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Marin Women's Hall of Fame Honorees
1998
Arts
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... Read more
1998
Social Change
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... Read more
1998
Environment
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... Read more
1998
Social Change
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... Read more
1998
Community Service
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... Read more
1997
Business & Professions
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... Read more
1997
Social Change
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... Read more
1997
Public Affairs
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; ... Read more
1997
Education
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... Read more
1996
Arts
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... Read more
1996
Education
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... Read more
1996
Social Change
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-... Read more
1996
Community Service
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... Read more
1996
Environment
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 (... Read more
1995
Arts
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.... Read more
1995
Sports & Recreation
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... Read more
1995
Dominican, Education
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... Read more
1995
Environment
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... Read more
1995
Business & Professions
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... Read more
1994
Arts
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... Read more