A word from Art Wiese: Who played the Club? Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Jack Benny and Pearl Bailey

"Entertainers: Evening galas at the National Press Club in the 1950s and 60s sometimes featured performances by legendary performers, some of the 20th Century's greatest entertainers. Jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman swung out there. Jack Benny and Bob Hope cracked jokes. Nat King Cole and Pearl Bailey sang for their suppers. Sometimes movie stars like Maureen O'Hara were just part of the audience. Those were magical nights at the National Press Club--where news is made (entertainingly) in the nation's capital."

This snippet is one of many put together by the late Art Wiese, who served as Club president in 1979. He was responsible for planning much of the reconstruction of the Club during its renovation in the early 1980s. In his later years, he put together a series of snippets on the Club's history. In honor of his passing last year, the Wire is running one of them each week while they last.