Special to Iredell Free News

Statesville Woman’s Club President Dana White and Club Historian Linda Lavinder recently unveiled a plaque entitled the “Wall of Remembrance” in honor of invaluable current and former members to celebrate their contributions to the Statesville Woman’s Club over the years.

After the Board of Directors voted to host a Five-Year-Capital Campaign beginning with a 95th anniversary celebration of the clubhouse, President White with other members brainstormed methods to recognize and memorialize outstanding club women. The idea of honoring them where they invested so much of their lives became a reality in the form of the plaque acknowledging the roles they played in the club.

In an effort to raise the money needed to revitalize and refurbish the clubhouse while preserving the legacy of these club leaders, Lavinder delved into the history of the Statesville Woman’s Club examining club records, obituaries, and newspaper articles.

Those recognized include some past presidents of the club, yearbook dedication recipients, charter members, and district and state officers.

Thus far, 31 club members have been acknowledged: Mary Alice Long, Anne Bell Scott, Fannie Hoffmann, Estelle McElwee, Lila Steele, Carrie Hoffmann, Leah Hoffmann, Matti Estelle Fraley, Louise Ramsey Lindley, Zelda Walker Wilson, Mary Ella Lackey, Wynnona Spake, Agnes Milam, Rose Stephany, Myrtle Westmoreland, Betty McCoy, Margaret Hefner, Ethel Brandon Holland, Margaret Stradley, Sarah McLean Rumple, Ellenora Spratt Barker, Octavia Deems, Nancy J. Severt, Jo Patterson, Mildred “Pat” Smith, Janet Hall, Dorothy “Dot” Johnson, Linda Lavinder, Dana White, Shelley Arthur, and Jennifer Brooks Griffith.

LEARN MORE

Family members and friends can contact Dana White at 704-641-8199 to have a member added to the “Wall of Remembrance” or to find out more information about this remembrance of women who are so important to the clubhouse and the work that has been accomplished inside it over the course of its 96-year history.