The Outdoor Circle ~ ​Our First President
Cherilla Storrs Lowrey
One of the Founders & First President of The Outdoor Circle

Born in Utica, New York, the youngest child, with six sisters and one brother, Cherilla lived on a farm in Trenton, New Jersey and after her father's death, moved to California with her mother and several siblings. In March of 1882, she came to Honolulu to teach at the Kawaiahao Seminary, a school for Hawaiian girls. In 1883 she became the Assistant Principal of Punahou Preparatory School and taught second grade.

Cherilla's main concerns were family and church, but in 1909 she became a civic leader. Impressed by the beautiful cities of Europe she had visited in 1903 and 1904, she envisioned a Honolulu, transformed from a dusty community into a city of beautiful trees and flowering gardens. Concerns over the problem of unsightly billboards led to a committee to control outdoor advertising. ​She enrolled other women in her vision and by 1912, they were organized as
The Outdoor Circle, with Cherilla as the first President.

It was a testament to her vision and strength of character that when she passed away in 1918, she left behind an organization of nearly 600 women equally committed to seeing Hawai‘i remain clean, green and beautiful.
​This was the begin of a journey that has lasted for over a century.

We are honored that the descendants of Cherilla Storrs Lowrey continue to be committed to her keen foresight and vision and have created a special fund in memory of her granddaughter Virginia Lowrey Brown,
who passed away in January 2023, ​at 102 years of age. Virginia continued her grandmother's
passion for preservation and beauty which extends to her descendants as well.

This fund will be used for education, beautification and general support of The Outdoor Circle's
​111-year old mission of keeping Hawai‘i clean, green and beautiful.

Thank you for your generosity and helping to honor all those who came together to create The Outdoor Circle,
​Hawai‘i's first environmental organization. Our Founders would be pleased to know
their work has endured and inspired others to follow in their footsteps.
TOC ​Presidents Past & Present
2022-2023
2018-2022
2016-2018
2015-2016
​​2012-2015
2010-2012
​2009-2010
2007-2009
2005-2007
2002-2005
2000-2002
1998-2000
1997-1998
1995-1997
1992-1995
1989-1992
​1987-1989
​1984-1987
1982-1984
1980-1982
1978-1980
Diane Harding
Scott Wilson
Steve Mechler
Mike McFarlane
Alexandra Avery
Joel Kurokawa
Denise Soderholm
Betsey Connors
Kathy Whitmire
Lester H. Inouye
Jo Ann Best
Carol Hendricks
​Kathy Durham
​Carol Hendricks
Susan Bright Spangler
Betty Crocker
Carolie Simone
​Betty Crocker
Ann Stubenberg
Suzanne McKeever
Susan Fristoe
1977-1978
1975-1976
1974-1975
1973-1974
1972-1973
1971-1972
1969-1971
1968
1967
1966
1965
1964
1963
1962
1961
1960
1959
1958
1956-1957
1954-1955
​1952-1953
Betty Crocker
June Humme
Helen Davis
Susan Fristoe
Luci Creps Pfaltzgraff
Isabel Eichelberger
Dorothy Hargreaves
Ann Simpson
Maizie Sasaki
Mard Erdman
Billy Rice
Cec Blackfield
Cynthia Marnie
Virginia Davis
Helen Davis
Janet Wimberly
Elizabeth Broadbent
Dorothy Wolf
Ann Benner
Virginia Harloe
Elizabeth Broadbent​
1950-1951
1949
1948
1946-1947
1941-1945
1939-1940
1938
1936-1937
1934-1935
1933
1929-1932
1928
1927
1926
1923-1925
1921-1922
1919-1920
1918
1917
​1912-1917
Alice Spalding Bowen
Nellie McLean
Ruth Black
Ululani Roberts
​Ruth Black
Mary Pfeuger
Mary White
Mrs. Frederick D. Lowrey
Anna Victoria Chillingworth
Muriel Cooke
Louise Dillingham
Beatrice Newcomb
Beatrice Castle
Kate Cooper
Beatrice Castle
Mrs. F.R. Day
​Ululani Roberts
Maude Young
Harriett Thurston
Cherilla Lowrey
The Outdoor Circle has appreciated the dedication of all of our Presidents, starting with Cherilla Storrs Lowrey,
and we thank them for helping to uphold the vision of our Founders and guiding the organization through
​many, many years of keeping Hawai‘i clean, green and beautiful.