February 15, 2007

Quota Mourns Death of PIP Edwina Gies Fraser

1979-80 Quota International President

Quota International regrets to announce the death of Past International President Edwina Gies Fraser on February 7, 2007, at age 96. A dedicated Quotarian since 1954, she was a charter member of the Quota club of Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and served as club president for two years. She later served as governor of District 29 and as international president from 1969 to 1970.

A formidable leader, she was known in Quota and in her community for her constancy, commitment, and pluck. Her presidential theme, "Aim High—Seek New Horizons," reflected her enthusiasm for expanding Quota's influence through greater levels of membership and service. This passion for making a difference was recognized with an appointment to serve on the U.S. President's Committee on the Employment of the Handicapped and to meet with Mrs. Richard Nixon, wife of the President, at the White House in 1969. Several months later, she represented Quota at the 25th anniversary celebration of the United Nations and was delighted to be seated at the head table with Nobel Prize winner Ralph Bunche and Chief Justice Earl Warren.

Edwina's tenacity and business acumen became valuable assets to Allied forces in World War II, when she joined the Navy WAVES in 1945 after graduating with a degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan. As a supply officer assigned to Washington, D.C., she was charged with locating and purchasing "anything odd or peculiar needed by the U.S. Fleet." Her dependability and trustworthiness in sensitive top secret efforts led to a post-war commission in the Naval Reserves, where she rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, the highest rank available to women at that time. She retired in 1973.

Ever open to new experiences, she owned a gift shop in Wellesley after the war, organized and presided over her local chamber of commerce, and served as director of the city's board of trade. In 1982, at age 70, Edwina became a newlywed. Her husband, Alfred Fraser, who preceded her in death, became a popular fixture at Quota meetings and events.

Edwina will be remembered and respected in Quota for her sincerity and steadfast friendship. Noted a Wellesley Quota friend, Beverly Kennedy, "If there was anyone I would wish to emulate, it was Edwina."

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