G.F.W.C. Prexy

An indefatigable clubwoman, Mrs. Oscar A. Ahlgren of Whiting, Ind. belongs to so many committees, pursues so varied and vigorous a round of civic activities that, as her lawyer-husband says, "It stuns me." Last week Mrs. Ahlgren took the top honor in her field: she was elected president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (membership: nearly 11,000,000).

Dedicated to the proposition that women should become more absorbed in the affairs of their communities, Mrs. Ahlgren joined the Federation of Women's Clubs two decades ago. A fluent, able public speaker, she has taken part in national, state and local movements to sell bonds, encourage youth, preserve historical records, promote the arts, combat Communism, foster child welfare, etc. The roster of her activities takes 27 lines in Who's Who. Among other things, she is a Congregationalist, Republican, special correspondent of the Hammond (Ind.) Times, member of the League of Women Voters, the Order of the Eastern Star and the American Legion Women's Auxiliary. Her husband, who says he "glories in Mildred's achievements," has a busy record in civic affairs, too: he served from 1921-31 in the Indiana legislature, once ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress. The Ahlgrens have one daughter, now married and living in Texas.

As the G.F.W.C.'s new head, Mrs. Ahlgren promptly took a stand on two controversial issues that came up during last week's convention in Minneapolis: she praised a resolution backing the U.N.; she explained the membership's decision not to back federal aid to education. "We believe," she said, "in states' rights."

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