Woman’s club celebrating 90 years
Wintersville organization has helped community for nine decades
SPANNING NINE DECADES — The Wintersville Woman’s Club turned 90 years old this year. The group whose mission is to help those throughout their community has been meeting, planning and holding gatherings since 1934. Today’s club has dozens of members, with officers meeting Monday to make plans for the start of another year. Officers attending the meeting included, from left, Karen Hill, treasurer; Mary Beth Allan, recording secretary; Cheryl Taylor, president; Marjean Sizemore, parliamentarian; Karen Josefczyk, vice president; and Michaele King, corresponding secretary. -- Julie Stenger
Eight women began the club, holding meetings in their homes. Members were, from left, Hallie McCombs, Mary Sanders, Mary Taylor, Dorothy Thompson, Margaret George, Blanche Moores and Mary Powell. The eighth member, Thelma Wilson, was taking the photo, according to writing on the back of the picture. -- Contributed
The ladies who were active in the Wintersville Woman’s Club during the mid-1900s always dressed their best, attending luncheons at various hotels and also at member’s homes.
The best china was used for the occasion, as many of the women were from wealthy households.
Following the start of the Wintersville Woman’s Club in 1934, more woman from throughout the village decided to join, doubling the group’s enrollment in 1935.
Mrs. Welday Thompson, chairman of the annual flower show held at Wintersville High School, is shown with the children who won the decorated vehicle parade, including, from left, Patricia Morres, 4, second place; and Kenneth McConnell, 4, and Robert Strobel, 2, first-place winners.
SPANNING NINE DECADES — The Wintersville Woman’s Club turned 90 years old this year. The group whose mission is to help those throughout their community has been meeting, planning and holding gatherings since 1934. Today’s club has dozens of members, with officers meeting Monday to make plans for the start of another year. Officers attending the meeting included, from left, Karen Hill, treasurer; Mary Beth Allan, recording secretary; Cheryl Taylor, president; Marjean Sizemore, parliamentarian; Karen Josefczyk, vice president; and Michaele King, corresponding secretary. -- Julie Stenger
Eight women began the club, holding meetings in their homes. Members were, from left, Hallie McCombs, Mary Sanders, Mary Taylor, Dorothy Thompson, Margaret George, Blanche Moores and Mary Powell. The eighth member, Thelma Wilson, was taking the photo, according to writing on the back of the picture. -- Contributed
The ladies who were active in the Wintersville Woman’s Club during the mid-1900s always dressed their best, attending luncheons at various hotels and also at member’s homes.
The best china was used for the occasion, as many of the women were from wealthy households.
Following the start of the Wintersville Woman’s Club in 1934, more woman from throughout the village decided to join, doubling the group’s enrollment in 1935.
Mrs. Welday Thompson, chairman of the annual flower show held at Wintersville High School, is shown with the children who won the decorated vehicle parade, including, from left, Patricia Morres, 4, second place; and Kenneth McConnell, 4, and Robert Strobel, 2, first-place winners.
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WINTERSVILLE -- It was the era of the Great Depression.
There was not a lot to do in the village of Wintersville. The closest form of extensive culture was several miles away.
Aside from a grange, church and farmer's institute, residents had little to do with their time.
So, in the spring of 1934, eight couples got together for picnics and parties.
One of those women was Mary Taylor.
It was during an egg and ham fry at a Boy Scout cabin on Fernwood Road when Taylor addressed the seven other women with her idea.
She believed the group of friends should form a woman's organization, as coming from Waverly, Ohio, she had been in this type of club before.
The seven friends agreed, and word was sent, asking for information about beginning what would soon become the Wintersville Woman's Club, an organization which has now been in existence for almost a century.
Throughout the summer of 1934, the women met to write a constitution and bylaws. They constructed homemade program books. They began preparing for that first meeting.
It was on Nov. 9, 1934, that officers were elected and a purpose created.
The first meeting took place Dec. 13 in the home of Hallie McCombs, where apple pie was served. Taylor would serve as its first president, while Dorothy Thompson was declared vice president. Margaret George was secretary; Mary Powell, treasurer; and Blanche Moores, corresponding secretary. Others attending the first meeting included McCombs, Mary Sanders and Thelma Wilson. The first committee they decided upon was membership. During the club's second meeting, the name Wintersville Woman's Club was chosen and the flower was to be the sweet pea. Colors were named to be orchid and white, and the motto: "Facta Non Verba," which translates to "Deeds, not words."
Meetings were held at one of the women's homes twice a month for a noon luncheon and business meeting, followed by a program. Dues were $1.25. A club song was written by McCombs.
The eight women had accomplished their mission.
And from there, it only grew.
The club would become federated with the state and general federation in 1935, and its membership doubled.
New members chosen included Laura Albaugh, Marian Buchagen, Nellie Hook, Irene Lee, Glenna Morton, Goldie Nicholson, Martha Seitter and Carrie Strobel.
Members presented school children with gifts, gave presents to a girls industrial school in Delaware, sold articles made by the blind, helped build a larger library in the village and donated to the Red Cross.
And once a year, they held a party which included their husbands, as each member was married during the 1930s. They decorated the window at Woolworth's as part of a community celebration.
Things seemed to be moving faster and the club, becoming more and more active.
If someone missed a meeting, they were charged a five-cent fee if she didn't have a valid excuse. A 50-cent charge was to be paid if a member did not take part in the program that had been assigned her.
Flower shows were a major activity the group participated in, usually bringing in an attendance of 350 to 400 people. Ribbons were awarded to those winning each contest and having their name published in the Herald-Star by the society editor.
The 1950s saw the club's first delegate, Ruth Roberts, sent to the National Federation Convention in Detroit during 1957. Then in 1958, the club received its most-cherished award to date, the Jessie June Magee achievement cup. This award was presented to the club because it scored the highest number of points on the honor roll. The club had 24 members and competed with 700 clubs in the Ohio Federation. The club changed their flower to the yellow rose and changed their colors to yellow and white.
The 1980s increased membership dues to $10 a year in order to eliminate some of the money-making projects necessary to meet budget.
Members delivered meals on wheels, purchased trees for Main Street, gave to Buchanan Junior High School to help children with learning disabilities, made Thanksgiving baskets for the Urban Mission, helped victims of the California earthquake and victims of Hurricane Hugo. Several more donations were made and the club continued its programs and projects.
In 2002, the women decided to create a fundraiser -- currently the club's largest fundraiser of the year -- Holiday Splendor. This raises money toward scholarships, Hill explained. The dinner, fashion show and shopping at participating vendors is the club's most popular and well-attended event each year, according to the women.
The Wintersville Woman's Club has helped many people throughout the past nine decades.
A 30-member young girls club known as A.A.G. was established in the late 1930s, thanks to the women. In 1936, its 24 members set out 400 white pines around what is now the ball park.
And in the 1940s, the women became extremely busy helping to sponsor Red Cross drives. They sewed cancer pads for the nonprofit, began a bookshelf of their own inside the library, purchased their first health bond, had a hobby show and sponsored a Christmas tree for the community.
In times of war, they collected cans, grease, silk and broken glass, bought defense stamps, sent cards to the boys in the military and sent a box to an orphan boy in the Army. Silk hose were sent to veterans hospitals to make rugs, they collected clothes to send overseas.
They cared.
The women sent magazine subscriptions to children's homes, donated money for band uniforms for students and purchased shares in the Eastern Ohio Living Memorial Extension Camp, now 4-H, at Piedmont Lake.
A letter about the condition of the sidewalks throughout the village caused the women to write a letter to the state legislator.
They were committed.
After the war, several people were married. People began building new homes. And new organizations were needed. As a result, the club sponsored six clubs, including a junior federated club.
The year was now 1947. Club dues were raised to $3. The women were working with 38 organizations.
They sold $230 worth of articles for the blind, collected $2,300 from Red Cross drives and contributed $1,353.
Taylor was still involved with the club. And she would be until her death in 1988 at the age of 91. She moved to Medina to live with her daughter but attended meetings whenever she could.
Taylor's idea to form a club in Wintersville became a reality.
A reality that is still going strong 90 years later.
Today, another Taylor serves as the club's president.
Cheryl Taylor joined the Wintersville organization 25 years ago. She took over the presidency in January and was installed in May for a two-year term.
"I just love our community outreach projects," she stated. "In the last year, we have made lunches for those at the Friendship Room, worked with the homeless, taken collections for the Urban Mission, collected bingo prizes for those at the Gables Care Center in Hopedale, presented scholarships and contributed to the Urban Mission's home for women and children, providing hygiene products, toys and other items which were needed."
The club's vice president is Karen Josefczyk; Michaelene King serves as corresponding secretary; Karen Hill, treasurer; Marjean Sizemore, parliamentarian; and Mary Beth Allan, recording secretary.
Allan's mother, Blanche Moores, was a charter member of the club -- one of the women who had attended picnics with her friends because there wasn't a lot to do in the village.
Moores helped to bring a great deal of activities and assistance to the village in a time of dire need. And she is someone whom her daughter has and will always look up to.
Allan, who joined the club in 1986, recalls when she was about 10 or 12 years old, that her mother would hold club meetings at their home.
She and her sister, Pat Daily, who also has been a member of the club, would watch and help as Moores got out the best China in preparation for the meeting.
"When my mom had the meetings at our house, all of the good stuff came out," Allan remembered.
She reflected on the committees the club once had, including religion, welfare and goods for the Blind Society of Ohio.
There also was a time when the women in the club permitted exchange students to stay in their home, which at one time amassed 20 students.
Among the committees today are arts and culture, environment, education and libraries, health and wellness, civic engagement and fundraising.
"We base our year around our community service projects," Cheryl explained. She noted a service project and a program are done for each, with the club always trying to tie the program and the project together simultaneously.
She gave the example of having a speaker come to the meeting speaking about homelessness. During that time, the group tries to pack lunches and socks to send back with the speaker for those in need.
King explained her favorite part of being the club is because "they do so many wonderful service projects and that is what I was looking for in my retirement.
"I met people again that I haven't seen in years," King added about her joining.
Hill said she "didn't have a clue what the club was about," noting she is a joiner and decided to see exactly what the Wintersville group did during its meetings.
"I found out and haven't looked back," she added. Other officers commented on Hill's joining the club, with Allan and Josefczyk saying she is truly a worker and does so much for the organization.
However, the member who has been a part of the club, and its oldest member, is Linda Nolf.
On July 26, Nolf turned 90. She was born the same day as when the eight women were in the planning stages of forming the club in the summer of 1934.
Perhaps what Nolf loves most about being a member is doing for the community. She stated she worked a lot at the Alive shelter and for AIM Women's Center.
She enjoys working with the other club members and loves how friendships can be formed from spending time together on projects.
Nolf loves meeting the people they help and the organizations which help them.
Since joining in 1982, her experience has been "wonderful."
"It's a wonderful experience getting to know people," she said, adding she has helped some of today's members to join the club, including Sizemore.
Nolf said she had "a little to do" with Sizemore becoming state president, to which officers laughed and commented she had "a lot to do" with it.
Special projects the woman's club has done include: The Wintersville Woman's Club Scholarship, the Glenda Dunlope Scholarship, the Franciscan University of Steubenville Scholarship, Wintersville Good Neighbors, A Caring Place, St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry, World Food Day, National Day of Service and outreach to nursing homes, donating school supplies and supporting the military.
"At every meeting we recite the pledge, recite the Club Collect and see what the needs are of the community," Cheryl said, adding that usually navigates the club on what they are going to do.
The club has had many officers and chairmen at the district and state levels, Cheryl commented.
"There are just so many talents within our club," she continued. "We have artistic people, we have people from all walks of life and we truly benefit from that."
Sizemore waited until she retired before joining the Wintersville club in 2005. She had been the first district president for the junior club and quickly moved up the ladder in the general club, becoming its first district president in 2010.
Sizemore also served as state president from 2020-22, during the time of COVID.
The task was not an easy one being that people were not meeting face-to-face and everything had to be done through electronics and over the computer, she stated.
Sizemore explained what the club diagram would look like, beginning on the bottom with the individual club members. Above the individuals is the club itself.
The region or Southeast District is next, followed by the state known as the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs. The Great Lakes Region consists of five states -- Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. At the top of the pyramid-like diagram is the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which is international and consisting of every state and nine countries.
The Wintersville Woman's Club is part of the General Federation of Women's Clubs -- a service organization dedicated to community involvement through volunteer service. The group meets the third Thursday of the month from September through May at St. Florian Hall.
Members must be 18 years of age or older to join. Dues are $35.
For information contact Allan at (740) 364-4925. To join, contact membership chair Pat Ketzell at (740) 391-3933.
The next meeting of the club will take place at noon on Sept. 19.
Local author Joan McGlone will serve as speaker.
Taylor noted she hopes to have the mayor in attendance for a proclamation.