2018 Emily Farley Award Recipient
Anne, a birth-right Mainer hailing from Presque Isle, has demonstrated long-term commitment, passion, and skilled leadership to the League for approximately 50 years. She first got involved in the 1960s with the Pennsylvania LWV. Marsha Bingler, current LWVPA member, was living in Pennsylvania and worked closely with Anne when they met at the Pennsylvania League State Convention. Marsha was the President of the LWV of Pittsburgh while Anne was the State LWV President. Marsha notes that Anne served the League with exceptional devotion. She was a pleasure to work with because she inspired others and was dependable, organized and knowledgeable.
Anne’s daughter, Sarah Robinson, witnessed the strong leadership and dedication Marsha speaks of from a more personal perspective. Although Sarah, and her sister Ellen, didn't always understand their mother's commitment to the League, Sarah admits that her mom's dedication created one of the best childhood experiences anyone could ask for. She elaborates: Mom would give me days off from school. She would call them `Mental Health Days,' and I would get to go to the state capital in Harrisburg, get to see the kind of work my mom did for the League, and meet the most amazing people. Among them was Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania.
There are other ways in which Sarah admires her mother's League involvement. She notes, for example, that not everyone's Mom gets to hush a member of the Bush family. This refers to Anne’s participation with other League members in the Geraldine Ferraro and George W. Bush vice presidential debate in 1984. It was unacceptable to clap during the debate and the members of the Bush family did not adhere to the rules. Anne reminded the famous political family that it was inappropriate. Sarah continues: What I learned from my mom, but did not realize it growing up, was that girls have a say in their future, and they can advocate for themselves.
They say a great leader knows how to coach, offering important guidance without being aggressive in the way things ought to be done or offering an opinion forcefully. Karla Wight, the 2016 Emily Farley Awardee, found this leadership skill in Anne profoundly helpful during the beginning days of re-establishing the LWVPA.
In addition to her League activities, Anne worked with a variety of non-profit organizations on community service, volunteer management and organization development issues; she also served on the Boards of several non-profits. To honor Anne after her death in 2022, the LWVPA established the Anne Schinck Student Internship, funded through donations to the EFEF. The internship supports student interns in the Maine Students Vote program.