Work and Purposes of the Women's Board of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition By Mrs

Work and Purposes of the Women's Board of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition By Mrs. Frederick G. Sanborn, President of Women's Board, 1915.

The Women's Board Panama-Pacific International Exposition, composed entirely of California women, was organized in the interest of the exposition, in order that it might be financially and legally responsible, was incorporated under the laws of the State of California.

The association of which the Women's Board constitutes the executive body consists of the stockholders and auxiliary members.

County auxiliaries of the Women's Board have been organized generally in fifty-eight counties of the State, so that many fine California women are making a concerted effort to assist in the great work.

There is no women's building at the exposition, as the men and women of California are accustomed to working together. Women's work is placed in various departments of the exposition and not displayed or judged as women's work.

It is the pleasure and duty of the Women's Board and its auxiliaries, serving as hostesses for California, to meet, greet, and entertain visitors to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, endeavoring to make all welcome. In addition to hostessing their exposition, the Women's Board has, from the fund contributed by the women of the State furnished the California Host Building, guaranteeing to maintain throughout the exposition and assuming its entire responsibility.

In addition to serving as hostesses during 1915 at the exposition and in San Francisco, the county auxiliaries also welcome guests in their several counties. California has invited the World to come, and Californians in all parts of this State will welcome those to attend her exposition, and visit her mountains, valleys, and shores.

Believing that the stranger within California gates is entitled not only to a cordial welcome and generous hospitality, but to such need of protection as lies within her power, the Woman's Board, more than a year ago, issued a call and organized a non-sectarian, non-political Travelers' Aid Society for the protection of the traveling public, particularly young women, girls and boys.

EFFECTIVE SERVICE

This organization rendered effective service during the pre-exposition period, and will endeavor during the exposition year and thereafter to protect and guide visitors upon their arrival in San Francisco, or in the cities on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. A careful inspection and registration of reputable homes, boarding houses, and hotels has been underway for many months. All trains are met by expert Travelers' Aid workers, and those requiring protection will be carefully safeguarded.

The badge adopted by the Travelers' Aid Society of California is shown in its exact size in color on another page.

LECTURE SERIES

Another department of work which has been far-reaching in results in the series of exposition lecturettes prepared by the publicity department of the Women's Board, for school children. They have gone generally to the schools of this State, and many thousands are now being sent to school children of other states. The preliminary preparation and supervision of the day nursery and the children's playground has been entrusted by the exposition management to the Women's Board, and little folk placed in our care will receive excellent mothering and expert attention. Although the activities of the women of California in connection with their exposition are varied and have been seriously undertaken.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

MRS. FREDERICK G. SANBORN (Helen Peck) came to California so early in her childhood that she almost may be considered to be a native of her beloved West. She has lived more than 30 years in the home in Dolores Street in San Francisco which is her present address. She was the spontaneous and unanimous choice of the women of California as the president of the Women's Board of the exposition, and has administered the affairs of the office with the gracious dignity, a remarkable tact and a powerful executive ability. No detail of the work involved was too trivial to merit her attention, and no phase of it to perplexing or too large in scope for her grasp. From the first organization of the Women's Board she has had a clear vision of the methods by which to ensure the state-wide sympathy of women in exposition participation and the unfolding of events each day proves that she building better than she knew. Mrs. Sanborn has been president of the Century Club and the Sorosis Club of San Francisco, and during the Spanish War was vice president of the San Francisco Red Cross Society. She has always been officially connected with the relief work and an active worker therein. She is president of the Protestant Orphan Asylum of San Francisco, the oldest organized charity on the Pacific Coast.

Source: California's Magazine, New Call Building, San Francisco, 1915, Pages 374-376.