12 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | MAY 2018 ❝ ❝ necks. We gave away boutonnières to the guests — that’s where the name comes from,” said Carolyn Bosworth, Emma’s grandmother, who is a Board of Visitors member and was a Flower Girl in 1964. The Board of Visitors was founded in 1908, when Arizona was still a territory and Phoenix just a small desert town. A group of women called the Board of Friendly Visitors began offering help to people suffering from “the great white plague” — tuberculosis. Over the years, this small group of women serving patients in tents grew into a sophisticated fundraising operation, the oldest woman’s charitable organization in Arizona. Since then, the organization has withstood wars, the Great Depression and the astronomical growth of the Phoenix metropolitan area. In that time, The Board of Visitors has granted more than $20 million to help meet the healthcare needs of women, children and the elderly. Such good works were the hallmark of Betsy Taylor’s life. Born in 1924, Betsy attended North High School in Phoenix, where she was president of the Girl’s League. After graduating, she traveled by train to attend college in Illinois and became the first female editor of the Northwestern University Syllabus yearbook. Betsy pursued a career in journalism until she met a young doctor from Chicago named Ashton B. Taylor. The two married and moved to Arizona in 1952 with their three daughters, Carolyn, Nancy and Susan. In Arizona, Betsy got involved in community projects that made a difference in people’s lives. She served as president of the Junior League of Phoenix in 1962 and helped establish the Volunteer Bureau for Maricopa County, remaining active on the board for 15 years. In 1968, she became the first woman to serve on the Phoenix Forward executive committee for human needs. She also served on the board of the Church of the Beatitudes and was a founder of the Crisis Nursery, now Child Crisis Arizona. But it was her affiliation with The Board of Visitors that has become a family touchstone from generation to generation. “We have had a lot of Flower Girls in the family,” said Nancy Gaintner, Emma’s great-aunt, who is a member of The Board of Visitors and was a Flower Girl in 1967. “I can remember just before having our names called, my dad was telling a joke and everybody was laughing. To this day, I can remember everything about that night with my dad. He passed away at too early an age and I think those memories became that much more special to us,” she said. Carolyn Bosworth shares similar Charity Ball memories of her father, who was chief of staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital. “For us girls, having that one-on-one time with our dad, who was a very busy doctor and perhaps not at home as WHEN WE WERE FLOWER GIRLS, WE HAD TRAYS FILLED WITH FLOWERS ATTACHED AROUND OUR NECKS. WE GAVE AWAY BOUTONNIÈRES TO THE GUESTS — THAT’S WHERE THE NAME COMES FROM. Carolyn Bosworth COVER STORY CONTINUED

MAY 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 13 Top right: Carolyn Bosworth gave away flowers at the Charity Ball in 1964. Middle: Nancy Gaintner’s Flower Girl photo from 1967. Bottom right : Betsy Taylor’s youngest daughter, Susan Taylor Kistler, was a Flower Girl in 1968. Top left: Betsy Taylor’s portrait as president of the Junior League of Phoenix in 1962. Bottom left: Betsy Taylor with Allison Bosworth (Emma’s mother) at the ball in 1992.