Palm Beach Round Table

During a winter stay in Palm Beach, Florida in 1933, Mr. Alexander Mectier Hadden and Mrs. Maude Miner Hadden developed a circle of friends with whom they met on a regular basis to discuss world problems.  These meetings soon evolved into the Palm Beach Round Table.   The organization's mission was to provide informative events led by international policymakers, spread more accurate knowledge of international and national problems, and provide scholarships, through membership fees and donations, for international students to attend seminars.

Throughout the course of World War II, soldiers stationed at nearby Morrison Field took part in Round Table activities, including lectures on national and international problems.  In addition, informal talks, language classes, musicals, parties, movies, and dances were held to entertain the troops.  On Sunday afternoons, well-known artists would drop by to sketch portraits of the soldiers that were then sent home to their families.  More than a social haven, the Palm Beach Round Table also provided housing to the wives and children of soldiers.

Over the years, a variety of well-known speakers have contributed their knowledge of global and cultural affairs to members of the Palm Beach community, including General Omar Bradley, Senator James W. Fulbright, Baroness Maria Von Trapp, General Douglas MacArthur, President Richard M. Nixon, Mr. Ralph Nader, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, and Senator Bob Dole.  Mrs. Maude Miner Hadden remained president of the Palm Beach Round Table from its establishment in 1933 to 1962.  Mr. Frank Wright succeeded Mrs. Hadden as president and continued to bring stimulating events to Palm Beach residents for over three decades.  Following Mr. Wright's retirement in 1994 the Palm Beach Round Table discontinued its regular program of activities.