2014 Farrington Dinner
I was a part of a really neat dinner Wednesday at Mancini’s on West 7th Street in St. Paul. The dinner was for the Farrington Club of the Saint Paul Jaycees. It was wonderful to hear about the history and legacy of this amazing group, and being there I was inspired listening to the stories of past presidents of the Saint Paul Jaycees and excellent community leaders.
It makes me proud to be the 88th president of this community-based, leadership-building volunteer organization. The Saint Paul Jaycees is in its 85th year, formed in 1929 by Leslie Farrington and 50 other gentleman in the ballroom of the St. Paul Hotel at the start of the Great Depression.
July 2014 marked the 30-year anniversary of a Supreme Court ruling (Roberts v. United States Jaycees) that allowed women to step-up into the role of president of the Jaycees. In 1984 the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an earlier decision that allowed the exclusion of women from full membership of the organization. The new ruling prohibitied a private organization from excluding a person from membership based on sex, which in turn allowed women to serve as president of the Jaycees. It is hard to believe it was as late as 1984 when this happened. I am so thankful for the leaders who came before me and the history they shared at the Farrington Dinner on Wednesday! I look forward to the legacy that will continue and the stories that will also continue to make us laugh and smile when we think of all the hard work put into it.
The Family Thompson 