Motto:  “Serving Youth and Adults”

Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. was chartered in the state of Texas on September 8, 1964 as a non-profit educational, humanitarian organization with the following charter members:  Mrs. Franchell Boswell, Tyler, Texas; Mrs. Ina Bolton Brown, Houston, Texas; Mrs. Augusta R. Cash, Memphis, Tennessee; Major Ozell M. Dean, Washington, D.C.; Mrs. Willie Lee Glass, Tyler, Texas; Mrs. La Verne R. Madlock, Tyler, Texas; Mrs. Ruth Payne Smith, Navasota, Texas; and Mrs. Georgia B. Presswood Nelson, Dallas, Texas.  The vision and service of these eight dedicated women created the TLOD Story.

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The first meeting to establish policies and to enact governing laws for the organization was held June 4, 1964 at Texas College in Tyler, Texas.  The purpose of the organization was to marshal the talents, energies, and skills of women nationally in a collaborative effort to help alleviate the moral and social problems confronting our youth in the mid-sixties.  Thus, the organization was born.

Since its inception, the organization has expanded its objectives to include its focus on youth (known as Top Teens of America), improving the status of women, service to senior citizens, community beautification, and community partnerships.  Chapters nationwide support the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), United Negro College Fund (UNCF), and the awarding of national scholarships to at least one in each of TLOD’s six geographic areas.  Moreover, TLOD has included in its program, a cooperative peer education facet with Top Teens of America and the National Foundation, March of Dimes.

Membership in TLOD has grown to include thousands of dedicated, concerned, hardworking members.  The Ladies represent a cross-section of resourceful woman power, all of who work in the interest of the more than 4,000 Top Teens.  Top Ladies support other major thrusts of the organization geared toward enhancing the quality of life for our fellow human beings.

Ongoing programs and projects are important to the fulfillment of TLOD’s mission.  As “shapers of change,” members of Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. have, through each administration, continued their efforts toward “Serving Youth and Adults.”