Today's Faculty Women's Club of UCSB got its start in May, 1941, a time when very few women worked outside of the home and they were referred to by their husband's name - "Mrs." first and last. Even though many of them had college educations, this valuable human resource was still relegated to a position of second-class citizen. This was just 21 years after women in the USA (with the exception of Native American women) were allowed to vote. Keep these facts in mind as you view the images below, especially the figure captions from the earlier newspaper clippings.

The 56 charter members of the Santa Barbara State College Faculty Wives, wives of members of the Santa Barbara State College Men, met monthly, mostly in members' homes, and charged themselves dues of $1 per year. Although the goal of their club was "strictly social group meetings," their first year "included a Sunday night supper in the quadrangle of the Riviera campus to welcome summer faculty," (a forerunner to the welcoming teas of the '60s and '70s and the fall luncheon of today); "a tea at the El Encanto Hotel for the State Registrars' Convention," (the start of gently injecting their voice into college and university affairs); and "at Christmas, the bringing of non-perishable food to be given to needy students," (laying the foundations for FWC charitable works and student assistance).

Within the first decade, Santa Barbara State College Faculty Wives made its first donation for student financial aid, took on many activities that could be labeled "volunteer war service," added monthly meeting topics and speakers that covered international issues, women's art and literature contributions world-wide, and women's health issues. However, in a 1948 newspaper article titled "New Constitution Adopted By Faculty Wives Club," less than one short sentence was devoted to the new constitution and no words spoke to the purpose of the club. As was/is common to "society ladies' issues," the majority of the article listed the names of the women attending (or rather their husband's names with a "Mrs." tacked on front), the officers, and who "presided" over the table and how it was decorated!

In 1944, the Santa Barbara State College became Santa Barbara College of the University of California, as voted on by the UC Regents.

The year 1949 - 1950 saw the beginning of the Sections Program, a very successful aspect of FWC, which, although changed and adapted to interests of the times, remains as popular today as it was when it was started.

FWC dipped its toe into political waters when the membership "unanimously passed a resolution endorsing 'the Cachuma Water Project'". The long-running and very rewarding relationship with The Faculty Club at UCSB got its start at this time as well when the Faculty Wives Club president began working with the Faculty Club Board to plan the Faculty Club on what was to become the new campus.

The 1950's saw significant changes in the College at Santa Barbara, and the ten-year old Faculty Wives Club changed right along with it. Their foundation had been layed, but they expanded their goals and their activities, even their very nature, to better reflect the role of women in society. The campus moved in 1954 from its dual locations, Riviera (now a theater and business park) and mesa (now SBCC), consolidating to one location on the old Marine Base near the slough in Goleta, a 408 acre site sold to the Regents for $10. In 1958 the College became a general campus of the University of California and its name changed to the University of California at Santa Barbara, or UCSB for short. The name of the Faculty Wives Club also changed - they became the Faculty Women's Club, "...a more inclusive and appropriate direction for both membership and purpose. From a primarily social group comprised almost exclusively of married and widowed women, the Club became a more purposeful organization identified with the goals and personnel of our University, including in its membership women faculty members and administrators."

The late '50s and '60s saw the University faculty and student numbers double in size. FWC was no different. FWC had by this time developed its own format and operating methods that allowed the Club to meet the challenges that the '60s brought. Personal invitations to the Fall Tea were sent to all eligible faculty, spouses, and administrators. By April, 1969, paid membership had swelled to 313, more than double that of the late '50s! "The format of the final meeting of the year as a Salad Luncheon, with salads provided by attending members became a tradition." A Newcomers Section was started along with other timely sections of interest, many of which are no longer active today. The very popular Adventures in Eating section got its start in the '50s, and by 1965 had published a cookbook illustrated by the noted UCSB muralist and artist Howard Warshaw. It is still cherished and used by their lucky owners.

The Babysitting Co-op was another Section that brought numerous new members to FWC. Members met monthly or not at all, but they earned or spent points by exchanging babysitting time with other members. A whole generation of Goleta and Santa Barbara children (today's Baby Boomers with children and grandchildren of their own!) grew up "in the Babysitting Co-op"! The Foreign Students Section, which is no longer under the auspices of FWC but is still active, began at this time of rampant University, and thus FWC, growth.

Fund-raising efforts of the FWC took a bold, new direction at this time. Along with major contributions to the renovation of the former Marine Officers' Club for a campus Faculty Club, FWC initiated a Scholarship Fund and put the position of Scholarship Chair on the FWC Board. The Permanent Scholarship Fund and now the Broida-Hirschfelder Graduate Fellowship in the Sciences occupy a major portion of our fund-raising and charitable efforts.