Letter from Hudi Podolsky

Anthony Event a Big Success

The League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area presented “Susan B. Anthony Speaks” on Sunday, June 28. With LWVCA Co-president Laura Wetzel’s awesome vision and planning, and help from many board members, the event was a knockout.

We had live early-American folk music on the lawn of the First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown (where Susan B. Anthony spoke in 1855), and then “Susan B. Anthony,” played by Linda McKenney, welcomed us into the church. Her presentation was captivating—personal and full of fascinating history and a passion for justice.

Local artist Christine Heller spoke about her stunning suffragist portraits on display around the church. Martha Membrino, member of the Friends of the Village Library, discussed the beautiful history banners on loan from the Village Library of Cooperstown. Ashley Hopkins Benton of the New York State Museum shared some history with us, and Pastor Jess Lambert welcomed us and shared a bit about the church, its history, and its community.

Nearly 100 people filled the room and stayed afterward to look, visit and buy books from Jim Havener’s pop-up Green Toad Bookstore. We introduced our “Defending Democracy at Home” campaign to raise $10,000.00 to reach voters.

We are so grateful to our sponsors, the Cooperstown Rotary Foundation and the Otsego County America250 Fund. We’re also indebted to our 12 co-sponsors who helped spread the word: the Community Foundation of Otsego County; Connections at Clark Sports Center; Cooperstown Graduate Program; the Fly Creek Area Historical Society; “The Freeman’s Journal;” Friends of the Village Library of Cooperstown; Green Toad Bookstore; the Hartwick College Institute of Public Service; the Race, Equity and Justice Series of the First Baptist Church of Cooperstown; Rotary Club of Cooperstown; the Village of Cooperstown; and the Village Library of Cooperstown.

Thanks to all for making this an event that inspired us to reflect on our history as our country turns 250, and to commit ourselves to defending our precious democracy.

Hudi Podolsky
LWVCA Co-president
Cooperstown