The Ebell Society of the
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Junior Ebell The Santa Ana Junior Ebell Society was formed in October 1931, under the direction of Ebell President Mrs. Paul Bailey. From that point on, the original Ebell Society was known as Senior Ebell. The main objectives in4 forming Junior Ebell were to foster mutual understanding and to train members to carry on Senior Ebell work. A constitution was prepared, and adopted and signed on November 19, 1931, by 10 charter members. They eventually grew to 120 members.. Age limits were from post-high school age to 30 years. They set up four sections, gave a fashion review for the seniors, and gave them the latticework fence used as stage decoration. Community Service As with members of Senior Ebell, these ladies had a keen interest in community service, Ebell’s Day Nursery. They made 31 layettes while assisting at the Pre-Natal Clinic at Orange County Hospital. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, they threw themselves into war work. Many sections were formed geared toward younger women, and to those with small children. They had their own community service programs, and were very active in them. They did clerical work for the Community Chest and Tuberculosis seals. They also volunteered with the Red Cross and Infantile Paralysis drives. They also established a Revolving Scholarship Fund. In 1938, the payment of the original loan to the Revolving Loan Fund was made, so it was available for other students. They remodeled the garage at the Nursery into a playroom for the boys. In 1940, their Welfare Committee was busy raising and disbursing funds, taking part in the Santa Ana Dental Clinic, and other community drives. The Revolving Scholarship Fund grew. After this country entered World War II, they were very busy with war work. They began a Victory Book Drive for servicemen, supported the Red Cross Emergency Drive, bought defense bonds, and supported USO dances. Many members had husbands away serving their country. After the war, the Juniors donated to the National Cancer Fund and the March of Dimes. In 1946, the age limit for members was raised to 35, and the dances were reinstated. As with the Seniors, the Juniors created new sections as interests became apparent. Among their sections they formed. many involved sports such as golf and bowling, and several sections were formed jointly with the Seniors. When the Juniors celebrated their 25th anniversary, there were 230 members, and 11 active sections, averaging 35 members each. The members were still actively making philanthropic contributions, and they created student loan funds for two college girls, one girl receiving a 3-year nursing scholarship. In 1958, there were 261 members and 9 sections. One of their welfare projects was help with a therapy treatment pool at the Orange County Crippled Children's Society. In 1966, they presented a wheelchair, with brakes, to Children's Hospital and donated to he American Cancer Society. Memorable Programs The Juniors usually had at least one dance per year, and gave annual fashion shows, except during World War II, for the entire Ebell membership. The programs arranged by the Juniors covered a wide range of interests. In 1935, Amelia Earhart addressed members, and Bert Vanzi, an international war correspondent, narrated his experiences in the Manchurian War and the French Foreign Legion. The first Husband's Night was held in 1938 with prominent newspaperman Arthur Ponsford as the guest speaker. In 1942, Dr. Cecilia Sieuling Zung, Chinese author and lawyer, spoke about the "Old and New Chinese Woman". In 1944-45, noted speakers were Jordan Henley, author of "Grandmother Drives South", who was the first woman to drive the incomplete Pan American Highway, ex-corporal Monroe Manning who spoke about military entertainment, and Gertrude Hoffman, author of "Grandmother Crashes Hollywood at Sixty". The 1945-46 club year was a special cheer, with the return of husbands from military service, the easing of shortages, and the end of the war. Among the memorable programs presented were Ted Blanding, a Santa Ana ex-SeaBee, who narrated the life of the serviceman with tips to wives of returning military men, and Psychologist Mason Rose who lectured on "The Community Plan for Returning Servicemen". The following year they heard Major Hubert Turner, historian, soldier, and inventer who spoke about "Will Atomic Energy Affect You and Me?" During 1950-52, the members heard Kent Roberts, lecturer and correspondent, speak on "The World is Watching Us", which told of the world spotlight the United States held, and Lt. LeRoy E. Lyon, Jr., spoke about the aspects of the Korean negotiations for an armistice. In the 1960's, some of the programs were satirist-author Richard Armour, Ph.D., who presented "It All Started With Eve", Tom Kelly, KTTV sportscaster who was the guest speaker for Husband's Night, and Jack Smith, humorous columnist for the L.A. Times and author of "Three Coins in a Bird Bath", who presented "The Absolute Impossibility of Communication Between the Sexes". The 1970's saw these people presenting programs: Wyn Sargent, author, photo-journalist, and anthropologist in Central Borneo speaking on "Last of the Wild Men of Borneo", Bob Chicca speaking about the "Pueblo Incident", Bob Dornan of Channel 5 discussing POW-MIA's, and Princess Alice Siwaundhla of Malawi, Africa, presenting "My Two Worlds". Other programs were Edwinda McKinzie, only living survivor of the sinking of the Titanic narrating her experiences, and Cal Worthington and his dog "Spot" were guest speakers for Husband's Night. In 1990, Junior Ebell merged with Senior Ebell.
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© The Ebell Society of the Santa Ana Valley, 625 French St, Santa Ana, CA 92701
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