The Tallahassee Service League was founded in 1949 by Louise Kirk Edwards who served as the organization’s first president. Louise and several other young women met over a Coca-Cola at Bennett’s Drug Store to discuss the formation of the group.
Shirley Gwynn and Theresa Munroe Tunis walked over from their jobs in the society department at The Tallahassee Democrat to join Louise Edwards and Hazel Beazley. The foursome agreed to invite friends to form a club and in January of 1949, 39 young ladies from prominent families met for lunch at Joe’s Spaghetti House, formally adopting the charter for the Tallahassee Service League. From the beginning, the group organized with the intention of affiliating with the Association of Junior Leagues of America. The Tallahassee Service League gained acceptance to the AJLA in 1960, officially becoming the Junior League of Tallahassee (JLT).
In its half-century in Tallahassee, JLT has contributed more than $2,500,000 to the community. That money has gone toward establishing the Tallahassee Museum, helping organize the Leon County public library and financing the visiting nurse program that was essential during the polio epidemic in 1954. Concern for education and programs for the schools have always been an integral part of League involvement. In the wake of federal integration laws, the Leon County Schools Administration asked the Junior League to plan with them for effective change and a smooth transition in local schools. The outgrowth of this planning was the Leon School Volunteers.
Projects, fundraisers and the organization itself have changed through the years to reflect the interests and needs of its members and community needs of the day. Here are some highlights from our first 50 years.