SECRETARIES OBSERVE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROFESSIONAL STATUS

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was calling for planes, tanks, ships, and billions of dollars.

The year was 1942, and Roosevelt was telling the nation what it would take to win a that was triggered by the Dec. 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.

The president ordered U.S. factories to produce 60,000 planes, 45,000 tanks, 20,000 anti-aircraft guns, and 8 million tons of new shipping in 1992. He also asked for a war chest of $59 billion, more than half the national income.

It was a time of war. The men of the nation were volunteering their services, youngsters were going to work in aircraft factories, and more women were joining the workforce.

In at least one area of the United States, a group of women banded together to improve the standards of their occupation.

"Secretaries in the Topeka, Kan., area started talking about an organization for secretaries early in 1942," said Shirley England. "By April everything was in place to set up the National Secretaries Association, and the first chapter was founded in April."

The idea caught on. Soon, chapters were established in Kansas City, Mo., Tulsa, Okla., Des Moines, Iowa, and Minneapolis, Minn.

"Now, chapters can be found throughout the world," said England, of PSI headquarters in Kansas City. "There will be a lot of celebration activities this month for our 50th anniversary, culminating with the PSI International Convention to be held in Columbus, Ohio."

The first nationwide conference was held in Kansas City in February 1946, with 200 members from 115 chapters.

The Girardot Chapter of the organization, headquartered in Cape Girardeau, was established two months after the first national convention in April 1946, with 25 charter members.

The local group will join in the 50th anniversary observance with a special breakfast Wednesday morning at the Drury Lodge.

Since its foundation the Girardot Chapter membership has more than doubled.

Two of the charter members, Helen Marshall Miller and Ona Wright, are still active in the organization.

Miller served as president of the Missouri Division during the 1954-55 term, and was treasurer in 1953.

Other local members who have served as division officers include V.J. Allen, treasurer, 1962-63; and Jane Bodenschatz, secretary, 1962-63.

The local group sponsors several projects. Members of Girardot Chapter annually recognize an "Executive of the Year," promote the Certified Professional Secretary Program by assisting in sponsoring review classes at the Vocational School, and the two-day examination at Southeast Missouri State University.

The club also offers a scholarship to students of the university's secretarial program.

The Girardot Chapter has also hosted several Missouri Division meetings, the most recent in 1990.

The Girardot Chapter was officially organized on April 24, 1946, at the Marquette Hotel. A month later, on May 26, 1946, the chapter held its first regular meeting. The name, Girardot Chapter, was adopted in June 1946.

The club was very visible during the 1949 tornado in Cape Girardeau.

One of the members at that time, Inez Slagle, was head of the local Red Cross chapter. Many of the chapter's members offered their services immediately following the tornado, delivering coffee and food to workers and victims, manning telephones at the Red Cross office, delivering telegrams, and providing information to people outside the Cape Girardeau area.

Following the tornado, the city formed a Civil Defense Advisory Council, and the Girardot Chapter of PSI was the only women's organization to be represented on the council. Helen Marshall Miller was named representative.

The local chapter also offered its services when the city held its "Legend of Cape Girardeau" 150th anniversary, and was in charge of makeup and costumes for the pageant.

Area secretaries may participate in a Secretaries Briefings to be held at Perryville Wednesday sponsored by University of Missouri Extension.

More than 150 secretaries from Perry, Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve counties have already pre-registered for the fifth annual Secretaries Briefing, which will be at the Perryville American Legion Hall.

The briefing is a satellite program presented by SPI. More than 30,000 persons will attend briefings at 900 sites across the U.S.

A panel has been selected to discuss the satellite program, featuring a question and answer session. Named to the panel were Marilyn Corse, personnel manager at Solar Press; Judith Johnson, director of the Community Counseling Center; Sheryl Williamson, owner of the Golden Needle; JoAnn Sumner, Perry County Economic Development director and Charlotte Worrell, Perryville Chamber of Commerce executive director.

A number of subjects will be discussed. Additional information is available by calling the Perry County Extension Center, 547-4505. A $13 fee will cover costs of downlinking, lunch and handout materials.

"Secretaries of 1992 are more likely to have advanced training than secretaries of 1942," said England.

"Businesses are becoming more specialized and somebody outside of senior management has to understand how everything fits together. That somebody is a secretary," said England.