USA > North Carolina > History of the North Carolina State Division American Association of University Women, 1927-1947 [1948] > Part 2
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Branch representation was reported as follows:
Asheville 4, Chapel Hill 9, Charlotte 11, Durham 3, Greens- boro 4, Greenville 4 (new), High Point 5, Raleigh 2, States- ville 6, Winston-Salem 4.
It was noted in the minutes of this convention that attention was called to Article VIII, Section 2, of the by-laws which reads: "At the first regular meeting of the State Division the president and secretary shall be elected for a term of two years, and the vice-president and treasurer for one year. Thereafter the officers shall be elected regularly for a term of two years". This then established the custom of staggering officers to prevent an entire new slate in any one year.
CHAPTER VI-FIRST BOARD MEETING 1930
The first Executive Board Meeting was held in the home of Mrs. E. R. Mosher, Chapel Hill, November 15, 1930. The min- utes say that the Board met "for the purpose of outlining the work for the year, defining the policies for the year, and suggest- ing means of procedure in accomplishing results."
These minutes also state: "The date of the State Convention was fixed as April 24-25, 1931, and the meeting place as Dur- ham."
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State Dues Increased at the Convention of 1931.
When the Executive Board met on the first day of the Conven- tion it agreed to "recommend to the Association a per capita fee of twenty-five cents instead of ten cents as now provided in the constitution. This change is recommended in order to meet the increased expenditure necessary to the needs of the growing associ- ation that it may keep up with the activities recommended by the national AAUW and the local opportunities to serve."
The minutes of the Fourth Annual Meeting of the State Divi- sion held in Durham, April 24-25, 1931, explain that, "The theme of the president's message was better state organization. In reviewing the four years' work, she said that the first two years were given to organization and articulation with sectional and national units; that the third year was spent strengthening the branches and launching the Fellowship drive; and that the fourth year was devoted to making the state organization more effective."
From these and preceding minutes we find that Miss Alice Bald- win of Duke University had helped to launch the State Division on the project of Vocational Guidance for girls in secondary and college preparatory schools, which as a common interest had served to unify the branches.
In this meeting the state president suggested the creation of a State Board of Directors to consist of the branch presidents to- gether with the general state officers to meet each fall.
It was reported that the following delegates had attended the fiftieth anniversary of the AAUW in Boston: Dr. Alice E. Bald- win, Durham; Mrs. Clyde Milner, Greensboro; Miss Catherine Allen, Raleigh; Miss Dorothy Knox, Winston-Salem; and Miss Sara Rowe of Durham and Boston.
Dr. Kathryn McHale, national executive secretary commented on the progress made by the N. C. Division under Mrs. Mosher's leadership and stated that, "Among presidents of state associations she not only measures up, but stands without a peer."
There was much discussion in this meeting of the need for vocational guidance.
Various delegates reported on progress made in assisting girls in certain localities.
Luncheon speaker was Prof. Winfred Cullis, president of the International Federation of University Women, head of the De- partment of Physiology of the Woman's Medical College, Uni- versity of London, England.
Mrs. Mosher was elected president for a third year and Mar-
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guerite Herr who had filled out the unexpired term of Sara Rowe was renamed as secretary.
CHAPTER VII-THE YEARS 1931-33
The second Executive Board Meeting of the Board of Directors was held October 24, 1931, in High Point. The state president urged that all branches get better acquainted with the national organization and that facts in the Bulletin be brought to the attention of the clubs at each meeting.
Winston-Salem was decided upon as the place of meeting for the State Convention, April, 1932.
Quotation from minutes: "The president recommended that all branches get a copy of the survey of college curricula made by the Durham branch to help girls find a college best adapted to their needs."
1932-The State Convention of April 15-16, 1932, held at The Robert E. Lee Hotel in Winston-Salem, was opened by a meeting of the Board of Directors which revealed the following in regard to membership and attendance of the local branches:
Study clubs aroused interest and increased attendance for Ashe- ville.
High Point had begun the year with a banquet to which all college women in the city had been invited.
Durham had added 50 new members through outstanding pro- grams.
Charlotte had created interest by presenting a lecture course by Miss Harriet Elliott of Woman's College, Greensboro, and by sponsoring a library school and the distribution of library books.
Chapel Hill through varied programs had been able to hold remarkable attendance.
The Raleigh branch had raised its membership and attendance through a drama study group and a program on national and international problems.
The branches reported various ways of raising money for the Fellowship Fund, but they got the cash.
Plans were laid for the next meeting of the Board of Directors in Greensboro in the fall and the annual Convention to meet in Raleigh the next spring.
The Elon branch, the newest branch, was recognized and wel- comed by the state president in the general session of April 16, 1932. This later became the Alamance branch.
Mrs. Mosher stated that the Board of Directors' Meeting held
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the previous fall was the "most profitable activity" of her ex- perience in office.
During this meeting, according to the minutes read by Miss Herr, "Miss Alice Meserve, Professor of Language at Peace Insti- tute, Raleigh, read the history of the AAUW in N. C. which was most interestingly compiled from branch reports and was a real contribution to state records." (But where are these records now? They were not found in the official files.)
Registration showed 116 delegates present, representing 42 col- leges.
Guest speakers for the banquet were Miss Mary Kiver, a Chinese student at the University of North Carolina, who spoke on "Higher Education of Women in China"; and Dr. J. Fred Rippy of Duke University, who discussed the question, "What Interest has the United States in the present difficulties in China and Japan?"
Board Meeting 1932.
The annual Board of Directors Meeting was held at Guilford College, November 5, 1932, with Mrs. Clyde Milner of the Greensboro branch as hostess.
Mrs. Mosher had recently left the State, and so Miss Alice Meserve, Vice President presided. In the absence of Miss Mar- guerite Herr, secretary, Mrs. W. N. Hicks served as secretary pro- tem.
The treasurer, Miss Maurine Bledsoe, reported a satisfactory balance as of July 2, 1932.
Miss Meserve was elected president to succeed Mrs. Mosher.
Branch presidents reported for Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Greenville, High Point, Winston-Salem. There were no reports from Asheville, Charlotte, Elon, and Statesville.
The Fellowship Fund chairman, Miss Florence Schaeffer, re- ported that contributions had dropped more than fifty percent from the year before.
Convention 1933.
The Convention opened as usual with an Executive Board Meeting at the Sir Walter Hotel in Raleigh April 21, 1933. The Board proposed the publication of an official state bulletin for the fall of 1933, this bulletin to contain a list of state and local officers and committee chairmen. The Board recommended that this proposal be presented to the delegates in the convention proper, together with the resolution that a second bulletin containing a list of publications by members of the AAUW, also be published for distribution.
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In regular session next day, both resolutions were approved.
The Executive Board members were guests of Miss Ellen Brewer, home economics teacher of Meredith College, and her students, at a luncheon served in the college dining hall.
Miss Alice Meserve, President, presided over the meetings.
The motion, "That branch constitutions be amended to allow the election of officers before the state meeting in the spring", was passed.
Appearing as a special speaker was Miss Catherine Allen, first state president, who had been The North Carolina delegate to the International Federation of University Women in Edinburgh, Scotland, the preceding year.
The convention voted to name the $30,000 Fellowship Fund of the South Atlantic Section, the "Elizabeth Avery Colton Fel- lowship" in honor of Miss Colton then teaching at Meredith College.
Invitation of the Asheville branch was accepted for the 1934 convention and of the Greenville branch for the annual Board meeting in the fall of 1933.
Mrs. Clyde Milner of Guilford College, member of the Greens- boro branch, was elected president and Mrs. Edwin P. Davidson, of Charlotte was elected secretary.
CHAPTER VIII-HIGHLIGHTS OF 1933-35
The annual Board meeting was held at East Carolina Teachers' College, Greenville, October 14, 1933.
In this meeting, a motion was passed "that the State Division join the Federated Council of Women's Clubs, an organization representing the majority of women's clubs and constituting a women's legislative committee to further legislation favorable to women and children", with annual dues of $10.00.
Miss Florence Schaeffer, Fellowship Chairman, reported that the total contribution of the state branches to the fellowship fund up to May, 1933 amounted to $2002.77.
A revision of the State Division By-Laws, incorporating a uniform method of electing branch officers was submitted to the Board with the request that this be sent to the branches for ap- proval.
The Board voted to make Miss Catherine Allen an honorary member of the Board of Directors "in recognition of the work she has done in forwarding a State Division."
Again there was talk of the state-wide vocational survey, but funds were not available, it seemed, to push this forward. Atten-
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tion was given to adult education and branches were instructed to endeavor to get a member on every city council to work toward the elimination of illiteracy.
Attention was also given to the status of schools as a result of recent legislative action drastically reducing the school budget and removing all local taxes for schools. 1934.
The State Convention was held in Asheville at the George Vanderbilt Hotel, April 20-21, 1934. Mrs. Milner presided throughout the sessions. Preceding the general sessions The Execu- tive Board held its annual business meeting.
That finances were getting in better shape was shown by the Treasurer's report of a very favorable balance.
Fellowship contributions had amounted to $170.91 for 1933- 34 with a grand total of $2212.88 contributed to date.
Membership chairman, Miss Elizabeth Anderson of Durham, reported 433 members for 1933-34, and 463 the previous year, with the High Point branch inactive. She also reported that a permanent card index file of women eligible for membership, living in N. C. had been made up, to which will be added new names and information as obtained. Sixteen southern and eastern colleges had been approached for alumnae lists.
During the business session a favorable report was given on the proposed changes in the by-laws and these changes were adopted as proposed in the fall meeting of the Executive Board.
Miss Jeannette Kelly, Vice-President of the South Atlantic Re- gion, was present and advised the convention in several important matters, noteworthy among which was her warning that the na- tional by-laws require the outgoing branch presidents to see that new officers are listed with National Headquarters, with the Regional Director, and with the State President.
The convention voted $10.00 this year (thus doubling the amount voted the year before) to the prize fund of the State Art Society in its contest for school children.
Other highlights reported included these items:
1. Various branches had assisted in night school work.
2. A guidance program for elementary and secondary school . students was being worked out with the Guidance Department of State College.
3. The branches had distributed 4500 questionnaires designed to obtain opinions from principals, teachers, and parents as to the effect of recent legislation on our public schools,-the data from
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these questionnaires to be compiled and used as a basis for formu- lating new curricula and policies, and for publicity to bring pres- sure on the next legislature. (This was the year of the great school cut from $42,000,000 to $16,000,000.)
4. The Winston-Salem branch had already compiled much of . its local data and had presented this to the school board who had given it serious attention.
5. A report was approved and accepted from Dr. Elizabeth Blair of Queens-Chicora College, and member of the State Com- inittee on Curricula, recommending that we put more emphasis upon the raising and maintaining of the standards of higher edu- cation for women.
6. In order to use up part of that huge balance in the treasury, it was decided to prepare and publish a biographical pamphlet on Elizabeth Avery Colton.
7. The Secretary was requested to find out from national head- quarters about having some state letter-head stationery printed for the use of officers and chairmen. (And so after seven years the State Division was getting rich enough to pay for some letter- head stationery! Evidently all correspondence prior to this had been on the individual's own note paper.)
8. A committee was appointed to report in the fall on the desirability of issuing a state bulletin for information of the branches.
9. Registration showed 23 delegates and 41 visitors repre- senting 42 colleges located in 17 states and four foreign countries. Board Meeting 1934.
At the Board meeting held in Winston-Salem, Saturday, Oc- tober 27, 1934, Mrs. Milner presided.
The Board decided to have a "reasonable amount of stationery printed.
Mrs. Ivan D. Jones was appointed to work with Dr. Mary Lynch Johnson, who had been previously appointed on the project of compiling the pamphlet on the life and work of Elizabeth Avery Colton.
The matter of paying an increased fee ($25.00 instead of $10.00) for membership in the State Legislative Council was left to the decision of the president, secretary and treasurer.
State Bulletin Becomes a Reality.
The Board decided to issue two bulletins yearly, one for the fall and one for the spring with the publicity chairman in charge of publication.
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1935.
The Board meeting with nine branch presidents in attendance, opened the annual Convention in Chapel Hill April 26-27, 1935.
All state chairmen made interesting reports, among which we note that membership was 467, (larger by one than any year preceding) with a goal of 500 set for 1935-36. Five branches reported increases, and Durham stepped up from 53 to 81 while three branches had suffered losses.
Fellowship contributions for the year were $446.00 compared with $187.00 the previous year. Raleigh alone had raised $210.00 for the fund. Total contributions to date amounted to $2674.97.
Due to the resignation of Mrs. Wingate Johnson, publicity chairman, who had issued the State Bulletin in January, (planned as a fall edition), there was no bulletin issued during the spring.
Mrs. Ivan Jones reported the issuance of the Elizabeth Avery Colton pamphlet and its distribution to every branch in the South Atlantic Section, to national officers, and to certain persons who had given generously to the Fellowship Fund.
Again $5.00 was voted to aid the state art contest.
The Board instructed Mrs. Ivan Jones to send a telegram to legislators of the counties having AAUW branches, asking that $22,000,000.00 be the minimum appropriation for schools for 1935-36.
The slate of officers nominated included the names of Elizabeth Anderson for president, Mrs. B. Y. Tyner for Vice-President, and Mrs. G. T. Schwenning for Secretary. These were unanimously elected.
CHAPTER IX-FURTHER PROGRESS-1935-39
Miss Anderson presided over the fall meeting of the Board of Directors at Duke University, November 9, 1935.
Dr. Lucille Delano, Fellowship Chairman, reported N. C. as tenth among 41 states contributing to the fund, although only eight of the ten branches had made contributions.
In this meeting nine branch presidents made excellent reports of their work and various state chairmen also had splendid reports.
In this as well as in several previous meetings the matter of getting the University of North Carolina on the approved list was discussed but the application for admission had still not been accepted.
In this meeting it was agreed that the Executive Committee (more often called The Executive Board) and the Board of Di- rectors should be more carefully defined in the by-laws, and so
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a motion was approved to submit the proposed changes to the branches.
The Executive Committee had been defined by National as consisting of the "state officers, chairmen of standing committees and the retiring president", but in North Carolina this committee had also included branch presidents.
The change would limit the Executive Committee to state of- ficers only, but the Board of Directors would include the state officers, chairman of standing committees, the branch presidents, and the retiring state president.
It was also recommended that Article .VIII, Section 2, of the Constitution which reads, "The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice a year", be changed to read: "The Board of Di- rectors shall meet at least twice a year to arrange for the carrying out by the branches of the state and national programs"; and a new section be added to read, "The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the president". 1936.
The annual convention of 1936 was held at the King Cotton Hotel in Greensboro April 17-18 with Miss Anderson presiding. As usual the Board of Directors met on Friday with an evening banquet, with the business session on Saturday followed by the annual luncheon.
The Board endorsed a resolution on emergency education which included a request for the state's re-instatement of nursery schools, and for permanent provision for these and for adult education classes, to be presented to the Legislature of 1937.
It was decided that the State Division would not be a member of the State Legislative Council this year, and that a committee be appointed to investigate the Council and report findings.
From the minutes we find that this meeting was much con- cerned with means of attracting more members. Branch reports were not presented since they had already been printed in the Bulletin.
The Chapel Hill branch reported that the formal application of the University of North Carolina for admission to the approved list of colleges had been sent to national headquarters.
Mrs. B. Y. Tyner was elected vice-president and Mrs. Luigi Zande was elected treasurer.
The meeting adjourned with plans to have the State Board of Directors meet in the fall at Burlington, and the convention to meet in Charlotte in the spring.
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1936-37.
The fall meeting of the Board of Directors was held at the Alamance Hotel in Burlington, October 24, 1936 with Miss Anderson presiding.
The report on re-joining the Legislative Council was so incon- clusive that a motion was approved to "defer action" on rejoin- ing until further information on its activities might be obtained.
The State Convention was held in Charlotte April 16-17 with Miss Anderson presiding. The Board of Directors met on the 16th at Hotel Charlotte.
Membership report revealed that the Statesville club had dis- banded.
The Legislative report showed that the AAUW in North Caro- lina had concerned itself exclusively with state legislation, and had sponsored increased expenditures for schools and bigger appropria- tions for libraries.
Fellowship chairman reported 100% branch participation in the South Atlantic Fellowship Fund, and that the 1936 contri- bution was the largest since 1929.
Again the Bulletin was reported as a means of publicising branch reports, and a motion was approved that in the future the reading of branch reports in full be omitted at the Saturday morn- ing business session.
Membership chairman reported Statesville and High Point still inactive, but that High Point would be reorganized for the com- ing year. Membership for the state had reached 513 with a goal of 10% increase for the next year.
Mrs. C. T. Wanzer of Charlotte was elected president and Mrs. G. T. Schmenning of Chapel Hill was re-elected secretary.
The meeting adjourned to meet in Raleigh in the fall and in Durham for the spring.
1937-38.
The autumn meeting with Mrs. Wanzer presiding, was held at the Woman's Club in Raleigh, with 37 members present.
Mrs. Wanzer pointed out the work of the AAUW in start- ing movements and then passing on to still greater work. For example, the AAUW initiated literacy classes, now a government activity; it had pioneered in the prevention and cure of juvenile delinquency which work has now been taken over by other agencies and organizations; that our drama groups had developed into the "little theater" movement; that the AAUW was a "selfstarter, pioneering and initiating, but willingly turning over the tasks to others to carry on."
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It was in this meeting that the State Division became concerned about an Arts chairman. Heretofore the standing committees had not included the arts.
The membership chairman reported a gain of 28 members in spite of the loss of High Point and Statesville.
The time was ripe to stimulate thinking, and the president's message as well as the reports from chairman of state committees and from the branch presidents, seemed to be perhaps a little more definite with objectives more clearly defined than in some of the preceding years.
The minutes of this meeting constitute a vital part of our his- tory. Certainly if the record as set forth isn't absolutely typical, it is a splendid example of a stimulating meeting. Mrs. Schwen- ning's report is a credit to the North Carolina Division.
Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, Vice-President of the South Atlantic Section was present and discussed the legislative program and the legislative functions of the AAUW. She warned of the danger of dissipating our strength by going into the legislative field in- stead of confining our efforts more largely to education.
In this meeting Mrs. E. B. Hunter of Charlotte, state publicity chairman, discussed the matter of a printed bulletin. (The bul- letin had been mimeographed heretofore.) The Board authorized the publication of a four-page printed bulletin to be issued twice a year.
State Convention 1938.
The State Meeting was held at the Washington Duke Hotel in Durham April 29-30, 1938.
Fellowship Fund contributions were reported from every branch, with a total of $542.02 collected. Dr. Delano, Fellowship chair- man, reported that the South Atlantic Section had already raised $25,000.00 of the requested $30,000.00 to endow a sectional Fellowship.
Durham reported the opening of a nursery school sponsored and supported by the local branch, and also reported a drama group.
Under the stimulus of the Education Chairman, Mrs. Rosen- thal, the Division laid plans for a survey of the high school cur- riculum to find out how schools are meeting or failing to meet the needs of pupils, through questionnaires and a study of the records of high school graduates for the past five years, classified under the three topics: (1) Those in colleges outside of N. C., (2) those in colleges within the state, (3) those not in college.
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This project was to be undertaken as a fact-finding one only.
Charlotte reported the maintenance of a day-nursery for white children and plans for the establishment of one for Negro children for the next year.
Greensboro branch had for some time been conducting a toyerie but felt that now the educational work had been done the project could be turned over to another organization. They had brought one play, The River, to a Greensboro theater.
Greenville reported the putting on of displays of play equip- ment in cooperation with a local store, and the sponsoring of a highly educational contest in home-made play equipment for young children. The Winston-Salem branch had cooperated with the Junior Chamber of Commerce in putting on a drive to get votes for a new public library.
Western North Carolina Branch (Asheville) reported an art exhibit and an art lecture featuring Renoir's paintings. Interest created by this had led to a second exhibit, with an entrance fee of fifteen cents to help raise money for the Fellowship Fund.
Membership report showed 535 members with an expected ad- ditional 48 from proposed new branches. High Point branch had been revived, and invited the Board of Directors to meet there for the fall meeting.
Mrs. Charles Milner was elected vice-president and Miss Alma Wyche of Durham, treasurer.
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