FRIDAY, MAY 21
Registration Opens - First Timers
 & Credentials Sign up
   Guest Happy Hour 5-7p.m.
Early Bird Education Session
   "Factoring In The Funny Stuff"
Fun Night
Ice Cream Social
Hospitality Room

SATURDAY, May 22
No Host Continental Breakfast
Registration Opens 7AM
  First Timers & Credentials Reg.
  Parade Of Banners Lineup

OPENING CEREMONIES 8am
  Parade of Banners - Proclamations
Keynote Speaker - Cody Williams
Club Recognition & Awards
District Council Mtg - 9:45
Helen Blanchard, DTM
  - Past International President
   "One Score and Six"
   - Youth Leadership Showcase
    Lining the Past to the Future
Luncheon
C & L Award Winner:
  Jana Bommersbach - Individual Educational Awards

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
Session #1 - 2:15 Beth Boaz
Session #2 & #3 - 3:15
Peter Francis - Pat Gallagher

Session #4 & #5 - 4:15
Richard Moore - George Self
 Contestants & Judges Briefing
   Dignitary Line-Up

EVENING BANQUET
First Timers Awards
International Speech Contest
   Hospitality Room

SUNDAY, MAY 23
Interdenominational Worship
       Contestant & Judges briefing
District 3 Breakfast & Dreamship
    Program
Evaluation Speech Contest
Adjourn.

 

"Linking The Past With The Future"

Helen Blanchard, DTM
PAST PRESIDENT, TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

By Jane Kimball, Fountain Flyers

District 3 was honored to have Helen Blanchard as a featured speaker on Saturday morning. Helen, who’s listed in "Who’s Who of American Women", the "World’s Who’s Who of Women", and "International Leaders of Achievement", has been a Toastmaster for twenty-nine years. She has served as an officer at all levels culminating in her being elected International President for 1985-86. What a representative to speak to us about "Linking the Past with the future"!

Helen’s recounting of her personal experiences illustrated the initially uneasy but ultimately welcoming of women into Toastmasters. She described her particular passage as having "a few rocks in the road". For example, when Helen turned to Toastmasters in 1970 to bolster the confidence she felt she needed as a professional woman in Federal employ commissioned to conduct technical training programs for all male Naval scientists and engineers she was told that Toastmasters was an organization for men only. However, to the credit of Toastmasters, Helen was re-contacted several weeks later and told she could join under the name "H. Blanchard". But alas – Toastmasters International returned her application requesting a first name. Demonstrating solidarity, Helen’s club Table Topics competition re-named her "Homer" and she officially became a member.

And Helen was quick to remind us that she was not the first woman forced to play this gender charade before women were officially welcomed into Toastmasters in August of 1973. Particularly during World War II women in the Washington, D.C. area also joined using first initials only.

Helen experienced another "rock in the road" when, while serving as District 5 Governor, she was asked NOT to attend the District meeting. But again the male leadership eventually redeemed itself by sending her a letter of reconciliation praising her leadership as a gift to her District.

Helen inspired this audience with her gracious humor developed over the years pointing out that the experience gained in Toastmasters benefits each of us not only in business but also in our volunteer programs and in our families as well. In closing she challenged us as we look to the future to train our youth with the challenge that they conduct their lives with positive conviction and will. What a challenge from this remarkable woman who did indeed experience "a few rocks in the road"!

---


Spring Conference Front Cover | Helen Blanchard Session Annc. | Helen Blanchard by Marian Sjostrum