Seizing the Moment to Strengthen the Chain

When The Links, Incorporated adopted a national structure in 1949, a vital geographical link was missing — chapters from the West.  In September 1950, three chapters were chartered in California (Los Angeles, Oakland Bay Area and San Francisco), connecting the chain of friendship from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.  From there, the Western Area spread Linkdom from the southern tip of Texas northward to Alaska and westward across the Pacific to Hawaii.

Drawing on the synergy generated by women who are committed to friendship and service, the Western Area now has 55 chapters, located in ten states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Washington.

Vada Sommerville was the organizer for Los Angeles, with Loraine Rickmond leading the efforts for Oakland Bay Area and Hortense Thomas for San Francisco. Co-founder and National President Sarah Strickland Scott appointed Loraine Rickmond, Oakland Bay Area Chapter, to chair the cluster.  The Western Area became a formal unit in 1954, when The Links, Incorporated was organized into four geographical areas.

First Western Area Conference • April 14, 1954 • Los Angeles, California

When the first Western Area Conference was held April 14, 1954, three chapters had been added.  Phoenix and Sacramento were chartered in 1952, and Denver, also chartered in 1952, was re-zoned from the Central Area in 1953.  Rickmond was elected Area Director, and her Communications theme served as the foundation for conferences into the 21st century.

Julia B. Smith 6th Western Area Director

By 2011, the six chapters had become fifty-five and encompassed ten states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington.  Today, Western Area chapters are characterized by leadership, award-winning programs, and warm, interpersonal relationships between and among members, as well with other chapters.  The Western Area is known for innovations.

The concepts of cluster workshops and umbrella programming originated in the Western Area--fruit of the sharp intellect and fertile imagination of Julia B. Smith, 6th Western Area Director and former National Program Coordinator.  Other practices initiated by Western Area Directors that have become traditions in the West include the following:

Marion Schultz Sutherland 7th Western Area Director

The 7th Western Area Director, Link Marion Schultz Sutherland, was chosen to serve the organization as the 10th national president. She is credited with the development of a strategic plan that guided the growth and development of The Links, Incorporated through the 1990s and into the 21st century. The 7th Western Area Director, Link Marion Schultz Sutherland, was chosen to serve the organization as the 10th national president. She is credited with the development of a strategic plan that guided the growth and development of The Links, Incorporated through the 1990s and into the 21st century.

The Western Area has demonstrated its commitment to the development and implementation of innovative and meaningful programs in each of the four National program facets.  The Black Patriot’s Memorial, a Denver Chapter initiative, was embraced by the Western Area and ultimately supported by the organization as a national project. Throughout the u chapters nurtured and mentored young people through achiever (male) and cotillion/debutante (female) programs, Saturday schools, science, mathematics and technology institutes, and camps.  Chapters promote health awareness, encourage volunteerism, build appreciation and expertise in various art media, and provide support to children and families in several African countries.

In 2007, Western Area programs in Project ALERT (Alzheimer’s awareness and prevention) and continuing support for the Mayme Clayton Library in Los Angeles were emphasized, and in 2008, the Western Area launched a programmatic focus in STEMs –science, technology, engineering, and math.  The Western Area has also been the site of national programs, including Wade in the Water Traveling Exhibition and the 2nd Annual National Walk-a-Thon.

Because they recognize that The Links, Incorporated does not operate in a vacuum, chapters value and seek opportunities to collaborate and partner with businesses, community groups, and each other, as illustrated by the following:

The Western Area’s innovative and meaningful projects can be traced to the distinctive leadership of the Area Directors. Translating purpose into performance is the measure of great leaders. Like the navigators of the age of exploration, great leaders always have one eye fixed on the horizon and the other on optimism and promise of a better tomorrow.  We salute great past leaders in the Western Area of The Links, Incorporated. They are leaders who have distinguished themselves by their courage, fortitude, vision and brilliance. These leaders represent the best of The Links, Incorporated and have left their indelible imprint on our great history. They are an elite group who dared to make a difference. They are those who dared to dramatize the power of a vision and the courage to transform visions into reality. 

The founding chapters of the Western Area provided a legacy of service and friendship in those early years. As we move forward into the 21st century, we are reminded that those dreams and their vision continue — as Links make a difference in transforming the lives of people of African ancestry and of the global community.