First Memo to National Board Members
November 29, 1966
MEMO TO: NOW Board Members
FROM: Kathryn F. Clarenbach, Chairman of the Board
By now you have all received a first mailing of materials andknow that NOW is in business. The November 20th Board meetingin New York was well attended (18 members present) and we workedout temporary operating procedures to enable orderly functioninguntil the constitution is redrafted and approved. Minutes of thatmeeting as well as the October 29th and 30th meeting in Washingtonwill be distributed by mail prior to the next Board meeting.
Will each of you please send me a letter of acceptance of yourBoard position? In the informality of getting organized this stepwas by-passed.
In the same letter will you also specify preference of dates ofthe next Board meeting? We agreed in New York to convene nextin Chicago during the week of February 20, 1967. This will bea two-day meeting to consider constitution and task forces. Aswe want to accommodate schedules of the largest number of Boardmembers, will you please indicate at least whether mid-week orweek-end would be possible and which would be preferable. We willnotify you as soon as possible of precise dates and place in Chicago.
At least two weeks prior to the February Board meeting you willreceive a copy of the re-drafted constitution, and a short statementprepared by the temporary convener of each task force indicatingphilosophy, scope and possible implementation. We can all arriveat the meeting on somewhat the same wave length and make the bestuse of our time together.
Task force statements will be prepared by:
Education – Elizabeth Drews
Employment – Dorothy Haener
Legal and Political Rights – Jane Hart
Family Life (Social Innovation) – Sister Mary Joel Read
Poverty – Anna A. Hedgeman
Mass Media Image – Dean Lewis
NOW Membership – Gretchen Squires
Finances – to be assigned
A suggested outline for the brief presentation as been preparedby Sister Mary Joel Read and will go out tomorrow to each of theabove.
The press conference in New York on November 21st was remarkablywell-attended and handled. Muriel Fox and Betty Friedan gave anenormous amount of themselves in setting up the entire weekend.
On Tuesday, November 22nd, the three E.E.O.C. Commissioners receiveda NOW delegation for an hour and a half. Betty Friedan, Anna Hedgeman,Phineas Indritz, Marguerite Rawalt (our legal counsel) and I wereall present. Prior to that Betty Friedan, Jane Hart and I wereinterviewed on television in D.C., and Betty and I had an inspectiontour of our Washington headquarters – Courtesy Services. The HeadquartersCommittee is to be commended in its choice of this service andthe smooth procedure it has set up.
The executive Committee (Betty Friedan, Anna Hedgeman, RichardGraham, Caroline Davis and I) will function between Board meetingsAny steps beyond those which we five have been empowered to takewill be referred to the entire Board. I look forward to receiptof your response regarding Board position and February dates.
Thank you.