are 94 women who have been inducted into the Contemporary Division of the
Michigan Women's Hall of Fame and 76 women who have been inducted into the
Historical Division.
Contemporary Honorees - 1983-2001
Virginia R. Allan (1916-1999) of
Yolanda
Alvarado-Ortega,
of Lansing, a journalist at the Lansing State Journal, has pioneered the
way for Hispanic youth and women to enter the newspaper industry. She has
promoted diversity at community, statewide, national and international levels.
She has been an advocate for 12 years for the rights of people with mental
illness to quality treatment.
Harriette Simpson Arnow (1908-1986) of Ann Arbor,
nationally known author of "The Dollmaker",
which has been termed an American Masterpiece.
Irene
M. Auberlin of Detroit, a humanitarian who founded World Medical
Relief in 1953.
In 1994 the organization shipped $16,000,000 worth of medical supplies and
equipment to 28 countries. The organization also provided $400,000 worth of
prescriptions and supplies to the elderly indigent of the Detroit area.
N. Lorraine Beebe of
Lucile E. Belen of
Jan BenDor of
Connie Binsfeld, Lieutenant Governor has distinguished herself as a
leading advocate on behalf of children, family life and women as well as the
natural environment. She introduced the state's first domestic violence
legislation in 1978. She was the key figure in rewriting the state's
Juvenile Code, requested the creation of a Special Commission on Adoption and
introduced the nation's first bill successfully banning commercial surrogacy.
Catherine Carter
Blackwell, of
Detroit, is an Instructional Specialist in the Detroit Public Schools and a
pioneer in the field of African/American Studies and an internationally
recognized authority on Africa.
Mamie G. Neale
Bledsoe
(1900-1991) of Detroit, a political activist who retired in 1970 as Director of
Equal Employment Opportunity Division of M.E.S.C.
Patricia
J. Boyle of
Detroit, relinquished lifetime tenure on the federal bench to accept
appointment to the state Supreme Court in 1983. She was then elected in 1984. As
a member of the Michigan Women's Task Force on Rape, she helped to draft
Michigan's law on criminal sexual conduct, the most successful rape law reform
in the nation.
Carrie Frazier Brown of Detroit,
is a fearless champion for compassionate and modern medical care, who helped
found a free community clinic within Pontiac General Hospital. Brown was named
1996 Nurse of the Year by the National Black Nurses Association.
Louise L. Brown of Detroit,
was a pioneer in the development of programs of early childcare education. As
Director of the Council on Early Childhood in the Center for Urban Studies,
WSU, she initiated programs that support positive family life and optimum child
development.
Patricia Hill Burnett of Detroit, an accomplished
artist and a pioneer feminist. Her work appears in galleries in the United
States and in London, Paris, and Rome. As an individual committed to the
advancement of women, she convened and chaired Michigan's first National
Organization for Women chapter.
Ellen Burstyn of Detroit has achieved fame as a
leading actress on both stage and screen. She originally appeared with
Jackie Gleason on TV during the 1956-57 season.
She was elected the first woman President of the Actor's Equity Association in
1982 and has been devoted to improving career opportunities and roles for women
in film and theater.
Mary Lou Butcher of Bloomfield Hills,
is an outstanding journalist, who initiated a lawsuit against the Detroit
News that led to more equitable hiring in the media for women. She
co-founded WINGS, Women Involved In Giving Support, to
combat sex discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.
Ethel
Calhoun
(1898-1989) of Birmingham, a physician who pioneered use of the rehabilitative
techniques of Sister Kenny for the treatment of polio at a time when the
accepted treatment of polio was the application of splints and packs.
Jean W. Campbell of Ann Arbor was a major force in
the creation of the University of Michigan Center for
the Continuing Education of Women, now known as the Center for the Education of
Women.
Alexa I. Canady of West Bloomfield, serves as
Chief of Neurosurgery at the Children's Hospital in Detroit, is recognized for
her contributions to pediatric medicine, especially in the field of
neurological illness and trauma in children. She is the first, youngest,
African-America woman neuro-surgeon in the U.S.
Ruth Carlton (1911-2001) of
Helen
J. Claytor of Grand Rapids, the first black woman to serve as
President of the National YWCA. She also served as a member of the World Council of the
YWCA and was responsible for the policies to eliminate "racism wherever it
exists and by any means necessary."
Flossie Cohen, M.D. of Birmingham is revered for her
contributions in the field of research and pediatric medicine and for her
contributions to the research and treatment of pediatric AIDS.
Mary
S. Coleman of
Battle Creek, a former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and the
first women to be elected to that court, in 1972.
Marion Corwell of Flat Rock is a broadcast pioneer. She is
thought to be the first person in the country to write, produce, and star in
her own syndicated television series (1954-1962). She was the highest
ranking woman at Ford Motor Company in 1974. She created an industry
model for affirmative action for women and replacement of gender specific job
titles.
Hilda Patricia
Curran as
director of the landmark Office of Women and Work (1977-1991) was instrumental
in establishing one of the nation's first Women in the Skilled Trades Programs
and displaced homemaker programs. She was a founding member of Women in
State Government, a trustee of the Michigan Women's Foundation and a founder
and president of the Greater Lansing Food Bank, the first of its kind in the
United States.
Bertha A. Daubendiek of Avoca has pioneered in the establishment of 142 nature
sanctuaries in 51 Michigan counties. She founded the Michigan Nature Association
in 1970 and authored the Michigan Natural Beauty Road law.
Anne R. Davidow (1898-1991) of Detroit is a pioneer woman attorney who served with
her brother as general council to the Reuther
brothers. The UAW was organized around the conference table in her office. In
1948 she argued before the United States Supreme Court, the significant women's
rights case of Goesaert v. Cleary, a
case contesting women from working as bartenders unless their father or husband
owned the bar.
Marguerite Lofft De Angeli (1889-1987) of Lapeer,
was a celebrated illustrator and author of children's literature, perhaps best
known for her award-winning book of Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes.
Doris DeDeckere of Detroit has assisted institutions and individuals into
standing on their own, supporting her advocacy of human rights and
charity. At age seventeen she became a union organizer and achieved many
social and financial benefits for working women. Her work and assistance to many organizations including the Eastwood Clinic and the
Detroit Zoological Society has earned her much recognition and honors.
Bernadine Newsom
Denning of
Detroit, an educator, civil rights leader and advocate for women. She was
Assistant Superintendent for School Community Relations of the Detroit Public
Schools, Director of the Human Rights Office for the City of Detroit and chair
of the Michigan Women's Commission. President Jimmy Carter appointed her
Director of the U.S. Office of Revenue Sharing for the U.S. Department of
Treasury.
Genora Johnson Dollinger
(1913-1995) of
Kalamazoo, known as the Champion of American Workers, organized the
"Women's Emergency Brigade" to aid the auto workers in the 1937
sit-down strike in Flint. She advanced the cause of civil liberties, civil
rights and women's equality.
Wilma T. Donahue (1900-1993) of Ann Arbor, was an internationally recognized authority on
gerontology and past Director of the Institute of Gerontology at the University
of Michigan and Wayne State University.
Margaret Drake
Elliott
(1904-1999) Nature education and civic leadership were her lifelong
commitments. Margaret wrote a nature column for the Muskegon Chronicle
for 62 years. For 39 years she observed and tagged monarch butterflies to
collect data that has been internationally recognized. She also developed
and wrote a folder entitled, "ABC of Indian Herbs" to instruct Indian
children in their native heritage.
Marcia Federbush of Ann Arbor, conducted the
first study of sex discrimination in a school district, documenting the
inequities and demonstrating the need for passage of Title IX of 1972. She
focused her talents on the achievement of equal opportunity in education.
Betty Ford of Grand Rapids,
devoted herself to public causes such as the Equal Rights Amendment and helping
people having drug dependency problems. The funds she has raised through her
speaking engagements and other public appearances have served to build the
Aretha Franklin Among the “Queen of Soul’s” many
accomplishments, Ms. Franklin was the first female inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame and has been given a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award for
her career that includes 15 Grammy Awards.
Gwen Frostic (1906-2001) of Benzonia, is an author,
artist, lecturer, founder and sole proprietor of "Presscraft
Papers". Her commitment to nature and design is reflected in her home,
studio and print shop which draws thousands of
visitors each month.
Hilda R. Gage of Pontiac, has made enduring
contributions to law and government, health and human services, law education
and broken many gender barriers in the legal profession, such as being elected
Chairperson to the National Conference of State Trial Judges. As a sufferer
from multiple sclerosis she inspires others by her service as a Trustee at
Children's Hospital of Michigan and by her busy contributing life.
Genevieve Gillette (1898-1986) of Lansing,
was the first graduate of MSU's School of Landscape
Architecture in 1920. She was the founder and first President of the Michigan
Parks Association and greatly influenced the development of Michigan's state
park system.
Janet K. Good of Farmington Hills,
is a modern-day crusader in the feminist and civil rights movements, a driving
force in the establishment of the Older Women's League (OWL) in Michigan and
the Michigan Hemlock Society. In 1965 she worked against the war on poverty and
then went on to become acting director of E.E.O. for the Michigan Employment
Security Commission.
Francea (Francie) Kraker Goodridge of
Della Mae McGraw
Goodwin of
Rosa Slade Gragg (1904-1989) of Detroit, is a civic leader
who accomplished numerous first achievements by a woman. She founded the Slade-Gragg Academy of Practical Arts in 1974, the first Black
vocational school in Detroit. In 1941 she founded a building for the Detroit
Association of Colored Women's Clubs and in 1958, she
succeeded in preserving the Frederick Douglass home as a national shrine.
Martha W. Griffiths of Romeo, is a former Congresswomen from Michigan's 17th District, sponsor of the
ERA Amendment, and made the argument that added "sex" to the 1964
Civil Rights Act. She is the first woman to be elected to the office of Lt.
Governor in the state's history.
Dorothy
Haener (1917-2001) of Trenton, an International Representative
with the UAW's Women's Department. She helped found the National
Organization for Women, the Michigan Democratic Women's Caucus, the National
Women's Political Caucus and CLUW.
Fran Harris (1909-1998) of Westland,
was Michigan's first woman broadcaster both in radio (WWJ) and on television.
Holder of the Peabody Award, she went on to many groundbreakings in
broadcasting as a program producer and at the corporate level.
Katherine G. Heideman, the first female superintendent of the Houghton County
Schools and subsequently the first superintendent of the Copper Country
Intermediate School District was instrumental in the 1974 passage of House Bill
5013 (known as the Heideman bill) which allowed
intermediate school districts to own and operate schools for the
handicapped.
Erma Henderson of Detroit,
was the first African-American woman to serve on the Detroit City Council. She
is the first Black to become Council President. Henderson is noted for
organizing the Michigan Statewide Coalition Against
Redlining and for organizing the Women's Conference of Concerns.
Elizabeth Homer noted for her work to achieve
educational and vocational equity for girls and women. Former
Director of the National Organization for Women's Legal Defense and Education
Fund's Project on Equal Education Rights (PEER Michigan). Former
educational director for the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of
Fame and currently supervisor of the Turner Dodge House
Flora Hommel of Detroit has been instrumental in changing practices and our views
about childbirth through the organization she founded, Childbirth Without Pain, and her advocacy of the Lamaze Method of
childbirth.
Icie Macy Hoobler (1892-1984) of
Marian Bayoff Ilitch, of
Jo Jacobs of
Mildred Jeffrey of
Eleanor Josaitis together with Father William T. Cunningham, in 1968
founded Focus: HOPE. Since 9171, Ms. Josaitis
has provided leadership and advocacy for Focus:HOPE Food Prescription Program. She has made
significant contributions to public awareness of hunger and malnutrition and to
the formulation of national policy regarding this issue.
Isabella Lugoski Karle of
Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy, a lawyer and jurisist,
was the first
Jean Ledwith King of
Odessa Komer of
Margaret Muth Laurence (1916-1996) of
Chuan-Pu Lee, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at
Marilyn Fisher
Lundy, a
former member of the State Board of Education, is past president and CEO of
Matrix Human Services (formerly known as the League of Catholic Women) whose
mission is to end the cycle of abuse, neglect and delinquecy
of adolescent females. Ms. Lundy developed Project Transition, a
community-based corrections center for women in
Olga M. Madar (1915-1996) of
Maryann Mahaffey President of Detroit Common
Council since 1990, and a member since 1974, has been an effective leader for
peace and for the elimination of sexism, racism and classism
during her long career in social work and politics. She is an advocate
for the cities, senior citizens and for the poor and disenfranchised.
Agnes Mary Mansour of
Marjorie Swank
Matthews (1916-1986)
of Onaway, was the first woman in the more than 200 year history of the
Helen Milliken of
Claudia House Morcom of
Virginia C. Blomer Nordby of
Jane Kay Nugent of
Jeanne Omelenchuk of
Rosa M. Parks of Detroit,
is known as the "Mother" of the modern civil rights movement for her
action in refusing to move to the rear of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in
1955. She continues her work through the Rosa Parks Institute in Detroit.
Marjorie
Peebles-Meyers of
Detroit is the first African-American woman to graduate from the Medical School
of Wayne State University. Her career included many firsts for women and for
blacks. After her retirement from private practice, she was named Chief
Physician of Ford Motor Company, a position she occupied until 1985.
Elly M. Peterson of Charlotte,
was the first woman in Michigan to serve as Chairperson of a major political
party and as a candidate for the United States Senate, a National Co-Chair of ERAmerica and Vice Chair of the National Republican
Committee.
Sister Ardeth Platte, O.P. a Grand Rapids Dominican sister, Ardeth has committed her life to working for non-violence
and social justice. From 1967 to 1977 Sister Platte initiated and
directed St. Joseph's Alternative Education Center in Saginaw. While in
Saginaw she also served for 12 years on the City Council as Mayor
pro-tem. In 1995 she joined Jonah House, a faith and resistance center in
Baltimore.
Clara
Raven (1909-1994)
of Detroit, a true pioneer for the advancement of medical knowledge and for the
achievement of women. She was among the first five women physicians commissioned to serve
in the U.S. Army. She conducted out-standing research into the cause of Crib
Death, or SIDS.
Dorothy Comstock Riley of Detroit,
has opened many doors for women in the legal profession. Becoming the first
women appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals was just the beginning, as she
later became a member and then Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.
Mary Ellen Riordan, President Emerita of the
Detroit Federation of Teachers, Local 231, AFL-CIO, blazed the trial for
collective bargaining rights for teachers. This action resulted in the Legislature
adopting the 1965 Public Employee Relations Act that gave teachers and all
public employees the legal right to collective bargain.
Dorrie Ellen Rosenblatt is an M.D. and a Ph.D. and one of
the leading geriatric physicians in
Shirley E. Schwartz Ph.D., of Warren, a research
scientist at General Motors Corporation, developed numerous products to protect
the environment and facilitate the conservation of the earth's resources,
including a water-based lubricant and air-conditioning system that uses environmentally
safe chemicals.
Martha Romayne Seger of Bloomfield Hills,
is an economist, the first woman to be appointed to the Federal Reserve Board
in 1984 for a full term. She served in the Milliken administration as
Commissioner of Financial Institutions.
Mary P. Sinclair of Midland, her work over the
past twenty-five years has established her as one of the nation's foremost lay
authorities on nuclear energy and its impact on the natural and human
environment.
Jessie Pharr Slaton (1908-1983) of Detroit,
was the first woman referee in the 43 year history of Detroit's Recorder's
Court Traffic and Ordinance Division. She was later appointed a Common Pleas
Judge and served as Chair of the Michigan Crime Victims Compensation Board.
Martha Jean
"The Queen" Steinberg (deceased 1999) was a radio personality and
activist. Her involvement in local and national services groups has been
recognized by the NAACP, has prompted her induction into the Black Women's Hall
of Fame and earned eleven "Keys to the City" from cities across the
nation.
Kathleen N.
Straus, a
native of New York, became active in Michigan politics through the PTA and
League of Women Voters. In 1976 a federal district judge appointed Straus
to the Detroit School District Monitoring Commission to assure safe
implementation of school desegregation. She served as lobbyist for the Michigan
Association of School Boards and co-founded the Michigan Tax Information
Council. She served on the State Board of Education and was elected
president of the Board in 1997.
Sharon E. Sutton is professor of architecture and
planning a the University of Michigan, the first
African-American woman to be promoted to full professor of architecture in the
United States. A scholar, journalist and activist, Dr. Sutton has demonstrated
leadership in architecture and urban planning, the arts and as founder of the
Urban Network, environmental education for youth.
Merze Tate of Blanchard,
is a descendant of Negro pioneer settlers in Isabella County in Michigan in the
1800's. Dr. Tate became an internationally known scholar by publishing five
volumes on international affairs.
Helen Thomas of Detroit,
is known as the Dean of the White House Press Corp. She is White House Bureau
Chief for United Press International and, as senior wire service correspondent,
officially closes all presidential press conferences.
Lily Tomlin (Mary
Jean) is a
woman of major accomplishments on stage, screen and television. She has
also achieved acclaim for hr script writing and for her strong stand and support
on civil rights issues, especially the rights of women. Gilda Radner said of her, "...Lily Tomlin is a role model
and a 'change agent'. Because of her work, the consciousness of Americans
has been raised to the concern and problems of women in all walks of
life."
Delia Villegas Vorhauer (1940-1992) of Lansing, was the
first Hispanic to chair the Michigan Commission for the Blind. She was the
founder of "Mujeres Unidas
de Michigan" and author of the Department of Education's first report on
"Minorities in Higher Education."
Reverend Charleszetta (Mother) Waddles (1912-2001) of
Jacquelin E. Washington of Detroit,
has devoted her life and career to service to women and humanity. She served as
a NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund Board member for 12 years and was
co-founding mother and President of the Sojourner Foundation. She has been a
pioneer in affirmative action and employment discrimination, a co-founder in
Detroit of New Options, and later Human Resources Manager for the Bendix Corporation.
Joan Luedders Wolfe of Grand Rapids, was
instrumental in creating the landmark Michigan Environmental Protection Acts of
1970. Recognized around the world for her many contributions to environmental
protection, she has played a vital role in the passage of Michigan's Inland
Lakes and Streams Act.
Mildred Irene Clark Woodman (1915-1994) of Ann Arbor was a Colonel in the Army Nurse
Corps and the only nurse on General Douglas MacArthur's
staff, won changes in regulations and codes that discriminate against women.
HISTORICAL HONOREES -
1983 - 2001
Edith Vosburgh Alvord (1876-1962) of
Cora Reynolds Anderson (1882-1950) was the first woman elected to the
Michigan State House of Representatives, serving one term, from 1925-1926. She is also believed to be the only
Native American woman elected to the Michigan House or Senate, and remains the
only woman ever elected to the State Legislature from the
Rachel Andresen (1907-1988) of Ann Arbor, was
recognized by a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 1973, founded and developed
Youth for Understanding, an exchange program for high school students in 1951.
Clara B. Arthur (1858-1929) of Detroit,
was President of the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association. In 1912 she began the
campaign for women's suffrage that resulted in a state amendment in 1918.
Widely acclaimed as the mother of the playground movement, her work created a
system of 138 playgrounds and 17 swimming pools in Detroit with a budget of
more than $1,000,000 by 1929.
Isabella Baumfree (Sojourner Truth) (1797-1883) of Battle Creek, the
former slave who became a nationally known crusader for human rights and a
member of the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Marion I. Barnhart (1921-1985) of Detroit,
was a distinguished scholar, scientist and outstanding researcher who made many
scientific discoveries which led to a better understanding of treatment for
such diseases as stroke, cardiovascular disease, sickle cell anemia and
hemorrhagic disorder. Dr. Barnhart was a member of the faculty of the Medical School
of Wayne State University for 35 years.
Mary V. Beck (1908-)
of Detroit, was the first woman to be elected to the Detroit Common Council,
worked to fluoridate drinking water, to preserve Old City Hall and to establish
the Youth Commission to combat juvenile delinquency. She also worked
ceaselessly to reveal the plight of the Ukrainian people as a captive nation
under Soviet rule.
Patricia Beeman (1923-1996) as a member of the Southern African
Liberation Committee, she played a pivotal role in removing Michigan's
complicity with apartheid in Southern Africa. Through her unparalleled
tenacity, grass roots organizing skills, and commitment to human rights,
Patricia helped shape a new sociopolitical and economic policy for Michigan,
the U.S., and ultimately, the rest of the world.
Anna Sutherland
Bissell
(1846-1934) of Grand Rapids, was a successful business
woman in an age when the manufacturing business was considered a field for men
only. After her husband's death, Bissell became Chief Executive Officer and by
1899 she had created the largest organization of its kind in the world.
Cora Mae Brown (1914-1972) of Detroit,
became the first black female state senator in this state's history when she
was elected to the Michigan Senate in 1952. In April of 1953, Brown became the
first black woman president of the Senate.
Olympia Brown (1835-1926) was the first woman
minister in the United States to be ordained with full ecclesiastical authority
by the Universalist church in 1863. She became
a friend of Susan B. Anthony, and a charter member of the American Equal Rights
Association.
Emily Helen
Butterfield
(1884-1958) of Algonac, who became Michigan's first licensed woman architect in
1907, was known statewide in the 1930's as an artist and architect. In 1912 she
helped found the Detroit Business Woman's Club, the first Professional Women's
Club in the United States.
Marie-Theresa Guyon-Cadillac (1671-1746) of Detroit,
courageously defied the rules and prejudices of the 17th Century world to
become a leading settler, pioneer and businesswoman at Fort Pontchartrain
during the French colonial period.
Katherine Hill
Campbell
(1868-1942) of Detroit, the first superintendent of the Detroit House of
Corrections in 1929, she was a lifelong fighter for women's prison reform, a
pioneer clubwoman, an idealist, and a non-conformer.
Elizabeth
Margaret Chandler
(1807-1834) of Lenawee County, the first woman writer in America to make the
abolition of slavery her principal theme.
Anna ("Big
Annie") Clemenc (1888-1956) of Calumet,
risked her won well-being for social and economic justice during the 1913
strike by Upper Peninsula mine workers. While the strike was broken, Clemenc's words and deeds later helped bring safe and fair
working conditions, vastly improving the lives of Michigan's miners and
workers.
Lenna Frances Cooper (1875-1961) of Battle Creek, was an author and pioneer in the development of
dietetics as a profession, an early proponent of the link between nutrition and
health.
Caroline Bartlett
Crane (1858-1935)
of Kalamazoo, while serving as Pastor of the Unitarian Church of Kalamazoo,
became nationally known as "America's Housekeeper" for her work in
civic sanitation and public health.
Ethelene Crockett (1914-1978) of Detroit,
was Michigan's first Black woman to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology.
She was instrumental in establishing Detroit's Model Cities
health programs.
Elizabeth C. Crosby (1888-1983) of Petersburg,
was an inspired teacher and authority on the anatomy of the brain. Despite not
having a medical background, she became pre-eminent in neuro-anatomy
and was the first woman to receive the University of Michigan's Distinguished
Faculty Achievement Award.
Waunetta Dominic (1921-1981) of Petoskey,
endeavored to bring equality and justice to Native Americans in Michigan and
throughout the United States. As co-founder of the Northern Michigan Ottawa
Association, she was in the forefront of the struggle to obtain justice and
compensation for lands taken from
Theresa Maxis Duchemin (1810-1892) fought the
patriarchal, racist, and sexist Roman Catholic hierarchy of her time to become
a crusader for humanity. Born Marie
Almaide Maxis Duchemin to a
Hatian refugee and a British military officer, she
co-founded the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters (IHMs) with a Redemptorist priest
to educate girls of the
Marie Dye (1891-1974) was the first woman
with a Ph.D. degree to be appointed to the faculty of
Sarah Emma Edmonds (1841-1898) of Flint, was
inducted into the United States Army, Company F, Second Michigan Volunteer
Infantry Regiment in 1861 disguised as a male (Pvt. Franklin Thompson). She
served as a Union spy, field nurse, mail carrier and soldier.
Georgia Emery (1867-1931) of Gailen, was recognized nationally as the Dean of American
Business Women, Ms. Emery was a civic leader and educator of vision and
courage. She steadfastly supported and promoted the education of women. She was
a pioneer in organizing associations of business and professional women in all
parts of the United States.
Four Sisters of
Charity: Loyola Ritchie, Rebella Delone,
Felecia Fenwick and Rosalie Brown are honored for their pioneering
work during the early years of Detroit, dating from 1844. In little more
than two decades, they founded the first hospital in the Northwest territory, a psychiatric hospital, a home for unwed mothers
and children, an orphanage and three schools.
Josephine Gomon (1892-1975) of Detroit, who, as Executive Secretary to then Mayor
Frank Murphy, helped to organize the original "New Deal" concept for
Detroit during the Great Depression.
Loney Clinton Gordon (1915-1999), born in Arkansas,
graduated from Michigan State Collegein 1936 with a
bachelor's degree is Chemistry and Home Economics. When she was told no
white male chefs would be willing to take instruction from
a Black female dietician, she went on to work with two women doctors to
develop the best Whooping Cough vaccine available at that time.
Roberta A. Griffith (1870-1941) of Grand Rapids, a
champion for persons with sight disabilities, and blind herself, she founded
the American Association of Workers for the Blind and the Association for the
Blind and Sight Conservation.
Lucia Voorhees Grimes (1877-1978) of Detroit, was a
suffragist, participant in the campaign for women's rights, and chair of the
Michigan Branch of the National Women's Party. She received national
recognition for the State and Congressional lobbying systems she developed. Her
leadership was instrumental in making Michigan the second state to ratify the
Federal Suffrage Amendment.
R. Louise Grooms (1902-1984) of Detroit,
founded the Detroit Institute of Commerce in 1941 as a means for Black students
to receive training in fundamental business courses. The institute is still
thriving and has trained more than 10,000 students. She was also instrumental
in founding the Victory Loan and Investment Company, an early step in the
creation of responsible financial institutions for Black people.
Alice King
Hamilton (1869-1970)
"The Mother of Industrial Health", was a physician and social
reformer. She combined her expertise in bacteriology and pathology with
her experience with workers at Hull House in Chicago to win better working
conditions, worker's compensation laws, and workplace safety laws. She
studied and later worked at University of Michigan and spent the summers of her
youth at Mackinac Island.
Laura
Smith Haviland (1808-1897) of Adrian, who established the first Michigan
station of the Underground Railroad and organized one of the first schools in
the nation to admit Black children, Raisen Institute.
Eleonore Hutzel (1885-1978) was the first woman
to head the Detroit Police Department Women's Division. Eleonore was a pioneer not only for the advancement and
acceptance of women within law enforcement, criminal justice and social work,
but also in addressing the needs of society's forgotten women and children.
Dauris Gwendolyn Jackson (1933-1979) received bachelor's
and master's degrees in education from Wayne State University and went on to
become the first African-American woman to be elected to the WSU Board of
Governors - in fact, the first ever elected to
any Michigan University. In 1977, Dauris was
selected as one of ten authors nationally to initiate multi-racial textbooks
focusing on non-stereotypical depictions of African-American children.
Sarah Van Hoosen Jones, Ph.D. (1892-1972) of Rochester, became the first woman in the
United States to earn a Doctorate of Animal Genetic. Called a "Master
Farmer," she was influential in the development of agricultural education
and animal husbandry.
Dorothea Leonard Judd (1898-1989) of Grand Rapids, was the President of the Grand Rapids League of
Women Voters, state chair and national leader of the League, became a
nationally recognized expert on civil service reform and leader of government
reform.
Ella Eaton
Kellogg (1853-1920)
dietitian, writer and advocate for children created a new field which would
come to be called dietetics. She also made major contributions to home
economics by founding the School of Home Economics and a School of Cooking for
the Battle Creek Sanitarium.
Pearl
Kendrick
(1890-1980) & Grace Eldering (1900-1988)
of Grand Rapids, internationally recognized bacteriologists who researched
whooping cough in the 1930's and developed the first successful vaccine against
the dreaded child killer.
Emily Burton Ketcham (1838-1907) Anna Howard Shaw called this Grand Rapids
woman the greatest [suffrage] worker that Michigan has produced.
Foremost among the founders of Grand Rapids suffrage groups, Emily was a
charter member of the state organization, served as its President four times
and traveled nationally for the cause.
Madeline
LaFramboise (1780-1846) of Grand Haven & Mackinaw Island. Born of French and Indian
ancestry, she achieved remarkable success as a fur trader, rivaling the
influence of John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company in the northern and
western reaches of the Michigan Territory.
Marjorie J. Tillis Lansing (1916-1998), co-authored (with statistician Sandra Baxter)
Women and Politics: The Invisible Majority,which
feminist Gloria Steinem hailed as a "landmark study."
Marjorie's book, which coined the term "gender gap," published in
1980 and significantly revised as Women
and Politics: The Visible Majority in
1983, was based on her 1971 doctoral dissertation for the Political Science
program at the Unviersity of Michgian.
Marjorie served for twenty years on the faculty of
Violet Temple Lewis (1899-1968) of Detroit, an
educational pioneer, provided the leadership skills, direction and necessary
resources which enabled Lewis Business College to progress from a nine month
stenographic college, to a fully accredited two-year Junior College.
Martha Longstreet (1870-1953) of
Nancy Harkness Love (1914-1976) of Houghton, was the
first woman air ferry pilot in the
Elmina R. Lucke (1889-1987) of
Aleda E. Lutz (1915-1944) of Freeland,
is one of the most celebrated war heroes of World War II. As a First Lieutenant
Army Flight Nurse, she flew 196 missions, losing her own life in an evacuation
effort over
Luise R. Leismer
Mahon (1926-1975)
of Petoskey, was a founding member and first elected
President of the Michigan Women's Press Club. She was an award winning reporter
and a Detroit Free Press correspondent. She was a champion of Indian land
claims and concerns in
Helen Martin (1889-1973) of
Mary Anne Mayo (1845-1903), a pioneer woman born
in a log cabin in
Helen Walker McAndrew, M.D. (1826-1906) of
Katharine Dexter
McCormick
(1875-1967),of Dexter, was Vice President of the
National American Woman Suffrage Association and co-founder, with Carrie
Chapman Catt, of the League of Women Voters. A
generous philanthropist, McCormick worked with Margaret Sanger and provided
funding for the development of the birth control pill. She was inducted
into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.
Bina West Miller (1867-1954) of
Laura Freele Osborn (1866-1955) of
Sarah Goddard Power (1935-1987) of
Gilda Radner (1946-1989) of
Betsy Graves Reyneau (1888-1964) of
Fannie Richards (1840-1922)
Emelia Christine Schaub (1891-1995) of
Ann M. Shafer (1916-1991) of
Ella Merriman
Sharp (1857-1912)
In the early years of the twentieth century Ella
Merriman Sharp was known throughout the state for her work in forestry and
civic improvement as Chairman of the Michigan Federation Forestry Committee.
Sharp led a statewide effort to garner support for establishing state
forests preserves and a fire patrol system. She willed her sizeable farm
property and home to the city of
Anna Howard Shaw (1847-1919) of Big Rapids, an
ordained minister and physician, who became Susan B. Anthony's chief lieutenant
in the national women's suffrage movement and led the successful political
struggle which resulted in passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
Mary C. Spencer (1842-1923) of
Sylvia M. Stoesser (1901-1991) of
Lucinda Hinsdale Stone (1814-1900) of
Mary Chase Perry
Stratton
(1867-1961) of
Edith Mays Swanson (1934-1989) of
Ruth Thompson (1887-1970) was the first woman
U.S. Congressman from
Lucinda (Lucy) Thurman (1849-1918) of
Bertha Van Hoosen (1863-1952) of
Sippie Wallace (1898-1986) of
Josephine Stern Weiner (1912-2000) of Detroit, devoted nearly 70 years to
community service, successfully establishing programs to help women achieve
independence and to assure children of a secure future. President of the National Council of
Jewish Women (NCJW), Greater Detroit Section, from 1942-1944, and its national
organization from 1967-1971, Jo was instrumental in establishing Orchards
Children’s Services in 1962 and Women in Community Services (WICS) in
1965, for which she served as president from 1975-1977.
Edna Noble White (1879-1954) of
Matilda Dodge
Wilson (1883-1967),
a philanthropist, contributed the famed Meadow Brook Hall and a $2 million
building fund to found
Clarissa M. Young
(1922-1979)
of Shepherd, was hired in 1946 by the Lansing Police
Department as a policewoman, the first sworn position available to a
woman. Moving up the ranks as sergeant and then
lieutenant. Clarissa became, in 1962, the first female police captain in