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Our oldest member, honored here, remembers much of our history 
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The year was 1929. Herbert Hoover was President and the
stock market crashed, beginning the Great Depression felt around the world. In spite of,
or perhaps because of, the looming economic difficulties, Mrs. Arthur W. Anthony, with the
help of Mrs. M. W. Graham, the AAUW state president, got together with a few other ladies
who were interested in starting a club for educated women. |
By May 1930, a temporary AAUW
organization was formed with women from Fallbrook, Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Escondido.
By October of that year, the Palomar Branch of AAUW was chartered with Mrs. Anthony as the first
president.
Mrs. J. Q. Thompson of Vista was the first member to join and the membership was
16. The Fairy Godmother of the new branch was Miss Grace Wright of Vista who became the second
president in 1932. During the depression years, her untiring effort kept up the morale of the
group with noted speakers, study groups, and her constant faithfulness to AAUW.
With time
and hastened by the gasoline rationing of World War II, the Fallbrook and Escondido members formed
their own branches. What had been the Palomar Branch is now known as the Carlsbad-Oceanside-Vista
Branch of AAUW.
Having survived the economic issues of the Depression and the support of
AAUW efforts during World War II, the branch members moved on to other topics of interest. In
December of 1948, the study group on immigration heard a speaker review immigration laws since
1821 and gave highlights of the work of the Mexican Border Patrol. “The interest was so keen that
the 15 minute question and answer period lasted for one hour.”
In 1951, the branch held a
community forum on the annexation of Oceanside-Carlsbad Junior College by Palomar Junior College
and was lauded for their efforts in opposing the move. The vote against annexation resulted in
two separate community colleges in North County: Mira Costa and Palomar. The branch relationship
with Mira Costa continues to this day. Along with members of Fallbrook and Del Mar-Leucadia
Branches, COV for several years sponsored a day long convocation A Day For All Women in conjunction
MiraCosta. Today, the branch with a membership of 120 meets on the Mira Costa Campus and
continues with community projects and support of the Educational Foundation and the Legal Advocacy
Fund. We are proud of a branch member and her colleague who are developing a goal setting handbook
for Latinas approaching their 15th birthdays. Their project is funded by a Community Action Grant—our
EF dollars at work.
Our members send girls to Tech Trek, buy dictionaries for the AVID
students in the middle schools of the districts we encompass, work with other organizations that
support women and girls, and have fun along the way. Though we no longer wear white gloves and hats
to our meetings, we do honor the foresight of our founding mothers. |
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