Celebrating 100 Years
Message from the Club President
The Club’s 100th birthday on July 6, 2025, is fast on approach. While we kicked off our Centennial year celebrations in 2024, the coming six months will see some key events in the lead up to the Club’s highly anticipated milestone. Our upcoming events will encapsulate the rich history and showcase how the Club came to be and the value of its contribution to community and beyond.
The Board and the Centennial Committee are excited! Whether you’re learning about the Club’s history at the Country Club’s installation, or attending an informative speaker series, dancing it up at the Town Club’s Grand Greatest Gatsby in June, or attending the 100 hours of Centennial and Independence Day Party in July, at the Country Club, remember that the Club’s foundations are built on the strong values of Family, Community and Stewardship.
I look back on my childhood memories of the Club, where I grew up and where my children are growing up, and I hope you’ll join me in reflecting and honoring all that the Club has become. A gathering place, united in cultural similarities where we look to connect, engage, and support one another.
As we celebrate the key events in the first half of 2025, we should be reminded that our two world-class facilities exist thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the members before us. It is through their leadership and the Club’s stewardship, that we have a Club that is even better for the next generation of members. The premier private club in the world!
Please enjoy the celebrations, make sure you visit the Country Store for a Centennial memento and be ready for the next 100 years!”
Message from the Club President
After years of deliberation, planning and excitement, we are finally celebrating our Centennial. It’s a year of parties, activities, and a return of the Waldorf salad, but it’s also a time of reflection.
Honoring the history of the American Club, the members who built, maintained, and grew it and those who have joined and served and continue to be part of the ongoing community of the Club takes center stage. There will be plenty of opportunities to read stories about our various locations and facilities over the last 100 years, as well as hear anecdotes and view memorabilia. In Eagles and Dragons, installations and even on menus, members will be transported to different times during our history in Hong Kong.
We have much to be thankful for at the American Club. Our diverse membership continues to thrive, our two incredible facilities are complementary hallmarks of tradition and excellence, and our financial stability continues to serve our community through challenging periods such as COVID.
As we celebrate our Centennial, we must also remember to future proof our Club for the next 100 years, ensuring that generations in the future can enjoy a little bit of “home” as well as be part of a community which embraces Hong Kong, our vast membership, and our commitment to the city.
Message from the Club President
As the Club’s 92nd President, I am privileged to launch this site as a prologue to the American Club’s Centennial celebration. Over the next two years, we look forward to engaging membership, the American community in Hong Kong, and our local partners to commemorate one hundred years of the Club’s role as a cornerstone of camaraderie, cultural exchange, and cherished memories.
We plan to honor the Club’s unique role in the lives of those who have adopted Hong Kong as a home; the special contributions that the Club and its members have made to our greater community over the years; and the bright potential of our next one hundred years in Hong Kong. We pay tribute to our past in order to reinforce the foundations on which we build our future.
The Centennial Committee, Executive Committee and the Board are thrilled to share this incredible milestone with you. We welcome you to reflect with us on the power of our shared heritage, and hope that you will contribute your ideas, memories and inspiration to this effort. Please reach out to the Centennial Committee with your thoughts.
We hope you enjoy this site and all the festivities to follow.
Message from Chair of the Centennial Committee
And we’re off! The Centennial Celebration began with gusto on July 6, 2024, at the Independence Day party. First up was the reopening of the Eagle’s Nest which was so welcomed by our young members. After a few short words (the kids wanted to play!), everyone was interested in the two works of art drawn by two young members chosen through the Lucky Draw to be featured in the Country Club beginning in September. Keep your eyes open for these two works of art hanging in the Club.
Thank you to every member who answered our call and has submitted some Club memorabilia from their own files. With this help, we have put together a treasure trove of photos, mementos, and memories to be featured throughout the year. The Country Club will be first to see some of these with a Centennial historical installation beginning September 18, 2024. Come take a walk-through and see how the Club has transformed from its original 7 members to our current membership of over 2,700!
Where will you notice new Centennial treatments at the Club? Look around from new menu items as well as some Centennial fun facts on the menus, to periodic “Arcs of Delight”, to a talk with the architect and designer of the Country Club, to special events with a Centennial theme. Even our annual events have been given a Centennial twist this year. And lastly, please be sure to find some Centennial swag in the Country Store. You’ll find items for yourself or to give as a gift. You can even order an archival SCMP front page for any date, which makes a wonderful way to mark a special date.
Let us know your favorite parts of this year-long celebration. We look forward to hearing from you!
The Centennial Committee
Front row: Carol DeMaio (Chair) & Christina Tam (Vice Chair).
Back row: Carrie Chen, Paul Frost, Rebecca Terner Lentchner, RJ Asher, Claire Shah & David Ketchum.
Not present: Gary Liu, Kate Carango, Mona Shah & Perry Lam.
The Centennial Committee was formed in February 2022.
To plan twelve months of activities takes a great deal of brainstorming, listening, financial planning, teamwork, and lots of lead time. Key planning milestones have been figuring out what the framework for the celebration year should look like, how to recount our history not only to our members but also to the Hong Kong community, determining who our partners are and how they can be included in this celebration, and further, how to look forward to the next 100 years.
An agency was key to helping us develop our Centennial messaging and branding. Having a recognizable, clear and elegant logo for the 100th anniversary was essential to the promotion of the events. The process of brainstorming, listening, and fine-tuning the logo concepts finally led to the Centennial logo and a set of goals.
2025 Goals & Objectives
- Continue to assess and refine event, activities, venue, installation assets for the Centennial with close attention and control on activities with long lead times. Manage budget in line with Board approved $5M (January 2024).
- Oversee that event concepts, and merchandise designs are in line with the full campaign plan. Monitor milestones for completion and associated metrics.
- Monitor key metrics for member and general audience engagement during the lead-up to the Centennial celebration on July 6, 2024 and during the year-long celebration (Phase 3). Adjust metrics based on actual results during active celebration year.
- Ensure that risk mitigation is considered during the lead-up and throughout the celebration year, with the assistance of the Committee input and Public Relations agency.
- As part of the Centennial project, establish a digital archive policy that complements the physical asset policy. Consider long term options for protecting the Club’s artifacts (existing documented collections/to be collected and documented) as part of an overarching policy review for archive perpetuity.