April 14, 2-4PM, LWVOC Highlights 8 Decades of History
Published on 4/4/2019
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS HIGHLIGHTS EIGHT DECADES OF HISTORY ON APRIL 14 Brechner Series Finale Puts Spotlight on Women as “Warriors for Democracy” ORLANDO, Fla. – April 2, 2019 – At the final 2019 Brechner Speaker Series program on April 14, speakers from the League of Women Voters of Orange County, Florida, will highlight the nonpartisan group’s history as “warriors for democracy” – part of a League celebration of events that began this year and culminates with the centennial of the women’s right to vote in 2020.
The History Center began the series in 2017 in honor of the late Joseph L. Brechner, an award-winning journalist and freedom-of-information advocate who in 1958 cofounded Orlando’s WLOF-Channel 9 (later WFTV). The son of Eastern European immigrants, Brechner believed deeply in American democracy. The museum’s research center also bears his name.
For this year’s Brechner Speaker Series, the History Center has partnered with the Orange County League, founded in May 1939. It is now the largest local League in the nation, with more than 900 members and eight decades of accomplishments in its mission to empower voters and defend democracy.
The April 14 series finale for 2019, titled “The Story of the League of Women Voters of Orange County, Florida,” will feature a panel including Linda Chapin, a former League president who became Orange County’s first mayor, as well as League members Joy Wallace Dickinson, Lisa Adkins, Carol Davis, and Joan Erwin.
Their presentation will look at the nonpartisan League’s history of crusades to extend voting rights to women, advocate for open government and election reforms, and protect children and the environment. It will also unveil the Orange County League’s book about its history, Warriors for Democracy: The Story of the League of Women Voters of Orange County, Florida, by Ann Patton, and will use visuals prepared by graphic designer Jill Shargaa.
The free program will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the History Center, 65 E. Central Blvd., Orlando. Parking is available at the Library Garage, 112 E. Central. For details about the Brechner Speaker Series and all History Center programs, visit thehistorycenter.org or call 407-836-8500 or 800-965-2030. For more about the League of Women Voters of Orange County, visit lwvoc.org