History

Westmorland Neighborhood Association Celebrates 70th Anniversary

by Tom Martinelli, History Committee
This article was written for the May 2011 Courier

The Westmorland Neighborhood Association (WNA) has existed since April of 1941 and is the fourth oldest neighborhood association in the city of Madison. Only Mendota Beach Homes (1933), Crestwood (1946), and Sunset Village (1940) are older than the WNA (information from “A Guide to Madison’s Neighborhood Associations”, Madison Department of Planning & Development, Planning Unit, 1988). A committee of ten people gathered for a meeting at the James H. March home at 4001 Mineral Point Road on April 1, 1941 to discuss the formation of the Westmorland Community Association (WCA) in order have an organization to lead the efforts for street improvements, landscaping of public areas, development of play areas or parks, supervision of housing development, promotion of community services, and the carrying out of social activities in the neighborhood.   

The first general meeting of the WCA was held at the March home on April 3, 1941. Seventy-five people attended the meeting. The group decided to incorporate as a non-profit association with the name of the Westmorland Community Association (WCA). A board of seven directors was elected and  directed to draft proposed by-laws, appoint sub-committees, and complete the association incorporation papers. The original boundaries of the WCA were the Speedway (Mineral Point) Road on the north, Glenway Street on the east, Tokay Street (later changed to Blvd.) on the south and Holly Avenue on the west. Association dues were established at fifty cents for residents over 21 years of age. Fifty-five people joined the association in April of 1941.

The WCA’s first project was the organization of a Fourth of July celebration in 1941. The association rented a large circus tent and pitched it on a vacant lot west of Toepfer Avenue between Birch Avenue and Euclid Avenue. Events included a children’s parade, baseball games, horseshoes, bingo, and food with beverages. The WCA developed a neighborhood directory, supported preschool activities and a Boy Scout troop, began a neighborhood newsletter called the Dope, for two years, and then the Courier. The association’s next project, starting in September 1941, was the promotion of the purchase of the seven and one half acres that would become Westmorland Park. The land was tax delinquent and therefore owned by Dane County.  Finally, in May 1943, the association paid the Town of Madison the sum of $1,500, with $1,000 coming from the association and $500 from the residents of Westmorland, toward the purchase of the property from Dane County and development costs.  
The annual Fourth of July celebration was then held at the park for the first time in 1944.   

In December 1941, the association sponsored a Christmas home decoration contest and a Santa visit to the homes of young children, two events that continue to this day. A shelter building was erected in the park by the Town of Madison in 1945.
During World War II, the association encouraged “victory gardens” on vacant lots in Westmorland and gave a $20 prize for the best garden.

The WCA membership grows from the original 45 members in April 1941 to 140 members by the end of 1941, then to 367 in 1945 and 570 in 1951. The membership dues were still fifty cents. The association was supporting better bus service for the area, social events for adults, the Fourth of July celebration, Christmas and Halloween parties for children, resident safety campaigns, and the purchase of playground equipment for the new park.

By 1949, the boundaries of the WCA had been expanded to Glenway Street on the east, Tokay Blvd. on the south, Midvale Blvd. on the west, and Mineral Point on the north, plus the area known as Arlington Heights north of Mineral Point Road, between Speedway Road, Franklin Street on the east, Regent Street on the north, and Larkin Street on the west and the area known as Pilgrim Village, bounded by Mineral Point on the south, Westmorland Blvd. on the west, Regent Street on the north, and Larkin Street on the east.

In November of 1954, the Midvale Heights association was formed from the newly developed area west of Midvale Blvd. Westmorland and Midvale Heights neighborhoods then worked together providing the Fourth of July event for many years.
At the 15th Annual Meeting of the WCA on April 13, 1955, the boundaries of the association were again revised to Mineral Point Road on the north, Glenway Street on the east, the Illinois Central Railroad tracks on the southeast, Odana Road on the south, and the new section of Midvale Blvd on the west. The Pilgrim Village and Arlington Heights areas north of Mineral Point Road were removed from the association.

At the April 9, 1970 Annual Meeting of the WCA, the association by-laws were yet revised again to include the 106 homes in the area, bounded by Odana Road on the north, the Illinois Central Railroad tracks, and Midvale Blvd. on the west, in the association. Adding this area increased the association membership from 684 to close to 800. Annual membership dues were now $1.50 per family or $0.75 for single adults.

For many years, the Sunset Village neighborhood north of Mineral Point Road partnered with the Westmorland neighborhood to hold various events such as the Fourth of July celebration but was never considered part of the WCA.

When the association celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary in 1976, the membership total was at 736 families and singles, and by 1980 a total of 795 families and singles belonged to the WCA.

The neighborhood association has sponsored an annual meeting every year since 1941 at various locations in the neighborhood. Hundreds of Westmorland residents have volunteered their time over the past seventy years serving on the WCA/WNA Board or helping on various committees or with various activities sponsored by the association. A list of those that have lead these many activities by serving as President of the association is below. 

Other noteworthy milestones for the WCA/WNA include:

1)    June 1941—First “Block Chairmen” were established (later changed to “Block Captains”)  
2)    December 1941—First WCA directory was issued;
3)    Spring, 1956 –The first female president of the association, Mrs. Lou Barsness, was elected;
4)     Fall 1973---First Combined Health Fund Drive was undertaken;
5)     May 1974—Dues raised to $2.00 for families and $1.00 for singles;
6)    Fall, 1981—Neighborhood Crime Watch Program begun;
7)    Spring, 1980—Began to award scholarships to four Westmorland graduating seniors,
8)    May 1982—Dues raised to $4.00 for families and $2.00 for singles;
9)    August 1986—Dues raised to $6.00 for families and $3.00 for singles;
10)    January 1988---WCA Membership began a decline to 665, then to 651 in 1991, and 603 in 1995;
11)    May 1989—Neighborhood Garage Sale Day begun;   
12)    Fall 1996—Dues raised to $8.00 for families and $4.00 for singles;
13)    Fall 1998—Dues raised to $10.00 for families and $5.00 for singles;    
14)    Fall, 1999---WNA membership continues to decline to 571 members;                                  
15)    Fall, 2000---WNA membership at 489 families and singles;
16)    Summer 2003—Name of the association formally changed from Westmorland Community Association (WCA) to Westmorland Neighborhood Association (WNA);
17) January 2005—Winter Wine and Cheese Social revived by the Adult Social Committee;
18)    September 2006 –Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee formed;
19)    Fall, 2008---WNA membership at approximately 488 households (out of 951 residential units, including 887 single family homes and 64 apartment units);
20)    September 2009—Neighborhood Plan completed and approved by Madison City Council
21)    September 2010---WNA membership at 520 households.
 
Westmorland Neighborhood Association Past Presidents

1941/1942    Herbert Jacobs    
1942/1943    Herbert Jacobs    
1943/1944    Ray Heibel
1944/1945    Ray Heibel
1945/1946    Elmer Nielson
1946/1947    L.C. Dingeldine    
1947/1948    Floyd Wheeler
1948/1949    Floyd Wheeler
1949/1950    Horrace W. Wilkie    

1950/1951    Ralph Price
1951/1952    J.C. Trieloff
1952/1953    Donald Krider
1953/1954    John VanGunten    
1954/1955    John VanGunten    
1955/1956    Francis Wash
1956/1957    Mrs. R.B. Barsness    
1957/1958    Mrs. Saeman
1958/1959    Mrs. Kenneth Svee    
1959/1960    Mrs. James (Bev) Greene    

1960/1961    Ray Clausen
1961/1962    F. Earle Cooke    
1962/1963    Bill Scott
1963/1964    John Gill
1964/1965    Clarence Riederer    
1965/1966    Delbert Littel
1966/1967    Roy Lindberg
1967/1968    Tom Ritter
1968/1969    Joe Vanko
1969/1970    Jack Casler

1970/1971    John Roberts
1971/1972    Roger Hallingstad    
1972/1973    John Brugge
1973/1974    Tom Doyle
1974/1975    Ken Schmitt
1975/1976    Dean Ruedy
1976/1977    Robert J. Irwin
1977/1978    Marie McKersie
1978/1979    Duane Bowman, Jr.
1979/1980    Dean Ruedy

1980/1981    William Scott
1981/1982    Marilyn Pertzborn
1982/1983    Midge Hrncirik
1983/1984    Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva
1984/1985    Daryl Lund
1985/1986    Jerry Smith
1986/1987    Robert Weynand
1987/1988    Peggy Giesfeldt
1988/1989    Sharel Surles
1989/1990    Gary Moore

1990/1991    Greg Crews
1991/1992    Greg Crews
1992/1993    Loree Davies
1993/1994    Loree Davies
1994/1995    Ronny Saeman
1995/1996    Laurie Irwin
1996/1997    Laurie Irwin
1997/1998    Margaret Rasmussen
1998/1999    Margaret Rasmussen
1999/2000    Amy Johnanson

2000/2001    Sarah Flanagan
2001/2002    Sarah Flanagan
2002/2003    Brian Tennant
2003/2004    Brian Tennant
2004/2005    Betsy Hauser
2005/2006    Betsy Hauser
2006/2007    Joy Grapentine
2007/2008    Joy Grapentine
2008/2009    Brandon Casto
2008/2009    Dave Blouin
2009/2010    Dave Blouin

2010/2011    Dave Blouin
2011/2012    Emily Feinstein