The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-05-08
History and Financial and PRODUCE
tive Report of the Decatur
County Red Cross Chapter.

ion that history of the chapter be
written, we are combining the two
and printing the same herewith in
county will be Interested therein,
When war was declared and the
military draft machinery was being
made ready, it became apparent that
a great multitude of people in the
United States were not eligible to
go to the front" and that That They they
ped to help at home to win the war,
so the American National Red
Cross, being the only organization
of relief chartered by the govern
ment at that time, Immediately
open it's doors for expansion.
called at the Christian church in
Leon, for the purpose of learning
something of this society, about 25
persons responded, but information
was limited, and a secretary was
appointed to write for rules and
regulations, and the meeting ad-
journed
After some correspondence and
personal interview with the state
director, j. B. Weaver, we were ad-
vised that it would require an or
ganizing committee of ten to make
application to the state director, for
to b form he chapfer @ned
dPpllCdIlOl oAOuAu VIC SSoAA
by ten dollars representing the
membership of the committee; also
that the entire county should be in
cluded. BY personal calls ten ladies
signed the application, paid their
dollar, the same was forwarded, and
in due course of time the charter ar
rived. A countrywide meeting was
called at the court house on June q,
which resulted in the organization
known as the Decatur County Chap
ter OF the American Red Cross So
ciety including within it's jurisdlc-
ton the whole of the county, with
Leon as headquarters, a membership
of about fifty the following were
G. Monroe, Mrs. M. F. Stookey,
Mrs, James Harvey, Mrs H. R. Lay
ton, Mrs. q. w Hoffman, Mrs. DR..
Mitchell, Mrs James Hurst, Mrs.
Marsolf, o MIS- Henry na Efeh' Ru Mrs.
Mrs. c. NJ. Keller, Miss Mabel Hor-
ner, Miss Virginia West, Mrs. J: w.
Rowell and George T. Ogilvie, from
which board the following. were
elected officers to serve until the
annual election: Chairman, b., G.
N Monroe; v sseretsir rs Mrs M N
Rowell, and treasurer, Geo. T. Ogil-
The first important consideration
thereafter was campaign for mem
bership. Meetings and public gather
ings we're arranged where speakers
could explain the work and within
in every town and .auxiliariess in the
districts. With this substantial net
work of membership fund was
soon realized with which to proceed
with the buying and preparing OF
hospital supplies, etc.
ho o1,,th Of tho Rod CrncS
activities the following members
were added to the Board of Direct
ors: Dr. J. P. Maxwell, DR.. J. w.
Rowell, DR.. F. A. Bowman, Mrs.
Frank Hansell and Miss Eva Rhea,
and Miss Rhea was elected assistant
secretary.
It was deemed advisable by, the
state director at this time to organ
lie chapter at Lamont in this
county, and take from the Decatur
/ County Chapter its jurisdiction OF
Fayette and Bloomington townships,
which left us thereafter with only l.
townships.
AS Leon was to be used as the
clearing house for all branches, The
Farmers & Traders State Bank gave
a room to be used for chapter head
quarters. When this room was
needed for other purposes, the surg
ical dressing. department was given
Cne USE Ol Luc NdSOulC TWIN
Hurst & CO. donated room for tina!
purpose. The hospital garment and
supply department was moved tc
the court house.
The committees appointed from
time to time and their activities anC
productions will be summarized be
On Oct 26, 1917, the annual
meeting was held at Leon, to which
all branches and auxiliaries were
invited After the reports of al
committees, followed the election @
the Board Of Directors, Mr.; VAS p G
Mrs. Mpnrf Fred nf Teale, Mrs. c. M NJ Keller
stookey, Mrs. ]. W. Hurst, Mrs G
NJ. Ketcham, Mrs. F. S. Stewart
Mrs. Stephen Varga, Miss Eva Rhea
s George Farquhar, DR.. F. A.. Bow
man. Mrs. Marion Stookey, Mrs. ]
III. C. Bone of Grand River. Mrs. DR.
Britain of Decatur. Mrs. Grant Grit
fifth of Davis City, Mrs. Vena Ed
wards of Pleasanton, Mr.. Gideoll
Broline of Woodland, Mrs. Franz
Warrington of High Point, Mrs
N. Thompson Of Weldon. Mrs. job!
A. Merritt of Eden. Which boart
elected the following officers
Chairman, E., G. Monroe; vice
chairman, Mrs c. NJ. Ketcham
secretary, Mrs. J; w. Rowell: assist
ant secretary, Miss Eva Rhea, an
treasurer, Geo. T. Ogilvie.
On April 23rd, w. A. Crowley
field secretary of central division
visiting the chapter called meet
ing and appointed on the Executiv
Board (which heretofore had con
sisted of the sofficers) V. R. McGin
mis-, also made chairman of tn
Board and suggested that the busi
ness of the chapter be done by tn
Executive Board and thus save call
ing together the Board of Director
,onlv as conditions demanded.
On account of the order fror
headquarters that all rawN material
should be purchased by the chapte
purchasing agent of the Contra
Division Supply Service at Chicago
and all branch productions shippe
by the Chapter Shipping Commit
tee, it became necessary to Great
an overhead expense fund, and tn