History of Chapter # 87 Greater Palm Beach

Chartered April 18, 1964

Year # 1 – Chapter # 87 was chartered April 18, 1964 with the Miami Chapter as our Chartering Sponsor.  We became Women in Construction of the Palm Beaches with 29 members signing the Charter.  EDITH MCDONALD was our first President.

Year # 2 – 1965/66 TERRY BROWN was President with a roster of 36 members.  We won the NAWIC Award for our Construction Project with our 1st “Constructively Speaking”.  San Diego was the site of our National Convention but this Chapter had no funds to send a delegate.

Year # 3 – 1966/67 PEGGY GRIFFIN was President.  We had our first ‘Boss of the Year’ (John Murphy of Murphy Construction).  Won our bid for Forum, and attended our first National Convention in Miami.  All heads turned when we entered the banquet hall on Saturday night, dressed in long white skirts with turquoise tops. 

Year # 4 – 1967/68 PEGGY GRIFFIN was re-elected President.  We were hostess to our first Region 3 Forum – our first ‘WIC of the Year’  was elected and the WICETTES, under the leadership of Terry Brown, became a live choral group.  Also the first WIC bowling team became a striking reality.

Year # 5 – 1968/69 VIVIAN RUTHERFORD TURNER was elected President.  We updated our Construction Directory and won the Region 3 Construction Project Award.   Irene Townsend won the speech award and National Convention was in Hawaii.

Year # 6 – 1969/70 BARBARA GORDON was elected President.  Our continued hard work once again gave us an award for our Construction Project when we went to Forum in Tampa, and we ended our year by attending National Convention in San Antonio, Texas, where Peggy Griffin was installed as Region 3 Director.

Year # 7 – 1970/71 with IRMA AIKEN a President, our “WHO’S WHO” was awarded the Construction Project 1st prize.  With a joint venture of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, we chartered Boca Raton.  This is the year we incorporated and became the Greater Palm Beach Chapter of National Association of Women in Construction, Inc.

Year # 8 – 1971/72 EMMY LOU KAVANAUGH was President when we chartered Vero Beach.  We were hostess to the Region 3 Forum and picked up the 1st place award for our Construction Project again.  We also assisted the AGC in a Forman’s Training Project.

Year # 9 – 1972/73 BARBARA GORDON was elected to serve as our President for the second time.  It was during this year that we took the Red Cross First-Aid Course and used our knowledge in assisting the Red Cross in teaching the same course.  (Our students were construction men who were complying with a new OSHA request.)  St. Louis was the site of our National Convention this year.

Year # 10 – 1973/74 President was EVELYN HERON.  We sponsored a class at PB Jr. College on “World of Construction”.   For the year, our education theme was “To Build a Building”.   We not only toured construction sites but our new bigger and better sewage treatment plan – which was not even sufficient at that time.  Orlando was host to Forum and VIVIAN RUTHERFORD TURNER was installed as our Director for Region 3.

Year # 11 – 1974/75 with AGNES FORD as our leader, we were hostess to the Quin-Chapter meeting (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Vero Beach and Palm Beach).  From Forum, we brought home the Muriel Y. Chippendale award for the most new members.  Our Chapter doubled its membership this year with Andrea Robertson as Membership Chairman.

Year # 12 – 1975/76  BETTY JO KINSEY TURNER was our President.  We attended Forum in Tampa and BETTY JO KINSEY TURNER was elected Region 3 Director.  Several members went to Philadelphia for Convention.

Year # 13 – 1976/77 ELLEN STEELE was President and we were host to the Region 3 Forum for the 3rd time.  The year was spent making ceramic table favors for all members attending Forum.  San Francisco was the site of Convention.

Year # 14 – 1977/78 Our President for this year was JEANETTE GRANBERG.  With Wanda Buchanan as our Chairman, we held our first Casino Night, and the guidelines for our Chapter Educational Scholarship were drawn up.  We found our sea legs this year when Forum was held aboard the S. S. Emerald Seas.

Year # 15 – 1978/79  Holding the gavel as President was WANDA BUCHANAN, and once more we tried Casino Night and decided this was the way to go for Ways & Means.  Our first Chapter Scholarship Award was presented to a local student.  By this time, we had three bowling teams.

Year # 16 –1979/80 LINDA PORTER was elected President, and we had our first Hoe Down.  Attended Forum in Pensacola and Convention in Phoenix Arizona.  Cheryl Ferris, our present scholarship recipient, was presented with the second scholarship award from our Chapter.

Year # 17 – 1980/81 ELLEN STEELE was once again elected President.  “Introduction to Construction” course was held at PB Jr. College.  Forum was in Miami and the National Convention was in Hawaii.

Year #18 – 1981/82 JOY MURRAY ST. CLAIR was our President.  We were Hostess to the Region 3 Forum, held a very successful Blue Print Seminar and attended our National Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Year # 19 – 1982/83 The Chapter elected INGRID HUGEL as President.  Again we took 1st  prize for our Construction Industry entry – updating of our Construction Directory.  Mary McKinney was chosen as the ‘APRIL Calendar WIC” for the National Association’s first calendar, and our Chapter gave 18 bricks at $25 per brick toward the building of our first National Headquarters building.

INGRID HUGEL                         
1982/83; 1983/84

LYNNE RIFKIN                         
1984/85

BETTY WADE                          
1987-88

CINDY BURKE                         
1988/89

ELAIN ARNOLD                       
1989/90

CLAIR RIDGE                           
1990/91

ANDREA SERRAES
1991/92

ROSE KENNEY                       
1992/93; 1993/94

CAROL DOCKRAY                   
1994/95

DEBBIE SWITZER                    
1995/96

SARAH CAMPBELL                 
1996/97

LORRIE GOFF
1997/98

ANDREA SERRAES
1998/99; 1999/2000

KAREL VAN GELDER
2000/2001; 2001/2002

JO ANN GOLDEN
2002/2003
 

DANA HERNANDEZ                 
2003/2004; 2004/2005

TINA LAWS
2005/2006; 2006/2007

NAOMI STEVENSON
2007/2008; 2008/2009

ANDREA SERREAS
2009/2010; 2010/2011