Marin Women's Hall of Fame

     Over the past 30 years, perhaps no other woman has consistently impacted the lives of so many Marin County children as Evelyn Callas.  It has been said of her, "She is professional, caring, warm and understanding, unpretentious, low-key and devoted to her young patients.  She does it all, from fixing the pediatric department's broken toys, to hugging a scared child, to giving clear instructions to worried parents."     

     Dr. Callas's advocacy on behalf of children has resulted in legislative changes to protect children from abuse and neglect.  Largely due to her efforts, an important bill was passed which allows physicians to photograph children without parental consent.     

     In 1978, Dr. Callas was appointed Chief of Pediatrics by Kaiser Permanente, the first woman to be appointed a department chief.  She was also Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco and has served as Board Secretary of the Easter Seals Society.     

     When she retired from Kaiser in 1989, Dr. Callas focused on her work at UCSF, becoming Director of Pediatric Urgent Care for five years.  In the fall of 1995, she moved to Mt. Shasta where she utilizes her knowledge of pediatrics by volunteering at a medical clinic and spending one day per week at a school-based health clinic organized by the county schools and the local medical group.  Particularly concerned with the care of acutely sick and needy children, she is involved in various committees concerning emergency medical care for children and school attendance.

Read the extended biography by Nancy Nakai.   

     A long-time political activist, Elizabeth Smith Gatov served as Democratic Committeewoman for California from 1956 - 1965.  In 1960, she was appointed by President Kennedy as the Treasurer of the United States, becoming the highest placed woman in that administration.     

     In her early years, Ms. Gatov was active in civic activities such as the Junior League, Red Cross and Sunny Hills.  In 1948, she became involved in the congressional campaign of her neighbor, Roger Kent and learned that "intimately everything that's important and lasting, if it has any social impact, gets into the political field."     

     With her return from Washington, Ms. Gatov became extremely involved with Planned Parenthood, ultimately becoming the national organization's first Public Affairs Director.  Her advocacy on the issue of reproductive rights was responsible for enactment of progressive legislation at the state and federal level.     

     Upon the death of her husband, Ms. Gatov wrote "Windows in the Dark", a primer on the fundamentals of money management designed to help women take charge of their financial lives.     

     On her death in 1997, one historian's words were recounted, "Widely read in both domestic and international policy issues, deeply dedicated to the battle against social injustice, experienced in the 'old politics' of party and precinct organization and the 'new politics' of television...Libby Gatov represents all that is best in American politics.  Respect, trust and integrity - her life is a personal testimonial to the glory of the democratic process at its best."

     Beginning in the 1930's, Caroline Livermore realized that the beauty of Marin could not last forever without protection and planning.  She devoted her life to that end.  She helped to halt development of Mount Tamalpais, saving its slopes for the valuable watershed it has become.  Later, she was instrumental in having part of the mountain formed into California's first state park.  The Marin Conservation League, under her leadership for twenty years, made successful efforts to save Stinson Beach, which later became California's first state beach park.  She negotiated for the purchase of lands which were subsequently formed into Samuel B. Taylor Park and Tomales Bay State Park.  To protect the scenery from the presence of unsightly roadside billboards, Mrs. Livermore worked with the county supervisors to pass the county's first anti-billboard ordinance.     

     Mrs. Livermore spearheaded a drive to save, relocate and restore the historic Lyford Manson, now a Marin historic site located in the Richardson Bay tidelands area, which she also helped to preserve and protect.  In leading the efforts to preserve Angel Island from private development, Caroline Livermore worked tirelessly for fifteen years lobbying state and national policy makers.  In 1970, Angel Island was declared a state park and a national landmark, with Mt. Livermore, the highest peak on the island, named in her honor.  In addition to these conservation efforts, Mrs. Livermore was a founder of the Marin Audubon Society, the Marin Art and Garden Center, the Richardson Bay Foundation and the Point Reyes National Seashore Foundation.

Read Caroline Livermore's extended biography.  

     A long time consumer activist, as founder of TURN (Toward Utility Rate Normalization) in 1973, Sylvia Siegel became the main protagonist and protector of all utility paying consumers.  After finding that no one was really challenging the utilities companies, Ms. Siegel became a self-taught expert of complicated utility law.     

     Ms. Siegel's work led to the utility industry changing its rate structure to eliminate a discount for increased usage - so that it now supports reduced use.  Her efforts also helped to mandate a "lifeline rate" - a minimum amount of gas and electric made available at reasonable rates for those who needed it most - the segment of the population on fixed incomes.     

     She utilized her ability to interpret complicated data and communicate the findings into the "everyday language that consumers can understand," and make it "juicy" enough so that people would listen.  Among some 250 consumer advocates in California, Ms. Siegel became the most visible and viable advocate in the state.  Upon her retirement from TURN, she was hired by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to represent the interest of the consumers of Marin with Viacom Cable.  She went on to organize a statewide group called Consumers Cable Commission.     

      Recently elected to the Marin Health Care District Board,  Ms. Siegel continues to be an active advocate and voice of the consumer, and serving her second term on the Board of KQED. 

Read Sylvia Siegel's extended biography.  

     Alice Yarish has always loved to write.  She wrote for various publications throughout high school, college and law school.  During the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles in the summer of 1932, Alice reported on the women's competitive events.  Eventually moving to Marin, she began to cover the courts, prisons and other aspects of the criminal justice system.  Writing about some of the most famous Marin trials in recent history, Alice distinguished herself as a champion for social justice and a talented investigative reporter.     

      Earning the trust of many San Quentin inmates, she was able to explain to the reading public the trouble that some prisoners faced and what life was really like inside a maximum security prison.  Her advocacy on their behalf continued to build her reputation as a fighter for social justice.  Alice also wrote about the local political scene, the policies of local law enforcement departments and was responsible for uncovering questionable practices.  Her trademark was to "stick up  for the people who couldn't speak up for themselves".  Her life has had many rewards, among them meeting several U.S. President, diplomats, famous artists and musicians.  She is also the proud founder of Marin Advocates for Justice.  She has served on many boards of local organizations and was on the county's Adult Criminal Justice Commission for two terms.

Read an extended biography. 

     A 1962 graduate of Brooklyn College with a B.S. degree in Economics, Ms. Boxer stepped into the Wall Street scene as a stockbroker and economic researcher.  As an award-winning journalist in the 1970's, Ms. Boxer's special assignment at the Pacific Sun was to report the activities of the County Board of Supervisors.  Active in community affairs, she was a founding member of the Marin Economic Corps which provided job training for low-income women, the National Women's Political Caucus of Marin, and Marin Community Video.  After two years as a Congressional Aide to John Burton, Ms. Boxer was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors where she was the first woman to ever become its president.     

     In 1982, Ms. Boxer was elected to represent the Sixth Congressional District.  She became known as an effective and strong advocate for women, children, peace and the environment.  In 1992, she was elected to the United States Senate.     

     Barbara Boxer has been honored in Congress by the Consumer Federation of America, the Coalition to Stop Government Waste, Planned Parenthood, the League of Conservation Voters, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, the Center for Environmental Education, the Center for Defense Information and the American Association of University Women.  She has been recognized as a champion of Human rights by the Anti-Defamation League, the Human Rights Campaign Fund, and the Leadership Council on Civil Rights.

     Long before waste management became popular, Gloria Duncan was a leader forging a coalition of environmentalists, consumers, business communities and local governments.  Their task was to address issues associated with recycling, resource recovery and litter control.  Working closely with the garbage industry, she played a major role in pioneering curbside recycling.  She also assisted in the development of an internationally-recognized recycling facility in San Rafael, one of the first of its kind in the world.     

     In addition, Ms. Duncan has a record of achievement with environmental issues.  She has served on the statewide committee of the League of Women Voters relating to water issues and solid waste management.  She was a member of the advisory council to the Bureau of Land Management, and participated with the Association of Bay Area Governments in designing the environmental management plan dealing with air, water and solid waste problems of the San Francisco area.  Ms. Duncan served for eight years on the Marin County Planning Commission.  A Fairfax Town Council member for four year she also served as Mayor of Fairfax.  She was President of the Marin Conservation League, and has maintained an active involvement for twenty-five years.  She continues a 20 year membership in the Environmental Forum of Marin, also serving as its President for a term.   She served on the boards of the Marin Conservation Corps and the Marin Waste Management Advisory Council for many years.  Additional leadership roles are with the Bay Model Association, where she is currently the Chair, and the Marin Economic Council, where she is the Vice-Chair.

Read the extended biography by Shari Rice.

     A self-proclaimed radical working for peace and social justice, Dorothy Hughes' concerns about the isolation and disarray of American families has led to a variety of events, programs, and numerous efforts to reshape relevant public policy.     

     Her efforts began while working on her master's degree and raising eight children. She also taught disadvantaged youth and was active in the peace movement opposing involvement in Vietnam.  Her move to Marin in 1969 began a career with the Mental Health Association that  has included developing a comprehensive community care system for mental health clients, such as Marin Lodge, Buckalew and Avanti houses; preventative services such as Suicide Prevention and the Canal Children's Center; and community action programs such as stop-bys for latch-key children.  These programs are part of a network that assists people with mental health problems and addresses the concerns that led to the formation of the "Campaign for a Healthier Community".     

     Dorothy Hughes is always there to organize, chair or serve on important Marin-based groups devoted to human rights, mental health, children, and older people at the local, state and federal levels.  Her fond hope is that there will one day be a progressive national policy on children and families.

     In the 1940's, Annette Klang Smail began her career as a social reformer by working for the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.) in Chicago.  Long an advocate of solutions to economic problems, she has lobbied at the local, state and national levels against poverty, racism and gender discrimination.  Ms. Smail spearheaded the grassroots efforts to have a bill passed in Congress to extend medical and pension benefits to divorced wives of men who had been in the military twenty years or more, overturning a Supreme Court case denying those benefits.     

     Ms. Smail was co-founder of the Novato Human Needs Center and served on its board for seven years.  In 1980, she was selected as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, and in 1984, she was a member of the California Task Force on the Feminization of Poverty.  She was the founder of the Older Women's Political Caucus and served as its President from 1977 until 1995.  Annette has long been a leader in the movement for gender equality on government commissions, and was instrumental in the creation in 1996 of the President's Interagency Council on Women.  This Council is designed to identify and eliminate laws and policies that hinder the lives of women.  The recipient of the 1994 Eleanor Roosevelt Women of Vision Award, Annette has actively supported a Marin Abused Women's Services program to address the problem of domestic violence.

Read Annette Smail's extended biography

     Betty Times has been a leader in Marin County since high school days.  Married and the mother of five children by the age of twenty two, Ms. Times entered a job training program when her youngest child was two.  She simultaneously entered a bachelor's degree program and earned her B.S. in 1979.  She began working for the County of Marin as a typist in the public library and ultimately became a major department head.  As Director of Citizen's Services with the County of Marin, Ms. Times was responsible for providing services to the most vulnerable of Marin's citizens.     

     Ms. Times' public career includes three elections to the Sausalito School Board, serving as President three times, a founding member of the Marin County Commission on the Status of Women, President of the Marin NWPC and its national Vice-President, Chair of the Marin Democratic Central Committee, board member of Marin General Hospital, and service on numerous local and regional boards.   

     After her retirement from county government, Ms. Times became Administrative Director of the Marin City Project, where she displays her outstanding leadership as that community works to be active in economic and community development and to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Marin City USA development.  Focusing on coordination of efforts to serve Marin City, she works to improve the conditions and well-being of Marin City's residents. (Betty passed away in 2001)

     Member of a pioneer Mill Valley family, Jean Barnard graduated from Vassar College in 1940 Phi Beta Kappa and first in her class with degrees in political science and music.  Concern for good government and the environment led her to monitor board meetings at various levels of local government which ultimately resulted in her election to the Mill Valley City Council, on which she served for 8 years, including 2 years as mayor.  In 1982, she ran unopposed for the Marin Municipal Water District Board and served two terms.     

     Ms. Barnard has worked on a variety of environmental causes including the creation of the Marin County Open Space District.  She led the battle to keep a high-rise community from being built in the Marin Headlands and the struggle to keep Bolinas Lagoon from being turned into a yacht harbor.  She pioneered the early recycling efforts in Mill Valley, and the effort to convince Congress to finish acquiring Pt. Reyes National Seashore.     

     She has been active in the AAUW since 1970 and was president of the Southern Marin Branch.  She has been Chair of Common Cause Marin and the Marin Chapter of the World Federalist Movement.  Ms. Barnard was active in the early years of Planned Parenthood of Marin and the League of Women Voters, and helped to launch the National Women's Political Caucus of Marin.

     Born to great wealth, Louise Arner Boyd had the options that a life without financial concerns promised.  In place of comfort, she chose the challenges of sub-zero temperatures, scientific exploration, polar bears, and cramped living quarters.  Starting in the 1920's, she took the highly unusual path of becoming an explorer of the Arctic.  In recognition of her endeavors a portion of Greenland was named "Miss  Boyd Land" and a waterway was named "Louise Boyd Bank".  During her lifetime, Ms. Boyd went on seven arctic expeditions by ship and dog sled, conducting scientific research, including geological studies to determine the origin and history of the fjords and glaciated valleys in Greenland.  She photographed all aspects of her expeditions, often taking the first pictures of the native people and the regions studies.     

     The maps provided to the expeditions were often incorrect.  She corrected these errors and new maps were drawn.  Plant ecology studies, collection of botanical specimens, the analysis of cloud formations and water conditions, and recording the depths of the region's waterways were all parts of her expeditions.  During World War II, her knowledge of the Arctic area made her an invaluable resource to the American Navy.  She also served as a consultant to military intelligence throughout much of the war.  She received numerous awards and honors for her distinguished scientific work.  At age 67, Louise Boyd chartered an American DC4 and, flying from Oslo, Norway, became the first woman to fly over the North Pole.  Louise Boyd was also a generous patron of the arts, supporting numerous organizations throughout her life.

     As Executive Director of the Beryl Buck Institute for Education, Carolyn Horan is dedicated to working with schools to restructure education to better meet student and family needs.     

     While working to support her two children, Ms. Horan earned her B.S. and Masters degree from San Francisco State University.  During her education, she was involved in developing the Regional Occupational Programs. particularly the Office Occupation Program which offers free training for re-entry women.    

     Ms. Horan has a keen understanding of the importance of change and growth for education.  Some of the positions she has held include Superintendent of the K-8 District in Fairfax, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services and Planning for Marin County Office of Education, President of the Marin Chapter of the Association of California School Administrators, President of Marin Association of Superintendents, and Chair of the Youth Committee for the San Rafael Rotary Club.  She was in charge of the project that resulted in the development of the 1,700 acre Walker Creek Environmental Education Center in West Marin.  Ms. Horan was a member of the County-State Steering Committee under the California Department of Education and the recipient of the Educator of the Year award in Marin County.

     Rebecca Orosco de Porrata was born in a barrio in Southern California.  Although her alcoholic father was frequently absent from the home because of his work as a longshoreman, her mother was always present to guide and encourage her, and remains her role model to this day.  Ms. Porrata studied nursing at Creedmore State Hospital School of Nursing  Adelphi University, and Sonoma State University.  She worked as a psychiatric nurse at hospitals in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and California.  She also developed a practical nursing program in New Jersey for low income and minority women.  Through the course, the women gained entry level health care job skills.     

     When she moved to West Marin, Ms. Porrata became aware of the growing Hispanic population's unmet needs - the health problems, community isolation, language barrier, and illiteracy.  As a public health nurse, she worked with the local community to integrate that population and solve those problems.  In her position as Health Services Coordinator at the West Marin Family Center, based at the West Marin School, she works closely with a variety of organization to identify outreach strategies for the Hispanic community and to assist them in identifying their own needs.     

     Her daughter  Alexandra is a graduate of the nursing program at Dominican College and her daughter Yolanda currently attends San Francisco State University.

     Ethel Seiderman is nationally recognized for her creative approaches to childcare and family, establishing cooperative nursery schools tied to parent education programs.  Growing up in the Bronx during the Depression years, and educated at Brooklyn College during the McCarthy era, Ms. Seiderman worked in the settlement movement, first at the Henry Street Settlement House in the lower east side of Manhattan and later at the Roxbury Neighborhood Center in  Boston.  Under the auspices of San Francisco State University she directed the nurseries in the Cross Cultural Education programs providing experiences to children and opportunities to parents in order to build a greater sense of community and communications across diverse populations.  She established and directed one of the first infant care programs in the state, the Florence Crittendon Infant Center, geared to providing quality childcare to teenage mothers while they finished school.      

     In 1973, she founded the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children's Center which has served as a model for other programs throughout the nation.  The Center consists of the infant-toddler program, pre-school and after-school programs, and the "Get Well Room."  Her exemplary Parents Service Project provides workshops, support groups, respite care, and family events, all of which contribute to  enhance the  leadership and sense of competency of low income families from diverse backgrounds.

     Emily Gates is known not only as a inspirational community member and role model for young women and girls, but also as one of the most respected and beloved chorus and musical theater teachers in Northern California.  Born and educated in Ohio, Ms. Gates married her high school sweetheart and began a music teaching career which continued through the birth of four children, a move to California, and twenty years of teaching music in the Novato Unified School District.  She currently teaches Concert Band, Concert Choir, Jazz Choir, Show Choir and Musical Theater Workshop at San Marin High School.  Ms. Gates serves as a board member and Jazz Show Choir Repertoire Standards Chair of the American Choral Directors' Association, has hosted choral festivals and given workshops for the California Music Educators' Association, and is a member of the Novato Music Educators' Conference, the California Band Directors Association and the International Association of Jazz Educators.     

     Ms. Gates has assembled and coached innumerable musical groups that have achieved regional and state awards.  She counts her real rewards through the achievements of her former students in the musical and theatrical fields, many of whom attribute to her the awakening of their talent. 

     Millie Hughes-Fulford, Marin's first astronaut, orbited space for nine days in June 1991 as a payload specialist aboard NASA's first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies.  The SLS-1 mission flew over 3.8 million miles, 140 orbits and its crew completed over 18 experiments during a 9 day period bringing back more medical data than any previous NASA flight.     

     Dr. Hughes-Fulford's work helped to prepare future crews for long stays in space, whether on a permanent space station, staffing an outpost on the moon or flying years-long missions to Mars.  It also helped provide insight into medical disorders on earth, including hypertension, bone disease and heart failure.    

     Science has long been Dr. Hughes-Fulford's chosen field of study.  She entered college at age 16 and majored in biology and chemistry, earning her doctorate in chemistry.  Selected by NASA in 1983, she spent seven years training for the space flight, all the while continuing her career as a biochemist directing cellular research at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco.      

     Following the Spacelab mission, she served as Scientific Advisor to the Under Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs for 3 years.  Today, as a Professor at the University of California Medical Center at San Francisco, in addition to her duties with the VA, Dr. Hughes-Fulford continues as a principal medical investigator for a number of projects, including the study of cancer with the VA and the regulation of bone growth with NASA.

Read the extended biography by Connie Karczewsk

     When Marguerita Johnson graduated with a Master's in Education in the 1930's there were few teaching positions in the North for an African-American woman.  When she was able to find work in her home state of Illinois. she moved to Florida and taught in a one room school house until the advent of the Second World War.  There she became extremely active in church and civic affairs, primarily in the area of civil rights and, with her husband, raised five children, in addition to working full time.     

     At age 56, Ms. Johnson "retired" and moved to California.  She entered U.C. Berkeley and obtained a Master's Degree in Library Science.  She found work in Marin and gravitated to Marin City to get closer to her church and the African-American community.  Ms. Johnson quickly became a leader, serving on both the Marin City Community Service District Board and the Community Development Corporation Board.  Ms. Johnson served nine years on the Marin County Commission on Aging, including two years as its chairperson.  She was instrumental in developing the Village Oduduwa Senior Housing development which provided low-income housing for the elderly.  She also helped establish what is now known as the Marguerita Johnson Senior Center.

     The Rev. Spahr first began serving people in Marin in 1975 as Associate Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in San Rafael.  In 1979 she was forced to resign as Executive Director of the Oakland Council of Presbyterian Churches when she "came out" as a lesbian.  She founded and served as Executive Director of Spectrum Center for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns (Formerly Ministry of Light).  Since 1980 Spectrum has been the only social service agency serving the needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Marin County by starting such programs as the Marin Aids Project, Marin Chapter for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Rainbows End Youth Program, Lesbian/Gay Parents Group, AIDS Interfaith of Marin, New Horizons and Women's Spirituality Group.     

     In December, 1991, the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York chose the Rev. Spahr to be one of their four co-pastors.  Eleven months and two Presbyterian court battles later, the Rev. Spahr was denied permission to act as pastor due to her sexual orientation.  In spite of this setback, the Rev. Spahr was chosen as the first nationwide lesbian Presbyterian Evangelist educator.  She has and will continue to encourage and strengthen thousands of people who share her hopes and dreams for the just treatment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our community and throughout the country.

     Growing up in Fairfax, the young Karin Alstrom spent long, happy hours roaming Marin's hills.  In the early 1970's when her favorite Cascade Canyon was targeted for development, Ms. Urquhart declared, "Over my dead body!"  and launched a career that swept her from devoted mother of seven to environmentalist with respected credentials and political sophistication.     

     Ms. Urquhart's environmental work as an early organizer of People for Fairfax Cascades dovetailed with the creation of the Marin Open Space District which now manages over 10,000 acres of recreational land in Marin.  Ms. Urquhart has served as a commissioner for the district since its creation in 1973.     

     For many, Ms. Urquhart's name is synonymous with the Marin Conservation League whose board she joined in 1976 and then presided over from 1977 to 1979.  She became MCL's Executive Director in 1980 and successfully managed its steady growth in membership, community respect and credibility.  She has served on the boards of a multitude of local groups including the Marconi Conference Center, Marin County Chamber of Commerce, Marin Society of Artists, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Environmental Federation of California, People for Open Space, and the Environmental Forum of Marin.  In 1982, she was the founding chair of the Marin Conservation Corps.      

     In 1996, she retired from the Conservation League and became Executive Director of Digital Village.  She was also appointed by the Board of Supervisors to represent the County of Marin on the board of the Marin Community Foundation.  Retired once again, she is enjoying her garden, her business (Urquhart and Associates), and continues to be active on many non-profit, Marin County boards. 

     Internationally acclaimed author Isabel Allende began writing novels in 1981.  Since then her books have been translated into 27 languages; two of the books were made into motion pictures and theater plays.  All her works have a common theme: life is precious and should be lived free from oppression.  Her novels feature female protagonists whose strength, intelligence and creativity enable them to endure hardships, fight oppression and improve the world around them.     

     A Marin County resident since 1988, Ms. Allende typifies the characteristics of her protagonists.  She combines toughness with gentleness, spirituality with independence.  A Chilean native, Ms. Allende, through her actions and her novels, fought the Pinochet regime until its downfall in 1988.  Originally a journalist, she wrote her first novel, "The House of Spirits", in 1981 to bring attention to the brutality of the Pinochet regime.     

     Since becoming a Marin resident, Ms. Allende has greatly and purposefully lent her support to numerous philanthropic organizations and agencies which enrich our community.      

     Ms. Allende has received several honorary degrees and her books have received numerous awards including:  Best Novel of the Year-Panorama Literario, Chile, 1983;  Book of the Year, Germany, 1984; Grand Prix d'Evasion, France, 1984, Grand Prix de la Radio Television Belge, Belgium, 1985; Freedom to Write, Pen Club, USA 1991 and many others.

Read the extended biography by Marianne Rogoff  

     From her first job as program director of a "start-up" radio station called KTIM, to her work as an editor of the China Daily in Beijing, Beth Ashley has had a rich and varied career.     

     Ms. Ashley has reflected Marin County's history to new readers and captured warm reminiscences for its long-time residents.  She has made us look at our responses to important issues by revealing her own thoughts and feelings to us.   She has helped everyone in Marin to grow and become more aware of who we are and where we are.     

     During the 1950's, she was one of two women news editors on daily newspapers in California.  During that period, she was elected President of the United Press Editor's Association of Northern California.  She had job offers from the two major newspapers in San Francisco, but turned them down because she preferred to work in Marin where she could be close to her children and be part of the local community.      
     Ms. Ashley has had her own public relations firm, traveled the world and written about it, captured the essence of Marin in her legendary columns and in her most recent book, "MARIN."  She also worked in 1990 in Moscow on Komsomolskaya Pravda and on USA Today in Washington in 1996.  She is a role model for success through hard work, perseverance, kindness and compassion.

     Not content to just identify problems, Margaret Azevedo has always been one of the few who solves them.  Ms. Azevedo moved to Marin County in 1951 and became involved with the local Democratic Party.  She chaired the successful campaign for reelection of Vera Schultz to the Board of Supervisors in 1956.  Shortly thereafter, she was appointed to the Marin County Planning Commission where she served almost continuously until 1979.     

     Her early experiences on the Planning Commission prompted her to spearhead a drive to develop a Countywide Plan.  This plan, the first of its kind in the state, defined corridors of land use in the county - inland, agricultural and urban.  She worked during the 1960's and 1970's to conserve the coast of Marin as a founding member of the Point Reyes National Seashore. In this capacity she helped to preserve the inland agricultural areas through the creation of Agricultural Preserves in central and west Marin,  enhanced the urban corridor with open space zoning and greenbelts, and expanded public transportation and programs for affordable  housing.  As chair of the Transportation Committee of the Marin Council of Civic Affairs, she played a pivotal role in the drive to bring public transportation to Marin.  Ms. Azevedo continues to serve the community today as a member of the State Coastal Conservancy.  

     As a young mother, Joyce Goldfield spent hours on the ice-skating rink, in the ballet studio and in her sail boat.  After a violent attack on her life, which she miraculously survived, Ms. Goldfield developed multiple sclerosis (associated with the trauma of this attack).  Subsequent balance problems interfered with her ability to ice skate at her previously level of expertise and she returned to her childhood love, horses.  While riding, she was bucked off a horse and confined to a full-body cast for two months.  Discussing her frustration about the cast and hindrance to her freedom with her friend Duane T. Irving, they talked about the problems of disabled youngsters, confined to wheelchairs, unable to properly enjoy the freedom and healing powers of the wilderness.     

     On July 9, 1977, at Duane's ranch with 12 riders and 6 gentle horses, she opened the Halleck Creek Riding Club, a Marin County 4-H Club.  The club has grown to a membership of over 500 riders of all ages and disabilities, with a core of 100 volunteers and 35 horses.  Ms. Goldfield has written a book about 20 years of Halleck Creek in which she states that Halleck Creek is an  affirmation that life is a joy, regardless of the pitfalls, and that it is more important to celebrate what you CAN do, rather than to grieve over what you cannot. 

     A strong advocate of equality and excellence in education for all children, Dr. Shirley Thornton served as Deputy Superintendent of the Specialized Programs Branch of the California Department of Education from 1986 through 1995.  She also served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Marin Community foundation.  She was named to the board by the Foundation's first sic trustees in 1986, and was re-appointed to a second term.  She is a retired Colonel in the United States Army Reserves with her last assignment as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

     As Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Thornton was a strong voice and prime "mover and shaker" to improve programs statewide in career vocational educational special education and adult education, state special schools, alternative education and programs for "at-risk" youth.     

     Dr. Thornton's contribution to education is most visible in the bold and innovative program she instituted ten years ago --- the California Local Educational Reform Network, C-LERN.  With technical assistance, resources and training provided by Dr. Thornton's division, C-LERN schools, including the San Rafael City Schools, learned to transform their organization to meet the needs of students more effectively by providing equal opportunity for all students regardless of ethnicity, race, linguistic, social or economic differences.

Read the extended biography by Sheri Rice   

     Kay Boyle was a renowned poet, teacher and author of poetry, short story collectives and numerous articles.  For twenty years her short stories in the New Yorker helped to define literary form.  As a woman in a man's profession, she served as the New Yorker's foreign correspondent in the 1940's.      

     Encouraged by  her mother to become a writer, despite formal education ending at the eighth grade, Ms. Boyle defined her writing as an expatriate in the "lost generation" colony of artist and writers in the Paris of the 1920's.     

     The accomplishments of which she was most proud were her teaching and humanitarian work.  She was a professor of English at  San Francisco State University for eighteen years, retiring at age 77.  As a passionate woman with strong convictions, she sought to better the world by fighting Nazism and McCarthyism, by focusing on the anti-war and civil rights movements, and by founding the San Francisco Chapter of Amnesty International.     

      Her awards and honors were legion: O. Henry prizes for short stories, fellowships, and a California Literature medal.   She was one of the few women admitted to the National Institute of Arts & Letters and continued her writing after moving from San Francisco to Marin in 1989.  In 1989, she was honored by the Women's Foundation for her contributions to the causes of peace, freedom and human rights. 

     Rosie Casals is a championship tennis player, but beyond that she is one of the pioneers of women's tennis.  She has worked tirelessly throughout her career and has been a major force in attending prestige and money for the women's game.  She is a co-founder of the Women's International Tennis Association where women were finally able to speak with a single, strong and effective voice to advance the opportunities for female tennis players.  As an advocate on behalf of women and women athletes, Casals is the founder and President of Sportswomen, Inc., an active force in promoting women-owned businesses.  Her goal is to develop leadership talents in women, motivating them to break down barriers and strive for equality.     

     Casals has provided an opportunity for women, as well as men, to play competitively in their later years with her Tennis Classic, the "Over-30" tournament circuit.  She has supported tennis opportunities for less advantaged young girls and is active in youth organizations, conducting several tennis clinics each year for less advantaged youth.  She supports the Endangered Species Project through the Rosie Casals Celebrity Tennis Invitational.  Not content with simply achieving as an outstanding athlete, she has worked actively to make opportunities available for others, especially women.  A resident of Marin for the past 24 years, she is the tennis pro at Harbor Point Racquet Club in Mill Valley.

     Sister Samuel, a member of the Sisters of St. Dominic, is a dedicated and exemplary educator.  She received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Stanford University and joined the faculty of Dominican college in 1957, serving as President of the College from 1968-80. She continues to teach English.  Under her leadership, the college was transformed from an all women's college into a co-educational institution.  She spearheaded the placement on campus of a model Development Center for children with special needs and supported the development of a Special Education Teacher Training Program which earned statewide recognition for excellence.  Seeing the need for the college to be an integral part of the community, she expanded the Board of Trustees to include members of the business and professional community.     

     Through her work in the field of education for over 40 years, Sister Samuel has influenced the lives of scores of students.  She is teaching by example that you can address the world with confidence, serve with courage, principle, elegance, compassion and grace.  In 1980, she received the Dominican College Distinguished Service Award and in 1981, School Master of the Year.  Golden Gate University awarded her an honorary degree in 1980. 

     Phyllis Faber graduated with a Master's in Microbiology from Yale University and attended San Francisco State.  She is a recognized authority in the area of environmental issues, particularly wetlands.  Her work in long-term monitoring of wetlands in San Francisco Bay is providing data for a new round of marsh restoration projects.  She is the author of two wetland field guides, published through her own Pickleweed Press.  Under her ten-year editorship, the California Native Plant Society's journal, Fremontia, has become the  most influential native plant journal in the country. Ms. Faber combines talents in science, politics, education, environmental policy, and citizen activism.       

     She co founded and served as chairwoman of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) and, in 1972, she was in the forefront of the fight to attain coastal zone protection for California.  She served on the California Coastal Commission for eight years.  She was a founding member of Marin Discoveries and the Environmental Forum of Marin in whose training program she has taught for 22 years.  In addition to local interests, she serves on a number of statewide boards including the Planning and Conservation League, the League for Coastal Protection and Pro Esteros.      

     She received the Environmentalist of the Year award from the Marin Environmental Alliance in 1990, the Marin Green Award from the Marin Conservation League in 1990, and the Coastal and Ocean Management Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1983.  

Read the extended biography by Barbara J. Euser

     In 1983, Judge Savitt became the first woman to serve on the Marin County Superior Court bench.  She earned her law degree at Bolt Hall School of Law at U.C. Berkeley.  She and two other attorneys formed the first all-female law firm in the country.  She was the eighth woman to join the Marin County Bar Association and the second to serve as its President.  She has generously contributed her time and energy to the education of lawyers and judges, particularly in the area of family law.  She has been the founding member of many important organizations whose central purpose is to empower women and ensure that their voices are heard:  the California Women Lawyers, the Marin Chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus of Marin, and the Center for Families in Transition.     

     In the 1970's she was active with the Marin County Chapter of the League of Women Voters when she analyzed and made recommendations for improving the juvenile court system in Marin.  She also served as Vice Chair of the Juvenile Justice Commission.     

     While serving on the Marin Council for Civic Affairs, Judge Savitt recommended reforming the grand jury selection system and developed a questionnaire for the court which is still in use.  She has been instrumental in planning and implementing many changes to improve the quality of justice in Marin County -- including initiating a new way to handle family law matters and promoting alternative dispute resolution.  In 1983 she was honored with the Women Making History award.  Although she retired from the bench in 1995, Judge Savitt still serves as a private judge.

     Margie Belrose is founder and director of The Belrose School and Theatre in San Rafael.  At The "Belrose", Margie Belrose teaches, performs and directs.  Theater colleagues proclaim that Margie exemplifies the stage motto, "The show must go on." Through hard work and steadfast devotion to her dream, she has earned the respect of associates and audiences.  In 1954 she and her late husband, David, founded a school for performing arts in Marin.  The Belrose School and Theatre today offer Marinites affordable theater, and opportunities to act, write, produce and direct.  Belrose has taught dance, music, acting and singing to generations of local families.  Her tenacity and perseverance have served her through the years when she has been called upon to surmount overwhelming odds.      

     Abandoned as a child, she lived in an orphanage except for short periods with her aunt and father.  After graduating from high school she moved to San Francisco where she met and married one of her dance teachers.  The sudden death of her husband in 1971 left her alone to raise her two children while operating The Belrose School and Theatre.  Today, with her son, she operates a large non-profit costume shop that benefits the Belrose Performing Arts Center scholarship program.  One of her programs is the Belrose Jr. Players for children eight to fifteen years of age.  She provides scholarships for children to enable them to participate in Junior Players and the Belrose Musical Summer Camp program that has been in operation since 1978. 

Read the extended biography by Marilyn L. Geary  

     Janet Daijogo is the consummate teacher -- a role model of strength, flexibility and compassion as she endeavors to fulfill her goal of instilling in children a sense of importance, uniqueness and personal power.  A kindergarten teacher at Marin Country Day Elementary School since 1984, she has had a positive impact on hundreds of children.  She has incorporated an Aikido/Energy Awareness Program into the kindergarten program.  She holds a second degree black belt and uses aikido to build sensitivity and strength, and to teach children to be at peace with themselves and centered.  Prior to teaching kindergarten she spent 18 years working at the Marin Child Development Center in San Rafael, where she helped her students "mainstream" and go on to college and productive lives.      

     Ms. Daijogo understands how emotional trauma can affect a child. In 1942, she and her family were forced to leave their California home and live for three years at a relocation camp where Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II.  Ms. Daijogo received her B.A. degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  In 1990 she was honored by the California State Department of Education with the California Educator Award for teaching excellence.    

     Through the Resource Directory of Marin Women, she serves as a volunteer speaker to children about her wartime experiences.  A Mill Valley resident, she also designs art-to-wear clothing.

     Elberta Eriksson is a social worker, family therapist, and a leader in child advocacy and family issues.  A graduate of Sacramento and San Francisco State Universities, she is on the faculty at Dominican College and the California Graduate School of Psychology.  As the Director of the Multi-Cultural Outreach Project at the Family Service Agency in Marin and formerly a family therapy consultant at Operation Give a Damn, Ms. Eriksson has received 20 year service awards from both organizations.  She has developed multi-cultural awareness training programs for teachers and community workers in agencies and schools.     

     Ms. Eriksson is actively involved in the Marin City Project, participating in the design of the social services to be provided.  She is serving her third term on the Human Rights Commission and is the founder of the Marin African-American Coalition, which provides social, political, educational and cultural exchange.  She has received awards for her contributions to the prevention of child abuse from both the State of California and the Marin County Board of Supervisors.  Her Study of "Interracial Marriages (Black/White) in the Bay Area" was published in 1970.  A Mill Valley resident, she is a Board Certified Diplomat, a State Delegate on the Democratic Committee to advance family and children's rights, and a charter member of the American Family Therapy Academy.

Read the extended biography by Nancy Harris   

     Martha  Martinez volunteered for many organizations that provided services for the Latino population in Marin, especially those that helped the Latinos become more a part of the community.  Where no programs existed, she started them.  One of her most outstanding services was the work she did for the Novato police department in composing Spanish translations for publications.  She worked with the Marin Independent Elders Project, the Marin Housing Authority, Fair Housing La Familia Center, In-Home Support Services of Marin and the Commission on Aging.  Ms. Martinez developed a Language Bank to bring bilingual volunteers to serve low income seniors in Marin.     

     Her respect for elders fueled her and she directed her energies toward the elderly in general and the Latino elderly in particular.  She formed the Corazon Latino groups for senior Latino women and for men.  She founded a program with the Novato Police Department called "Are You OK?", which is still operating, in which volunteers call home-bound seniors every day to check on their safety.  She served as a mentor to many Hispanic women in Marin, encouraging them and promoting higher education.  Ms. Martinez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico.  After attending school in San Antonio, Texas, she worked in Mexico City as a translator for the Rockefeller and Ford foundations as a secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, returning to the United States to live in 1965.  She died September 13, 1995.  Novato Police Chief Brian Brady said, "Martha Martinez's accomplishments and legacy will live on.  The police and this community lost a friend."

     Ellen Tirza Lotte Straus is a rancher and an environmentalist who has dedicated her life to preserving a viable agricultural community in West Marin.  She is credited with building a bridge between Marin's dairy ranchers and its environmentalists.  She co-founded the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), the first agricultural land trust in the nation and a model for protecting agricultural lands.  Almost alone among the ranchers, she and her husband supported the creation of the Point Reyes National Seashore, opposed high-density in the West Marin General Plan, and supported A-60 zoning.  Mrs. Straus and her family have been dairy ranchers for more than fifty years, providing a model for environmental awareness within the farming community.  Since 1960, she has opened the ranch to students and others to teach about agricultural life.  Her family recently transformed their dairy into an organic operation, the first one west of the Mississippi.     

     She helped conceive and produce "Farming on the Edge" by John Hart, the story of agricultural land preservation in Marin.  She holds a B.A. in Natural Science and Mathematics from Bard College in New York.  She is on the board of the Greenbelt Alliance, the Tomales Bay Advisory Committee, and the Rural Land Use Committee of the Marin Conservation League, and is a member of the West Marin Growers Group.  She has also served on the environmental Action Committee of West Marin, the Environmental Forum of Marin and the Community Partnership Committee of the Marin Community Foundation.  She is an artist and a former member of Artisans Gallery.   

Read the extended biography by Barbara Euser

     Kit M. Cole has dedicated her professional life to bringing women into leadership roles in the financial field.  As a young divorcee with five children under six, she left her job teaching to work as an assistant in a brokerage house.  She quickly obtained her brokers license and became one of the first women stockbrokers hired by a major brokerage firm in the United States.    

     Five years later, she founded Cole Financial Group, Inc., an investment advisory firm specializing in providing financial guidance, education  and investment management to women.  Today, Cole Financial Group manages $50 million in investments.  A year after starting Cole Financial, she co founded New Horizons Savings & Loan, securing her destiny as one of the first women in the country to be the founding chairman of the Board of Directors of a financial institution.  It also made New Horizons one of the first financial institutions in the country organized and managed by women.  In 1991, she founded San Rafael Thrift & Loan, and again championed gender equality in decision-making power.  She is currently Chairman/CEO of the Thrift whose assets at year end were over $68 million.     

     Ms. Cole offers programs in personal finance and investments for women and has co-founded two community organizations, Wednesday Morning Dialogue and Marin Forum.  A Girl Scout leader for 17 years, Cole has served on several community boards, including the Bay Area Girl Scout Council, United Way, and Mill Valley Film Festival.  She is currently Vice-Chair of the Marin Women's Commission and Co-Chair of the Commission's Economic Resource Committee.

     Since 1974, Donna Garske has been devoted to spirited activism on behalf of women, working initially with women in the criminal justice system, and then as Executive Director of Marin Abused Women's Services (MAWS).  Throughout her 17 years at MAWS, she has led the way with innovative responses to men's violence against women, including an internationally replicated reeducation program for batterers, and one of the first transitional housing programs for battered women, for which she earned an award from the American Planning Association in 1983.      

     Her advocacy efforts have influenced legislation such as the Federal Violence Against Women Act and a California law establishing minimum requirements for batterers' programs.  In 1992, she guided MAWS in creating "Transforming Communities: Creating Safety and Justice for Women and Girls" as a learning center for preventing violence against women and girls, recognized as a model approach by the National Academy of Sciences.     

     Ms. Garske, a San Rafael resident, was selected as a 1995 National Gimbel Foundation Child and Family Scholar to explore new approaches to preventing family violence.  Her resulting article, "Transforming the Culture:  Creating Safety, Equality and Justice for Women and Girls," was published in Preventing Violence in America (1996).  In 1996, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Prevention Professionals and Advocates.  Donna helped develop Europe's first batters' program and works with the Network of East-West Women to support domestic violence programs in Eastern/Central Europe and the former Soviet Union.  Her tireless commitment, enthusiasm, humor, integrity and vision serve as an inspiration.  

Read the extended biography by Shari Rice  

     Joyce Luther Kennard's journey through life has been remarkable:  from early childhood spent in an internment camp in West Java during World War II;  to preadolescence spent in the jungles of New Guinea with her widowed mother and four other families in a small Quonset hut with no running water;  to an American immigrant;  and to a California Supreme Court Justice.  In April 1989, Governor Deukmejian appointed Kennard to the California Supreme Court, making her the second woman and the first individual of Eurasian descent (Dutch-Indonesian-Chinese) to serve as a justice on the state high court.  She has been re-elected twice.      

     Kennard's early education had been limited and all schooling ended shortly before her 16th birthday when an infection resulted in the amputation of her right leg.  At age 20, Kennard immigrated to America where she worked as a secretary in Los Angeles.  Seven years later, her mother died in Holland leaving Kennard her life savings of $5,000.   She enrolled in college, and finished in three years, while working part time.  She graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  Kennard then attended law school at the University of Southern California and, simultaneously, obtained a Master's in Public Administration, receiving the school's "Outstanding Thesis" award.     

     Kennard is a frequent dissenter on the state high court where her opinions reflect a fierce independence.  She has been described as a "judge's judge," an apolitical purist.  She has received numerous honors and awards. 

Read the extended biography by Nancy Smith Harris  

     Ruth Sluser's 35-year teaching career has encompassed serving "at risk" and special education students and administering programs for teenage mothers.  Devoting herself to helping those with special needs help themselves, she has made a practical difference in the lives of many young women.  She has provided the vision to see a high-risk person as a successful graduate and member of the work force.  She has inspired her charges to find appropriate career paths and remain goal-oriented, despite the many obstacles they encountered.     

     Through the Cal Learn program, Sluser provides guidance to teenage mothers and pregnant teens who are attempting to complete their high school education and enroll in vocational programs designed for economic independence.  She mentors at least a dozen girls at any given time, seeing each one at least weekly.  She arranges parenting classes, nutrition workshops, counseling sessions and transportation.  She celebrates their success and teaches them how to solve adult problems with patience.  She is remembered by one of her students as "the first adult who really listened to me and helped me feel I was worth something."  Many of the young women she has helped stay in touch and seek her counsel, wisdom and wit.  She attributes her success to her mother who returned to work to provide the financial support  for Sluser to complete both B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of Illinois.  Retired from teaching, she continues to administer the Cal Learn program and serve the needs of young women, offering tough love, guidance and support. 

Read the extended biography by Wendy Norwood  

     Jean Bee Chan, Lucas Valley resident, is an outstanding educator and mentor.  As a professor of mathematics at Sonoma State University since 1973, Dr. Chan has been instrumental in bringing a sense of community and mutual support to the Mathematics Department which has had an immeasurably beneficial effect on the morale of students and faculty.     

     Dr. Chan has championed a cause, believing that a firm understanding of mathematics and science is critical to success in our highly technical society.  She is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to all.  To this end, she established a family scholarship fund for Sonoma State students entering the teaching profession, and founded the Asian Scholarship Endowment Fund which helps send students of Asian descent to college.  Dr. Chan is passionately concerned about mathematics education for girls, who tend to lag behind boys in math and science.    

     Beyond her own community, Dr. Chan is Chair of the Northern California Section of the Mathematical Association of America, involving over 100 mathematics departments in thousands of mathematics faculty and students.  She has provided leadership for the Marin Chinese Cultural Group and was a founder of the Asian American Alliance of Marin, which is dedicated to bringing justice and equality to all citizens.  As a result of her contributions to the community, Dr. Chan was honored by the Marin County Marin Luther King, Jr., Humanitarian Award in 1996. 

Read the extended biography by Nancy Harris  

     Anna Halprin, a Marin County resident for over 50 years, has won national and international awards in recognition of her prestigious achievements as a dancer  and choreographer.  Halprin is considered to be one of the most highly esteemed 20th century dancers, whose ranks include celebrities such as Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey and Merce Cunningham.  She has received the largest dance award in the country, the Samual H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement.     

     Since the late 1930's, Halprin has revolutionized her art form and has inspired fellow choreographers to take modern dance to new dimensions.  She has been an innovator throughout her career, experimenting with improvisation, with the audience-performer relationship, and with the place of dance in the social and political realms.     

     In the early 70's, when she was diagnosed with cancer, Halprin's focus shifted to healing, not only for herself, but for others and for the planet.  This concern led her to work with cancer patients, and to create healing rituals for the community.  One such ritual, the "Circle the Earth" dance, is performed annually at Easter on Mt. Tamalpais and has been introduced in 36 countries throughout the world.  Her "Planetary Dance: A Prayer for Peace," was staged in Berlin at an event commemorating the end of World War II.  In 1995, Halprin was invited by Mikhail Gorbachev to present an invocation at the State of the World Forum in California.  She published Dance as a Healing Art, as a source of guidance and support for those living with a life threatening illness. 

Read the extended biography by Rita Gardner

     Elizabeth Thacher Kent, a matriarch in the founding family of Kentfield, is one of the few Marin County women to be elected posthumously to the Marin Women's Hall of Fame.  Kent was a distinguished proponent of women's rights and international peace and was instrumental in securing women's right to vote.     

     Kent took up permanent residence in Marin in 1907 and immediately became a vocal activist in support of women's' suffrage.  When her husband, William, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Kent leveraged her position as a Congressman's wife to support the national suffrage movement.  She was a featured speaker at the 1913 and 1914 conventions of the National American Women's Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and shortly thereafter assumed leadership of their Congressional Committee.  By 1915, she helped form the Congressional Union (later re-named the Women's Party), which picketed the White House in support of suffrage.  Kent was arrested twice for her suffrage demonstrating.  However, her cause prevailed and in August 1920 the Susan B. Anthony Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed guaranteeing American women the right to vote.    

     In addition to supporting suffrage, Elizabeth Kent was committed to the cause of world peace.  In the 1930's, she provided leadership to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.  She and her husband were also early supporters of the fledging conservation movement.  They donated a large tract of land to the U.S. Government to preserve old-growth redwoods.  Their gift, the Muir Woods National Monument, provides a lasting testimony to the Kents' exemplary lives of public service. 

Read the extended biography by Nancy Smith Harris

     Pamela Wright Lloyd of Mill Valley has devoted much of her life to safeguarding the environment.  She was a founder of the Marin Conservation Corps (MCC), the first local community conservation corps in the U.S. which provides disadvantaged youth with opportunities to learn land stewardship and develop job skills through community service.  In 1972 Lloyd co-founded the Environmental Forum of Marin to inform community members about the environment.  She was also instrumental in developing the nationally recognized Marin Countywide Plan which continues, 20 years later, to provide real protection to Marin's natural environment.    

     Lloyd was the first women President of the Marin Municipal Water  District Board of Directors where she helped guide the county through its first major drought and established policies that were later replicated in other parts of the country.  In 1987 she was appointed to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, and has been called one of its most respected and effective members.  In 1990, she was awarded the Ted Wellman Memorial Award by the Marin Conservation League for outstanding community service in protecting water resources. 

     Lloyd has demonstrated leadership and vision in all her undertakings.  As former Marin County Supervisor Al Aramburu said of Lloyd, his former aide, "She is a woman of uncommon intelligence, dedication and integrity, serving as an exemplary role model for women of all ages."  Lloyd is highly respected for the strength of her environmental convictions, her willingness to respond to the concerns of others, her fair-mindedness, and her general good nature.  Her achievements will benefit Marin County, the Bay Area environment, and its people for decades to come. 

     Frances Steadman's selection for the 1998 Marin Women's Hall of Fame is an appropriate tribute to her courage and leadership in the cause of peace and justice.  Born to Quaker parents with strong convictions, Steadman grew up with a commitment to oppose all warfare and to disallow discrimination against people of other races.  For more than three decades, Stedman has risked her own welfare and freedom on behalf of disenfranchised peoples in this country and around the world.  She has immersed herself in social issues such as civil rights, nuclear war, prison reform, homelessness, human rights and environmental degradation.  Her selfless dedication to others is truly inspiring.     

     In the early sixties, Steadman traveled into the South to support black suffrage and to register black voters.  She was also a vocal supporter of the nuclear disarmament movement, and withstood a jail sentence for protesting against nuclear weapons.  At some risk to her own life and health, she has spearheaded the collection and distribution of material aid to people in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Chiapas.     

     Steadman has been a longtime chair of the Social Concerns Committee of the Marin Unitarian Fellowship, and a leading spirit of the Marin Gray Panthers.  She has been an activist with the Marin Advocates for Justice and a board member of the Marin Interfaith Task Force, as well as a member of the Marin Welfare and Immigration Network (Marin WIN).  She has organized the peace and social justice contingent of the Corte Madera Fourth of July Parade for the past two decades.  Despite all of this activity, she finds time on a weekly basis to lead the singing at a local senior day care center.     

     Frances Steadman has demonstrated the tremendous energy, organizing ability, charm and goodwill that women can bring to causes that serve not only the needy, but also society.  She is an exemplary role model for her family, her friends, and her community. 

     Winifred Baker's musical and conducting excellence has brought the best of choral music works to audiences in Marin, the Bay Area, New York and Europe.  For forty years, she has conducted the Winifred Baker Chorale and San Francisco Civic Chorale.  The Chorales have performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the Marin Symphony, the San Francisco Civic Opera, the San Francisco Pops, and sang twice in New York's Carnegie Hall.     

     Ms. Baker has created a legacy of trained singers throughout the Bay Area and the country.  Some of the original members of her Chorales and Children's Chorus still sing with her, as do several of their children.  Others continue to bring musical talents they developed under her tutelage to choruses and audiences throughout the world.     

     The world of conducting is one that has been primarily populated by men.  Ms. Baker has ignored the musical glass ceiling by her perseverance, her energy, and her attention to excellence.  Ms. Baker has won respect from many, including Arthur Fiedler, Sandor Salgo, Peter Toboris  (who invited Winfred to conduct in Carnegie Hall) and Gary Sheldon, conductor of the Marin Symphony.  In 1976, she became the sixth woman invited to join the London-based Incorporated Society of Musicians in the Conductor's Section, sharing this honor with such notables as Benjamin Britten and George Solti.  Her impressive musical skills have dissolved barriers, paving the way for other women to perform and conduct in the great cathedrals and music halls of the world.   

     In addition to conducting her choruses, Ms. Baker is a Professor Emeritus at Dominican College and teaches piano classes on campus.  She is an active member of Marin Music Chest, passionately advocating for a return to music education in schools and colleges.  She has received numerous awards for her musical contributions including the "Distinguished Women Award" conferred by Dominican College, the San Francisco Arts Commission's "Award of Honor," the Women Musicians of San Francisco's "Musician of the Year" Award and the "Music Educator of the Year" Award, elected by the Marin Symphony, Marin Opera Company, Marin Ballet Company and Youth in Arts.     

     Winifred Baker's passion for musical beauty and her commitment to excellence has inspired her listeners, her students and her colleagues for over forty years.  She is a giant among musicians and a beacon for those who aspire to make a mark, whatever their chosen profession.

     Dr. Rosario Carr-Casanova's every move is focused on the empowerment of women and the improvement of their status.  Throughout her dual careers as an accomplished psychotherapist and a professor, Dr. Carr-Casanova has demonstrated her belief in this goal.  She has a deep love for education and a dream of providing opportunities for as many people as possible.  As a university professor, she has achieved national acclaim as a cross cultural and multi-racial specialist.  Dr. Carr-Casanova is aware of her impact as an example to young Latinas and encourages young Chicanos to excel.     

     Dr. Carr-Casanova is also highly trained in public policy and works to provide better services to women of all races and to poor and needy families.  She worked to establish the Marin County Minority Mental Health Services, and to have counseling services in Spanish provided though the Family Service agency.  While on the Board of Directors of United Way, Dr. Carr-Casanova brought five Latino agencies in as new members.  At the national level, she has been instrumental in providing birth control information in Spanish to the nation's Hispanic population.  In addition, Dr. Carr-Casanova raises funds for the Chicana/Latina Foundation, helping Hispanic women to access higher education.  In 1994, she was named Citizen of the Year by the Marin Council of Agencies.     

     As a psychotherapist, Dr. Carr-Casanova works with groups of youth who are believed to be dangerous and is successful in bringing out the best in the community's most disturbed and discarded teenagers -- many of whom she has seen become successful business people under her tutelage.   
     Dr. Carr-Casanova is truly a champion of the underdog.  She is continually looking for better ways to understand, represent and serve the Hispanic people.  She advocates that people obey the law, work hard and be of service to their families and to the community.  She stands as a powerful model, especially for women, of focused determined action to uphold human rights and to ensure dignity for ali. 

Read the extended biography by R.L.S. Kropf

     Patty Garbarino, vice president of Marin Sanitary Service, has been at the forefront of recycling technology nationwide.  Her company began the first curbside recycling program and she was instrumental in beginning Marin's Hazardous Waste Collection program.  In the male-dominated waste management business, Ms. Garbarino has demonstrated courage and leadership.  She challenged a movement by the California Refuse Removal Council to violate anti-trust laws -- and won.  Despite the less than welcoming attitude in the industry toward women, she has won the respect of her colleagues.  In the year 2000, she will serve as the first woman president for the Refuse Removal Council.     

     Besides running a successful business, Ms. Garbarino contributes her company's time, services and money, as well as her own, to support community projects.  She serves as Chair of the Marin County Planning Commission and serves on both the Marin Ballet Board and the Rafael Theater Renovation board.  In addition, Ms. Garbarino spearheaded the Dominican College's campaign to renovate and expand its campus.     

     As president of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Garbarino aided in raising of $500,000 from the business community to support the public schools.  She was also instrumental in organizing a transit tax campaign.  Ms. Garbarino was a board member and a major fund raiser for the San Rafael Public Education Foundation in its early years.  She also organized and energized hundreds of volunteers throughout three years of campaigns to establish the San Rafael Public School parcel tax.  During the first campaign, she deferred critical surgery in order to shepherd the campaign through the election. The campaigns were successful, aided by her efforts, and have provided the San Rafael Schools with critical funding.  Ms. Garbarino went on to found a state level lobbying organization for the California public schools called Kids Voice.     

     Patty Garbarino is a woman who dares to be courageous, especially on behalf of issues about which she cares deeply, of which there are many.  She is a public servant, a dynamic business leader and an outstanding spokeswoman. 

     Felecia Gail Gaston was denied admission to her local school of ballet, when she was a child, because of the color of her skin.  Years later, this painful experience was to become the impetus for one of her greatest accomplishments.     

     In the late 80's, while serving as the Community Relations/Cultural Events Coordinator at the Marin City Multi-Service Center, Ms. Gaston became interested in developing opportunities for Marin City Children to increase their self-esteem.  One such opportunity was a scholarship program she developed in collaboration with the Marin Ballet, which enabled Marin City children to take classes as the Marin Ballet.  By 1990 the Multi-Service Center closed its doors, leaving Felecia without a job and the children without an avenue to pursue ballet.     

     Refusing to let an opportunity die, Ms. Gaston shared her dream with Anne Rogers, executive director of the Marin Community Food Bank, and with Community Action Marin (CAM), an umbrella organization for social service programs.  With their support, she founded "Performing Stars of Marin," a non-profit agency offering low-income children, predominately African American, an opportunity to learn dance, martial arts, grooming, discipline and manners in an environment of respect and support.     

     Ms. Gaston was responsible for bringing "Performing Stars" from a struggling neighborhood program, with no budget, to a successful county-wide organization.  Through her determination and commitment, she has earned great respect in Marin county and beyond and has brought together people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds.  Her successful relationship with other Marin arts organizations impressed the Marin Community Foundation, which has become the major financial supporter of "Performing Stars."   

     Ms. Gaston enjoys the enthusiastic support of many Marin City families as well.  They see "Performing Stars" as a positive, inspirational alternative to the perils of poverty.  As one of her nominators said, "Felecia is, herself, a 'Performing Star' in Marin County." 

Read the extended biography by Marilyn L. Geary