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A Message from the Co-Presidents: Kathryn Brown & Amy Bisek

The upcoming branch membership meeting has found each of us taking a look back at our own unique AAUW Redlands “Herstory.”

In a few respects, our stories are alike and intertwine. Both of us were born, raised, and graduated from college in the upper Midwest and, bottom line, fell in love with Southern California guys. Kathryn moved to Northern California in 1971. From Oakland, with an eye toward caring for family elders and retirement.  She and her husband, Jim Hendon (a Redlands native), purchased a Redlands rental property in 2004. Meanwhile, in 2009, Amy met Dennis Seaton while he was temporarily working in St Paul, MN. In 2011, when Dennis was transferred back to Southern CA, Amy decided to join him and work remotely. Fun fact: they moved into the Brown/Hendon’s rental property.

And we became friends.

By the end of 2011, Amy and Dennis had moved to their own Redlands home while Kathryn and Jim were semi-retired and living, as planned, in their former rental property.

After reading about the AAUW Redlands September 2012 branch membership meeting in the Redlands Daily Facts, Kathryn navigated her way solo to the Casa Loma Room, primarily in search of a book club like the one she’d participated in “up North”, made up of interesting, intelligent, and friendly women. Of course, at that AAUW membership meeting she found much more on offer, not the least of which were the pleasantly persistent hands of friendship extended by branch leaders Kathy Toister and Kay Dobbertin. Kay promptly enlisted her to manage the branch reservation list, which helped her to gradually learn the names of other members and then put those names to faces at meetings and when she ran into them around town. In the ensuing years, especially after her 2015 retirement, she got to know even more members by joining the planning committees for the STEM Conference  and Tech Trek,  the Public Policy Committee and CHAT, participating in Great Decisions, California Cuisine and the hiking group, serving as Program VP, co-chairing the Footlighters fundraising event, working on Lunafest and now, FilmFest–all of which opened up a host of other new and rewarding friendships and opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of women and girls.

In 2013, Amy heard about the AAUW book club and attended a session at Kathryn’s home, and shortly thereafter she joined the branch. For many years while working, book club was the only activity in which Amy regularly participated. By 2016 she was regularly contributing cookies to the Footlighters event and in 2018 joined the STEM team as a guide. Also, in 2018 she became a co-chair, along with Kathryn, of the book club. Upon retiring in 2020, Amy joined the STEM planning team, 2023, joined the Fundraising committee and in 2021-23 she was our membership vp.

Over the years, we have both come to not only more fully understand and appreciate the mission of AAUW but to recognize and enjoy our own feeling of empowerment when we see, locally, the tangible differences in the lives of women and girls made by our branch.

Both of us are awed by what AAUW Redlands branch can do and by the many amazing, talented women who are our friends and colleagues.

It is very easy to invite new people to participate in AAUW Redlands because we are inviting them into a truly unique and special group of people with an incredible mission. AAUW Redlands branch advances equity for women and girls through education, empowerment and advocacy. So few words to explain everything we do!

Amy & Kathryn
Co-Presidents, AAUW Redlands Branch