View of five unidentified Townsend Club members standing outside of Tacoma's Music Box Theatre in November of 1948. They are proudly wearing "Townsend" hats and displaying their club banner with the theater movie ticket window in background. The Townsend Plan called for a $200 a month pension for every retired person over 60. The Club's slogan was "work for youth and age for leisure." Support for the Townsend Plan fueled President Franklin D. Roosevelt's support for the Social Security Act. Townsend Clubs continued to be popular until 1950 when social security benefits finally overtook welfare payments.

Clubs--Tacoma; Motion picture theaters--Tacoma; Banners--Tacoma; Meetings--Tacoma; Motion picture posters; Music Box Theatre (Tacoma); Townsend Clubs of America (Tacoma);

The Tacoma Chapter of Townsend Clubs of America had its State Headquarters located in the Bernice Building in downtown Tacoma at 1108 Pacific Avenue, room 506. View of Townsend Club members standing outside of Tacoma's Music Box Theatre, "When My Baby Smiles At Me" movie poster is hanging above group, the club members are wearing hats the read "Townsend", and their club banner is proudly displayed. In 1933, Dr. Francis E. Townsend proposed a government sponsored old age pension plan. During the Depression, his plan was supported by five thousand Townsend Clubs across the country, boasting five million members. Although never enacted, the support for his plan coerced Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt into supporting the Social Security Act in 1935. The Clubs were still thriving until 1950, when Social Security benefits finally exceeded welfare payments.

Clubs--Tacoma; Motion picture theaters--Tacoma; Meetings--Tacoma; Motion picture posters; Banners--Tacoma; Music Box Theatre (Tacoma); Townsend Clubs of America (Tacoma);