I joined AAUW in 1969. I was invited to a New Member coffee and met a wealth of like-minded women and learned of interesting and exciting things to do. The next year I was asked to lead the New Member section. I found that the duties included arranging day and evening coffees and inviting new members, manning the New Members’ table at the Fall Festival, and updating and editing the new member booklet. I could do that.

I gathered the new material to update the booklet that explained AAUW Sacramento Branch and gave contact information for the many interest sections. The movie “Around the World in Eighty Days” had been released and was a very popular film at that time. The incoming AAUW Sacramento Branch president, inspired by the film, chose the theme “Around the Branch in Eighty Ways” for the upcoming year. Now that I had the contents in order, I needed a cover for the new member booklet. I decided a hot air balloon would be a fitting cover, so I drew what I thought was a hot air balloon. When I showed it to others, they all said that it looked like a light bulb! I always knew that my artist’s skills were challenged. So this wouldn’t do.

I reviewed my newly acquired interest section material and found an art and crafts section leader who lived in Land Park. I called her and told her my situation and she graciously agreed to draw a new hot air balloon. Her rendering looked like a hot air balloon, not a light bulb! She also did silk screening and agreed to do the 100 covers that I needed, but would need my help.

On the agreed upon day, I loaded up my two little ones, the sitter, and a stack of light blue cover paper and drove to Land Park. The sitter took the four children to the park while we produced the cover pages. Silk screening is not a fast process, and we had 100 newly screened pages all over her house in the drying stage. The children enjoyed the park and stayed there a long time, which gave us time to complete all the needed pages, dry and stack them.

I will always remember the beautiful talent of this artist, her friendliness, and willingness to help.