SI/San Francisco, CA, Celebrates 100th Anniversary
Congratulations to Soroptimist International of San Francisco, CA (Sierra Pacific Region), and all its members as they mark the 100th Anniversary of their chartering on March 6!
While Soroptimist headquarters does not hold archival information on the chartering of the new Soroptimist Club in San Francisco, there are some trails of information in the public domain.
Stuart Morrow started the organization of the San Francisco club soon after completing the chartering of the Alameda County Soroptimist Club (now SI of Oakland-The Founder Club) across San Francisco Bay, most likely in early November 1921. The first notice we can find in publicly available databases is an article in The San Francisco Examiner on December 13, 1921, for a meeting held the prior day. Like the Alameda County club, Morrow planned organizational meetings on Mondays, and speakers were invited to the meetings. Meetings were held at the St. Francis Hotel.
Violet Richardson, the charter president of the Alameda County club, spoke to the San Francisco club at its December 27, 1921, meeting, which was held on a Tuesday because of the Christmas holiday. At the January 9, 1922, meeting, an article in the Examiner noted there were sixty members of the club in attendance, and “This club is the only one of its kind in the city, its policy and business principles being based on that of the Rotary clubs throughout the country, but the membership is for women. The Soroptimist Club is a national organization, with branches in each city.”
By the January 16 meeting, group captains were being mentioned in the Examiner article. These members, charged with ensuring other members would attend the weekly meeting were: Etta J. Guyett, Dr. Madeline John, Emelie Le Doux, Ruth Pierson, Eva Robinson, Margaret Wilber, and Dr. Pauline Shaeffer Eckman.
The election of club officers took place on Monday, February 27, 1922. Dr. Fannie McG. Williams was elected the first president, along with Clara Ward, vice-president, Margaret Medbury, secretary, and Lola Beck, treasurer.
An extensive article a week of the club’s March 6, 1921, charter ceremony noted the various guests, including the presidents of San Francisco’s Rotary, Optimist, and Dial clubs, as well as Violet Richardson. Musical and dramatic presentations were offered to the attendees, and the officers, joined by club directors Abbie Wilkins, Jean McEwen, Mathilde Kahn, Stella Donovan, and Mary Mentzer, MD, were installed as the club’s leadership.