But she also served in numerous leadership roles in the Des Moines area, was a founding member of the Iowa NAACP and of the Charity League and Protection Home, as well as an author, playwright and writer. Constitution granting women the right to vote in 1920.īut she also traveled the world to help women in other countries obtain the right to vote, and served as an outspoken advocate for world peace.ĭurden Rush helped form what was called the Negro Bar Association in 1925, which later became the National Bar Association. One of the things distinguishing the women honored is that the Women’s Hall of Fame honorees have been recognized largely for their lasting impact on women, while the nominees for the bridge project were chosen for their broader contributions to society.Ĭatt, for example, devoted 33 years of her life to the suffrage movement, serving twice as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, including the successful campaign that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S.
She came away from discussions feeling strongly that there had to be a clear distinction between the Hall of Fame and the bridge's honorees, and that both projects needed a process that wasn’t Des Moines-centric. She felt the commission would be supportive of taking over, but she said also wanted to talk to Corning and Pederson and others before moving forward. Peters told me she had met with Van Gundy, who needed to delegate the project after some reorganization at the Principal Foundation.
20 to consider a plan to take over administration of the selection of the annual Women of Achievement honorees. The commission, she said, will be meeting as soon as Aug. So I called Phyllis Peters, chair of the women’s commission, who broke some news:
The commission is appointed by the governor, but it also has to be balanced for political affiliation. This year’s four picks are to be inducted in August at the Iowa Historical Building, bringing to 168 the total number of women, living and dead, who have been chosen. The commission established the Hall of Fame in 1975 with similar goals: to highlight women's heritage and recognize their important contributions. That sparked more questions, because, as many know, the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, under the Iowa Department of Human Rights, already inducts women to the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame each year. She said the future funding of the project also needed to be decided in that time frame. Jensen said it would be up to the new administrator of the awards to determine whether nominees still have to be deceased. Once the new organization is in place, we will make sure they reach out to you, and other Iowa publications, to promote the call for entries.” We hope that will be complete within the next 60-90 days. “We are in the process of selecting an organization to manage nominations for the Iowa Women of Achievement bridge. A moment of fluxĪhmad connected me with Erica Jensen in Principal’s public relations department, who sent the following email: The plaques of the honorees were paid for with money from the Riverfront Development Authority.īut after Principal donated the Riverwalk to the city and O’Keefe retired two years ago, the project honoring the great women of Iowa history was placed on a back burner.
In all, about 15 women were nominated in the first round of picks. One requirement was that, unlike other awards, all nominees had to be deceased. “Their work established lasting institutions, laws and programs that today continue to serve Iowans and citizens of the world," she said. O’Keefe said at the time the honorees chosen defied the odds and advanced important causes for people of all races, creeds and economic levels. The four they chose to honor were Carrie Chapman Catt, one of the leaders of the American women's suffrage movement Louise Noun, the philanthropist, civil rights activist and patron of the arts Sister Bernadine Pieper, a nationally renowned scientist and educator and Gertrude Elzora Durden Rush, the first African-American woman to practice law in the state of Iowa. The group was charged with recognizing Iowa women who “made outstanding contributions, achieved prominence or advanced the well-being of fellow citizens in Iowa and/or the world.” Also on the committee were Joy Corning and Sally Pederson, the former lieutenant governors Michael Gartner, the former president of the Iowa Board of Regents and San Wong, director of the Iowa Department of Human Rights.
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