The Women's Roundtable (WRT) was founded as an off-shoot of the original Erie 80 group formed in 1980. The goal of Erie 80 (now defunct), and subsequently WRT, was to provide a vehicle where women could network with other women, grow in their personal and professional relationships and to establish an organization dedicated to the empowerment of women in the Erie area.

At a time when women were not able to be members of such clubs as the Maennerchor or many golf/country clubs except in their husband's name, we hoped to start our own women-only (or at least women-welcome) club where women could bring guests for business or personal dinners and lunches and be expected to pick up the tab. In those days, the check automatically was given to the guy, or divided if the parties were women. We never had enough money for that and soon it was no longer necessary, thank goodness.

We also wanted to encourage women entrepreneurs, another group which did not exist to a large degree in the early 80's. At one time, we had a small business incubator for women in the then-Baldwin building. It was also where we held board meetings, etc. This was under Erie 80 and when that group dissolved, the furnishings were donated to GROW (now Mercy Center for Women).

Gerry Wallerstein and I held a series of workshops aimed at giving women interested in starting or expanding their own businesses the fundamentals they would need. All instructors were women who were themselves small business owners. In addition to their insights on being a woman in a male-dominated economy, they also served as role models for the fledgling "entrepreneurs". It turned out that many of those attending the workshops became WRT members (and officers) as did some of the instructors.

Because of our belief that women were discriminated against for credit in starting their own businesses, the idea of a loan fund was adopted. It was Gerry's idea, and after she died of cancer, the fund was renamed The Gerry B. Wallerstein Fund in her honor.

In order to honor women for their helpfulness to other women and women's causes, and as role models, the Woman of the Year award was born. Originally, it was an Erie 80 award, but was passed down to WRT. It has since become a coveted award and, in my opinion, all who have received it, earned it (except maybe me!).

Today's world is very different for women in Erie. But the basic premise behind both Erie 80 and WRT remains the same: help women to support and empower each other for their own good and that of the Erie community.