Toastmasters International -Spotlight on 1986

The image shows a man and a woman standing together, the man holding a trophy and both of them smiling.

Ted Wood and Arabella Bengson

As we move forward into a new year, it’s also fun to look back. Toastmasters turns 102 in 2026, brimming with history and happenings. Take 1986, for example—40 years ago. The year featured some significant developments.

In August, Ted Wood, DTM, was installed as Toastmasters’ International President, the first Black American in the organization’s history to hold that position. It underscored a period of change: The year before, Helen Blanchard, DTM, was selected as the first female International President, and Wood was succeeded by John Fauvel, DTM, from New Zealand, the first International President from outside North America.

Wood was praised for pushing the organization to think more globally and on a wider cultural spectrum. Toastmasters made pivotal strides in growth outside North America and the British Commonwealth.

He also saw the need for growth in underrepresented minorities, and he worked to bring more Black people into the Toastmasters community. His theme during his Presidential term was “Keep the Spirit Alive.”

A Maryland resident, Wood was a member for more than 40 years. He passed away in 2007.

Also in 1986, Arabella Bengson became the third woman to win the World Championship of Public Speaking®. (Women weren’t eligible to compete in the event until 1973, the year that they were officially allowed to become members of Toastmasters.) Bengson, a Filipino woman from Ontario, Canada, was the first non-native-English speaker to take home the prize.

Bengson has belonged to several clubs in Canada for many years. She has been an international speaker, coach, and ballroom dancer. She was also the first woman president of the Ontario Speakers Association, which later became the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.

In a 2016 Toastmaster magazine article, Bengson reflected on her championship-winning speech, which was called “We Can Be Pygmalion.”

“Like the story of Pygmalion [a figure in Greek mythology], who created a most life-like and beautiful statue, and breathed life into it through his caring, I think the universal message of my speech made it so well received: ‘When we believe in others, and expect the best of them, they often exceed our expectations.’”

The 1986 International Convention was held in Reno, Nevada. The Golden Gavel winner was longtime television personality Art Linkletter. And, speaking of looking back, the themed celebrations at that convention included a Hollywood Nostalgia Fun Night.