Pacific Beach Woman’s Club celebrates 125 years
The Pacific Beach Woman’s Club made lemons into lemonade during its 125th anniversary celebration Sunday, March 15, when both rain and coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns kept some would-be attendees at bay. (This event was held prior to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s March 19 stay-at-home order.)
Despite the odds, enough spirited individuals made appearances to declare it a party. The celebration was held in the club’s 100-year-old building, Hornblend Hall, and included a lemon-themed setting (in homage to the hall having been built in 1911 on the site of a lemon grove) with chocolate and vanilla cakes, lemonade and Champagne.
Mary Lou Benzel, a member since 1999, provided a history of Pacific Beach Woman’s Club — from its days in the suffrage movement to its work establishing the first public library in PB.
Honored guest State Assembly member Todd Gloria — who is running for Mayor of San Diego — told the crowd: “This community — this building — is a really interval part of Pacific Beach, and so I didn’t want to miss this chance to mark this occasion to thank the Woman’s Club for what they do. Four walls and a roof are important, but it’s really what goes on inside this building, and then is projected out into the community, that makes PB such a wonderful place.”
The club discussed its 2019 accomplishments, which included donations to:
• Door of Hope: $250 for efforts to combat domestic violence.
• Love 146: $200 to support the elimination of sex-trafficking overseas.
• Street of Dreams: $200 to assist homeless women and victims of violence in gaining independence and a college education.
• Coupons for Troops: Members clipped coupons to donate (food value, $8,545 and non-food value, $7,1012).
The PB Woman’s Club sits at 1721 Hornblend St. Members hold meetings and events throughout the year. Newcomers are welcome. For more details, call (858) 882-7729 or visit pbwomansclub.org — Savanah Duffy
