Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Soroptimist Club of Philadelphia
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the chartering of the Soroptimist Club of Philadelphia on April 27, 1925. As the ninth club in North America and the eleventh club worldwide, its founding was a significant moment in the organization’s early history.
The club was chartered by Stuart Morrow, who owned the rights to form Soroptimist clubs. Morrow had just completed a club charter in Paris, France, the previous October, and began his work in Philadelphia in early January 1925.
Situated at 1123 Spruce Street—just six blocks from what would become SIA Headquarters in 2004 at 1709 Spruce Street—Morrow set in motion the formation of the Philadelphia club. While newspaper articles about the earliest of Morrow’s work on the Philadelphia club are not found in public databases, the Soroptimist archives contain some limited correspondence between Morrow and his California club organizer, Helena Gamble.
In a January 30, 1925, letter to Gamble, Morrow notes signing up 41 charter members. Ten days later, on February 9, he reported 43 charter members and had already set the installation dinner for the club on either Monday, April 27, or Tuesday, April 28 (it took place on the 27).
Morrow instituted a new payment scheme with this club chartering, with each charter member paying $20 ($370 in 2025 dollars) in two installments—on application for membership and the day of the officers' election. The fund would be divided with $10 paid to the organizer (Morrow), $5 for the club and $5 for future club extension.
The club’s formation can first be traced in publicly available newspaper databases on March 1, 1925, which announced the formation of the club. In subsequent weeks, notices of the weekly Monday luncheon are found in the paper. The club met at the Girard Craftsmen Building at 2027 Chestnut Street.
On Monday, March 30, Morrow took part in what may have been a first for him as a Soroptimist club organizer: he appeared on a Philadelphia radio show, broadcast from one of the city’s premier department stores (Strawbridge & Clothier), speaking on “The Soroptimist Club.”
The club officers were elected on April 19, and were comprised of Miss Elizabeth Johnson, president; Mrs. Ethel Solly, vice president; Miss Eleanor Schaeffer, secretary; Miss Margaret Parke, treasurer; and club directors Dr. Marie Formad, Dr. Patricia Hart-Durant, Miss Cecilia Bass, Mrs. Gertrude Lucas, Miss Marie Creamer, and Miss Margaret Lukes.
In its first year, the club would become involved in selling sesquicentennial bonds for the city in the run-up to the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, written in Philadelphia.
A few years later, the club pledged $2,500 to the Woman’s Medical College in Philadelphia, at the time, the only medical college solely for women. This project was the forerunner of a federation project supporting the college beginning in 1950. The club continued to be a force in the Philadelphia area, extending Soroptimist clubs throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Soroptimist club disbanded in October 2010.
A Philadelphia Soroptimist, Martha Servis, would go on to become the editor of the Soroptimist magazine in 1930, and then establish the federation’s headquarters in her home in 1932, followed by office space in the city. SIA federation headquarters remains in Philadelphia to this day, which might surprise Morrow, as his time in Philadelphia did not leave him with warm thoughts of the city.
He went next to Seattle and in a letter to Helena Gamble extolled that city’s scenery, pure air, and wide, beautifully kept streets, so unlike the colonial city he had left behind. He noted of Seattle, “In all these respects it presents a wonderful contrast to Philadelphia.”
As we celebrate this milestone, we honor the legacy of the Soroptimist Club of Philadelphia and the lasting impact it has had on the region and the world. Though the club disbanded in 2010, its contributions to Soroptimist’s history and the Philadelphia community continue to inspire.
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