It was 1925:
- Calvin Coolidge was President.
- The Alabama Crimson Tide captured its first national title.
- “Grand Ole Opry” debuted on WSM in Nashville.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is published, and while it fell flat initially with the general public, fellow authors praised it for “defining modernity.”
- The Roaring Twenties were in full swing and as necklines plunged and hemlines rose, the flapper girl redefined modern womanhood.
Meanwhile, in Montgomery, Alabama, 10 women decided to start a group. They called 20 of their friends, and together, these 30 philanthropic and service-minded women formed the Junior Auxiliary of Montgomery.
It didn’t take long for this new group to prove its worth and in January of 1926, it was recognized by the organization we know now as, the Association of Junior Leagues International.
The Junior League of Montgomery was founded to promote voluntarism, develop the potential of women, and improve the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers….and we like to have fun!
That’s the story of our beginning. We have a beautiful history I look forward to sharing. At each of our General Membership meetings throughout our 90th year, I’ll tell you more about our story.
It’ll also be chronicled on this 90th anniversary blog.
I would love to hear from you! Especially members who have enjoyed many years in the League.
If you have a tidbit of history, anecdote, or photos to share, please feel free to send it to me at jlmontgomeryhistorian@gmail.com.
I’ll compile the information you send in and store it in our digital archives so that the next generation of League women can look back on all that we accomplished and how we contributed to the community.
The League’s 90th anniversary is special to us, the community, and even the State.
