Lois Bevins celebrates 70 years with P.E.O.

Lois Bevins was initiated into the Philanthropic Educational Organization ‘s Chapter DW in Iowa in June 1946. During her 70 years with the organization, Lois has served as president seven times.

Lois Bevins was initiated into the Philanthropic Educational Organization ‘s Chapter DW in Iowa in June 1946. During her 70 years with the organization, Lois has served as president seven times. Photo provided by Lois Bevins

Long time Canyon Lake resident Lois Bevins recently celebrated her 70th birthday with the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.).  P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization that promotes and provides support for women to realize their potential in whatever worthwhile endeavor they choose through scholarships, grants and loans.

P.E.O. was founded on January 21, 1869, by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Today, P.E.O. has grown from that tiny membership of seven to nearly a quarter of a million members in chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa.

Lois attended Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri (owned and supported by the P.E.O.  sisterhood) and graduated in 1947 with an associate of arts degree; she came west to earn her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.

Lois’s mother, grandmothers and aunts were members of P.E.O., Chapter DW in Iowa. Lois was initiated into that same Chapter in June of 1946. In 1956, Lois and her husband moved to Canoga Park, California to build the Bevins Animal Hospital. Desiring to maintain her membership, Lois transferred to Chapter LI.

In 1990, Lois transferred to Chapter AE in the Los Angeles area. She transeferred to the newly established Chaper WW when she move to Canyon Lake in 1994.

During her 70 years with P.E.O., Lois has served on numerous committees and in a number of offices within the organization. She’s served as president of Chapters LI, AE and WW a total of seven times over the years.

Not only does Lois continue to support P.E.O. in its endeavors on the local, state and international level, but also continues to support the Bertha Keister Sports Scholarship she established at Cottey College in 1981 in honor of her mother. During her tenure at Cottey, Lois played basketball, field hockey and softball; she has a special feeling for those young women engaged in sports. Lois truly reflects the ideals and spirit of P.E.O.

Lois also is active in the Canyon Lake Woman’s Club and currently serves as president of the Canyon Lake Lioness Club.




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