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Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame Inducts 10 for 2017 Class

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The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame announced today the ten inductees to its third class, which includes three posthumous honorees and one organization.

The nonprofit Women’s Hall of Fame, a partnership between the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas Business Publishing Group, inducted nine honorees into last year’s class.

This year’s inductees will be honored during a ceremony from 6-9 p.m, Aug. 24, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Tickets are available here.

This year’s contemporary inductees are the following:

June B. Freeman is the founding director of the non-profit Architecture and Design Network (ADN) which got underway in 2003. She secured the support of the Arkansas Arts Center, the UA Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design (FJSAD) and the central section of the Arkansas chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Ruth Hawkins, best known around the state for her strong advocacy for historic preservation and heritage tourism, has seen her work recognized through numerous state and national preservation awards, which include the Lifetime Achievement Award through the Arkansas Historical Association and induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame.

One of the most noteworthy items of Brinda Jackson’s career as an architect came about when she passed her Architectural Registration Exam in 1991, becoming the first African American woman in Arkansas registered to practice architecture. She is currently the chief of the Civil Works Programs Branch, Little Rock District, with the responsibility of developing, defending and executing an annual civil works program in excess of $200M.

Pat Lile, culminated her professional career by serving as president and CEO of the Arkansas Community Foundation Inc. from 1996 to her retirement in 2007. Her previous positions in Little Rock included serving as executive director of the Commission for Arkansas’ Future, a state planning effort from 1990-1995, and as interim executive director of the Family Service Agency.

Dr. Joanna Seibert, developed the department of pediatric radiology at Arkansas Children’s Hospital after coming to Arkansas with her husband in 1976. Biennially, Arkansas Children’s Hospital gives the Joanna and Robert Seibert award to the physician who embodies teamwork in his or her practice.

Dorothy Stuck was elected as a delegate to the 1969-1970 Arkansas Constitutional Convention where she was the only woman delegate to chair a major committee, the committee on suffrage and elections. She still remains active on boards such as the Winthrop Rockefellar Lecture Board.

This year’s historical inductees are the following:

Maya Angelou, a best-selling author, poet, actor, and performer, as well as a pioneering activist for the rights of African Americans and of women. Her book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, was the foundation of her career as an author and public figure, as well as the basis of her identification as an Arkansas author.

Philanthropist Bernice Young Jones dedicated her life to giving generously throughout the state of Arkansas. Institutions that benefited from her giving include the following: the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families in Springdale, the Bernice Young Jones School of Performing Arts at Ouachita Baptist University, the University of Arkansas, Harding University, Hendrix College and Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Judge Elsijane Trimble Roy was Arkansas’s first woman circuit judge, the first woman on the Arkansas Supreme Court, the first woman appointed to an Arkansas federal judgeship and the first Arkansas woman to follow her father as a federal judge.

The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame is also honoring an organization, the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters in Jonesboro. In the early 1900s, malaria fever broke out in northeast Arkansas and the Sisters were asked to help take care of the sick. The Sisters bought a large frame house on East Matthews Street in downtown Jonesboro. Six rooms were prepared with cots for beds and covered orange crates for wash stands. On July 5, 1900, St Bernards Hospital was opened.

A selection committee chose the women from more than 100 formal nominations submitted from February 24 – April 7. Nominees are not limited to a certain field or accomplishment and can include pioneers, philanthropists, educators, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, business leaders and political figures.

“The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame is about to induct its third class of amazing women who have impacted our state and many on a global front,” said Holly Fish, chair of the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame. “I never tire of hearing the remarkable accomplishments and paths these women have forged, but what blows my mind even more is how honored and humble they are to hear about the recognition they are receiving. We are so proud to be a part of this long overdue effort.”

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