Akron Life February 2023

We salute local groundbreaking women, includingAkronWoman'sCity Clubmembers andWomen'sHistory Project of theAkronArea honorees.

(left to right) Charlotte Buzzelli, Patricia Brown, Suzanne Shriber, Jane Delcamp and Julie Randall

photo provided by Akron Woman’s City Club

The Woman’s City Club paid off its mortgage in 1951 and held a mortgage burning ceremony in 1952. During the ’60s, it hosted events like member weddings and had thriv ing memberships for juniors starting at 20 years old and seniors starting at 30. On a daily basis, seniors had section programs about art, music, poetry, travel, film, flowers, antique furniture, eco nomics, history and more, and they had evening sections for working women. They also hosted tea parties, fashion shows, guest lectures, fundraisers and formal dances. PB: When I joined in the ’60s, there was a two-year waiting list to become a member — 1,000 [senior] mem bers and 100 junior members. It was active all the time. … We had dinners. Every night it would be full. [The juniors] had big Monte Carlo nights, and we filled the ballroom. … Our Christmas parties, because we all had children, … the ballroom was absolutely packed with kids. SS: I remember reading about some bridge benefits with 250 people. And lots of speakers, doctors, politi cians that would travel across states to speak here. PB: As soon as you turn 30, you got at the top of the [senior] list. SS: Most [juniors] did step up. CB: A lot of them came from families that had genera tions belonging to this club. During the ’ 70s, memberships in social clubs started to decline, Lieberth says. The women’s movement was in full force in the ’70s and ’80s, and more women were working full time, leaving less time for extracurriculars. Akron was changing too, with popular restaurants lessening the need for private dining clubs.

Inspiring Innovator : SisterMary Ignatia , 1889-1966

which has a heritage center honoring Ignatia. Her Legacy: Millions worldwide have found sobriety through AA. Ignatia was recognized in a letter from former President John F. Kennedy. AA and Ignatia Hall not only helped develop an effective treatment, but they also removed the stigma. At Ignatia Hall’s start, people with alcoholism were cast out and sent to asylums. Ignatia overcame pushback of admitting hospital patients — sometimes having to sneak them in — and advocated for the treatment of alcoholism as a disease. “This is something that she and Dr. Bob did without support of others in a time when it wasn’ t recognized,” Heppner says. “It was her mission to help these individuals have better lives.”

Why She’s Notable: Known as the “Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous,” this Irish nun helped found AA with “Dr. Bob” Smith and Bill Wilson. In 1939, she established Ignatia Hall, the first treatment unit for people with alcoholism, at Akron’s St. Thomas Hospital. It became a national model, saving lives with dignified treatment. “Her strength and her belief in the human spirit is what sets her apart,” says Leianne Neff Heppner, president and CEO of Summit Historical Society of Akron, OH, which has the Women’s History Project. Her Local Impact: About 10,000 people descend upon Akron annually to celebrate AA on Founders’ Day. A 14-bed Ignatia Hall detox unit lives on at Summa Health’s new behavioral health facility,

Sister Mary Ignatia photo provided by Summa Health

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