Wi Jubilee Anniversary
Milestones Mark
50- Year Story
2Jhe lE& mnnfnn 31m
SECTION TWO EDMONTON, ALBERTA, FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1959
Milestones down the 50- year
road of the Alberta Women's
Institutes indicate the organization
is on a broad highway
after starting down a narrow
path, from past presidents'
reminiscences at the jubilee
convention meeting in Convocation
Hall Thursday evening.
Projects have expanded, horizons
broadened and the organization
has repeatedly sent
representatives to the conventions
of the Associated Country
Women of the World.
The story told Thursday
evening by special speaker,.
Miss Isabel Noble of Wichita,
Kansas, organizer of the WI
in 1909 and president for the
first eight years, was of a nebulous
beginning.
WITHIN 50 TEARS
Fifty years later, Mrs. T. H.
Howes, Millet, completing her
term as president, attended the
ACWW meeting in Ceylon and
the immediate past president,
Mrs. S. Lefsrud, Viking, who
also attended an ACWW conference
in Toronto, referred to
a recent trip she made to Russia.
Between the beginning at
home and the world viewpoint,
the convention relived their
activities in reports of presidents
who served during war
years and depression. The story
took the audience on many adventures
along Alberta's early
highways as the presidents
travelled to unite the scattered
branches of the WI.
Speakers included Mrs. W.
McParlane who read a report
from Mrs. A. G. McGorman,
Penhold. president from 1R49
to 1953. and Airs. M. L. Thompson.
Lethbridge, president from
1941 to 1945.
On behalf of Mrs. Susan D.
Stewart of Peace River, president
from 1937 to 1941, Mrs.
A. H. Rogers was the speaker.
Mrs. J. C. Ferguson, Trochu,
president from 1933 to 1937
also addressed the meeting.
The past presidents paid
tribute to the tremendous accomplishments
of the late Mrs.
E. E. Morton, Vegreville, president
from 1945 to 1949. Mrs.
M. G. Roberts of Hanna was
chairman.
BORROWED CONSTITUTION
Telling of the organization
days of the WI Miss Noble,
the special speaker said, " I
thought constitutions were for
quarrelsome people." recalling
how at first the WI worked on
an adopted constitution from
when she travelled south giving
demonstrations on c a n n i ng
vegetables. In one district the
women arrived, some two on a
horse, some carrying shoes and
S t o c k i n g s . This is a poor
district, she thought, but went
ahead with her talk to a most
indifferent audience. Question
time came and they asked why
ahe spoke in that vein when
they hadn't had a crop in asven
years.
Nor had they the money to
pool together to buy vegetables.
Help? Send us a nurse they
urged, and so rural organization
was begun to supply district
nurses.
Miss Noble's talk was a gay
remembrance of anecdote in
the early days. She also cited
distress cases where the WI
helped as neighbors.
WI CREED
' " sHeToIcTof how the creed of
the WI now repeated the world
over, was given first to her by
a neighbor in Daysland, her
Alberta home, before she moved
to Wichita. " I have heard
t h a t creed repeated in Britain
and in Asia," she said.
During her term as president.
1933 to 1937 there were hard
times and poverty, Mrs. J. C.
Ferguson of Trochu reminded.
She recalled how the WI helped
supply layettes for mothers
in need, and referred to a visit
from Lady Tweedsmuir when a
WI library for shipping packages
of books to rural homes
was inaugurated.
Mrs. Rogers' message from
Mrs. Stewart of Peace River
was a lively account of how the
graduate of Glasgow University
came as a bride to Peace River,
and took up WI work. She
served as AWI president from
1937 to 1941. Later her war effort
was to work ih Ottawa
censoring German mail. Offered
the presidency of the Federated
WI of Canada she refused
" because it was not Alberta's
turn."
WAR SERVICE
Mrs. Thompson recalled the
work of the WI during the
war years; service for the Red
Cross, making ditty bags for
th « merchant marine; how they
cancelled a convention and
bought bonds with the money
saved; how they saved a dollar
each in Christmas money, and
sent $ 1,000 to sister Wis in
bombed areas in Britain.
RUSSIA, PIONEERING
Mrs. Lefsrud's description of
the ACWW meeting in Toronto
turned then to her personal
trip to Russia which she saw,
she said, as a pioneer country
with the people looking ahead.
Moscow she said was a fascinating
metropolis. She urged that
the four freedoms in the covenant
of the ACWW, freedom
from want, freedom of thought,
speech and expression be remembered
in judging Russia.
Milestones In her presidency
included taking up the cause of
Alberta's Indians.
Speaking on behalf of Mrs.
W. McGorman, Red Deer, Mrs.
W. McFarlane referred to establishing
a scholarship in
music in memory of the late
Mrs. H. J. Montgomery, president
from 1929 to 1933, and of
obtaining sponsors for handicrafts.
Mrs. McGorman was a
delegate to the ACWW conference
in Copenhagen, Denmark
during her presidency.
During the evening Miss
Jeanette MacDonall, winner of
the first Montgomery scholarship,
sang several selections.
Gifts were presented by Mrs.
Howes to Mrs. A. H. Rogers
and to Miss MacDonall. Mrs.
Howes also presented a life
membership pin to Mrs. Per-,
guson, Trochu.
The meeting concluded with
roll call of branches and a coffee
party at which the AWI
cut and served their anniversary
cake.
NEW OFFICERS IN AWI — The concluding
day, Friday, of the Alberta Women's
Institutes' four- day convention brought elections
at the morning sessions at Convocation
Hall. Mrs. W. R. Ford, Coutts, Alberta, pictured
at centre, was elected preside
M. G. Roberts, Drumheller, left, w
vice- president and Mrs. John Rich
Deer, secretary. — Photo by Goe;
Alberta Women's Institutes - Collective Memory
