This photo is a treasure. I’m not sure what the occasion was, but based on the colors I would say that Team Pepto brought the numbers while Team Pistachio gets the nod for style.
Actually, I think I know the background. My aunt was a joiner. I’ve found all kinds of memorabilia relating to her garden club, bridge club, church, etc. She was actively involved in Beautify San Antonio for years and was an elected officer at one time. She even had the requisite equipment for being a joiner, a punch bowl set and a 24-cup coffee maker.
She was also very involved in an organization called the International Toastmistress Club. This was before the term “mistress” took on the more tawdry connotation it has today. Toaststrumpets they were not. A trip down the Wiki rabbit hole tells us that the International Toastmistress Club was formed as an offshoot of Toastmasters International which still exists today. 1938 is considered to be the date of origin of the organization, but actually the beginning reached back more than ten years before when clubs for women around California were organized under the title “Women’s Oral Expression Club.” Ahem. In 1984 the name was changed from International Toastmistress Club to International Training in Communication (thus retaining the “ITC”) and now goes by POWERtalk. For those of you not familiar with Toastmasters International it’s a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.
What makes it all the more interesting that my aunt was involved in an organization that promoted public speaking was the fact that she had a lisp to the point that she could be difficult to understand at times. I’ve read many times that most people’s number one fear is public speaking. Not surprisingly it’s not mine. When I walk into HEB I don’t see people shopping for groceries, I see a potential audience. Even people with perfect diction can get tongue tied when speaking to more than a couple of folks at once. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to stand up in front of a group and try to be understood? When my aunt was a young girl there were no resources to help overcome her speech impediment. She didn’t let that hold her back and that she worked diligently to overcome it as an adult by joining a group of like minded people is pretty inspiring.
Back to the photo, it’s dated July of 1968. I’m guessing this was the annual ball or gala for the San Antonio chapter of ITC or it may have been a national or international gathering given San Antonio’s reputation for being a convention city even then. It was also the year the World’s Fair, Hemisfair, was held in SA.
The details are rich; the gal on the right is channeling Jackie O for Team Pistachio with those white opera-length gloves. The one on the left, undoubtedly the group’s captain, appears to be looking at Team Pepto’s leader like, “Bitch, you better have more than a tube of lipstick, a condom and a dime for the payphone in that evening clutch because IT IS GOING DOWN.”
My aunt is in the middle on the left and I’m sure was delighted to be there and probably did feel like a debutante. We would all do ourselves a world of good if we worked as hard as she did to try to overcome personal obstacles. Sometimes you just have to put on your white opera-length gloves and go forth. And if you don’t have a pair you can borrow mine.
I'm Just Being Frank 