Greater Grand Rapids Womens History Council
  P.O Box 68874, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-8874                     Phone: 616-574-7307

  

  

February 22, 2016

GGRWHC Board of Directors

Mary Seeger,
Jo Ellyn Clarey,    
    Co-Presidents  
Susan Coombes
    Vice President 
Ruth VanStee,
     Secretary
Connie Ingham
     Treasurer
  
Jennifer Bryant 
Jo Ellyn Clarey
Susan Coombes
Falinda Geerling 
Sharon Hanks
Connie Ingham 
Kyle Irwin
Mary Seeger
Ruth Stevens
Julie Tabberer
Ruth VanStee 
  
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Begin Women's History Month on March 1 by celebrating the working women of Grand Rapids a hundred years ago and end the month at our Annual Reception on March 30.
Berkey & Gay Girls Picnic, 1918
  
    Gert, Grace, and the Berkey & Gay Girls 
Women, War, & Work in 1910s Grand Rapids

  by Jullie Tabberer, Heather Edwards, and Drew Damron
7 p.m., Tuesday, March 1, 2016  
Grand Rapids Public Library, Main - Auditorium  
Co-sponsored by the Grand Rapids Public Library,  & the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council
      
Three staff members in the Grand Rapids History and Special Collections department of the Grand Rapids Public Library will share what they found in some recent research of women in Grand Rapids during World War I and the years leading up to it. 

Using material from the Shop Mark, an employee newsletter of the Berkey and Gay Furniture Company,  Julie Tabberer  will illustrate the lives of the women working at that company during World War I. 

Grace Van Hoesen, second from the left,
and the League for Women Voters
Heather Edwards will illustrate Grace Van Hoesen's roles as a local suffrage leader, wartime chair of the industrial committee of the Woman's Committee of the Council on National Defense, and as a founder of the League of Women Voters.

Gerturde Van Houten with her cartoon image of Gert
The third part, led by Drew Damron, will introduce Gertrude Van Houten, an illustrator and cartoonist for the Grand Rapids Press. Gert quickly became a local celebrity, who was sent to draw on location in wartime Washington D.C.   Damron has uncovered numerous examples of her work.

* * *   * * *   * * *   * * *   * * *

    Our annual reception  at the Women's City Club
                 5 - 7 p.m.  Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Shattering Glass Ceilings:  
Women's Elective History in Grand Rapids, 1888-2015
Deirdre Toeller-Novak will be focusing on five firsts, examples of women in elective politics in Grand Rapids history, culminating with the election of our special guest, Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.  
Complimentary hors-d'oeuvres 
Wine: $5/glass
(A free glass of wine to new and renewing members)
 
Reservations appreciated: see our invitation on Eventbrite,
email info@ggrwhc.org,
or call 616-574-7307 

Free and open to the public.

Visit our web site and watch for future email contacts with updates and further details.    

Join us or Update your Membership!  

Not a current member of GGRWHC?    Register or renew your membership and help offset the expenses associated with annual research and programs. Your membership helps to set the record straight on the women who've made history here in our community.
 

GGRWHC Board Meetings

Board meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at the Vanderveen Center for the Book at the Grand Rapids Public Library. If you have suggestions for programs, oral histories, or other items, please email us or plan to attend a meeting.

 

 

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Please take a moment to forward this message to others you know who may be interested in Women's History.  If you've received this message as a forward, consider joining our mailing list (click on the button in the left column above!) in order to receive future updates about programming.

Thank you for your interest in preserving and celebrating the history of the many phenomonal women who've helped to shape West Michigan!  If you aren't already a member of the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council, consider showing your support through annual membership.  Visit our web site for more information and the ability to register using Pay Pal online!

Hats off to the historical women who've shaped West Michigan!