Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame facts for kids
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma; who serve or have served as role models to other Oklahoma women; who may be "unsung heroes," but have made a difference in the lives of Oklahomans or Americans because of their actions; who have championed other women, women's issues, or served as public policy advocates for the issues important to women; and who exemplify the Oklahoma spirit."
The Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame is one of several events sponsored by the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women to support its mission, "To improve the quality of life for women, children and families in Oklahoma." Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no inductees in 2020 and 2021.
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Eligibility requirements
- Must be a woman who has either lived in the State of Oklahoma for a major portion of her life or who is easily identified as an Oklahoman;
- Must not be a current member of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women;
And shall include:
- Women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma.
- Women who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma.
- Women who serve or have served as role models to other Oklahoma women.
- Women who may be "unsung heroes" but have made a difference in the lives of Oklahomans or Americans because of their actions.
- Women who have championed other women, women's issues, or served as public policy advocates for the issues important to women.
- Women who exemplify the Oklahoma spirit.
Inductees
| Name | Image | Birth–Death | Year | Area of achievement | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mo Anderson | 2023 | ||||
| Patricia Fennell | 2023 | ||||
| Ann Felton Gilliland | 2023 | ||||
| Donna Grabow | 2023 | ||||
| Kim Garrett Funk | 2023 | ||||
| Cathy Keating | 2023 | ||||
| Freddye Harper Williams | (1917–2001) | 2023 | |||
| Sue Ann Arnall | 2022 | ||||
| Carleen Burger | 2022 | ||||
| Janice Dobbs | 2022 | ||||
| Wanda Jackson |  |
2022 | |||
| Roseline Nsikak | 2022 | ||||
| Kayse Shrum | .jpg) |
2022 | |||
| Betty McElderry | 2022 | ||||
| Anna Belle Wiedemann |  |
2022 | |||
| Helen Holmes |  |
(1915–1997) | 2019 | Journalist, historian, Women's Army Corps officer | |
| Noma Gurich | .JPG) |
2019 | Jurist | ||
| Ollie Starr | 2019 | ||||
| Judy Love | 2019 | Philanthropist | |||
| Susan Chambers | 2018 | OB/GYN founding partner of Lakeside Women's Hospital in Oklahoma City | |||
| Jane Anne Jayroe |  |
2018 | Broadcaster, author, Miss Oklahoma, Miss America | ||
| Joan Gilmore | (1927–2022) | 2018 | Journalist | ||
| Willa Johnson | 2018 | City and county office holder | |||
| Kay Rhoads | 2018 | Principal Chief of the Sac and Fox Nation | |||
| Linda Cavanaugh | 2017 | Journalist | |||
| Glenda Love | 2017 | Executive director of the Ronald McDonald House in Tulsa | |||
| Pat Potts | 2017 | First woman to serve as President of the Oklahoma City School Board | |||
| Meg Salyer | 2017 | Volunteerism | |||
| Rhonda Walters | 2017 | Helped create /he Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women | |||
| Edith Kinney Gaylord | 2017 | Journalist | |||
| LaDonna Harris | (b. 1931) | 2015 | Comanche activist | ||
| Mary Mélon | 2015 | Newspaper publisher; The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools | |||
| Marion Paden | 2015 | Oklahoma Community City College | |||
| Thelma Parks | 2015 | Civil rights | |||
| Ramona Paul | 2015 | Education | |||
| Patty Roloff | 2015 | Owner Oklahoma City 89ers | |||
| Avis Scaramucci | 2015 | Entrepreneur | |||
| Ida Blackburn | 2013 | Television personality, public relations | |||
| Elaine Dodd | 2013 | Law enforcement | |||
| Lou Kerr | 2013 | Businesswoman | |||
| Terri Watkins | 2013 | Investigative journalist | |||
| Nancy Miller | 2013 | Television producer | |||
| Linda Haneborg | 2013 | Political activist, businesswoman | |||
| Laura Boyd | (b. 1949) | 2011 | Oklahoma state representative; first woman nominee for Governor of Oklahoma | ||
| Chloe Brown | 2011 | Founded The Chloe House transition home for women | |||
| Joy Culbreath | 2011 | Executive Director of all Choctaw Nation Education Service | |||
| Marcia Mitchell | 2011 | Founded The Little Light House faith-based mission to assist children with a wide range of developmental disabilities including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy | |||
| Ardina Moore | (b. 1930) | 2011 | Preservationist for the Quapaw language | ||
| Cindy Ross | 2011 | First female president of Cameron University | |||
| Kathy Taylor | (b. 1955) | 2011 | Mayor of Tulsa | ||
| Helen Harrod Thompson | 2011 | Co-creator of the Family Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence in Ardmore | |||
| Rita Aragon |  |
(b. 1947) | 2009 | United States Air National Guard two-star general | |
| Suzanne Edmondson | (b. 1945) | 2009 | Founder of Friends of Eddie Warrior (FEW) Foundation | ||
| Edna Hennessee | (1911–2011) | 2009 | Entrepreneur | ||
| Kim Henry | 2009 | First Lady of the State of Oklahoma | |||
| Mirabeau Lamar Looney | (1871–1935) | 2009 | First woman member of the Oklahoma Senate | ||
| Susan Savage | (b. 1952) | 2009 | First woman mayor of Tulsa | ||
| Carolyn Whitener | 2009 | 1970s sexual discrimination lawsuit | |||
| Sherri Coale |  |
(b. 1965) | 2007 | Head coach of the University of Oklahoma Sooners | |
| Ginny Creveling | 2007 | Community activist | |||
| Joe Anna Hibler | (b. 1939) | 2007 | First woman president of Southwestern Oklahoma State University | ||
| Maxine Horner |  |
(b. 1933) | 2007 | One of the first African American women to serve in the Oklahoma State Senate | |
| Kay Martin | 2007 | Second female superintendent to lead an Oklahoma technology center | |||
| Terry Neese | 2007 | Entrepreneur, public policy strategist, women's equality advocate | |||
| Claudia Tarrington | (d. 2003) | 2007 | Political consultant | ||
| Carolyn Thompson Taylor |  |
2007 | State representative, associate professor of political science at Rogers State University | ||
| Della Warrior | 2007 | First and only woman to date to serve as the chairperson and chief executive officer for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe | |||
| Wanda L. Bass | (1927–2008) | 2005 | Philanthropist | ||
| Nancy Coats-Ashley | (b. 1972) | 2005 | District Court Judge for Oklahoma County | ||
| Mary Fallin |  |
(b. 1954) | 2005 | Governor of Oklahoma | |
| Bessie S. McColgin | (1875–1972) | 2005 | First woman elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives | ||
| Jeanine Rhea | 2005 | Professor Emeritus in the Department of Management at Oklahoma State University | |||
| Stephanie Kulp Seymour | (b. 1940) | 2005 | First female Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit | ||
| Esther Houser | 2003 | State Long-Term Care Ombudsman in the Aging Services Division of the Department of Human Services | |||
| Vicki Miles-LaGrange |  |
(b. 1953) | 2003 | First woman U.S. Attorney in Oklahoma | |
| Linda Morrissey | (b. 1953) | 2003 | Tulsa County District Judge | ||
| Lynn Schusterman | (b. 1939) | 2003 | Philanthropist, president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation | ||
| Donna Shirley | (b. 1941) | 2003 | Aerospace engineer, head of the Mars Exploration Program in 1994 | ||
| Jari Askins |  |
(b. 1953) | 2001 | Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma | |
| Shirley Bellmon | (1927–2000) | 2001 | First Lady of the State of Oklahoma | ||
| Dorothy Moses DeWitty | (b. 1926) | 2001 | First African-American woman president of the League of Women Voters | ||
| Sandy Garrett | (b. 1943) | 2001 | First woman elected Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction | ||
| Lynn Jones | 2001 | Police woman, developed the first Officers’ Street Survival course in Oklahoma | |||
| Yvonne Kauger | (b. 1947) | 2001 | Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court 1997-1998 | ||
| Jill Zink Tarbel | (d. 2009) | 2001 | Advocate for disabled persons, trustee for the University of Tulsa | ||
| Dana Tiger | (b. 1961) | 2001 | Native American artist | ||
| Isabel Keith Baker | (b. 1929) | 1997 | Oklahoma State University Board of Regents | ||
| Jessie Thatcher Bost | (1875–1963) | 1997 | First woman to graduate from a university in Oklahoma | ||
| Norma Eagleton | (b. 1934) | 1997 | Finance and Revenue Commissioner; Board of Regents for Rogers State College | ||
| Kay Goebel | (b. 1929) | 1997 | Community activist | ||
| Ruth Hardman | (1914–2005) | 1997 | Philanthropist, | ||
| Beverly Horse | (1931–2010) | 1997 | Human rights activist | ||
| Mazola McKerson | (1921–2014) | 1997 | First African-American and first female to serve on the Ardmore City Council; first African-American female mayor of Ardmore; first chair of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women | ||
| Penny Williams |  |
(b. 1937) | 1997 | State legislator | |
| Betty Boyd |  |
(1924–2011) | 1996 | Pioneer woman journalist | |
| Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher | (1924–1995) | 1996 | Civil rights activist | ||
| Lela Foreman | 1996 | Civil rights activist | |||
| Sandy Ingraham | (b. 1947) | 1996 | Child Advocate of the Decade | ||
| Lorena Males | (1909–2006) | 1996 | Community activist | ||
| Bernice Shedrick |  |
(b. 1940) | 1996 | Attorney, judge, state legislator | |
| Valree Fletcher Wynn | (b. 1922) | 1996 | Professor Emeritus at Cameron University; first African American to teach at Lawton High School, to teach at Cameron University, and to serve on the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. | ||
| Nancy Feldman | (1922–2014) | 1995 | Civil rights activist | ||
| Barbara J. Gardner-Anderson | 1995 | First woman to chair the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce | |||
| Ruthe Blalock Jones |  |
(b. 1939) | 1995 | Delaware-Shawnee Native American artist and Director Emeritus and associate professor of art at Bacone College | |
| Mona Salyer Lambird | (1938–1999) | 1995 | First woman president of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the first woman elected to the Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association | ||
| Gloria Grace Langdon | (1927–2003) | 1995 | Tonkawa News publisher | ||
| Bernice Mitchell | (b. 1939) | 1995 | First African American woman to be elected as County Commissioner in Payne County, Oklahoma | ||
| Donna Nigh | (b. 1933) | 1995 | First Lady of the State of Oklahoma | ||
| Marie Cox | (d. 1994) | 1993 | Founded the North American Indian Women's Association | ||
| Anita Hill |  |
(b. 1956) | 1993 | Attorney and academic | |
| Moscelyne Larkin | (1925–2012) | 1993 | Native American ballerina | ||
| Jacqulyn Longacre | (b. 1932) | 1993 | Executive Director of ... Parenthood | ||
| Shannon Lucid |  |
(b. 1943) | 1993 | Biochemist, astronaut | |
| Clara Luper | (1923–2011) | 1993 | Civic leader, civil rights activist | ||
| Opaline Deveraux Wadkins | (1912–2000) | 1993 | First African American nurse to earn a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma | ||
| Pat Woodrum | 1993 | Executive Director of the Tulsa City-County Library System | |||
| Sara Ruth Cohen | (1920–1986) | 1986 | Activist for the arts in the Jewish community | ||
| Vinita Cravens | (1909–1994) | 1986 | Stage productions promoter | ||
| Rubye Hibler Hall | (1912–2003) | 1986 | First African-American appointed to the State Regents for Higher Education | ||
| Elizabeth Ann McCurdy Holmes | 1986 | Continuing Education and Public Service at the University of Oklahoma | |||
| Grace Elizabeth Hudlin | (1908–1995) | 1986 | Political activist and first woman to head an electric cooperative in Oklahoma | ||
| Wilma Mankiller | .jpg) |
(1945–2010) | 1986 | First woman elected chief of the Cherokees | |
| Edna Mae Phelps | (1920 –2001) | 1986 | First woman to serve on the Oklahoma State Election Board | ||
| Evelyn La Rue Pittman |  |
(1910–1992) | 1986 | Author, composer, choral director, producer, and music educator | |
| Mae Boren Axton | (1914–1997) | 1985 | The woman who wrote Heartbreak Hotel; songwriter, promoter, mother of Hoyt Axton | ||
| June Tompkins Benson | (1915–1981) | 1985 | First woman mayor in Oklahoma | ||
| Pam Olson | 1985 | News journalist, CNN White House correspondent | |||
| Betty Durham Price | 1985 | Visual arts preservationist | |||
| Bertha Frank Teague | (1898–1991) | 1985 | Basketball coach; She established the first girls' basketball clinic in the Southwest | ||
| Angie Debo | (1890–1988) | 1984 | Historian who focused on Native Americans | ||
| Jeane Kirkpatrick |  |
(1926–2006) | 1984 | Professor, diplomat, political activist | |
| Jewell Russell Mann | (1903–1987) | 1984 | Feminist activist who was instrumental in amending the state constitution to allow women to hold elective office in Oklahoma | ||
| Zella J. Patterson | (1909–1986) | 1984 | Head of the Home Economics Department at Langston University | ||
| Zelia N. Breaux | (1880–1956) | 1983 | Organized the first music department at Oklahoma's Langston University and the school's first orchestra | ||
| Kate Frank | (1890–1982) | 1983 | First woman president of the Oklahoma Education Association | ||
| Leona Mitchell | (b. 1949) | 1983 | African-American and Chickasaw operatic soprano | ||
| Jean Pitts | (b. 1945) | 1983 | Cardiovascular surgeon and medical researcher | ||
| Juanita Stout | (1919–1998) | 1983 | First African-American woman elected to any judgeship in the United States and the first to serve on the Supreme Court of any state | ||
| Alma Wilson | (1917–1999) | 1983 | First woman to serve on the Oklahoma Supreme Court and its first woman as chief justice, | ||
| Hannah Diggs Atkins | (1923–2010) | 1982 | First African-American woman elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives (1968 – 1980) | ||
| Kate Barnard |  |
(1875–1930) | 1982 | First woman elected to statewide office by a male-only electorate | |
| June Brooks | (1924–2010) | 1982 | Oil lobbyist | ||
| Gloria Stewart Farley | (1916–2006) | 1982 | Author, historian | ||
| Aloysius Larch-Miller |  |
(1886–1920) | 1982 | Suffragist | |
| Susan Ryan Peters | (1873–1965) | 1982 | Founded the Kiowa Indian School of Art | ||
| Christine Salmon | (1916–1985) | 1982 | Architect | ||
| Edyth Thomas Wallace | (1880–1975) | 1982 | Newspaper columnist and radio disc jockey |
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Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.