In the beginning, there were 50 members with about half of them attending the meetings at any one time. The topics at that time were based on what the women wanted to know, such as picking good toys for children or horticulture. During the early ' 80s, the group dwindled to eight people. There are even a handful of second generation members whose own mothers belonged to the group. As many as 80 to 100 people attend any one lecture.
Men are welcome to sit in, too.
Although 40 percent of the group possess postgraduate degrees and includes a CIA analyst and a Russian translator, she sees this as the least competitive of all the women's groups she has been in. The lectures provide Murphy, a self-avowed news junkie, with intellectual stimulation. Last spring, five of the founding mothers came to address the group. They were amazed at the size of the current membership and the number of women who run their own part-time businesses in addition to motherhood. They were credited with having the same energy, efficiency and organization as the WMG moms of today.