The Procrastinators' Club of America is based in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and describes its purpose as promoting "the philosophy of relaxation through putting off until later those things that needn't be done today." It was established in 1956 as a joke by Les Waas who eventually registered it as a business in Philadelphia in 1966. Waas remained the organization's president until at least 2011.

Membership

The club had an international membership of about 6,000 people in 1995 and 12,000 as of 2011. The club does not appear to have a webpage. As of 1995, members could join by sending a $20 membership fee to a Philadelphia

post office box A post office box (commonly abbreviated as P.O. box, or also known as a postal box) is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office. In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door to door delivery ...

, and would receive a newsletter called "Last Month's Newsletter".

Events and protests

In 1966, the club held an anti-war demonstration, against the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, with signs saying "Procrastinators protest the War of 1812!" and "Dolly Bird - Tell Pres. Madison We Want Peace!"(10 March 1966)
Club Protests War of 1812
''

The Lantern ''The Lantern'' is an independent daily newspaper in Columbus, Ohio, by students at Ohio State University. It is one of the largest campus newspapers in the United States, reaching a circulation of 15,000. Copies of the paper are free and avail ...

'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

). The club's newsletter announced that the protest was a success because "a treaty has now been signed." During the

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. It was a central event ...

, the club vowed to picket the

Whitechapel Bell Foundry The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. The bell foundry primarily made church bells a ...

, who cast the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence ...

, with signs "We got a lemon" and "What about the warranty?" The foundry told the protesters that it would be glad to replace the bell—so long as it was returned in the original packaging.Kelly, Dennis (5 November 1982)
Procrastinators attach great wait to problems
''San Bernardino Sun'', p. D1 In 1976, the club awarded the

Betsy Ross Bridge The Betsy Ross Bridge, also known as the Ross Memorial Bridge, is a continuous steel truss bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pennsauken, New Jersey. It was built from 1969 to 1974, and opened in April 1976, du ...

in Philadelphia the "Award to Come Later" award for its long delayed opening.(17 February 1976)
Procrastinators make virtue of delay
'' Press-Republican'' (UPI) Lester Morton "Les" Waas, the founder of the club, died in 2016 aged 94 years.Perry, Richard
"Les Waas, Mister Softee’s Songwriter, Dies at 94"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. April 27, 2016.Yang, Tia S
"Les Waas, legend in advertising, known for jingles"
'' Philadelphia Inquirer''. April 23, 2016.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Clubs and societies in Philadelphia 1956 establishments in Pennsylvania Organizations established in 1956

Membership

Events and protests

See also

References