Wildwood Civic Club Cherishes Past; Seeks Younger Members

WILDWOOD ─ “This beautiful home at 3008 Atlantic Ave. in Wildwood was built in 1904 for J. Thompson Baker, one of the founders and first mayor of Wildwood. In 1934, Mr. Baker’s daughter, Mary, sold the house for $6,000 to the Wildwood Civic Club…Thereafter, it became their clubhouse.”
With those humble words, the Wildwood Civic Club describes its beginnings in a town perched on the edge of the Atlantic.
Founded in 1912, the women of the Civic Club have cared for abused women, underprivileged children, and for their community. From all backgrounds and faiths, the Civic Club has endured, adjusted, and thrived through the years of social change.
On Sept. 23, the Civic Club opened its doors to the Herald. Pat Cook, co-president and island resident, candidly told of the club’s vision for the future and its viability in a busy and complex 21st-century world. 
According to Cook, the club’s “main thing” is to care for the community and child-welfare.
Historic accomplishments include the first comfort station on the Boardwalk, first public library, and, in 1917, the club promoted the vote for women’s suffrage on the island.
Caring for lost children, sponsoring community theater and bringing the Philadelphia Orchestra to the Boardwalk filled the concerns of local women. They sought to find children lost on the Boardwalk and fostered culture among Wildwood’s citizens. Those women, among their other duties to home and family, took the time to care for those around them.
Cook then painted a verbal picture of an early Boardwalk scene with gentlemen wearing floater hats, jackets, and ties and ladies carrying parasols and attired in gowns. Moonlight glimmered on the Starlight Ballroom while orchestras played and couples danced Saturday nights away as the sea shone silver.
Cook bemoaned the loss of “class” on the Boardwalk, but also shared the club’s more “progressive” side.
After securing women’s right to vote, the club held dances for service men during World War II and founded the “Evening Membership” in 1946 for women who worked during the day but wished to attend meetings. “We were very ahead of our time,” said Cook. “Very modern.”
Practical concerns led to contributions to the newly-built Burdette Tomlin Hospital in Court House in 1940; today the hospital is Cape Regional Medical Center, still serving the medical needs of Cape May County. In 1959, room was finished on the children’s floor in Burdette Tomlin.
As early as 1931, funds were raised by the club for the first tonsil clinic at Margaret Mace Hospital.
Helping young people through scholarships is also very dear to the club. “A soft spot” was Cook’s way of describing the club’s feeling towards the future and welfare of young people.
When asked if the club, despite historical achievements, is still viable for a 21st century Wildwood, Cook replied, “We are still viable.”
“We are not in 19-whatever,” Cook continued. “We have minds of 21st-century women.”
Cook admitted that conditions have changed over the years and that “younger blood” is needed in the membership.
While facing fund raising difficulties, Cook said the club would continue trying new ideas: “We’re a positive group,” she added.
Cook, a graduate of St. Ann and Wildwood Catholic High School, said she was glad that she “got off” and saw the world beyond the island when she was young, but is glad to have returned with her husband after her retirement as a nurse in 2003.
“We’re here to help,” Cook said, a message to all in Cape May County. “Our whole goal is to help the community.”
As the members continue, they seek for new members to carry on this timeless mission of giving back to the community.
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.