Betty club proves age is just a number and Betty is just a vibe
Members of the Original Betty Club meet on March 3 at Good Samaritan Society-Hastings Village in Hastings, Nebraska.
'Either you're named Betty, or you go by the name Betty,' said Krueger, who is 99.
They are the Original Betty Club, a social group founded in 1994 in Hastings, Nebraska, by Betty Krueger. There is only one requirement to join the club.
The 15 women are all named Betty, so when they gather, they call each other by their last names as if they're on a sports team: Krueger, Mehmen, Bittfield. The average age of the women is 85, and one member is 102.
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Krueger got the idea to start the club after hearing a radio story about a similar group in California. Having recently retired as a social worker, she had free time, and 'it just seemed like a fun thing to do,' she said.
But she hesitated, unsure if others would be interested in joining her Betty club.
'I pondered for three years before I had the courage to put an ad in the paper,' Krueger said.
When she finally took out a notice in the Hastings Tribune, letters from local Bettys poured into the post office box she had set up. The Betty Club was born.
'I was just so thrilled with the response of these Bettys, and we went from there,' said Krueger, noting that 11 Bettys attended their first meeting.
Over the past 31 years, the club has congregated four times a year, growing to 25 members at one point.
The club is open to Bettys of all ages, though the name is much less common among younger generations. The name Betty - typically short for Elizabeth - peaked in popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Notable Bettys include former first lady Betty Ford, born in 1918, and actress Betty White, born in 1922.
The Betty Club has 15 members, as well as several honorary members who are unable to meet in-person.
'I couldn't do this club alone; great people helped me through the years and that kept our club going so well,' Krueger said. 'This has been very enjoyable to me.'
The Bettys take turns hosting quarterly meetings, and they assemble a committee to plan them. The club has a president, a vice president, a secretary and a historian, among other leadership roles.
'We always have a program of some kind. Usually it's a speaker,' Krueger said.
People from organizations such as nonprofits, schools and churches speak at the meetings, which they often use to raise money for charitable causes. They also have lunch together and catch up on each other's lives. Sometimes they go on field trips.
'We go around and each tell the important things that our family has done since the last meeting,' Krueger said. 'I have so many friends that I never would have had.'
Betty Mehmen, 84, moved to Nebraska from Texas in 2016.
'I didn't know anybody,' she said.
Mehmen met Krueger at church, and Krueger urged her to join the Betty Club. Mehmen attended the next meeting, and she has been an active club member since.
'I was very impressed. Everybody was so friendly and just made you feel welcome,' said Mehmen, who became the club historian, responsible for archiving photos from each meeting and preserving programs. 'It really helped me know a lot of people in this area that I probably wouldn't have met.'
Between meetings, the women keep in touch through written letters and a 'calling chain.' One Betty calls another, who then calls the next, and so on.
'If there's any kind of news, we keep up with the Bettys,' Mehmen said.
The club's influence has spread beyond Hastings, inspiring another Betty club in Lincoln, Nebraska. Every other year, there is a Betty convention, where dozens of Bettys across Nebraska come together to socialise and participate in parades and events.
'The different towns take turns hosting the conventions,' Krueger said. 'It is very nice for the Bettys.'
Other name-based clubs exist in the United States, including the Jim Smith Society, which was founded in 1969 in Pennsylvania, and the annual Kyle Convention in Kyle, Texas.
But the Bettys say their frequent gathering and close-knit bond set them apart.
'Getting together is my favorite thing,' Krueger said. 'That's an important part of life - to visit and be aware of other people and share their joys. That's what makes life beautiful.'
Krueger hosted the latest meeting on March 3 at the retirement home where she lives, Good Samaritan Society-Hastings Village. Staff admired the event and said they aren't surprised Krueger was the one who brought the club to life.
'She's just the perfect Betty to have started the club,' said Stephanie Uhrmacher, senior living administrator at Good Samaritan Society-Hastings Village. 'Her zest for life is contagious, and to us, she is a legend, a Betty legend. We are very honored to have her on campus.'
Although Krueger remains a club leader, about nine years ago, she passed on her presidential role to Betty Bittfield, 72, the club's second-youngest member. She joined in 1996.
'When you say you have a Betty Club meeting, everybody looks at you like, 'What?'' Bittfield said with a laugh.
Krueger said she's proud of what she started, and she wants to stay involved as long as she can.
'It takes time, it takes effort, but it's worth every bit of it,' she said. 'I've made such wonderful friends.'
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