Winona LaDuke NAMED AS INDUCTEES TO THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME

Winona LaDuke was named this week as a 2007 inductee to the National Women's Hall of Fame earlier this week. Winona LaDuke was the Green Partys candidate for Vice President of the United States shaing the Ticket with Ralph Nader in 1996 and 2000. Click here for more about Winona LaDuke



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christine Moulton, Acting Director
(315)568-8060
cmoulton@greatwomen.org


NINE OUTSTANDING WOMEN NAMED AS INDUCTEES TO THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME
SENECA FALLS, NY, January 25, 2007 – The National Women’s Hall of Fame announces its 2007 Inductees. Included in the group of nine outstanding American women are engineer Dr. Eleanor K. Baum, philanthropist and social reformer Swanee Hunt, environmental advocate Winona LaDuke, and astronomer Dr. Judith Pipher. These women, along with five historic figures, will be inducted during a weekend of ceremonies October 6-7, 2007.

“We are thrilled that this year’s class of Inductees represents such a wide array of endeavor. It is important that everyone learn about the accomplishments of these women and the affect of those achievements on advancing our country as a whole. We look forward to telling these stories in the hopes of inspiring and lifting up many others,” said the Hall’s President, Barbara DeBaptiste.

The 2007 Inductees are:
Dr. Eleanor K. Baum (1940 - ) Currently serving as the Dean of Engineering at Cooper Union and the Executive Director of the Cooper Union Research Foundation, Dr. Eleanor Baum is the first female engineer to be named dean of a college of engineering in the United States. In 1995, she became the first female president of the American Society for Engineering Education. An electrical engineer who has worked in the aerospace industry, Dr. Baum is a respected leader in recruitment and retention of women in the engineering profession.

Julia Child (1912 - 2004) A graduate of Smith College, Julia Child went on to attend classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. The famous American cook, author, and television personality introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to America through her cookbooks and television programs. Her most famous works include the 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the television series The French Chef, which premiered in 1963. She is widely credited with demystifying the art of fine cooking.

Swanee Hunt (1950 - ) Swanee Hunt is Director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. An internationally recognized expert on foreign affairs and diplomacy, Hunt is heralded for her trailblazing work to increase the participation and inclusion of women in peace processes around the world. She is also President of Hunt Alternatives Fund, a private foundation committed to advancing social change at local, national and global levels.

Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926 - 2004) After graduating from the University of Zurich medical school, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross married and moved to the United States. She began working in hospitals, where she was appalled at the treatment of terminally ill patients. Her 1969 bestseller On Death and Dying revolutionized the medical profession’s treatment and understanding of dying patients, serving as a voice for the rights of the terminally ill. Her work was a catalyst for now commonly accepted ideas such as hospice care, living wills, and death with dignity.

Winona LaDuke (1959 - ) A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, Winona LaDuke advocates for public support and funding for frontline native environmental groups. In 1994, she was nominated by Time Magazine as one of America’s most promising leaders under forty years of age. In 1998, she was named Ms. Magazine Woman of the Year. Ms. LaDuke was the vice-presidential candidate on the Green Party ticket in both 1996 and 2000. She currently serves as director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project in Minnesota.

Dr. Judith L. Pipher (1940- ) Dr. Judith Pipher’s research in the field of Infrared Astronomy began in graduate school with work on some of the first rocket-borne telescopes. Since 1971, Dr. Pipher has served on the faculty of the University of Rochester, where she and her colleagues were the first U.S. astronomers to turn an infrared array toward the skies. Her experiments with ground-based and airborne telescopes culminated in development of a camera for, and infrared observations on, the Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in 2003.

Catherine Filene Shouse (1896 - 1994) Known for her visionary work in education, arts, politics and women’s affairs, Catherine Filene Shouse was the first woman to receive a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University and the first woman appointed to the Democratic National Committee in 1919. Ten years later, she launched the Institute for Women’s Professional Relations. An ardent supporter of the arts and arts education, Catherine Filene Shouse founded and was the major benefactor of the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia - the first and only national park dedicated to the performing arts. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald R. Ford in 1977.

Henrietta Szold (1860 - 1945) The daughter of Hungarian immigrants, educator and social pioneer Henrietta Szold was an important figure in both American and Jewish history. In 1889, she opened a night school to educate immigrants in English and civics, creating a model for other night schools and immigrant education programs. Her groundbreaking work in the American Jewish community continued with her founding of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, in 1912. Ms. Szold moved to pre-state Israel in 1920, continuing her work with the American Zionist Medical Unit, which she organized in 1918.

Martha Coffin Wright (1806 - 1875) Martha Coffin Wright was one of five visionary women who organized the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848, forever changing the course of American history. She was also one of the few women who attended the 1833 founding meeting of the American Anti-Slavery Society. An accomplished author, she wrote for local and national publications on anti-slavery and women’s rights issues. She was elected President of the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1874, serving until her death in 1875.

These nine women will join the 217 already inducted into the Hall, the first national membership organization recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of great American women. For more information on the Hall or its activities, please call (315)568-8060 or visit the Hall’s award winning website, www.greatwomen.org.

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The National Women’s Hall of Fame is a national membership organization recognizing and celebrating the achievements of individual American women. The Hall was founded in historic Seneca Falls, New York, the site of the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. A not-for-profit educational organization, its programs include inductions of distinguished American women, educational activities, special exhibits, and events for the enrichment of public understanding and appreciation of the diverse contributions women make to society. Two hundred and seventeen women have been inducted since the Hall’s founding in 1969. The National Women’s Hall of Fame is supported by corporations, foundations, and individual benefactors.