INDUCTEES SORTED BY CATEGORY

Alice "Lefty" Hohlmeyer turned her youthful fastpitch hobby into a baseball career. At age 20, Hohlmayer got the unique chance to play in a professional baseball league. It was an opportunity women players today can only dream of. Lucky for Hohlmayer she was born at just the right time: 1925. During WWII, Professional Baseball came to a grinding halt with male players fighting overseas. Baseball fans turned to the women of America to fill the national pastime gap. Lefty joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1946 at its heyday, boasting 8 teams and playing 110 game schedules. The women of the AAGPBL had to adapt from Girl's Softball to baseball's 80-foot baseline with 9 players (instead of 10) and grueling road schedules. And they had to live up to society's idea of femininity, complete with skirts and make-up worn on and off the field--those bare legs paid the price with every slide into base. In 1948, Left pitched 42 scoreless innings, once got a hit off the great Satchel Paige in an All Star game, and was the only woman in the "55 years and over World Men's Slow Pitch Tournament" in 1981. These days she is invited to speak nationally and was asked to consult on the Geena Davis film "A League of Their Own". The character Rosie O'Donnell played in the film was loosely based on Alice.

At 27, with B.A., B.S. and master’s degrees, Ride was a Ph.D. candidate looking for post-doctoral work in astrophysics when she read in the Stanford University paper about NASA’s call for astronauts. More than 8,000 men and women applied to the space program that year, and 35 individuals, including six women, were accepted; one was Sally Ride. After begin accepted into the astronaut corps in 1978, Ride underwent extensive training that included parachute jumping, water survival, gravity and weightlessness training, radio communications and navigation. In 1983, Dr. Ride became the premier American woman to orbit Earth on board Space Shuttle Challenger, and her next flight in 1984 was an eight-day mission. After retiring from NASA in 1987, the former astronaut became a Science Fellow at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at her alma mater, Stanford University. Two years later she was appointed to her current position as Director of the California Space Institute and professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. In her ongoing commitment to empower upper elementary and middle school girls to explore the world of science, Dr. Ride founded the Sally Ride Science, an interactive Web site. Through “innovative science programs,” including science festivals, science camps, and a national contest for students to create a new toy or game, Sally Ride Science “informs and inspires” girls to explore fields from “astrobiology to zoology and everything in between.”

Joan Embrey Born in San Diego in 1949 Joan Embery spent her childhood camping under the stars, hiking the canyons and watching the sun set. Although she is allergic to animals and is afraid of bugs, she has trained and handled some of the world's rarest and most unusual animals, from aardvarks to zebras. She is also a champion of environmental, conservation and preservation issues around the world. While at San Diego State University Joan specialized in zoology and telecommunications and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication at Eastern Illinois University. She has spent most of her life being a spokeswoman for the Zoological Society of San Diego (which includes the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park), educating the public about the wildlife and environment by making appearances on television, doing radio interviews, speaking engagements and performing animal presentations. Her love for the wildlife has taken her to such exotic places as Africa, China, Nepal, India, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Thailand and the Amazon. As she once stated, she “enjoys traveling to all parts of the world to observe animals in their natural habitats.” Additionally, Joan has served on many boards focusing on conservation and wildlife issues such as Morris Animal Foundation, Wildlife Health Center School of Veterinary Medicine UC Davis, San Diego River Park Foundation, Anza-Borrego Foundation, Project Wildlife (advisory board), Blue Sky Community Foundation, and as a participant or instructor for Envirovet. She has also received numerous awards for her dedication to the animals and the environment and has authored four books on these topics; My Wild World, Amazing Animal Facts, On Horses and The Good Dog Book. In 2004 Joan established The Embery Institute for Wildlife Conservation with the hope of connecting people to wildlife and conservation issues and making people aware of the role each individual plays in insuring healthy environments. It is for her devotion to the wildlife and the environment as well as her overwhelmingly positive representation of the San Diego community that we welcome Joan Embery as the 2007 Spirit of the Women’s Hall of Fame.

Bonnie Dumanis is San Diego's first woman District Attorney who is a statewide leader in the legal community. As the chief law enforcement official of San Diego County, Dumanis is a tough prosecutor who is also committed to crime prevention and victim's rights.

Monique Henderson received Olympic Gold Medals in the 4x400m relay at the 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing) Games. She is a local Olympic track and field champion who, at the age of 17 in 2000, was the youngest athlete named to the 4x400m relay team since 1976. She was the first and only girl in California high school history to win 4 consecutive state titles in the 400m. She graduated from San Diego's Morse High School, and while at UCLA she was a five-time Pac 10 Champion. She was the 2005 NCAA 400m champion; 2002 World Junior 400m and 4x400 gold medalist; 2004 NCAA Outdoor runner-up; Five-time Pac-10 champion; and 1999 USA Junior Champion. As a person, her website states:
 
When she isn't training she spends her time volunteering with different organizations. She has helped out at the Los Angeles AIDS walk as well as San Diego's Race for a Cure. She has also participated at several USA Track and Field Be a Champion events. “I love volunteering. As a professional athlete I have a lot of free time and there's no better way to spend that time than to help people that need it.” She has also visited children's hospitals across the country and spent time with terminally ill children. She has also donated to and volunteered with The Alzheimer's Association, California State Games, the March of Dimes, and the Intergenerational Games. She is also one of the top patrons of the Sports for Exceptional Athletes Organization. Her philanthropy work is featured in San Diego Magazine's Celebrity Philanthropist issue.

Honorable Madge Bradley (deceased) was appointed San Diego's first female judge in 1953 and was the only woman on the bench in San Diego County until her retirement in 1971. Madge was born in 1904 in rural Ukiah, California. In 1910 her family moved to San Diego County, where she resided until her death in 2000. An early position at a title company brought a young Madge into contact with lawyers, prompting her to remember, years later, that "they were all rather smart and that perhaps if I studied law, I, too, could be smart." She studied law through correspondence courses from a Chicago university and passed the California State Bar exam in 1933. By 1945, Madge was named Director of the San Diego County Bar Association and soon after, was encouraged to submit an application for appointment to the San Diego County Municipal Court. During her lifetime, Judge Bradley received numerous awards from the legal community, service organizations, and religious groups.

E. Margaret Burbidge, Ph, D. entered the field of astronomy in the 1940s when it had virtually no women, and she worked to become world renown for her work on the chemical composition of stars. Currently Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, she is the recipient of extensive honors, and contributor of over 370 research articles in astronomy. Professor Burbidge’s exceptional courage, intelligence, and grace enabled her to open many doors for women in the sciences. Since receiving her Ph.D. in Astronomy at the University of London, Margaret Burbidge has received 12 honorary degrees and has received numerous honors, most notably: elected Fellow, Royal Society of London (1964), elected member, National Academy of Sciences (1978), and recipient of the President’s National Medal of Science (1984). She was one of four distinguished authors of the cosmogonic contribution which was quoted by the Nobel Committee for physics as the basis for awarding the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics to one of her co-authors. She was Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory from 1972-1973 and Director of the UCSD Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences from 1979-1988. In 2001, she was honored in an appreciation luncheon hosted by the American Astronomical Society Committee on the Status of Women (AASCSWA). The luncheon was attended by world leaders in the field to honor her work towards ending discrimination against women in astronomy. She has taught at all university levels, from freshman seminars to advanced astrophysics courses. She is a revered teacher and has been a critical role model for many young astronomers. “By personal example, she showed me early in my career that a woman could be an eminent scientist, have a successful family life, and accomplish all these with grace and style, “ said Professor Anneila Sargent (Caltech). “For all of us she has been the quintessential role model. Her successes were often hard-won but they have changed the face of American astronomy. Thanks to her influence, women can observe at any American observatory…Margaret has been a pioneer all her life, as a scientist and as a woman scientist.”

Nancy Reeves’ pioneering work as attorney, feminist, author, and international lecturer has been influential for over 80 years. Through her extensive publications and lectures, she has brought to universities and the general public a global awareness of gender stereotypes, connecting women’s status to world events. She has published groundbreaking books and articles, most notably Womankind: Beyond the Stereotypes, for which she received first prize in literature from the California Bar Association in 1972. Her writings have been used in legal textbooks and in college level women’s studies courses. She has lectured widely and has made guest television appearances. Reeves became one of the first women to receive a law degree from the New York University School of Law in the 1930s. During the Depression she built her own legal practice that dealt primarily with women’s issues. Soon afterwards she wrote Womankind: Beyond the Stereotypes, one of the first interdisciplinary texts for college level women’s studies. The book also contributed to the creation of Women’s Studies as a legitimate academic discipline. Its first chapter was included in L. Kanowitz, Sex Roles in Law and Society, the first legal textbook in the field, and Womankind's outline was in the APA Sourcebook on the Teaching of Psychology. Ms. Reeves has published articles in national publications and worldwide. Some of these include a women’s issues column for Svenska Dagbladet (Stockholm, Sweden, 1950-1952), “Women of the New Cuba” in Monthly Review (November 1960), “Women in Wonderland” in Women Speaking (London, April 1966), “The New Vision of Reality” in Cultures (UNESCO, Paris), and “What Decline in Education?” in L.A. Times (October 11). The latter publication led to Ms. Reeves' appointment on the California Board of Education. In San Diego, Reeves has contributed to several publications, including Op-Ed items in the Union-Tribune, a monthly column in Women’s Times during the 1990s, opinion pieces in the SDSU Daily Aztec and many others. Reeves has been broadcast nationwide on PBS (1975) and has made guest appearances on major TV discussion programs since 1963. Through her work, Reeves has asked the world to analyze women’s roles and examine barriers to women's equality. She has carved a legitimate place for feminism within academia and worldwide. Generations of feminists and women in all walks of life are indebted to Nancy Reeves for carving a well-worn path toward equality.

Doris A. Howell, M.D., Professor Emeritus, UCSD, was a pioneer (1949) in pediatric hematology, oncology, and community medicine. She was the first woman to chair a US medical school pediatric department (1963). Dr. Howell was a driving force in establishing San Diego Hospice in 1977. Her commitment to providing compassionate, dignified, quality end-of-life care helped dispel doubts in the medical community and raise public awareness about the importance of such care. The San Diego Union-Tribune dubbed her "Dr. TLC." Howell's experience in treating children with cancer led her to pioneer work in the field of pediatric hematology/oncology, attracting patients from all over the world. Dr. Howell battled many obstacles as a woman in her career, having worked at both Harvard and Duke Medical Schools from 1951 to 1963. In 1963 she became the first woman ever to chair a U.S. medical school pediatric department at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She was recruited by UCSD in 1974 to be Professor and Chair of Pediatrics, and in 1974 was named Chair of the new Department of of Community Medicine. She was instrumental in developing the model of primary care medicine as we know it--one that views patients as a whole person. She also developed outreach programs in which medical students delivered needed health care to County populations and in Tijuana

Jean Stern, an activist and educator, founded the Older Women’s League, San Diego (among the nation’s first, 1981). She was a pioneer feminist librarian (SDSU 1968-87) and used her knowledge to further older women’s health care rights, pension and Social Security, and other economic issues. After coming of age during the Depression, Stern earned degrees in history and teaching, worked with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and as a hospital library researcher. After three children and a family move to San Diego in 1968, she began working at San Diego State's library. Stern immediately researched and distributed information for San Diego's National Organization for Women (NOW). She became an expert on feminist literature and published annotated lists of non-sexist books and periodicals long before such information was available on computers. Stern became known as a speaker on Social Security, pensions, employment benefits, healthcare and other issues relating to older women. After retiring from SDSU, she served on OWL's Legislative Committee and many Board committees. She has received recognition for educating the public and officials, most recently as recipient of SDSU Women's Studies Department's Helen Hawkins Feminist Activist Award. Jean Stern remains active in a variety of organization, yet she believes her work with Older Women's League is as relevant today as ever. As the national Baby Boomers age, women continue to be the large majority of the poorest seniors.

Ruth M. Heifetz, M.D., M.P.H.,(UCSD School of Medicine), physician and humanitarian, she was a founding member of both the San Diego Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility and the San Diego Environmental Health Coalition (1980). Heifetz has been a trailblazer of environmental justice, and as such as fought tirelessly for the health of women and children exposed to toxic materials in their communities and workplace. She exemplifies outstanding leadership, has made significant contributions to our community's health, and is highly committed to occupational and environmental health and safety. She has taught these issues to generations of medical students. Her humanitarian accomplishments encompass three main themes: protection of workers, protection of the environment and the prevention of nuclear war. Dr. Heifetz was founding member of the Environmental Health Coalition, has served on the Lead Prevention Task Force for San Diego, and is the main scientific advisor responding to numerous problems of toxic exposure in our community. Her career reflects a lifetime commitment to preventive health, and she has always been on call to help prevent impending environmental disasters. She does so with a gentle, informed and persistent approach. Ruth Heifetz provides a superb role model for others wanting to devote their careers to protecting the lives of workers and the population from occupational and environmental causes of disease. She continues her work today and believes that we, as individuals and together, make a difference.

Nona Canon, Ph.D. is well known as a faculty co-founder of the Women’s Studies Department, San Diego State University (1969) and for her United Nations work for women’s equality and promotion of peace within communities and family. She joined the faculty of San Diego College in 1959 and became head of the Family Studies and Consumer Sciences Department. Working with students and other faculty, Dr. Cannon presented the new department proposal to the Curriculum Committee. When the world’s first Women’s Studies Department was instituted, she was one of three professors teaching its courses. To this day, the Department remains a leader in the discipline and is one of the largest. Dr. Cannon raised funds to accompany students to the U.N.’s First World Conference on Women in Mexico City in 1975. To expand their knowledge about international women’s rights, she founded San Diego’s U.N. Women’s Equity Council (WEC), and led students to the subsequent U.N.’s Women’s Conferences in Copenhagen (1980) and Nairobi (1985). She and her husband, Carroll began traveling throughout the nation—Carroll as Chair of Chapters and Divisions of the UNA-USA, and Nona to establish WEC’s in other UNA-USA chapters. The couple received the 1988 Goodman Award for their tireless efforts. Dr. Cannon’s organizational peace work included several events for the 1994 U.N. International Year of the Family. Her conferences, most notably at the University of Peace in Costa Rica, strategized for nurturing, peace-loving families. The crowning of her many writings was the publication of her 1996 book, Roots of Violence, Seeds of Peace in People, Families, and Society, a textbook for creating peace-loving families, societies, and Families, and Society, a textbook for creating peace-loving families, societies, and individuals.

Katherine Olivia Sessions graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1881 with a telling graduation essay: "The Natural Sciences as a Field for Women's Labor." She came to San Diego to teach, but then began a series of business ventures beginning with the San Diego Nursery and continuing with several additional nurseries in the San Diego area. She gained a reputation, both statewide and nationally, for her horticultural expertise, particularly landscaping, plant introductions and classes. She published numerous articles, helped found the San Diego Floral Association in 1906, and was appointed supervisor and teacher of agriculture and landscapes for city schools in 1915. Sessions’ experiments with plant introductions won her the 1939 Frank N. Meyer medal from the American Genetic Association—the first woman to receive this prestigious award. However, San Diegans, past, present and future, owe a true debt to Sessions for her creation of Balboa Park. She leased land in 1892 for a nursery in “City Park,” where she began planting 100 trees a year. She also planted at least 300 more throughout the City. She helped create a Park Improvement Committee to ensure the long-term survival of her landscaping. The Tijuana Tipu tree planted by Kate Sessions at the site of her nursery at Garnet and Pico in Pacific Beach is now a California Registered Historical Landmark. The bronze statue of Kate Sessions guarding the entrance to Balboa Park at the Laurel Street Bridge is the only full sculpture in the City dedicated to a real-life woman, the “Mother of Balboa Park.”

Belle Jennings Benchley led the San Diego Zoo to an international showplace when she became the world’s first and only female zoo “directrix” in 1927. For 26 years she was manager, organizer, promoter, fundraiser, author, and an international leader in animal behavior and zoo administration. In 1925, she was a divorced former teacher needing support for herself and son. She was hired as the Zoo bookkeeper and began taking lunches in and around the zoo. When she found problems, she reported them, often to Zoo founder and Board President, Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth. In 1927, after four undesirable Zoo Managers, Wegeforth appointed Benchley Manager and Executive Secretary—the Zoo’s top position. “Go ahead and run the place,” he said, “you’re doing it anyway.” And she did, until her retirement in 1953. Benchley loved animals and wanted San Diegans to appreciate them. During her leadership, annual attendance increased by 4.5 times and its budget by more than 7 times. Benchley’s animal devotion was legendary. She could sometimes detect an animal illness before the keepers or vets, believing it just didn’t “look quite right.” Her commitment to animals extended throughout the world. She became renown as an expert in animal behavior and zoo strategies. She served on committees of the American Zoological Association and was its first woman president; she was a member of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens. She was the author of several books, including My Life in a Man Made Jungle, the memoir My Animal Babies and the children’s book Shirley Visits the Zoo. Author Margery Facklam included Benchley in her discussion of 11 influential women who studied animals, placing her with the more widely known Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey. In 1930 Benchley told Time Magazine: “They spoiled the world’s best cook to make a zoo director out of me. I do not see why more women do not go in for it.”

Elizabeth A. Riggs was appointed by the Governor to the municipal court in 1979, where she remained the first and only African American woman judge until 2001. Life experiences prepared her for public service: after college, Riggs worked at the YWCA, the Neighborhood Youth Corp and directed Head Start before community leaders urged to go to law school. In 1997 she was elected Assistant Presiding Judge in El Cajon where she established the Domestic Violence Court. In 2000, a lifelong passion was realized when Riggs was transferred to the Juvenile Court for Dependency and Delinquency. Recognized for her outstanding work in the community, the Hon. Elizabeth Riggs has received numerous awards, is a member of many legal organizations, and was founding chair of the Earl B Gillman Bar Association. In 2007 Riggs was recognized as the 39th Senate District’s Woman of the Year by Senator Christine Kehoe.

Joan Craigwell, Trailblazer, is a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, a nurse who went on to become dean of a school of nursing. She has devoted herself to counseling veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and improving conditions for nurses, women and people of color. A recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Brain trust Award, the National Disabled American Veterans Commanders' Award, and the Congressional Distinguished Service Award, she has been a champion for nurses and women in the military and in the community.

Alemi Daba was born in Ethiopia in an Oromo tribal village. Girls did not go to school, but her contact with American missionaries enabled her to get an education. Because Alemi was Christian, she was tortured and imprisoned under the communist government, which also executed her husband and other members of her family. Alemi, with her two daughters, escaped and arrived in San Diego in 1988 as refugees. Soon after arriving, Alemi launched her energies toward adapting a new language and culture. She began to assist other refugees, and emerged as a leader of what is now a refugee community of 10,000. She has also served as a "peacemaker" between refugee communities whose countries, in some cases, have been at war. Currently, Alemi serves as Director of Women and Children for the Alliance for African Assistance, helping refugees from around the world resettle in San Diego. Alemi spearheaded several new programs with the Alliance to improve access to healthcare and provide special services for senior citizens and is a spokeswoman for Refugee Women Hand-in-Hand.

Lilia Garcia Moreno de Lopez’s lifelong dedication to improving the lives of women, children, the elderly, and the Latino community has made her one of San Diego’s most respected activists. During more than thirty years of grassroots organizing, she has contributed greatly to social justice and community empowerment in San Diego. Lopez was educated at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and worked in public relations and journalism in Mexico for fifteen years. After moving to Barrio Logan in the early 1960s, she soon recognized injustices suffered by Latinos and other ethnic groups living in the United States. Because many Latinas lacked basic job skills and access to educational resources, Lopez and others founded the first Latina advocacy group, Organizacion Femenil (1970). As Lilia’s vision for Latina economic independence grew, she went on to create the first ESL/occupational training program for women in San Diego. This program produced numerous qualified and well-prepared women in the areas of clerical, secretarial, and medical receptionist professions. Along with these much-needed resources for Latinas, Lilia Lopez played key leadership roles in her community. She was the first Secretary for the Chicano Federation Board of Directors in 1969; and she represented San Diego Latinos by lobbying for youth programs in Washington D.C. and at the 1980 International Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Lopez has also collaborated with San Diego State University researchers in numerous groundbreaking cross-cultural studies to identify the health needs of elderly San Diego Latinos and other aging ethnic groups (sponsored by U.S. Department of Health). Lopez has been an active member of such diverse organizations as the San Diego County Alcoholism Advisory Board, San Diego Community College District Center City Adult Citizen Council, Model Cities Advisory Board, Logan Heights Health Clinic, and Latino Foster Parents Association. As if this were not enough, Lopez also raised four children and has fostered seven children since 1995. To many Lilia Garcia Moreno de Lopez is known as a true Madrina, a role model with enormous strength and vision.

Helen S. Hawkins, Ph.D., was a producer & host of KPBS humanities programs, an historian, co-founder and first president of San Diego National Organization for Women, and publications director for the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. She produced and appeared in more than 100 KPBS-TV programs. Hawkins was an historian whose inquisitive mind and work improved the lives of women in our community. In an effort to provide support and information to the women of San Diego, Helen became co-founder an first president of the local NOW. She furthered this work by serving on the Commission for Affirmative Action and Women's Rights, participated in the National Women's Caucus, and helped create Dimensions, a women's networking group. After raising three children she returned to school to complete her masters and Ph.D. in history.In the late 1970s Dr. Hawkins joined KPBS television as Executive Producer of Humanities programming. During her 6 years there she produced more than 100 television programs, many of which focus on women's rights and issues of the time. Her work received an Emmy and a silver gavel from the American Bar Association. In addition, Dr. Helen Hawkins was awarded NOW's Susan B. Anthony award given for "courage and compassion and work for women's rights." Helen also became publications director for the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation while serving on the UCSD Board of Overseers and with SD Independent Scholars. She embodied leadership and courage and her work bridged the gap between community and academics. She was a true visionary, a pioneer in her time in the broadcasting industry while furthering women's and minorities rights. Her most notable quote is true today: "Equal rights are just like liberty, never secure. The erosion of rights occurs so quietly, so slowly--you may not even notice it at first." Helen Hawkins lives on as a role model as we move toward equality in the 21st century.

Deborah Lindholmis. The founder and Executive Director of the San Diego Foundation for Women (FFW), Dr. Lindholm has worked vigorously and imaginatively to improve the lives of women with life-threatening illness, homeless women, and at-risk youths. Both locally and internationally, Dr. Lindholm and the FFW have provided women with seed money to begin small businesses through micro-credit programs. She describes her work best in the FFW literature: “I met a woman who borrowed $4—she had never seen $4 in her life. She bought a comb, a pair of scissors and a mirror and she put her husband in business as a barber. Now she has a home and her children are in school. All because of $4.” Dr. Lindholm’s vision for the FFW has been to provide for women living on less than $1 a day. She has traveled to India and other locations to personally aid women who are participating in this concept of Village Banking, or micro-credit. She has witnessed first hand, the power of the credit concept. For her work she has received numerous honors and awards for creative and courageous leadership and volunteerism—not only for FFW, but also for other organizations such as San Diego Hospice and Catholic Charities. Her vision to connect and provide support to the poorest women locally and globally has provided self-sustaining livelihoods, meals, companionship and literacy and mentoring programs for those in the world who need it the most. FFW funded micro-credit programs are in place throughout the world and in our own backyard, making a difference, one woman at a time.

Ellen Browning Scripps created a newspaper empire with her brother and went on to become a philanthropist-activist for women and to improve San Diegans’ lives. In the mid-19th century, she was a teacher as a young woman until she went to Detroit to build a newspaper with her brother James. By providing her savings, talent and hard work, the fledgling Detroit News became immensely successful. Ellen was one of the four Scripps siblings who created a newspaper publishing empire. She told Time magazine in 1926 that “she regarded her wealth as a trust for the benefit of humanity.” Indeed, unlike ostentatious millionaires of the time, her personal spending was minimal compared to her donations. She refused to own an automobile until she could not turn down one as a gift. She founded the La Jolla Women’s Club to expand women’s public participation, and when women could not afford to join, she penned a note, “Please accept membership as a present from me….” She once discovered a homeless artist and commissioned him to make volumes of paintings. She provided for the worlds largest aviary for the new Balboa Park. Her contributions included the San Diego Community Welfare Building, the La Jolla playground (stipulating that it must be a free speech area), Scripps Memorial Hospital, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She was an advocate of women’s suffrage and of women’s burgeoning role in society. Her vision for a college ideally suited for women became Scripps Women’s College in Claremont. When it opened in 1926, she was 90 years old, and she referred to the institution as her "new adventure."

Sister Patricia Shaffer, Ph.D. has spent her career helping women in San Diego County. She has encouraged women to study science as a research chemist, university professor, nun, and member of scientific associations. She first became a chemistry instructor in 1959 at the San Diego College for Women, continuing at the University of San Diego to the present day as an innovative teacher, professor and active member of the campus community and ministry. In organizations such as Graduate Women in Science and the Association for Women in Science, she has been a leader and mentor within the male-dominated discipline of chemistry. She has served as a role model and inspiration by rising to prominence in her career as a research chemist and recipient of dozens of grants and fellowships worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many grants have been from the American Chemical Society’s SEED Program (Summer Experience for the Economically Disadvantaged) that provides opportunities for high school students to learn on the job. Her important research on asparaginase, an enzyme used in leukemia chemotherapy, will continue to help fight this disease. Her influence extends beyond the world of chemistry--as a nun in the Religious of the Sacred Heart, a teaching order--and in her concern for children: she works for orphanages in Tijuana and with migrant children in California farming communities. She is also a leader in USD’s Founder’s Club, an organization of USD’s Religious of the Sacred Heart devoted to community service.

Marianne McDonald, trained in classics and music, is Professor of Classics and Theatre at the University of California, San Diego. She is well known for her work on ancient Greek drama, mythology, and modern versions of ancient classics in film, plays, and opera. She is also recognized for her own poems, plays, and translations, which have been widely published. McDonald is founder of the renowned McDonald Center at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, whose success rate is among the highest in the nation in treating drug and alcohol abuse. The Scripps McDonald Center helps restore quality of life and integrates patient and family support to rebuild lives. Among her many awards, she has received the Order of the Phoenix from the Prime Minister of Greece, the UCI Medal, Civis Universitatis award from UCSD, and gold medals from the mayors of Athens and Piraeus. She has six children, a black belt in karate, and plays classical piano and harp. A 1999 Fulbright professor, adjunct professor at Trinity College Dublin, and a fellow at the National University of Ireland, McDonald is also one of the few women elected to the Royal Irish Academy.

Charlotte Baker (deceased), Empowerer of women, was San Diego’s first woman physician and the only woman president (1898) of the San Diego County Medical Society until 1987. Between 1888 and her death in 1936 she worked to eliminate prostitution, led the building of Balboa Park’s Children’s Home, helped found the San Diego Zoo, advocated a shorter work week for laborers, served on the City Civil Service Commission (president 9 years), and co-founded San Diego YWCA. As a leader of San Diego’s suffrage movement, she felt that winning California women the right to vote in 1911 was a life high point. She delivered about 1000 babies, proud that she never lost a mother in childbirth.

Lucy Killea, Ph.D is perhaps most well-known for her eighteen years of service as an elected official, serving on the San Diego City Council (1978-82); in the California State Assembly (1982-89); and in the State Senate (1989-96). Dr. Killea, an American and Latin American historian, was also one of the first individuals to "recognize the importance of communication across the California-Mexico border" and therefore helped to found Fronteras de las Californias, "a nonprofit liaison with Mexico funded by the City of San Diego, UCSD, and private corporations." Dr. Killea's career reflects her commitment to women's issues and improving women's lives. While serving in the State Assembly, Lucy helped to create the bipartisan Women's Caucus; she fought for years to "implement a licensed midwife program" which passed in 1993; and has been a pro-choice advocate, maintaining her position even in the face of strong opposition and public sanction by the Catholic Church.

Alice Barnes has demonstrated how one person’s commitment to social justice can affect many Americans. For decades her energetic and unstinting efforts have affected change through her work with the United Farmworkers’ Union, the American Indian Movement, and the Feminist Movement, among others. Her efforts have earned her the praise and admiration of such notable figures as Gloria Steinem, Governor Jerry Brown, Cesar Chavez, and Dennis Banks. In the words of Cesar Chavez, “…She is just always there, in good times and bad, giving of herself to farmworkers and the farmworkers’ cause. She is a beautiful example, for all generations, of what it means to share life with others.” After 25 years as an elementary school teacher, Barnes spent the bulk of 30 years as a full-time activist for social justice. She is noted particularly for her involvement with the United Farmworkers Union. She helped wherever there was a need, organizing boycotts, walking in picket lines, furnishing meals for strikers and their supporters, and gathering signatures for petitions. In 1980 she courageously helped form a food cooperative for farm laborers in San Diego’s North County, despite hostile opposition. Her work in the American Indian Movement included marching in “The Longest Walk”(1977), which protested proposed legislation that would abrogate treaties with Native Americans. At least once during the march she spontaneously organized food and housing for 300 of the marchers. She was 70 years old. Throughout the years, Barnes has joined actions in support of the ERA, spoken out against nuclear power, and helped form the San Diego chapter of the Gray Panthers. Among her many honors: Unity Plaque presented by the United Domestic Workers, Nia Cultural Organization, and the Campaign for Economic Democracy; a poem for her 70th birthday written by Dennis Banks; and a special organizer’s pin from the UFW. Alice Barnes once said, “I believe in putting my money, my efforts, and my time where my mouth is. When I sense something is wrong, I want to go out and do something about it. I love being where the action is; it’s my reason for living. I’d much rather be out fighting than sitting at home.”

Gloria Johnson, political activist and retired social worker, has labored for decades on local, state, and national levels to improve the status of women and gays. Her courageous leadership and founder roles as an out lesbian include the National Organization for Women and numerous democratic, and lesbian and gay organizations. Gloria became involved in the civil rights and peace movements in the 1960s and then the women’s movement (1970s), particularly the drive to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Throughout these years, Gloria held leadership roles in organizations that served as major forces for change for women, gays and lesbians. In 1976, she co-chaired the local “No on 6” campaign which would have kept gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools. As President of the San Diego County Chapter of NOW (1982-1983 and1985-1988), she represented San Diego County on the state board for several years. She was one of the founders of the chapter’s Lesbian Rights Task Force in the late ‘70s and served as director of NOW’s national Lesbian Rights Conference in San Diego in 1988. Gloria was recently elected to the national board of directors for the National Stonewall Democratic Federation and was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for 1980, 1996, and 2000. More recently: For the last four years, she has served as Vice Chair of the Lesbian and Gay Caucus for the California Democratic Party. She is currently the Political Relations Director of the San Diego Democratic Club and Co-Director of Political Action for the San Diego County Democratic Party. Gloria has also recently received the distinction of being appointed to the Governor’s Committee on Women’s Issues. Aside from her extensive leadership positions, Gloria has been a volunteer in a multitude of campaigns for local Democratic candidates. She is currently on Donna Frye’s campaign staff. Throughout all these years of activism,Gloria was a social worker for the County of San Diego for 30 years. In the last decade, she was an AIDS case workers. Although she retired from that work in 2000, her political service continues to branch in new avenues.

Beverly Yip was a creative pioneering leader and founder of the Union of Pan Asian Communities (1974). Her vision of bringing different cultures and generations together created a multi-program organization that continues to grow today.From its creation, Beverly Yip designed UPAC to meet the economic, social, psychological, and physical needs of San Diego’s Asian and Pacific Islander population. Today UPAC’s services have extended to help the diverse new immigrant population, serving over 50,000 people annually. Beverly Yip’s achievements can best be seen through the important role UPAC plays in the community. The wide array of programs include Health Services, Economic Development, Youth Prevention Services, Senior Services, and Community Development. Within each field are several focused outreach programs, such as those addressing domestic violence, youth mentorship, healthcare access, and employment. Beverly’s compassion, strength, and vision formed a foundation for UPAC. Her compassion can be seen in the essential human care services offered to those in need. Her strength created an organization able to deal with changing health, social, and economic problems faced by San Diego’s immigrant populations. Her vision brought together various cultures and organizations to unify despite a diversifying population. Ten years after her death, Beverly’s envisioned goals have blossomed into the innovative and influential organization UPAC is today.

Rulette Armstead. Assistant Chief of Police Rulette Armstead is a 29-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department. After rising through the ranks from Patrol Office, she was promoted to POlice Captain in 1988. She was the first woman and first African-American appointed to the rank of Captain. In 1992, she was appointed Assistant Chief of Police, managing Centralized Investigations (Child Abuse, Vice, Homicide, Elder Abuse, Domestic Violence, Gangs and Narcotics). She is also Chief coordinator for the "Non-bias Based Policing" program. Armstead developed SDPD's first Equal Employment Office, which gave all Department members a non-threatening environment to discuss EEO problems and to resolve complains. An expert in the field of domestic violence, she was instrumental in initiating SDPD's first Domestic Violence Division in 1993. The Unit is recognized as a national model for innovative approaches to breaking the cycle of family violence. Armstead has been an active member of the community and professional organization in San Diego. She has recruited and mentored law enforcement employees for career advancement and trained hundreds of criminal justice practitioners. A recipient of numerous local and national awards, Assistant Chief Armstead recently received a commendation from Mayor Dick Murphy for her role in creating the internationally-known Family Justice Center--a merging of SDPD's Domestic Violence Unit with the City Attorney's team.

Gloria E. McClellan, was Councilwoman and Mayor of Vista for 29 years beginning in 1972. She served as Chair for SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments), helped bring the County Courts and a library to Vista, and vigorously advocated for handicapped children and homeless care. A tireless advocate, Mayor McClellan became known as a visionary humanitarian. She started a Senior Nutrition Center in her home. Even before her service on the City Council, McClellan joined several civic organizations and eventually became president of the North COunty School for the Mentally Disabled. She continued her work for children--most particularly those of homeless families. As mayor, she approved several measures to benefit the well being of homeless families: a 100-bed, year-round Regional Family Transitional Housing Program. In addition, she supported a soup kitchen and a 60-bed program for recovering homeless substance abusers. One estimate of the number of homeless helped by McClellan is 7,000. May McClellan has left a powerful legacy of a redefined Vista and a model for creative, consistent support for homeless.

Anne D. Ewing has worked to remove restrictions in women’s private, civic and political lives. She founded San Diego’s Chapter, National Women’s Political Caucus; led a statewide reform of racist and sexist language in primary school readers; and faced Catholic excommunication for her support of women’s reproductive rights. Ewing became part of the civil rights movement in the segregated south when she was only 20 years old. She moved to San Diego in 1968 where she plunged headlong into women's rights issues. The early 1970s found her crusading for the removal of the blatantly sexist primary school readers where little girls were depicted as fearful and unimaginative. Anne helped to establish the Education Task Force of the NOW and became coordinator of the state level force. She developed criteria to identify sexist representation and demonstrated it vividly by developing a popular slide presentation. Resistant to change, the Education Board was sued by California NOW under Anne's leadership, leading to successful negotiations. The result was a state mandate to approve only those texts free from sexism and racism. In 1976 Anne Ewing founded the National Women's Political Caucus in San Diego and for 30 years has been assisting women of both parties to seek and hold political office. On another front, Anne responded to the Catholic excommunication of San Diego women who defended NOW's pro-choice position in the 1970s. She led a pro-choice march and rallied public opinion behind a woman's right to choose. Anne Ewing knows how to create structure change, and because of her efforts, countless girls and women have gained respect and self-determination long denied to others.

Jeri Dilno. For over 30 years Ms. Dilno has been a courageous political and social justice activist on behalf of women’s and gay/lesbian rights. Her military discharge in 1961 for being a lesbian led her to risk personal safety in path breaking work. With other Philadelphians, she instituted a new gay pride festival to debunk stereotypes and show strength in the numbers of 8,000+ people who turned out for it. She brought that experience and her personable style back to San Diego in 1975: helping to plan the first gay pride march here and remaining an active driving force in annual gay pride activities; presenting the first formal presentation about gay/lesbian health issues to the American Nurse’s Association; serving as the first female Executive Director of the Gay Center (1975-77) and then serving on and Chairing its Board; assisting the Center in adding “lesbian” and “community” for a new name, “Lesbian and Gay Men’s Community Center;” representing California as an out lesbian at the historic 1977 Women’s Year Convention in Houston; and serving among the first out lesbians as a delegate in the Democratic Party. In addition, Jeri Dilno has served as an open lesbian on: Mayor O’Connor’s Commission on the Status of Women; the Police’s Gay and Lesbian Advisory Committee; the Citizen’s Advisory Board on Police-Community Relations; and on a subcommittee dealing with high speed chases in the City.

Tanja Winter has been a tireless activist and organizer for peace and justice in San Diego for 35 years. Since her childhood escape from Nazi Germany, she has been a community activist and coalition leader who pounded the pavement and government offices for equal rights, empowerment, prison reform, global disarmament, environmental protection and peace. Her commitment to world peace led her to some of the most effective anti-nuclear demonstrations and world conferences in the past half century. For example, “Women Strike for Peace” began in 1961 when thousands of women left their restricted boundaries of home and job for a one-day strike against nuclear arms. This led to a nation-wide movement that was so effective that the House Un-American Activities Committee summoned the WSP leaders for a hearing, accusing them of communism. Upstaging the Committee, the activists made fools of the Congressmen. From letter-writing, to organizing events to sending out informational emails, Tanja Winter’s life work has been to bring the issues of peace and justice to the forefront of world consciousness. She founded: Children of Chernobyl to bring children from the contaminated areas to San Diego each summer; “Nica Solidarity” and “Friends of Nicaraguan Culture,” solidarity activities for Nicaragua; the Community Energy Action Network, promoting renewable energy sources while opposing nuclear power and weapons. Today, she is also a facilitator for “Hands of Peace,” a project of “Alternatives to Violence,” leading workshops about creative conflict resolution, self-esteem building, personal empowerment, and community building. Now 80, she is most active in two organizations she help create: the Peace & Democracy Action Group and Activist San Diego, both grassroots organizations devoted mobilizing the public for peace, justice, and equality.

Sylvia Hampton was inspired to work with naturalization, immigration and voting rights as a result of her grandmother and mother’s experiences in the early 1900s. In the League of Women Voters she found the opportunities to gain and share knowledge about challenging issues. Hampton has been on the front lines to educate the public and has been fighting for a single payer health care system, public education, voting rights, political education, social justice, environmental protection, safe and legal abortion and family planning. She is dedicated to providing women a chance to have a voice and to arm themselves with information. She is emphatic about the impact parents and teachers have upon their children. She believes recent elections prove that young people have a voice and can be heard when they vote. Sylvia Hampton has been honored for her work and continues her activism of the last four decades.

Marisa Ugarte Activist instituting structural change, is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC), which combats human trafficking in San Diego County and Tijuana. As an expert on the subject, she works, as the BSCC Mission states, “to preserve the dignity and well being of commercially and sexually exploited women and children through prevention, intervention and education.” She has received grants from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. State Department, and she has received an ambassador award from the International Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance for bringing sanctuary to girls in illegal brothels in Southern California after being smuggled across the boarder.

Kate Yavenditti, Acivist who created structural change to better women's lives and shift our way of thinking and doing. As a lawyer and pioneer in the field of domestic violence since the 1970s, she has devoted her career to advancing pro bono family law services to the disadvantaged. She founded the first domestic violence restraining order clinic and was a co-founder of the County's Task Force on Domestic Violence. She has been a senior Staff Attorney since 1986 at the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, organizes the legal services component of the annual Women’s Resource Fair, trains colleagues, is central to minor's counsel rules and standards, and conducts yearly legislative update training for professionals (Statewide Coalition for Battered Women). She was a founding member of the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice and through the National Lawyers Guild is a “Legal Observer” to ensure that hate crimes and civil rights violations are properly handled.

Gracia Molina de Pick born to a political family in Mexico, has lived in San Diego County for over 40 years. Her earliest efforts to secure equality for women was to help organize and found Partido Popular - a Mexican political party that fought to secure voting rights for women. Since Gracia arrived in the United States in the 1950s, she worked tirelessly to advance the participation of women and people of color in the democratic process. Gracia's work to promote women's rights and human rights is international in scope - she has participated in all UN World Conferences on Women - but she is also dedicated to improving the status of women in her own community. Gracia has served as a mentor, advocate, grassroots political activist, and teacher to countless numbers of women and men in her roles as a professor at Mesa College and lecturer at UCSD.

Ardelia “DeDe” McClure, has been an activist on behalf of women and diverse cultural, ethnic, and geographical communities. For over 30 years her leadership has included: Girls Club, the NAACP, National Women’s Political Caucus, National Organization for Women, and many more organizations. McClure’s extensive work as a community activist and leader began in the late 1960s, when she served on the Board of Directors for the Economic Opportunity Commission of San Diego County (1968-1972). Beginning in 1970 she played a major role in the Girls Club of San Diego, Inc., holding every office including President, and she is currently on that Board of Directors. McClure also served on the Board of Directors for San Diego Model Cities Program (1970-1974), and served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors for the San Diego Chapter of Planned Parenthood (1971). She was appointed by Mayor Pete Wilson to serve as the first Chairperson for the San Diego Community Relations Board (1974). She was a founding member of the San Diego Chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus, serving as President in 1984, and Chair of the Judiciary Committee on the national level in the same year. McClure was President of the Black Women’s Political Forum (1978) and Delegate to the Democratic National Convention (1988 & 1992). More recently she was on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Chapter of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People. For her extraordinary commitment to social justice,DeDe McClure has received honors and awards from a wide array of organizations, including the Korean Association of San Diego (1975), the Chicano Federation (1990), National Organization for Women (1989, 1997), National Women’s Political Caucus (1988), Girls’ Club of San Diego (1995), and San Diego Black Health Associates Children’s Health and Art Festival (1998, 2000). She was also granted a resolution in 1991 from State Senator Steve Peace. DeDe McClure’s passion, skills, and leadership in building coalitions and understandings between San Diego’s diverse communities has made her one of the County’s most influential and inspirational women.

Joan B. Kroc, was a philanthropist and peace activist. Her donations created the University of San Diego Institute for Peace and Justice, Notre Dame Institute for International Peace Studies, San Diego Hospice facility, Ronald McDonald House Charities (children), and the Salvation Army’s 12-acre community center. She left endowments to National Public Radio and local KPBS. She worked tirelessly with grassroots leaders and cultivated relationships with political, academic, and civic leaders across the nation. She was a role model as a successful businesswoman with social consciousness. Kroc's first philanthropic endeavor was an alcoholism educational program in La Jolla. From there she founded Ronald McDonald House Charities to improve the health and well being of children world wide. Kroc's donations to further peace created Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies (1986) and the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (2001). She opened and continued to make gifts to the St. Vincent de Paul Joan Brock Center for the Homeless in downtown San Diego. Finally, upon her death, she left generous donations to National Public Radio and the San Diego affiliate KPBS, ensuring quality independent journalism about the issues she cared about most.

Rev. Alyce Smith-Cooper, an African-American Ancestral storyteller and actor who provides healings, motivational, and diversity training sessions. She is widely recognized for creating cultural understandings in such diverse venues as: the Old Globe Theatre, corporation & government classrooms (MCI, FBI), the Wild Animal Park, and the Bethel African-Methodist Episcopal Church. Smith-Coopers credentials include education as a registered nurse with a specialty in psychiatric nursing and a master's degree in Human Behavior. She is a staff Chaplain at Scripps Memorial Hospital, an ordained minister and is in private practice as a spiritual counselor. She is a psycho-dramatist, certified to find deep meaning, strength, and healing from public storytelling. Alyce is equally comfortable setting up motivational training programs or teaching schools and organization how to deal with diversity. As a result, her audience becomes better listeners and more connected to life. She has performed in Fortune 500 boardrooms, museums, libraries, schools, homes, and under trees. She is Storyteller-in-Residence at San Diego's Children's Hospital and Wild Animal Park's Heart of Africa. In over 35 years of service, Ms. Smith-Cooper has captured hearts by the power of her presence, through which her words aid the imagination to soar by the beauty of storytelling. She sits, touches, sings, and prays with the dying and their families. As an Ancestral Storyteller, Alyce Smith-Cooper introduces audiences to the world of African-American folklore through her vibrant words and expressive vocal techniques. Alyce encourages students to explore their personal stories and to ignite their imaginations, spontaneity and creativity. Students develop an awareness of a rich and colorful culture and learn to appreciate the magical world of the storyteller.

Lucy Gonzales. Told at one time that her child could only be recommended to a trade school with the name ‘Gonzales,’ Lucy became determined to fight discrimination through the pride and professional successes of young Pilipinas in the Sorority. The organization provides cultural and historical awareness as well as individual training, discovery and development. MCPS members have become teachers, businesswomen, doctors, engineers, military officers and academics in science, law, politics and ethnic studies. Since the founding of the Maria Clara de Pilipinas Sorority in 1968 with her daughter, Lucy Gonzales has been a mentor, role model and leader to promote and maintain the integrity of Filipino-American culture and citizens. The Sorority’s purpose has been to bolster the success and self-esteem of high school Pilipinas, encouraging them “to preserve and promote Philippine interest and culture in…homes, schools, and community.” Through their annual awards, support and events, Lucy Gonzales’ Maria Clara de Pilipinas Sorority continues to “project a higher image of the Filipina onto the San Diego community and throughout the nation.”

Ashley Walker. is widely acknowledged and honored for institutionalizing the domestic violence movement in San Diego. She pioneered YWCA’s Battered Women’s Services decades ago with the County’s first shelter and comprehensive domestic violence services. Through her passionate determination, the City Attorney and Police Domestic Violence services became national models upon which other cities have relied for guidance. She served ten years as a certified trainer in child abuse and domestic violence responses for POST: Police Officers’ Standards and Training (all nine County Departments). Since the 1980s her lectures and seminars have also educated civic, financial, educational, legal, medical, business, religious and social service organizations. Her consulting group, Horizons Unlimited established the protocol for domestic violence services in the U.S. Navy Family Service Centers in the Western Region; her 1983 domestic violence Emergency Assessment publication was the first used by emergency room staff.In recent years, she brought her sensitivity training, management and organizational skills to her work as Executive Director of San Diego City’s Human Relations Commission—a 15-member commission devoted to issues of discrimination and equal opportunity, conflict resolution and violence prevention, and multiculturalism and diversity.

Clara Estelle Breed, beloved librarian for 42 years, created San Diego’s county-wide “Serra” lending system we all enjoy today. She is most notably remembered, however, for the impact she had upon children she dearly loved. During World War II, over 120,000 Japanese were forced from their homes and possessions and placed into internment camps; Breed was a children’s librarian. Outraged, she wrote in protest and sent books, clothing and candy to children in the Japanese internment camps. She handed children pre-addressed, stamped postcards as they were shepherded onto trains, asking them to write her. She corresponded with hundreds of children, saving over 250 letters from them. She visited camps, wrote journals and articles, and retained mementoes of her moving Japanese-American friendships. “Dear Miss Breed,” all the letters to her began. Ted Hirasaki wrote her from Poston, Arizona, in 1942, “How are you? Thanks ever so much for the wonderful letter. (would you mind if I showed it to some friends?)… Life is beginning to settle down to the monotonous regularity that is truly depressing. People have gotten so that they don't leave their own block. Let alone leave their ‘home.’” In the 1990s Breed gave her historic collections to one of her former correspondents, who then donated them to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. There, and on the Museum’s website, we can witness first-hand how one woman built bridges and made a difference to so many during a dark chapter in U.S. history.

Karen Vigneault is a Kumeyaay twin-spirit (lesbian). She educates U.S. and Mexican Indigenous peoples about their authentic traditions and the extraordinary, respected, historic role twin-spirit people have held in Indigenous societies. As a child, she was refused attendance at public schools, since she did not fit into the white/black categories of segregation. Eventually a Catholic school admitted her. As a result, she became passionate about rediscovering traditional Kumeyaay practices. Vigneault raises awareness both within the Kumeyaay Nation and among other Indigenous peoples and has received honors and awards for her work. She works with the Peace and Dignity Project at an Indigenous children’s shelter in Tecate, Mexico, cultivating Kumeyaay traditions, language, and culture while protecting children from the hardships of orphanages. First in her family to earn a degree, this month she received her Library and Information Sciences M.A. As a member of the American Indian Library Association, she raises awareness among peers about Indigenous literature and strives to increase the number of accurate texts offered in libraries.

Edith Dabbs (deceased 2009) Bridge Builder of multiculrural undersanding, taught ESL and citizenship classes from 1956-2003 in the Continuing and Adult Education Division of the San Diego Community College District. In 1983 she established a scholarship for graduating, low-income mothers who are sole support of their children, of which there have been 40 recipients. She received a 2004 San Diego City Council Commendation Award from Judy McCarty and a 2003 Community Distinguished Citizen Award from the Kiwanis Club. She has also devoted decades to the San Diego Woman’s Club (including President), the Allied Gardens Woman’s Club, the Allied Gardens Community Council and many other organizations.

Jane Dumas is a member of the Jamul Band of Kumeyaay Indians in East County. She is a well-known and widely respected elder, teacher, and leader in San Diego's American Indian community and in San Diego at- large. For decades, Jane has been speaking in classrooms and at public events, sharing knowledge of Kumeyaay culture and medicine, and stressing the value of traditional language and history in today's urban and American Indian societies. In 1981, Jane helped found the San Diego American Indian Health Center, and since 1986 she has been described as an "anchor, leader, peacemaker, and bridge between Indian and non-Indians in the areas of medicine and education" and believes that "we can become healthier as both individuals and as a community by incorporating traditional knowledge and spirituality."

Midge Neff-LeClair has been nationally recognized for decades for cultural and historical preservation with "Apparel Americana" and for dedicated community service with Retired Senior Volunteer Police activities, teaching at San Diego Community College’s Educational Cultural Complex (ECC), and mentoring diverse groups. She is a fourth-generation seamstress possessing B.A. degrees in History/Clothing Design, an M.A. in Human Behavior, and a Doctorate in Business Administration. She has been honored by the City of San Diego, the San Diego Police Department (where she has volunteered for decades), many historical societies, and the ECC.Raised with both traditional notions of woman’s place and her grandmother’s Cherokee values, Neff-LeClair’s work has often been with those who are marginalized by, or omitted from, traditional institutional education and services: elderly, new immigrants, minorities, veterans, the working poor, and most of all, women. In her pioneering classes at San Diego Community College's Educational Cultural Complex, she devoted herself to mentoring women who might never have access to information necessary to become self-sufficient. She has empowered individuals from diverse backgrounds through her courses about clothing design, alteration, and production; her tutoring in everything from business accounting to strategies for an alterations business; and through decades-long friendships with former students. Today, many former students--Anglo, Latino, African-American, Laotian, Vietnamese--whose successful businesses were launched with Neff-LeClair’s guidance still consider her mentor and friend, having themselves become sources of strength for their families and communities. History, as Neff-LeClair teaches it, is an explanation of our own culture, capabilities, and inspirations. She produced over 1000 of her “Apparel Americana” shows between the 1960s and 2000. Friends and relatives modeled her historical clothing as she narrated their significance for everyday life, male and female roles, and the socio-economic bases of fashion trends. In homes for the aged, she encouraged individuals to keep their own history and culture alive by repeating their stories. Neff-LeClair continues her tireless efforts of community service as a volunteer, including aiding the creation of the San Diego Police Historical Museum, serving as a trained Police civilian, providing food for poor families, and organizing annual children’s events. Collector, mother, wife, teacher, cancer survivor (several times over), and an extraordinarily kind and brilliant woman, Midge’s multiple identities and wealth of knowledge has made her counselor, friend and role model.

Herminia Acosta Enrique (Techitzin), is best known as the founder of the Ballet Folklorico en Aztlan (1967), and co-founder of San Diego’s Centro Cultural de la Raza (1969). In reality, she is a life-long art and social justice activist, preserving and teaching dance and the arts while promoting dialogue among indigenous tribes of the Americas. Since childhood in the 1920s, Enrique has designed costumes, composed plays, produced local musical theatre productions, and taught folklore. In 1978, she participated in the Smithsonian’s Folklife Program in storytelling sessions on Mexican folktales, myths, legends, superstitions, and was a facilitator of Mexican games. She has been a volunteer working as a Chicano Federation Board member, the National Health Systems Agency, the National Council on Aging, and numerous local and international theatrical, dance, and storytelling organizations. Enrique is the author of Chia A Powerful Recuerdo, several pieces about Folkloric Dance, and numerous short plays, songs, and performance art works. She has been a frequent speaker in San Diego and San Antonio, Texas about Southwest folktales, traditional morality tales, and the history and symbolism of rituals. She has also been featured in videos (1980s) and taught Folkloric Dance at San Diego State’s Chicano Studies program (1970s). IN libraries, schools, Old Town, theatres, the Sundance and the Centro, Herminia Enrique has been a role model. She has not only passed on cultural treasures to generations, but she has helped create a proud identity for thousands of children and adult Chicanas and Chicanos in San Diego for 35 years.

Mary Maschal (1924-1998). Special Induction. Mary B. Maschal was co-founder and first president of the Women's History Reclamation Project (WHRP) in 1983. She was devoted to improving women's status and self-esteem by exposing the struggles and accomplishments of women. As president of the WHRP, she collected books, historical papers, and artifacts; she gave talks in schools and community groups; she lobbied politicians and activists; she applied for grants; she appealed to donors; she taped oral histories to preserve women's stories; she traveled to women's conferences; she persuaded women from all walks of life to come volunteer with her "at the Project." Maschal was raised believing she could not become an engineer or a preacher like her father "because girls don't do that." She followed tradition, married, and raised five children. Then she discovered in the 1950s that some women did occupy traditional male occupations. As a participant in the Second Wave of Feminism, she was an early member of the National ORganization for Women; Women's Conference in Houseton (1977) and the U.N. Mid-Decade Conference for Women in COpenhagen (1980). She developed a "handywoman" business. An advocate of women's rights in organized religion, she helped create a Women and Religion Resolution in 1977 in the Unitarian Universalist Association. Mary envisioned a center where all women felt welcome and inspired--accessible to those who could not afford college or would never otherwise learn about women. With the help of talented co-founders, the WHRP moved from her home to a museum in 1996 and continues to grow. In 2003 the WHRP's name was changed to the Women's History Museum and Educational Center.

Evelyn L. Clarke, has worked for decades on behalf of San Diego’s first women’s and human rights organizations such as San Diego National Women’s Political Caucus and the Older Women’s League. She has preserved the histories of organizations by photographing or videotaping their events for their archives. Curiosity and determination prompted Evelyn to take leading roles in many organization working on behalf of women's rights, human rights, healthcare, local and national politics, youth and multi-cultural issues and concerns. Evelyn's childhood was spent in orphanages and foster homes but books and librarians became her inspiration. It was at the local library that she learned about the women's movement. Form the San Diego Girl Scouts, she learned to hold her head high and be happy and proud of being a girl. Evelyn joined the women's movement early, attending the first local meeting of the National Women's Political Caucus and signing on as a charter member. She participated in parades and demonstrations but couldn't sign carry because she had decided to photograph every event and activity--an interest she had acquired at Girl Scout camp. In 1975 she attended the first International Women's Conference in Mexico City where her Press Pass from a local paper gained her an interview with Margaret Mead. She also participated as a YWCA delegate to Washington where then President and Mrs. Clinton attended her session. Evelyn's role models, she says, are school teachers--all of them--and all the women who were seated and continue next to her in the movement. Evelyn is proud of the women of San Diego and reminds them that defeat, in the words of Susan B. Anthony, "is not an option."

Sara "Madre Sarita" Macias Vasquez is an indigenous Mexican immigrant healer and teacher who carries on traditions of spiritual healing in Toltec, curanderismo and other holistic native healing traditions. Raised by her Toltec grandparents (her grandfather was a community “shaman” in rural Jalisco), she became a wife and mother at 15 and had 13 children. She worked in and outside of the home, putting several of them through college. She describes herself as someone who does spiritual work, healing through her hands and prayers. She is recognized by thousands as gifted, presenting to audiences as diverse as UCSD physicians and various-sized groups of followers throughout California, Tijuana, and Texas. She was interviewed by local San Diego and Tijuana television to share insights about her more than 40 years of teaching and healing. She has also empowered women by holistically attending to their “bodymindspirit,” and convincing them to have faith in themselves: Si se puede – yes, it’s possible, is the message she instills in them. Having overcome obstacles in her own life, she is a powerful mentor. She is currently writing her autobiography and participating in oral histories, fully conscious of the significance of her knowledge for future generations.

Judith K. Munk (1925-2006) embraced art and architecture in life. A visionary, artist, sculptor, and advocate for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California at San Diego, she was dedicated to campus planning and the renovation of historical buildings. She was instrumental in the origination of the Mingei museum in La Jolla before it moved to Balboa Park. She supported an open-air amphitheatre in downtown La Jolla for the production of Shakespearean plays; when the proposal was rejected she built it in her own front yard and hosted events each year. Munk was an active participant in the design of the Geophysics Laboratory at Scripps (The original building is now named for her); was a staunch supporter of many performing arts groups, grass roots, and non-profits; and was involved at the UCSD International Center. She contributed to the development and support of Scripps Crossing, the footbridge linking the west and east sections of Scripps Oceanography campus.

Li-Rong Cheng Historian is inducted for keeping culture and history alive within her community, contributing to the maintenance and integrity of her community, and promoting multicultural bridges. She is Professor of Communicative Disorders and has been the Assistant Dean of Global Program Development at San Diego State University. Through her teaching, publications, lectures all over the world, and her work with the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, Dr. Cheng has promoted cross-cultural and cross linguistic communication. She has received awards and keynote speaking honors for her expertise in disorders of language in multilingual populations. She has chaired San Diego’s International Affairs Board, the Chinese Historical Museum’s Board of Trustees, and the Asian Pacific Thematic Historical District committee.