ANNA S .
I joined the Currents team in 2015 with Erica B . -S. and Laura O . At first , I was overwhelmed by the responsibility and the weight of all these years of Currents past and the Currents legends among us . But then I learned to value and be proud of the history I had managed to be a part of . Here is one of the stories .
How Currents became Currents
Anna S . ( L ) and Marinell H . ( R ). at a Currents party in 2015
AWCH Newsletter cover from June 1992 designed by Nancy T .
The history of the American Women ‘ s Club of Hamburg starts in 1931 . In 1939 , shortly before the Second World War , the club was disbanded and resumed its activities in 1956 as the American Luncheon Club .
The first known newsletter , The American Women ‘ s Luncheon Club Bulletin , appeared on September 7 , 1956 . It was typed , mimeographed , and sent out to club members . The format changed over the years , and the number of pages was extended . In 1978 , it gained headlines and the title American Women ‘ s Club of Hamburg and looked more like a magazine . 1992 brought a significant change : the layout was changed back from A5 to the original A4 , and the name Currents and a new logo created by Marinell H . appeared on the front page . To investigate the history , I turned to Becky T . and Marinell H ., the witnesses and active participants of those events . According to Marinell H ., new to the AWCH in 1992 , the instigators of change were probably Becky T . ( managing editor ), Holly H . ( art director ), and President Roxayn B . The team was supported by Lisa I ., a contributing editor and a “ wordsmith extraordinaire ,“ and Marinell H ., responsible for marketing and design . The team worked hard to maintain the continuity of the newsletter and its connection to Hamburg . “ Currents ,” commented Becky , “ seemed a logical title for a newsletter in a town on a river near a sea with currents of waves , and the word ‘ current ’ also infers that there is up-to-date news .” It was Lisa and Marinell who landed on the name . However , Marinell remembers that Currents was not the only option ; another possibility was Harbinger , meaning “ a forerunner of something , ( and ) a name evolving from the word harbor .” Marinell invested her prior experience , time , and heart into re-designing the layout of Currents . Computers were not in every home ; emails did not exist — the team communicated by fax or on the phone and would meet at somebody ‘ s house or at the Landesfrauenrat . Additionally , supporters , for example , the owner of a store that sold computers , would allow AWCH ladies to use the showroom after office hours .
AWCH Newsletter from October 1992 designed by Marinell H .
Ericka B . ( L ) and Cat C . ( R ). at a Currents party in 2015
The AWCH purchased their first club computer in 1998 .
28 Special Theme : Our Club Through the Years