The records include newsletters, correspondence, membership lists, and meeting program information for the Gateway Skeptics club arranged alphabetically by type of document. These records are from the files of Stephen R. Best, one of the club’s founders and officers, and date from the initial meeting in 1988 to the club’s disbanding in 2004.

The Gateway Skeptic newsletters includes notes on meeting programs, notes regarding member activities, and reprints of newspaper articles and/or articles from other regional skeptic organizations. The newsletters begin with the first issue, April 1990, and end in November 2004. The issues are not all numbered, making it difficult to identify specific missing issues. However, there are several apparent gaps, including the entire years of 1998 and 2003. Also, the April issue is the only one present for 1990 and the November issue is the only one for 2002.

The collection includes meeting minutes and agenda only for the first meetings in 1988 and 1989; there are no minutes for subsequent meetings. The Gateway Skeptics adopted a formal constitution and by-laws in 1990. Mr. Best maintained some membership lists and correspondence sent to members such as questionnaires, renewal notices, and the news that the club was disbanding. He also maintained some correspondence on behalf of the club, often to arrange programs or to publicize programs. In addition, he saved news items of interest that might have appeared in the newsletters.

There are several lists of meeting program topics and speakers and also flyers to publicize the meetings. There are postcard reminders for meetings that indicate the club’s Board of Directors held business meetings prior to its programs (f.5). These cards are the only mention of the club’s board. In April 1991, the Gateway Skeptics held a joint meeting with the Missouri Association for Creationism in its effort to promote science education.