At a meeting held at the schoolhouse on May 24, 1917, Mrs.
Mary HOBBINS of Madison organized the Brodhead
Branch of the American Red Cross, as a branch of the Madison
Chapter with forty-seven members as a nucleus. At this meeting
the following officers were elected: President, Mr. J. B. PIERCE;
First Vice-president, Mrs. I. H. HOWARD; Treasurer, Mrs. B. H.
RODERICK; Advisory committee, Mesdames U. S. HARTMAN, W. N. COBB,
and F. K. VANCE, whose place was afterward taken by Mrs. William
BREYVOGEL. The pastors of the city were chosen to serve as Second
Vice-presidents. These were the Reverends SCOTT, HALE, HOFFMAN,
KRAUS, BAERWALD, and WRIGHT. All these officers constituted the
executive board which met every Tuesday evening at 7:30 o'clock.
Mesdames J. L. FLEEK, B. H. RODERICK, and W. H. FLEEK were
appointed by the Advisory Board to go to
Madison to receive instructions in the Red Cross work. These,
with Mrs. HOWARD and Mrs. COBB, became instructors in the work-rooms.
Mrs. J. L. FLEEK was appointed superintendent of the work and
with Mrs. RODERICK, served as the purchasing committee. Godfrey
ZUERCHER and Harry HARTMAN were appointed the permanent auditing
committee.
As the work of the Branch increased, new directors were added
in the work-room. These were as follows: Knitting
committee, Mrs. L. J. STAIR, Mrs. E. H. COLE, and Mrs. A.
M. BOWEN; Refugee, Mrs. Will LAWVER and Mrs. Roy TIES; Packing,
Mrs. Chas. MOONEY and Mrs. Albert BAXTER. Mrs. J. L. FLEEK, Mrs.
HOWARD and Mrs. RODERICK were retained as superintendent and
instructors.
The Masonic Club Rooms, which were offered by the Lodge to
the Red Cross for its work during the war, were used as
work-rooms. During May and June these rooms were fitted up
with chairs, tables, machines, electric irons, scales, trunks
and so forth, which generous people loaned or donated. The work
began June 27. At first Tuesday and Thursday afternoons were
set aside as regular Red Cross days, but later, as the demand
increased, work was done on many other days.
On November 26, 1918, new officers were elected as follows:
Mr. B. H. RODERICK, President; Mrs. I. H.
HOWARD, Vice-president; Miss Lydia ZUERCHER, Recording Secretary;
Mr. W. H. FLEEK, Treasurer. The same directors of work were appointed;
these with the officers, still meet to plan any work that it
may seem necessary to do. In February, 1919, the executive committee
decided to close the work-rooms. If, after that date, any work
should be assigned, it was to be distributed and done in the
homes.