The third woman to join was Anne Tiracchia in 1978. Tiracchia recalled that there were certainly male members who were opposed to her entry to the Bar, but there was not a general misogynistic atmosphere. Attorney Tiracchia asserted that she was deaf to any misogynistic comments and did not concern herself with the people who made them. She worked with men who would work with her and, as such, saw no real discrimination in her time as an attorney. She eventually left the practice of law in 1994. Not all the indicators marking the growing, changing organization were positive. In fact, the late 1970s saw more strife within its membership than any other decade. In 1978, during the member meeting at which a new slate of officers was to be elected, a clear division in the membership was displayed. The original slate of officers, chosen based on seniority, included Attorney Joseph McCluskey as president-elect. However, when President Kennard Lewis asked for further nominations from the floor, which was, until then, a purely formulaic request that normally resulted in the election of the nominating committee’s slate, Attorney Richard Deetz was nominated for President. In what has since been described as a sort of coup d’état, Deetz replaced McCluskey. As a result, others on the slate, notably Secretary James F. Marsh, removed themselves from consideration. Other
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Monroe County Bar Association