The Colorado Business Woman was written by the Colorado State Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, and 25 issues published from 1953 to 1971 are available to read on Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (CHNC). Our state’s chapter of The National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, now known as Business and Professional Women of Colorado (BPW Colorado), was formed in 1919 and is still active to this day. Today, their mission is “to achieve equity for all women through advocacy, education, and information.”

Where to Begin

Approaching an entire title in CHNC for the first time can be overwhelming, particularly without a specific agenda other than to learn about the publishing entity. With so many issues and articles to click through it can be difficult to separate notable historical achievements from the fluff of day-to-day operations (though there’s a lot to learn from it all). Finding a reflective piece that summarizes an organization’s work in their own words can be a lifeline in the sea of information and provide insight into what was valued most at the time. An article such as this may be published around an anniversary or at a time of change within the organization. The 1966 article ‘Historical Portrait of the Colorado Federation’ is an example of one such grounding piece from The Colorado Business Woman that provides the key events and names needed to conduct fruitful searches throughout this title and even related articles in other Colorado newspapers.

The Colorado Business Woman, Volume XLIII, Number 5, April 1, 1966.

This article begins by describing the formation of the Colorado federation which evolved into a network of clubs across the state designed “to nurture, protect and promote betterment in the lives of all women.” This is accomplished in part through granting scholarships, the first of which was awarded in 1924 to attend the Central Business College of Denver. Then, in 1926 The Hester Smith Educational Loan Fund was established. This fund lasted for decades, and a 1965 article in The Colorado Business Woman states its purpose is “to assist women in furthering their education or training for a career.” BPW clubs across the state could make voluntary donations to this fund which were, at the time, mostly distributed to young women in the teaching or nursing professions. Hester Smith, the fund’s eponym, was a teacher at North Denver High School for many years and Colorado’s BPW president from 1928 to 1930. Her photo appears in a 1928 issue of The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) along with an article highlighting BPW members’ trip to the Business and Professional Women’s nation convention in New Orleans. Hester Smith is in the bottom left of the photo.

The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 69, Number 188, July 6, 1928.

Colorado’s BPW Federation also endorsed and sponsored movements that aligned with its cause, some of which were successful and others not. One of the latter, the “Cause and Cure of War” campaign, aimed to “outlaw war” and was a “principle concern of the Federation for several years.” The organization also launched its own campaigns, such as a 1934 movement to establish trained vocational counselors in schools. By the late 1930’s, our BPW State Federation was taking on a variety of issues:

The years 1938-1939 brought interest in many wide-scope issues to the front. Among these were a resolution to cooperate with the Colorado Safety Council and to study and support propositions to gain jury service for women, an informed electorate, old age pensions, merit system for women, low cost housing and slum clearance, food and drug act, state legislation for consumer protection and regulatory legislation based on nature of work and not on sex.

Mid-Century Movements

Colorado’s BPW State Federation became increasingly focused on establishing equal pay for comparable work for all in the mid 1940’s, sponsoring 1945 equal pay legislation. Although the bill did not pass that year, the organization kept working towards this goal for over a decade. Equal pay for comparable work was listed as one of the organization’s top six goals in many Colorado newspapers when they recognized National Business Women’s Week in the late 1940’s, and the battle continued through the 1950’s. At the federal level, the Equal Pay Act, an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act, was signed into law in 1963.

Many BPW members continued the focus on conservation for decades. One such member, Mary Louise Riede, worked for the Forest Service for 42 years and is pictured above receiving the Conservation Educator of the Year award in 1966.

Supporting National Elections

Colorado’s BPW State Federation also took great pride in their work during the 1964 national election. They were recruited by CBS to help with national election reporting in counties without voting machines and were reportedly recommended because they were the “best organized” organization in Colorado. Club members were stationed in each precinct and responsible for calling in the votes for president, vice president, and congressman to the CBS headquarters in Denver as soon as the tallies were complete. This endeavor was announced by Dolores H. Kiser, appointed Chairman and Coordinator of CBS Election News Project, in the 1964 October issue in which she wrote:

Don’t forget the prime reason for this program! Quick reporting of election returns. Who knows, your precinct may be the one reporting to tell the entire nation that your favorite for president has been elected. Now, wouldn’t that be exciting? Let’s make this project highly successful. As far as we know, we are the only Federation in the nation to be doing this public service work. It will give us added prestige, so, gals, here’s to us!

The project was indeed a success, with post-election articles reporting that CBS and National Election Service officials were “very satisfied with the performance of our federation members.”

The Colorado Business Woman, Volume XLII, Number 2, October 1, 1964. Far-Reaching Results