Guest opinion
Women have a long history in Rotary
By Sally Adelblue, Simi Sunset Rotary Club and Elaine Freeman, Simi Sunrise Rotary Club

Rotary International had its beginning in 1905 in Chicago, Ill. Paul Harris, Esq. started the club for male professionals. Fellowship was the original focus, along with lunch with friends and networking with other business professionals.

Early involvement of women

Women volunteered with Rotary Clubs. Some women were widows of Rotarians who missed the camaraderie of club events and requested to take their husband's place within the club. Other women worked within the Rotary Club running fundraising campaigns, heading up projects and Rotary events without official membership status.

In 1911, a group of women started the Women's Rotary Club of Duluth, NM. Rotarians decided women could have their own club but they could not use the word Rotary in the title. As a result, Inner Wheel was created and continues to be one of the largest worldwide service organizations for women with more than 100,000 members in 95 countries.

Rotary International decided in 1921 that clubs could have a Ladies Auxiliary and Rotary Ann was created.

Change to status quo

Times changed, and men and women began working side by side in most every profession. Women became more accepted in the business world and fit the "vocational classification" requirement to become a member of Rotary. However, it was not until 1987 when women's dream to become Rotarians came to fruition.

The Rotary Club of Duarte, Calif., took a brave and bold step in 1977 and inducted three women into their membership- as a result, they lost their charter. Undeterred and committed to the principles of Rotary, Duarte Club continued to meet as a quasiRotary Club.

Meanwhile, Rotary International continued to grow and evolve- a decade later the Duarte Club regained their charter. The mavericks of the Duarte Club took quick action and in 1987 Sylvia Whitlock became the first female president of Rotary Club of Duarte.

Rotary International Council on Legislation voted to change the constitution and by-laws to admit women in 1989.

Local trailblazers

On a local level, Rotary District 5240 includes a combination of 72 clubs throughout the counties of Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern and a tiny parcel of Los Angeles. The district has approximately 4,000 members.

The progressives of the Simi Valley Rotary Club recognized that great opportunity that the 1989 by-law changes to include women presented. They immediately recruited a gifted and talented new member and became the first club in District 5240 to induct a female, Elaine Freeman.

"My association with Rotary has been a great experience with the opportunity to grow along side fellow Rotarians," said Freeman, who would eventually become president of the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise.

This is an example of two of the tenets of Rotary: will it build goodwill and better friendships, and will it be beneficial to all concerned.

Sally Adelblue, a member of the Rotary Club of Simi Sunset, was the first female club president of the Rotary Club of Ventura East and the second female district governor.

"My experiences with Rotary have been positive and it didn't take long to be accepted," said Adelblue. "We walk hand in hand, immunizing children in India and Nigeria from polio, fund school projects, support local charities, help equip hospitals, and assist needy families."

Women have held most every position in the Rotary world. From Rotary's first female president, Sylvia Whitlock of Duarte, where she is still an active member, to the first female Rotary International Board trustee, Carolyn Jones of Alaska in 2005, and finally the selection of Rotary International's first ever nominated board director, Catherine Noyer-Rouveau of Paris, France for 2008, women are leaving their marks in Rotary.

Today, Rotarians are not distinguished as male or female, nor are they politically, ethnically or religiously categorized. Rotarians are worldwide ambassadors sharing their vision and acceptance of diversity in order to serve a broad spectrum of people and places.

Rotarians believe in "Service Above Self."

For more information on club membership and activities, go to www.rotary.org.

For more about local clubs, visit www.moorparkrotary.com, www.simivalleyrotary.org, www.rotaryclubofsimisunrise.com, or www.simisunsetrotary.org.