The 100-Year History of the Woman’s Club of White Plains, the 1980’s
By Colleen Fay – The1980’s started off with a bang when the U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team beat the heavily favored Russians 4-3. It was such an amazing victory that most people don’t even remember that this win was actually not for the gold medal! It was a boost the country, mired in a recession with inflation at 14 percent, really needed. Fortunately, the economy improved by mid-decade with advances in genetic and digital technology leading the way but there were other peaks and valleys – the fall of the Berlin Wall, the release of hostages, Tiananmen Square, the Challenger explosion, the debut of cable TV and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the end of smallpox but the beginning of AIDS, Members Only Jackets, Ray-Bans and the Rubik’s Cube. Our slogans were “Just Say No” to drugs and Nike’s “Just Do It.”
The Woman’s Club of White Plains started the 1980’s with a financial crisis of its own. In late 1980, the state of NY decided that the Woman’s Club needed to pay tax on its dues and were responsible for back taxes as well. The members were assessed their share and all graciously contributed. Luckily, by the fall of 1981, the sales tax decision was reversed and the monies refunded.
Unfortunately, around the same time, the White Plains Fire Department advised the club that a Fire Detection System needed to be installed. President Renie Koehnken came up with a plan to raise money. Members were given the option of receiving their tax refund or contributing that money toward the new fire alarms. Most generously contributed their refunds. A musical production, “America Sings,” performed by members of the Club and the WP Senior Citizen Center, collected donations to benefit the Club’s Fire Detection System Fund. Issues with fire code and improvements to the Club were an ongoing expense throughout the 80’s but finally in 1988, the club was declared “up to code.”
Basic club expenses were a source of concern as well. Income from member dues was down sharply and expenses had exceeded income for the year. The club cut costs by cutting back on decorating and repairs, holding several club functions on the same day to cut down heating and electric costs, lowering the thermostat, holding meetings in members’ homes and increasing rental business.
The issue of declining membership and the need to attract young members continued to be an ongoing concern. In 1987, total membership was 442, down from 511 the previous year. By mid-decade, membership in the sub-Juniors had declined to five! It is worth noting that many other clubs were having similar problems during this time.
The Club continued to do remarkable philanthropic work for the community. The Thrift Shop, bowling and the library remained important as did the annual flea market, Holiday Bazaar and numerous bridges held throughout the year. New fundraisers also contributed, a novel one being the Silver Plated Flatware Preference Survey. The club got $1 for every person who participated. A black tie gala hosted by the Juniors featured Bobby Short, a well-known jazz and cabaret singer. They held a Bargain Bonanza and Christmas mini-boutique and supported the Ecumenical Emergency Food Pantry and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The Evening section continued their philanthropic efforts primarily for the scholarship fund. In 1985, Philanthropy hosted the Bonne Femme Luncheon for guests who heard presentations from four of the committee’s beneficiaries, Hospice Program of the Visiting Nurse Service, Cage Teen Center, Senior Personnel and the Settlement House/Grace Church. A surprise moneymaker was “Croquet on the Lawn” which was started in June 1980. For $2 you got a sandwich and a game of croquet.
WICS remained involved in many charitable works for Rosary Hill, Meals on Wheels and Ruth Taylor Nursing Home. They also took the gift cart around Burke twice a month and received a Certificate of Appreciation for their efforts. WICS eventually became part of the Volunteer Services Group. The Christmas Mitten Tree begun in 1981 donated to the Children’s Day Care Center at St. Bart’s. In 1982, 155 pairs of mittens had been knitted. Like today, it was important for members to keep track of their volunteer hours and the numbers varied from a low of 13,800 from 1979-80 to a high of 24,073 from 1981-82.
Maintenance of the house and grounds was ongoing and expensive. Frequent leaks were patched, new outlets installed, columns in the auditorium repaired and there were many painting projects. The roof was replaced in 1988 and a new oil burner was purchased to replace the very unreliable one.
The largest project was the improvement of the grounds in the back yard. When Ridgeway Circle was completed years prior, many trees at the back of the property were destroyed and had never been replaced. Phase I was the Remembrance Garden to be located in the center at the back of the property. It consisted of a background of arborvitae, flanked by rhododendrons and a foreground of azaleas with a special taxus semi-circle for a sundial. Total cost was estimated to be $5000. The Garden was dedicated in May 1987. By October 1988, the garden was nearly complete.
In March 1988 guidelines for the sale of wine at Club functions were established and the question of county landmark status for the mansion came up. It was felt that such status could be problematic in the event of a future sale of the house and it was not pursued.
Overall, the Woman’s Club seemed to be holding its own during the 80’s. The sub-Juniors had once been surveyed as to what they thought the Woman’s Club would be like in 1980. The answers ranged from bigger to the same to non-existent. I think the answer is somewhere in between. Membership was down but those who remained were active in the Club and continued to fulfill its mission.
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