Announcements
Steve thanked club members who participated in the recent Evanston Fourth of July parade. Both Evanston Rotary Clubs were involved in this effort.
President Steve and PDG Bruce lead the Rotary contingent down Central Street.
New member Kathy Tate-Bradish and her husband Bob pitched in by securing her mother’s convertible for the event. New RI President Ravi Ravindran enjoyed a nice ride. Pres. Ravindran and his wife will be guests of our club on Tuesday, Aug 18.
RI President Ravi Ravindran and his wife, Vanathy.
Championing Ravi’s “Be a gift to the world” theme, Steve encouraged each ELRC member to contribute in his/her own way. There are numerous opportunities for volunteerism, committee participation, financial support, creative fundraising, and membership development. Last, but not least, Steve wisely noted that “People don’t know about Rotary unless you tell them!”
Steve announced that District Governor Rodney Adams will be attending our Tuesday, Aug. 4, meeting to bring us up to date on activities planned for District 6440 during his year. He will meet with the Board of Directors the prior evening.
Harold Bauer announced that the Nominating Committee, which he is chairing as Past President, will begin meeting soon to develop a slate of officers for the 2015-2016 club year. Please contact Harold if you’d like to be involved in the process, or if you have suggestions for the slate.
Helen Oloroso announced that the newly reconstituted Club Service Committee will meet on Monday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at the Ford Engineering
Design Center at NU, 2133 Sheridan Road, Second Floor Conference Room (across from the elevator). Parking is available in the NU lot on the west side of Sheridan Road between Haven and Noyes. All are welcome!
Marv Edelstein, New Generations Chair, is currently seeking committee members interested in working to strengthen Interact, Rotaract, and RYLA. If interested, please contact Marv.
Paul Harris Recognition
Established in 1957 and named for the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who have contributed $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Each additional $1,000 earns them a recognition pin. Keith Sarpolis was awarded his Paul Harris Fellow +6 pin; Steve Carlson was awarded his PHF +5 pin.
Keith and Steve accept their new PHF recognition pins.
Roasts & Boasts
Gary Peterson roasted new Sergeant-at-Arms Zbig Skiba for not asking for Roasts and Boasts.
Sam Lovering boasted Jim McGuire and Bill Vernon for helping him put his boat in the water for the season.
Eric Schmelling boasted Neil Gambow who was seen driving his convertible in the parade (with another group!) and “all over town.”
Ann Searles noted that new member Kathy Tate-Bradish is soon leaving for Kenya to continue her good works! She will be back with us at the end of September.
Program
So You Think You Know Francis Willard?
Gary Peterson introduced Glen Madeja, Executive Director (and Volunteer) of the Frances Willard Historical Association. Glen adapted Steve Goranson’s earlier words: “People don’t know about Frances Willard until you tell them.” While most of us know Frances Willard as the president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, few truly understand the breadth of her contributions.
Born in Churchville, N.Y., in 1839, Frances grew up on the frontier in Wisconsin. Encouraged by her mother (“A girl should grow as a tree grows...natural and unhindered.” Mary Hill Willard), Frances’ perspective was unlimited. Taught by her mother in a schoolhouse constructed by her father, she very quickly began to understand the differences between the sexes. Two anecdotes provide real insight into her character and personality. Unable (as a female) to ride the family horse, Frances chose to ride the family cow. Prevented from climbing trees and admonished to ‘play house’, Frances built a tree house.
From Wisconsin, the Willards strategically moved to Evanston. The Methodist Church, temperate by faith, had selected the land at Chicago Avenue and Sheridan Road in Evanston as the location for their educational institution, Northwestern University. The University charter included The 4 Mile Limit, barring the sale of alcohol within four miles of the campus. (Evanston’s history with alcohol is an interesting one. Following Prohibition and its eventual repeal, a 1970 state Constitution change allowed Evanston to enact its own laws without a city referendum, becoming “wet” in 1971.)
Rest Cottage, the Willard home at 1730 Chicago Avenue, was built in 1865 and is celebrating its 115th birthday this year.
Ultimately authoring 11 books, Willard began to question her purpose in life. Calling Evanston a “paradise for women,” she questioned, “Was I made for nothing higher? Can I never soar?” A two-year trip to Europe was an eye-opener. “I believe in the woman question more & more,” Frances wrote in 1868. Upon her return to Evanston, Frances began her career as a teacher, raising funds for the Evanston College for Ladies (housed in the current NU Music Administration Building). When the College merged with Northwestern University, Frances became NU’s first dean of the Women’s College.
The Temperance crusade was a logical cause for Frances to champion. Alcohol use (primarily by men) in the mid-1880s was three times what it is today. Women and children suffered as a result. Responsible for “home and family” (in contrast to men whose sphere was ‘business and politics”), women of the day had no rights. Believing alcohol abuse to be a moral failing, women saw prayer as the solution and banded together to work for the temperance cause. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was born and Frances Willard was its first Corresponding Secretary.
Serving in this PR function, Frances was adept at reaching her target audience with messages of “home protection” like “keep him pure”.
Willard used the temperance cause as a galvanizing force for women’s rights. To protect home and family, it’s necessary to stop the scourge of alcohol. Prayer can help in this effort, but laws are the real answer -- and a woman’s right to vote is critical.
In the words of Susan B. Anthony, “No self-respecting women would wish or work for a party that ignores her sex.” Susan B. Anthony and Frances Willard communicated frequently. The WCTU in the late 1800s was the largest women’s non-secular organization in the world, with 200,000 members. Susan B. Anthony’s suffrage organization boasted 13,000 members at the same time. In 1879, Frances was named President of the WCTU.
Glen shared a list of Frances’ Hints and Helps that holds true today:
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Pick good locations for meetings
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Choose strong leaders who will actually do the work
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Make sure speakers are good
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Work with accurate info
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Don’t be afraid to “speak up”
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Give out prizes and sing songs
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Encourage and accept each other
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Be reasonable and tolerant with those who disagree with you
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Compromise
Believing women needed to think on their feet, speak in public, and run an organization, Frances saw the WCTU as WCT University, a training ground for women in the new society she was building.
Frances Willard has been marginalized in history. Her name is primarily associated with a failed experiment (temperance), but her visionary thinking was truly remarkable. While she contributed to many advances by women, her name is not the one with which they’re associated.
Interestingly, five years before her death, Willard had a vision in the night of “a novel I might write in which a woman becomes President of the United States after a complete revolution which she leads.”
Willard died in 1898 in New York City of pernicious anemia. Attendance at her funeral procession by train was second only to that of President Lincoln.
While the WCTU still exists (with a very limited, aging membership) and is technically headquartered in Illinois, they have had no offices here since 1996. The Frances Willard House, aka Rest Cottage, is currently open to the public on the 1
st and 3
rd Sundays of the month. Starting at the end of September, the Museum will be open every Sunday for tours.
Glen Madeja accepts his celebratory bookmark from President Steve.
Anniversaries
Horton Kellogg (24 years), Carol Bild (14 years)
Guests
John Morrison, prospective member and guest of John Osterlund
Glenn Madeja, speaker and guest of Gary Peterson
Linda Gerber, prospective member and guest of Bill Glader
Matt Moran, prospective member and guest of Kristin Brown
Marissa Naukojas, prospective member and guest of Kristin Brown
Thought for the Day
Following the Fourth of July and a number of important Supreme Court decisions, Louis Allred shared The Regents’ Prayer (NY) that was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the U.S.: “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country.” Engel vs. Vitale (1962).
Next Week’s Program
Paul Goren, District 65 School Superintendent. Here’s a link to the interview piece that Chuck Bartling wrote for Evanston Now immediately after Goren’s selection as superintendent last spring:
Next week’s Thought for the Day: Harold Bauer (remember him?)
Next week’s greeters: Lincoln Janus, Horton Kellogg
