Woman's Club of Old Tappan

by Judy Jones

Featured in Northern Valley Living Magazine / February 2020

In March of 1960, Old Tappan resident Ceil Sunden had an idea to start an organization for women in general. At the time, there were no local groups dedicated for the purpose of education, charity and fellowship among women that was non-political and non-sectarian. A core group of ten ladies held their first meeting in June 1960 and subsequent meetings were held at a different member's home until a few years later when Rev. Lou Springstein urged them to move their meeting to the Trinity Reformed Church.

Under Alice Gaffney's presidency, the group decided to become a Federated club, joining the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a national organization founded in 1890. This also secured their membership in the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Club that was founded in Orange, NJ with 150 women in attendance in 1894, still 26 years before women won the right to vote in the US in 1920!

In the early 2000's, the club moved its monthly meetings and subsequently the Board of Director Meetings to the Old Tappan Fire House and continued their long history of community service.