Bronxville Women's Club Celebrates Mildred McLearn at 101 as 'Woman of the Year'
Oct. 2, 2013: She sat at the entrance to the grand hall of The Bronxville Women’s Club greeting the guests as they arrived with her usual feisty eagerness, dressed in her signature outfit, a black full-length gown decorated for the occasion with an orchid on her shoulder. Her blond hair hung straight, touching her shoulders, and the twinkle in her eye let guests know she was enjoying herself.
She was stellar, even having celebrated her 101st birthday.
Many dignitaries came to join the festivities and say a few words about her remarkable life.
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin noted that Mildred was born before women won the right to vote. Nevertheless, she attended college, something few women did in those days, and pursued her interests in architecture and economics.
State Senator George Latimer stood in awe of her employment at the Hearst Corporation and her co-chairing the Westchester Committee for Senator Robert Taft’s campaign for president in 1952.
Former Mayor Marcia Lee recounted Mildred’s ardent opposition during the 1970s to the 188-unit condominium proposed on Sunset Hill in 1974. "Mildred would have preferred the whole hilltop be left as open space," said Lee. "That wasn’t going to happen. But the 188-unit condominium proposed on the top of the highest point in Bronxville didn’t happen either, thanks to Mildred’s tireless work against it."
Mayor Mary Marvin presented Mildred with a special Bronxville pillow to prop up her feet at the end of the day, stating she was a good friend and a remarkable woman who just kept producing.
After the dignitaries spoke, Mildred delivered her own address. She stated that successful communities are those with a central business district that brings people together. It is important, she advised, for Bronxville residents to shop in the business district and support the merchants in every way possible. She also hoped we could preserve villages like Bronxville that create a community for its people to thrive and care for each other.
Attending the event were her daughter, Laura, and Laura's husband, Mike, her grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Laura is well known to Bronxvillians as Laura Strichter Bryson, a real estate broker in the Bronxville office of Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate, Inc.
Mildred Adams McLearn was born in 1912 in Louisville, Kentucky. She attended Vassar College and Case Western Reserve University and married Frank C. McLearn after college. She found Bronxville by hopping on the Harlem line train and watching out the window—the first nice community she saw. Eventually the family moved to Prescott Avenue, where Mildred still lives today. She wrote the "Brain Game," a weekly column for the Hearst Corporation, and worked briefly as a broker for Francis I. Dupont. She became involved in politics and was the Westchester County co-chairman for Senator Robert Taft’s presidential campaign in 1952. An article of hers on voluntary taxation was published in the National Review in 1958, and she wrote the book The Voluntary State.
The Bronxville Women’s Club, founded in 1925, is one of the jewels in the diadem of Bronxville and Westchester County. Funds raised from the annual Women of the Year cocktail party help provide improvements to the clubhouse. This year, President Mary Westmoreland announced that the funds raised from this year's event would go toward improvements to the ceiling in the grand ballroom.
Pictured here: Honoree Mildred Adams McLearn receiving a Bronxville pillow from Mayor Mary Marvin.
Photo by N. Bower
Community Service Organizations Directory
HOME & GARDEN
Bronxville Beautification Council
Organized in 1982, the Bronxville Beautification Council (BBC) is a not-for-profit organization administered by a volunteer Board of Directors. The mission of the BBC is to enhance and maintain the natural and man-made beauty of the village of Bronxville, with an emphasis on the downtown business district.
Click here to learn more
Boulder Ledge Garden Club
Founded in 1966, the Boulder Ledge Garden Club is rooted in a mission to inspire a deeper appreciation and love for gardening and flower arranging. The club is dedicated to fostering and promoting interest and knowledge in gardening.
The Club maintains Bronxville’s Bicentennial Park and other civic gardens. In 2019–2020 the club raised $18,000 to replace trees in the village, reflecting its active role in community beautification. It also holds garden therapy projects and educational garden trips for members.
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Bronxville Giving Garden
The Bronxville Giving Garden is a community-centered garden that donates organic produce to Eastchester Community Action Partnership in Tuckahoe and Community Service Associates in Mount Vernon. The garden is also a gathering place where school children and volunteers can discover the joy of tending plants and growing food.
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Bronxville Green Committee
The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. It proposes and implements environmentally sustainable programs in our community.
You can contact them HERE.
SCOUTING
Bronxville Boy Scouts
The village of Bronxville has a long tradition of scouting. “The troops and packs of Bronxville have maintained the finest scouting organizations and have taught the boys of the Bronxville area to be leaders and outstanding members of the local, national and global communities.”
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information
Bronxville Girls Scouts
The Girls Scouts is “the world’s preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls where, in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world.” In Girl Scouts, “girls discover the fun, friendship and power of girls together. Through the many enriching experiences provided by Girl Scouts, they can grow courageous and strong.”
Here is more information about girl scouts.
HISTORY
Bronxville Historical Conservancy
Inspired by the highly successful Bronxville Centennial Celebration in 1998, the Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded to record and preserve Bronxville's history and life in the village today.
BRONXVILLE SCHOOL
Bronxville School Foundation
The Bronxville School Foundation, founded in 1991, is a non-profit organization independent from the school with the sole purpose of supporting the school.
The mission of the Bronxville School Foundation is to enhance the quality of public education in our community by engaging the support and energies of educators, citizens, parents, students and alumni.
The Foundation awards grants for projects
CLICK HERE to learn more.
LECTURES, EXHIBITS, CONCERTS
Bronxville Women's Club
The Bronxville Women’s Club offers lectures, exhibits and concerts. It also has a beautiful clubhouse which is available for rental for events.
135 Midland Avenue
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-3252
Concordia Conservatory
Concordia Conservatory, a preeminent center for music education in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, is a welcoming community where children and adults find lifelong inspiration and joy through learning, performing, listening to, and participating with others in music.
The Conservatory’s mission is to inspire, instruct, and enrich lives through music offering excellence in education and performance.
CLICK HERE for more information.
COUNSELING
Counseling Center
Founded in 1971, the mission of the Counseling Center “is to provide a wide range of psychotherapeutic and counseling services to individuals, couples and families by a staff of highly trained, experience and dedicated psychotherapists.
The Counseling Center
180 Pondfield Road
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-793-3388
www.counselingcenter.org
SERVICE & VOLUNTEERISM
Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester & Tuckahoe
The mission of the Community Fund is “to support broad social services in Bronxville 10708, Eastchester and Tuckahoe through grants and technical support to local agencies and community projects. All money raised here in our community stays here in our community.”
15 Park Place
Bronxville, New York 10708
914-337-8808
www.thecommunityfund.org
Junior League of Bronxville
The Junior League of Bronxville is “an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.”
Rotary Club of Bronxville
The Rotary Club of Bronxville is part of a national network of 1.25 million problem-solvers. They see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
READING & LEARNING
Friends of the Bronxville Library
The Friends of the Bronxville Library is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to focus attention on the “Library’s services, facilities and needs” as well as sponsor projects and provide materials that are beyond the reach of the Library's regular budget and perform other services.
SENIORS
Gramatan Village
Gramatan Village is a unique community model offering programs, services and social connections that help members continue to live independently in their homes as they age. In addition, GV offers one-on-one consultations and counseling with our experienced staff to guide members through life’s transitions.
Senior Citizens of Bronxville
Senior Citizens of Bronxville is a not-for-profit organization that provides services and programs to seniors within the 10708 zip code area. “Programs cover a wide range of activities from educational seminars and cultural enrichment to community services, bridge classes and exercise.”
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