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| Vicki Wood - District 47's first female Area Governor appointed by District Governor Karl Righter, DTM in 1973 |
At the time, District 47 comprised the entire state of Florida, except for the panhandle, and contained 100 Toastmasters clubs. There were only four divisions (north, south, east, and west), and each division took turns hosting a district conference. That’s right, there were four conferences a year in those days! Our newsletter, The Sunshiner, was printed monthly and mailed to every member in the District. A directory of each club’s meeting information and officers was compiled, printed, and updated each term.
There were some historic milestones that year! First, the organization’s bylaws were changed to welcome women into Toastmasters, ushering in a period of explosive growth internationally. As District Governor, I had the privilege of appointing the first female Area Governor, Vicki Wood of Ft. Lauderdale. She was a pilot and flew some of us to the International Convention in Houston that August! The father of our recent District 84 Governor, Scott Hoehn, DTM, was one of my Area Governors in the Southern Division that year.
Additionally, 1973 was the year that the Bahamas became part of District 47, making us an international district! The Bahamian National Anthem was thus sung at every district conference thereafter along with our own. That year also saw the introduction of the Distinguished Toastmaster designation (DTM). Past District 47 Governor John Bowman (‘70-’71) earned the very first DTM, certificate #1. A few months later, when I received mine, there were already 50 DTMs internationally!
During the second six months of my term, Toastmasters International began celebrating its 50th anniversary. District 47 was only 18 years old at the time.
It’s hard to believe 40 years have passed since that special year. It was an honor to be a part of it.
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