1. A HISTORY OF WOMEN IN ROTARY
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2. ROTARY IS FOUNDED WITH FOUR MEMBERS
FEBRUARY 23, 1905
ROTARY IS FOUNDED WITH FOUR MEMBERS
Paul Harris
Gus Loehr
Hiram Shorey
Silvester Schiele

3. 1950
An enactment is proposed by a Rotary Club in India at the Rotary International convention to delete the word “male” from the standard Rotary Club Constitution IT FAILS

4. 1964
A Rotary Club in Ceylon proposes an enactment to the Council on Legislation to permit the admission of women into Rotary Clubs IT IS WITHDRAWN

5. 1972
A Rotary Club in the United States proposes admitting women into Rotary at the Council on Legislation IT FAILS

6. 1977
Three separate proposals are submitted to the Council on Legislation to admit women into Rotary ALL 3 FAIL

7. 1977
The Rotary Club of Duarte, CA admits women as members

8. 1978
Rotary International terminates the charter of the Rotary Club of Duarte

9. 1980
The RI Board of Directors and Rotary Clubs in India, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S. propose an enactment to remove all references to “male persons” in RI and club constitutions IT FAILS

10. 1983
The Rotary Club of Duarte files a lawsuit to admit women into Rotary

11. 1983
The California Superior Court rules in favor of Rotary International, upholding gender-based qualification for membership

12. 1986
The California Court of Appeals reverses the lower court’s decision The California Supreme Court refuses to hear the case and it is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court

13. MAY 4, 1987
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Rotary Clubs may NOT exclude women from membership on the basis of gender

14. 1987
Rotary International issues a policy statement that any Rotary Club in the U.S. can admit qualified women

15. MAY 28,1987
The Rotary Club of Marin Sunrise, California is chartered and becomes the first club after the Supreme Court ruling to have women as charter members.

16. 1987
Sylvia Whitlock, of the Rotary Club of Duarte, becomes the first woman to be a Rotary Club President

17. 1989
The Council on Legislation votes to eliminate the requirement in the RI Constitution that membership in Rotary Clubs be limited to men.

18. JUNE 1, 1989
Carol Van Bruggen becomes the first woman inducted into Point West Rotary

19. JULY 1, 2002
Sandy Thompson becomes the first woman President of Point West Rotary

20. MAY 5, 2017
There are currently 33 women members (23%) in Point West Rotary

21. MAY 5, 2017
30 years after the Supreme Court ruling we celebrate all women in Rotary!