ARTA Charter Members
Organized March 21, 1952
The Austin Retired Teachers Association was organized by Miss Gladys Morgan of San Antonio with 21 members present. The charter membership was left open until the April meeting. According to Mrs. Lalla Odom, who prepared a paper for the ARTA January 1957 luncheon, this move increased the number of charter members to 44.
The first meeting of the Austin Retired Teachers Association took place in the parlor of Central Christian Church at 1110 Guadalupe St. The local association applied for a charter from the national organization, which was granted on July 30, 1952. TRTA was not organized until the following year.
Miss Edith Lanier Clark (January 10, 1874 – September 11, 1964), former Dean of Women at North Texas State Teachers’ College, served as ARTA’s first president from 1952 to 1960. Miss Clark was the longest serving president of the organization.
Mrs. Sadie Jones (September 12, 1884 – May 7, 1984) was the last surviving charter member of the organization.
| Mrs. J.E. Acklin | Miss Kate Gannaway | Mrs. Lalla M. Odom |
| Miss Frances Alexander | Miss Mamie Heflyblower | Dr. Clara May Parker |
| Mrs. J.M. Alexander | Miss Annie C. Hill | Miss Eula Lee Payton |
| Miss Mamie Dell Barrow | Miss Hettie Hofstetter | Miss Rosa A. Penick |
| Miss Ada Blackburn | Miss Delia Houssels | Mrs. Noel B. Scott |
| Miss Ethel E. Brown | Miss Josephine Houston | Mrs. Nancy L. Smith |
| Miss Nellie Lea Brown | Mrs. C.S. Jacques | Mrs. M.A. Starks |
| Miss Mary Dibrell Carlisle | Miss Elfreda Jessen | Miss Dot Thornton |
| Miss Edith Lanier Clark | Miss Emmy Jessen | Mrs. M.M. Washington |
| Mrs. Florence Crofoot | Mrs. Sadie Jones | Miss Lillian Wester |
| Miss Salette Darden | Mrs. Ruth H. Junkin | Dr. Jet C. Winters |
| Miss Mary E. Decherd | Mrs. Nellie C. Lamar | Miss Juliette Wright |
| Mrs. P.W. Duncan | Mrs. R.S. Lovinggood | Miss Katherine Wright |
| Mrs. W.B. Duncan | Mrs. Z.B. Madison | Mrs. E.E. Yerwood |
| Mrs. M.E. Durden | Mrs. I.D. Nelson |
ARTA Life Members
A member who has contributed service to the association may be extended life membership by a vote of the members. Past Presidents are automatically Life members. (ARTA Bylaws: Article III, Section 1, Subsection C)
The first ARTA Life Membership was awarded to long-time Treasurer Dilla Enochs in 1982. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 97.
Lyle Hamner received Life Membership status for his work as ARTA Legislative Chair in 1985. He passed away in 1995 at the age of 88.
The first Past President to be recognized with an ARTA Life Membership was Dr. Roy Johnson, who served as president from 1976 to 1978. He was awarded this recognition in 1986. Additional ARTA Past Presidents who received this recognition before formal adoption of Life Members to the ARTA Bylaws included Dr. Dorothy Gebauer, Grace Carrell, E.L. and Thelma Galyean, Martha Nelle Bain, Julia Mellenbruch, and Dr. Alice R. Kidd.
The Life Member distinction was formally adopted into the ARTA Bylaws during the 1992-93 year. Since then, all ARTA Past Presidents are recognized as Life Members.
| ARTA Life Members, Past and Present | |
|---|---|
| ▪Dilla Enochs (1982) | ▪John Pearson* (1999) |
| ▪Lyle Hamner (1985) | ▪Dr. Timy Baranoff* (2001) |
| ▪Dr. Roy Johnson* (1986) | ▪Warner Dahlberg* (2003) |
| ▪Dorothy Gebauer* (1988) | Pat ten Broeke* (2005) |
| ▪Grace Carrell* (1988) | ▪Wes Braden* (2007) |
| ▪E.L. and Thelma Galyean* (1988) | ▪Jackie Hastay* (2009) |
| ▪Martha Nelle Bain* (1988) | Emma Lea Mayton* (2011) |
| ▪Julia Mellenbruch* (1989) | Wayne King* (2013) |
| ▪Dr. Alice R. Kidd* (1991) | Jane Garner* (2015) |
| ▪Dr. Ione D. Young* (1993) | Dr. Mary Lou Clayton* (2017) |
| ▪Roberta Hartung* (1995) | Gladys Havel* (2019) |
| La Vonne Rogers* (1997) | Dr. Rosemary Morrow* (2021) |