COLUMBUS (September 17, 2001) - Governor Bob Taft today announced the 23rd Annual Ohio Women's Hall of Fame inductees. The Ohio Women's Hall of Fame annually recognizes Ohio's female trailblazers.

The ceremony will coincide with the dedication and opening of the Cleveland /Cuyahoga County Ohio Women's Hall of Fame Regional Gallery, which will honor Women's Hall of Fame members from Cuyahoga County.

"I am proud to announce that these 18 extraordinary women are going to be inducted to Ohio Women's Hall of Fame," Taft said. "They symbolize the diversity of Ohio, demonstrating outstanding achievements in the fields of education, athletics, public service, medicine, military service, philanthropy, law and community leadership. Generations of Ohioans can look to these remarkable individuals as role models."

Women selected in 2001 will join other outstanding members, including Betty Zane, Revolutionary War heroine; Barbara Ross-Lee, first African-American woman dean of a college of medicine; Maude Charles Collins, Ohio's first woman sheriff; Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize winner; Muriel Siebert, first woman seat holder on the New York Stock Exchange; Sister Dorothy Kazel, missionary nun murdered in El Salvador; Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam and civil rights memorials; and Ada Martin, advocate for the homeless.

The reception and induction ceremony are open to the public. Tickets for the event are $35. For tickets or for more information, contact the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 145 S. Front St., 6th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215; or call (614) 466-4496.

The Hall of Fame is administered by the Women's Bureau of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

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Contact: Women's Bureau, ODJFS, at (614) 466-4496; or Governor's Press Office, at (614) 644-0957.

2001 Ohio Women's Hall of Fame Inductees

Rebecca S. Boreczky, Delaware County?Tireless community volunteer known for mobilizing corporations, government and individuals to donate time and supplies for hospitals and orphanages in Russia. Closer to home she provides or arranges for food, vaccines, medical and dental care and extras such as music lessons for low-income and hospitalized children. She is currently compiling a coffee table book featuring poems, lyrics, drawings and photographs describing peace through the eyes of youth.

Frances Jennings Casement (1840-1928), Lake County ?Suffragist who founded the Equal Rights Association in 1883. Elected President of the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association. Focused on finding unity between the divergent national and international women's movements, bringing the two groups together on behalf of women's social and voting equality.

Ruth L. Davis, Lucas County ?Premiere educator and administrator. She is the third generation of the Davis family and the first woman to assume the Presidency of Davis College, Ohio's oldest proprietary school. At age 91 she continues to maintain a regular presence at the desk once occupied by her father and grandfather.

Dr. Lucille G. Ford, Ashland County ?Economist, educator and author. Two editions of her textbook, Economics Learning and Instruction are used by students across the country. Prestigious Martha Holden Jennings Lecturer. Named Ashland College Provost and created the Gill Center for Business and Economic Education. First woman to serve on many corporate boards including: Ohio Edison Co., National City Bank, National City Corporation and A. Schulman Co.

Susan F. Gray, Darke County ?Environmentalist, historian and educator who developed the Biotic Index Test which has become the standard measurement for water quality in Ohio and around the world. Initiated a river-monitoring program using 4-H children. Instrumental in having land consecrated to the Shawnee Remnant Tribe in recognition of the historical and cultural significance of the land for Native Americans. Created a living history program about the Treaty of Greenville.

Lieutenant Colonel Kathleen V. Harrison, Franklin County?First female Marine to serve in an operational aviation unit eligible for combat deployment. Participated in combat operations in Panama. Supported U.S. Counterdrug operations in Bolivia and Peru. Provided humanitarian relief for the Kurds in Iraq and Turkey. Served as Senior Intelligence Officer for Cuban migration at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Appointed to the Joint Staffs Bosnian Intelligence Working Group. Currently she is the Branch Head for Command and Command Support at Quantico, Va.

Adella Prentiss Hughes (1869-1950), Cuyahoga County ?Early arts advocate, impresario, founder and mother of the Cleveland Orchestra. Renowned for keeping arts alive during the early 20th century. Through her leadership as its first General Manager, the Cleveland Orchestra grew to national prominence, cutting its first recording, embarking upon its first tours, making its first radio broadcasts and becoming a pioneer in educational work.

Janet E. Jackson, Franklin County ?Tireless public servant with a life-long commitment to issues affecting women, children and families. First female City Attorney and first African-American woman to serve as a Franklin County judge. Instituted truancy prevention programs, developed a specialized anti-stalking unit, secured funding for installation of cameras in police vehicles and developed a conflict resolution unit. As a child, she was one of the first African-Americans to desegregate what had been an all-white high school in rural, southern Virginia.

Dottie Kammie-Kamenshek, Hamilton County ?This Professional Baseball player has been named one of Sports Illustrated ?Top 100 Women Athletes of the Century? (2000). She was drafted by the All American Girls Professional Baseball League as one of the original players in 1943, earning a lifetime fielding average of .950. Her lifetime batting average of .292 ranked the highest of all long-term players in the league. Kamenshek was selected to the League's All-Star Team every year from 1945 until she retired from the Rockford Peaches in 1953.

Maxine Goodman Levin, Cuyahoga County ?Philanthropist and community activist. Founded the Cleveland Landmarks Commission. Instrumental in ensuring quality mental health care and housing alternatives for mentally challenged adults. Established the first endowed Chair at Cleveland State University (Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs) which has gained national recognition and ranking by U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools.

Irene Duhart Long, MD, Cuyahoga County ?Physician and NASA Flight Surgeon contributing to the field of aerospace medicine. Dr. Long has been involved in the launch and recovery of Space Shuttle missions since 1982. The NASA Exceptional Service Medal recipient is the first woman Chief Medical Officer and the first female minority SES (equivalent military rank of general) at the Kennedy Space Center, paving the way for women in science.

Martha Shorts MacDonell, Allen County ?Community advocate and change agent. Created Arts in Education programs, established child care for low-income people and compiled and presented the oral history of racial and ethnic groups in Lima. She was a principal visionary for downtown vitality, leading to construction of a convention and civic center. Using her love of arts, she is a tireless advocate, opening doors for others, combating racism, valuing diversity, energizing the center city and recounting the rich ethnic heritage of Lima, including the contributions of Italian, Irish, Greek, Macedonian and African American immigrants.

Sister Mary Andrew Matesich, Franklin County?Educator, administrator and advocate with a career spanning five decades. As president of Ohio Dominican College, she founded the first Weekend College Program in Ohio and instituted extensive programs for disadvantaged students living near the college. Implemented Operation Second Chance to help dropouts complete their college degrees and the PATRIOTS program for veterans. Member of the National Commission on Accreditation and the Ohio Ethics Commission, she is a national expert and spokesperson on public policy issues affecting students, and a knowledgeable and respected voice for disadvantaged students and higher education.

Reverend Elizabeth Powell, Mahoning County ?Civil rights advocate and first woman ordained as a Baptist leader in the Mahoning Valley. Founded the World Fellowship Interdenominational Church, which she still pastors at the age of 99.

Deborah Pryce, Franklin County ?Congresswoman Pryce has risen among her peers as a leader. She is the highest ranking female member of Congress; known as a consensus builder and a national spokesperson in the fight against childhood cancer. Founder of Hope Street Kids, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the elimination of childhood cancer. As a legislator, she's authored the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act, spearheaded efforts for the issuance of the Adoption Stamp by the U.S. Postal Service and worked to increase financial incentives for adoption.

Dr. Maria Sexton, Wayne County ? Teacher and Collegiate Coach who laid the foundation for women's varsity sports in college campuses across the nation. Member of the U.S. Olympic Committee for Track and Field (1964-72) and Chair of the U.S. Olympic Committee for Women's Basketball (1972-76). Managed the U.S. Women's Track and Field Team at three international meets and the 1967 Pan American Games. She was one of three members of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women which became the governing body for women's intercollegiate sports.

Farah M. Walters, Cuyahoga County?President and CEO of University Hospitals and Health Systems and University Hospital of Cleveland. She is the first woman in America to head an independent academic medical center garnering a national reputation as a healthcare visionary, a dynamic executive and a compassionate leader. Ms. Walters, of Persian descent, is an honored recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Georgeta B. Washington, Cuyahoga County?Dynamic leader and advocate for the Romanian Community. She successfully campaigned for the establishment of December 1 as Romanian National Day. President of the Union and League of Romanian Societies of America, the largest and oldest (nearly 100 years) fraternal organization of American-Romanians. Founding member of the Romanian/American Business Network. Member of a U.S. trade delegation to Romania in 2000 and a candidate to become the U.S. Ambassador to Romania.