Historical April 1983 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Vivienne Dobbs is a volunteer, a leader and a neighbor all at the same time.
She was born in St. Louis and is a graduate of Sumner High School.
She has lived in the Skinker-DeBaliviere area for 18 years, but before that in Virginia, Florida and many other states. Working now at Barnes Hospital, she regularly has articles published in the Barnes Hospital newspaper.
She is a lady with lots of “firsts” in the world of volunteerism.
She married a Navy man in 1952, and in 1955 became the first black executive officer of the Navy Auxiliary Board.
She was also the first black member of the Our Lady of Loretta Sodality, a Catholic women’s organization. More recently she is involved in the National Council of Negro Women, which has three sections in St. Louis. Vivienne is president of the Euclid Plaza Section of the NCNW. Originally begun in the 1930s, the organization now includes many – white women.
Each of its sections raises funds and provides services for aspiring young people. (If readers of any race want to be part of the NCNW, call Vivienne at 726-2083.) Vivienne is also an active booster of the St. Louis Sentinal and its charities.
All the money raised goes to organizations in the St. Louis area. Anheuser-Busch, Pillsbury, Xerox and others support the programs which, in turn raise funds for children’s homes and other needy causes. (For tickets to this year’s fashion show, featuring Robin Smith, call Vivienne.) Recently Mayor Schoemehl organized a committee to determine activities for Kiel Opera House. Vivienne was named to that commission by the mayor.
She is also a Friend of the Fox and in that capacity does volunteer tasks at the theater.
In 1980 Vivienne Dobbs was sent by the U.S. Secretariat to Denver, Colorado, to attend a meeting of some 3,000 women discussing the Equal Rights Amendment.
But she felt that much money was spent to accomplish very little.
In her view. “If just half of it had been spent for those who really needed it, the whole thing would have been better.” Closer to home, Vivienne’s community service includes many years of work on the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council.
She loves this neighborhood and hopes to retire here.
She is most proud of her Council work On traffic patterns around Hamilton School, the historic district legislation, and the park committee.
She believes the Council is one of the most important parts of the neighborhood. Vivienne doesn’t understand why so much bickering used to go on with the Council.
It seems to her that many of the controversial points were unrelated to the true nature of the neighborhood.
She also regrets the fact that there are so many neighborhood organizations and thinks that there should be just one organization for all the people in the Council area, rather than the three or four or more there are now.
After living 18 years in the same house in Washington Heights, Vivienne still finds a lot of fear among her neighbors.
The fence Pantheon has left on Laurel keeps the residents apart from those who live in the condominiums, she points out, wondering if perhaps the world hasn’t gone condominium crazy.
Many people in Washington Heights are afraid Pantheon will just buy up the whole area and ship them all out, she adds.
The fence on Laurel has become a kind of symbol of what may happen — empty land fenced off to go to Weeds and dirt. Vivienne thinks Operation Brightside is one of the best things that has happened to the area and that, if it continues, it can really make a difference. Somehow the people have to be made to feel they can belong, she insists. Vivienne Dobbs loves this neighbor hood.
She has had some fights and some victories.
Most important she has made lasting friendships.
The one thing this area needs, she feels, is an organization for working women.
When the working Woman comes home, she needs to relax and get away with other women in a recreation setting that isn’t just aerobic exercises “or some such nonsense.” Working women, black and white, should have the chance to get together in a club or bowling league or just have the chance to relax and make friends.
If the past is any evidence, someone like Vivienne Dobbs could put together just such a recreation club. Its purpose would have to include fund raising for neighborhood causes along with the fun, however.
If you haven’t charity, you haven’t anything. Vivienne Dobbs has the things which really count.
Original photograph caption
Vivienne Dobbs. Photo by King Schoenfeld. The Paper, April 1983, page 6.
Originally published in The Paper, April 1983.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1983_04.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 6.
