When you walk into our Laniākea headquarters building on Richards Street, you will find a huge portrait of a woman on one of the walls in the lobby. That is Mrs. B. F. Dillingham.

Her name is often mentioned as we talk about our history. She is one of the inaugural members of our association. It was at her cottage home at Woodlawn – the corner of Beretania and Punahou – where a group of Honolulu women eagerly gathered in the early 1900’s and discussed starting YWCA O'ahu.

Mrs. Dillingham was not only our charter member, but also our second board president between 1907 and 1912. Her daughter, Mrs. W.F. Frear, was our fourth president, serving between 1914 and 1919 and succeeding Mrs. L. Tenney Peck whose term was 1912-1914. It was Mrs. Frear who presided over our very first meeting at her mother’s cottage.

Mrs. Frear was also our first lady – Her husband Judge Walter F. Frear was the third Governor of the Territory of Hawaii.

Mrs. W.F. Frear: YWCA President 1914-1919

Below is our first board president, Mrs. E.W. Jordan. She served in that role from 1900 to 1907.

These women also served in the pivotal role of board president in our early years:

Mrs. F.C. Atherton, YWCA O‘ahu board president 1919-1924.

Mrs. A.L. Andrews, YWCA O‘ahu board president 1924-1930.

Mrs. C.M. Cooke, Jr., YWCA O‘ahu board president 1930-1936.

Our board presidents were often seen at our events and programs. In the photo below, the woman in the white dress in the first row (fourth from the left) is Mrs. Frear, posing for a photo with Japanese picture brides.

Mrs. C. M. Cooke, Jr. (the woman pictured below with glasses) is seen at a YWCA event in 1947. These women continued to be present in the community while working to provide much-needed programs and services to help the women and girls who sought to better their lives.