Name/Title
Oral History of Helen FoersterEntry/Object ID
2014.011.001Scope and Content
Helen Foerster was born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. She attended Hazleton High School and the McCann School of Business before she moved to Los Altos with her husband in 1954, being drawn to the local architecture and lush scenery. In 1957 she helped found the Federated Women’s Club of Los Altos, and in 1959 she became its second president. The work that Helen Foerster did with the Federated Women’s Club of Los Altos made it a pillar of the community of Los Altos, and the fruits of their labor, such as the Los Altos Youth Center, are still visible in Los Altos today.
Helen Foerster explains that during her early years in Los Altos, she felt there was a lack of community events or engagement for the women of the town. Her passion for community and connection led her to become one of the twelve founding members of the Federated Women’s Club of Los Altos, and their second president ever from 1959-1960. As president of the club, Helen Foerster oversaw the funding and creation of the Los Altos Youth Center and attended the National Convention of the Federated Women’s Clubs in Washington, D.C. She recalls the growth of the Los Altos Women’s Club chapter, projects they funded, and various fundraisers they threw for the community, such as fashion shows, thrift markets, and dances. Her recountings emphasize the important social aspects of the club for its members and credits it for the many lasting friendships that she formed through its activities. She also reflects on witnessing the shifts in Los Altos as things grew towards the tech-driven Silicon Valley of today, describing first the apricot orchards and her experiences with migrant workers in Los Altos, as well as her first introductions to the technology that would later become computers.
Helen Foerster’s work with the Los Altos Women’s Club, which she was still a member of at the time of this interview, was foundational in creating a strong community space for the women of Los Altos. Her contributions to the overall community still stand today, in the form of the Los Altos Youth Center and continued gourmet cooking classes and book clubsCollection
Oral History CollectionOral History Details
Interviewee
Helen FoersterInterviewer
Marcia AdamsInterview Date
Apr 16, 2014