VFA PAST EVENTS

May 1992:
VFA becomes official . We first call ourselves VFA (Veterans of Feminist Wars). Founders include those listed below and Mary Jean Tully.

REUNIONS:
Events where location is not noted took place at the once very male Seventh Regiment Armory, a historical fort in the center of Manhattan. The huge mess hall and reception area is run by a woman. Prices are reasonable .

1992
December, New York City:
VFA's (then VFW) first reunion of pioneer feminists.. Among the 100 or so present ( from NY, NJ and CT) were co-founders Suzanne Benton, Mary Orovan, Elayne Snyder, Mary Vasiliades, Mary Scott Welch, Barbara Seaman, Noreen Connell, Joan Michel, Irma Newmark, Janice LaRouche, Sandy Zwerling, Jane Everhart, Barbara Rubin and Dell Williams. Those there urged that we do this every year.

May 1993:
Seventh Regiment Armory, New York :First official reunion, honoring (the late) Catherine East. Called by Betty Friedan " the midwife to the feminist movement." Over 300 feminists, women and men, came from all over the country, Mexico and England to honor the beloved Catherine. All our "stars" (Bella, Gloria, Kate, Susan, Flo, Phyllis) except Betty, were there. Betty was having a heart valve operation.

1993:
December, New York City
Flo Kennedy honored. Gloria Steinem was emcee.

Spring, 1994:
Washington , DC
Sewall Belmont House -Honoring the Hon. Martha Griffiths, Betty Friedan, Virginia Allen, Gene Boyer, Toni Carabillo, Evelyn Cunningham, Ida Davidoff, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, Phineas Indritz, Hermine Tobolosky, Dorothy Haener, Nan Wood.

1994
December, New York City :
Honoring Bella Abzug. Gloria Steinem, Emcee. Honorary board included Susan Brownmiller, Blanche Weisen Cook, Betty Friedan, Flo Kennedy, Kate Millett, Muriel Fox, Helen Hunt, Marlo Thomas, Faye Wattleton, Elizabeth Holtzman, Shirley MacLaine, Renee Taylor and Geraldine Ferraro.

June 3, 1995
Irvington on the Hudson, NY
Monica Getz Estate:
Co-sponsored with the Coalition for Family Justice, VFA and the CFJ honored activists, lawyers, judges, congressmen in the area of marriage, divorce and the family. Honorees included NOW activists, Betty Berry, Noreen Connell, Lillian Kozak, Elizabeth Spalding; attorneys Judith Younger, Whitney North Seymour, Jr. and Helen Weinstein, Representative Jerry Nadler and Monica Getz, founder/president of the Coalition for Family Justice.

1995
December, New York City
Gloria Steinem is honored. Everyone turns out. Bella Abzug, Flo Kennedy, Kate Millett, Marlo Thomas, Marilyn French, Rebecca Walker and "the rest of us." Carol Jenkins emcees.

November 21, 1996
Barnard College, NYC :
A celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of NOW. Honoring founders, Betty Friedan, Mary Eastwood, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, Dr. Shepard Aronson, Muriel Fox, Richard Graham, Alice Rossi, Gene Boyer, Dorothy Haener, Dr. Carl Degler, Aileen Hernandez , past NOW presidents and VP's , attorney Sylvia Roberts , Shirley Bernard, Mary Jean Collins, and Mary Jean Tully, first director of NOW's Legal Defense and Education Fund.

November 22, 1996
NYC Armory
Honored first NOW activists. Over 50 were honored, including Dolores Alexander, Ivy Bottini, JoAnn Evansgardner, Gerry Gardner, Jim Robson, Joan Hull, Judith Lonquist, Cindy Cisler, Grace Jackson, Jennifer Mcleod, Jean Witter, Phyllis Wetherby, Lucy Komisar, Ruth Householder, Arlie Scott, Charlene Suneson, Mordeca Jane Pollock, Anselma dell'Olio, Jim Clapp, Patricia Burnett, Roxcy Bolton.


1997
December, New York City
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Women's Liberation movement. We honored over 100 radical women, who came from all over the country. Among those there: Diana Alstad, Heather Booth, Leah Margolies, Amy Kesselman, Lisa Goldberg, Gloria Rosenblum, Sara Evans, Joanne Parrent, Helen Kritzler, Susan Koppleman, Laura X, Rosalyn Baxandall, Jo Freeman, Susan Brownmiller, Alix Kates Shulman, Meredith Tax, Marilyn Webb, Ellen Willis, Charlotte Bunch, Carol Hanisch, Phyllis Chesler, Barbara Seaman, Pam Allen, Pauline Bart, Mary Lou Greenberg, Vicki Gabriner, Harriet Lyons, Joyce Nower.

April 25, 1998
New York City
Honoring Elizabeth Chittick of National Woman's Party, Flora Crater, ERA activist, Claire Friedland, Betty Harragan and Midge Kovacs of NYC NOW, Allie Latimer, Daisy Fields and Florence Perman of FEW, Larry Lader of NARAL, Mildred Jeffrey of the National Women's Political Caucus, Paula Kassell of "New Directions for Women," Claire Fulcher of the AAUW, historian Gerda Lerner and Dallas activist, Virginia Whitehill.

November 7, 1998
Honoring Kate Millett. Gloria Sternum is emcee.

May 6, 1999
Washington, DC
Sewall-Belmont House
Honoring Donna Allen of Media Report to Women, author Caroline Bird, WEAL founder Betty Boyer, WEAL activists Arvonne Fraser and Bunny Sandler; Dusty Roads of Stewardesses for Women's Rights, FEW co-founders June Chewning and Tina Hobson, ERA activists Marian Norby, Minnette Doderer, Mariwyn Heath , Dorothy Haegele, Allie Corbin Hixson, journalist Vera Glazer, Texas lawyer Louise Raggio, Ruth Shinn of the YWCA, and Carmen Delgado Votaw , active for Hispanic and other minority women.

November 12, 1999
NY National Arts Club
Honoring Betty Friedan.

April 28, 2000
Washington, DC
Sewall-Belmont House
Honoring the Hon Patricia Schroeder, ERA activist Karline Tierney, Attorney Sylvia Roberts, Mary Condon Gereau, Kathryn Avery of National Woman's Party, grassroots activist Maura McNiel, Women's Studies teacher, Cathryn Adamsky, philanthropist Ruth McLean Bowers, journalist and labor leader, Evelyn DuBrow, attorney Jean Ledwith King, Joy Simonson, prsident of the Clearinghouse on Women's Issues, trust breaker Kappie Spencer and human rights activist, Anne Turpeau.