FLORENCE SCHNEIDER
Florence Schneider was a legendary member of the Ashland Branch who was a generous citizen of the Ashland community. The Schneider Museum of Art was made possible by a gift from Florence and her husband, Bill. Florence received her PhD from Bryn Mawr and was a lifetime member of AAUW. She was an active recruiter and mentor for new members, pushing them to take on leadership roles and to extend themselves beyond what seemed comfortable. She passionately believed that AAUW should be an important part of every educated woman’s life. The Ashland Branch established the Florence Schneider Award in 2000 after her death in 1999. NYT obituary The Award is given to a member in recognition of her:
- Longstanding service to and loyal member of AAUW
- Commitment to AAUW’s goals of lifelong education, equity for women and girls, and positive societal change
- Serving as a strong mentor for strong women
- Sharing personal talents in a thoughtful and deliberate manner.
2024 Florence Schneider Award Recipient
We are proud to announce that the recipient of the Florence Schneider Award for this year is Wanda Chin.
There will be a more formal presentation of the award at our Branch meeting in October 2024.
Florence Schneider Award Recipients
2024 Wanda Chin
2023 Catherine Lutes
2022 Pam Shay
2021 Gretchen King
2020 Elaine Hamlin
2019 Sandy Theis
2018 Chris Donchin
2017 Mimi Pippel
2016 Bessie Azari
2015 Elaine Sweet
2014 Carryl Breon
2013 Sherri Morgan
2012 Pat Brewer
2011 Nancy McLaughlin
2010 Diana Quirk
2009 Suzanne Duncan
2008 Jean Conger
2007 Eleanor Perkins
2006 Jan Waitt
2005 Claire Carroll
2004 Bettie Henry
2003 Laura Patton
2002 Treva Tumbleson
2001 Helen Seiber
2000 Norma Curtis, Betty Lou Dunlop
NAMED HONOREES 2023-24
Named Honorees are identified each April by the AAUW Ashland Board in recognition of meritorious service to the branch during that AAUW year. The Named Honoree program is administered by Oregon State AAUW. Each branch is entitled to one Named Honoree for every $500 contributed by the branch and all its members.
Diane Toth, our recording secretary, took minutes, capturing the details of each Board meeting. She served on the DEI team and chaired the Upscale raffles each month to raise $2500 for our first Ashland High School scholar.
Penny Little – stepped up to staff the boutique in our last Upscale Sale, then volunteered to edit our Vision Newsletter with Gail Engblom. This year, still editing, Penny serves on the Board as Communications Chair. She is training Beth Rubin to become a Vision Co-Editor.
Membership Team – Susan MacCracken Jain, Chair, Karen Spence, directory, Leslie Nilson, Lisa Schweikert, and Susan Schaefer. Newly minted, the team staffed the membership table, hosted a new member social, and represented our branch at the Women’s Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Langford Art Gallery.
Christine Fernlund – Christine, as Financial Officer, undertook the challenging process of reviewing our expenditures. She evaluated how well we were using our budgeting process. Christine gave the Board valuable information to help us bring our expenditures and income into appropriate balance.
Beth Rubin – As a new member, Beth took a role as co-program chair assisting Mimi Pippel. Early in the year, as Mimi stepped back to take care of a health issue, Beth got busy finding speakers and helping them feel welcome at branch meetings.
Shannon Stuver and Jean Conger were honored by Chris Donchin, major donor.