SUSTAINERS
applauded the fact that nice young ladies now simply ‘apply to’ the Junior League and no longer have to have their potential membership ‘approved’ (by a JLW group of young ladies). It has certainly given it a wonderful vibrancy with 2,300 lovely members.”
throughout the country, her passion for volunteering has not waned. From the Midwest, to the East Coast, now to the Mid-Atlantic, it is safe to say that Boynton’s volunteering service is far from over.
JANE BOYNTON
It was 1947 when the recent Kappa Alpha Theta University of California - Berkeley graduate, Mary Patricia “Patti” Harvey (now Schneider), received an invitation to join the Junior League of Los Angeles. A third-generation resident of Beverly Hills, Schneider was also the graduate of Marlborough School, an all-girls’ school in Los Angeles. At Marlborough, Schneider said that she learned the importance of volunteering, a passion that has followed her throughout her life. Even today, Schneider volunteers in leadership positions at her retirement community and maintains an active social life. When Schneider received the invitation to join the Junior League, she was working at I. Marnin & Co., a department store in Los Angeles. She said she was invited because many of her friends were members of the Junior League, and her mother was thrilled that her daughter would be given such an honor. In 1957, Schneider moved with her new husband to Alaska, where he worked as a newspaper editor, and she, now taking a leave of absence from the Junior League, learned how to sew. In Alaska, the couple also welcomed their daughter, Nancy, who arrived six months before Alaska became a state. Schneider recalls the celebration that ensued when Alaska was granted statehood, full of cheering and celebrations in the streets. From Alaska, Schneider and her husband then moved back to California, this time to Santa Barbara, where they had another baby, Clifford, and later, they moved to Sherman Oaks, CA. Difficulty then followed Schneider, as her sister was tragically killed in a car accident, and she and her husband divorced. However, an interesting twist was about to come Schneider’s way. Schneider flew to her sister’s funeral and was greeted by her mourning brother-in-law, Bill Schneider, an Army Colonel and 1946 graduate of West Point, who was left with five children. She had a strange feeling that she was going to marry him, an inkling that came to fruition shortly thereafter. Now the mother of seven children, Schneider and her new mixed family lived in El Paso, TX at Fort Hood for a year before Bill was asked to become the U.S. Army attache in Moscow, Russia, which was where they lived for the next three years. The couple’s 1971 return to the United States brought them to the Mount Vernon area because they thought a call to the Pentagon was imminent. However, Bill was asked to go to Omaha, NE, instead, which was where Schneider became active in the Junior League again as a Sustainer, with the encouragement of her neighbor, Dorothy. In the Junior League of Omaha, Schneider played bridge with fellow Sustainers, a hobby that she continues to this day. There, she also served on the American Cancer Society board, and served as hostess at many Army functions. When Bill and she moved to the DC area, she continued her involvement with the Sustainers of JLW. Even though the Junior League has certainly changed throughout the years, Schneider still feels the same honor her mother felt when she was asked to join in 1947. •
Nearly 60 years and six Junior League chapters later, Jane Boynton is still a proud and active Sustainer Emerita of JLW. Boynton joined the Junior League in Rockford, IL, in 1958, where her mother was a member until her death at the age of 102. From Rockford, life brought Boynton to Evanston, IL, where she completed her provisional year with the Junior League of Evanston. During her provisional year, Boynton recalls learning about the different agencies with whom the Junior League volunteered. From Evanston, Boynton moved with her new husband to Cleveland, OH, where she joined the Junior League of Cleveland. Next up, she moved to the Junior League of Philadelphia, and then the Junior League of Bronxville, NY, before finally landing in Washington, DC, where she remains a member of the JLW. Throughout her years in many Junior League chapters, Boynton volunteered in many different capacities. Without hesitation, she said that her favorite volunteer opportunity was teaching foreign women when she was with the Junior League of Philadelphia. Boynton’s “students” were doctors’ wives who did not speak English, so Boynton used the Sears catalogue to teach them the names of everyday items. She also enjoyed volunteering at local elementary schools here in the DC area. Both of these volunteer experiences sparked her love for teaching, which led to Boynton’s 41-year teaching career. Boynton’s most recent job was at Washington Episcopal School, where she taught Computer Science and led the Robotics Team to four state trophies. Today, Boynton enjoys the social aspects of the Junior League, and continues to volunteer. As an active Sustainer, Boynton has enjoyed the Dining Out Club and has hosted Sustainers for coffee at her home in Bethesda. She also loves attending a vintage game night with other Sustainers at the Woodrow Wilson House, and helped secure White House Pastry Chef, Roland Mesnier, to speak at a Sustainers’ event at the Washington Golf and Country Club. Boynton makes it a point to attend the National Book Festival every year as well as Holiday Shops. This year, Boynton enjoyed hearing J.D. Vance, author of The Hillbilly Elegy, speak at the National Book Festival. She is an avid reader, and a member of two book clubs. Even with her bustling social life, Boynton still finds plenty of time to volunteer. Even though she did not volunteer at the National Book Festival this year, she plans to continue volunteering in the future since she enjoys it so much. On Tuesdays, she can be found answering phones at the White House, and on Fridays, she volunteers at the Hillwood Estate, home to Marjorie Merriweather Post. Though life has brought Boynton through Junior League chapters
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Fall 2017
PATTI SCHNEIDER