Spokane’s AAUW celebrates 100 years

The 100th anniversary celebration of the Spokane branch of the AAUW – formerly known as the American Association of University Women – will take place next Saturday at the Davenport Hotel.

Most know the organization for funding scholarships for college-bound women. But for the past 100 years, the branch has also been involved in diverse issues to better the lives of women and children.

Karen Fishburn, co-chairwoman of the 100th anniversary celebration, has compiled a history of the Spokane branch. Here are some lesser-known facts about Spokane’s AAUW, taken from Fishburn’s history and from a recent interview with her.

•In October 1909, a group of women gathered in a South Hill home to organize a branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (later known as the American Association of University Women.) The requirement to join: a college degree.

“A lot of the women were well-educated and somewhat upper class,” Fishburn said. “They wanted to give back.”

•The group never feared tackling controversial issues. In its first year, the women worked on electing a woman to the school board, the need for a matron in the city jail and the injustice of child labor.

•During World War I, branch president Elizabeth Davis was assigned to Gen. John J. Pershing’s 1st Division, through the YMCA. Volunteers followed the troops setting up food canteens.

“They believed they were the only women who ever actually hiked with the American Army,” Fishburn said. “And these women weren’t wearing military fatigues.”

•In the 1920s, the Spokane branch ran a “summer rest camp” on property it purchased on Upper Twin Lakes, Idaho. They opened the camp to working mothers and their “undernourished children.” They sold the property at a loss during the Great Depression.

•In 1935, nursery schools opened using federal funds. The Spokane branch helped with supplies, including cod liver oil.

•During World War II, the Spokane branch collected and sorted 15,000 books and set up a library at Geiger Field for servicemen and their families.

•The Spokane branch’s famous secondhand book sales began in 1951; the last sale was held in 1993.

•In 1987, the national AAUW voted to allow men to join. Speaker of the House Tom Foley was the first to join the Spokane branch, in 1991; 18 years passed before a second man joined.

•In the early years, the women held luncheon meetings at the Davenport Hotel. They’ll celebrate 100 years of social activism at the same place next Saturday. Guest speaker: Carolyn Garfein, president of the 100,000-member AAUW.