Strength in Sisterhood

I come from a long line of strong women. My mother, grandmothers, and family before them, were born with a powerful survival instinct that carried them through the most challenging moments of adversity – moving to foreign lands, scraping to get by, adjusting to war and dealing with the premature losses of their husbands. These independent ladies stepped up, tackled each problem as it came and fiercely protected their families from harm.  They were fighters.

Over the last century, amazing women such as these not only became strong and capable in their own households but formed community groups to help others or to support a cause. Traditional women’s clubs were created as social outlets but were also places to show leadership, use acquired skills and promote charitable giving to those in need. Women’s clubs showed that you can do much more for your community when you work together.

I had the pleasure of visiting the La Crescenta Woman’s Club (LCWC) last week during its 100^th anniversary celebration of the completion of their clubhouse. It’s a charming historic building and I was greeted by the delightful members dressed in period clothing. Through an informative slideshow I was fascinated to learn the history of women’s clubs throughout California and the strong women who established them. There were also many historic photos of the Crescenta Valley. Today, the LCWC continues to contribute a great deal to the fabric of our community through programs, support and scholarships. Learn more at https://lacrescentawomansclub.org/.

Another amazing group of women (and some gents) are the Friends of Rockhaven; they are dedicated to preserving the history of Rockhaven, the last remaining sanitarium in the Crescenta Valley. In 1923, entrepreneur and founder Agnes Richards established the mental health facility for women, which was the first of its kind to focus on health and well-being through respectful treatment. Since 2008 when the City of Glendale purchased the property, Friends of Rockhaven, led by President Joanna Linkchorst, have pushed for the site to be protected from decay with a plan to use the 3.5 acres as a park, community space and  museum. This effort has been difficult but finally there is some restoration work being done.  Friends of Rockhaven will continue to tell the stories of the ladies who stayed there and conduct tours when allowed to return to the site. More at https://www.friendsofrockhaven.org/.

The most impressive group of community activists that I have ever worked with was the No 710 Action Committee. Beginning in 1947 when the State of California proposed a new Route 7 extension from Long Beach to Pasadena a group of women, mostly mothers, opposed the project and the City of South Pasadena agreed that adding another major highway would destroy its small town. What followed was decades of resolutions and lawsuits against the project with women and children marching in the street in protest. The state ultimately seized the houses along the proposed route through eminent domain. I joined this dynamic group of “Freeway Fighters” in 2009 when the project developed into a massive underground freeway tunnel with tolls. By then, all the surrounding cities were involved. The tunnel was projected to move 180,000 cars and trucks each day from the ports in Long Beach and dump them onto the already congested 210 Freeway. In 2017, after 70 years of opposition, the Metro Board voted to defund the freeway extension and it was removed from further consideration.

The Freeway Fighters that I volunteered with were men and women from every walk of life who brought their own collection of skills to the cause. They were brilliant, strategic, forward-thinking and never gave up. I pulled strength from my ancestors and proudly fought alongside them to protect our way of life. Thanks to dedicated women like Mary Ann Parada, Joanne Nuckols, Clarice Knapp, Claire Bogaard, Waynna Kato and so many others, we won this fight for our children. Full history at http://no710.com/index.html.

Susan Bolan
susanbolan710@gmail.com