The succeeding years saw a continuation of
successful and powerful business and professional leaders take turns as officers and
committee chairmen of the Commercial Club. William Wagner, president of Wagner
Manufacturing and the First
National Bank, John Given of the Given and Sons Tannery,
local corporate attorney A. J. Hess, Judge H. T. Mathers, Dr. H E. Beebe, W. H. C. Goode, retailer Web Sterline, insurance man H.
E. Bennet, and financier and Peoples Savings and Loan founder L. M. Studevant were all integrally
involved.Hugh Doorley, during his remarks at the banquet in 1909, talked about the type
of irresistible force that could be created by such a cadre of community leaders: "And
of this, let me assure you: when a hundred or more of leading citizens of any
community...with the unanimity of purpose and concerted action, determine to do, or oppose
a particular thing, a living force is thus put in motion, that becomes unstoppable."
From the beginning, the scope of the Commercial Club's activities was unprecedented.
Club members were in charge of the downtown Memorial Day observances for years, and
orchestrated the welcoming home celebration for First World War troops. Proper care of the courthouse grounds was handled by the
club. Literary and debate events were scheduled in the community. Railroad improvements in
town by the Big Four and the C. H. and D. lines were demanded and then carefully
supervised by Commercial Club members.
It seemed no detail was too small to escape the ambit of the club's actions. When the
topic of whether or not the Poplar Street bridge over the canal should be 63 or 99 feet, a
City Council committee meeting was held in March of 1907. Attending and speaking in
support of the wider bridge were Commercial Club members and industrial heavyweights I. H.
Thedieck, W. H. Wagner, C. F. Hickok, president of Hickok
Candy Company, and Civil War hero
Capt. E. E. Nutt. The wider bridge was built.
The names of the committees reveals the scope of the activities of the club and the
interests of its members. The New Ideas committee developed new and innovative plans for
the town. The Safety committee investigated the issue of fire protection for the houses on
the hills in Sidney. The committee on Shade Trees, chaired by attorney S. L. Wicoff,
oversaw the planting of shade trees in Sidney that we enjoy to this day.
The committees on Streets and New Taxation worked on recommendations to improve the
condition of the town streets with funds raised by the Commercial Club. The idea of
adopting daylight savings time in Sidney was also proposed by a committee of the club.
Ideas ebbed and flowed from the committees on sanitation, civic improvement, public
safety, municipal affairs, advertising, public playgrounds, labor, legislation,
industrial, and many others.
Involvement with the Commercial Club for most of its members meant a commitment of a
decade or more. Even though men like I. H. Thedieck, W. H. Wagner, James Anderson L. M.
Studevant and A. J. Hess served as president of the Commercial Club and had daily
responsibilities running their own businesses, they stayed involved in club activities.
These men served as members of various committees years after the presidency of the
Commercial Club had ended.