Thirty-three years ago, after 23 years of wrangling, Rotary International finally began admitting women into Rotary.
On 4 May, 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Rotary clubs may not exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. Rotary issued a policy statement that any Rotary club in the United States can admit qualified women into membership.
Two years later, at its first meeting after the 1987 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Council on Legislation voted to eliminate the requirement in the RI Constitution that membership in Rotary clubs be limited to men. Women were welcomed into Rotary clubs around the world.
As of June 1990, there were about 20,200 female Rotarians worldwide.
The Rotary Club of Salmon Arm’s first woman member was Hazel Nevrkla. Proposed by Harvey Davidson, Hazel became a member on July 1, 1990. She was followed by Edith Rizzi on March 1, 1991. Both women have served as members and directors for nearly 30 years, and they continue to serve today. They are the inspiration for those women who have followed them. Currently, our club has 25 women members, all of whom do their part to contribute to the successful operation of the club.