Honored: 1993 (1906 - 1997)
Catalyst for change in the labor, women's and consumer movements. The driving force behind President Kennedy's creation of the first Presidential Commission on Women in 1962, Peterson headed the Women's Bureau in the Department of Labor. She also served Presidents Johnson and Carter, and served at the United Nations under President Clinton.
Honored: 1993 (1884 - 1967)
Founded the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to help older Americans cope effectively in their later years. Her organization, now 36 million members strong and a political lobbying force, helps with health insurance, career assistance and discounts for senior citizens.
Honored: 2000 (1909 - 2001)
One of the most significant writers of the 20th century, Eudora Welty won many notable literary prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize for her novel "The Optimist's Daughter". Her work is marked by what critic Jonathan Yardley called an "abiding tolerance...a refusal to pass judgment on the actors in the human comedy," and it transcends generations and national boundaries. In 1998, the Library of America recognized her literary accomplishments by honoring her as the first living author published in the prestigious Library of America series.
Honored: 1998 (1921 - 2009)
For more than thirty years, Eunice Kennedy Shriver served as a leader in the worldwide struggle to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Under her leadership, the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation aided in the creation of The President’s Committee on Mental Retardation (1961) and the development of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (1962). Shriver is credited as the founder of the Special Olympics, an organization that today serves 3 million people with intellectual disabilities in nearly 200 nations around the world.
Honored: 1993 (1917 - 1977)
Mississippi sharecropper and organizer of the Mississippi Freedom Party, which challenged the white domination of the Democratic Party. Hamer succeeded in integrating the state delegation, and she was a tireless champion for poor minorities in her state and nationwide.
Honored: 1994 (1795 - 1852)
First American woman to speak out against slavery and for the equality of women. An inspiration to Stanton, Anthony and other women's equality advocates, Wright wrote and spoke out publicly for equal rights for all at a time when women were not accepted in such roles.
Honored: 1993 (1943 - )
Nurse who was the first woman since founder Margaret Sanger, and first African American to become president of the Planned Parenthood Foundation. Wattleton developed Planned Parenthood into an influential nationwide organization.
Honored: 2000 (1919 - )
First nurse to hold the rank of Rear Admiral and the title of Deputy Surgeon General for the United States. She developed the first tested coronary care unit. A national pioneer in nursing research, she has authored or co-authored more than 150 publications and helped change the focus of nursing from disease-centered to patient-centered.
Honored: 1998 (1925 - 1996)
Founder in 1962 of Catalyst, the premier organization working with corporations to foster women's leadership. She published studies (Women in Corporate Leadership in 1990 and Women in Engineering in 1992) illustrating the barriers to women's workplace progress and then provided samples of model corporate practices to help women advance. Her work has had a lasting impact on the composition of American corporate leadership.
Honored: 1973 (1871 - 1953)
First woman graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the first woman to teach there. A talented anatomist and researcher, Sabin performed pioneering work in embryology, the lymphatic system and tuberculosis.
