On the back of the photo, someone had written “Toastmistress ESWC Banquet. 1. Ann Johnson. 2. Flossie McDowell. 3. Sally Reznichek.” Without that note we would not have these women’s full names.
The club thanks Sharon McDowell for surprising us with this photo treasure for our November meeting on the East Side Women’s Club.
This photo, along with 5 others, was published on the society page of the Wisconsin State Journal on Sunday June 8, 1941. The photo spread described the annual Spring Banquet, held on Tuesday June 3, 1941 in Langdon Hall, the private dormitory at 631 Langdon Street.
The caption for the photo reads: Mrs. Earl McDowell, newly elected vice-resident and toastmistress, started off the program with a smile. Mrs. Henry Johnson left, and Mrs. Cyrus Reznichek, right, corresponding secretary, smile with her.
The article mentions that Mrs. Browne and Mrs. Crosby, who then was Alma Hall, organized the club in the fall of 1925 as a “community” organization. Mrs. Browne was the first president. Mrs. Crosby was living in Hollywood in 1941 and works in the movies. She appeared in such productions as “In Old Chicago”, “Doomed Battalion” and “The Good Fairy”.
East Side Women’s Club activities mentioned in the 1941 article include “contributions to 6 Madison charities; camperships to one Girl Scout, one Girl Reserve and 3 for girls to the Volunteers of America camp in Pardeeville; gives 100 gifts at Christmas to children at the Morningside sanatorium and this year gave 20 new and current books to the Lakeview sanatorium. In addition the club has a tree fund to be used for planting unusual trees in Olbrich Park, and gives an annual tuition scholarship to the UW to an outstanding East Side High School girl. In 1941 it went to Betty Brown, whose family lived in Lake Edge Park. The club has also contributed a sleeping cabin to be constructed at the Volunteers of America camp in Pardeeville.”
By coincidence, the photo that Nettie Slickman Spevacek contributed to An East Side Album (page 9) was also a part of the June 8th, 1941 photo spread.
By Ann Waidelich
