Scriptores was founded in 1920 by Dr. Augustus H. Shearer, Librarian of Grosvenor Library, and Marc A. Rose, managing editor the Buffalo Evening News. Shearer told Rose about having attended a social event in Philadelphia which was composed of authors, publishers, and other figures of literary society. Together the two men discussed the possibility of creating something similar in Buffalo. Soon they had gathered together a small group of local figures, including George Hibbard, author and librarian, and Dr. Julian Park, the University at Buffalo's first historian and first Dean of Arts and Sciences (1919-1954). They met every two weeks for a luncheon at various downtown restaurants. In 1922, they began meeting in the Refectory of the Grosvenor Library where they continued to meet until it closed in 1954. Other meeting locations included the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, the Hotel Lenox, and most recently the Holiday Inn. The luncheon meetings were eventually reduced to one per month, September through May. Scriptores membership was originally intended for members of the Buffalo community that were writers, and it is noted in Herbert Duschak's Scriptores: A History that "the idea was that everyone should have written, and what is more, should have been paid for writing to prove it was worth something." The membership restrictions were eventually abandoned and members were of all different professions: scientists, business leaders, politicians, teachers and others. The Scriptores' male-only restriction was also lifted. Topics of Scriptores luncheon meetings included architecture, local politics, transportation, and foreign policy, as well as the literary arts. New members and their guests were warmly welcomed into this unique Buffalo organization.
From the description of Scriptores records, 1920-2005, 1989-2005. (SUNY at Buffalo). WorldCat record id: 70080850
