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Marin Women's Hall of Fame Honorees
2003
Religion
Peggy Harrell, Director of Marin County's Prisoner Services, was ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ 22 years ago. Prisoners in jail and at San Quentin Prison have come to depend on her after more than two decades she has spent working among them.
When Peggy started working in the... Read more
2003
Social Change
Fifth generation Marin native Heidi Kuhn, the founder of the internationally acclaimed "Roots of Peace" foundation, lives, works, and breathes the motto, "Think globally, act locally." She attributes her international perspective to her experience as a high school exchange student in Japan. From... Read more
2003
Community Service
In her years with Community Action Marin, dynamo executive director Gail Theller has witnessed CAM grow from a fledging with a $40,000 annual budget to a huge, multi-program, multi-site service agency with an annual budget exceeding $10 million. and she's not done yet.
Personally and... Read more
2002
Dominican, Social Change
Amid the howling mobs and fiery storm of the 1957 battle to integrate Little Rock Central High School, Melba Pattillo Beals and eight other young warriors risked their lives to change history. The U.S. Congress voted Beals and her "Little Rock Nine" companions the Congressional Gold Medal for... Read more
2002
Science
Lois Barth Epstein is a limitless woman who excels as a physician and scientist; as wife, mother and grandmother; as a community leader; and now as an artist.
A 1959 graduate of Harvard Medical School, Lois achieved international recognition for accomplishments in medical research. As UCSF... Read more
2002
Community Service
Kate Hacker touched hundreds of lives as a compassionate teacher and an inspiring community organizer. She improved the lives of children - especially teenagers - by connecting them with their community.
Kate Hacker taught early childhood development at Santa Rosa Junior College, in childcare... Read more
2002
Business & Professions
Through her outstanding business acumen and dedication to the community, Grace Hughes has brought success to her company as well as generous commitment to many Marin non-profit organizations.
Since Ms. Hughes became President of the Marin Airporter in 1984, the company has evolved from an eight-... Read more
2002
Health & Medicine, Social Change
As a young nurse, Mary Taverna observed that terminally ill patients were lacking adequate, compassionate care. She decided there had to be a way to relieve the loneliness, isolation, and fear that haunted the last days of dying patients."
In 1976 Ms. Taverna joined Hospice of Marin, a fledgling... Read more
2000
Health & Medicine
Toni epitomizes the terms self-help, client rights, empowerment, advocacy, risk-taking and visionary. Her fifty years of volunteer service began in her children's elementary school. From there she went on to volunteer with the Marin Public Health Department. Her work has been a sparkplug,... Read more
2000
Public Affairs
Anne was an ardent feminist whose indomitable spirit and political skills advanced the cause of human rights for everyone. She broke ground in the women's movement. As a member of Marin's first Women's Commission in 1974, she started a county process that brought women's issues to public... Read more
2000
Social Change
Faye's passion -- helping create communities of justice, equality and peace for ourselves and the earth -- is clear to all who know her. She works to change existing policies and resource allocation systems so that access and opportunity are provided to those who are most often neglected,... Read more
2000
Arts
During the past 40 years, Phyllis has committed herself to volunteer community service through leadership in supporting existing cultural institutions and developing new ones. She has worked to further understanding about the role that art plays in quality of life. By learning a new vocabulary to... Read more
2000
Education
Victoria has been a strong and consistent voice for women of color and other disenfranchised people in pursuit of quality education. She is passionate about promoting education and opportunities for women.
As a 20-year old immigrant, not content with the status quo of deplorable conditions for... Read more
1999
Arts, Dominican
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... Read more
1999
Community Service
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... Read more
1999
Environment
Patty Garbarino, 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... Read more
1999
Social Change
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/... Read more
1999
Community Service
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... Read more
1998
Business & Professions
Etta Allen is a Marin pioneer for women in non-traditional careers. Etta showed an early resolve for entering fields not ordinarily open to women by earning an airplane pilot's license while still a teenager. Later, she co-founded a heating, air conditioning and sheet metal business with her... Read more
1998
Education
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... Read more