History of the GGMC

The formation of the Piedmont Mineral Club in late 1954 was a direct result of an interest in uranium and gold prospecting, mining, and possibilities of profits. Three of the eleven charter members banded together in hopes of realizing their dreams. The charter members were: Hoyt S. Aaron of Burlington, North Carolina; Frank E. Gilliam, Herman C. Hall, Douglas B. Johnson, Sr. N. F. Johnson, Abe M. Nail, Jack M. Wall, Thomas H. Wall, Robert H. Wall, Gene E. Walters, and Ed Welch, all of Greensboro, North Carolina. The first meetings were held in a television service center and FM transmitting station, WMDE-FM. The station was owned by Herman Hall of Howard Street, located off Spring Garden Street in Greensboro. Meetings were later moved to the Natural Science Center of Greensboro, formally known then as the Greensboro Junior Museum.

The interests of the club members have always been varied. Micro-mounts were popular in the early 1960’s followed by Lapidary arts in the form of cabochons and gem faceting. Roy Greene has remained active in the lapidary arts and in partnership with Carl Braswell and Tom Ricks, opened Gemcrafters in November 1974. Roy was president of the club in 1967 and became a graduate gemologist in April, 1981. Roy donated to the Natural Science Center, fifty cut and polished North Carolina gemstones. The collection is the largest indigenous gemstone collection in North Carolina and possibly the United States. Ethel Windsor donated to the Natural Science Center, her entire collection of North Carolina petrified wood 7 1/2 tons. In addition, she donated a collection of rare Tempsky, a tree fern fossils. For more than thirty years the club has been meeting monthly and the name has been changed to the Greensboro Gem and Mineral Club. In 1999 the Club became an independent not-for-profit corporation with a 501.C.3 tax exemption certification and the Club has broadened it’s community involvement and is now The Greensboro Gem and Mineral Club, Inc.