Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month, so what could be better than meeting Dr. Sylvia Whitlock? Who is Dr. Sylvia Whitlock? When she was a principal in Duarte Unified School District, she was asked to join the Rotary Club of Duarte by her superintendent. She was the second woman to join the Duarte Club, and it was because of the membership of women that Duarte was removed as an official Rotary club. At that time, women were not allowed membership in Rotary; Duarte sued Rotary International and won--which changed the face of Rotary forever and for the better! Dr. Whitlock went on to be the first woman Rotary President and served as District Governor for Rotary District 5300 in 2012-13.

Bill Hart ad Ellen MacFarlane were privileged to hear this delightful individual as she was the featured speaker at the PETS General Session on Sunday, March 6th. Another participant surprised Dr. Whitlock after her speech. He was in Washington, D.C. for a business conference, skipped a session, and was in the Supreme Court when her case was being argued. He later quit his job to become a lawyer. Twenty-eight years later he was able to meet Dr. Whitlock through Rotary.