The History of POWERtalk International
POWERtalk International is a worldwide power in many countries on five continents: Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Greece, Iceland, Japan, Malawi, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA and Zimbabwe.
June 25, 1938 is considered to be the origin of International Toastmistress Clubs (from which POWERtalk International and International Training in Communication developed), but actually the beginning reached farther back – more than ten years before, when clubs for women around California were organized similar to Toastmasters. In 1935, Mrs. Amy Gulick put out a call for women interested in forming a Women’s Oral Expression Club and our founder Ernestine Frances White attended that meeting.
Our founder was born on August 17, 1904, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. Her family moved to the United States in 1909 and settled in California. Ernestine met her husband George on a blind date and they were married on May 15, 1927. George was instrumental in assisting Dr Ralph Smedley in forming the first Toastmaster Club in San Francisco. Many of the wives of Toastmasters would accompany their husbands to meetings and Ernestine was no exception. It was at one of those meetings that the desk clerk at the YWCA suggested they form a group of their own. Ernestine immediately acted on this suggestion and a woman’s group was formed. Dr Smedley suggested she go international. Early in 1938, George who had now become a patent attorney, prepared incorporation papers which were filed with the Secretary of State in California. Ernestine was chosen as temporary chair (later first president). Motivated by a vision of a world of Toastmistress Clubs, the realization of her dream began to take shape. On December 16, 1938 Charter No. 1 was issued to the San Francisco Club.
“The progress of the group is the sum total of the development and advancement of the individual members of the group and the growth of the group is the stimulant for the improvement of the individual.”
With these profound words, Ernestine White outlined her credo at the first International Toastmistress’s assembly on August 11, 1939 where she was presented with a gavel that had been used by the Vice President of the United States.
