History
In 2021, the Hilo Woman’s Club hosted a “Walk Through History” to celebrate the Club’s 100th year of service. The Club House was set up as a time machine where visitors could visit safely under the prescribed pandemic guidelines, to talk story about past club events, and revisit happenings shared via old scrap book boards and new video loops. A bento lunch was served outside. It was a nice break from pandemic lockdown, and it shows how tenacious a group of women can be when it’s time to celebrate a landmark birthday! Mayor Mitch Roth and Senator Laura Acasio attended the opening and provided us with a declaration.
The president at the time, Beverly Heikes, kept the spirit alive by sharing old photos and stories of the Club’s history via the club’s newsletter. Below are the letters from 2021 that shared that history. We hope you are inspired by the past and become part of our future!
Past Presidents
- 1921 - Nora S. Bennett
- 1922-23 - Mary Holmes
- 1924 - Nellie Lyman
- 1925 - Blanche Clowes
- 1926 - Nellie Carlsmith
- 1927 - Mauda Beers
- 1928 - Martha Wakefield
- 1929-31 - Mary Holmes
- 1931-32 - Florence Lafferty
- 1933 - Maude Beers
- 1934 - Hazel Bayly
- 1935-36 - Edna Bockus
- 1937 - Evelyn Mott-Smith
- 1938 - Jessie Gartley
- 1939-40 - Edith Carlsmith
- 1941-42 - Helen Luscomb
- 1943 - Isabel Welsh
- 1944-45 - Sara Rudd
- 1946 - Lucy Pence
- 1947 - Georgina Maggioros
- 1948 - Thelma Yuen
- 1949-50 - Emma Giacometti
- 1951-52 - Loleta Moir
- 1953 - Meryl Hurst
- 1954 - Grace Towill
- 1955-56 - Georgina Padgett
- 1957 - Carol Richardson
- 1958 - Jessie Campbell
- 1959 - Bennye Wix
- 1960-61 - Suzanne Case
- 1962 - Constance Mist
- 1963 - Mimi Haddon
- 1964-65 - Librada Luis
- 1966 - Jean Carlsmith
- 1967 - Frances Dennis
- 1968 - Nicki Speer
- 1969 - Daisy U. Smith
- 1970 - Amy Nicholson
- 1971 - Marge Peterman
- 1971 - Ann Leuteneker
- 1972 - Betsy Yoder
- 1973 - Elaine Carlsmith
- 1974 - Joyce Mitsumori
- 1975 - Alice Mannen
- 1976 - Hiroko Hubbard
- 1977-78 - Phyllis Smythe
- 1979 - Lorene Green
- 1980-81 - Rita Miller
- 1982-83 - Virginia Maeda
- 1984-85 - Sonja Okana
- 1986 - Irene Minor
- 1987 - Erika Kurz
- 1988-89 - Dollie Rohrbacher
- 1990-91 - Mary Earl
- 1992 - Colleen Fuhrmann
- 1993-95 - Emily Caldwell
- 1995 - Susan Schnell
- 1996-97 - Ruth Fujimoto
- 1998-99 - Sharon Jones
- 2000-01* - Rose Vierra
- 2002* - Joyce Wubker
- 2003-04 - Cindy Carroll
- 2005 - Ruth Fujimoto
- 2006-07- Fran Wong
- 2008-16 - Beverly Heikes
- 2016-17 - Janet Kuester
- 2017-18 - Jennifer Tanouye
- 2018-20 - Beverly Heikes
- 2021-23 - Diane Czerwonka
- 2023 - * Beverly Heikes
1st photo: The first president of the Hilo Woman's Club, Mrs. Nora Bennett, served from 1921-1922.
2nd photo: Two Hilo Woman's Club members attended the June 1924 Biennial Convention of the National Federated Women's Club in Los Angeles. Mrs. Helen Desha Beamer is seated left center, and Mrs. Mary Holmes is seated right center were considered a part of the Foreign Delegation from the Hawaiian Islands, and they later sought to change the name from "foreign" to "Hawaiian delegation."
3rd photo: Several members from the Hilo Woman's Club board of directors and other club members boarded a bus after being long-time advocates for a much-needed transit system for public service.
