Wellesley Club of Wellesley Holiday Party

Dede Long has graciously offered her house for the Holiday Party this year at 131 Glen Road.

TIME: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

POTLUCK: Bring a dish to share and a bottle(s) of your favorite beverage to enjoy.

RSVP: Please let me know if you plan to attend and if you will bring a spouse/friend. And let me know what you plan to bring so that if some want ideas, I can ensure that there is a variety of food. Email to whwesterman@yahoo.com.

PARKING: Parking is available in the driveway at the house and it likely will not accommodate everyone. There is street parking on Oxbow and Deen which are cross streets. And there is plenty of parking at the farms train station - it’s a short walk to the house.

HISTORY: 131 Glen Road was built in 1893 and was one of the earliest residences in Wellesley Farms. Its first owner was John Wells Jr., a prominent wholesale merchant of crockery and glassware whose Boston firm was a successor of the internationally renowned mercantile house of Abram French & Co.

In 1924, the house was purchased by William J. Bingham, the first and longtime Athletic Director at Harvard. The Harvard Varsity Club sportsmanship and excellence award, The Bingham Award, remains named for him today. A major contributor to collegiate sports and the one-time record holder in the half-mile run, Bingham is best known as the manager of the US Track and Field Team who ignored Adolf Hitler's demand to bar Jewish and black athletes from the 1936 summer games. Jesse Owens famously won four gold medals in the games held in Berlin that year, and a celebration was held in the home to honor the accomplishment at the games.