Lake Barcroft History Book

The Lake Barcroft Woman’s Club has an admirable
45-year history of volunteer and financial support of
charitable and community causes. These efforts are
sometimes taken for granted, which may in part explain why,
in these times, it has been increasingly difficult to enlist new
members. The goal of this chapter is to recognize the unique
work performed by the club and to inspire new members to
carry on its often thankless but invaluable projects.
The Beginning
In 1955, the Lake Barcroft community, already five years old,
had yet to grow out of its rustic beginnings. The houses,
approximately 165 of them, were few and far between,
especially in the North and Middle Areas. No enterprising
cartographers had mapped the muddy trails called roads.
Without the Potterton Causeway over Tripps Run, traveling
around the lake from one area to another was more like going
on safari rather than visiting a suburban residential
development. Many new residents were young couples just
starting families. Few wives worked outside the home, most
preferring to stay at home with the children. The setting was
ripe for an organization to unite the young pioneering women.
In early 1955, Elsie Kolm and Helen O’Rourke (now Helen
O’Rourke-McClary) were discussing life in Lake Barcroft
when Elsie mentioned how much she missed her Women’s*
Club in Mantua, a nearby suburb. The conversation led to the
idea of creating a similar club in Lake Barcroft. Because Elsie
had considerable experience in club activities, especially
federated Women’s clubs, she invited interested women to her
home to explore the possibilities of forming the Lake Barcroft
Woman’s Club (LBWC). A representative of the Northern
Virginia Federation of Women’s Clubs was present at this
introductory gathering to explain the advantages of that
organization. A month later, at the first meeting of the new
club, the twenty-eight charter members elected Elsie president
in a candlelit ceremony. In April 1956, the Virginia Federation
of Women’s Clubs accepted the club’s application for
membership in the Northern Virginia District.
At first, the club membership was limited to fifty, the
maximum number that could meet comfortably in someone’s
house. Being young couples with new homes, furniture was
*Most Women’s Clubs use the plural of the noun. The Lake Barcroft club
uses the singular.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Lake Barcroft
Woman’s Club
49
sometimes scarce, but the women made do with anything
available. As the club grew, meetings were held in the hall
above the Annandale Fire Department and later in the
Epworth Methodist Church. Once the club had more space,
membership limits no longer applied. By September 1958,
members numbered more than a hundred, making LBWC one
of Northern Virginia’s largest women’s clubs. In that first year,
the members chose blue and white as the club colors and the
sailboat as the club’s motif. Jean Stephens wrote that the
members shared many laughs about the “big decisions” they
had to make, such as whether to vote by raising their hands or
by a voice vote of “aye” or “nay.”
The mission of the Woman’s Club is detailed in its bylaws:
“The purpose of this organization shall be to bring into closer
unity the women of Lake Barcroft in order to promote
through their common interest the cultural, educational and
environmental welfare of the community.” From the
beginning, the club directed its efforts toward neighborhood
projects and philanthropies. The members combined social
activities with fund-raising projects to raise money for worthy
causes. They spent precious hours volunteering their services to
assist various charitable organizations. At the same time, the
women came together to further their common interests, such
as literature, art, bridge and travel.
Typical Projects
The members worked hard their first year, setting the club’s
course for the future. The first LBWC project assisted the
Northern Virginia Pre-School for the Blind by donating three
tables, two bulletin boards and Christmas cookies.
Subsequently, members collected $270 for one child’s tuition
for a year. The club also presented the Lake Barcroft
community with an American flag to fly over the Aqua Terrace
entrance. Volunteers helped operate a bloodmobile and an Xray
mobile. In addition, members spent considerable time
driving children to and from the Child Development Center
on Cherry Street—sometimes referred to as the Cerebral Palsy
School—which was chartered in Richmond by club member
Therese St. Hilaire and her colleagues on the United Cerebral
Palsy board.
The club’s first major undertaking involved the new Fairfax
Hospital, which was then under construction on Gallows
Road. In 1957, members voted to pledge $500 a year for four
years to provide a memorial room in the new hospital due to