September 22, 2026: The Coffee Shop That Built the American Business Women's Association

Some of the most lasting institutions start with the smallest possible meeting.

On September 22, 1949, Kansas City businessman Hilary Bufton Jr. sat down in a downtown coffee shop with three working women, Shirley Cupp, Irma Beisel, and Frances Stuckey, and pitched an idea he couldn't stop thinking about: a professional organization open to women across every occupation, not just one trade. By the end of the conversation, the four of them had incorporated the American Business Women's Association. The organization's first chapter chartered just two months later, and it grew into a national network offering education, mentorship, and millions of dollars in scholarships to women in business, a legacy formally recognized decades later when Congress and President Reagan designated September 22 as American Business Women's Day.

From bsnsBasics, I'm Ron Trucks, and this is bsnsHistory, the daily podcast about the moments when business quietly reshaped the world.

Written and hosted by Ron Trucks. Research and editing by Rodney Russ. Sound design by Angela Cahoy. Music by Cody Martin and Soundstripe.

For more daily business stories, visit www.bsnsDAILYpodcasts.com