As more and more women began assuming positions of responsibility in business and community life, many Optimists began questioning why they couldn’t recruit these women who had become bank presidents, store managers and practicing attorneys into their Clubs. An amendment to the Optimist International Constitution allowing Clubs the option of admitting women failed at the 1985 International Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but received a 61% favorable vote at the 1986 Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, just short of the two-thirds majority required. Members opposing the amendment feared a breakdown of the social traditions the organization had known. Going into 1987, concerns had grown about possible legal challenges to the men-only provision. Also, many Optimists began to see women’s membership as an opportunity for substantial membership growth. The final impetus for change came on May 4, 1987, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that Rotary International could not revoke the charter of a club that had admitted women. After studying the ruling, the Optimist International Board of Directors, chaired by 1986-87 President Lester R. Craft, determined that the men-only provision could no longer be enforced.

Presidential Meet and Greet 1985-1986 Optimist International President James Attarian meets U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

The decision that women would be accepted as members of Optimist Clubs was announced on June 19, 1987, 68 years to the day from the founding of the organization. Eleven days later, delegates to the International Convention in Montreal removed the men-only provision from the Constitution. A rush of new female members poured into Optimist Clubs. All-female Clubs quickly chartered in Newhall, California; Notre Dame de Ile Perrot, Quebec; Windsor Gardens, Colorado; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to name a few. Among the first female members was Carolyn Craft, President Craft’s wife. By June 1988, an estimated 6,000 women had joined Optimist Clubs. Many were serving as Club officers, and with the 1988-89 year many began moving into Lieutenant Governor positions and District chairmanships. In 1991-92, the first female governor of an Optimist District took office when Jewel L. Thompson of Wichita Falls, Texas, took over that leadership role in the North Texas District. The first woman to hold the office of International Vice President was Virginia (Ginny) Ricker of Columbia, South Carolina, in 1997-98, just over ten years after the historic vote in Montreal. And in 2006-07, Ronnie Dunn of Frankfort, Kentucky, became the first female International President in the organization’s history. It was only fitting that Dunn presided over the 2007 International Convention held in the same venue in Montreal where the vote to admit women had been held exactly 20 years earlier.

After membership was opened to women in 1987, they took on leadership roles almost immediately.

Optimists faced another type of challenge between 1986 and 1988, skyrocketing liability insurance rates. The high cost of insurance forced revocation or disbandment of over 350 Clubs, many of those being smaller, less active Clubs.

On October 1, 1986, Hugh H. Cranford began his retirement after serving 19 years as Executive Secretary. Succeeding him was Richard E. Arnold, a business executive and certified public accountant. One year later, his title was changed to Executive Director.

In addition, the former Montreal Supply Depot was moved to a larger, more centrally located facility, renamed the Canadian Service Centre and offered a broader range of member services.