[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 37 (Tuesday, April 9, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E455-E456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN FROM NORTHWEST OHIO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2002

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the following 
article to my Colleagues. Women from Northwest Ohio have been 
trailblazers in the fields of education, health, business and politics. 
Toledo has a rich history of strong women and I commend their 
achievements.

          What's in a Name? An Honor for Women of Achievement


           Local places named for those who made a difference

                             (By Ann Weber)

       ``You can use my name as long as you do a great job,'' 
     longtime local volunteer Elizabeth Zepf is said to have told 
     admirers years ago when they asked if they could name a 
     community mental health center for her.
       Members of the Lucas County mental health board and the 
     board of the newly established center agreed to the deal, and 
     apparently have lived up to it. Since 1974, the Elizabeth A. 
     Zepf Community Mental Health Center, 6605 West Central Ave., 
     has been serving the severe and persistently mentally ill.
       Mrs. Zepf, who is in her 90s and living in Toledo, was 
     prominent at the local, state, and national level of the 
     March of Dimes, a member of the mental health board, and 
     active in more than a dozen other organizations. The Zepf 
     Center is one of numerous places in northwest Ohio that are 
     named for women.
       At least one person believes there should be many more such 
     places.
       ``Maybe they're not as obvious as men, but there are a lot 
     of women who have made major contributions to the community 
     and have not been recognized,'' said Ann Hurley, chairwoman 
     of the Women Alive! Coalition and a reference librarian in 
     the local history and genealogy department at the Main 
     Library.
       But she noted that many of those women haven't worked in 
     fields from which names usually have been plucked, such as 
     high government office. Most of the places that are named 
     locally after women are related to the fields of education, 
     social service, and health--the ``invisible career fields,'' 
     says Barbara Floyd, University of Toledo archivist.
       Even an exception--Ella P. Stewart, the first African-
     American woman pharmacist--was hailed not for her business 
     acumen but for her work in human rights, she pointed out. 
     Toledo has a rich history of strong women.
       ``Toledo was a hotbed of the women's suffrage movement,'' 
     Ms. Floyd said. ``A lot of those women are perhaps lost to 
     history because their contributions have been forgotten.''
       Today, ``one of the areas that is striking is our 
     prominence in the political field,'' she said, citing U.S. 
     Rep. Marcy Kaptur, State Sen. Linda Furney, Lucas County 
     Commission President Sandy Isenberg, and State Reps. Teresa 
     Fedor, Jeanine Perry, and Edna Brown. ``That's an amazing 
     success for women in this area.''
       Many of the area's prominent women have been profiled in a 
     series of books written by the women's history committee of 
     the Women Alive! Coalition. Volume I of In Search of Our 
     Past: Women of Northwest Ohio was published in 1987; Volume 
     VIII is in the works.
       ``We are a treasure trove of women's history. We don't ever 
     see these volumes ending,'' said Susan Coburn, editor. She is 
     the manager of the humanities department at the Main Library, 
     and predicts that in the future women's names will be seen 
     increasingly on government, professional, and technical 
     buildings.
       Here are just some of the places in the area named for 
     women, with information on what inspired the honors:


       Mildred Bayer Clinic for the Homeless, 2101 Jefferson Ave.

       Mildred Bayer (1908-1990) ``was always helping somebody,'' 
     a classmate from the St. Vincent School of Nursing recalled 
     in Volume III of In Search Of Our Past: Women of Northwest 
     Ohio. From Mrs. Bayer's concern for others came medical 
     clinics for migrant workers in Lucas County, Mobile Meals of 
     Toledo, and mobile medical clinics in Nigeria. The Toledo 
     clinic provides dental, vision, and primary health care to 
     the homeless.


        Catharine Eberly Center For Women, University of Toledo

       The center was founded in 1978 and in 1980 was named in 
     honor of Catharine Eberly (1922-1979), who served on the UT 
     board of trustees from 1974 until her death in an automobile 
     accident. Its services include career counseling, support 
     groups, and leadership training for students and community 
     women.


        Josephine Fassett Middle School, 3025 Starr Ave., Oregon

       Every St. Patrick's Day, staffers at Fassett Middle School 
     in Oregon put a green balloon on the office portrait of 
     Josephine Fassett, born March 17, 1884. The school's namesake 
     was appointed supervisor of schools in Oregon and Jerusalem 
     townships in 1914 and later, when the districts were 
     consolidated, was superintendent of Oregon schools until she 
     retired in 1954. Miss Fassett died in 1975. The school has 
     just over 500 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.


                   Gillham Hall, University of Toledo

       The University of Toledo had a library collection of about 
     8,100 volumes when Mary Gillham (then Mary Mewbom) joined the 
     staff in 1921. When she retired in 1969, it had grown to 
     600,000. Gillham Hall, now used for classrooms and faculty 
     offices, was the first free-standing library building at UT. 
     Designed by Mrs. Gillham herself, it opened in August, 1953.


   Aurora Gonzalez Community & Family Resource Center, 1301 Broadway

       Aurora Gonzalez (1924-1991) was the first Hispanic woman 
     elected to the Ohio Hall of Fame. The neighborhood outreach 
     center

[[Page E456]]

     named for the activist hosted two presidents last year: 
     George Bush and Mexico's Vicente Fox. It provides a food 
     pantry, clothing locker, youth athletic and job-readiness 
     programs, and family counseling.
       A nearby stretch of South Avenue between Broadway and the 
     Anthony Wayne Trail honors Aurora's sister, Ruth Gonzalez 
     Garcia.


          Eleanor M. Kahle Senior Center, 1315 Hillcrest Ave.

       Eleanor M. Konieczka Kahle (1916-1995) was an advocate for 
     seniors who was elected to Toledo City Council in 1987, 1989, 
     1991, and 1993. Until 1993 she was director of the West 
     Toledo Senior Citizen Center, which was named for her after 
     her death. The center offers a variety of programs and 
     activities--from computer classes to line dancing, bingo to 
     flu shots.


 Josina Lott Residential & Community Services, 120 S. Holland-Sylvania 
                                  Rd.

       Lott Industries, Inc.
       Hers is a familiar name to area residents, since two 
     organizations have honored Josina Jones Lott (1898-1973), an 
     educator and advocate for children with mental and physical 
     disabilities.
       Lott Industries, chartered in 1955, serves Lucas County 
     residents with mental retardation and other developmental 
     disabilities through sheltered workshops and a vocational 
     training center.
       Josina Lott Residential & Community Services, a separate 
     entity, also serves adults with mental retardation and other 
     developmental disabilities. It includes group homes and life-
     skills training programs for people living independently.


            Cordelia Martin Health Center, 905 Nebraska Ave.

       Cordelia Martin (1915-1999) was devoted to providing health 
     care to Toledo's poor. The center is one of 10 sites 
     (including the Mildred Bayer Clinic for the Homeless) 
     administered by the Neighborhood Health Association. 
     Primarily serving low to moderate income, uninsured and 
     underinsured people, the center includes doctors' offices, 
     dental care, a lab, pharmacy, the federal WIC program, and 
     social service education and referrals.


 Anna C. Mott Branch, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, 1085 Dorr St.

       Anna C. Mott (1835-1902) was a founder of the Toledo Woman 
     Suffrage Association in 1869 and in 1884 was one of the 
     founding officers of the Toledo Humane Society. The Mott 
     Library opened in 1918. Originally 6,000 square feet, it now 
     is almost 14,000 square feet. Circulation has increased 45 
     percent over the past five years.


      Sofia Quintero Hispanic Art & Cultural Center, 1225 Broadway

       Sofia Quintero (1948-1994), active in politics and public 
     affairs, was the first Hispanic president of the Toledo board 
     of education. The mission of the nonprofit organization is 
     public education about Latino heritage through the arts and 
     events such as the Day of the Dead celebration, when Latinos 
     remember loved ones who have passed away.


    Ella P. Stewart School, Toledo Public Schools, 707 Avondale Ave.

       The school was named in 1961 for Ella Nora Phillips Stewart 
     (1891-1987), civil rights crusader and Toledo's first 
     African-American woman pharmacist. She and her husband, 
     William, were the first African-Americans to own and operate 
     a drugstore in Toledo. The school has 340 students in first 
     through sixth grades, and a museum honoring Mrs. Stewart with 
     items such as dolls from her collection, medicine bottles 
     from her pharmacy, and a shirt signed by President John F. 
     Kennedy.


          Whitney Adult Education Center, 1602 Washington St.

       Dedicated in 1941 as the Harriet Whitney Vocational High 
     School for Girls, the building is named for Harriet Whitney 
     (1814-1903), Toledo's first woman school teacher. The 
     building was closed as a high school in 1991 and now houses 
     Toledo Public Schools' Adult Education Center and the Center 
     For Change.
       Based there is the Adult Basic Literacy Program/GED and one 
     of 22 local class sites, plus other services for adults such 
     as vocational programs. There's also a night school for 
     youths in day classes who need to make up credits and a 
     program for at-risk students.

     

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