Betty Goerler wasn’t content to be a Doe in a world of Elks.
So this week, Goerler and four other women became the first full-fledged women members of Elks Lodge 1898 in Pompano Beach, following similar moves being made throughout South Florida and the nation.
Goerler, the first woman to apply for an Elks membership at the lodge, said she had been a member of the Benevolent Patriotic Order of Does – an Elks-related organization comprised of women – for six years.
She said she didn’t like it that Does are restricted from going in the lounge or dining room at the Elks Lodge, 700 NE 10th St., without being accompanied by an Elk.
Efforts to resist letting women join have already proved costly for the Elks, a social organization that also gets involved in children’s charities. The national organization, based in Chicago, lost a $1.3 million lawsuit earlier this year filed by women who had been denied Elk status.
“They learned their lesson,” said Lee Paskiet, exalted ruler of the Boca Raton Elks Lodge 2166.
Paskiet said his lodge has no women members, but will accept them if they apply. “We haven’t initiated any women members, but we aren’t going to disallow it if any apply,” Paskiet said.
Goerler said the only way a Doe or any woman could previously become a member was if their husband was an Elk and he died. As a widow, the woman would get full privileges at the lodge.
Goerler is divorced.
“I really wanted to be an Elk,” she said.
But some of the Elks had different ideas. Earlier this month, members resisted bringing in Goerler and the four other women – Barbara Peters, Nora Neway, Mary Tufariello and Carol Grandstaff – as members.
Said James Sadlier, Goerler’s sponsor: “It is something new. You have a group and they think, ‘Oh God, women!’ This is hard, for an all-male organization to accept women.”
The exalted ruler of the Pompano lodge, Jerry Smolar, denied that the women were rejected two weeks ago, explaining that the club wasn’t able to conduct a proper vote. But he said some members were against letting women join.
“I’m sure there were people that voted against them,” Smolar said, “But the majority were for them.”
Smolar said he didn’t think there would be any problem with women as Elks.
“We’re glad to have them,” Smolar said. “I can’t see that there’s any problem with having them in the lodge.”
Does it work the other way. Do any Elks want to be Does?
Apparently not. Beverly Hitch, secretary of Drove 142 of the Benevolent Patriotic Order of Does, said she doesn’t know of any men who want to turn in their horns and join her organization.
And Hitch said she doesn’t want to be an Elk, either.
“I’ve never been a woman’s-righter,” Hitch said. “Why they would want to be an Elk, I don’t know. Maybe they’re trying to prove something to themselves. I have enough to do keeping up with my women’s club without having to keep up with a men’s club, too.”
