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CENTENNIAL EVENT F(fR FRIENDS IN COUNCIL—The 100th anniversary of Friends in Council was celebrated with a dinner and program Friday night. Members at the function in the Eldridge House, from the left are; Top row—Mrs. James Scaver, Mrs. Robert Aangeembrupj, Mrs. Thomas Smith, Mrs. Charles Stough, Mrs. Charles K. Warner, Mcrvyn Anderson, Mrs. Robert E. Anderson, Mrs. Robert McCoy; second row—Mrs. Franklyn Neliek, Mrs. William Tuttle, Mrs. Walter Crockett, Mrs. EdmundEglinski, Mrs. Robert Swinth, Mrs. William P. Albrecht, Mrs. Ethan Allen! third row—Mrs. L. C. DcMoss, Mrs. Milton Allen, Mrs. Charles Kahn, Mrs. Justin Hill, Mrs. Richard DeGoorge, Mrs. Leland Pritchard, Mrs. Oswald Backus, Mrs. Theodore Johnson, Mrs. M. D. Clubb; fourth row—Mrs. Stephen Hill, Mrs. Roy Laird, Mrs. Charles Baker, Mrs. C. F, Nelson. Mrs. Fritz Heider, Mrs. Cyrus DeCoster; and front—Mrs. Fred Six, Mrs. Dale Clinton, Mrs. Odd Williams. (Journal-World Photo)The history of Friends in Council from 1871 to 1971 was recalled Friday night at its 100th anniversary celebration. Some 50 members and husbands gathered at the home of Mr, and Mrs. Odd Williams, 700 Calif., for a social hour before the 8 p.m. dinner at the Eldridge House..»The program began vvith greetings by the president, Mrs. Roy Laird. Mrs. C. F. Nelson, the only 50-year member, gave a toast to the husbands, and the responses were by Mr. Laird and Stephen Hill.Mrs. Mill read excerpts from letters sent by former members, and Mrs. Fritz Heider gave the tribute, “In Memoriam.”In a surprise presentation, Charles Stough, representing the husbands, presented a bronze medallion especially struck for the centennial occasion to each member. The mementoes were engraved with “Friends in Council, 1871-1971/’“The Upper Sanctum,” writtenand produced by Mrs. Laird.The scene was Judge Bassett’shouse, Miss Leonard’s parlor, and the time was Dec. 5, 1871. Tn the cast were Mrs. Laird as Miss Leonard; Mrs. Robert Anderson, Mrs. Thacher; Mrs. Oswald Backus, Mrs. H. Simpson; Mrs. Fred Six, Mrs. S. N. Simpson; Mrs. Robert Aangeenbrug, Mrs. Allen; Mrs. Dale Clinton, Lucy Stanley; Mervyn Anderson, Mrs. Snow; Mrs. Theodore Johnson, Isabel Tenney; and Mrs. Charles Kahn, Miss Brown.ties which she had left behind in the east.IT WAS ON Dec. 5, 1871, that nine women met in the parlor ow Elizabeth P. Leonard in the unfinished home of Judge O. A. Bassett, 1145 La., to organize the council.The initial session was recalled Friday night in a skit entitledAccording to historical details, the Lawrence Friends in Council owes its origin to a “well educated, widely-traveled New England lady by the name of Miss Elizabeth P. Leonard.” In 1869, with the encouragementof her friends, Gov. and Mrs. Robinson, Miss Leonard accepted a position as the first full-time woman faculty member at Kansas University. Employed to teach modernlanguages and drawing andpainting, Miss Leonardreportedly earned the samesalary as her male colleagues, $1,600: By 1871 the cosmopolitan lady found that the pleasuresof this pioneer community did not compensate for the ameni-THEREFORE, she determined to organize a ladies’ study club patterned after one to which she had belonged whileliving briefly in Quincy, 111..Thus, the nine women at the intitial meeting adopted the name and constitution of the Quincy organization, Friends in Council, and started off their first year’s program with the study of metaphysical and ethical philosophy, with Miss Leonard providing the references, her set of Encyclopedia Britanniea, and the guidance.The club next moved to the study of history, art and literature, and when Miss Leonard left in 1874 for a two-year stay in Europe, continued without her assistance.In 1877, the members established a precedent by celebrating their first five years with a dinner for guests at the home of Judge and Mrs. S, O. Thacher, 1613 Tenn.DURING THEIR study of ancient Greek history, in 1888, the ladies determined they should devote some time each month to current events, sincethey were letting the presentslip by unnoticed.In 1900, they discussed an up-to-date subject, the automobile. Then in 1918, the group volunteered for Red Cross work on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, and sent $30 to France to help support a fatherless baby.Now with improved communications, the members find little need for current events at their meetings. However, according to the historical account printed on Friday’s programs, “perhaps the major change in Friends in Council has been that although we still enjoy listening to and discussing a well-planned, well-presented essay, our chief reward is in the detailed research we do for our papers and in the assimilation of a vast amount of material which never finds its way into our oral presentations.”THE SINGING of “Auld Lang Syne”, with Mrs. Clinton at the piano, was the concluding touch to a nostalgic evening.On the centennial committee were Mrs. Leland Pritchard, chairman; Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Stough. The decorations committee consisted of Mrs. Tom Smith,, chairman; Mrs. Aangeenbrug and Mrs. Hill.Little SistersAre InitiatedBy Lambda ChiThe members of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at Kansas University, initiated 11-girls into their little sister organization, I the Crescents.rn i« rFashions Spotlight ProgramMrs. Elmer P e t e s c h developed the topic, “Wonderful World of Fashions,” for the program which she presented at the meeting of Kanwaka Literary Club Thursday afternoon in the homeMilan straw hat. For the last,she chose a modern style coat-dress of emerald green silk and a sable boa.Mrs. Peteseh finished with a showing of her collectionMrs. Anderson conducted a brief business meeting.Mrs. Roy Fleshman read the poem, “Give Us Time by Reginald Holmes.55a Li tv t
Newspaper Details
Lawrence Journal World
Lawrence, Kansas, US
Sat, Dec 04, 1971
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Lawrence P.
KS, USA 25 May 2021
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