About Our Club
Our Purpose
The Toledo Gem and Rockhound Club exists to promote and encourage interest and education in the study of :
- geology & paleontology
- lapidary arts
- crafting of gemstones
- jewelry making & working with metals
Extraordinary Experiences
Our methods for teaching our members and/or the public about our hobby include both lecture and hands on learning experiences such as:
- presentations at our monthly meeting
- presentations for schools & other organizations
- open houses & our annual show
- working groups that meet on a regular schedule
- workshops
- field trips
The History of TG&RC
The first organizational meeting was held in January 1962. We met in the homes and garages of the founding members. Later, we met at the Toledo Zoo and then in the United Auto Workers Union Hall. We were incorporated as a not for profit organization in 1966 for the purpose of promoting interest and increasing knowledge in the fields of Mineralogy, Geology and the Lapidary Arts. We are members of both the MidWestern Federation and the American Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies. We moved to our next location, The Toledo Botanical Garden (although at the time it was known as Crosby Gardens) in May 1974. The building we were given was a chicken coop. As you can see the original members donated a great deal of sweat equity in finishing that structure. They poured concrete floors, wired the building, added a new roof and added a new area to one side.
The craft center, as it is now called, serves several purposes. In 2021 TGRC moved into a brand new facility with rooms dedicated to each discipline in our club.
The club’s Executive Board have their quarterly meetings at the center. The club is governed by an elected president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and a sergeant at arms. There are three elected directors, plus the past president, the editor of the Rocky Reader (the club newsletter) and the chairperson of the show committee.
The Toledo Gem and Rockhound Club by establishing scholarship trust funds at both the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University award several scholarships each year. These scholarships are decided by the head of departments at the universities and are usually used to defray expenses for the student’s summer field trips. Today we are a family of about 130 members.