-----She presented both old and new board members with feather plumes adorned with silver roses, honoring a tradition that began 125 years ago with the first IWPA members.
Marianne invited all in attendance to join her in the dining room for the 125th anniversary luncheon.

IWPA members are consummate story tellers

Tables adorned with commemorative programs and festive silver and lavender decorations set the mood for an elegant, exciting afternoon.

Speaker Dr. Norma Fay Green, Director of Graduate Journalism, School of Media Arts, Columbia College, Chicago, took time out before presenting her journalism students for graduation at Columbia College to offer fascinating notes on IWPA history. Green has written 10 books. We were most fascinated by Green’s work for Women’s Press Organizations, 1881-1999, where she penned chapter 10 on the history of Illinois Woman’s Press Association, 1885-Present.

“IWPA members have always been consummate storytellers, chronicling the stories of people and events,” she said. Green, in turn, chose to tell the story of an IWPA founder, Myra Bradwell, who passed the Illinois bar with honors in 1869, but was denied admission until 1890 because she was a woman. She was a champion of women’s

|Lana Weiss Brown, 2009 COA recipient, introduces 2010 winner, Val Ensalaco (see page four for Val’s story.)

and children’s rights, a friend of Mary Todd Lincoln, a writer, and editor. She and her husband John, a lawyer, a judge, and the first president of the Union League Club, were “partners in work as well as life.”

Unable to enter law school because she was a woman, she studied under a practicing attorney and apprenticed in her husband’s law office. She and John had four children, two who died and two who also became lawyers.

She founded the Chicago Legal News in 1868, advocating suffrage and reforms that included employment for women and improvement of the court system. The News was the only source of information for lawyers and judges and considered essential to the field at the time. In 1892, just two years before she died of cancer, Bradwell was admitted to the Illinois Supreme Court. She is remembered as the person who broke the chain and opened doors for women, beginning a trend in women’s rights that continues to grow today In closing, Green suggested that, “It’s time to reflect on the past, be grateful for the present and look forward to the future.”

After lunch, Lana Weiss Brown, 2009 Communicator of Achievement, introduced and presented the 2010 COA award to Val Ensalaco (see “Let’s give ‘em something to
talk about,” page four). Angie Leszczak presented Katheryn Birchler-Heires with a gift in recognition of her 43-year membership. She also recognized High School Communications Contest winners (see Spring 2010 PenPoints for honorees) with IWPA certificates. Prospect High School won the Silver Pen for receiving the most individual awards; Lyons Township was second, and Vernon Hills third.

Angie and Cindy Cruz presented the Mate E. Palmer Communication Contest awards (see first place winners list on page eleven). Jan Huttner was awarded with the Silver Feather for the most individual wins (see “Third time’s a charm…” page five).

After a lively commercial by Cindy Cruz for the 2010 NFPW Conference, Face2Face in Chicago, winners of the table centerpieces were announced and new VP Deidra Sommerville won the raffle basket. Marianne concluded the celebration with thankful appreciation to luncheon and contest organizers, as well as “all who make IWPA what it is.”

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