Our "Queen Mum," Susie Stoddard, read an article in the Santa Barbara Newpress about the Red Hat Society in January 2001, and being very familiar with the poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph - "When I am an old woman" - she decided to follow suit and gave a friend, Jody Robertson, an old-style small felt pillbox-type red hat. She and Jody had been friends for over 30 years and often quoted parts of the poem. They decided they had reached the "Purple Dress" stage. So Susie went to the Red Hat Society web site and left a message inquiring if others in the Santa Barbara area would like to start a group of "Red Hats." She received responses from Rhona Anderson, Ellen Richardson, and Ellen Hamilton. After an aborted first meeting they finally got together at the Elephant Bar on January 24, 2001, and they had such a good time that "as they say," The Rest Is History.
The Santa Barbara Hattitudes became an officially registered Red Hat chapter on May 02, 2001.
Our Web Site has received special attention from Homestead.com! They love us! Our web site designer, Sherran Cressall has been invited to the Bacara on April 5th 2003 to join an off-site meeting. The theme is: Focus on the Members!
Here is what they have said!
"My name is Janet Ellman and I'm the Customer Advocate in the office of the CEO at Homestead Technologies.
We just love the site you built for the Santa Barbara Red Hat Society! It truly fulfills our vision of the kind of thing we were hoping to help people accomplish when we created our software and service."
Janet Ellman, Sherran Cressall and CEO Justin Kitch at the Bacara April 5, 2003
