Lucy Stone (1818-1893)

Born on a farm in Massachusetts, Lucy Stone grew up in hardship. Her father ridiculed her desire for education. At the age of 25, she entered Oberlin, a pioneering co-educational college and in 1847, Lucy became the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree. Her studies in Greek and Hebrew convinced her that crucial passages in the Bible (those declaring woman inferior), had been translated wrongly. She was a gifted speaker, a dedicated abolitionist and was soon appointed as a lecturer for the American Anti-Slavery Society. Though she often faced hostility, her eloquence drew large crowds. When she married Henry Blackwell, Lucy Stone kept her own name, thus coining the phrase “Lucy Stoner” to describe a married woman who retains her maiden name. She took the lead in organizing the American Woman Suffrage Association and spent her lifetime battling for women’s rights and inspiring others to join her cause.

Mary Walker, M.D. (1832-1919)

Much ahead of her time, Mary Walker was one of the first women in the U.S. to earn a medical degree. When the Civil War broke out she volunteered to work on the battlefields. Denied a commission as a medical officer (because she was a woman), she volunteered anyway and eventually was appointed assistant surgeon of the 52nd Ohio Infantry. Captured by the Confederates in 1864, she was exchanged only after she’d spent 4 months in a Richmond, VA prison. She lived a controversial life. She was the first woman to receive the Medal of Honor. She lectured on women’s rights, dress reform, health and temperance issues, sexual and political equality. She rejected corsets and hoop-skirted dresses for more practical pantsuits, and was arrested for impersonating a man. She spoke against imperialism and America’s acquisition of colonies abroad. She worked for equal rights in all facets of life from love and marriage to the workplace, urging the reform of divorce laws that placed women in deplorable situations. She refused to bow to the will of others or follow standard operating procedures, was ridiculed for her ideas and assertive manner. Her Medal of Honor was revoked. She insisted that women be treated with the same respect as men. In 1977, the Army Board admitted that Dr. Walker had been a victim of sex discrimination, restored her Medal of Honor, citing her for “distinguished gallantry, self-sacrifice, patriotism, dedication and unflinching loyalty to her country.”

Linda G. Alvarado (1952 – )

Born in Albuquerque, NM, Linda G. Alvarado changed the “male only” image of construction and contractors across the country and opened doors to increasing numbers of women and minorities to enter non-traditional fields of endeavor. Linda is founder and sole owner of Alvarado Construction, a large commercial and industrial general contracting/site management, and design/build firm in Denver Co., President of Palo Alto, Inc. Restaurant Co. and co-owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team.

In 1976, she opened her own company borrowing money from her parents as banks had turned her down. Linda was the first woman entrepreneur earning her own money to bring capital to a major league baseball franchise and has a long list of accomplishments. She was the Revlon Business Woman of the Year (1996), designated one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America by Hispanic Business Magazine, awarded the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year (1996), honored by the prestigious Sara Lee Corporation Frontrunner Award, awarded the 2001 Horatio Alger Award, inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame (2002), named to the White House Commission for Hispanic Excellence in Education, named Woman of the Year by the Mexican American Foundation, received the National Women’s Economic Alliance Director’s Choice Award. Her recognition awards for business and philanthropic activity is two pages long and still growing. Linda says, “Unless you try, you never know how much you can achieve.”

 

References:
Lucy Stone: http://www.biography.com/people/Lucy-Stone
Lucy Stone: http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/Lucy-Stone
Mary Walker: http://www.biography.com/people/mary-walker
Mary Walker: http://ask.com/wikiMary-Edwards-Walker
Mary Walker: http://americancivilwar.com/women/mary-edwards-walker.html
Linda Alverado: http://biography.j.rank.org/pages/alvarado-linda
Linda Alverado: http://.www.infoplease.com