Published: May 01, 2008 12:21 pm            

Owls flock to tea

Prairie House perfect setting for historic anniversary

Owls took over the Prairie House last week, and a good time was had by all.

Members of GFWC Owl Study Club observed April 24 — the 118th anniversary of the formal beginning of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs — with a tea at the restored historic home. The occasion marked the club’s first official meeting at the Prairie House, even though the local GFWC groups had contributed to the restoration project, and members and their guests were treated to tours of the house.

Many of the Owl Study Club members brought out vintage hats and gloves for the occasion, as women who visited the home in the era in which the Foreman family occupied it might have worn. Although earlier visitors might have experienced a more formal atmosphere, the Owl gathering was a less serious, more entertaining event.

Owl Study Club of Duncan was organized in June of 1919 and was federated on Sept. 1 of that year. The club got its name from the 15 “wise and wide-awake” members. The group chose “Be Square” as its motto, which reminds members to be honest, fair and always useful. Before the end of that first year, membership had grown to 25.

The club has always operated on the premise, “Where there is no vision the people perish,” from Proverbs 29:18. Since its inception, the club has realized the vital importance of vision in local, state and national affairs.

Objective of the club is to enlighten, enlist and enlarge.

In keeping with its emphasis, Owl Study Club is active in all levels of GFWC.

Three members are officers of the South Central District of GFWC-OK. Joan Collins is president; Flora Diffie is first vice president; and Kathy Baker is secretary.

On the local level, Diffie is president; Debbie Allison, vice president; Ann Lorenzino, secretary; Baker, corresponding secretary and reporter; Beth Liles, treasurer; and Sadie Budlong, parliamentarian. The group meets on the first Thursday of each month from September through May in members’ homes.

Local projects include nursing scholarships; the Prairie House Foundation; cell phones for abused women; Chisholm Trail Arts Council; Women’s Haven; EDGE Academy; Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY); Toy Shop; Kind News — Gabriel’s House; International Heifer Project; 1734 Society; the annual Stephens County Christmas dinner; a flower bed in Centennial Park; and Christians Concerned.

GFWC is a national and international organization that was granted a charter in 1901 by the United States government.

It has grown to be the largest organization of women volunteers in the world.

GFWC is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Motto of the organization is “Unity in Diversity.” Its 2006-08 theme is “Empowering Women ... One by One,” and its 2006-08 special project is a domestic violence program.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.