Slight dues increase for Torch’s 2026-27 program year

The Columbus Torch Club’s Board of Directors at its summer meeting August 9 approved a slight increase in dues for the 2026-27 program year as a result of the uncertainty of the Faculty Club’s food costs. The dues for 2026-27 will be $485 per person and $920 per household of two members. 

The cost for a guest, which should be paid by the club member inviting the guest, will be $45 (except for the December meeting when it will be $50). 

Thom Seelbach, the club’s secretary, will distribute a notice for the dues in September. Payment may be made by mail or at the club’s meeting in October. 

To pay your dues, make your check payable to:  Torch Club of Columbus and send to our Treasurer, Kent Bermingham, 521 Retreat Lane W, Powell, Ohio 43065.  Or bring your check to the first Torch Club meeting on October 2, 2025 at the OSU Faculty Club.

Presentation by Robert Stevenson on October 1:

Paul Brown – Innovative Coach and Pioneer in Race Relations 

With football season well underway, Robert Stevenson will kick off the 2026-27 program year for the Columbus Torch Club with a presentation on Paul Brown, one of the nation’s most famous coaches who led Ohio teams at the high school, college and professional level. Brown also was a pioneer in breaking the color barrier in professional football. The Torch Club will meet Thursday, October 1, at The Ohio State University Faculty Club. 

“Paul Brown excelled in football at every level, playing quarterback in high school and college,” Bob reports. “He coached Massillon High School and Ohio State University teams to Associated Press national championships. He founded and coached both the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.” The Browns won four championships in the All-America Football Conference from 1946-49 and three championships in the National Football League in 1950, 1954 and 1955.

 “An innovative genius, Brown introduced dozens of new strategies, systems and novel concepts that changed the face of football,” Stevenson says. Brown’s coaching also had social significance. In forming his professional team in 1946, Brown signed Bill Willis, a defensive lineman who played for him at Ohio State, and Marion Motley, a running back from Canton who played for Brown on a Great Lakes military team. They were the first black athletes to play professional football. 

“Paul Brown was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967,” Bob recounts. “His bronze plaque reads: ‘...a pioneer in breaking the color barrier in professional football.’"

Biography of Robert Stevenson

Bob Stevenson, a member of Torch since 2014, retired from his private practice in prosthodontics last April after seeing patients for 45 years. A native of Columbus, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his dental degree and training in prosthodontics from Ohio State. He served in the Air Force between dental school and graduate training. He later received a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio State. He has written books about the history of medicine and dentistry and is a senior writer with the quarterly magazine “Gridiron Greats, The Digest of North American Football.”——————————————————————————-

Two ways to support the Columbus Torch Club and its members  The Board of Directors asks you to consider two ways to contribute to your Torch Club and to keep our fellowship strong as we look forward to our club’s centennial in 2026. 

1.  You may contribute funds directly to support the club by writing a check to “Torch Club of Columbus, Ohio.” Mail the check to our club’s treasurer, Kent Bermingham,521 RetreatLane W., Powell, Ohio 43065. (Donations to the club do not qualify as a charitable tax deduction.) 

2.  You may pay for the crudités or other foods served during the cocktail hour that precedes the monthly meetings. Anonymous donors paid for the crudités served at the October and November meetings and for the December meeting. The cost for the crudités is about $430, but there also are less expensive options. For information on donating the crudités or other options, please contact the club’s treasurer, Kent Bermingham who works closely with the Faculty Club on the menu and costs of the monthly dinners. Kent is at Kent1942@gmail.com

Torch Club’s monthly meeting agenda:

4:30-5:30 p.m. Board of Directors meeting

5:30-6:15 p.m. Cocktails and conversation

6:15-6:35 p.m. Business matters

6:35-7:30 p.m. Speaker

7:30-8:45 pm. Dinner and table discussion