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May 1, 1946: The place was Norton Hall, and it was the site of the first
official meeting of a new group, The Women's Club of the University of
Buffalo. Dues were set at $1 and Mrs. Henry TenEyck Perry was elected its
first president with Mrs. Samuel P. Capen, wife of the Chancellor, as
honorary president. At the close of the first year, the club had 301 paid
members. One of its first major service efforts was a Relief Project to aid needy faculty overseas; during the next three years, 736 boxes of food and clothing were sent from Buffalo. (A colleague from Japan wrote to ask that a pair of shoes be divided and mailed separately because there was fear that a whole pair would be stolen). When a UB faculty member attended the first European conference following World War II, one of the European delegates heard that someone was there from the University of Buffalo. He reported that if it weren't for the women's club, he would not have been able to attend...the club had sent the very suit he was wearing, the only one he had. "He was tall and slender so we knew who had given it to us," wrote Jessie Puffer, honorary president, 1956-57, wife of Claude Puffer, acting Chancellor. "The chairman of the English Dept., TenEyck Perry, was also very tall and slender." The club continued to expand its community service activities, and in its fourth year, established a student loan fund to honor Mrs. Samuel P. Capen. With her gift of $100 and proceeds from other club activities, the Grace W. Capen Loan Fund reached $700 in 1950, evolving into the current Grace Capen Award Fund. Anne Brody, a member since 1954, writes, "Starting with a $100 contribution by Grace Capen, we now have endowed funds and fund-raising that have provided awards and assistance for more than 2,000 students and support...funding for 50 Grace Capen and financial awards yearly." What else has the club done? It's played an important role in myriad community organizations and projects as well as its own. UB Women's Club members have: Worked for public television; for the Buffalo VA hospital; World Hospitality (now the Council of International Visitors); held fashion shows, craft shows, flower sales, elegant balls and produced cookbooks for scholarships and educational projects; assisted at World Games and Empire State Games; volunteered as guides for Junior League Showhouse; celebrated international friendship with musical performances, exhibits, gourmet cooking activities; located host families for foreign students; planted trees; published a guidebook to Buffalo; tutored reading; as well as fostering friendships enriching the university community and their own lives. Janet Fedor, president during the Celebrate 50! observance, issues a personal invitation to members of the UB community to take part in the activities of the club: "I have the honor and the privilege of serving as president and I intend to enjoy it. I invite all our members and their guests to join the celebration. Do you know anyone who may like to join or rejoin our club?" Carol Greiner, wife of UB President William R. Greiner and the honorary president, says: "For me, The Women's Club was first and foremost, the key to bringing the university family and the Greiner family together. We learned a lot, we made many, many friends who are still important to us today. Bill and I have always been proud to be a part of the service to the community at large that The Women's Club provides." Source: Celebrate 50! Commemorative booklet
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