Letter from Paula Fickes Hawkins to the Oviedo Woman's Club (February 12, 1981)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Paula Fickes Hawkins to the Oviedo Woman's Club (February 12, 1981)
Alternative Title
Letter from Hawkins to Oviedo Woman's Club (February 12, 1981)
Subject
Oviedo (Fla.)
Clubs--United States
Senators (United States)
Hawkins, Paula, 1927-2009
Description
A letter from Senator Paula Fickes Hawkins to the Oviedo Woman's Club (OWC) dated February 12, 1981. In the letter, Senator Hawkins declines an invitation to attend the 75th anniversary celebration of the Oviedo Woman's Club, which was founded in 1906 as the Oviedo Magazine Club by seven charter members: H. B. McCall, Edith Meade, Georgia Lee Wheeler, Lillian Lee Lawton, Mattie Aulin Wheeler, Milcah Yonge, and Mary King. The first clubhouse was constructed in 1914 and also served as Oviedo's first library. In 1916, the club joined the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs (FFWC) and officially changed its name to the Oviedo Woman's Club. In 1923, the woman's club was federated under the umbrella of the General Federation of Woman's Clubs (GFWC). A new clubhouse was built in 1961 on property donated by R. L. Croom, a former member, which is located at 414 King Street. The Oviedo Woman's Club is involved in many civic projects, including the annual Great Day in the Country Arts and Crafts Festival, the Spring Fundraiser, Tasting Luncheons, and Celebrate Spring Teas.
Hawkins migrated to Winter Park, Florida, in 1955. In 1971, Hawkins became the Florida Republican National Committeewoman. In 1972, she became the first woman to be elected to a statewide office in Florida when she won a seat on the Florida Public Service Commission, a position to which she was re-elected in 1967. Hawkins ran for the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race in 1974, but lose. In 1978, she unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor. In 1980, Hawkins was elected to the U.S. Senate, effectively become Florida's first female elected to the Senate and the Sout's fifth woman. Hawkins' tenure as senate is best known for her activism in child welfare. She lost her reelection bid to then-Governor Bob Graham in 1986 and returned to her home in Winter Park in 1987. She served as the U.S. representative to the Organization of American States Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) for 7 years before retiring from politics.
Hawkins migrated to Winter Park, Florida, in 1955. In 1971, Hawkins became the Florida Republican National Committeewoman. In 1972, she became the first woman to be elected to a statewide office in Florida when she won a seat on the Florida Public Service Commission, a position to which she was re-elected in 1967. Hawkins ran for the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race in 1974, but lose. In 1978, she unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor. In 1980, Hawkins was elected to the U.S. Senate, effectively become Florida's first female elected to the Senate and the Sout's fifth woman. Hawkins' tenure as senate is best known for her activism in child welfare. She lost her reelection bid to then-Governor Bob Graham in 1986 and returned to her home in Winter Park in 1987. She served as the U.S. representative to the Organization of American States Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) for 7 years before retiring from politics.
Creator
Hawkins, Paula Fricke
Source
Original letter from Paula Fickes Hawkins to the Oviedo Woman's Club, February 12, 1981: Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich.
Date Created
1981-02-12
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from Paula Fickes Hawkins to the Oviedo Woman's Club, February 12, 1981.
Is Part Of
Oviedo Historical Society Collection, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
application/pdf
Medium
1-page typewritten letter and envelope
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
Oviedo Woman's Club, Oviedo, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Paula Fickes Hawkins.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Oviedo Woman's Club and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
Private Collection of Beatrice Gestrich
External Reference
"Our History." Oviedo Woman's Club. http://www.oviedowomansclub.org/our-community/our-history.html.
Hayes, Stephanie. "Florida Sen. Paula Hawkins, billed as the 'housewife from Maitland,' dies at 82." Tampa Bay Times, December 4, 2009. http://www.tampabay.com/news/obituaries/florida-sen-paula-hawkins-billed-as-the-housewife-from-maitland-dies-at-82/1056631.
Document Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1-page typewritten letter and envelope
Collection
Citation
Hawkins, Paula Fricke, “Letter from Paula Fickes Hawkins to the Oviedo Woman's Club (February 12, 1981),” RICHES, accessed May 23, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/5774.