AAUW MEMBERSHIP MATTERS By Bonnie Penix and Jan Stuter

Janice Stuter

Our term as Membership co-chairs is ending. It’s been a challenge and a privilege to hold this responsibility. In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, AAUW Sacramento branch has welcomed 22 new members over these past two years. Two of them live locally but are national members only. Four did not renew this year. So the total of continuing new members acquired over the last two years is 16. It’s invigorating to meet more women who wish to help advance equity for all, and to learn from their different experiences, points of view and new ideas.

A big welcome to our two most recent new members:

Bonnie Penix

Margi Park lives in Midtown. She holds a BA in French from SUNY Binghamton and an MS in health from Columbia University. She is retired from her work as an education programs consultant for the State of California. Margi would like to be involved with AAUW Funds and Public Policy. She also looks forward to participating in a number of our interest groups. Margi is a longtime friend of Bonnie Penix.

Jennifer Krebsbach lives in Folsom. She is a graduate student at Sac State. She holds a BA in psychology, an MS in applied behavior analysis and autism studies, and will complete her MA in education-gender equity from CSUS this month. Jennifer plans to help with Speech Trek and the Scholarship Committee. She also wants to participate in Board Games and Bridge.

Please join us at the May 15 installation meeting when we will also honor five of our longtime members: Dorothy Bracchi, Susan McLearan, Elaine Moody, Pat Stilwell and Gloria Yost, each of whom will receive a special Honorary Life Membership certificate and pin to mark a great milestone — 50 years of membership in and contribution to the goals of AAUW.

The Nominating Committee has put forth the names for the next slate of officers for our Sacramento Branch. Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew will be the next Membership co-chairs. We feel these experienced and dedicated women will be excellent stewards of membership as we move into a new year of opportunities and possibilities for AAUW and for all women.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS START MID-APRIL By Sharon Anderson and Liz Jordan

From Sharon Anderson, Membership Treasurer, and Liz Jordan, Finance Director:

Renewal forms for 2021-2022 membership will be mailed out by USPS in mid-April.  The deadline for returning dues and paperwork is June 1, 2021.

The process is the same as last year’s process, and it is very easy for first-timers.

Please remember, we have the opportunity to pay our dues, plus any donation to any of National’s Funds, online in the Membership Payment Program (MPP).

1. The renewing member receives an email from an AAUW email address.
2. With your credit card handy, fill in the required blanks and click “submit.”
3. You don’t have to request this renewal email; Membership Treasurer Sharon Anderson, will send an email dues invoice to each and every member with an email address on file.

We anticipate members will increase their use of National’s MPP for paying dues because it is so easy.  Many more members used MPP last year, which is a tremendous help to the branch.

Calls for assistance are welcome!

1^st Reminder: any donations to our branch programs can be made by check, made out to AAUW Sacramento, and returned with your renewal application.

2^nd Reminder: Dues for 2021-2022 will increase by $3 because the National dues are going up from $59 to $62.  Your total renewal fee (except for life members) will be $102.

AAUW MEMBERSHIP MATTERS BY Bonnie Penix and Jan Stuter

50-YEAR MEMBERS

This month our membership treasurer, Sharon Anderson, has submitted the names of three of

Janice Stuter

our branch members to be considered for Honorary Life Membership in AAUW. Each of them has been an AAUW member for 50 years! They are Susan McLearan, Elaine Moody and Gloria Yost.  They richly deserve recognition for their many years of helping to advance equity and opportunities for women and girls in many facets of our lives. We will be honoring them at our May meeting, still on Zoom, and hope you will attend.

ON OUR RADAR

Once again, members of AAUW will be asked, in a national organization election, to eliminate the degree requirement as a condition for membership. Neither of us agrees that taking this step is necessary for us to show our dedication to inclusion. There are organizations, such as NOW, founded in 1966, that are open to any woman wishing to improve women’s life situations. Our organization recruits individuals who have acquired formally awarded degrees of two, four

Bonnie Penix

or more years; have a sincere interest in providing equal opportunity for women and girls in all phases of life; and are committed to nurturing their own ongoing personal growth, culturally, politically and socially.

We both attended the recent webinar on this issue and remain unconvinced that removing the membership requirements will result in a substantial improvement in attaining our goals or improving our membership numbers. We would much rather see adding a new area of eligibility, equal to full membership, for those exceptional individuals who have through their actions contributed substantially to the positive programs and opportunities available for women and girls.

NEW MEMBERS

We want to welcome two new members to our branch: Elaine Ellers and Rosemary Howard.

Elaine lives in Fair Oaks. She has a BA in international relations from Monterey Institute of International Studies and an MA in social work from UC Berkeley. She works as manager of the Sutter Teen Programs. She is interested in Film Fans, Great Decisions and Scrabble. Elaine would like to assist with our Speech Trek program. Elaine was referred by Arlene Cullum. Thank you, Arlene.

Rosemary lives in Carmichael. She has a BS in biochemistry from UC Davis and an MBA from CSUS. Rosemary is retired and is interested in Arts & Architecture, Film Fans and Great Decisions. She also is interested in Speech Trek outreach.

AAUW MEMBERSHIP MATTERS By Bonnie Penix and Jan Stuter

Bonnie Penix

March is Women’s History Month. Did you know that the concept of specifically celebrating women’s history began in California? The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society, organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.

A few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, in 1987, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.

Women’s History Month highlights women’s contributions to US history, culture and contemporary society. Women are recognized for their achievements in science, government, literature, art, sports, community and medicine. Some names you might recognize are Marie Curie, Rachel Carson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Addams, Carrie Chapman Catt, Mae Jemison and Wilma Mankiller. Honoring the accomplishments of these women has a positive impact on the development of self-respect and encourages new opportunities for girls and women. As we celebrate 140 years of AAUW’s existence, we will continue to speak out for gender equity in all aspects of our society, and to promote opportunities for women and girls of all backgrounds.

We invite YOU to:

• Invite your friends, relatives, co-workers and neighbors to join AAUW and help advance our
  

  Janice Stuter

  endeavors.

• Invite them to attend one of our public meetings where they can join at a reduced rate.
• Invite them to join an organization of accomplished women.

We don’t all have to have names as famous as those above. Each of us has value in her own right and something to offer. What we mostly need to have is a commitment to helping grow strong, successful women as we move forward in history — to continue to create and tell “her-story.” To quote Carrie Chapman Catt: “To the wrongs that need resistance, To the right that needs assistance, To the future in the distance, Give yourselves.”

If you have ideas for member recruitment and/or retention, please be sure to share them with us. Thank you!

In Memoriam: Ruth Ann Hines
By Molly Dugan

Ruth Ann Hines, a devoted 50-plus year AAUW member and steadfast branch and state leader, died Dec. 25 in her home. She was 76.

AAUW is but one beneficiary of Ruth Ann’s energy; she also held leadership positions in the Parent-Teacher Association, and was an active volunteer for her church, the California State Fair and Sacramento State athletics.

But AAUW had a special place in heart, her family and friends said.

“She looked at a lot of us as part of her family,” Marilyn Orrick, a longtime friend and AAUW member said. “As an only child, we took the place of some extended family for her, as well as (providing) intellectual stimulation.”

Chuck Hines, Ruth Ann’s husband of 49 years, said she cherished Tech Trek in particular. She served on the founding Tech Trek committee and as a “dorm mom” for several camps.

He said she was also proud of her work on the branch’s “Vanishing Victorians” and recalled spending hours with her in the basement of a government office to conduct research for the book, which was published in 1973.

Ruth Ann was a two-time Sacramento branch president, in 1986-1987 and 1999- 2000, and a longtime parliamentarian. She was a named-gift honoree multiple times.

She was also a well-known figure at the state. She served on the AAUW-Ca Governance Committee, the state’s Legal Advocacy Fund and Bylaws committees and was a familiar face at AAUW events at the State Capitol.

Ruth Ann participated in Great Decisions, Reader’s Theater and the now-defunct AAUW puppeteers and book sale fundraisers.

“She was generous to a fault,” Orrick said. “There wasn’t anything you could ask of her that she would refuse.”

A native of Arcata, Ruth Ann earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Humboldt State University and worked as a third-grade teacher at Lone Tree Elementary School on Beale Air Force Base. After marrying and moving to Sacramento, she worked as teacher’s aide and substitute teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Sacramento (now defunct).

Her involvement with public schools did not end there. She was active in the Parent-Teacher Association for decades – even after her son Aaron graduated – and served as the PTA president for the third district of California. She even decorated the PTA’s 100^th anniversary Rose Parade float in Pasadena, Chuck said.

Ruth Ann and Chuck worked together at women’s and men’s Sacramento State basketball games for nearly 40 years, Chuck at the scoreboard and Ruth Ann at the shot clock. They sat courtside together for every home game. The couple also volunteered at the California State Fair for 39 years, primarily working in the “counties” building and running bingo games.

They attended the American Lutheran Church of the Cross and volunteered for the St. John’s Program for Real Change (formerly the Shelter for Women and Children), and Ruth Ann’s always-in-motion knitting needles created an untold number of hats and cold-weather gear for the WIND Youth Services, a program for homeless youth.

At the time of her death, Ruth Ann was caring for 14 feral cats.

In addition to her husband and son, Ruth Ann is survived by two grandchildren and numerous friends. Services will be private.

Donations may be made to AAUW Sacramento Scholarships in Ruth Ann’s memory. Please be sure indicate Ruth Ann’s name on any donation. Checks can be sent to Finance Director Liz Jordan, who is listed in the directory.  

If you are interested in donating any knitting or crochet to WIND in Ruth Ann’s honor, please contact Donna Holmes.

AAUW MEMBERSHIP MATTERS By Bonnie Penix and Jan Stuter

Thankfully, President Joe Biden’s inauguration went smoothly. When you read this we will be well into the second month of 2021. But I’m fairly certain that many of us will still be in pandemic mode, waiting for the first of two vaccinations or waiting for the second. We will still be mostly isolating, not meeting person to person at our branch meetings or in our interest groups. Some are hoping that life will return to “normal” by the summer; others are predicting that it may take as long as 2022 before we can safely re-engage. Whatever happens, AAUW Sacramento is facing serious difficulties in recruiting new members during the Covid19 pandemic.

Janice Stuter

In the past, we have relied on in-person sign-ups at monthly, public branch meetings, extending invitations to acquaintances we might meet in other organization meetings, making presentations to different groups of people who might be interested in joining once they hear about our goals and local activities, email requests for information on joining, referrals from existing members, and personal friends and relatives. Unfortunately, because of current public health concerns, our potential recruitment circle has been severely impaired.

At our January board meeting, we were charged with establishing an ad hoc committee to explore methods to increase membership focusing on two particular areas:

1) Monthly branch program presenters (i.e., possible one-year honorariums?),

2) Individuals whom board and general members meet who have the potential to become active members of our branch but do not have adequate finances to join.

Our immediate goals would be to determine:
a) What qualifications are necessary to identify potential new members in those two categories?
b) What methods of financing are possible for our branch to offer an initial membership year (e.g., a designated new member Starter Fund)?
c) How to evaluate the success of the program.

We would also appreciate help in designing and implementing other methods for increasing our membership. We are planning to hold several Zoom meetings in the near future to brainstorm an overall plan. I am hoping to recruit a five- to seven-person committee.

We need your help! Please volunteer to be on our committee and/or suggest new member recruitment techniques for pandemic times, funding ideas and evaluation methods. We’re easy to contact. Please check the branch directory for our email addresses and telephone numbers. And a special thank you for taking the time to think about how to expand our membership in these trying times!

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
We have just celebrated the inauguration of Kamala Harris as the first female, first Black and first Asian-American Vice President of the United States. An exciting achievement! Did you know that before VP Harris, there was another Black woman who was nominated for that position? Her name was Charlotta Amanda Spears Bass. Charlotta was born on Feb. 14, 1874. She was an American educator, newspaper publisher-editor and a civil rights activist. She attended Brown University and the University of California at Los Angeles. She ran on the Progressive Party ticket in 1952. While she was not elected (Eisenhower/Nixon won on the Republican ticket), Charlotta gave much of her time to the causes of housing rights, police brutality and harassment, voting rights and labor rights — causes AAUW still works to advance today. Charlotta was buried in Los Angeles in 1969 at the age of 95.

WELCOME BACK
We are very happy to welcome Anne Rhodes back to AAUW Sacramento after an absence of nearly 2 years. Anne received her BA in English from CSU, Fresno and an MA in education, with a reading emphasis, from the University of Guam. She is retired from a teaching career and continues her education involvement with a special interest in our Speech Trek and Tech Trek programs. She also is planning to enjoy Art & Architecture activities, Cultural History discussions and Scrabble. Anne will celebrate her 87th birthday on April 1.