Local Rotary uses video technology to connect with 1st female Rotary club president, other distinguished speakers

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There is no questioning the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but for the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach, there is a silver lining. The increased use of video conferencing technology is enabling the club to hear from distinguished speakers beyond Northeast Florida, such as Dr. Sylvia Whitlock.

Based in California, Whitlock recently spoke to the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary via Zoom and discussed her trailblazing path to become the first female president of a Rotary club in 1987.

“Dr. Whitlock is revered in the Rotary world and in American history, and we were honored to have her join us,” said Sam Hall, president of the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach. “Her story of courage and perseverance inspired our club, as it has inspired so many for decades.”

Whitlock started her Rotary journey in the early 1980s when she was invited to join the Rotary Club of Duarte in Los Angeles County, California. She was an elementary school principal in Duarte and one of a few women in the community invited to the club at the time. Rotary International did not then admit women as members, however, so the club ultimately lost its charter as a result of its inclusionary actions.

After losing its charter, the club renamed itself the Ex-Rotary Club of Duarte and continued to meet and serve its community independent of Rotary for several years. In what became a long, tumultuous fight, the club took its case to court and became known as the “mouse that roared.” After back-and-forth legal challenges at the state and federal levels, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Duarte club’s favor in 1987. Women could officially become Rotarians, which allowed Whitlock to become the first female president of a Rotary club.

“It was fascinating to hear Dr. Whitlock tell this story,” said Bruce Barber, a long-time Rotarian and past president of the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach. “I met her at a Rotary International convention in Atlanta a few years back, and I was humbled then that she asked me to dance after winning an award. A few years later, our entire club was humbled to host her and hear about this important piece of Rotary and American history.”

In addition to Whitlock, the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach has utilized Zoom in 2020 to host Rotary International’s Immediate Past President Mark Maloney, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, and a number of international partners supporting the club’s service project in Guatemala, among others.

For more information on the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach, go to www.pvbrotary.org.