By Cindy Boykin


1972 was a memorable year for women. In the "Battle of the Sexes," Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in three straight tennis sets. On television, Bea Arthur's Maude was the unmistakable voice of reason in an edgy new sitcom. By the end of the year, Helen Reddy's song "I Am Woman" took the number one spot on the Billboard chart. And, closer to home, the Plano Chamber of Commerce Women's Division was formed.

Forty years later, the Women's Division is still going strong. They will celebrate this achievement at a late afternoon reception on Wednesday, May 9, 4–6:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz of Plano. It will be a great time to reminisce about the many projects accomplished, businesses built, and friendships forged.

One of the earliest directors was Florence Shapiro, who would eventually become mayor of Plano and ultimately represent us in Austin as our state senator for many years.

Florence reflects on the early days of the Plano chamber and the supportive arm called Women's Division—which was comprised primarily of the wives of businessmen who belonged to the chamber.

"Let me tell you what I did," Florence confides, a smile forming with her words. "One of the things I remember more than anything was the administrators at Plano General Hospital (now The Medical Center of Plano) recruiting doctors, and they asked me to meet with their wives...tell them what Plano had to offer, about the schools, the community, how to get involved, about different neighborhoods. That's what we did back then. We were adjunct to the spouses."

Another early duty was volunteering at the chamber office, which was just a trailer set up on a piece of property donated by Texas Power and Light. At the time, there was no executive director at the chamber, it was run by volunteers, so the members took turns working in the small, makeshift office.

The women, about 20 of them, met monthly, generally at the one library in town. They enjoyed presentations on cooking, book club selections, and other women-oriented topics. But the real draw was the camaraderie—the chance to get involved and share their lives with women who had common interests.

"It felt like a good place to be," Florence says with a touch of nostalgia. "You wanted to make friends in this community that was growing; you wanted to be around people who had similar issues—I was young, had a family, my husband was working—everyone was doing the same thing."

As Plano grew, so did the chamber, and the Women's Division along with it. And with that growth, came change.

In 1976, some members wanted to focus primarily on volunteer projects and they formed the Plano Service League, the forerunner of the Junior League of Plano and later Junior League of Collin County.

For other members, the business aspect of the chamber was becoming vitally important. Not only were women joining the professional ranks at a very quick pace, they were becoming business leaders and business owners.

But one mission remained steadfast: to make Plano the best city it could possibly be. These dedicated women worked together to foster community spirit and city pride that would attract doctors and lawyers and teachers and business owners and families and anyone who wanted to experience the quality of life unique to Plano.

Markita Thompson joined Women's Division in 1978. She served as director for two terms, 1981 and 1982. Asked about the group's early projects, she replies, "At the top of the list would have to be producing the very first Plano Balloon Festival October 17–19, 1980, and also our fervent dedication to beautification of the city—both of which have endured the test of time."

In 1980, Randy Wright of Realty World was the board president of the chamber and also a hot-air balloonist. He had an idea that literally took flight: host a balloon festival in Plano. Ever supportive, Markita and the Women's Division rose to the challenge. Raising money through sponsorships, recruiting balloonists to participate, printing programs, getting permission to land in private fields—details were endless. But that launched a long-standing tradition that has become one of the premier events of North Texas.



Markita explains, "The Plano Balloon Festival, which has become synonymous with the City of Plano, was just as beautiful and exciting the day of its premiere launch at Willow Bend Polo and Hunt Club as it is now in its 33rd year. Nearly every publication promoting our city features colorful hot air balloons in the Plano sky. Attendance has swelled from a few thousand in 1980 to around 100,000, attracting people from all over the world. And Plano is still The Balloon Capital of Texas, per the original official proclamation by Texas Governor William P. Clements Jr."

By the mid '80s, Plano was on the cusp of incredible expansion. Once rolling blackland prairie west of Central Expressway was developed at a phenomenal rate. Attractive subdivisions, thriving retail centers, and Plano's first shopping mall, Collin Creek Mall, were part of the growth.

But members of the Women's Division wanted to make sure that roads, roofs and retail centers weren't the only landscape features, so they completed the first city median beautification project.

Markita reports, "The first city median beautification we financed and orchestrated was in the high-traffic area of Norman F. Whitsett Parkway (commonly known as 15th Street) just west of North Central Expressway. It turned out to be a huge factor in Plano receiving the Governor's Community Achievement Award as part of the state-wide Beautify Texas Program."

The annual Fourth of July Star Spangled Spectacular at Clark Stadium was another family-oriented event the Women's Division coordinated and produced. Everyone from Uncle Sam to "Miss Piggy" were at the stadium waiting to see the famous Zambelli fireworks out of New York. Plano Profile's own publisher, Jean Newman, was in charge of this event during her term as Women's Division director in 1985.

Without a doubt, the first two decades of Women's Division literally exploded on the scene with incredible talent, enthusiasm and exciting ideas that forever changed this "plain o' community north of Dallas."

By the '90s, women were looking to the chamber and the Women's Division to increase their business acumen and expand their networking base. Programs focused on business development, trend forecasting, effective ways to handle challenges, and creative ways to explore opportunities. However, the overarching desire to find friendship and build support never changed.

Jamee Jolly, current president and CEO of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, reports that some women join the chamber for the sole purpose of being involved in Women's Division. They enjoy the monthly luncheons at Gleneagles and the quarterly Nothing but Networking events. She adds that being a member helps women professionally, and it benefits them personally.

Jamee shares, "A couple of years ago at a luncheon, I heard two women talking about breast cancer—one had just been diagnosed and one had just finished treatment. Hearing the dialogue and knowing that these women have a bigger network to deal with a challenge like that, it really gives you a good feeling and lets you know that the Women's Division is serving its purpose."

Janeen Browning, director of marketing at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, leads the Women's Division this year. A Leadership Plano graduate and already a regular chamber participant, she decided to put her leadership skills to work and accepted the position of director for 2012.

With the impending 40th anniversary celebration, this has been a milestone year and a busy one. Asked what makes the organization successful after all these years, Janeen responds, "The very mission of the Women's Division is Women Empowering Women. And we've been able to do that through several means—advocacy, education, and networking."

Janeen continues, "We help develop women into leaders, providing intentional, educational, and entertaining luncheons for them. We network with other women who understand that it can be more difficult for a woman to climb the corporate ladder. We can use the help of other females, learn what they've gone through, network with them, and find out how we can help each other." On average, about 70 women attend the monthly luncheons at Gleneagles County Club. Some of the brightest minds in the business community have presented programs that are pertinent to every businesswoman.

Topics have included "Demystifying Social Media for Business," presented by Byron Ingraham, president of Infusion Marketing. "Women, Money and Power," by Wendy Edwards, First Vice President–Investments, Wells Fargo, LLC.

"Success Without the Stress: 5 Essential Keys for Women Business Professionals to Transform Frazzled to Fired Up," by Helen Wood, MD, FACP, was well received, as was "Uncommon Strategies for Unimagined Success," by Dr. Venus Opal Reese, CEO/founder of Creation Consulting Practice. That's a far cry from the early days of answering phones in a trailer.

To put the last 40 years in perspective, Mary Jo Dean, Director of Community Relations for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano and the 2006 Chairman of the Board of Plano Chamber of Commerce, shares this:

"When the Women's Division was formed in the early '70s, most of the members did not work outside the home. They joined Women's Division to support the businessmen who were active in the community. Their role may seem strange to the professional women who are members today, but they were valiant women dedicated to supporting the men in their business community.

"Today most members are professional women, employed full time, who are active members of the business community. Women's Division provides resources, opportunities for networking, and educational presentations to assist these women in becoming successful business leaders. Members are dedicated to providing a voice for women and women's business issues within the Plano Chamber of Commerce and the City of Plano."

Ann Dunham, 2007 Women's Division director and insurance agency owner, perfectly illustrates the continued success of the Women's Division:

"The best thing that I have gained personally from Women's Division are the friendships over the years. Whether it is somebody still involved or those who have had to move on for various reasons. The women I have met made a tremendous impact on my ability to make Plano my new home after moving here nine years ago to open my agency, because I did not know a single person.

"Professionally it helped me brand myself in the community and develop my professional leadership because of the women I met and became linked to for coaching and mentorship."

It is that blending of personal and professional connections that make the Women's Division relevant to this day.

We asked Florence one last question: "Do you think there will be a Women's Division 40 years from now?"

Without a moment of hesitation, she answers, "Yes. Yes I do. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't. It's the relationships that make it work—it's not the entity. As long as women feel they are gaining something from being involved and they are enjoying themselves, I think it will remain relevant, and it will still be here."