Over the last 2 years, the Lynch Station Ruritan Club has officially inducted its first-ever female members. Bonnie Harvey, Kathy Gibson, Dianne Sykes, and Jennifer Morton are pioneering the way for women in what was, for years, a “men’s club,” as Kathy describes it. “We’re excited,” Dianne says with a smile.
Dianne has been involved with the ruritan club all her life, due to family ties. “I learned to swim here when I was 12 years old,” she says, referencing the club’s pool. Her father was one of the club’s founding members, and both her brother and late husband served as presidents at different times. Her uncle is also a current member. “He’s the one that talked me into applying and told me he would back me,” Dianne explains. “I was excited when he told me.”
Kathy Gibson was the first of the four women to become an official club member. She admitted that she felt intimidated when she first joined. “To come in here and stand with all these men, it just really made me nervous.” The intimidation may well have been mutual, she thinks, with men feeling unsure about a woman joining their ranks for the first time. After all, her membership broke a long tradition of males only. In fact, someone once remarked to Kathy that they did not think Lynch Station’s ruritan club would ever admit women. However, especially as other women joined Kathy, everyone began adjusting to the change.
“I came as a guest with my friend,” Jennifer Morton says of her introduction to the club. “Her husband’s a member, and I just wanted to be more involved with my community.” Indeed, the ruritan club is an excellent way to be involved in the community, with events such as feeding the hungry, monthly meetings, other fellowship opportunities, and the awarding of 2 scholarships for college students from the area, to name a few examples.
“I think we’ll be a good asset,” Dianne says. “We bring a different point of view a lot of times. Something new, something different. I think as time goes on there’ll be more [women] added. At least I hope so!”
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