Coffee klatch? A vision of 1950s-era women sitting around the kitchen table à la Donna Reed and enjoying a good gossip comes to mind.

Stop by Doughworks, Durango Coffee Co., McDonald’s, Carver Brewing Co., or the Strater Hotel most mornings, and you’ll discover Durango’s version of the coffee klatch. It’s all male, and the conversations range from books and marijuana to medicine and the quality of the snow at Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort.

“Women have bridge clubs, book clubs and gardening clubs,” said Brian Hoffman, a member of the Old Geezers, who meet Tuesday mornings at Doughworks, “We have coffee clubs.”

A majority of the men who participate in local coffee groups are retired, although the Strater Coffee Club, which meets Monday through Friday, began as a group of professional men and business owners in 1948. The late Robert Beers is widely credited with founding it, and he was a member until his death in 2011, more than 60 years.

“Bob would be willing to miss anything else, but he would never miss that coffee club if he was in town,” his son-in-law Jerry Phillips said.

Through the years, the club has boasted Durango mayors and city councilors and La Plata County commissioners as well as state senators and representatives as members.

“It was said around town that the people who attended the coffee club were the movers and shakers,” said Mahlon T. “Butch” White, former owner of First National Bank of Durango, when Beers died. “If something had to be brought to the attention of the president of the United States, that group could do it in a week.”

The club was even referred to in former Sen. Gary Hart’s thinly veiled novel called Durango.

Are they still the movers and shakers?

“Now, we’re just a group of friends who like to get together for coffee,” said Bill O’Dowd, a newcomer to the club after 12 years. “We’ve shared a lot of laughter and tears.”

They also share an abundance of traditions from the decades of meeting at the Strater Hotel. While the price has doubled from 50 cents to $1 per person, the group has managed to convince hotel owner Rod Barker, an occasional attendee, to continue serving them in porcelain cups rather than the paper cups used for hotel guests.

And then there’s the game. The “winner” ends up paying the tab for the day, unless there are eight or more people attending, when they play two games. The “winner” from the previous day’s game picks the number of something, and everyone tries to guess it, going around the table with guesses and hints as to whether the guess is high or low.

George Folk, who ran the game Monday, asked the number of Hallelujahs sung in the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

The answer (which is probably based on how many times all four parts sing it)? The Herald reporter ended up with the bill after a correct guess of 167.

“New money,” several said with a laugh.

Some coffee clubs have members who are pursuing a specific interest such as science and technology or a group of Methodist men. Others once shared a common profession, such as the retired Fort Lewis College professors.

And then there’s the Strater group.

“He’s our doctor, he’s our judge, he’s the only one still working, I’m the farmer,” said LaVern Nelson, a 22-year-member of the Strater Coffee Club, pointing out Dr. Chet Wigton, Judge Jim Childress and Dennis Johnson, owner of Stuart’s of Durango, in the group.

Attendance ranges from about eight in the winter to as many as 15 or 20 in the summer, when the snowbirds return.

The long-term socializing leads to a lot of ribbing, where it’s important to give as good as they get.

Asked if they socialize outside the club, a succinct “only accidentally,” is the riposte.

A healthy habit

One research study after another has shown the positive effects of friendship on health and longevity. Strong friendships have been shown to support everything from healing from cancer to decreasing susceptibility to the common cold.

Durango’s coffee klatchers agree.

“Other than around athletics or professional groups, I never really had a group of guys to hang out with like this,” said John Heavenrich of the Geezers. “They’re interesting people who are readers and follow world affairs. We have really interesting discussions that I find very stimulating.”

Nelson also finds it keeps him moving.

“It gets me out of the house and away from watching TV,” he said. “It keeps me active.”

Many men are members of more than one group, but Chaput may take the award for most groups. In addition to the Geezers, he belongs to the technology and science group, a group of High Noon Rotary members who meet after the Thursday meetings, a cycling group that meets for coffee when it’s too cold to hit the road and even a co-ed group that includes some wives that meets most Saturdays at Carver’s.

“I guess I drink a lot of coffee,” he said.

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How to join a coffee club

You’re a man sitting at home and thinking it sounds kind of fun to be in a group like the coffee clubs in this story.
But how do you join?
Membership in the Strater Coffee Club has generally been by invitation of a current member. “But it’s open enrollment now,” said Rod Barker, owner of the Strater Hotel and a second-generation member of the group. “Anyone who wants to join can come on down and check it out.” Just look out because you may be stuck paying the tab. They love new money.
Old Geezers membership is by invitation, as are several others.
Any man who wants to join a group discussing spiritual matters is welcome at the Methodist Men’s coffee. Call the church office at 247-4213 for more information.
Membership in the retired Fort Lewis College professors group is limited to retired FLC professors.

Coffee club etiquette 101

None of the coffee clubs has hard and fast rules or attendance requirements.
But there are some understandings:
1. Don’t monopolize the conversation.
“We invited a guy once who took over and never stopped talking,” George Richardson of the Old Geezers said. “He had really interesting experiences, but he was not a very good listener.”
2. Don’t hit members up for your favorite causes all the time.
The Geezers decided to halt any fundraising activities after several successful efforts, including raising about $50,000 for the sphere at Durango Discovery Museum and, with a matching grant, more than $100,000 for author Greg Mortenson’s schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan when the Three Cups of Tea author came to town.
“It’s an informal rule to protect ourselves from Walt Dear,” said member Bob Chaput. “He’s got a certain, shall we say, enthusiastic talent for fundraising.”
3. Be willing to go with the flow.
There’s rarely an agenda beyond the Geezers’ FaceTime with Ray Parker, who was forced to move to the Los Angeles area for health reasons.
“My wife asked what we talk about,” Chaput said. “I said there’s no agenda. We bring up a subject, and the group either takes it up or ignores it.”
4. Try not to tell the same stories over and over.
“Luckily, we’re getting old enough we don’t always remember them,” said Bill O’Dowd, a member of the Strater Club. “But we definitely know each other’s stories.”