Volume 81, Issue  1

President’s Message

Dear Arlington AAUW members,

I hope everyone is enjoying these last weeks of summer despite some pretty hot days and looking forward to our fall activities. We have lots on the agenda! Our branch has committed to send out 200 Get out the Vote postcards. I will send out an email soon asking for volunteers. You will be provided with the text, the addresses of potential voters, and stamps. Our window for sending them out is the first week of October, so we have plenty of time to write them.

This year we are celebrating our 80th birthday as a branch. We were founded in 1944 by a group of women who lived in Fairlington during World War II. We are looking for volunteers who remember what they learned about our early history and how they became members to help with our November Program. I, for example, was recruited by longtime member Martha Ann Miller along with other young women in the 1980’s. She called us the young Careerists and got us involved in a lot of branch activities. What do you remember about how and why you decided to be a branch member?  We will be all ears!

I am thrilled that we will host Diana Parsell, author of Eliza Scidmore: From Early White House Reporting to Washington’s Cherry Trees at our September 16 meeting. Please be sure to find out more about this program and other upcoming programs further on in this newsletter. Be sure to get all the dates down on your calendar now so you don’t miss out.

Enjoy what’s left of summer. I really enjoyed going to a minor league baseball game in Fredericksburg in July and as I write I am on my way to New York City where we will see the musical Suffs and visit the Brooklyn Museum of Art to see Paul McCartney’s photo exhibit of the early days of the Beatles. I am
looking forward to seeing you at our author talk on September 16. Bring some friends –everyone is welcome!

Terry Bratt, Arlington Branch President

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Arlington AAUW Branch meetings  in  2024

 

• Mon., Sept. 16, at 7:00 pm, Lubber Run Community Center – Book talk with Diana P. Parsell, author of “Eliza Scidmore: From Early White House Reporting to Washington’s Cherry Trees”.
• Mon., Oct. 21, at 7:00 pm, Lubber Run Community Center – Program on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). DEI Coordinator and student from the Arlington Career Center invited to speak. Not yet confirmed.
• Sat., Nov. 16, at 10:30 am, Lubber Run Community Center – Special program in honor of the 80^th anniversary of the Arlington Branch of AAUW.
• Sat., Dec. 7, noon, Holiday luncheon at Côte d’Or.

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Let’s Talk About Books

The September meeting for Let’s Talk About Books will be on Tuesday, September 24, 2pm at the home of Terry Bratt.  Our book selection is The Covenant of Water by Abraham Varghese.

Please see our book list for the coming year and the meeting dates below.  All meetings except September and July 2025 have hosting opportunities.  If you would like to host one of the meetings, please let me know and I’ll get word out to all members.

 

Barbara Gallagher, Let’s Talk About Books Chair

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Remembering Mary Ann Ullrich

Longtime Arlington AAUW branch member, Mary Ann Ullrich passed away on July 9, 2024. Mary Ann was 82 and is survived by her son, David and siblings Bonnie, Don, Marge, and Larry. Her family is planning a remembrance mass at the church where Mary Ann grew up and her ashes will be spread on the family farm in Illinois.

Mary Ann was a teacher and administrator for the Arlington Public Schools.  She started her career in APS as a secondary ESOL/HILT teacher and later became the Foreign Language Supervisor for APS. Mary Ann was also an active member of our branch before moving away to live nearer to her son.  She served on our branch board while being an active member of the International Coffees and being a dedicated leader of our high school Lunch Bunch.

Mary Ann will be remembered by all her friends and colleagues for her outgoing, friendly nature, kindness, exquisite fashion sense, and her joie de vivre. We send our condolences to her son, David and his family and her many friends.

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AAUW Membership is in Season

Your membership ensures a powerful voice is amplified on critical issues affecting women of all ages and girls. Each year we renew our commitment to focus on economic security, education and Title IX, and civil rights.

Speaking of renewal, June is the typical month to renew dues. You should have received a little prompt from AAUW reminding you your dues were coming due. Please check online or contact Candace Lilyquist or Teri Doxsee for help.

Continuing members can log on to renew or send a $103 check to Teri Doxsee for the full dues amount. Lifetime members pay $31 for state and local dues. This should be paid via the website or by sending a check to Teri Doxsee. Individuals who have trouble logging on may need to change their passwords.

AAUW now runs a 12 month membership. This means, if you joined in August. Your membership renews in the same month you joined (August of the following year). Again, please reach out to the membership chair or the treasurer if you have questions or need any assistance.

Thank you for your activism and dedication to making the opportunities for women and girls better than they ever have been. This really is the season for change.

Candace Lilyquist, VP Membership

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Lunch Bunch

We look forward to meeting a new group of students at Arlington Community High School. We will start meeting in October with our student group over lunch beginning on October 17. We meet on the third Thursday monthly from October to May to discuss topics of interest to our students. Please think about joining the group. More information will be posted in September about the first meeting.

Mary Beth Pelosky and Meg Tucillo, Lunch Bunch

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Public Policy

Mark your calendar for these two important events! The Fall 2024 Northern District meeting will take place on September 14, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library. Meg Tuccillo, Co-Vice President for Diversity Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) will present a program on “Micro-Aggression”. This topic was a 10 minute toolkit at the 2024 state conference and was very well received. Watch for a follow up email with more details.

This year the northern Virginia branches are hosting the 2025 AAUW-VA state conference. It will be held on March 29, 2025 in Alexandria. This is an extra special conference as we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of AAUW-VA. More information will be coming throughout the year, but we will need everyone’s help to make this a super success.

Terry Bratt, Branch President