on the board in 1985.
One of the biggest changes Holman has seen relates to the board.
“From my observation, the board is doing a better job than we did,”
he says. “They’re more responsive to the membership.” Holman is
also pleased with the changes brought to the club by General
Manager Norm Rich.
Outgoing 1985-86 MAC vice
president Don Holman, left,
presented George Robinson his
50-year pin at the Annual Meeting.
Handball player
Jack Scrivens attained a
spot on the club’s Wall of
Fame in 1975.