Mary A. Smith
Community theater in the South Coast would not be the same without the clear vision of Mary A. Smith (1908-1969) — actor, director and educator.
Mary B. H. Ransom
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Mary Brackett Hoyt Ransom (1884-1971) as Mattapoisett’s first woman U.S. Postmaster, a position she held from 1934 until 1942.
Flora B. Peirce
Conservation projects led by Flora Belle Peirce (1898–1990), the first chairperson of New Bedford’s Conservation Commission, made the city a better place.
Mary Parker Converse
At age 68, Mary Parker Converse (1872-1961) was sworn in as a full Captain in the U.S. Merchant Marine, the first woman to hold an Unlimited Tonnage Masters License, in 1940.
Pauline Meyer Colyar
Landscape painter Pauline Meyer Colyar (1873-1928) was admitted to the Art Academy of Cincinnati at the age of 13, the youngest age for admission.
Lillian Lorraine Yonally
A World War II Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP), Lillian Lorraine Yonally (1922-2021) grew up in New Bedford, where she sailed the ocean before taking to the skies. Out of 25,000 WASP applicants, Lillian was one of 1,074 to graduate and one of only 20 to fly the Mitchell B-25 medium bomber.
Eleanor W. Morton
Executive director of West End Day Nursery from 1969 until 1979, New Bedford’s Eleanor W. Morton (1915-2006) was an educator, community leader and social activist.
Margery V. “Ruby” Dottin
Margery V. “Ruby” Dottin (1922-2020) was the first African American woman to be elected to the New Bedford School Committee in 1976.
Frances Eliot Gifford
New Bedford artist Frances Eliot Gifford (1844-1931) was recognized as an accomplished illustrator and celebrated for her representations of birds both alone and in landscapes.
Emily Noyes Vanderpoel
A color theory pioneer, artist, collector and philanthropist, Emily Noyes Vanderpoel (1842-1939) wrote the 1902 book Color Problems: A Practical Manual for the Lay Student of Color, a 400-page text that analyzes color proportions of objects to quantify the effect of color on the imagination.