District Nine of Altrusa International, Inc. affectionately dedicates this History to Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun

Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun, a leading dermatologist of Dallas, Texas, who wrote this history of Old District Seven has lived every minute of it from its inception at districting in 1930 when there were 10 clubs, to the close of its history when redistricting began in 1955 when there were 60 clubs, was completed in 1956. She served as International President 1941-45.

……………….. OUR PREDECESSOR
HISTORY OF DISTRICT SEVEN, ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL
1930 – 1956
By: Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun

At the thirteenth National Convention of Altrusa in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, June 1930, the United States was divided into ten districts. Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas were to be District Seven (there were ten clubs in District Seven at that time.) In 1935, when Altrusa became International in scope and clubs were organized in Mexico, this country was added to District Seven; later when clubs were organized in Guatemala City and Seoul, Korea, these countries were also put into District Seven.

At this 1930 National Conference, Mrs. Harriette Quisenberry of El Paso was appointed by the Executive Committee to organize the District and to serve as Governor until an election could be held in the Fall of 1930.

Texas, along with many states, had formed a State Organization of Altrusa Clubs. At Austin, in June 1929, Selma Strait was named President of the Texas Organization. The first annual convention of the Texas Association of Altrusa Clubs was held in Dallas on February 15, 1930. At this meeting Eva Pinkston of Dallas was elected President.

Harriette Quisenberry called a meeting of the District in Houston, November 1930, to perfect an organization. The first order of business was to dissolve the State Association. After this, the framework for the District was set up. Harriette was elected first Governor, to serve two years. She would also represent this District on the National Executive Committee.

Annual District Conferences are held and many of club cities have served as hostess.

On the even years, officers are elected to serve for two years. The following women have served as Governors since 1931:

Nina Fay Calhoun, Dallas, Texas	1932-34
Ethel Claxton, Houston, Texas	1934-36
Katherine Neville, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1936-38
Nancy Nettles, Shreveport, Louisiana	1938-40
Martha Kirten, Little Rock, Arkansas	1940-42
Mary Jo Popplewell, Beaumont, Texas	1942-44
Fay Roblin Morgan, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1944-46
Lolla Peterson, Austin, Texas	1946-48
Willie Walker, Texarkana, Texas	1948-50
Bernice McGee, Fort Worth, Texas	1950-52
Drury Key, Shreveport, Louisiana	1952-54
Pauline Hoeltzel, Little Rock, Arkansas	1954-April 1956

Conference Sites and Dates:

Houston, Texas	1930
Fort Worth, Texas	1943
Little Rock, Arkansas	1946
San Angelo, Texas	1951
Houston, Texas	1952
Enid, Oklahoma	1953
Dallas, Texas	1954
Little Rock, Arkansas	1955

At the 1946 Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, the El Paso Altrusans suggested we honor one of our Altrusans who was an Army Nurse and had suffered prison hardships in the Philippines. Money was to be given and used as Maude Davidson wished. She asked that a scholarship be given to a Nurse from the Philippines for a year’s advanced training in the United States. This was known as the Maude Davidson Scholarship. Hermenia Reyes was given $1,000 to study at Vanderbilt in the Fall of 1947.

This type of International Relations proved so satisfactory, the 1948 Conference voted to establish a continuing District Scholarship for a foreign student, other than in this hemisphere (the International Grants-In-Aid were helping those in this hemisphere) and to name the project the Nine Fay Calhoun Scholarship.

Hermenia was given a second year, graduating with honors from Vanderbilt. We had a second nursing student, one from Korea, the year of 1948-49 – In-Ai Yang, an Altrusan of the Seoul, Korea club. In-Ai stayed two years and graduated from Vanderbilt in 1950.

In 1951, Lelia Cachola of Manila was our Scholarship Girl. She was from St. Luke Hospital, as was Hermenia. Lelia decided to do her advanced nursing at the University of Texas and was graduated, after two years, as an honor student and an outstanding foreigh student in this country. In 1954, we had Osa Conde from Manila as our District Scholarship Girl, graduating as an honor student in June from Southern Methodist University.

At the 1954 Conference in Dallas, Pauline Hoeltzel of Little Rock, Arkansas was installed Governor and Edith DeBusk of Dallas was elected Governor-Elect.

In September 1955, Soon Hi Lee of Korea was chosen as our Scholarship Girl. Soon Hi majored in Home Economics at Southern Methodist University and did creditable work there.

Osa Conde was given a $750 Grant-In-Aid from Altrusa International, Inc. to enable her to get her M.A. Degree. She received this degree in the summer of 1956 and became one of first Grantees of the Asiatic area.

Redistricting at the International level became necessary because of Altrusa’s growth. In September 1955, Louisiana became a part of new District Four. On April 30, 1956, Oklahoma and Arkansas joined Kansas and Missouri to become District Eight. Texas, Mexico (except Sonora which became part of new District Eleven) and Guatemala made up new District Nine, which had 36 clubs with 1,241 members. (The Governor and First Vice-Governor of District Seven now belong to another District.) Anita Christlieb of Mexico City, Second Vice-Governor of old District Seven, became Interim Governor of new District Nine to hold office until the 1956 Conference. Ada Phillips, Midland, was appointed by the District Executive Board, as First Vice-Governor; Ida Mae Lindsey, Paris, Second Vice-Governor; Lupe Gutierrez, Mexico City, Secretary, to serve as Interim Officers. The Governor-Elect, Treasurer and Directors were still in the District, so no change was made in these offices. Here we close the history of Old District Seven and look forward with faith and courage to the wonderful opportunities ahead in new District Nine.

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF CLUBS ORGANIZED IN DISTRICT NINE

Mexico and Guatemala moved out of District Nine in 1973 (shaded in yellow).
Clubs that are shaded have disbanded (shaded in light-grey).

	CLUB NAME	ORG. DATE	CHARTER DATE	DISBAND DATE
1	Austin	Feb 1923	Apr 1923
2	Houston	Apr 1925	Feb 1926
3	El Paso	Jan 1928	Feb 1928
4	San Antonio	Sep 1928	Jan 1930
5	Wichita Falls	Sep 1928	Nov 1928
6	Dallas	Oct 1928	Apr 1932
7	Waco	Jan 1929	Mar 1929
8	Beaumont	Oct 1930	Apr 1932	1997
9	Chihuahua, Mexico	Jun 1935	Jun 1936	C.A.L. 1973
10	Mexico City, Mexico	Oct 1935	Aug 1936	C.A.L. 1973
11	Amarillo	Feb 1938	Apr 1941	Dec 1996
12	Abilene	May 1938	Oct 1939
13	Lubbock	Mar 1939	Apr 1940
14	Corpus Christi	Jan 1940	Jan 1943
15	San Angelo	May 1940	Oct 1941
16	Fort Worth	May 1941	Nov 1944
17	Texarkana	Oct 1941	Dec 1941
18	Sherman	Jan 1942	Apr 1942
19	Marshall	Feb 1942	Sep 1942	1997
20	Tampico, Mexico	Jan 1945	Dec 1952
21	Guatemala City, Guatemala	Sep 1947		C.A.L. 1973
22	Denison	Aug 1948
23	Midland	Aug 1948	Oct 1948
24	Galveston	Feb 1949	May 1951
25	Panola County (Carthage)	Nov 1949	Aug 1950	Feb 1991
26	Odessa	Jun 1950	Jan 1951	Nov 1994
27	Big Springs	Jul 1950	Mar 1951	May 1991
28	Cleburne	Jul 1951
29	Pampa	Oct 1952	Oct 1953
30	Greenville	Mar 1953	May 1953
31	Paris	Mar 1953	May 1953	May 2006
32	Nacogdoches	May 1953	Jun 1953
33	Borger	Oct 1953	Mar 1955
34	Grand Prairie	May 1955	Feb 1957
35	Vera Cruz, Mexico	Jun 1955
36	Taxco, Mexico	Dec 1955
37	Alice	Nov 1957
38	Brownsville	Dec 1957
39	Harlingen (Cameron County)	Feb 1958	Oct 1958
40	Plainview	Sep 1958	Sep 1961
41	Orange	Oct 1958	Jan 1960
42	Lufkin	Nov 1958	Jun 1960	May 2005
43	Baytown	Jan 1959
44	Brownwood	Feb 1959	Oct 1959
45	Temple	Mar 1959	May 1960
46	Denton	Apr 1960	Dec 1960
47	Oak Cliff (Dallas)	Aug 1964	May 1965	Oct 1986
48	Irving	Oct 1964	1964	May 1997
49	Anderson County (Palenstine)	Oct 1964	Feb 1966
50	Brazosport	Feb 1965
51	Garland	Nov 1965	Mar 1967
52	Richardson	Feb 1966	May 1967
53	Pasadena Bay	Mar 1966
54	Bryan-College Station	Nov 1967	May 1973	Oct 1986
55	Navarro County (Corsicana)	Apr 1968	Apr 1970
56	Mesquite	May 1970	Nov 1970
57	Mt. Pleasant	Dec 1970	Mar 1972
58	Arlington	Jun 1972	Jun 1975
59	Plano	1980	1982
60	The Brazos-Waco	1981	May 1982
61	Downtown Dallas	1982	Sept 1982
62	Red River	1984	Jun 1984
63	Mid-Cities	1984	Nov 1984	May 1993
64	Arlington P.M.	1986	Nov 1986	Jun 2003
65	Copperas Cove	1991	Jun 1991
66	North Dallas	1992	Jun 1993
67	Southwest Dallas	1993	Nov 1993
68	NE Dallas County	Sep 1994	Mar 1997	May 2006
69	Lubbock - Dawners	1995	Dec 1995
70	Collin County (Plano)	Oct 1995	Feb 1996
71	North Houston	Mar 1996	Effort to charter failed
72	SE Tarrant Co. Early Risers	Aug 1996	Jan 1997
73	The Big Country	Jan 1998	Apr 1999
74	DFW	Jan 2002	May 2002
75	Garland	Jun 2002	Sep 2002
76	Los Colinas	Jul 2002	Effort to charter failed
77	Commerce	Aug 2002	Effort to charter failed
78	Amarillo	Mar 2005

Active Clubs as June 1, 2006 – 33

Go To Top

Close History

1956 – 1958 Biennium

Governor: Edith DeBusk

International President – 1963-1965

International Legal Advisor – 1969-1984

First Conference

Date	October 1956
Theme	PLAN PLUS PARTICIPATION EQUALS SERVICE NOW
International Representative	Marjorie Lamb, President, Toronto, Canada
Location	Hotel Galvez, Galveston, Texas

1956-1958 Officers Installed

Governor	Edith DeBusk	Dallas
Governor-Elect	Anita Christlieb	Mexico City
First Vice-Governor	Joella Terrill Butler	Wichita Falls
Second Vice-Governor	Mary Nell McCall	Fort Worth
Treasurer	Etta Jane Butler	Houston
Director	Elia Chi Vacuan Eng	Mexico City
Director	Ada Phillips	Midland
Secretary	Aileen Aiken	Dallas

Second Conference

Presiding Officer	Edith DeBusk
Date	October 1957
Theme	THE FORWARD LOOK AT FORTY
International Representative	Hazel Williams, Executive Director, Chicago, IL
Location	Hotel Wooten, Abilene, Texas

Third Conference

Presiding Officer	Edith DeBusk
Date	October 1958
Theme	SERVICE IS OUR BUSINESS
International Representative	Edith Nelson, President, Richmond, VA
Location	Hotel Raleigh, Waco, Texas

1958-1960 Officers Installed

Governor	Anita Christlieb	Mexico City
Governor-Elect	Joella Terrill Butler	Wichita Falls
First Vice-Governor	Etta Jane Butler	Houston
Second Vice-Governor	Adrienne Foster	Pampa
Treasurer	Gloria Moores	Texarkana
Director	Mary Nell McCall	Fort Worth
Director	Helen Hooker	Abilene
Secretary	Lupe Gutierrez	Mexico City

Go To Top

Close History

1958 – 1960 Biennium

Governor: Anita Christlieb

Fourth Conference

Presiding Officer	Anita Christlieb, Governor
Date	October 1959
Theme	IT’S MIGHTY NINTH WORKING TOGETHER
International Representative	Dr. Viva Booth, President, Columbus, OH
Location	Hotel Texas, Fort Worth, Texas
Official Representative for Governor	Mary Nell McCall

Fifth Conference

Presiding Officer	Anita Christlieb, Governor
Date	October 1960
Theme	LET YOUR SHADOW SPELL SERVICE
International Representative	Ernestine Milner, President-Elect, Greensboro, NC
Location	Marshall Hotel, Marshall, Texas

1960-1962 Officers Installed

Governor	Joella Terrill Butler	Wichita Falls
Governor-Elect	Etta Jane Butler	Houston
First Vice-Governor	Helen Hooker	Abilene
Second Vice-Governor	Gloria Moores	Texarkana
Treasurer	Nara Carter	Austin
Director	Lurline L. Bean	Beaumont
Director	Clifford Sharp	Lubbock
Secretary	Helen Nixon	Wichita Falls

Go To Top

Close History

1960 – 1962 Biennium

Governor: Joella Terrill Butler

International President – 1969-1971

Sixth Conference

Presiding Officer	Joella Terrill Butler, Governor
Date	October 1961
Theme	YOU MAKE REAL THE IDEAL
International Representative	Lucille Hecht, Editor – International Altrusan, Columbus, OH
Location	Hotel Cortez, El Paso, Texas

The beautifully edited Program Booklet was dedicated to our former Governor, Edith DeBusk of Dallas, who had recently been elected to the office of President-Elect of Altrusa International, Inc. Mary Nell McCall, International Chairman of Altrusa Information (now of Kansas City, Missouri but formerly a member of the Altrusa Club of Fort Worth) was scheduled on the program.

Seventh Conference

Presiding Officer	Joella Terrill Butler, Governor
Date	October 1962
Theme	PYRAMID YOUR POTENTIAL
International Representatives	Marcelle K. Foote, Second Vice-President, Indianapolis, IN Margaret Halstead, Membership Chairman, Kansas City, MO
Location	Rice Hotel, Houston, Texas

Every club in the District was represented at this Conference!

1962-1964 Officers Installed

Governor	Etta Jane Butler	Houston
Governor-Elect	Helen Hooker	Abilene
First Vice-Governor	Aileen Aiken	Dallas
Second Vice-Governor	Lurline L. Bean	Beaumont
Treasurer	Clifford Sharp	Lubbock
Director	Carol R. Haberman	San Antonio
Director	Irene T. Hurst	Temple
Secretary	Lola Faye Bennett	Houston

Go To Top

Close History

1962 – 1964 Biennium

Governor: Etta Jane Butler

International Auditor – 1969-1971

Eighth Conference

Presiding Officer	Etta Jane Butler, Governor
Date	October 1963
Theme	FOCUS “MIGHTY NINTH” ON SERVICE
International Representative	Lucile Alexander, President-Elect, Jacksonville, FL
Location	Coronado inn, Pampa, Texas

Ninth Conference

Presiding Officer	Etta Jane Butler, Governor
Date	October 1964
Theme	PUTTING THE “I” IN SERVICE
International Representatives	Edith DeBusk, President, Dallas, TX Mary S. Resh, First Vice-President, Washington, D.C. Hazel P. Williams, Executive Director, Chicago, IL
Location	Robert Driscoll Hotel, Corpus Christi, Texas

1964-1966 Officers Installed

Governor	Helen Hooker	Abilene
Governor-Elect	Aileen Aiken	Dallas
First Vice-Governor	Carol R. Haberman	San Antonio
Second Vice-Governor	Clifford Sharp	Lubbock
Treasurer	Irene T. Hurst	Temple
Director	Jeanette Barnett	Amarillo
Director	Martha Jane McGee	Corpus Christi
Secretary	Dr. Kay Anderson	Abilene

The Twenty-Ninth Convention of Altrusa International, Inc. was held in Dallas, Texas, July 18-22, 1965 with the largest attendance in history.

Go To Top

Close History

1964 – 1966 Biennium

Governor: Helen Hooker

International Program Coordinator – 1975-1977

Tenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Helen Hooker, Governor
Date	October 1965
Theme D9Dividends
International Representative	Ethel J. Boyle, Second Vice-President, Springfield, IL
Location	Driskill Hotel, Austin, Texas

At this Conference, the President’s Award came into being through a love gift by District Nine to the outgoing International President, Mrs. Edith DeBusk at the Convention in Dallas, Texas, 1965. Helen Hooker presented the check to Edith DeBusk. At the Awards Luncheon in Austin the following October, Edith DeBusk made the announcement that the check had been placed in a Savings Account whereby a portion would be used annually to present a Plaque and a check of $50 in recognition to the Club President in District Nine who had made the best annual report to her club the preceding June. The District Nine Board of Directors eventually changed the name of this Award to the Edith DeBusk President’s Award.

Bylaws were amended to read:
Art.XVII, Sec.I..”The annual dues shall be computed at the rate of $3.50 per member…..”

Eleventh Conference

Presiding Officer	Helen Hooker, Governor
Date	October 1966
Theme HARVEST TIME IN D-NINE
International Representatives	Lucile Alexander, President-Elect, Jacksonville, FL
Location	Ko Ko Palace, Lubbock, Texas

1966-1968 Officers Installed

Governor	Aileen Aiken	Dallas
Governor-Elect	Carol R. Haberman	San Antonio
First Vice-Governor	Clifford Sharp	Lubbock
Second Vice-Governor	Irene T. Hurst	Temple
Treasurer	Martha Jane McGee	Corpus Christi
Director	Florence Bryce	Sherman
Director	Lorena Spence	Borger
Secretary	Sara Frances Chester	Dallas

Go To Top

Close History

1966 – 1968 Biennium

Governor: Aileen Aiken

International Program Coordinator – 1963-1965

International Membership Chairman – 1971-1973

International Bylaw Chairman – 1977-1979

Twelfth Conference

Presiding Officer	Aileen Aiken, Governor
Date	October 1967
Theme	FIT THE DEED TO THE NEED
International Representative	Muriel Mawer, Second Vice-President, Seattle, WA
Location	Hotel Fredonia, Nacogdoches, Texas

Thirteenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Aileen Aiken, Governor
Date	October 1968
Theme	MISSION ‘68
International Representatives	Mary S. Resh, President, Washington, D.C.
Location	St. Anthony Hotel, San Antonio, Texas

1968-1970 Officers Installed

Governor	Carol R. Haberman	San Antonio
Governor-Elect	Irene T. Hurst	Temple
First Vice-Governor	Martha Jane McGee	Corpus Christi
Second Vice-Governor	Nara Carter	Austin
Treasurer	Linnette Scagliola	Lufkin
Director	Wilmettia Alexander	Fritch
Director	Rudelle Helm	Fort Worth
Secretary	Lucille Nienheuser	San Antonio

Go To Top

Close History

1968 – 1970 Biennium

Governor: Carol R. Haberman

Fourteenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Carol Haberman, Governor
Date	October 1969
Theme	ALTRUSANS STAR IN A FRESH APPROACH TO SERVICE
International Representative	Joella Terrill Butler, President, Wichita Falls
Location	Sheraton, Fort Worth, Texas

Fifteenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Carol Haberman, Governor
Date	October 1970
Theme	SADDLE UP FOR LEADERSHIP
International Representatives	Ethel J. Boyle, President, Springfield, IL
Location	Windsor Hotel, Abilene, Texas

1970-1972 Officers Installed

Governor	Irene T. Hurst Temple
Governor-Elect	Martha Jane McGee Corpus Christi
First Vice-Governor	Linnette Scagliola Lufkin
Second Vice-Governor	Marjorie Cave Oak Cliff
Treasurer	Genevieve Henderson Pampa
Director	Marguerite Gidden Peterson Wichita Falls
Director	Grace Hamilton Waco
Secretary	Lois A. Lovelady Temple

Go To Top

Close History

1970 – 1972 Biennium

Governor: Irene T. Hurst

Sixteenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Irene T. Hurst, Governor
Date	October 1971
Theme	REACH FOR THE BIG IDEAL
International Representative	LaVora Conklin, First Vice-President, Detroit, MI
Location	Hotel Fairmont, Dallas, Texas

Seventeenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Irene T. Hurst, Governor
Date	October 1972
Theme	LIFE LINE FOR DISTRICT NINE
International Representatives	Mary C. Griffith, Second Vice-President, Denver, CO
Location	Holiday Inn – Emerald Beach, Corpus Christi, Texas

1972-1974 Officers Installed

Governor	Martha Jane McGee	Corpus Christi
Governor-Elect	Linnette Scagliola	Lufkin
First Vice-Governor	Marjorie Cave	Oak Cliff
Second Vice-Governor	Vermell Meador	Pampa
Treasurer	Fayrene Biro	Odessa
Director	Nell Johnston	Greenville
Director	Wanda Owen	Borger
Secretary	Joyce Graumann	Corpus Christi

Go To Top

Close History

1972 – 1974 Biennium

Governor: Martha Jane McGee

International Leadership Chair – 1975-1977

International Altrusa Information Chair – 1977-1979

International Program Coordinator – 1979-1981

Eighteenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Martha Jane McGee, Governor
Date	October 1973
Theme	D-NINERS PAN FOR SERVICE
International Representative	Muriel Mawer, President, Seattle, WA
Location	Coronado Inn, Pampa, Texas

Just prior to this Conference, Governor-Elect Linnette Scagliola resigned from office. This necessitated the elevation of First Vice-Governor Marjorie Cave to Governor-Elect. The Board then elevated Second Vice-Governor Vermell Meador to First Vice-Governor and appointed May Vanlandingham, Membership Chairman, to the Directory vacancy.

In January 1974, Wanda Owen resigned from the office of Director. This was occasioned by her marriage and change of residence to another country. This vacancy was not filled.

In the Spring of ’74, Vermell Meador, because of business-employment reasons, asked that her name not be placed on the ballot for the next biennium.

The Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun Award came into being this year and was initiated by Dr. Norma Porres, Chairman, and the International Relations Committee. The first Award was made at this Conference.

Nineteenth Conference

Presiding Officer	Martha Jane McGee, Governor
Date	October 1974
Theme	SOAR FOR MORE IN ‘74
International Representatives	Letha H. Brown, First Vice-President, San Diego, CA
Location	Waco Plaza, Waco, Texas

1974-1976 Officers Installed

Governor	Marjorie Cave	Oak Cliff
Governor-Elect	Nell Johnston	Greenville
First Vice-Governor	Fayrene Biro	Odessa
Second Vice-Governor	Virginia Morriss	Sherman
Treasurer	Katherine Pfeil	San Antonio
Director	Geraldine Eidson	Fort Worth
Director	Lois A. Lovelady	Temple
Secretary	Sue Powell	Dallas

Miss Yukie Ebara, G-I-A Awardee attending Texas Tech University in Lubbock, was a guest of the Conference and appeared on the program.

Bylaws were amended to read:

Art.I,Sec.2.
“The territorial limits of this District shall be The State of Texas.” (Note: This was requested by the ’72 Conference and approved by the International Board of Directors at its pre-Convention meeting in July 1973.)
Art.XVII, Sec.1.
………”The annual dues shall be computed at the rate of $5.00 per member…….”

DISTRICT NINE AWARDS

Since the organization of District Nine – Altrusa international, Inc. has been led by two members, making a total of three in our District.

Edith DeBusk was installed as President of Altrusa International in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1963, and Joella Terrill Butler was installed as President in Minneapolis, Minn. in 1969.

As a result of three wonderful women having served as leaders of Altrusa International, this District is the proud recipient of awards given as incentives for development of leadership – growth in membership and cognizance of one of International’s Projects – GRANTS-IN-AID.

We now have Edith DeBusk President’s Award, which is given annually at our Conferences to the President of her club who made the most meaningful annual report to her club in June preceding the Conference in October.

We have the Joella Terrill Butler Membership Award, which is given to the club having the largest net percentage in growth in membership from July 1 to June 30, following, with the award being given at the Conference in October.

We have the Nina Fay Calhoun Humanitarian Award because it was she who dreamed and put into being the International Project of Grants-In-Aid, and the award is given to the club which has executed the most outstanding work in the field of International Relations.

KOREAN NECKLACE

In-Ai Yang, a graduate nurse of a Seoul Korean Hospital, was given a Scholarship by the Seventh District (now District Nine) to get a year’s advanced training in the United States at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Miss Willie Walker of Texarkana was Governor at that time (1948-50) and practically adopted In-Ai.

When Governor Walker’s term was concluded, In-Ai gave “Bill” her most treasured possession, a jade pendant on a chain. This was a gift from In-Ai’s husband before she left Korea. The carved jade symbolized love, good wishes and prosperity. In-Ai asked that this necklace be passed on to each succeeding Governor as a symbol of her continuing thanks to the District for the friendship and advanced training she had while in this country.

In-Ai did not get back to Korea because South Korea was invaded the day she reached San Francisco on her way home. Because she couldn’t hear from her family (son, husband, mother, sisters and brothers) and since no ships were going to Korea, she decided, after waiting about two weeks, to go to Tokyo.

Here she learned her family was safe, but her husband was to be killed, if found. Through various media, Mr. Yang heard In-Ai was in Japan. He and the son went to her. They have continued to live in Tokyo since then. She hasn’t used her training except as a volunteer because Japanese are reluctant to employ Koreans.

Mr. Yang is a dealer in beautiful silk materials.

Go To Top

Close History

1974 – 1976 Biennium

Governor: Marjorie H. Cave

Twentieth Conference

Presiding Officer	Marjorie H. Cave, Governor
Date	October 1975
Theme	THINK ALTRUSA! Action Today for A Challenging Tomorrow
International Representative	LaVora Conklin, President, Detroit, MI
Location	St. Anthony Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
Distinguished Guest	Millicent Gillis, Governor, District Eleven, San Luis Obispo, CA

Immediately following the 1974 Conference, Governor-Elect Nell Johnston resigned from office. This necessitated the elevation of First Vice-Governor Fayrene Biro to Governor-Elect. Second Vice-Governor Virginia Morris was elevated to First Vice-Governor and the Board of Directors appointed District Program Coordinator Vermell Meador to Director.

At the Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting, January 1975, the first District Nine Budget and Fiscal Policies were adopted. To be ratified by the membership at the 1975 Conference.

The Thirty-Fourth Convention of Altrusa International, Inc. was held in Houston, Texas, July 1975. Muriel Mawer, President, presiding.

Twenty-First Conference

Presiding Officer	Marjorie H. Cave, Governor
Date	October 1976
Theme	SET THE PACE – WIN THE RACE
International Representatives	Jen Hanson, First Vice-President, Carlsbad, NM
Location	North Park Inn, Dallas, Texas
Distinguished Guest	Altrouser Bob Hanson, Carlsbad, NM

1976-1978 Officers Installed

Governor	Fayrene Biro	Odessa
Governor-Elect	Virginia Morriss	Sherman
First Vice-Governor	Geraldine Eidson	Fort Worth
Second Vice-Governor	Katherine Pfeil	San Antonio
Treasurer
Director	Laginia Hale	Austin
Director	Joy Reaves	Wichita Falls
Secretary	Bessie Lou Doelling	Odessa

During this biennium the Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun Award Criteria was reviewed and at the request of Dr. Nina Fay was changed to meet her original intent in the award.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION – 1974-76

President LaVora Conklin appointed Past Governor Helen Hooker to serve as International Program Chairman for the 1975-1977 Biennium.

Past Governor Martha Jane McGee was appointed by President LaVora Conklin to serve as Chairman of the Committee to Develop Leadership Materials, etc. for the 1975-1977 biennium.

Past Governor Carol Haberman was appointed judge of the 45th District Court, Bexar County, Texas.

Go To Top

Close History

1976 – 1978 Biennium

Governor: Fayrene Biro

International Service Bulletin Editor – 1979-1981

Twenty-Second Conference

Presiding Officer	Fayrene Biro, Governor
Date	October 1977
International Representative	Miss Marie Knuebel, First Vice-President, Ashtabula, OH
Location	Windsor Hotel, Abilene, Texas

Twenty-Third Conference

Presiding Officer	Fayrene Biro, Governor
Date	October 1978
Theme	Let Change be A Challenge – Update ‘78
International Representatives	Mrs. Letha H. Brown, President, San Diego, CA
Location	Holiday Inn, Sherman, Texas
Distinguished Guest	Mrs. Susan Britton, Editor, International Altrusan, Chicago, IL

1978-1980 Officers Installed

Governor	Virginia Morriss	Sherman
Governor-Elect	Geraldine Eidson	Fort Worth
First Vice-Governor	Katherine Pfeil	San Antonio
Second Vice-Governor	Sue Powell	Dallas
Treasurer	Mary Alice Tidwell	Midland
Director	Glyndene Shelton	Pampa
Director	Lothell Tanton	Beaumont
Secretary	Ruth M. Bell	Sherman

SPECIAL RECOGNITION – 1976-1978

President Letha H. Brown appointed:

Past Governor Martha Jane McGee to serve as International Altrusa Information Chairman for the 1977-1979 biennium.

Past Governor Aileen Aiken to serve as International Bylaw Chairman for the 1977-1979 biennium.

Go To Top

Close History

1978 – 1980 Biennium

Governor: Virginia Morriss

International Governor-Elect Training Evaluation Committee – 1979-1981

International Nominating Committee – 1979-1981

Twenty-Fourth Conference

Presiding Officer	Virginia Morriss, Governor
Date	October 19-21, 1979
Theme	“THE FUTURE IS NOW”
International Representative	Marie Knuebel, President-Elect, Ashtabula, OH
Location	Marriott Hotel, Austin, Texas
Distinguished Guest	Mary Resh, Past International President, Washington, D.C.

Past Governors of District Nine (formerly District Seven) were honored at the Governor’s Banquet with the theme “The Past, The Present, The Future is Now”. An address entitled “You Make The Difference” was given by International Representative Marie Knuebel.

Workshop: “Altrusa Knowledge Skillshop” conducted by Past International President Mary Resh, Washington, D.C. and “Conferences and Conventions: What to Expect – How to Report” led by Marie Knuebel.

The Mid-year Board of Directors meeting was held in Austin, February 3, 1979. Conference and Area Leadership Training Seminars were planned. Past Governor Irene Hurst, Temple, led a Leadership Development Workshop in each of the three Area Seminars.

Items of Significances: The Area system was utilized for the first time in District Nine, assigning District Officers to Club Visits each opposite the Governor’s visit thus providing each club a visit annually.

The Thirty-Sixth International Convention was held July 22-26, 1979, Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City, Missouri. Theme: “Expand Altrusa’s Image”. Jen Hanson, Carlsbad, N.M. installed as International President.

Twenty-Fifth Conference

Presiding Officer	Virginia Morriss, Governor
Date	October 17-19, 1980
Theme	“THE GOLDEN YEAR OF THE MIGHTY NINTH”
International Representatives	Jen Hanson, President, Carlsbad, NM
Location	Holiday Inn, San Angelo, Texas

1978-1980 Officers Installed

Installation Theme: “Silver Bell”

Installing Officer: Past Governor Carol Haberman

Governor	Geraldine Eidson	Fort Worth
Governor-Elect	Sue Powell	Dallas
First Vice-Governor	Mary Alice Tidwell	Midland
Second Vice-Governor	Glyndene Shelton	Pampa
Treasurer	Ruth Smith	Oak Cliff
Director	Linnette Scagliola	Lufkin
Director	Linda Nichols	Austin
Immediate Past Governor	Virginia Morriss	Sherman
Secretary	Fran McDonald	Fort Worth

This year marked the fiftieth year since the formation of District Nine (formerly District Seven) and we celebrated our Golden Anniversary at the Governor’s Banquet with the theme “Golden Wine and Roses”. Imprinted wine glasses were given as mementos.

Workshops: “Membership/Classification: A Sister Act” conducted by Past International Presidents Joella T. Butler and Edith DeBusk. Also, “Awards Criteria – How to Enter” conducted by District Chairmen.

The Mid-year Board of Directors meeting was held in San Angelo, February 2, 1980. Past Governor Marjorie Cave, Oak Cliff, led Leadership Development Workshops in each of the three Area Leadership Training Seminars.

Item of Significance: District Dues were increased from $5.00 to $7.00.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION:

Past Governor Martha Jane McGee served as International Program Coordinator; Immediate Past Governor Fayrene Biro served as Editor of the International Service Bulletin; Governor Virginia Morriss served on a Committee to evaluate the Governor-Elect Training Seminars; The Resolutions Committee for 1981 International Convention; the International Nominating Committee and as Mayor of Sherman, Texas during this biennium.

Go To Top

Close History

1980 – 1982 Biennium

Governor: Geraldine R. Eidson

The District Committee Chairmen for the Biennium were: Program Coordinator – Gyndene Shelton, Pampa; Altrusa Information – Sandra Smith, Arlington; Community Service – Sue Page, Marshall; International Relations – Maurine Travis, Amarillo; Vocational Services – Jayne Royer, Nacogdoches; Finance – Mary Lanier, Waco; Membership – Linda Nichols, Austin; and Publicity – Editor – Lola Pearle Hulsey, Wichita Falls.

The District Focus for the biennium included the following: the many concerns of women that can be addressed through our principle of “Builder of Women”; reaffirmation of our motto of “Patriotism, Efficiency, Service”; addressing concerns through making opportunities happened for others including career planning, career development, concerns of leadership growth through strengthening the Leadership Training Seminars, concerns for membership growth through extension as well as retention, and the concern of sharing our many blessings of membership in Altrusa with others.

The 1981 Mid-year Board meeting was held in Houston with major emphasis on planning for the Spring Leadership Training Seminars. The theme of “On Stage – Focus of Leadership” was used for the LTS’s held in Beaumont, Oak Cliff-Dallas and Midland, with a total registration of 275. Past District Governor Fayrene Biro presented Leadership training at each of these.

Twenty-Sixth Conference

Presiding Officer	Geraldine Eidson, Governor
Date	October 16-18, 1981
Theme	“A Focus on Concerns Reflected in Service”
International Representative	Verona Bordok, First Vice-President, Barstow, CA
Location	Marriott Houston, Houston, Texas
Conference Chairman	Virginia Cunningham
Attendance	192

Inclement weather throughout Texas prevented many of our members who were pre-registered from attendance at this conference. An expanded workshop schedule included Breakfast workshops in addition to regular program workshops. The additional workshops included Presidents, Membership/Extension, Fund Raising can be Fun Raising, and How-tos of Club Service Projects. The Joella Terrill Butler Membership Award was won by the Altrusa Club of Arlington; the Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award was won by Richardson; the Edith DeBusk President’s Award was won by Milvia Witt of Lufkin, and the Mamie L. Bass Award was won by the Altrusa Club of Dallas. Winner of the Newsletter competition as well as the Yearbook competition was the Altrusa Club of Arlington.

The Thirty-Seventh International Convention was held in Vancouver, B. C. , Canada July 27-30, 1981. The District Luncheon honored Past International Presidents Dr. Nana Fay Calhoun and Edith DeBusk, and more than 100 from the district attended. Our district was honored by a candidate for International First vice President – Virginia Morriss, Immediate Past Governor. A reception in her honor was held Wednesday afternoon.

Mary Alice Tidwell was appointed to serve on the International Finance Committee.

The 1982 Mid-year Board meeting was held at the Green Oaks Inn in Fort Worth. Plans for the 1982 Leadership Training Seminar included the theme of “Kaleidoscope of Service”, with special emphasis general workshops of “Procedures of Protocol, Procedures of Membership Processing, and Procedures of Service Projects.” Sites – Texarkana, Nacogdoches and Pampa.

Twenty-Seventh Conference

Presiding Officer	Geraldine R. Eidson, Governor
Date	October 15-17, 1982
Theme	“Reflections of Serivce”
International Representatives	Norma Jean Najim, Springfield, IL
Location	Green Oaks Inn, Fort Worth, Texas
Conference Chairman	Zem Neill
Registration	243

1982-1984 Officers Installed:

Governor	Sue Powell	Dallas
Governor-Elect	Glyndene Shelton	Pampa
First Vice-Governor	Linnette Scagliola	Lufkin
Second Vice-Governor	Fran McDonald	Fort Worth
Treasurer	Sue Page	Marshall
Director	Mary Lanier	Waco
Director	Glenda Keyton	Lubbock
Immediate Past Governor	Geraldine Eidson	Fort Worth
Secretary	Betty Lawson	Dallas

Special program-slide presentation taken from the District Club Service Projects. Special Guest, Barbara Siebert, International Membership Coordinator.

New Clubs organized during the Biennium – Plano, Brazos-Waco, Downtown Dallas.

Membership on June 30, 1982 was 1660.

Breakfast workshops on Saturday morning included “Programming Potpourri”, “Membership RRR’s”, “Handwriting on the Wall” and “The Gavel Group”, and the afternoon workshops on programming.

The Memorial Service on Sunday morning by Past District Governor Marjorie Cave honored the memory of Past District Governor Irene Truman Hurst and District Members who died since the last District Conference.

Special events of the Conference included an Early Bird Reception on Thursday evening, a Reception honoring International Representative Norma Jean Najim and the Past District Governors.

The Joella Terrill Butler Membership Award was received by the Altrusa Club of the Brazos-Waco; the Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award was presented to the Altrusa Club of Waco; the Edith DeBusk President’s Award was presented to Jo Leeper – Richardson; and the Mamie L. Bass Service Award was presented to the Altrusa Club of Beaumont.

The Winner of the Newsletter competition was the Altrusa Club of Temple with the Altrusa Club of Arlington winning the competition on Yearbooks.

Action of the Conference included a change in Article VI, Section 2 Voting Body which changed the date for determination of voting strength of the clubs to the membership records of International on June 30th of the current year.

Dues for the 1980-82 Biennium were $8.00.

Go To Top

Close History

1982 – 1984 Biennium

Governor: Sue Powell

International Community Service Chairman – 1989-1991

Due to weather conditions, the Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held at the Doubletree Inn in Dallas, February 5, 1983, rather than in Midland, the site of the next Conference.

Twenty-Eighth Conference

Presiding Officer	Sue Powell, Governor
Date	October 21-23, 1983
Theme	PYRAMID OF SERVICE Through “The Magic of Altrusa”
International Representative	Stella Nyhan, Second Vice-President, Dublin, Ireland
Location	Holiday Inn, Midland, Texas
Attendance	194

An item of significance at this Conference was the $5,000.00 fund which was set up for Revitalization of District Nine.

All Past Governors were honored at this Conference with a reception on Friday night.

The Thirty-Eighth International Convention was held in Atlanta, Georgia July 1983 with Verona Bordok of Barstow, California installed as International President. It was at this Convention that District Nine won the award for the most entries for the Mamie L. Bass Service Award. There were nineteen Altrusans from District Nine involved in various capacities at the Convention.

The Mid-year Board of Directors Meeting was held in Dallas at the Doubletree Inn, February 4, 1984.

Twenty-Ninth Conference

Presiding Officer	Sue Powell, Governor
Date	October 19-21, 1984
Theme	PYRAMID OF SERVICE Through “The Magic of Altrusa”
International Representatives	Joy Koelling, Second Vice-President, Terre Haute, IN
Location	Doubletree Inn, Dallas, Texas
Special Guests	Billie Jean Ward, Governor, District Eight Pattie Fielding, International Altrusa Information Chairman
Registration	261

1984-1986 Officers Installed:

Governor	Glyndene Shelton	Pampa
Governor-Elect	Linnette Scagliola	Lufkin
First Vice-Governor	Fran McDonald	Fort Worth
Second Vice-Governor	Sue Page	Marshall
Treasurer	Mary Lanier	Waco
Director	Betty Lawson	Dallas
Director	Sandra Smith	Arlington
Immediate Past Governor	Sue Powell	Dallas
Secretary	Carolyn Lester	Pampa

Tribute was paid to all Past Governors on Friday Night with “Through The Years of District Nine” and a reception immediately following.

New Clubs organized during the Biennium – Wichita Falls-Noon and Mid Cities.

Also organized was the ASTRA Club of Anderson County, and in the process of being organized the ASTRA club of Wichita Falls.

Special Recognition 1982-1984:

International President Verona Bordok appointed:

Mary Alice Tidwell of Midland as Finance Chairman for the 1983-1985 Biennium, and

Glyndene Shelton of Pampa as Vocational Services Chairman for the 1983-1985 Biennium

Go To Top

Close History

1984 – 1986 Biennium

Governor: Glyndene Shelton

International Vocational Services Chair – 1983-1985

BIENNIUM THEME: Altrusa Energy – Source of Service

SPECIAL EMPHASIS: Energize Personal Involvement

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on February 9, 1985, at the Villa Inn, Amarillo, Texas, the site of the next Conference.

Thirtieth Conference

Presiding Officer	Glyndene Shelton, Governor
Date	October 18-20, 1985
Theme	“Altrusa Brand N R G”
International Representative	Charlotte McDerment, Second Vice-President, Tucson, AZ
Location	Villa Inn, Amarillo, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Bonnie Maynard, Chair; Genevieve Williams, Vice-Chair
Attendance	161 Representing 35 Clubs

On March 10, 1985, the Altrusa club of Wichita Falls chartered the ASTRA club of Hirschi High School with twelve young ladies signing the register as charter members

The Thirty-Ninth Convention of Altrusa International, Inc. was held in Boston, Massachusetts, July 19-23, 1985, with Norma Jean Najim of Springfield, Illinois, installed as International President and introduced the 1985-1987 Biennium Theme, “Unity Through Service”.

At this convention fifteen clubs from District Nine were honored for attaining the +15 = $100 status initiated by Immediate Past International President Verona Bordok to promote membership growth during the 1983-1985 Biennium.

Thirty-First Conference

Presiding Officer	Glyndene Shelton, Governor
Date	October 17-19, 1986
Theme	Treasures of the Concho
International Representatives	Barbara Ann Hughes, First Vice-President, Raleigh, NC
Location	Holiday Inn, San Angelo, Texas
Registration	205 Representing 36 Clubs

1986-1988 Officers Installed:

Governor	Linnette Scagliola	Lufkin
Governor-Elect	Fran McDonald	Fort Worth
First Vice-Governor	Betty Lawson	Dallas
Second Vice-Governor	Sandra Smith	Arlington
Treasurer	Linda Nichols	Austin
Director	Patti Hardison	Odessa
Director	Peggy Sturrock	Abilene
Immediate Past Governor	Glyndene Shelton	Pampa
Secretary	Bobbie Patrick	Lufkin

International Representative, Barbara Ann Hughes presented the OMNI Award for $500.00 from International to the Altrusa Club of Texarkana.

Included in the Conference Program was a beautiful tribute to the Texas Sesquicentennial written by Ailsa Lewis, Altrusa Club of Dallas.

Approved requests from the Altrusa Club of Bryan-College Station and the Altrusa Club of Oak Cliff for disbandment.

On September 18, 1986, the Altrusa Club of Arlington, P.M. was presented their charter with 29 members. Organizing club was the Altrusa Club of Arlington, Noon.

Special Recognition 1985-1987:

International President Norma Jean Najim appointed:

Mary Alice Tidwell of Midland as Finance Chairman for the 1985-1987 Biennium.

Go To Top

Close History

1986 – 1988 Biennium

Governor: Linnette Scagliola

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on February 14, 1987, at the Richardson Hilton and Towers, Richardson, Texas, the site of the Thirty-Second District Nine Conference.

Thirty-Second Conference

Presiding Officer	Linnette Scagliola, Governor
Date	October 16-18, 1987
Theme	“Voice of Altrusa”
International Representative	Norma Hiner, Second Vice-President, Ashland, OH
Location	Richardson Hilton and Towers, Richardson, TX
Conference Co-Chairmen	Mary Hoglund and Jo Leeper
Attendance	192 Representing 34 Clubs

The District Board of Directors elected the following members to serve as the 1986-1988 Bylaws, Recommendations, Resolutions Committee:

Carol Haberman, Chairman	San Antonio
Martha Hardwick	Downtown Dallas
Glyndene Shelton	Pampa

Members elected to serve on the 1987-1989 Nominating Committee were:

Glyndene Shelton, Chairman	Pampa
Mary Hoglund	Richardson
Francine Howard	San Antonio
Zem Neill	Fort Worth
Druann Wiley	Beaumont

(Due to the resignation of Zem Neill, the Board appointed Jamie Hassler, Sherman, to serve on this committee.)

Norma Hiner, Second Vice-President, Altrusa International, Inc., presented The Altrusa Club of Fort Worth with a check for $100.00 on behalf of Altrusa International, Inc. as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award.

The Fortieth Convention of Altrusa International, Inc. was held in Palm Desert, California, July 24-27, 1987, with Stella T. J. Nyhan, Dublin, Ireland, installed as International President and introduced the 1987-1989Theme, “EMBRACE THE WORLD WITH SERVICE AND FRIENDSHIP”.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors met on Saturday, January 23, 1988, in Lufkin, Texas, at the Holiday Inn, the site of the1988 Thirty-Third District Conference.

Thirty-Third Conference

Presiding Officer	Linnette Scagliola, Governor
Date	October 21-23, 1988
Theme	“The Future is Ours”
International Representatives	Stella T. J. Nyhan, President, Dublin, Ireland
Location	Holiday Inn and Civic Center, Lufkin, TX
Conference Co-Chairmen	Milvia Witt and Frona Lee
Registration	205 Representing 35 Clubs

1988-1990 Officers Installed:

Governor	Fran McDonald	Fort Worth
Governor-Elect	Betty Lawson	Dallas
First Vice-Governor	Sandra Smith	Arlington
Second Vice-Governor	Linda Nichols	Austin
Treasurer	Patti Hardison	Odessa
Director	Debbie Mabry	Temple
Director	Carolyn Chaney	Pampa
Immediate Past Governor	Linnette Scagliola	Lufkin
Secretary	Diane Griffin	Fort Worth

International Representative, Stella Nyhan, presented a check for $100.00 to the Altrusa Club of Houston as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award.
Special Recognition: Mary Alice Tidwell, Midland as Chairman of Finance of Altrusa International Foundation, Inc.

Go To Top

Close History

1988 – 1990 Biennium

Governor: Fran McDonald

International Foundation Board – 1993-1997

BIENNIUM THEME: Altrusa in Wonderland –
Through the Looking Glass to Service

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on February 11, 1989, at the Sheraton Hotel, Wichita Falls, Texas, the site of the Thirty-Fourth District Nine Conference.

Thirty-Fourth Conference

Presiding Officer	Fran McDonald, Governor
Date	October 20-22, 1989
Theme	“A Walk Through Wonderland”
International Representative	Norma Hiner, President-Elect, Ashland, OH
Location	Sheraton Hotel, Wichita Falls, TX
Conference Co-Chairmen	Jeanie Thompson, Barbara Brock, Elizabeth Burke
Attendance	183 Representing 34 Clubs

Norma Hiner, President-Elect, Altrusa International, Inc., presented a check for $100 to the Altrusa Club of Temple as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award.

The District Board of Directors elected the following members to serve as the 1988-1990 Bylaws, Recommendations, Resolutions Committee:

Linnette Scagliola, Chairman	Lufkin
Frances Maloney	Dallas
Donna Headstream	Abilene

Members elected to serve on the 1988-1990 Nominating Committee were:

Linnette Scagliola, Chairman	Lufkin
Mary Lanier	Waco
Mary Alice Tidwell	Midland
Elizabeth Baker	Arlington
LeAnn Williams	Carthage

The Forty-First International Convention was held in Dublin, Ireland, July 14-17, 1989. Barbara Ann Hughes, Raleigh, NC, was installed as International President and introduced the 198-1991 Biennium theme, “Catch the Vision of Our Future”.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors met on Saturday, February 19, 1990, at the Holiday Inn-Civic Center, Lubbock, Texas, the site of the next Conference.

Thirty-Fifth Conference

Presiding Officer	Fran McDonald, Governor
Date	October 19-21, 1990
Theme	“Reflections of Wonderland”
International Representatives	Margaret Inch, Second Vice-President, Wellington, New Zealand
Location	Holiday Inn-Civic Center, Lubbock, TX
Distinguished Guests	Marilynn Bell, Governor, District Eight Wanda Harmon, Second Vice-Governor, District Ten
Conference Co-Chairmen	Alice Temple and Jacque Hastings
Registration	201 Representing 34 Clubs

1990-1992 Officers Installed:

Governor	Betty Lawson	Dallas
Governor-Elect	Sandra Smith	Arlington
First Vice-Governor	Linda Nichols	Austin
Second Vice-Governor	Carolyn Chaney	Pampa
Treasurer	Debbie Mabry	Temple
Director	Kathleen Bauer	Downtown Dallas
Director	Peggy Sturrock	Abilene
Immediate Past Governor	Fran McDonald	Fort Worth
Secretary	Carolyn Rash	Dallas

Margaret Inch, Altrusa International, Inc., Second Vice-President, presented a check for $100 to the Altrusa Club of Pampa as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award.

Registration Fee for Leadership Training Seminars was set at $20.

District nine dues were increased to $13.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION:

The International Relations Committee of Altrusa International, Inc. presented an Award to District Nine for its International Relations emphasis through the Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award.

Barbara Ann Hughes appointed:

Sue Powell, Dallas, Chairman, Community Service Committee
Mary Hoglund, Richardson, member of the Altrusa Information Committee
Leona Willis, Pampa, member of the International Relations Committee
Martha Hardwick Rentzel, Downtown Dallas, Legal Advisor

Mary Alice Tidwell, Midland, served as a member of the Altrusa International Foundation Board of Directors.

Go To Top

Close History

1990 – 1992 Biennium

Governor: Betty Lawson

International Second Vice-President – 1995-1997

International Nominating Committee – 2003-2005

BIENNIUM THEME: Soaring to New Heights

District Goals: (1) Net increase in membership at the beginning of each new club year with January serving as our membership emphasis month; (2) Promote extension; (3) improve marketing and public relations techniques; (4) Provide ideas for successful fund raising activities assisted by a Fund Raising Coordinator; and (5) Encourage creative and exciting programs and service projects.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on February 9, 1991, at the Green Oaks Inn, Fort Worth, Texas, the site of the Thirty-Sixth District Nine Conference.

Thirty-Sixth Conference

Presiding Officer	Betty Lawson, Governor
Date	October 18-20, 1991
Theme	“Soaring High on the Winds of Service”
International Representative	Joyce Delabar, President-Elect, Lexington, KY
Distinguished Guest	Barbara Ann Hughes, Immediate Past President, Raleigh, NC
Location	Green Oaks Inn, Fort Worth, TX
Conference Chairmen	Pat Wright, Chairman Diane Griffin, Vice-Chairman
Attendance	260 Representing all 35 Clubs

Joyce Delabar, International Representative, presented a check for $100 to the Altrusa International of Texarkana as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award for their “Cancer detection Clinic for Women” project.

Members elected to serve on the 1990-1992 Nominating Committee were: Fran McDonald, Chairman, Fort Worth; Deborah Draper, Austin; Dorothy Hostettler, Arlington P.M.; Frances Maloney, Dallas; and Doris Russell, Odessa.

The Forty-Second International Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, July 26-30, 1991. Norma Hiner, Ashland, Ohio, was installed as International President and introduced the 1991-1993 Biennium theme, “Grow in Service Together”. District Nine was represented by 71 in attendance from 23 clubs with eight District Niners involved in various capacities at the Convention. Special recognition was received for having the most Mamie L. Bass Service Project Award entries while Altrusa International of Pampa placed second in the Mamie L. Bass Service Award competition.

Special International Recognition:

President Norma Hiner appointed Peggy Sturrock, Abiline, Chairman of the Membership Committee
Sue Powell, Past Governor, Dallas, elected as a member of the Nominating Committee.
Approved Governor’s recommendation to design and present clubs celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversaries with certificates of recognition.
Approved recommendation to solicit a postage stamp in honor of our 75th anniversary displaying Mamie L. Bass’ picture.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors was held January 18, 1992, at the Arlington Hilton, Arlington, Texas.

An enthusiastic delegation of District Nine Altrusans, including Gyndene Shelton, 75th Anniversary Chairman, attended the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Altrusa International, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee on April 11-12, 1992, while others attended galas throughout the District in celebration of Altrusa’s 75th birthday.

Thirty-Seventh Conference

Presiding Officer	Betty Lawson, Governor
Date	October 16-18, 1992
Theme	“New Heights and New Horizons”
International Representatives	Roberta Ross, Treasurer, Oxnard, CA,
Location	Embassy Suites Hotel, Abilene, TX
Distinguished Guests	Marilynn Bell, Past Governor, District Eight, Fayetteville, Arkansas Danielle Blondin, Past Governor, District One, Quebec City, Quebec Canada
Conference Chairmen	Evelyn Woltjen, Chairman Joan Hoover, Vice-Chairman
Registration	224 Representing 33 of 36 Clubs

1992-1994 Officers Installed:

Governor	Sandra Smith	Arlington
Governor-Elect	Linda Nichols	Austin
First Vice-Governor	Debbie Mabry	Temple
Second Vice-Governor	Peggy Sturrock	Abilene
Treasurer	Kathleen Bauer	Downtown Dallas
Director	Pat Ebarb	The Brazos
Director	Mary Osentowski	Richardson
Immediate Past Governor	Betty Lawson	Dallas
Secretary	Pat Bowers	Arlington P.M.

Roberta Ross, International Representative, presented a check for $100 to the Altrusa Club of Borger as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award for their “After School Project”. Members elected Fran McDonald, Fort Worth, District Nine’s Nominee for the Altrusa International, Inc. Foundation Board of Trustee to be elected at the 1993 Convention in Nashville. District Nine was proud to have twelve (12) Past Governors in attendance.

Highlights and Happenings:

Established Governors’ Literacy Award starting with the 1990-1991 club year.
Committee accomplishments: (1) Established Speakers’ Bureaus comprised of talented District Nine Altrusans; (2) Introduced new Membership Referral Form; (3) compiled and distributed directory of successful literacy projects; and (4) Developed new, effective public relations, fund raising, and orientation materials.
Two new clubs were chartered: Copperas Cove on June 6, 1991 (Altrusa International of Temple, organizing club) and North Dallas on August 26, 1992 (Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas club, organizing club).
Approved requests from two clubs to disband – Big Springs and Panola County.
Chartered ASTRA club at Highland Park High School in Dallas April 28, 1992 (Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas, sponsoring club).
Experienced 100 percent participation both years completing the Club Activities Reports.
Record number of 312 attended 1991 Leadership Training Seminars (“Exploring New Opportunities”) while 240 members participated in 1992 Leadership Training Seminars (“Rising to Meet Your Leadership Needs”). The “LTS Payload” incentive plan was approved and successfully implemented.
District Nine dues were increased by $5.00 to $13.00 effective June 1, 1991.
Raffles held at both Conferences raised $1,035 to support Altrusa International Foundation.

Go To Top

Close History

1992 – 1994 Biennium

Governor: Sandra Smith

International Altrusa Information Committee Chairman – 1995-1997

BIENNIUM THEME: Building Altrusa

Goals:

To renew the meaning of Patriotism, Efficiency, Service –
1. Enhance the awareness of Patriotism through programs and projects.
2. Strengthen clubs with more Efficiency in Leadership Training.
3. Expand Service with emphasis on literacy, environment and recycling.
To increase personal commitment.
1. By recruiting new members.
2. By building new clubs
3. By retaining members
To build on the basic Principles of Altrusa.
1. Emphasize accomplishments through public relations and marketing
2. Encourage involvement through better program planning.
3. Initiate better leadership development to become a “Builder” of Altrusa.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on Saturday, February 13, 1993, in Arlington, Texas, at the Courtyard By Marriott.

Thirty-Eighth Conference

Presiding Officer	Sandra Smith, Governor
Date	October 15-17, 1993
Theme	“Building Under Construction”
International Representative	Alexinia Baldwin, First Vice-President
Location	Hilton and Convention Center, Waco, TX
Conference Chairmen	Pat Ebarb and Juanita Tompkins
Attendance	243 -- 33 of 35 Clubs

Alexinia Baldwin, First Vice President, Altrusa International presented Altrusa International of Temple a check for $100 as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award in recognition for their community service project “Homeless Angels”.

Members elected to service on the 1994 Nominating Committee were: Glyndene Shelton, Chairman, Pampa; Linnette Scagliola, Lufkin; Margaret Brinkman, Richardson; Dee Decker, Red River; Holly Roundtree, Downtown Dallas.

A ”Special Fund” drive resulted a $1500 contribution to the International Foundation to honor Fran McDonald, Past Governor who was elected as a Trustee of the International Foundation Board. Fran was presented with the Lamplighter pin and pendant.

The Forty-Third International Convention was held in Nashville, Tennessee, July 2-6, 1993. District Nine was represented with 64 present and 12 involved in various capacities at Convention. District Nine had a booth to display and sell items related to Texas. Joyce Delabar from Lexington, Kentucky was installed as International President and introduced her theme, “Service is Love in Any Language”.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION:

Fran McDonald, Past Governor, elected as a four-year Trustee to the International Foundation Board of Directors
Won an award for 75th Anniversary Display chaired by Glyndene Shelton, Past Governor.
Francine Weaver, Midland, and Murrell Green, Paris, won “Super Seven” Awards for sponsoring seven new members.
President Delabar appointed Betty Lawson, Past Governor, from Dallas to the Extension Committee and Martha Hardwick Rentzel from Downtown Dallas as Chairman of the International ASTRA Committee.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors was held Saturday, February 12, 1994 at the Arlington Hilton, Arlington, Texas.

Thirty-Ninth Conference

Presiding Officer	Sandra Smith, Governor
Date	October 21-23, 1994
Theme	“Building Altrusa – Now and For the Future”
International Representatives	Joyce Delabar, Lexington, KY
Location	Arlington Hilton, Arlington, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Elizabeth Baker and Mary Singel
Registration	226 Representing 35 of 36 Clubs

1994-1996 Officers Installed:

Governor	Linda Nichols	Austin
Governor-Elect	Debbie Mabry	Temple
First Vice-Governor	Peggy Sturrock	Abilene
Second Vice-Governor	Mary Osentowski	Richardson
Treasurer	Janice Bruner-Moore	Dallas
Director	Martha Hardwick Rentzel	Downtown Dallas
Director	Vera Tittle	Lubbock
Immediate Past Governor	Sandra Smith	Arlington

Governor Nichols appointed Juanita Tompkins, Secretary, The Brazos; Pat Ebarb, Parliamentarian, The Brazos.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITIONS:

Developed and adopted a Strategic Plan for District Nine.
Held six Leadership Training Seminars.
Published Conference Newsletter at both events with was passed out at the end of Conference.
Published 8 issues of “News of Mighty Ninth”
Past Governors were honored at both District Conferences – 1993 Altrusa Homecoming Mums and 1994 “Vintage Night” with highlights from each biennium.
“Step By Step for a Successful Membership Event” was developed b the District Membership Committee.
Developed “Program Coordinators Update” (PC Update) was sent to all clubs by PC (informational and motivational).
Developed an Extension Plan by Extension Committee to support the International Plan. The Board approved a Financial Assistance Plan for Extension.
Chartered a new club, Altrusa International, Inc. of Southwest Dallas County organized by Altrusa International, Inc. of Dallas; also completed extension into Ecuador with charter presented on September 18,1993 organized by Altrusa International, Inc. of Arlington P.M.
Seven clubs received recognition with the “Quality Club Award” – Altrusa International, Inc. of Arlington, Arlington P.M., Downtown Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Pampa and Temple.

Go To Top

Close History

1994 – 1997 Biennium

Governor: Linda Nichols

International Foundation – Vice-Chair 1997-1997, Chair 1999-2001

International Treasurer – 2001-2003

International President – 2005-2007

BIENNIUM THEME: “It’s Altrusa Time, Be a Part of the Movement”

District Goals

Membership Recruitment

Encourage local clubs to be pacesetters in recruiting new members by increasing membership by 25% per club.
Commit to extension by organizing four new clubs in 1994-1997 biennium.
Implement membership and extension initiatives.

Altrusa Service

Increase volunteer service hours to Altrusa communities in District Nine.
Propose a community service project to the District that could be done in Texas communities.

Marketing Altrusa in Texas

Use available marketing tools to increase public awareness of Altrusa in District Nine.
Obtain more media coverage.

Leadership Development

Conduct leadership training seminars in the spring of 1995, 1996, and 1997.
Begin implementing the District Nine Strategic Plan.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on Saturday, February 4, 1995, at the Stouffer Renaissance, site of the Fortieth District Nine Conference. There was a Special Board of Directors meeting held August 25, 1995 in Dallas at the Texas Commerce Bank Building.

Fortieth Conference

Presiding Officer	Linda Nichols, Governor
Date	October 20-22, 1995
Theme	It’s Altrusa Time, Be a Part of the Movement
International Representative	Margaret Inch, President, Wellington, New Zealand
Location	Stouffer Renaissance Hotel, Austin, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Joyce Howell and Laginia Hale
Attendance	202 -- 30 of 35 Clubs

Margaret Inch, President, Altrusa International, presented a check for $100 to Altrusa International of Denton as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award for their Starbucks Reading Program at Tomas Rivera Elementary School.

Members elected to service on the 1995-97 Nominating Committee were: Sandra Smith, Chairman, Arlington; and members Bobbie Fry, Nacogdoches; Sandy Gerick, Temple, Mary Lanier, Waco; and Juanita Tompkins, The Brazos.

The Forty-Fourth International Convention was held in Christchurch, New Zealand, July 28-31, 1995. District Nine was represented with 27 present and 11 involved in various capacities at Convention. One-hundred fifty-four clubs were represented and there were 573 people in attendance. Margaret Inch, Wellington, New Zealand was installed as International President and introduced her theme, “Leaders in Service”.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION:

Betty Lawson, Past Governor, was elected Second Vice-President, Altrusa International.
Sandra Smith, Past Governor, appointed Chairman, Altrusa Information Committee.
Martha Hardwick Rentzel, Downtown Dallas, appointed Chairman, Extension Committee.
Nine Clubs received the 1994-1995 Quality Club Award: Arlington P.M., Denton, Downtown Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Pampa, Temple, The Brazos, and Waco.
Community Leadership Award presented by the International Foundation was given to Kathleen Leos, who is the Day Care Director for the visually impaired. She worked through Altrusa International, Inc. of Downtown Dallas.

A Board Retreat was held in Richardson, November 18,1995 to discuss the new structure and plan for the upcoming Leadership Training Seminars. The Mid-Year Board of Directors was held Saturday, February 17, 1996 at the Wildflower Country Club in Temple.

Mini Conference

Presiding Officer	Linda Nichols, Governor
Date	October 19, 1996
Theme	Celebrate Altrusa and Celebrate Reading
Location	Stage Coach Inn, Salado, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Pat Ebarb
Attendance	158 -- 30 of 35 Clubs

The highlight of the Mini-Conference was a “hands-on” literacy project for Salado Elementary School. Attendees donated a children’s book for admission to the meeting. More than 300 books were displayed and donated to the school. A silent auction raised $1,120 for the “Blueprint For the Future” – the move to Nashville. The Mini-Conference was sponsored by District Nine as a Celebration of Altrusa and Altrusans Networking as the District changes from an October Conference to a March-May Conference.
A Mid-Year Board Meeting was held in conjunction with the Mini-Conference.

Forty-First Conference

Presiding Officer	Linda Nichols, Governor
Date	May 2-4, 1997
Theme	Hats Off to Altrusa
International Representatives	Betty Lawson, Second Vice-President, Dallas, TX
Location	Clarion Hotel, Richardson, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Jo Leeper, Julianne Lovelace, and Mimi Tanner
Registration	220 – 34 of 37 Clubs

1997-1999 Officers Installed:

Governor	Debbie Mabry	Temple
Governor-Elect	Peggy Sturrock	Abilene
First Vice-Governor	Mary Osentowski	Richardson
Second Vice-Governor	Martha Hardwick Rentzel	Downtown Dallas
Treasurer	Barbara Dull	Waco
Director	Carolyn Rash	Dallas
Director	Leslie Thompson	Lubbock
Immediate Past Governor	Linda Nichols	Austin

Governor Mabry appointed Barbara Pearcy, Secretary, Temple; Frances Maloney, Parliamentarian, Dallas.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITIONS:

Chartered four new clubs, Lubbock Dawners organized by Altrusa International, Inc. of Lubbock; Collin County organized by Altrusa International, Inc. of Richardson; Southeast Tarrant County Early Risers, organized by Altrusa International, Inc of Arlington P.M.; and Northeast Dallas County organized by Altrusa International, Inc. of Dallas resulting in 102 new members.
Held six Leadership Training Seminars.
Published a Conference Newsletter.
Published 9 issues of News of Mighty Ninth.
Raffle at 1995 Conference raised $400; 1997 raffle raised $551 for International Foundation.
Eight Board of Directors meetings and one Board Retreat were held.
Approved requests from two clubs to disband – Odessa and Amarillo.
Presented two District-Wide Community Service Projects: Texas Scholars Program and Make a Difference Day.
Presented a District-Wide Fundraising project: Selling Poinsettias or Flowers for other occasions.

Go To Top

Close History

1997 – 1999 Biennium

Governor: Debbie Mabry

International Service Committee Vice-Chair – 2001-2003

International Foundation – Vice-Chair 2003-2005, Chair 2005-2007

BIENNIUM THEME: “Leaders in Service”

District Goals

Membership:
Each Altrusa in District Nine sponsor ONE new member in the biennium

Community Service:
Each club in District Nine evaluate their projects and look for ways to expand or improve ONE project.

Retention:
Each club in District Nine develop ONE way to make their newer members feel a real part of their club.

Leadership Development:
Each club in District Nine incorporate leadership development into their clubs by having ONE leadership development program or skills presentation a year for their members.

Fund raising:
Each club in District Nine work towards developing ONE fund raising event each year rather than several smaller events.

The Forty-Fifth International Convention was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 18-22, 1997. Alexinia Baldwim, Ph.D., was installed as International President and continued the theme “Leaders in Service”. District Nine was represented by 62 Texas Altrusans. Special Recognition: Linda Nichols was elected to the International Foundation Board o f Directors. Joan Speer, Altrusa International of Houston, was appointed by Alexinia Baldwin to serve as ASTRA chair for the biennium.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on October 17, 1997 at Mill Creek Country Club in Salado, Texas, the weekend of the Fall Leadership Event for District Nine, which was held at the Salado Elementary School in Salado, Texas. A district service project, a book drive, was also held.

Forty-Second Conference

Presiding Officer	Debbie Mabry, Governor
Date	May 1-3, 1998
Theme “Viva Altrusa”
International Representative	Barbara Paul, Treasurer
Location	Holiday Inn Select, San Antonio, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Susanne Gottuk and Johnnie Gregg
Attendance	207 Altrusans in attendance from thirty clubs

Barbara Paul, International Representative, presented a check for $100 to the Altrusa International of Temple as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award and to Altrusa International of Pampa for the Letha H. Brown Literacy Award.

International Long Range Planning Session was held during Conference.

Membership Stars introduced on name badges for those sponsoring new members.

Members elected to serve on the 1997-99 Nominating Committee were: Betty Lawson, Chairman, Dallas; Pat Bowers, Arlington P.M.; Kathleen Bauer, Downtown Dallas; Francine Weaver, Midland; and Mimi Tanner, Richardson.

A “Special Fund” drive was held for the International Foundation to honor Linda Nichols, Immediate Past Governor, who was elected as a Trustee of the International Foundation Board. Linda was presented with a Lamplighter pin at District Conference.

Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on November 7, 1998 at the Lubbock Inn, Lubbock, Texas, which coincided with the Fall Leadership Event, held in Lubbock at the First Christian Church. A book drive was the service project at the event.

Forty-Third Conference

Presiding Officer	Debbie Mabry, Governor
Date	April 30 – May 2, 1999
Theme “Every Altrusan’s a Winner”
International Representatives	Phyllis Corman, First Vice-President
Location	Radisson Hotel, Denton, Texas
Conference Chairman	Nancy Kniatt
Registration	207 in attendance from thirty-three clubs

1999-2001 Officers Installed:

Governor	Peggy Sturrock	Abilene
Governor-Elect	Mary Osentowski	Richardson
First Vice-Governor	Martha Hardwick	Downtown Dallas
Second Vice-Governor	Carolyn Rash	Dallas
Treasurer	Leslie Thompson	Lubbock
Director	Barbara Dull	Houston
Director	Brenda Tucker	Pampa
Immediate Past Governor	Debbie Mabry	Temple

Governor Sturrock appointed Susan Ford, Secretary, Abilene; Lou Boucher, Parliamentarian, Dallas.

Phyllis Corman, International Representative, presented a check to Altrusa International of Arlington P.M. as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award and a check to Altrusa International of Houston for Letha H. Brown Literacy Award for their project.

Approximately 25 District Nine ASTRA club members attended the special “Leadership in the New Millennium” workshop held at District Conference Saturday afternoon.

Biennium Highlights:

The funds returned to District Nine from the relocation fund were designated to be used for development of a District Nine Web page.
Two new ASTRA clubs were charted – ASTRA club of Sherman and ASTRA club of Carroll High School.
Twenty-five percent of the clubs named internationally as “Distinguished Clubs” in 1998 were from District Nine, and twenty-two percent in 1999.
District Nine Tee Shirts were introduced.
The International Community Leadership award was presented to Christina Simmie, from Altrusa International of Richardson.
District Nine Charms were introduced.
One new club was chartered during the biennium, Altrusa International of The Big Country in Abilene, Texas.
District Nine “Revitalization Plan” established.

Go To Top

Close History

1999 – 2001 Biennium

Governor: Peggy Sturrock

BIENNIUM THEME: “Leaders in Service”

District Goals:

Communications:
Each club in District Nine submit entries for judging in ONE or more of the following categories: Newsletter, Yearbook

Each club bring the club history/archives up-to-date in ONE document by the year 2001.

Service:
Each club evaluate all projects and seek ways to “grow” an existing project or select ONE new project.

Fundraising:
Each club work toward developing ONE fundraising event each year rather than several smaller events.

Revitalization/Retention:
Each club implement ONE or more objective(s) to aid club revitalization that will result in increased retention of current members.

Membership:
Each Altrusan make a dedicated effort to sponsor ONE new member each year of the biennium.

Each member actively support the agenda of the New Club Building Coordinator in the effort to charter at least ONE new club during the biennium.

Each club foster leadership development by having at least ONE program event, or skills presentation each year.

The Forty-Sixth International Convention was held in Seattle, Washington, on July 2-6, 1999. Barbara Chinn was installed as International President and continued the theme “Leaders in Service”. District Nine was represented by 73 Texas Altrusans. Special Recognition: Linda Nichols was elected Chair of the International Foundation. Debbie Mabry narrated the traditional presentation of the Flags of Altrusa Nations. Pat Ebarb served as Chair of the Long Range Plan and Nominating Committees. Arlington P.M. Club received Honorable Mention for their Mamie L. Bass entry. Highland Park ASTRA club received the Outstanding club award.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on November 5, 1999 at Park Central Embassy Suites in Dallas, Texas. The Fall Leadership Event was held November 6, 1999 at the same location. All three ASTRA Club Presidents participated in the program. Boxed and canned foods or monetary donations for the North Dallas Food Bank was the service project.

Carolyn Rash established the District Nine Web Site in December 1999.

Forty-Fourth Conference

Presiding Officer	Peggy Sturrock, Governor
Date	April 7-9, 2000
Theme	“Be Bop on the Brazos”
International Representative	Barbara Chinn, International President
Location	Convention Center, Waco, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Pat Hutyra and Jane Lanier
Attendance	226 Altrusans from 32 clubs

Barbara Chinn, International Representative, presented a check for $100 to the Altrusa International of Dallas as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award and to Altrusa International of Pampa for the Letha H. Brown Literacy Award.

The Edith DeBusk President’s award was presented to Nancy Follender, Altrusa International, Inc. of Temple.

Strategic Planning, Advanced Personality and Leadership workshops were held during Conference. There were 218 Altrusans, representing 29 Clubs, receiving Perfect Attendance certificates.

Members elected to serve on the 2001-03 Nominating Committee were: Vera Tittle, Chairman, Lubbock; Barbara Pearcy, Temple; JoAnn Weinkauf, Abilene; Pat Hutyra, Waco, Francine Howard, San Antonio.

$1,405 was raised at the Silent Auction and Raffle for the International Foundation.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on November 3, 2000, which coincided with the Fall Leadership Event, at the Holiday Inn Northwest in Houston, Texas, on November 4, 2000.

The Charter of the T. C. Marsh Middle School ASTRA Club was held on January 26, 2000. Altrusa International, Inc. of Dallas organized this club.

Mary Osentowski, Strategic Planning Chair, presented three workshops. Kathy Folley of Temple was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Barbara Dull, Director. Bobbie Fry, Nacogdoches, was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Pat Ebarb, Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Coordinator.

Forty-Fifth Conference

Presiding Officer	Peggy Sturrock, Governor
Date	March 30 – April 1, 2001
Theme	“ALTRUSANS 21st Century Stars”
International Representatives	Judy Atkinson, Second Vice-President
Location	Abilene, Texas
Conference Chairmen	JoAnn Weinkauf and Dorothy Drones
Registration	218 Altrusans from 33 Clubs

2001-2003 Officers Installed:

Governor	Mary Osentowski	Richardson
Governor-Elect	Martha Hardwick	Downtown Dallas
First Vice-Governor	Carolyn Rash	Dallas
Second Vice-Governor	Leslie Thompson	Lubbock
Treasurer	Brenda Tucker	Pampa
Director	Kathy Folley	Temple
Director	Janet Otness	San Antonio
Immediate Past Governor	Peggy Sturrock	Abilene

Governor Osentowski appointed Susan Marsh, Secretary, Richardson; Frances Maloney, Parliamentarian, Dallas.
Judy Atkinson, International Representative, presented a $100 check to Altrusa International, Inc. of Midland as the winner of Mamie L. Bass Service Award and to Altrusa International, Inc. of Houston for the Letha H. Brown Governors’ Literacy Award.

$1,225 was raised at the Silent Auction and Raffle for the International Foundation.

Biennium Highlights:

District Web site established.
T. C. Marsh Middle School ASTRA Club chartered.
$10,725 donated to the Women’s Museum in Dallas.
District Nine Long Range Strategic Plan adopted.
4/5 of District Nine Clubs responded to International’s Membership Goals “Game Plan”.
Submitted Don Smith’s 75th commemorative drawing of Mamie L. Bass to the Women’s Museum.

Special Recognition for 2001 International Convention

Betty Lawson, Past Governor, appointed Chair of the Host Committee for the Convention
Sandy Smith, Past Governor, appointed Chair of the Decorations Committee
Peggy Sturrock, Immediate Past Governor, hosted the Past Governor’s Luncheon

Go To Top

Close History

2001 – 2003 Biennium

Governor: Mary Osentowski

International Leadership Development Chair – 2003-2005

International VIF Membership Chair – 2006-2007

BIENNIUM THEME: “Leaders in Service”

District Goals:

Service
Each club will participate in “hands-on” service project(s) with 75% of members involved.

Membership Growth
Clubs will work to increase District membership to 1300 by bringing in four new members each year.

All under-charter strength clubs will be brought up to charter strength.

Clubs will consider areas for extension so the District will have 37 clubs by 2003.

Organization Each club will develop and implement a Strategic Long Range Plan.

Member Benefits
Leadership development and networking opportunities will be available to District Altrusans.

Provide one personal/professional growth program each year.

Provide one personal/professional growth program at District Conference.

Enhance communication opportunities among District Nine Altrusans so that project ideas will be shared.

Image
Promote Altrusa throughout District Nine by incorporating the following:

Submit Articles to local publications

Wear the Altrusa pin

Celebrate Altrusa Anniversary, April 11

The Forty-Seventh International Convention was hosted by District Nine and held in Dallas, Texas, on July 6-10, 2001. Phyllis Corman was installed as International President with the theme “Marching into the 21st Century”. One hundred seventy-three District Nine members attended and worked on local-arrangements; Betty Lawson served as Convention Host Committee Chair. Other chairs of local committees included Julianne Lovelace and Mimi Tanner, Registration; Pat Bowers, Expediters; Gerry Eidson and Fran McDonald, Hospitality; Sandra Smith, Decorations; Carolyn Rash, TUGS Coordinator; and Beth McPherson, Convention newsletter Editor. Special Recognitions: Linda Nichols was elected International Treasurer, Debbie Mabry was appointed Vice-Chair of the Service Program Development, and Martha Hardwick was appointed legal advisor for the International Foundation.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on November 10, 2001 at Governor Mary Osentowski’s home. No Fall Leadership Event was held because of the time and commitment made by District Nine during the International Convention in Dallas the previous July.

Forty-Sixth Conference

Presiding Officer	Mary Osentowski, Governor
Date	April 5-7, 2002
Theme	Catch a Breath of Fresh Air in West Texas
International Representative	Jane Hart, Vice-President, Kansas City, MO
Location	Lubbock, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Lee Ruth Krieg and Cyndy Kristinek
Attendance	205 Altrusans from 31 clubs

Jane Hart, International Representative, presented checks for $100 to the Altrusa International of Midland as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award and to Altrusa International of Pampa for the Letha H. Brown Governors’ Literacy Award.

The Edith DeBusk President’s award was presented to Barbara O’Dell, Altrusa International, Inc. of Richardson. Strategic Planning, Fundraising, Communications, Service and Membership workshops were held in addition to officer training sessions. There were 267 Altrusans, representing 24 clubs receiving Perfect Attendance certificates. Members elected to serve on the 2003-05 Nominating Committee were: Frances Maloney, Chairman, Dallas; Kathaleen Bauer, Downtown Dallas; Kellye Pickens, Greenville, LAQuita Allen, Nacogdoches; and Barbara O’Dell, Richardson. $1,609 was raised at the Silent Auction and Raffle for the International Foundation.

Altrusa International, Inc. of DFW was chartered on May 13, 2002.
Altrusa International, Inc. of Garland was chartered September 13, 2002.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting was held on November 1, 2002 in Greenville, TX and preceded the Fall Leadership Event, November 2, 2002 at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center in Greenville, Texas. Mona Charif, Susan Abrahamson and Gail McDonald conducted “Leading Those Who Don’t Have to Follow”. Melva Hill, Kellye Pickens and Angie Gray conducted a membership session.

Forty-Seventh Conference

Presiding Officer	Mary Osentowski, Governor
Date	April 4-6, 2003
Theme	Altrusa Soars
International Representatives	Linda Nichols, Treasurer, Austin, TX
Location	Doubletree Inn, Dallas, Texas
Conference Chairmen	Kathaleen Bauer, Glenda Copeland and Dorothy Nowlin
Registration	240 members representing 35 Clubs

2003-2005 Officers Installed:

Governor	Martha Hardwick Hofmeister	Downtown Dallas
Governor-Elect	Carolyn Rash	Dallas
First Vice-Governor	Brenda Tucker	Pampa
Second Vice-Governor	Kathy Folley	Temple
Treasurer	Stephanie Frick	Borger
Director	Melva Hill	Greenville
Director	Hazel Weathers	North Dallas
Immediate Past Governor	Mary Osentowski	Richardson

The Governor appointed LaVone Neal, Secretary, Downtown Dallas; Frances Maloney, Parliamentarian, Dallas.

Biennium Highlights:

Chartering DFW Club and Garland Club.
Hosting the 2001 International Convention
Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award became an International Award.

Special Recognition for 2003 International Convention

Linda Nichols elected President-Elect Altrusa International, Inc.
Betty Lawson, Past Governor, elected to the International Nominating Committee
Debbie Mabry, Past Governor, elected Vice-Chair to the International Foundation
Altrusa International, Inc. of Greenville won the Letha H. Brown Literacy Award
Altrusa International, Inc. of Pampa won third place in the Mamie L. Bass Service Award
District Nine recognized with the greatest Membership growth in 2002-2003
ASTRA Club at Marsh Middle School in Dallas won second place in ASTRA Award.
Carolyn Rash appointed as Membership Chair for the 2003-05 Biennium
Mary Osentowski appointed Leadership Develop Chair for the 2003-05 Biennium.

Go To Top

Close History

2003-2005 Biennium

Governor: Martha Hardwick Hofmeister

International Legal Advisor 1991-1993

International ASTRA Chair 1993-1995

International Extension Chair 1995-1997

International Foundation Legal Advisor 2001-2007

International Director 2005-2007

Biennium Theme: “Leaders in Service”

District Goals:

Service
Each District Nine club will participate in a hands-on service project(s), with at least 75% of its members involved.

Membership Growth
Each District Nine club will work to increase the membership in District Nine to 1,300 by bringing in four additional members each year of the biennium.

All Under-Charter clubs will be brought to Charter strength.

Clubs will consider areas for extension so that District Nine will include 40 clubs by 2005.

Organization
Each District Nine club will develop and implement, or continue to monitor, its Strategic/Long Range Plan.

Member Benefits
Leadership development and networking opportunities will be available for District Nine Altrusans. The District will:

Include at least one personal/ professional growth session at District Conference;
Enhance communication opportunities among District Nine Altrusans so that project ideas will be shared and networking can occur; and
Devise more efficient and cost-effective methods of communication.

Image
Altrusans and clubs will promote Altrusa throughout District Nine by:

Submitting news stories to local publications and/or media;
Wearing the Altrusa pin;
Celebrating the anniversary of Altrusa, which is April 11.

The Forty-Eighth International Convention was hosted by District Two and held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 19-22, 2003. Judy Atkinson was installed as International President with the theme “Celebrate the Stars of Altrusa.” At this Convention, we learned that:

District Nine had the most Distinguished Clubs in 2001-02 (9) and in 2002-03 (12). Eight District Nine clubs received the award both years.
District Nine had the most Mamie L. Bass Service award entries (32) and the most Letha H. Brown Literacy award entries (26) submitted for the biennium of any District.
District Nine was the only District to meet International President Phyllis Corman’s goal of adding two new clubs.
District Nine had the highest membership gain in 2002-03 and won $1,000 (a prize the International President said would be awarded when she took office).
Clubs with a 3-5 net growth (Bronze): Abilene, Copperas Cove, Orange, Pampa, and Texarkana
Clubs with a 6-10 net growth (Silver): Dallas, Denton, Richardson, San Antonio
Clubs with a net growth of 11 or more (Gold): Arlington, DFW, Fort Worth, Lubbock Dawners
Altrusa International, Inc. of Greenville won First Place in the Letha H. Brown Literacy Award for its Books About Town project and received a silver bowl, a certificate, and $300.
Altrusa International, Inc. of Pampa won Third Place in the Mamie L. Bass Award for its Shining Star Day Project, and received a certificate and a $75 check.
T.C. Marsh Middle School ASTRA club, sponsored by Altrusa International, Inc. of Dallas, won Second Place in the ASTRA competition, and received a plaque.
Laura Trainor of Altrusa International, Inc. of Garland received a Gold Charm for brining in NINE new members.

Mary Osentowski (Leadership Development) and Carolyn Rash (Membership) were selected to serve as International Committee Chairs for the 2003-05 Biennium. Betty Lawson was elected to the International Nominating Committee, and Debbie Mabry was elected to the Foundation Board, and then to Co-Chair that Board. Martha Hardwick Hofmeister continued her service as International Foundation Legal Advisor. Linda Nichols was elected International President Elect.

The Mid-Year Board of Directors meeting was held November 7, 2003, at the Embassy Suites North Hotel in Austin, Texas. The Fall Leadership Event attracted 77 members and guests the next day to the same location; it featured Cynthia Mueller on communication styles, and two “working lunches –” one for seasoned Altrusans about electronic communication, and a mini orientation for newer members.

Forty-Eighth Conference

Presiding Officer	Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, Governor
Date	April 2-4, 2004
Conference Chairs	Donna Childress, Susan Kolodziejczyk
Theme	“The Heart of Texas – Feel The Beat Of Altrusa”
International Representative	Zaida Perez-Mendez, International Vice President
Registration	225 Altrusans from 33 clubs

Zaida Perez-Mendez presented checks for $100 to Altrusa International, Inc. of Dallas as the 2002 03 winners of both the Mamie L. Bass Service Award, and the Letha H. Brown Governors’ Literacy Award. The Edith DeBusk Presidents’ Award was presented to Linda Olivera, Altrusa International, Inc. of Richardson. ASTRA, New Club Building, Communication Skills, Team Building Orientation, “How to Host Conference,” and Protocol and Parliamentary Procedure workshops were held, in addition to officer training sessions.

Members elected to serve on the 2005-2007 Nominating Committee were Peggy Sturrock (Chair); Nancy Cook; Donna Childress; Toni Kincaide; and Karen Hollie. $2,774.00 was raised for the International Foundation with a silent auction, raffle, and Club 21 donations.

The Mid-Year Board meeting was held November 5, 2004, at the Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo, Texas, and preceded the Fall Leadership Event. On November 6, 2005, Jo Henderson (Lubbock Dawners) conducted an interactive workshop on time management, and Dr. Karen Hollie and her sister, ReDonna Toliver (both of the Southwest Dallas County club), presented a stress relief workshop.

Forty-Ninth Conference

Presiding Officer	Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, Governor
Date	April 1-3, 2005
Conference Chairs	Susie Stephenson, Carolyn Swanson
Theme	“Altrusa Digs Dallas”
International Representative	Judy Atkinson, International President
Registration	248 members representing 34 clubs

Judy Atkinson presented checks of $100 to Altrusa International, Inc. of DFW as the 2003 04 winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award, and to Altrusa International, Inc. of Richardson for the Letha H. Brown/Governors’ Literacy Award. Barbara Kennedy, of Altrusa International, Inc. of Downtown Dallas, received the Edith DeBusk Presidents’ Award. Workshops for officers and committee members were presented, as well as sessions on ASTRA, Fundraising, Public Relations, Stress Relief, How to Host A District Event, and “Best Business Behavior.”

$3,001.00 was raised for the International Foundation via a silent auction, raffle, and Club 21 donations. An additional $676.00 was donated by members to the Mamie L. Bass memorial fund. 500 books, 459 stuffed animals, 25 baskets of silk flowers, and $1,100 were given to Scottish Rite Hospital for Children as the District Service Project.

2005-2007 Officers Installed:

Governor	Carolyn Rash	Dallas
Governor-Elect	Brenda Tucker	Pampa
First Vice Governor	Kathy Folley	Temple
Second Vice Governor	Melva Hill	Greenville
Treasurer	Leigh Fikes	SETCER
Director	Jo Henderson	Lubbock
Director	LaVone Arthur	Downtown Dallas
Immediate Past Governor	Martha Hardwick Hofmeister	Downtown Dallas

The Governor appointed Beth McPherson as Secretary and Frances Maloney as Parliamentarian.

BIENNIUM HIGHLIGHTS

Began transition to electronic District newsletter (saving an estimated $10,000 over two years)
Frequent electronic communication with Club Presidents, including monthly “to do” reminders
Multiple innovations at Conference
- all workshops held one time only, on Saturday
- Conference began after traditional workday on Friday
- less time-consuming credentials/registration reporting
- keynote speaker on Saturday morning
- lots of personal development workshop choices for those who do not need officer/chair training
- reserved seating provided at Awards Luncheon
- leadership training provided at current Club Presidents’ breakfast
- new First Timers Award
- registration lottery for those who register early
- personal information shared in memorial service
- prayer requests at devotional
District officers’ club visits were realigned; now Governor visits all clubs over a four year span of time, not just during her term as Governor
Three ASTRA clubs formed – Carroll Middle School, East Dallas, and St. Vincent’s Cathedral School
Extension to Amarillo begun
District’s strategic plan was updated
District policies were organized and amended
Ten clubs (three in 2003-04, seven in 2004-05) in District were awarded grants from International Foundation
District officers’ club visit reports were shared electronically
New efforts were made with under-charter-strength clubs
Reinvigoration of dormant District website, giving members access to forms, Conference materials, job descriptions, newsletters, photos, calendar, and other useful information

Go To Top

Close History

2005-2007 Biennium

Governor: Carolyn Rash

International Membership Chair – 2003-2005

International Governors’ Council Chair – 2005-2007

International Leadership Development Chair – 2007-2009

Biennium Theme: “Leaders in Service”

Sub theme: “Share the Love – Share the Magic”

District Goals:

Service
Encourage each club to plan and submit service projects for each International award – Mamie L. Bass Service, Letha H. Brown Literacy, and Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations.

Increase number of ASTRA clubs to ten.

Encourage clubs to establish at least one ABC box for book collection.

Membership Growth
Increase membership by 10%.

Identify areas for extension and work with clubs on new club building, so that District Nine will have 38 clubs by 2007.

Organization
Encourage each District Nine club to develop, implement and/or monitor its Strategic Plan.

Evaluate District progress against the District’s Strategic Plan.

Member Benefits
Include at least one personal/professional growth session at District Conference.

Enhance communication opportunities among District Nine Altrusans, so that project ideas will be shared and networking can occur.

Continue to identify and implement more efficient and cost-effective methods in all areas.

Image
Encourage each club to submit news stories to local publications and/or media.

Provide press releases to all clubs prior to Literacy Month, Conference, Add An Altrusan Day, and Altrusa’s Anniversary.

At the beginning of the club year, Governor Rash received notification that Lufkin had disbanded in May.

The Forty-Ninth International Convention was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 15-19, 2005. Linda Nichols was installed as International President with the theme “It’s Time to Get On Board”. During the installation ceremony, Linda was presented with a $1000 donation to the Foundation in her name and lovely glass artwork, gifts from all District Nine clubs. This was the first biennium that District Nine was represented by a Director, Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, under the new Board structure. Martha also served as the Legal Advisor for the International Foundation. District Nine was recognized for having the most Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award entries. East Dallas ASTRA, sponsored by Downtown Dallas, won the ASTRA award; DFW placed 3rd in the Mamie L. Bass award; Temple placed 3rd in the Club Exhibits; and Kerrick Horton, Pampa, was recognized for sponsoring 4 new members. Nine District Nine clubs were recognized as Distinguished for 2003-04 (Abilene, Borger, Dallas, Downtown Dallas, Garland, Greenville, Pampa, Temple, and Waco) and eight District Nine clubs were recognized as Distinguished for 2004-05 (Abilene, Dallas, Downtown Dallas, Garland, Pampa, Richardson, Southwest Dallas County, and Temple).

Other assignments for the 2005-2007 biennium being filled by members of District Nine are: Debbie Mabry, Altrusa International Foundation Chair; Debby Weber, ASTRA Chair; Betty Lawson, International Leadership Development Chair; Melva Hill, International Membership Development Chair, Kathy Folley, Strategic Planning Committee; and Carolyn Rash, Governors' Council Chair.

In addition, the following members participated on Convention committees, from registration to Installation:

Mary Osentowski (Richardson) served as Opening Banquet Mistress of Ceremonies and led the LRSP Trainers Session.
Betty Lawson (Dallas) presented a segment in the LRSP Trainers session, co-facilitated the Leadership Workshop, and installed the 2005-07 International Officers.
Debbie Mabry (Temple) presented the Foundation Flag and served as Installation Banquet Mistress of Ceremonies.
Sue Powell (Dallas) gave the Installation Banquet Invocation.
Debby Weber (Downtown Dallas), Debra Dickson (Downtown Dallas), and Melva Hill (Greenville) each presented workshops.
Michelle May and Valeta Gentzler of Dallas served on the Registration Committee and assisted the Credentials Committee.
Peggy Sturrock (The Big Country) chaired the Altrusa Store Committee, with the assistance of Barbara Pollack and JoAnn Weinkauf of Abilene.
Mimi Tanner (Richardson) served as an Expediter.
Carolyn Rash (Dallas), assisted with the Leadership Workshop, served on the Election Committee and presented the Mexico flag.
Jodi Picardat (Austin) received the International President’s Banner.

Mid-year Board of Directors meeting was held October 15, 2005 at Governor Carolyn Rash’s home. No Fall Leadership Event was held to encourage members to attend the International Convention to support our own incoming International President Linda Nichols.

Fiftieth Conference

Presiding Officer	Carolyn Rash, Governor
Date	March 24-26, 2006
Conference Chair	Dianne Brown
Theme	“Stampede into Cowtown”
International Representative	Donna Johnson, International Vice-President
Registration	241 Altrusans from 32 clubs
Location	Green Oaks Hotel
Host Club	Altrusa International Inc. of Fort Worth

At the Pre-Conference Board meeting, the District Board approved requests to disband the Northeast Dallas County and Paris clubs. In addition, they ratified Melva Hill as District Nine’s candidate for the 2007-2009 International Nominating Committee. Donna Johnson, Altrusa International Vice-President, presented checks for $100 to Waco as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award and to Downtown Dallas for the Letha H. Brown Governors’ Literacy Award. Other award winners were: Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations – Downtown Dallas; Edith DeBusk President’s Award – Judy Sall, Downtown Dallas, Membership - DFW ; Newsletter - Dallas; Yearbooks - Temple; Foundation Contributions – The Brazos ($950); Club Display – Anderson County ; First Timers – Carole Golden, Waco; Club First Timer – Pampa (highest number – 6) and SW Dallas County (highest % with 15%). The following workshops were presented, in addition to the officer/committee workshops: Altrusa University, Diversity, Strategic Planning, Disaster Preparedness, Balancing Act, and ASTRA University. Members elected to serve on the 2006-2008 Nominating Committee were: Belva Gibson, Denton, Char; Kathaleen Bauer, Downtown Dallas; Cyndy Kristinek, Lubbock Dawners; Mimi Tanner, Richardson; and Kathleen Dow, Waco. $2,082.50 was raised with the Silent Auction and Raffle for the International Foundation. 189 Perfect Attendance awards were presented to members from 25 clubs.

The mid-year Board of Directors meeting was held November 3, 2006 in Nacogdoches, Texas in conjunction with the Fall Leadership Event. The focus of the Fall Leadership Event was how to get members to accept leadership positions. In addition, a Town Hall Meeting was held to allow members to ask any questions they had about District or International. The service was donating personal care items or money for nursing home patients Nacogdoches’ “Nursing Home Christmas” project. The District Board announced the renaming of the Foundation awards in International President Linda Nichols honor, with the District donating $50 in honor of Linda and the winners of the Total Contributions and Per Capita starting with the 2007 Conference.

Fifty-first Conference

Presiding Officer	Carolyn Rash, Governor
Date	April 20-22, 2007
Conference Chairs	Kerrick Horton and Kadda Schale
Theme	“Route 66 to the Big Top of Texas”
International Representative	Linda Nichols, International President
Registration	209 Altrusans from 30 clubs, plus 4 guests
Location	Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo
Host Clubs	Altrusa International, Inc. of Pampa and Borger

Linda Nichols, International President, presented checks for $100 to DFW as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award and to Borger for the Letha H. Brown Governors’ Literacy Award. Other award winners were: Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations –Dallas; Edith DeBusk President’s Award – Cindy Murray, Richardson, Membership - DFW; Newsletter - Dallas; Yearbooks - Greenville; Linda Nichols Foundation Contributions – Downtown Dallas for both Total Club and Average; Club Display - Dallas; First Timers Team - Kristi Smith (Pampa), Mary Swift (Downtown Dallas) and Deb Bourland (Richardson); First Timer Club Award – Richardson and Downtown Dallas for total and Austin for percentage; and Helen Hooker First Timer – Sherri Schaible, Pampa. The following workshops were presented, in addition to the officer/committee workshops: Food Safety, Identity Theft, and Memory Skills. Altrusa International Foundation will benefit from the $617 for the crystal bowl raffle tickets, $365 for Club 21 renewals or new members; $1,676 for the Silent Auction items; and $1,000 for two Lamplighters, for a total of $3,658.

2007 - 2009 Officers Installed:

Governor	Brenda Tucker	Pampa
Governor-Elect	Kathy Folley	Temple
First Vice Governor	LaVone Arthur	Downtown Dallas
Second Vice Governor	Beth McPherson	Dallas
Treasurer	Bonnie Perry	Richardson
Director	Jodi Picardat	Austin
Director	Laura Trainor	Garland
Immediate Past Governor	Carolyn Rash	Dallas

Governor appointed Beth Miller, Pampa, as District Secretary and Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, Downtown Dallas, as Parliamentarian

BIENNIUM HIGHLIGHTS

Continued the electronic publication of the News of Mighty Ninth, with fewer than 10% of our members requesting a hard copy.
Emailed monthly Presidents Mailings to Club Presidents, District Board, District Program Team, and Past Governors including District and International requests and updates, next three months of deadlines and important dates, and project or retention ideas. Also shared on the District website.
Developed Monthly, Quarterly and Annual To-Do lists for the Governor.
Included one non-Altrusa personal development workshop for each workshop session at both Conferences.
Membership Committee developed the Altrusa University to provide an extended “orientation” for all members.
First college-aged ASTRA club formed in Houston, which helped the District exceed the goal for ASTRA clubs. Several other clubs are starting the process to establish additional ASTRA clubs.
Began the extension to Amarillo by Pampa.
Updated the District’s strategic plan.
District policies were amended to allow the mileage reimbursement rate to vary each month and to clarify the dates for the review of the Conference Proceedings.
Seven clubs were awarded grants from International Foundation (Abilene, 2005-06 and 2006-07; Dallas, 2006-07; Garland, 2006-07; Richardson, 2005-06; The Big Country, 2006-07; The Brazos, 2006-07, and Waco, 2006-07).
District officers’ club visit reports were shared electronically.
Added the District History to the District website.
Had a Fall Leadership Event in Nacogdoches in 2006, which included a Town Hall Meeting.
Accepted requests to disband from Lufkin (actually disbanded at the end of 2004-2005 club year), Paris and Northeast Dallas County.
Named the Foundation Contribution awards in honor of Linda Nichols, International President 2005-2007.
Archived the Governors’ permanent records at Texas Women’s University.
Participated in Revitalization projects for Midland and Wichita Falls.
Presented Past Governors an OWL charm in recognition of them being Outstanding, Wise, Learned Sisters.

Go To Top

Close History

2007-2009 Biennium

Governor: Brenda Tucker

Biennium Theme: “Leaders in Service”

Sub theme: “Focus on Our Future”

District Goals:

SERVICE

Encourage all clubs in District Nine to submit entries for each International Award: Mamie L. Bass Service, Letha H. Brown literacy, Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations.
Encourage every club to evaluate their service projects annually.
Increase the number of ASTRA clubs by two.
Encourage all clubs to participate in Make A Difference Day.
Encourage all clubs to have an ABC Book box in place by 2009.

MEMBER BENEFITS

Continue to include at least one personal/professional growth session at District Conference or Fall Event.
Continue to find and utilize more efficient and cost effective methods in all areas.

MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

Research areas in Texas where extension and New Club Building might be successful with the hope of adding 3 new clubs by 2009.
Encourage clubs under charter to reach charter strength, and reward them with a Party Box to celebrate this accomplishment.
Encourage members to look at the world around them through “Altrusa Glasses” reaching out to those in view, to increase membership by 10%.

ORGANIZATION

Encourage each club in District Nine to develop and implement, or to continue to implement and monitor its strategic plan.
Encourage club presidents to share the information received in their president’s mailing with club members.

IMAGE

Develop and implement a plan to “get the word out” about Altrusa across Texas.
Encourage every Altrusan to develop an “Altrusa Elevator Speech” to use when telling others about Altrusa.
Encourage clubs to submit news stories to local publications, media outlets, and News of Mighty Ninth.
Encourage clubs to find a fundraiser or project that their community will associate/identify with Altrusa.

The Fiftieth International Convention was held in Orlando, Florida, USA July 13-16, 2007 at Walt Disney World Contemporary Resort. Zaida Perez Mendez, San Sabastien, Puerto Rico, was installed as International President with the theme “Embrace the World”. Flags were carried at the Opening Banquet by Debbie Mabry, Altrusa International, Inc. of Temple and Foundation Chair 2005-07, (Foundation flag); Debby Weber, Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas, 2005-07 ASTRA chair, (ASTRA flag); and Kadda Schale, Altrusa International, Inc. of Pampa (Russian flag). The “Altrusa Singers” from District Nine, under the direction of Linda Olivera, (Richardson), provided entertainment. International President Linda Nichols from Altrusa International, Inc. of Austin presided over the Convention.

At the Awards Luncheon, District Nine was recognized:

For having nine Distinguished Clubs for 2005-2006 (Abilene, Dallas, DFW, Downtown Dallas, Garland, Pampa, Richardson, Temple and Waco)
For having seven Distinguished Clubs for 2006-2007 (Dallas, DFW, Downtown Dallas, Garland, Richardson, Temple and Waco).
ASTRA Club of the University of Houston, sponsored by Altrusa International, Inc. of Houston, won third place in ASTRA Club Service Awards
Altrusa International, Inc. of Downtown Dallas had the highest net gain in membership for 2005-2006.
Altrusa International, Inc. of Houston had the highest net gain in membership for 2006-2007.
For individuals sponsoring the most new members, Delouris Wages, Altrusa International, Inc. of Arlington received third place for sponsoring eight.
First place for sponsoring the most new members went to Sylvia Zamora, Altrusa International, Inc. of Houston for sponsoring ten.
Altrusa International, Inc. of Dallas won first place in the Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award.
Altrusa International, Inc. of Waco placed first in the Mamie L. Bass Service Award.

Other District Nine Altrusans participating during the convention were:

Martha Hardwick Hofmeister (Downtown Dallas), International Director 2005-07 and Foundation Legal Advisor presented the Accent at the first business meeting.
Debby Weber (Downtown Dallas) 2005-07 ASTRA chair presented ASTRA awards at the Awards Luncheon.
Melva Hill (Greenville), 2005-07 Membership Development Co-Chair presented Membership Awards at the Awards Luncheon.
Debbie Mabry (Temple), Foundation Chair 2005-07, was Mistress of Ceremonies at the Foundation Breakfast.
Beth McPherson (Dallas) was editor of the official 50th Convention Daily Publication.
Linda Olivera (Richardson) served on the Altrusa Store Committee.
Jodi Picardat (Austin) served on the Credentials Committee.
Betty Lawson (Dallas) served as Chair of the Elections Committee.
Melva Hill (Greenville) served as Chair of the Exhibits Judging Committee.
Carolyn Rash, Co-Chair of International Leadership Development Committee, presented a Leadership workshop (twice) and participated in the Program Presentation.

At the Installation banquet, District Nine Governor Brenda Tucker presented outgoing International President, Linda Nichols, with two levels of Lamplighter Awards given from District Nine members and clubs. Holly Mabry, President of the Altrusa International, Inc. of Austin, TX, presented Linda with another level from her home club. Holly also passed the International President’s Banner to Ana H. Lopez Nieves, President of the San Sabastien club.

Other assignments for the 2007-2009 biennium being filled by members of District Nine are:

Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, (Downtown Dallas) International Foundation Legal Advisor.
Carolyn Rash, (Dallas) Co-chair of International Leadership Development Committee.
Melva Hill (Greenville) Member of 2007-09 International Nominating Committee.

Mid-year Board of Directors meeting was held November 3, 2007 at the Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library at Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas. No Fall Leadership Event was held since it was Convention year.
At the mid-year Board meeting, the District Board:

Approved the amended District Nine Altrusa International, Inc. Fiscal Policies
Approved the amended District Nine Altrusa International, Inc. Budget Criteria
Approved the amended District Nine Altrusa International, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors
Approved the amended District Nine Altrusa International, Inc. Officer Job Descriptions
Approved the amended District Nine Altrusa International, Inc. Appointment/Committee Descriptions
Approved a $1,000 donation to Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library at TWU for accepting the District archives

Fifty-Second Conference

Presiding Officer	Kathy Folley, Governor-elect
Date	April 18-20, 2008
Conference Chairs	Linda Olivera and Jan Skinner
Theme	“The Music of Service”
International Representative	Betty Absheer, International Director
Registration	265 Altrusans from 33 clubs
Location	Richardson Hotel, Richardson, Texas
Host Club	Altrusa International, Inc. of Richardson

At the Pre-Conference Board meeting, the District Board ratified the email vote to release the first $125 in extension funding for the new Central Texas club, approved the new Club Communication Award effective with the 2008-2009 club year, and approved the disbanding of the Midland club.

Keynote Speaker: Shaunna F. Black, Vice President and Manager of Worldwide Facilities for Texas Instruments.

Betty Absheer, International Director, presented checks for $100 to Waco as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award and to Greenville for the Letha H. Brown Governors’ Literacy Award. Other award winners were: Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations – Garland; Edith DeBusk President’s Award – Jean Stuart (Richardson); Membership - Houston; Newsletter - Dallas; Yearbooks - Dallas; Linda Nichols Foundation Contributions – Temple (highest total) and Austin (highest per member); Club Display – Downtown Dallas; First Timers – Richardson for highest number; Garland for highest percentage attending. First Timer winner – Anita Copland of Arlington. Helen Hooker Award presented to Jane Tucker (Richardson). Nine clubs were recognized for participation in the ABC Book Collection Box project: Dallas, Downtown Dallas, Houston, Nacogdoches, Pampa, Richardson, Southwest Dallas County, Texarkana, and Waco.

In addition to officer/committee training, the following workshops were presented: Attracting the Millennium Generation, Women’s Health Issues, Altrusa University, How to Host District Conference, How to Apply for a Grant, and Women’s Personal Safety. 221 members from 27 clubs were recognized for Perfect Attendance for 2006-2007.

Members elected to serve on the 2008-2010 District Nominating Committee were: Carolyn Rash, Chair, (Dallas), Leola Herron (Houston), Mayda King, (Pampa), Jane Reed (The Big Country) and Beatrice Tapps Self (Southeast Tarrant County Early Risers).

The Silent Auction raised $2120 and the Raffle raised $683 for a total donation to the International Foundation of $2802. An opportunity was given for attendees to become Bone Marrow Donors. Ten deceased Altrusans were recognized and remembered at the Sunday morning Memorial.

The mid-year Board of Directors meeting was held October 31, 2008 in Abilene, Texas in conjunction with the Fall Leadership Event. Second Vice-Governor and Communications Chair, Beth McPherson, gave a short program on navigating the District website. Michael Tutt from Tutt-Daggs led an entertaining and interactive program designed to challenge everyone’s current level of engagement.

Altrusa International, Inc. of Central Texas was chartered January 12, 2009 in Killeen, Texas.

Fifty-Third Conference

Presiding Officer	Brenda Tucker, Governor
Date	April 17-19, 2009
Conference Chairs	Linda Moore and Mary Pearson
Theme	“A Celebration of Years of Service”
International Representative	Doris Kowalski, International Director
Registration	229 Altrusans from 28 clubs
Location	The Shilo Inn, Killeen, Texas
Host Club	Altrusa International, Inc. of Temple

2009 - 2011 Officers Installed:

Governor	Kathy Folley	Temple
Governor-Elect	LaVone Arthur	Downtown Dallas
First Vice Governor	Beth McPherson	Dallas
Second Vice Governor	Laura Trainor	Garland
Treasurer	Terry Lechler	The Brazos
Director	Cheryl Russell	Nacogdoches
Director	Sylvia Zamora	San Antonio
Immediate Past Governor	Brenda Tucker	Pampa

The Governor appointed Donna Childress, Secretary, Temple and Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, Parliamentarian, Downtown Dallas.

Keynote Speaker: Michael Shoulders, Author

International Representative, Doris Kowalski, International Director, presented checks for $100 to Pampa as the winner of the Mamie L. Bass Service Award, to Downtown Dallas for the Letha H. Brown Governors’ Literacy Award, and to Greenville, winner of the Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun International Relations Award. Other winners were: Edith DeBusk President’s Award – Sylvia Zamora (Houston, now San Antonio); Membership – Arlington; Newsletter - Dallas; Yearbooks - Pampa; Linda Nichols Foundation Contributions – Temple (highest total) and Austin (highest per member); Club Display – Greenville; First Timers – Gazelle Woods; First Timer Participation - Arlington (highest number) and Wichita Falls (highest percent). Fifteen clubs were recognized for participating in the ABC Book Collection Box project: Arlington, Austin, Borger, Dallas, Downtown Dallas, Garland, Greenville, Houston, Lubbock Dawners, Nacogdoches, Pampa, Richardson, Southwest Dallas County, Temple and Waco.

In addition to officer/committee training, the following workshops were presented: A New You, The ABCs of Sponsoring a New Club, How To’s of Forming an ASTRA Club (with members of the ASTRA Club of Parish Episcopal School), and Explaining the New Club Communications Award.

The Silent Auction and Raffle netted $3100 for the International Foundation. 213 Perfect Attendance awards were presented. Fifteen deceased Altrusans were recognized and remembered at the Sunday morning Memorial.

BIENNIUM HIGHLIGHTS

A new club was chartered: Altrusa International, Inc. of Central Texas.
Installed officers of Altrusa International, Inc. of Central Texas at Charter Banquet
ASTRA Clubs formed at Wallace B. Jefferson Middle School in San Antonio (San Antonio club) and at Parish Episcopal School (Downtown Dallas club) with one in formation in Richardson and Texarkana
A contest was held to find District Nine’s 30-Second Altrusa Commercial. Denton won with:
“Altrusa is Opportunity-- Opportunity to meet new people and make new friends; Opportunity to learn more about my community and myself;
Opportunity to be of service to others.”
Continued electronic publication of News of Mighty Ninth, adding a Conference edition containing registration information and ‘all things conference’ in one issue.
Included a focus article on a Past Governor in each regular issue of News of Mighty Ninth.
Emailed monthly Presidents Mailings to Club Presidents, District Board, District Program Team and Past Governors.
Conference innovations:
- Ten First Timers were recognized at each Conference and received a gift from a District Board Member.
- Provided opportunity for members to become Bone Marrow Donors at both conferences.
- Introduced “Breakfast Roundtables” on Saturday morning to encourage sharing between clubs.
- Encouraged club presidents at the Presidents’ Breakfast to make an “Encouragement Box” for their incoming president.
- Initiated President-Elect workshop led by the previous year’s Edith DeBusk Award winner with help from a District officer.
- Encouraged workshop leaders to put Conference workshop materials on CD rather than paper workbooks.
- In response to Conference Evaluations, no “Success Stories” were shared on Sunday morning, but the winning entries were posted on the District Website for all to read.
Conference “Invitation Packets” were sent to Club Presidents to distribute to incoming officers and committee chairs inviting them to come to conference to learn their jobs.
Included at least one personal development workshop at conference.
Updated District Long Range Strategic Plan.
Introduced the new Club Communication Award, replacing the Newsletter Award.
A Party Box was given to clubs who went from under charter strength to charter strength or above to encourage them to celebrate their success. Clubs receiving those were: Garland, Lubbock Dawners, and Nacogdoches.
District Fiscal Policies and District Budget Criteria were amended to be jointly compatible.
District Officer Job Descriptions and Committee/Appointment Descriptions were amended.
$1,000 donated to Mary Evelyn Bragg-Huey Library at Texas Women’s University in appreciation of their sorting and storing Altrusa District Nine archives.
District officers’ club reports continued to be shared electronically.
District Website continually evolving as a more useful tool with information updated frequently, with forms and club newsletters available online.
Initiated a Governor’s Blog on the District Website.
Five clubs received International Foundation Grants in 2007: Arlington, Downtown Dallas, Greenville, Richardson, and Temple.
Seven clubs received International Foundation Grants in 2008: Dallas, Garland, Greenville, Houston, Nacogdoches, Texarkana and The Brazos.
Accepted request from Midland club to disband.
New Club Building efforts began in Lewisville.
Presented an award to Outstanding District Nine Board Member at the end of biennium.

Go To Top

Close History

District Nine of Altrusa International, Inc. affectionately dedicates this History to Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun

……………….. OUR PREDECESSOR HISTORY OF DISTRICT SEVEN, ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL 1930 – 1956 By: Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF CLUBS ORGANIZED IN DISTRICT NINE

1956 – 1958 Biennium

Governor: Edith DeBusk

International President – 1963-1965

International Legal Advisor – 1969-1984

First Conference

1956-1958 Officers Installed

Second Conference

Third Conference

1958-1960 Officers Installed

1958 – 1960 Biennium

Governor: Anita Christlieb

Fourth Conference

Fifth Conference

1960-1962 Officers Installed

1960 – 1962 Biennium

Governor: Joella Terrill Butler

International President – 1969-1971

Sixth Conference

Seventh Conference

1962-1964 Officers Installed

1962 – 1964 Biennium

Governor: Etta Jane Butler

International Auditor – 1969-1971

Eighth Conference

Ninth Conference

1964-1966 Officers Installed

1964 – 1966 Biennium

Governor: Helen Hooker

International Program Coordinator – 1975-1977

Tenth Conference

Eleventh Conference

1966-1968 Officers Installed

1966 – 1968 Biennium

Governor: Aileen Aiken

International Program Coordinator – 1963-1965

International Membership Chairman – 1971-1973

International Bylaw Chairman – 1977-1979

Twelfth Conference

Thirteenth Conference

1968-1970 Officers Installed

1968 – 1970 Biennium

Governor: Carol R. Haberman

Fourteenth Conference

Fifteenth Conference

1970-1972 Officers Installed

1970 – 1972 Biennium

Governor: Irene T. Hurst

Sixteenth Conference

Seventeenth Conference

1972-1974 Officers Installed

1972 – 1974 Biennium

Governor: Martha Jane McGee

International Leadership Chair – 1975-1977

International Altrusa Information Chair – 1977-1979

International Program Coordinator – 1979-1981

Eighteenth Conference

Nineteenth Conference

1974-1976 Officers Installed

DISTRICT NINE AWARDS

KOREAN NECKLACE

1974 – 1976 Biennium

Governor: Marjorie H. Cave

Twentieth Conference

Twenty-First Conference

1976-1978 Officers Installed

SPECIAL RECOGNITION – 1974-76

1976 – 1978 Biennium

Governor: Fayrene Biro

International Service Bulletin Editor – 1979-1981

Twenty-Second Conference

Twenty-Third Conference

1978-1980 Officers Installed

SPECIAL RECOGNITION – 1976-1978

1978 – 1980 Biennium

Governor: Virginia Morriss

International Governor-Elect Training Evaluation Committee – 1979-1981

International Nominating Committee – 1979-1981

……………….. OUR PREDECESSOR
HISTORY OF DISTRICT SEVEN, ALTRUSA INTERNATIONAL
1930 – 1956
By: Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun

BIENNIUM THEME: Altrusa in Wonderland –
Through the Looking Glass to Service