Checking in at "Winter Wonderland"

Grahams,

While looking through newspaper archives awhile ago, I unexpectedly found an article with a photograph of my mother. In the photograph below she is seated at the table checking people into the dance.  I looked for a photograph of the hotel where the dance was held and found the old postcard. Next I looked for something about The Girl Friends Society. I had no luck at first. Items about the Girls Friendly Society kept turning up and it wasn’t the same group.  After I dropped “Society” in my search, I found several  things, including the history of the group below with a link to their website. The Springfield, Mass. Chapter was founded in 1935 and they celebrated their 75th Anniversary in 2010.  

I never knew my mother to be part of any posh groups so this was all news to me. In February of 1951, my father was pastor of St. John’s Congregational Church in Springfield.  I was 4 and my sister had just turned 2 in December. We moved to Detroit in the Fall of that year.

“Checking in at the “Winter Wonderland – Wonderland-shown above, at the 15th annual charity cabaret dance, held last night at the Hotel Kimball by the Springfield Chapter of the Girl Friends Society of America, are, left to right, Mrs. Doris Cleage, chairman of the ticket committee, Miss Helen DuBose and Harold Edmonds.Nearly 150 patrons of the Society’s charities attended the dance, which the Springfield Girl Friends termed the “Winter Wonderland.”  Dancing was to the music of Lenwood Cook’s Seven Sharps.  
The Springfield chapter has a membership of 12, including Mrs. J. Clifford Clarkson, president: Mrs Nello Greene, vice-president; Mrs. Marian Kennedy secretary; Mrs Irttle Funn, treasurer:  Mrs. Hazel Fitch corresponding secretary; and Mrs. Doris Cleage, parliamentarian.  Other members are Mrs. Maude Boone, Mrs. Cordella Clarke, Mrs Evelyn Delworth, Mrs. Charlotte McGoddwin, Mrs. Melle TAylor and Mrs. Theda Wilson.
“Hotel Kimball Springfield, Massachusetts. Ranks with the finest in the country.  A magnificant hotel, modern and metropolitan in every appointment.”

The History of The Girl Friends®, Inc.

* Founded during the Harlem Renaissance in 1927 by eleven young women based on friendship and community involvement

* One of the oldest social/civic organizations of African-American women in the United States

* Incorporated in 1938 under the legal guidance of Baltimore attorney Thurgood Marshall (spouse of Girl Friend Vivian Marshall)

* Founders of the organization were Eunice Shreeves, Lillie Mae Riddick, Henri Younge, Elnorist Younge, Thelma Whittaker, Dorothy Roarke, Helen Hayes, Connye Cotterell, Rae O. Dudley, Anna S. Murphy and Ruth Byrd

* Bessye Bearden, newspaper columnist, civic leader and mother of celebrated artist, Romare Bearden, served as the  groups chaperone and advisor.

* Currently there are 45 chapters across the country, and over 1400 women of prominence in membership

*The first chapter expansion was in 1928 with the formation of the Philadelphia chapter, with Baltimore (1930),  Boston (1931) and New Jersey (1932) and New Haven (1932) soon added

*The first Conclave (national meeting of chapters) was hosted by New York in 1933

*Organization colors are apple and emerald green, its flower is the Marshall Neal rose (now called the yellow tea rose)

*Since those formative years, the chain of friendship has grown to embrace a continent. Girl Friends have founded schools, headed colleges, earned all manners of academic and professional degrees, written books, headed their own businesses, saved lives, been elected to Congress and named to the cabinet of the US President. They have also been devoted wives, mothers, sisters and friends, and involved members of their communities.

*Currently there are 45 chapters across the country, and over 1400 women in membership.

Copyright 2007, The Girl Friends,® Inc. The Girl Friends® is a registered service mark of The Girl Friends, Inc.

3 thoughts on “Checking in at "Winter Wonderland"”

  2. Wow, Kristin! It's always amazing when you find stuff like that. Do you have GenealogyBank, BTW? It indexes the Springfield paper. I thought I'd mention it in case you weren't aware of it. Also, the photo of the hotel caught my eye. If you have a chance do a Google search on the Bancroft Hotel in Worcester. The Kimball Hotel in Springfield looks exactly like the Bancroft. The same builder perhaps? Really interesting post!

  3. Yep Ticklebear, party, party, party.

    Cynthia, I haven't looked there. I will look at both Genealogy Bank and The Bancroft Hotel in Worchester.

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