About Us

With over 50 members, Postprandial is the strongest Toastmasters Club in the Rochester Area. It’s also one with a long, rich history going back over 40 years.

In 1966, a group of Xerox Corporation employees, working at the Jefferson Road facility in Henrietta, New York, discussed the need to develop communications and leadership skills. One member of the group, Ray Tardiff, was familiar with the Toastmasters International organization as a result of chartering the Skaneateles Toastmasters Club, in upstate New York.

Ray felt that Toastmasters International was the best organization to consider if the objectives were to improve communications and leadership skills, build personal confidence, and at the same time, have fun.

Ray teamed up with Pat Panfile to charter a Toastmasters club. They decided that the club should benefit Xerox as well as Rochester in general, and should therefore be an “open” club). The club was chartered on November 1, 1966 with 21 club members. Ray Tardiff was its first President. Originally the club considered the name Henrietta Toastmasters, since it was based in Henrietta, NY. But since all the members were male, it was felt that the name Henrietta was not suitable. After much discussion and debate, it was decided to name the club Postprandial (after dinner) Toastmasters, since dinner was served at meetings.

Two significant changes in our club’s direction were responsible for the level of strength Postprandial enjoys today:

1) Implementing club leadership activity recommended by Toastmasters International

2) The changing of Toastmasters International policy concerning admission of females into membership.

In 1974, Toastmasters International saw the wisdom of permitting females to join the organization (initially at the ‘option’ of clubs) and changed their Constitution and Bylaws accordingly. Rosalie Wright was the first woman to join Postprandial. Helen Hutchings, Ruth Sherrick and Nancy Ellen Scott followed Rosalie’s induction. And the rest is history.

Many of the Postprandial members have gone on to be Club, District, Region and International officers, successful businessmen and businesswomen, pillars of the community and happy family members thanks, in part, to their Toastmasters communication and leadership training.