Violet Larney was the founder and first President of AAUW East Mesa branch.   She graduated from high school as Valedictorian in 1938, going on to Illinois State Normal University to major in mathematics, receiving her B.Ed and her M.A. at the University of Illinois. She received her Ph.D. in mathematics in 1950 and married Norbert Larney that year.

Violet became president of the newly formed East Mesa branch of AAUW.  She was generous in her donations to AAUW and Leisure World. Violet’s generosity to AAUW and specifically to East Mesa continues after her death with an endowment of nearly 44% of her estate designated for a perpetual fund for scholarships, fellowships, and other AAUW charitable activities.

A permanent Violet Larney Trust Committee has been established in the branch to advise the Executive Board on the management of these funds. It has funded a permanent national AAUW Fellowship in Violet’s name in the fields of math and science.

American Fellowship Recipients:

2020-2021                  Lily Hsueh                    Arizona State University, Tempe

2019-2020                  Varina Clark                  University of California, Los Angeles