Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame Facts for Kids

Alice Paul, a leader in the women's right to vote movement.

Rosa Ponselle, a famous opera singer.

The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) celebrates amazing women who were born in or lived in Connecticut. These women are honored for their important achievements and contributions to the state.

The CWHF started in 1993. A group of volunteers worked with Hartford College for Women to create an organization that would recognize inspiring female role models from Connecticut. The very first group of women honored in 1994 included forty-one notable women from Connecticut's history and culture. Many of them broke down barriers, becoming the first women to succeed in areas that were previously closed off to them. For example, Alice Paul was honored for her role in helping women get the right to vote. She also wrote the first idea for the Equal Rights Amendment, which aims to make sure everyone has equal rights.

Also on that first list were the famous actress Katharine Hepburn and her mother, Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn, who was a leader in women's rights. Three sisters from the Beecher family were also honored: Catharine Beecher, who started the Hartford Female Seminary; Isabella Beecher Hooker, who fought for women's right to vote; and Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote about ending slavery. Governor Ella T. Grasso was recognized in 1994 as well.

Over the next twenty years, the list of honored women grew to more than double its original size! In 1997, artist Laura Wheeler Waring was added. She became famous for painting portraits of important African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. Abstract artist Helen Frankenthaler joined the list in 2005. Famous African American opera singers like Marian Anderson (1994) and Rosa Ponselle (1998) are also included. Clare Boothe Luce, an ambassador, politician, and writer, was honored in 1994. Later, Maria W. Stewart, a free Black woman journalist from the 1800s, was added in 2001. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, a war reporter and human rights activist, joined in 1999. In 2008, the list welcomed Barbara McClintock, a geneticist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Annie Dillard, who won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, was added in 1997.

The CWHF also helps educate people. They have two traveling exhibits: the Inductee Portrait Exhibit and "We Fight For Roses, Too." This second exhibit has twenty-two panels that tell the stories of the honored women. The CWHF also provides speakers who can share these inspiring stories.

Honoring Great Women

The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame has honored many incredible women over the years. These women have made a big difference in many fields, from science and arts to politics and sports. They serve as role models for everyone, showing what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.

For example, Jennifer Rizzotti was honored in 2022 for her leadership in professional basketball. Lhakpa Sherpa was recognized in the same year for being the woman with the world record for climbing Mount Everest ten times! In 2017, Kristen Griest was honored as one of the first two women to graduate from the tough U.S. Army Ranger School. Rebecca Lobo, a famous basketball player and TV analyst, was inducted in 2016.

Other notable women include Indra Nooyi, who was the CEO of PepsiCo, and Anne M. Mulcahy, a former CEO of Xerox Corporation. Helen Keller, a famous educator and author who overcame being deaf and blind, was inducted in 2006. Dorothy Hamill, an Olympic gold medalist in ice skating, was honored in 2007. These are just a few examples of the many inspiring women recognized by the CWHF.

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Nell Newman, founder of Newman's Own Organics pet food.
Anika Noni Rose, a singer and actress.
Tina Weymouth, musician and founding member of Talking Heads.
Captain Kristen Griest, one of the first women to graduate from U.S. Army Ranger School.
Ruth A. Lucas, the first Black female Air Force colonel.
Rebecca Lobo, a basketball analyst and former WNBA player.
Jane Pauley, an American television anchor and journalist.
Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo.
Beatrix Farrand, a landscape architect.
Rosa DeLauro, a U.S. Representative.
Barbara Franklin, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Annie Leibovitz, a famous portrait photographer.
Patricia Wald, a jurist and the first woman on the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Patricia Goldman-Rakic, a pioneer in working memory research.
Barbara McClintock, a geneticist and Nobel Prize winner.
Dorothy Hamill, an Olympic gold medalist skater.
Glenna Collett Vare, a champion golfer.
Helen Keller, a famous educator and author.
Rosalind Russell, an actress.
Catherine Roraback, a civil liberties attorney.
Emily Barringer, the first female ambulance surgeon.
Sophie Tucker, a vaudeville singer and actress.
Dorrit Hoffleit, an astronomer who discovered many stars.
Lillian Vernon, who founded the Lillian Vernon Company.
Mabel Osgood Wright, founder of the Connecticut Audubon Society.
Annie Dillard, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Marian Anderson, an opera singer who broke barriers for African Americans.
Evelyn Beatrice Longman, a sculptor.
Catharine Beecher, who promoted education for women.
Prudence Crandall, an abolitionist who accepted Black students.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a sociologist and author.
Ella T. Grasso, the Governor of Connecticut.
Mary Hall, who fought for women's right to practice law.
Alice Hamilton, the first woman appointed to the faculty of Harvard University.
Katharine Hepburn, a famous actress.
Katharine Martha Houghton Hepburn, a women's rights pioneer.
Isabella Beecher Hooker, founder of the Connecticut Women's Suffrage Association.
Emeline Roberts Jones, considered America's first woman dentist.
Barbara Kennelly, a U.S. Representative.
Clare Boothe Luce, an ambassador, politician, and playwright.
Alice Paul, a suffragist and founder of the National Woman's Party.
Sarah Porter, founder of Miss Porter's School.
Susan Saint James, an actress and philanthropist.
Lydia Sigourney, a poet.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, an abolitionist and author.
Chase G. Woodhouse, the first female Connecticut Secretary of State.

Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame facts for kids

Honoring Great Women

Images for kids

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