Woman's Club turns 50

For half a century, the Woman’s Club of Madison County has supported a variety of local, national and international causes.

The local group – which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month – is a part of the international General Federation of Women’s Clubs, one of the largest all-female organizations in the world, according to local charter member Joyce Gentry.

Since the Madison chapter’s inception, the group has organized and supported numerous fund-raisers and other types of events including student art contests, county blood drives and local political candidates forums.

Gentry, the club’s outgoing president and one of four active charter members, shuffled through the group’s records recently in preparation for the
association’s anniversary reception later this month.

While these days, the club relies mostly on its boxed lunch sales each spring and fall to support its many efforts, Gentry remembers when the group would organize different types of events to bring in funds.

One of the woman’s club’s popular fund-raisers was a “womanless wedding,” where local citizens would donate a few dollars to attend the event that involved local male officials and other businessmen dressing up as a female wedding party.

One year, the sheriff at the time, “Hot” Tinsley, was assigned the role of the bride and donned a wedding gown, according to Gentry.

“[Tinsley] was a big man and the groom of course was a small man…and everyone really enjoyed that,” she said.

Another popular fund-raiser was the group’s “womanless fashion show” event, according to Gentry.

“That was also a big hit. The bathing suit category just about took the house down,” she laughed.

Over the years, the group has donated proceeds from its fund-raisers toward local organizations – such as the rescue squad, fire company and library – as well as to national and international efforts, including Radio Free Europe and the Christian Children’s Fund.

Gentry believes part of the reason the local group continues to attract active members is the diversity of its volunteer programs, she said.

“The club sponsors a variety of things, from home life to legislation to conservation. There’s something for everyone,” she said.

Supporting education within the community has always been a focus of the Madison County-based group, whose motto is “Service, debt of education.” Many of its members over the years have been local teachers, according to Gentry.

Each year, the woman’s club presents two separate $1,000 scholarships to two different Madison County High School seniors. The scholarship – which the organization started at a lower amount in 1964 – is given to male and female students based on need and academic performance.

“We want to invest our money in someone we feel good about,” Gentry said.

Since the group’s start, they have given a platter of homemade cookies to the staff of Madison County Public Schools on Valentine’s Day every year to show their appreciation and support of the school system’s employees.

The Woman’s Club of Madison County will celebrate its 50th anniversary at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Madison County Volunteer Fire Company firehouse with a program followed by a reception. Anyone who has ever been a member of the club is invited. For information or to RSVP, call (540) 948-6196 or (540) 948-4318.

The Woman’s Club of Madison County meets at 7:30 p.m. every third Wednesday at varying locations within the county. For information, call (540) 948-4985.