Women Also Serve: Duarte Invites Women to Join Rotary

The Rotary Club of Duarte, California, was chartered in District 530 in 1952. But just before its twenty-fifth birthday in 1976, the Duarte club violated Rotary's bylaws by inviting women to join, ultimately causing its charter to be unceremoniously revoked by Rotary International. Undeterred, the club renamed itself the Ex-Rotary Club of Duarte and its members continued on their quest not to be outcasts of one of the greatest humanitarian organizations in the world. Filled with facts and personal anecdotes, the first woman president in Rotary International shares a fascinating glimpse into the journey of the Duarte club. Sylvia Whitlock, who was present as the club enlisted help from the American Civil Liberties Union and took the case through the California court system until a landmark decision in May 1987, details the circumstances of the case as women struggled to attain equal rights, her role in the process, conversations with participants and onlookers, and the benefits she has gained personally through her own membership. Women Also Serve shares a compelling history of the Duarte Rotary Club and its lofty undertaking to recruit women into its chapter through the perspective of one who was there.

Sylvia Whitlock, PhD is a retired educational administrator. She was an incoming Duarte Rotary president when the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling against the exclusion of women in service clubs. Sylvia resides in LaVerne, California, where she is an active member of the Rotary Club.