Red Cross Department [pp. 480-487]

EDITED BY THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION OF THE RED CROSS
ANNUAL MEETING
OF THE SAN FRANCISCO RED
CROSS
OCTOBER
OFFICERS ELECTED IN THE PERMANENT SOCIETY IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THE CONSTITUTION ADOPTED
JUNE IIth:
Mrs. John F. Merrill, President; Miss Anna
W. Beaver, First Vice-President; Mrs. F. G.
Sanborn, Second Vice-President; Mrs. Henry
Gibbons, Third Vice-President; Mrs. I.
Lowenberg, Fourth Vice-President; Mrs. W.
R. Eckart, Secretary; Mrs. W. B. Harrington,
Treasurer.
Executive'Committee-Miss Anna Beaver,
Miss Anne Bryce, Mrs. Geo. H. Buckingham,
Mrs. J. G. Clark, Mrs. Josephine DeGreayer,
Mrs. L. L. Dunbar, Mrs. Wendell Easton,
Mrs. W. R. Eckart, Mrs. Henry Gibbons,
Mrs. Willard B. Harrington, Mr. Willard B.
Harrington, Mrs. A. S. Hubbard, Mrs. J. R.
Loosley, Mrs. I. Lowenberg, Mr. A. Mack,
Mr. C. L. P. Marais, Mrs. H. Martinez, Mrs.
E. W. McKinstry, Mr. John F. Merrill, Mrs.
W. H. Mills, Mrs. F. G. Sanborn, Mrs. Louis
Sloss, Mrs. W. R. Smedberg, Mr. Frank J.
Symmes, Dr. Voorsanger, Mrs. Louis Weinmann.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT.
ADIES and Gentlemen: "Governor Budd presents his compli ments and,asks that you join a few interested friends at the California Hotel on the
morning of April 25th to organize the work
of the Red Cross and Sanitary Commission in
our city."
480
I st, 1 898
This message flashed over a few telephone
wires, was the first call of the Red Cross Society. A meeting was held on the appointed
date and Mrs. W. B. Harrington was elected
President.
At the next meeting when Surgeon-General Hopkins arose and modestly asked that
if possible we should raise the sum of $io,oo0
to properly equip the National Guard which,
as the First California Volunteers was to be
sent to Manila, we held our breath at the
magnitude of his demand. Little did we think
in those early days that we were laying the
foundation for a Society that should fill the
minds and hearts of large numbers of the men
and women of San Francisco during the
whole summer. No greater work has been
done on our Western shore since the days
of the Sanitary Commission of the Civil War.
The Red Cross swept over the State like a
mighty avalanche, rapidly gathering to itself
money, workers, and materials, and those
objectors who thought the Government was
quite equal to the emergency of the time and
needed no Red Cross Society, soon found
that they must either be carried along by its
irresistible force or be overwhelmed entirely.
After;the foundation of the State Association the San Francisco Society was reorganized on May 25th and the present Board of
Officers elected.
In a month's time over three hundred men
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