In 1952, District 37 was honored to host a visit by Toastmasters International Founder, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley. Smedley attended the Fall Conference at the Battery Park Hotel in Asheville. Asheville Toastmasters Club member G. Edison Hill hosted the visit. Hill was honored by District 37 in 2007 for more than 50 years of leadership. He was also awarded the “TRIO Appreciation Shining Star Award” at the 60th Anniversary Fall Conference in November 2012. (The embedded photo above shows Hill chatting with Dr. Smedley on the rooftop Observatory at the historic Battery Park Hotel during the visit.)

For many years Toastmasters International was a men-only organization. The Chapel Hill Toastmasters Club opened its doors to women in 1973. Today, women comprise over 50 percent of membership in District 37, many serving in senior district leadership positions.

District 37 claims seven International Directors in Region VIII and 10 Presidential Citation Award Recipients. Additionally, District 37 members who have competed on the “World Championship of Public Speaking” main stage are Burlington’s Leonard Butler in 1959, Hornet’s Nest’s Larry Tucker in 2000, Goldmine’s Brian Woolf in 2003, and Greenville’s Brian Corey in 2012.

In 2018 Kevin Johnson of Talk of the Town Toastmasters in Greensboro advanced to be one of the final ten contestants of the World Championship of Public Speaking!

In 2020 Linda-Marie Miller of “FhIgure of Speech” Toastmasters in Durham took Second Place in the World Championship of Public Speaking!

Beginning with the 2020/2021 Toastmasters year, District 37 split into two districts. District 37 is western North Carolina and District 117 is eastern North Carolina.

See a list of our District Directors and their accomplishments.

Toastmasters Timeline