Rochester Business and Professional Women's Club Records

The Rochester Business Woman's Club was organized on February 11, 1919, predating the foundation of the State and National Federations (May and July 1919, respectively). The organization changed its name to te Rochester Business and Professional Women's Club in 1924, and incorporated in 1928. The Club existed, in its own words, to "...better the position of the woman in business and to have prominent Rochester business men give talks to the group to acquaint members with better business methods, and to get acquainted and to promote friendly feeling among employed girls in our City." The Club grew rapidly in the 1920s, with a membership of 161 by 1924. It maintained a regular speaker series, along with organizing social events. The Club also hosted State conventions in 1923 and 1934.

The club's history after 1960 is harder to trace. Newspaper records show that regular meetings continued through the 1990s. Materials in this collection show that the Club maintained its State and National-level connections, and that by the 1990s the Club also provided professional development opportunities for its members. By the early 2000s, membership precipitously declined. It is apparent from material in this collection that activities continued through at least 2004. However, the club was clearly moribund no later than 2007. The final accounts were closed on March 2, 2013, and the funds donated to appropriate scholarships; this formally brought the history of the Rochester Business and Professional Women's Club to an end.