California State Capitol Park in Sacramento in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

PALS Club

1919-2006

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 7, 2025

1. PALS Club Marker

Inscription. PALS Club was organized on a Capitol Park bench in 1919 by Jessie Harris, Maude Pettis and Mae Bromely.

Erected 2006 by PALS, Legislative families of California.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Parks & Recreational Areas • Political Subdivisions. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.

Location. 38° 34.52′ N, 121° 29.488′ W. Marker is in Sacramento, California, in Sacramento County. It is in California State Capitol Park. It can be reached from N Street near 13th Street, on the left when traveling east. The marker is in the south-central section of California State Capitol Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sacramento CA 95814, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Sacramento Valley

and specifically in the Central Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was

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once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: California Firefighters Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Liberty Bell Replica (about 300 feet away); Kenneth L. Maddy (about 300 feet away); Westminster Presbyterian Church (about 300 feet away); The Civil War Memorial Grove (about 300 feet away); USS California Bell Memorial (about 400 feet away); Sequoia Sempervirens (about 400 feet away); California Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sacramento.

Regarding PALS Club. PALS stood for Protective Association of Lonely Souls, a group of legislative spouses that was based on the Congressional Club, a similar organization for congressional spouses in Washington, D.C. Membership declined in particular after term limits were implemented on the California assembly in 1990, and operations ended by 1996.

Also see . . . History of the Protective Association of Lonely Souls (PALS). From the One Voter Project

Excerpt: “According to Mary MacGillivray’s 1989 oral history
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 7, 2025

2. PALS Club Marker
The State Capitol is blocked by trees on the right side of this photo.
interview... at least some of the members understood the acronym as being an abbreviation of 'Protective Association for Legislative Spouses.’ MacGillivray further described the legislator spouse orientation that happened when her husband started his first term in 1967:

“'[W]e went to these sessions and we had different people talk to us. We had a woman talk to us about etiquette and about how to get in and out of cars gracefully. I guess she thought we all came from the sticks or something. Not everybody who goes up there has had a political background, so this is great.’”

(Submitted on February 12, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 12, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 123 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 12, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.