THE OFFICIAL TITLE OF OUR CLUB IS:  CLUB AMERICANO DE LA COSTA DEL SOL.  THIS TRANSLATES INTO WHAT WE ACTUALLY CALL OUR CLUB—AMERICAN CLUB OF THE COSTA DEL SOL, OR FOR SHORT—AMERICAN CLUB. 


OUR CLUB BEGAN BACK IN LATE 1973 UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL IN SEVILLA, THE HONORABLE CURTIS C. CUTTER.  MR. CUTTER SENT OUT LETTERS OF INVITATION TO SEVERAL AMERICANS LIVING HERE ON THE COAST AND RECEIVED A FAVORABLE RESPONSE AND CALLED FOR AN INAUGERAL MEETING OF THE “CLUB.” THE ORIGINAL “TEAM” THAT STARTED OUR CLUB WERE:  MR. LEVENTHAL OF ESTEPONA;  PAT THIBAULT OF MARBELLA;  JUDI LEE CABRERA OF THE MARBELLA HILTON;  DR. PAUL CASTELLE AND MR. BERNARD McCASKILL OF FUENGIROLA;  JERRY O’CONNOR OF TORREMOLINOS;  NANCY HARDING OF BENALMADENA AND TORREMOLINOS;  SEBASTIAN BONET OF MALAGA;  STUART AYERS OF MIJAS;  MONTGOMERY FORD OF TORREMOLINOS;  and HOWARD BIRD OF BENALMADENA COSTA, ALONG WITH OTHERS.  THE WORKING COMMITTEE WAS RENAMED THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND WROTE AN ACCEPTED CONSTITUTION WITH BY-LAWS THAT WAS REGISTERED AND REMAINED VALID UNTIL 2005, WHEN FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON OUR LIBRO DE ACTAS, REQUIRED BY LAW FOR ALL ALUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS, BECAME “MISSING” AND A NEW CONSTITUTION HAD TO BE WRITTEN TO CONFORM WITH THE OLD AND NEW LAWS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A NEW LIBRO DE ACTAS.  BACK TO THE BEGINNING, THE FIRST MEETING OF OUR CLUB WAS HELD ON GEORGE WASHINGTONS BIRTHDAY, FEBRUARY 22 1974 AT THE MARBELLA HILTON HOTEL.  THE WORKING COMMITTEE DID ITS WORK WELL AND WHEN THE FIRST MEETING WAS HELD, THERE WERE OVER 500 MEMBERS. 

THE FIRST BOARD OF DIRECTORS WAS:  HOWARD BIRD AS HONORARY PRESIDENT;  DR PAUL CASTELLE AS PRESIDENT;  PAT THIBAULT AS VICE-PRESIDENT;  STUART AYERS AS SECRETARY;  SEBASTIAN BONET AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY;  BERNARD McCASKILL AS TREASURER AND ALFRED “DON” WOHL AS ASSISTANT TREASURER.  AT THE OUTSET, THE CLUB MAINTAINED CONTACT BY A VALUED NEWSLETTER WHICH WAS PRODUCED BY TYPEWRITER AND STENCIL, A FAR CRY FROM WHAT WE HAVE TODAY.  A VERY IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER IS THAT OUR CLUB WAS INVITED TO AN AUDIENCE WITH QUEEN SOFIA AND SELECTED MEMBERS ATTENDED.  DOROTHY KRAVITZ HAS THE DETAILS ON THIS AUDIENCE.  A FEW OF THE FOUNDER MEMBERS ARE STILL IN THE AREA.  YOU CAN TELL THEM FROM THE OTHERS BECAUSE THEY ARE 35 YEARS OLDER THAN WHEN WE STARTED.  WE HAVE TROY AND JACKIE IN FUENGIROLA IN THEIR EIGHTIES, THEN THERE IS AURA LOURIDO IN FUENGIROLA, WHO IS NOT “FEELING UP TO IT” AND TELEPHONE CALLS TO THE RESIDENCIAS IN TORREMOLINOS HAVE FAILED TO REVEAL ANY NEWS ON DON WOHL.  RENEE VELTHOEN IS IN A NURSING HOME OUT IN TAXAS.  REMEMBER HEIN VELTHOEN USED TO WRITE THE SPECIAL SRTICLE FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ENTITLED, “FROM THE SPANISH PRESS. HE WAS A WELL DECORATED VETERAN FROM HOLLAND.  DOROTHY KRAVITZ IS OVER IN MARBELLA.  HOW MANY MORE ARE STILL HERE WITH US?  THEN, WE HAVE MANY WHO ARE NOT FOUNDERS, BUT ARE DEDICATED LONG TIME TYPES. WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THE GREAT CONTRIBUTORS TO OUR CLUB, MARJE AND WILLARD (HE WAS FAMOUS FOR HIS “EL GORDO” RAFFLE).  THE LATE GRAHAM SCHANLEY WHO USED TO BE OUR EDITOR UNTIL THE WEB PAGE CAME INTO BEING.  EVE FITZGERALD IS IN A NURSING HOME UP IN ENGLAND.  MOYRA CASEY IS BACK IN NORTH CAROLINA.

THERE IS NITA MARSH, OVER IN ESTEPONA, NOW A WIDOW FROM THE LATE JIM, AND WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE GIGI JOLY, DAUGHTER OF THE LATE DR. PAUL AND DAPHNE CASTELLE.  GONE TOO IS THE LATE JACKIE TOLER, A R.N. WHO, IN ADDITION TO HOLDING THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT OF OUR CLUB, WAS A VOLUNTEER TO ESCORT ON A FEW OCCASIONS, SPANISH NATIONALS TO THE UNITED STATES FOR TREATMENT AT SPECIFIC HOSPITALS.  THERE IS A BRONZE PLAQUE ON A BENCH AT THE CHURCH SQUARE IN LOS BOLICHES HONORING HER AND HER LATE HUSBAND FOR THEIR DEVOTION TO ASSISTING.  BOBBYE AARON, REPLACED DR. CASTELLE AS THE CONSUL REPRESENTATIVE HERE ON THE COAST AND REMAINS ACTIVE IN OUR CLUB ACTIVITIES.  WE COULD GO ON AND ON, BUT IT WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER FOR EACH CHAPTER TO MAKE A BRIEF HISTORY NOTE TO BE READ BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHAPTER.   OUR BY-LAWS HAVE BEEN AMENDED TO ALLOW A MORE OPEN MEMBERSHIP STANDARD AND OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE LOST AND GAINED CHAPTERS BUT WE’RE ABOUT THE SAME AS WHEN WE STARTED.  WE STILL HAVE OUR “BIG CELEBRATION” EACH YEAR AT THENKSGIVING.  THE CHAPTERS HAVE “THEIR OWN THING” TO KEEP PEOPLE HAPPY AND TOGETHER, USUALLY A MONTHLY LUNCHEON OR A LUNCHEON AFTER A MEETING.  WHAT IS NEEDED IS A HISTORIAN TO GATHER ALL POSSIBLE BITS AND PIECES OF NEWS ON OUR CLUB FROM THE BEGINNING AND STORE THIS INFORMATION ON COMPUTER DISK FOR REFERENCE IN THE FUTURE.  GIGI, DAVID, DOROTHY,  ROSELLA AND NITA, TO NAME A FEW, HAVE VALUABLE DATA ON OUR CLUB THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPILED.  BRIEFLY,  WE STARTED IN 1974, WITH OVER 500 AMERICAN MEMBERS, AND WE HAVE DWINDLED DOWN BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMY OR MEMBERS STARTED AGING AND DECIDED TO LEAVE.  FUENGIROLA USED TO BE THE “BIG” CHAPTER AND IS NOW CONTESTING WITH MALAGA TO WEAR THE TITLE OF SMALLEST WHILE ESTEPONA AND MARBELLA ARE BECOMING LARGER EACH YEAR.  IN OUR 35TH YEAR, WE HAVE THE HONOR OF HAVING MISS CHRISTINA SILVA AS OUR PRESIDENT.  SHE IS FROM MARBELLA AND IS THE PRESIDENT OF  THAT CHAPTER AS WELL.  SHE HAS RECOMMENDED THAT WE PROVIDE A CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION TO A MEMBER EACH YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE  TO OUR FOUNDER PRESIDENT, DR. PAUL CASTELLE. THE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING THE MEMBER TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD WILL BE ANNOUNCED AFTER DISCUSSION AT A CENTRAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING.  IF, AND WHEN, OUR HISTORIAN IS ELECTED TO COMPILE DATA ON OUR CLUB, WE CAN HIRE A COMPOSER AND PRINTER AND MAKE A SMALL  VERY VALUABLE BOOKLET TO USE AS A “TALKING PIECE.”