March 1st Pearl
As February comes to a close, so does another celebration of Black History Month. While time dedicated specifically to honoring African American history is important, two of our honorees knew that a mere month was not enough. In 1983, two sisters from North Memphis, Elaine Lee Turner and Joan Lee-Nelson, founded Heritage Tours, the first African American owned tour company in the state. Their mission: to discover, chronicle and share the past of the Midsouth’s African American community. As Joan once said, “You have nothing to hold onto without your history.” We thank these women for their contribution to Memphis and beyond. Together they are the 1990 Women of Achievement for Initiative.
March 2nd Pearl
According to the American Bar Association’s 2013 report, women now make up 1/3 of all lawyers in the United States. Thanks to women like Veronica Coleman-Davis, women not only practice law, they found their own firms, too. Coleman-Davis founded Memphis’ first all-female law firm- Coleman, Sorak and Williams. Among other accomplishments, Coleman-Davis was appointed U.S. Attorney for West TN by President Clinton – the first woman and the first African American to hold that post in the United States. On behalf of all women, we thank Veronica Coleman-Davis, 1994 Woman of Achievement for Initiative, for being a trailblazer in her field.
March 3rd Pearl
1987 Woman of Achievement for Determination, the late Willie Pearl Butler fought for justice for the poor in our community. Butler organized the local chapter of the Welfare Rights Organization, the Resident Council Association of Public Housing and the LeMoyne Gardens tenants association. She also helped found Memphis Area Legal Services. During her 68 years of life, Butler struggled to achieve for poor people the respect that all people deserve. We celebrate all women who are following in Butler’s footsteps and fighting for economic justice for all.
March 4th Pearl
Gid Smith, former MIFA executive director, summed up 1990 Woman of Achievement for Determination, Virginia Dunaway this way: “To my knowledge, she has done more to overcome hunger in Memphis than any other private citizen.” Dunaway became executive director of the Memphis Food Bank when it became independent from MIFA in 1988. Dunaway grew the food bank’s distribution to more than three million pounds of donated, wholesome food. Through her hard work, Dunaway assisted 226 charitable programs and food pantries across the Midsouth in feeding needy families. Wow! Talk about a Woman of Achievement.
March 5th Pearl
1989 Woman of Achievement for Initiative, Carol Coletta helped revitalize downtown Memphis with her innovative ideas and passion for her community. She conceived and produced some of Memphis’ favorite public events like Octoberfest, the Memphis Heritage Festival and celebrations in Tom Lee Park. Coletta also co-developed the Timpani condominiums and owned and operated Magazine, the first new boutique downtown. We thank Carol Coletta for working to make Memphis a city that we are proud to call home.
March 6th Pearl
2005 Woman of Achievement for Courage Pat Morgan was working as a real estate broker when she volunteered to help two hours per week at the Downtown Church Association’s Food Pantry to feed the homeless. From there she moved to the Street Ministry and the work became her passion. She listened to stories of untreated addiction, abuse and mental illness and realized that what indigent individuals need is a “continuum of care.” She believes that the solutions to homelessness are political. She left Memphis briefly to work in President Clinton’s administration in various capacities to better understand policies that affect the homeless. Most notably, she spent 6 ½ years working with the White House Domestic Policy Council. In 1999, Pat returned to Memphis and became Executive Director for Partners for the Homeless. She worked with representatives from 55 organizations to create a holistic intervention program targeting 20,000 at-risk households. She served on the state council for creating a plan to end homelessness in Tennessee. And Pat has not forgotten the people she met through Calvary’s Street Ministry. Today she launches a book capturing their stories: “The Concrete Killing Fields: One Woman’s Battle to Break the Cycle of Homelessness,” 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Booksellers of Laurelwood.
March 7th Pearl
Mayor AC Wharton recently recognized 1990 Woman of Ahievement Jocelyn Wurzburg with the “2014 Be The Dream MLK Legacy Award.” This award epitomizes why Wurzburg was awarded the Woman of Achievement Award for Courage. During the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement, Wurzburg courageously brought the strategies of the Panel of American Women to Memphis. Wurzburg organized a culturally and racially diverse group of women to lobby the mayor’s office and professional organizations in order to eliminate racial and religious prejudice. Jocie’s courage to stand up for what she believed in during the Civil Rights Era cannot be underestimated. Memphis would not be the same without her continued efforts to further human rights.
March 8th Pearl
1998 Woman of Achievement for Initiative, Tonga Nguyen, knew what it was like to start over – and over again. She found success after coming to a new country, learning a new language, experiencing a new culture, buying a new business and then yet another new business. And all before she was 26 years old. Tonga arrived in the Unitea d States as a South Vietnamese refugee in 1990, graduated from Central High School in 1994 and became a US citizen in 1995. Tonga worked at grocery store during high school that she and her brother ended up purchasing before selling it a few years later. Using the proceeds of the sale and her family’s savings, Tonga and her family purchased the apartment complex where they first lived. Just 6 years after arriving in the US with nothing, Tonga spoke English, obtained a high school degree and owned and operated a small business. She would ultimately go on to manage more than 400 apartments for Roberts Properties. Tonga once said, “When I came to America, I expected freedom. And I believed that if you worked hard, you could make it.” And make it she did.
March 9th Pearl
“I consider myself an inventor,” said internationally acclaimed
rock ‘n’ roll guitarist and 2001 Woman of Achievement for Initiative, Cordell Jackson. “I’m just richly blessed with ideas… I have now more than ever. If I think, I do it.” Initiative was the driving force behind this colorful music pioneer since her childhood in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Inspired by her musical father, Cordell began learning at age 12 to play piano, bass, mandolin, banjo, harmonica and the guitar. “When I picked up the guitar, I could see it in their eyes, ‘Little girls don’t play guitar,’ they thought. I looked right at ‘em and said, ‘I do.’” Cordell had a long list of accomplishments, including becoming the country’s first female recording engineer, being named Memphis Musician of the Year, Memphis Songwriter of the Year, and being honored by Who’s Who of World Women. She is featured in the Smithsonian Institute, the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum in Memphis, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. We are proud to call Cordell Jackson a Woman of Achievement.
March 10th Pearl
In a 2009 interview with The Commercial Appeal, “I Am A Man” documentary co-producer John Hubbell described 2004 Woman of Achievement for Initiative, Deanie Parker, as “a silver bullet, unswerving in course.” That’s the truth. During the heyday of Stax, Deanie was a staff songwriter and director of publicity, artists and community relations. She helped write songs and did a wide variety of other jobs there, as well as being a singer on Stax's Volt label. In the decades between Stax's closing in 1975 and the opening of the 17,000-square-foot Stax Museum of American Soul Music in 2002, Deanie worked for a local TV station and Memphis in May, among other jobs. From Stax Museum's inception until her retirement in late 2007, Deanie was the CEO of Soulsville, the parent company behind the facility and a force behind the South Memphis neighborhood's revitalization. Under her leadership, Soulsville thrived. People with mission and spirit that reflect that of the original Stax have collected priceless memorabilia for Memphis and the world to study and enjoy in the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The Stax Music Academy reaches out to young musicians and brings them along while helping stabilize the community. Through Deanie Parker’s initiative, the heart and soul of Stax – an essential and historic part of Memphis’ heart – lives on.
March 11th Pearl
1998 Woman of Achievement for Determination, Shelia Tankersley, knew she had to do something when her best friend was diagnosed with AIDS. He died in 1989, but his struggle with the disease changed her life forever, and she promised him she would continue working for this cause. Shelia saw that women and children battling HIV/AIDS in Memphis needed support. She founded Loving Arms in 1991, a nonprofit with the goal of providing emotional and financial support to those battling the disease. In 1995, Shelia made the brave choice to walk away from her career of 14 years in order to devote herself to Loving Arms fulltime. After working several years without a salary to get her organization up and running, Shelia grew Loving Arms staff to 75 volunteers working with 93 families and close to 200 children. Shelia said that being able to serve her clients was her greatest blessing. We commend Shelia for finding her purpose and risking all to follow her heart.
March 12th Pearl
For 1999 Woman of Achievement for Determination Bert P. Wolff, public education has always been a top priority. In the wake of Dr. King’s assassination, Wolff was determined to help Memphis City Schools integrate so that all children could have access to the same quality of education.
As an active community member in 1979, Bert ran for and won school board Position 2, at-large, a citywide race. From 1980 to 1984, the community was again polarized over desegregation. As board president in 1983, she was a leader in negotiations of policy changes necessary to initiate the final steps of “Plan Z” so that neighborhood schools could begin to be reinstated after the city’s desegregation struggle. She found little support from the white power structure. Everyone, including her friends, warned her that if she supported “Plan Z,” she would not be reelected. After months of meeting, the board met at 5 pm and voted at 1:25am. Four voted yes, four voted no. Bert said, “As president, I cast the final and deciding vote – the tie breaker – to integrate. All hell broke lose… I had to be escorted home.” Bert received hate mail, bomb threats and obscene phone calls nightly for the next eight months and did not win reelection, but she confidently says, “Was it worth it? Would I do it again? Absolutely.” We thank Bert P. Wolff for her fearless determination.
March 13th Pearl
2002 Woman of Achievement for Determination, JoeAnn Ballard, knew it was her mission to serve the poor ever since she was a little girl and fulfill this mission she did. She met and married her husband Monroe Ballard in Memphis and over the course of their marriage, they served as foster parents to more than 75 children while raising three of their own. In her professional life, JoeAnn was the first and only employee of the Neighborhood Christian Centers. Under her leadership, the center became the largest Christian social service agency in the state. The center’s services include tutoring, college assistance, adult education, job training, legal and financial counseling, clothing closets and food distribution. JoeAnn’s holistic approach to helping children and families escape poverty makes her a Woman of Achievement.
March 14th Pearl
1998 Woman of Achievement for Courage, Doris Bradshaw, knows that standing up against injustices can make you unpopular, but that never stopped her from fighting environmental racism in her community. In 1995, Doris discovered that the Defense Depot had scores of its chemicals flowing through drainage ditches into the surrounding community, which included eight schools. Health Department statistics showed that the cancer rate in her community was twice as high as the country as a whole, and Doris knew that this was not a coincidence. She demanded that proper health assessments be done in her community to assess the deadly affects of the Defense Depot’s pollution and she worked tirelessly to ensure justice was served. In order to keep people informed about environmental racism, Doris travels extensively and has become a key figure in this movement. We thank her for her courage in the face of opposition.
March 15th Pearl
2004 Woman of Achievement for Courage, Rev. Cheryl Cornish once said, “There has always been a very strong notion in the Congregational Church that we each embody the face of God. And if you exclude any piece of the human family, you’re excluding one face of God… we won’t lock the door on anybody.” In 1988, Cheryl came to Memphis to serve as first female pastor of the First Congregational Church of God in Christ. Under her leadership, the church affectionately known as First Congo took stands on a number of issues that rub up against the grain of many in the “Bible Belt.” First Congo was on the forefront of affirming equal participation of LGBT individuals in the church, engaging in ministries of justice and non-violent social change, and advocating for women’s issues and AIDS awareness. Cheryl Cornish’s courageous faith has left a mark in both the religious atmosphere and community spirit of Memphis.
March 16th Pearl
From Memphis to the dark reaches of space, 2004 Woman of Achievement for Heroism Dr. Rhea Seddon has shown little girls everywhere that they, too, can reach their dreams. She became one of the nation’s first female astronauts when she was selected for training in 1978. “They didn’t want women astronauts then,” Rhea said. But Rhea persevered. She was able to combine her background in medicine with her training from NASA, bringing a unique skill set to the NASA team. Her third flight, aboard Columbia, flew October 18 to November 1, 1993 as a life science research mission with Rhea as payload commander. It received NASA management recognition as the most successful and efficient Spacelab flown to date. The seven-person crew performed medical experiments on themselves and 48 rats. Rhea assisted in the first animal dissections in space, hailed by NASA as a scientific triumph.
March 17th Pearl
1995 Woman of Achievement for Vision Dr. Theresa Okwumabua witnessed firsthand the tragedies of ignorance, the lack of education and low self-esteem in young girls. In her professional career as a psychologist, she has gone above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of teen mothers and has worked to provide learning where none existed, to provide hope where all had been lost, and to reverse the vicious cycle of recurrent teen pregnancy. As the head of the mental health team at the Adolescent Parenting Program, Theresa implemented numerous programs to help at-risk teens attend college, live independently and find their purpose, goals that had previously seemed beyond their reach. Her models for teaching these life skills have been adopted statewide and she has helped numerous young people get back on track.
March 18th Pearl
2004 Woman of Achievement for Vision Mickey Babcock grew up with her grandmother as a role model of courage and vision. Mickey knew early on that not all women were fortunate enough to have such role models in their lives, and thus she dedicated herself to helping women find the support they need to improve their lives. Mickey was instrumental in creating the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, the RISE Foundation and Opportunity Banc, a micro-loan program at MIFA. All of Mickey’s endeavors are aimed at empowering women to become self-sufficient.
What a great vision, indeed.
March 19th Pearl
2002 Woman of Achievement for Steadfastness Fannie Belle Burnett was instrumental in developing Girls Incorporated of Memphis into what it is today. Under her leadership, the organization earned a national reputation for program excellence in areas like sexuality, employment and discrimination. By the late 1970s, Girls Inc. of Memphis served 3,000 young people in three centers. She helped develop three program areas – youth employment, juvenile justice and family life education. In addition, she was a critical participant in planning and executing the first nationwide conference dedicated to exploring the needs of girls – The Windspread Conference – “Today’s Girls Tomorrow’s Women.” As one nominator described, “Fannie Belle has mentored children, youth and adults, ‘walking her talk’ with a firm but gentle manner. Indeed Memphis is a different place, and a better place, because of her steadfast vision in a future that is brighter than our present.”
March 20th Pearl
1996 Woman of Achievement for Heritage Marion Griffin was not only the first woman licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee, she was also the first woman elected to the Tennessee General Assembly. Despite her accomplishments, it was no easy road getting there. After being barred from the legal profession twice solely on the basis of her gender, Marion Griffin enrolled in the University of Michigan to earn the degree of Bachelor of Laws. She returned to Tennessee to lobby the legislature to pass an act giving women the right to practice law in the jurisdiction. At first she was, in her words, “greeted with wisecracks and guffaws,” but she persisted and ultimately the bill was passed on Feb. 13, 1907. On July 1, she became the first woman admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee. She practiced law in Memphis for more than 40 years.
March 21st Pearl
2008 Woman of Achievement for Determination Rebecca Edwards solved a glaring problem despite widespread apathy. After a decade of being told “black audiences won’t support the arts” and “Memphis arts supporters aren’t interested in attending diverse performances,” Rebecca Edwards got tired of hearing these things and established the Cultural Development Foundation of Memphis. For more than seven years, the CDFM has been bringing a culturally diverse range of performances to culturally diverse audiences that mirror the rainbow that is Memphis. The first show was Sing, Sister, Sing. It was a big hit. But immediately she started receiving calls from educators saying, “What about the kids? They need art, too.” And so, knowing from personal experience that this is true and that art is a cultural bridge, she decided to make sure that every Cultural Development production would include student performances. Since 2000, CDFM has presented over 65 performances seen by over 67,000 people. Half have been young people under the age of 18.
March 22nd Pearl
2008 Woman of Achievement for Vision Dr. Phyllis Betts once said, “Many things that aren’t defined as women’s issues really are and if you strengthen and prepare women to deal with life issues, you’ve gone a long way to prepare our whole community.” A sociologist by training, Phyllis has advocated for women consistently as associate director of the Center for Research on Women and as founding director of the Center for Community Building and Neighborhood Action at the University of Memphis. Phyllis was a founder of the Memphis Area Women’s Council where she co-organized the initial action team to address domestic violence with a volunteer court watch. The Women’s Council has organized a court watch of domestic violence cases, initiated a girls’ activism project called Girls for Change to address sexual harassment in schools, targeted barriers to good jobs for women through a Workforce Action Collaborative and fought to ban corporal punishment in city schools. As long as Phyllis Betts is on watch, women’s rights and women’s needs will be at the table whether the immediate issue is violence, bankruptcy, neighborhood rebirth, poverty or jobs. Her vision of positive social change and problem solving – linking research with action – makes our community better for all.
March 23rd Pearl
2008 Woman of Achievement for Heroism Ashley Sanders made national news when she saved the victim of a car-jacking who had been fatally shot through the chest. Providentially, Ashley Sanders, a tall, no-nonsense inner-city teenager who loves sports and practices the art of peacemaking among her friends and acquaintances was nearby when Heather Fox, suffering from a gunshot wound, was in need. Armed only with the knowledge acquired by watching TV shows, Ashley rolled up her hooded sweatshirt for a pillow to make Fox more comfortable, and immediately began applying pressure on the exit wound. She spoke reassuringly to Fox as she lost consciousness and kept pressure applied until emergency help arrived. Later in the hospital, Heather Fox learned she had lost half of her blood and likely would have died but for Ashley’s quick actions. Upon recovery, Heather Fox started a trust fund for Ashley, got more news coverage around the country and that led to a full scholarship to pharmacy school for Ashley. The two have become fast friends and both women say their lives have changed for the better. “The media began calling me the Good Samaritan,” Fox says. “However, the Good Samaritan was an 18-year-old girl, Ashley Sanders, who heard the gunshot and came to my rescue.”
March 24th Pearl
2006 Woman of Achievement for Vision Perre MacFarland Magness has used her passion for history and her skill as a writer to document the essential roles women have played in the life and times of Memphis and the Mid-south. Some little-known, some legendary, all fascinating, the women’s stories were part of Perre’s 16-year collection of area history for a weekly column in The Commercial Appeal called “Past Times.” Those columns, written from 1987 to 2003, were inspiration for several Women of Achievement Heritage nominations and awards through the years and were compiled in 1994 in one of Perre’s six books, called “Past Times: Stories of Early Memphis.” Despite being advised to “come off like an intellectual housewife” rather than a serious journalist, Perre never stopped insisting that women be recognized for their contributions to history. Her research archive has been donated to the Memphis Public Library. Perre Magness recognized the need to preserve the stories of women whose courage, talents and achievements helped shape the Mid-South region. Her work leaves a priceless legacy for future generations.
March 25th Pearl
When 2006 Woman of Achievement for Initiative Susan Stephenson was in second grade, she told her teacher she wanted to be a doctor. Her teacher suggested that Susan was mistaken. What she meant was that she wanted to be a nurse. When Susan told the story at the dinner table that night, her father decided to accompany Susan to her classroom the next day. He explained to her teacher that Susan could be a doctor, a nurse or whatever profession she chose. That lesson about confidence and possibilities would guide Susan for the rest of her life. After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee, she planned to attend law school and become the first woman justice of the Supreme Court. Sandra Day O’Connor would beat her to the bench, but Susan found another way to be the first woman in an influential spot. Susan moved to Memphis and was looking for a teaching job when a friend suggested she try banking and sent her resume to First Tennessee Bank. The bank saw executive potential in Susan and invited her to join the bank’s management training program. That was in 1980. Fifteen years later after being hired as a management trainee, Susan was named chairman, president, and chief executive officer of what was then Boatman’s Bank of Tennessee. She was the first woman to serve as CEO of a Memphis bank. That was in 1995. Just three years later, in a climate of mergers and acquisitions, Susan and Chip Dudley took a chance at organizing a new, independent bank – appropriately called Independent Bank. The bank is thriving today and offers special programs for women.
March 26th Pearl
2012 Woman of Achievement for Determination, Carolyn Hardy began working for J.M. Smucker Co. at age 20 and quickly worked her way up through the ranks. She became the first African American female plant manager for a major jam and jelly company. Her facility boasted the lowest costs, highest quality and great employee satisfaction.
But she didn’t stop there. In 2001, she made brewing industry history by joining Coors Brewing Company as its first female general manager/vice president. When Molson-Coors decided to close the Memphis plant in 2005, Carolyn Hardy and a silent partner bought it for $9 million – preserving more than 200 jobs. Even with her considerable assets, it was far from easy. Big banks just weren’t used to women and minorities borrowing that kind of money. “It was the hardest time in my life,” Carolyn has said. “The stress of starting a business is tremendous. There were many people who were convinced that I could not pull this off.” But she was determined. She had watched manufacturing in Memphis go away, leaving warehouse jobs with less pay and no benefits. “Somebody’s got to do something,” she said. And do something she did. Even after a 2008 tornado destroyed much of her brewery, she rebuilt and pressed on. Hardy refused to sell to anyone who did not respect minorities or women. Ultimately, in May 2011, Hardy sold her brewery to City Brewing of Memphis. Now called Blues City Brewing, the plant will create over 500 jobs by 2016. Thanks to women like Hardy, Memphis is a better place to work and live.
Join us on the evening of March 26th for an “Intimate Conversation with Carolyn Hardy,” 2012 Woman of Achievement for Determination, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., Memphis Area Women’s Council, 2574 Sam Cooper Blvd. 10 guests maximum, RSVP to dclubb@memphiswomen.org
March 27th Pearl
2006 Woman of Achievement for Determination Regina D. Walker has served as a key leader with the United Way of the Mid-South since 1984 – most significantly as Senior Vice President of Community Initiative. Her dedication and determination have provided the resources to build stronger and healthier not-for-profit agencies and communities. Securing funds and services involves some of the least glamorous aspects of community service, yet Regina has dedicated her life to making sure that communities get both the fiscal and strategic support they need to thrive. Though non-profit community organizations are more in need than ever, they start out with every disadvantage. The federal and state support for vital community organization has been cut dramatically over the course of Regina’s career. Regina, however, has been determined not to let disadvantaged citizens remain on the chopping block. Her work has sustained countless community programs in the Mid-South. In 1999 alone, her Community Initiative Department generated over $6 million in grants and in-kind services. Without Regina Walker, the Memphis community would not be what it is today.
March 28th Pearl
Born in Ohio in 1909, 2007 Woman of Achievement for Steadfastness Gertrude Purdue came into this world serving others. Through six wars, the great depression, and the Civil Rights movement, she was, in her own words, a handmaiden to the Lord. She and her husband came to Memphis in 1962 to serve as Area Commanders for the Salvation Army. They helped develop a shelter for abused and exploited women and children, social services for senior citizens and the city’s first daycare for low-income families. Following Dr. King’s assassination, Gertrude helped organize forums to bring people together to open lines of communication and foster understanding and unity. She also served on the committee that formulated plans for what is now MIFA, the Memphis Inter-Faith Association. Gertrude has received many awards but one tops the list. In 2006 she received the highest international honor the Salvation Army bestows: The Order of the Founder is given for superlative service to its mission and ministry. Her photo hangs at Army headquarters in Atlanta and is inscribed with her name and the words “servant” and “encourager.” Gertrude passed away May 27, 2013, at 104 years old after many years of service to others. Memphis is better for having known this Woman of Achievement.
March 29th Pearl
From her birthplace in Sudan, to her adopted home in Memphis, 2008 Woman of Achievement for Initiative Ruth Lomo has used her gifts and skills to improve the lives of the women and children around her. In 2001, Lomo and her five children arrived in Memphis as Sudanese refugees. Shorty after getting settled, she managed to enroll all the children in her care into parochial schools. Having had little opportunity for education in refugee camps and speaking little English, Ruth found them tutors through a program at Second Presbyterian Church. Seeing the difference this made, she started arranging tutoring for other refugee children. Fluent in several languages, Ruth also helped other women from Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia learn the skills they needed in their new home - how to drive, enroll in English language classes, navigate a new culture, help their children succeed in school. Ruth’s experiences had given her a clear vision of what women needed – an organization to support and teach refugees how to advocate for themselves and their children. She created the International Community of Refugee Women and Children to fill this need. She continues to work with other refugee coalitions, learning and sharing what she has learned.
March 30th Pearl
It is because of our 1997 Woman of Achievement for Vision that there is an annual event that honors women of all races, all creeds and all backgrounds as Memphians celebrate Women’s History Month. It is because of Deborah Clubb’s vision of an exciting night of celebration, reminiscent of the Oscars, where women could be the stars that we are proudly celebrating 30 years of Women of Achievement today. We thank Deborah for her unwavering leadership and dedication to the idea that women deserve recognition for all they do. Deborah’s words are just as poignant today as they were all those years ago. “Our presence at Women of Achievement events says we believe in celebrating women, our victories, our work, as we make choices, take chances and change ourselves and our world.” Thank you, Deborah, for giving us an occasion to come together and honor such a talented group of women!
