A Brief History of Our League
The first general meeting of the Umpqua Valley League was on April 19, 1961. There were 36 members on the first membership list.
During the years since that first meeting our League has met in churches, homes, restaurants, a school’s AV room, a local realtor’s office, city hall, and the county courthouse. And interesting sidelight is that in 1962 there was a request from the president to the Board that “all written correspondence, minutes, etc. be signed with the husband’s initials or full name.”
Members who have belonged to the Umpqua Valley League for the longest time are Lorrie Agost (1961), Lois Allen (1963), Libby Mizell (1965), and Anne Nicholas (1968) who passed away in 2021.. Betty Mack is a 50-year League member and was state League president in 1971-73.
Local studies conducted by our League have included Day Care Center and the Umpqua River Basin in the 1960’s, Roseburg School District, Juvenile Offenders and the County Charter in the 1970’s, Services for Older Americans and Child Care in the 1980’s, and Diversity in the Community and Homelessness in Douglas County in the 1990s, a Sustainable Communities study in the 2001, and in 2004 the Umpqua Valley League lead the state in a Homeless Youth study by beginning with a local League study in Douglas County. The state League began a statewide Homeless Youth study in 2006 based on the success of our local League Homeless Youth study.
The Umpqua Valley League staged its first Candidates Fair in 1964 when we co-sponsored with the Farm Bureau. We continue to stage successful forums for the community. In 1990 we had The News-Review as a co-sponsor who also co-sponsored the distribution of Voters’ Guides. Other voter service activities at present are ballot measure presentations and distribution of the League’s Voters’ Guide.
In 1973 at the national convention, the League voted to allow men to join the League as members.
Some of the same women who founded the Umpqua Valley League are still active members. Join now to be able to gain some of the valuable experiences of these women, leaders in our community for over a half century. This is truly one of the areas the League has to offer our community: a wealth of community knowledge through the eyes of and in the hearts of these dedicated and courageous citizens.
League of Women Voters of the Umpqua Valley 