The times keep changing

It doesn't seem so long ago that I first joined American Association of University Women. I was a young mother with our first son, living in Stockton, Mo. I didn't know anybody and we hadn't joined a church yet, so I was mostly homebound with the baby. A woman I hadn't met yet called me on the phone to tell me that a few women in Stockton went together to drive to El Dorado Springs once a month for a meeting of the AAUW. I was familiar with the organization because my older sisters belonged to it in their cities. I didn't dream I could be a member when we lived in a small town in the Ozarks. I asked Lester to keep those nights free so he could baby-sit Michael and joined the carpool to El Dorado Springs. That was more 50 years ago. I have remained a member whenever I had the possibility of a nearby branch ever since that time.

When we join, new members fill out a form with name, address, etc., and also give credentials of your college graduation. I did all this and then was given my membership identification number.

Later, when we moved to Nevada some of the members from Eldorado Springs were in the group that I joined here. The ones from Stockton had dropped out or had poor health and the El Dorado women chose to join forces with the Nevada group. It was good to continue some of the relationships.

Our next move took me to Archie, Missouri, and there was no AAUW there. I was so involved in trying to be a good minister's wife that I didn't think I would try to drive some distance to belong up near Kansas City. One of the members from El Dorado Springs informed me that I should officially resign and keep my membership card so when I rejoined at a later date I would be credited with the years already spent as a member. I did, but through the years misplace the membership card. I belonged to several different groups later in other towns and the subject of my identification number never came up.

This year after having rejoined the Nevada AAUW 19 years ago when we retired back here, I suddenly was asked for my official number. Of course I had no idea what it was, or where to find it. I put my name in the AAUW Web page asking for my number and it came back that I was no longer a valid member. I didn't think that could be the case since I had been a president and held other important offices and corresponded with the higher-ups frequently.

Finally I was told that my number should be on the mailing label of the AAUW OUTLOOK magazine. I turned that in and I checked out OK.

The problem was, way back in 1951 I signed my name as Mrs. Carolyn G. Thornton. I thought I was being very progressive by not just using my husband's name. Now when I sign my name I merely write Carolyn G. (or Gray) Thornton. The computer couldn't find me with Mrs. in my name! We just celebrated our 61st anniversary and I am certainly still a married woman, but I don't feel that I have to be identified that way in all my transactions.

I remember that my mother always was known as Mrs. Chester H. Gray and she called all her friends Mrs. (Friend). I didn't even know the first name of many of them. But I knew all the neighbor men by both names.

They did not have to be identified as (Mary's) husband.

I'm glad I can be called and recognized by my first name even if I confused the computer.