27th anniversary of Acadiana Area Founders’ Day celebration held in Eunice

Members of the National Association of University Women celebrated its 27th anniversary of the Acadiana Area Founders’ Day on Feb. 28 in Eunice, hosted by members of the Eunice branch NAUW.
There were 96 registered members from branches in Rayne, Beauregard/Vernon, Crowley, Eunice, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Iberia, Rayne, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion.
Special honors were given to Dr. Ezora Johnson Proctor, a native of Eunice, who inducted the Eunice Branch on Jan. 2, 1984, and initiated the idea of Acadiana Area Founders Day with members from branches of Acadiana area 27 years ago. She was national president of the organization during this time.
As the organization celebrates its establishment in January nationally, Johnson felt the necessity of individual branches to unite and celebrate together once a year. She initiated the first one with her branch in Crowley and invited all area surrounding branches. There were 21 members in attendance at the first observance in Crowley, which was then called the Area Founder’s Day, and later the named changed to Acadiana Area Founder’s Day. This year’s attendance of 150 members were present for the Founder’s Day event.
Other special attendees included: Betty W. Wilkerson, sectional director of the south central section of the National Association of University Women from Baton Rouge; Ollie D. Johnson, past national president, Lake Charles; Stephanne Spikes, south central lay member; Quintella Baskerville, south central corresponding secretary; Wanda Faulk, south central journalist; and. Linda P. Armstrong, national chaplain for NAUW. Of the local branch Meriva P. Fontenot is the south central historian and. Denise W. Antoine is the nominating chairperson.
Members of the National Association of University Women celebrated the day with a breakfast in the fellowship hall of True Light Baptist Church followed by church services in the church with the Rev. Jermaine Tezeno delivering the sermon.
Following NAUW members attended a program with emcee Chiquita Thomas of Eunice, branch first president. Mayor Scott Fontenot was on hand to welcome the women to the city of Eunice.
The National Association of University Women was organized March 1910 first, as the College Alumnae Club, by Mary Church Terrell, Dr. Sara Brown, Dr. Faifax Brown, and Mary Cromwell in Washington, D.C. with 20 university graduates who joined and elected officers and planned a program. After many years of work and hardships, seven branches were organized in other cities where college women desired to improve their living conditions.
Finally on Aug. 9, 1974, at the biennial convention in Philadelphia, the name National Association of University Women was accepted. It is known throughout the world for its concerns for women’s rights, their living conditions, the mental health and well being of women and children, the education and working opportunities of/for women and the improvement of interracial and international relations.
Eunice branch members have participated and involved themselves in the communtiy in many different ways. Members have provided books for classroom/libraries of the elementary schools, pumpkins for Eunice Head Start classrooms, honored various women in the community for their contributions to society and the building of the community as those in education, religion, law enforcement, business, single parent, oldest woman in the church and this those in government and public service.
Ardessie Francois, a member of the Eunice NAUW, added, “This past year we paid a special tribute to two ministers for their help they offered in getting the NAUW’s work off the ground. Eunice Head Start is a school that has been adopted by the branch where members can go and occasionally read to the students and share quality time with them. Members participated in the ‘Walk for Cancer’ to show that they were serious about breast cancer awareness. They not only walked, but many gave donations to the annual American Breast Cancer foundation in honor of one member’s daughter who was recently diagnosed with the disease.
“Each year a member places flowers at the base of the statue of the veteran on South Second in Eunice to honor our veterans. We have members who are veterans, husbands, brothers, and fathers who were veterans. On Memorial Day we are planning to do something to honor the ones in service now.”