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Yo-Mah-O IAAP chapter bids professional farewell
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DUSTIN LIVESAY | SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR Sue Urmsan, left, of Mineral Ridge and Mary Lou Weingart of Salem toast their drinks during the final meeting of Yo-Mah-O Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals last week at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman.
Organization had been in Valley for 68 years
By JOANN JONES
Christine Simone took the members of the Yo-Mah-O chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals on a trip down memory lane Tuesday evening when the organization had its final gathering before the chapter is dissolved Dec. 31.
Simone, a Poland resident and an administrative assistant in human resources and accounting at Melmor Associates in Niles, produced a movie showing the history of Yo-Mah-O since its inception in 1946. The soundtrack included Doris Day and the Les Brown band’s “Sentimental Journey,” Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.”
Pointing at the screen and laughing at the way they looked decades ago, the members celebrated the chapter’s accomplishments and the unforgettable friendships they had made.
“It’s just one big celebration,” Simone said of Tuesday evening‘s event. “We’re celebrating our members. This chapter has been around for 68 years.”
The IAAP will eliminate all local chapters by April, instead establishing branches across the United States that will be situated to serve the largest concentration of members.
“All chapters of IAAP are required to close by April 2015,” Simone said. “We are an aging organization. I’ve been in 15 years, and we’ve been struggling for 10 of those, trying to get new, young members.”
“The state organizations, known as divisions, are closing by June,” she added.
“I can see the need for the restructuring, and I understand,” Simone said. “They’re trying to change and modernize. Young people just don’t want to come to meetings.”
”We’re a typewriter organization functioning in a computer world,” she told the 33 members and 31 guests in attendance at the gala at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman.
Linda Mettle, Ohio Division president, attended the celebration, as she will when other chapters across the state close for good.
“We definitely need it [restructuring],” she said. “We’ve been talking for years, trying to get younger people in and move in the direction of the millennium. Many people just aren’t interested in joining and being with people. Our total focus now is providing education to our members. Each branch will have one event per year that anyone can go to. If they want to stay close or go far, they can.”
Marilyn Carroll of Youngs-town, a 54-year member who works part time for the Mahoning County Bar Association, said the organization is “just not getting enough members.”
“I’d rather go to a seminar than sit back and read something on a computer as young people do today,” said Carroll, who has held almost all chapter offices and has traveled to several IAAP conventions. “I feel bad the chapters are closing. The professionalism and camaraderie we’ve had, the friendships we made — you just can’t make friendships like those anymore.”
Judy Cundik, a Boardman resident who joined Yo-Mah-O in 1974, has been active at both the local and state level. Locally, she has chaired committees and served as president four times. On the state or division level, she served as parliamentary adviser.
“It’s a good idea to restructure the organization to bring it into the 21st century,” said Cundik, who works at Harrington Health in Canfield. “The organization isn’t going away; just the local chapters are being dissolved.”
“Young people want to read online and take part in webinars,” she said. “However, they will miss the camaraderie and networking we had.”
“One thing I’m really going to miss is how everyone is so willing to help,” Cundik continued. “I can call someone and say, ‘How do I get out of this on my computer?’ or ‘How can I make that flier?’ Christine Simone is my go-to for that now.”
“When we became administrative professionals,” she said, “we met the public, got dressed up. I think younger people think we’re too stiff and formal.”
She recalled the organization’s “Boss’s Night,” which is now called “Executive Night.”
“The women wore long gowns and wore corsages,” she recalled as she shared her memories during the evening’s program. “The bosses were impressed.”
Cundik said many members still plan to get together on their regular monthly meeting night even though the organization will be dissolved.
Patricia Roberts of Boardman said she just realized she has been a member for 50 years.
“I joined in 1964,” said Roberts, who is retired from Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Youngstown. “It was a place to check out what other people did. We were always close. Everybody looked out for everyone else.”
“Everything changes,” said Roberts, who also is a past president.
“What can you say? They are really great gals. They did more for me than I did for them.”
Also attending the celebration was Irene Sharkey of Youngstown, who has been with the chapter the longest. Sharkey has been a member for 62 of the 68 years of the chapter’s existence.
However, not all members of the organization have been in for decades, and not all are female.
Joe Gibson, formerly of Brookfield and now of Columbus, joined Yo-Mah-O as a student in 2011 when he was working in YSU’s Dana School of Music and the College of Fine and Performing Arts.
“My boss Sue Urmson told me about IAAP,” he said. “She shared some of her experiences with me, and I did some further research before I joined.”
Gibson, on active duty in the Army National Guard, now works in human resources at Joint Force Headquarters in the G-1 personnel branch in Columbus.
“I checked out chapters in Columbus, and nothing compared to Yo-Mah-O,” said Gibson, who has no qualms about being the youngest and only male member. “I drive up once a month for meetings and pretty much any event I can get to.”
“I have no issues being with a lot of women,” he said with a laugh. “I get along great with my mother and sisters so I’m used to it.”
Gibson was named Member of the Year in 2013.
“If we could just clone Joe,” Simone said during the celebration, “we could keep going.”
The Yo-Mah-O chapter was chartered in 1946 with 64 members, four years after the IAAP (formerly known as the National Secretaries Association and Professional Secretaries International) was established. Membership peaked in the 1960s with about 150 members, Simone said.
“We have only 33 dues-paying members now,” she said, adding that not all of them are active in the organization.
Yo-Mah-O began presenting a scholarship in 1950 when it awarded East High School graduate Alice Stavick $200 to further her studies in the secretarial field. Since then the scholarship amount has increased to two $1,000 scholarships. The criteria for the scholarships have changed focus to those furthering their education as administrative office professionals or those entering the business field.
The chapter has given out more than $35,000 in scholarships since 1950. To raise funds for those, the group used to sponsor craft shows but more recently had reverse-raffle dinners for 10 years. The members also had fashion shows and sold Yankee Candles.
Yo-Mah-O members also were active in the community by walking in the Relay for Life and donating holiday gifts to Akron Children’s Hospital and Home Instead Senior Care. In addition, the members packed food at Second Harvest Food Bank and served food at the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen. They also donated items to Beatitude House and Toys for Tots.
Choking back tears at the end of the evening, Simone presented Lynn Romeo, the chapter’s final president, with a gift and then gave closing remarks.
“This is a friendly, caring, active, generous, and supportive group,” Simone said. “We’ve made friends we’ll have forever. We’ve been active in the community. We’ve had a lot of fun.”
“We will remember Yo-Mah-O for what we’ve done,” she told the members. “And remember, I’ll be seeing you.”