Red Hat Society

"The Red Hat Society began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor and élance, flair, and eagerness. "

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We are an international society of women that supports and encourages women in their pursuit of fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment, and fitness.

Fun – we celebrate life at every age
Friendship – we solidify and expand the bonds of sisterhood
Freedom – we discover and explore new interests
Fulfillment – we realize our personal potential
Fitness – we embrace healthy, life-lengthening lifestyles

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"While visiting a friend in Tucson several years ago, Sue Ellen Cooper impulsively bought a bright red fedora at a thrift shop, for no other reason than that it was cheap and, she thought, quite dashing. A year or two later she read the poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph, which depicts an older woman in purple clothing with a red hat. Sue Ellen felt an immediate kinship with Ms. Joseph. 

She decided that her birthday gift to her dear friend, Linda Murphy, would be a vintage red hat and a copy of the poem. She has always enjoyed whimsical decorating ideas, so she thought the hat would look nice hanging on a hook next to the framed poem. Linda got so much enjoyment out of the hat and the poem that Sue Ellen gave the same gift to another friend, then another, then another.  

One day it occurred to these friends that they were becoming a sort of "Red Hat Society" and that perhaps they should go out to tea... in full regalia. They decided they would find purple dresses which didn't go with their red hats to complete the poem's image."

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WARNING  by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me....

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other people's gardens . . .

The ending of the poem pleases its readers when the woman says:

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

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I am pleased and honored that my new friend, Bobbie Steinberg, invited me to this group.  Thank you, Bobbie.

This group is a real mixture of ages, which is good.  We're going out to lunch at a nice seafood restaurant in January.  And, yes, they all had on red hats and purple clothes.

This photo was at our Christmas Party in 2011.