Newtown Woman’s Club

Attends Fall Conference

Thirteen members of the Newtown Woman’s Club were among 198 women attending the Fall Conference of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs at the Cornucopia in Torrington on October 26. Women in Military Service were recognized during the meeting, and the Connecticut Women’s Clubs have 42 members who were in service in the WAVES, WAFS, WACS, and Marines. Among them was a Newtown member, Dorothea LaBelle, who was a member of the Waves. She attended boot camp in Hunter, N.Y., was a member of a singing platoon, which sang while marching in New York City with Arthur Godfrey. She was stationed in Bethesda, Md., at the National Naval Medical Center as a Pharmacist mate 3rd class.

A memorial service was also held, where mention was made of three members of the Newtown Woman’s Club who died during the past year: Prudence Skiff, Ann MacLeod, and Veronica Loughlin.

Those attending the fall conference were co-presidents Norma Gray and Lorraine Vanderwende, Marcia Cavanaugh, Marion Thompson, Betty Warner, Nancy Brady, Jean Swanhall, Marilyn Alexander, Mary Antey, Mary Ruffles, Peg Forbell, Barbara Krausz, and Dorothea LaBelle. The club was recognized for having the most members attending.

GFWC is an international organization of community-based women’s clubs which have been working for more than 100 years to address the most pressing needs of their communities and the world. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.