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Fall/1938
Preliminary
letter from H. Lucille Johnson (Founder and President of Executives’
Secretaries, San Francisco) sent to prospects in Los Angeles,
explaining purpose of organization and the possibility for forming
a local chapter.
April
14, 1939
Second letter from Lucille Johnson Perkins, establishing May
1 as the date of the first organization meeting at Hotel Clark.
May
18, 1939
First dinner meeting at Hotel Clark to make arrangements for
the first business meeting and election of officers (Note:
members were requested to pay $1.00 per plate for dinner)
June
15, 1939
First Firm Program by Los Angeles Times. Mr. Paul Bell,
personnel manager, presided and presented the program
July
20, 1939
Second firm program by Union Oil Co.
Oct.
5, 1939
First “Bosses” night – costume party
May
15, 1941
Meeting held at LA Athletic Club (most meetings held at LACC
May 1941 thru Jan 1948)
April
13, 1944
Firm Program LA Orthopaedic Foundation
In 1939 dues
assessments were $2.50/year. EWI pins $1.00 and members
were fined $.10 if they were late for a meeting.
The Annual
Convention in 1939 was held in San Francisco. Member firm
Southern Pacific arranged for round-trip tickets for $9.50.
Blanch Regan
Jones wrote some random memories: “In the early years,
members were required to wear hats to all meetings.”
In 1971 Executives
night dinner was $17.00 – an unheard of price at the time. One
member refused to attend because of the exorbitant price.
History of EWI
Executive Women International®
was established in California in 1938 when Lucille Johnson Perkins
recognized the importance and potential of an association of
key women working with their executives to promote their firms
and improve their community.
The organization achieved its "international" status
when the first Canadian chapter was chartered in Calgary, Alberta
in August 1964. During the 30th Annual Meeting of the corporation
(May 1977), the organization's name was changed to "Executive
Women International®". This change reflects the international
expansion of the organization and recognizes the changing roles
of women in business and the diverse careers held by its representatives.
Over 3500 companies and 4000 representatives are members of
EWI® today in 85 chapters located in major cities in the United
States, Canada, and Europe. EWI® is the premier organization
for networking and leadership development for today's professional
businesswomen and their firms.
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