By C.J. Hirschfield
Duarte,
Calif., is a city of about 21,000 located on historic Route 66 in Los Angeles
County. One of its claims to fame is that was the home of the first avocado
tree grown in the state. Another is that in 1987, Duarte’s Rotary Club won a
U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down the international service organization’s
male-only membership policy. Later that year, Duarte Rotary elected Dr. Sylvia
Whitlock as the first female Rotary president in the world.
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| Dr. Sylvia Whitlock |
Last
week I hosted this impressive lady at my home. She was in Oakland to give a
speech in honor of the 30th anniversary of women in Rotary. As a
woman who has belonged to Rotary for 15 years – and who became friends with my future husband through Rotary – I count myself as one of her many grateful
beneficiaries.
