Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee
Women of Achievement 1986 STEADFASTNESS for a woman with a lifetime of achievement: Verla Petit Verla Petit has devoted her life to service to the downtrodden, the forgotten and the rejected at Memphis Union Mission. She has given 35 years — first, as executive secretary, and since 1976 as director — to provide food, shelter …
Women of Achievement 1986 INITIATIVE for a woman who seized the opportunity to use her talents and created her own future: Eunice Carruthers As one of the 12 children in her family in Arlington, Tennessee, Eunice Carruthers made hats for dolls and decorated her own head with bows, flowers and ribbons. She carried that childhood …
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT 1986 HEROISM for a woman whose heroic spirit was tested and shown as a model to all in Shelby County and beyond: Nina Katz Nina Katz is a survivor of the Holocaust and as such has spent her life working with special insight to combat racism, sexism and anti-Semitism. She shares her …
Women of Achievement 1986 HERITAGE for a woman whose achievements still enrich our lives: Yellow Fever Heroines and Martyrs Memphis was just a half-century old when it faced the most devastating crisis of its history — the decade of death and desolation brought on by the yellow fever epidemics of the 1870s. The deadly disease …
Women of Achievement 1986 DETERMINATION for a woman who solved a glaring problem despite widespread inertia, apathy or ignorance around her: Joan Turner Beifuss By the first week of the sanitation strike in 1968, Joan Beifuss had instituted Rearing Children of Goodwill, a desegregation workshop similar to one she had been involved in a few …
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT 1986 COURAGE for a woman who, facing active opposition, backed an unpopular cause in which she deeply believed: Maxine Smith Memphian Maxine Smith first challenged racial bigotry when she was eight years old and kept asking for “Mister” Joseph Atkins when visiting her father at the Veterans Administration hospital, despite the clerk’s …
Welcome! Women of Achievement, Inc. was founded in 1984 by a group of women dedicated to honoring the extraordinary women who have made Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee better through their lives and accomplishments. The coalition of diverse civic and professional groups and support agencies organizes events to recognize and celebrate these women. The Women of …
Our ‘HERstory’ The year was 1984. The second wave of the women’s rights movement had opened doors to women in many Memphis businesses, corporations and volunteer organizations. A few stalwart women had run for public office and were serving on the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission, but female department directors were scarce in …
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT 1985 COURAGE for a woman who, facing active opposition, backed an unpopular cause in which she deeply believed: Minerva Johnican The year was 1972 and Minerva Johnican, teacher and librarian, dared to run for public office in a city controlled mostly by conservative white men. She didn’t win that first time, nor …