NEW PROFILES
Educator, author, and entomologist Ida Mitchell Eliot (1839-1923) taught throughout the United States, co-edited the much-celebrated Poetry for Home and School in 1877, and co-authored one of the first books on caterpillars and moths in 1902.
Committed to social justice through music, Marie A. Nelson (1937-2020) was Director of Music Education at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMD) for 27 years.
Devoted to sailing and the arts, Ruth Showalter Atkinson (1920-2013) appreciated the beauty of the South Coast.
Devoted to sailing and public service, Hope Atkinson (1927-2015) made a difference across the South Coast region.
One of the most generous philanthropists in southeastern Massachusetts, Gratia Houghton Rinehart Montgomery (1927-2005) focused on giving that benefited the sciences.
Alberta Simmons Brownell (1882-1918) used book knowledge and personal experience to write articles on the social problems of the day.
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia on April 22, 1895, Ora Inge Maxim (1895-1982) began her serious study of art in New Bedford at the Swain Free School of Design in 1926.
The childhood dream to become a doctor turned into reality for Consuelo M. Sousa (1931-2001) when she graduated from Howard University College of Medicine in 1958.
Veterinarian. Veterinary anthropologist. Veterinary school professor. Westport’s Elizabeth Atwood Lawrence (1929-2003) overcame misogyny in veterinary school to become perhaps the only veterinary anthropologist in the U.S.
At the peak of her career as a local businesswoman, Cordelia Dragon Vien (1853?-1928) owned property valued at $250,000, equivalent to nearly $6.5 million today, in New Bedford’s North End.
SPOTLIGHT ON…
Lighting the Way – Historic Women of the South Coast tells the stories of commitment, determination and perseverance of women from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
“Women’s contributions have often been heard as whispers in history,” said Christina Bascom, the project’s designer. Spurred on by tales of a Petticoat Society, a group of women from throughout the community are bringing these stories to life on the SouthCoast. “We are unearthing remarkable stories of women’s personal callings that required grit, tenacity and enduring commitment to their families, community and country. These stories will inspire, motivate and inform generations to come.”
