Soroptimist in the 1940s*

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1940-1942

Director: Lessie M. Hancock, San Jose
Secretary: Abbie Farnsworth, Oakland
Treasurer: Eda Robinson, Marysville
Board of Directors: Hilda O'Neill, Bakersfield,
Emily Ziegler, San Diego

Lessie Hancock will go down in history as the director that called conference sessions to order on time - to the split second.

The minutes of this biennium mention for the first time, such things as (1) requests that local chairmen send publicity to the regional chairman; (2) Soroptimists education in the form of a question and suggestion box on Classifications; (3) report of the regional Venture clubs; (4) the first attendance award for the number of members at a regional conference; (5) requests for orders from clubs for a history of Soroptimism; (6) a resolution that proper steps be taken to get the Soroptimist emblem in Webster's dictionary and the World Almanac; (7) a report of the president's round table (later called president's council); and the Peace committee, reporting as a national defense committee, showed fantastic amounts of work done, from baking to selling bonds, from staffing listening posts to donating blood, yet taking time to make a report!"

Even in war-time clubs were chartered and the April 1942 report shows 46 clubs and 1,364 members. It ends with this quote by Dr. Elizabeth Ayers of the Oakland club: "When we have won this fight, we must also win the peace."

* reprinted from Southwestern Region's history book entitled "Out Where It All Began" written and compiled for a celebration of Soroptimist's 50th anniversary in 1971 and updated and reprinted in 1996 for the celebration of Soroptimist's 75th anniversary, prepared by the Founder Region 75th Anniversary Committee and entitled Founder Region "The Way It Was".