Page 70 - To Dragma October 1930

68 T o D R U.MA

(^Alpha's Cfirst Pledge is Prominent s
Kansas Qubwoman r
a
WHEN Mrs. Robert J. Curdy (Alpha's first pledge) studied political economy
under Seligman of Columbia, she did so with no thought of one day being
president of a women's political club—even with no thought of one day being able
to vote, for the matter of that. She majored in politics because the affairs of her
state and nation had been discussed in her presence since teething time, and many
of her masculine forebears—which at the time were the only forebears permitted to
dabble in politics—had held offices of distinction in their party.

Coming as Mrs. Curdy does from southern ancestry, the party very naturally
was the Democratic one. She was Anne Hall of St. Joseph, the granddaughter of
the Willard P. Hall who was Civil War governor of Missouri, and daughter of the
Willard P. Hall who is the present judge of the Independence division of the cir-
cuit court. When Mrs. Curdy was graduated from the St. Joseph high school, she
was the first child of a graduate to do so. From there she went to Smith college,
going on after two years to finish at Barnard, an annex to Columbia, where she
received her bachelor's degree in political science.

"For all that," Mrs. Curdy said, " I was not a 'suffragette.' That is, I entered
no active campaign for suffrage. But I was delighted, of course, to accept the
franchise when it came."

But further conversation disclosed reasons. The years suffrage was on the
fire—at least the years it was at white heat—were the years Mrs. Curdy was
devoting herself solely to the early rearing of her two daughters, Isabel and Helen,
known to Kansas City through their musical affiliations as a promising young violin-
ist and pianist.

But with politics in her blood and a degree in political science in her strong
box, it was not long before Mrs. Curdy found herself—"a home body,"' as she
laughingly calls herself—impressed into her party's service by the very need of
women to rally to their new inheritance. She entered politics step by step, never
seeking or holding office, trying to keep pace with the growth of the times and
doing what she could to assist other women to a realization of what the franchise
meant to them.

When it became evident that the women of the Democratic party in this
vicinity were in need of organization, Mrs. Curdy was one of the seven women to
give impetus to the idea which has developed into the present Women's Jefferson
Democratic Club. Since its organization five years ago it has grown to a member-
ship of more than 500, 175 of whom have joined since "our disastrous defeat at
the last election"—to quote Mrs. Curdy. She became president of the club some-
thing over a year ago and is serving the second year of her 2-year term.

Mrs. Curdy's contributions of time and energy to her party have taken form
in various honorary offices, such as chairman of the Democratic women's com-
mittee, under the city committee, at the time of the adoption of the new charter,
when the present council was elected. She was delegate-at-large to the Houston
convention at the time of the last presidential election. By appointment under