The contributions of nineteen women to American life over four centuries were highlighted on October 7 when they were inducted
into the Women's Hall of Fame. Among them were Attorney General Janet Reno (1938- ), suffragist and preacher Anna Howard Shaw(1847-1919), civil war surgeon Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919), and two retired Air Force generals -- Jeanne Holm (1921- ) and Wilma Vaught (1930- ).
They bring to 176 the number of American women so honored "whose contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, the humanities, philanthropy and science, have been the
greatest value of the development of their country."
The Hall of Fame was created in 1969 by the citizens of Seneca Falls,
New York, home of the 1848 women's rights convention which wrote the Declaration
of Sentiments, and of the 1923 National Woman's Party conference where
the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced.
For many years the New York Chiropractic College housed the Hall. After
purchasing a former bank building in 1979 it moved to Fall street in downtown
Seneca Falls. Inside are photographs of the women it honors and other
exhibits on the achievements of American women.
Getting into the Hall of Fame is no mean feat. Any one can nominate
any American woman, but it generally takes multiple nominations by many
women and a concerted campaign for a nominee to survive the elimination
process. Nominators often do extensive research to substantiate the
claim to fame. The contributions of the 173 women nominated this
year were reviewed by a research committee of 14 before a panel of 15 judges
selected 19 women to be in the "class of 2000."
There is a backlog of great women waiting to take their place on the
walls of the Hall. For the time being it helps to have a cheering
squad in upper New York State, regardless of where the nominee did most
of her work.
For example, Crystal Eastman (1881-1928), pioneering civil liberties
and labor attorney, came from Elmira, New York, where her parents were
pastors of Park Church. Two presidents of the Chemung County Council
of Women -- Barbara Sechrist and Faith Hallock -- nominated her three times
over several years. The Council co-ordinated an extensive letter
writing and lobbying campaign before her acceptance into the class of 2000.
Local backing insures a good turnout for the induction ceremony.
Seven hundred friends, family and fans of the honorees attended this year's
ceremony. Among them were quite a few women dressed in military uniforms,
who came to honor their own. A dozen came from Chemung County.
This year's ceremony began Friday night with a reception at the main
building of the Women's Rights National Park, followed by a candlelight
procession, led by Girl Scouts, down the street to the Hall of Fame.
Saturday featured a press conference, luncheon, the induction and ended
with another reception at the Chiropractic College.
At the morning press conference, Attorney General Janet Reno was repeatedly
asked if women had to work harder, or were treated differently, than men, and repeatedly she said no. Avoiding any
words that might be interpreted as feminist, or even political, she quoted
Abraham Lincoln and her mother to the effect that one should do your best
and believe in yourself.
Each of the living inductees, and descendants or other representatives
of dead ones, addressed the gathering after presentation of a medal by
Marilyn P. Bero, President of the Board of Directors. Their speeches
were peppered with personal anecdotes, expressions of gratitude, and words
of inspiration.
Also in Seneca Falls is most of the Women's Rights National Historical
Park, created by an Act of Congress in 1980. Its current director
is Josie Fernandez, who left Cuba as a refugee while still a child.
She joined the Park Service after a career in the Air Force.
The "Park" consists of several buildings in two towns. A two story
exhibit hall sits next to the shell of the Wesleyan Chapel where the 1848
convention was held. Other sites include the home of Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, who along with Lucretia Mott called the convention. The
Park recently acquired the Hunt and M'Clintock Houses in nearby Waterloo,
where much of the convention planning was done by these women plus Martha
Wright, Jane Hunt and Mary Ann M'Clintock.
Although run by the National Park Service, it is funded in part through
private donations. The Friends of the Women's Rights National Park
collects donations of money and objects commemorating woman suffrage, and
also holds its own events. A "dialog" on women's legal status, then
and now, was held the morning of the induction ceremony at the WNRP.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton's birthday is celebrated on November 12. All
of these serve the same purpose: to put women back into history.
Sites mentioned in the article:
www.greatwomen.org
www.nps.gov/wori
