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Photo Of Philanthropist Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks

Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks

Like mother, not so much like daughter. Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks (1871-1951), daughter of infamously miserly Hetty Green, willed the bulk of her inheritance to libraries, hospitals and other charities. Although she developed many of her mother’s idiosyncrasies, Sylvia’s final philanthropy allowed most of her mother’s fortune to ultimately work for good.
Photograph Of Carol Haney - Young Woman Smiling At The Camera Wearing A Ribbon Around Her Collar And Dark-colored Pearl Earrings. Woman Has Pixie Cut Hair With Short Uneven Bangs.

Carol Haney

When dancer/actress/choreographer Carol Haney (1924-1964) was a young child, a Portuguese fortune teller in New Bedford predicted her stardom. In a critically-acclaimed but short-lived career, Carol won a Tony Award and earned three Tony nominations for excellence on Broadway.
Photograph Of Noelie Houle - An Old Woman With A Headscarft And Sweater Holding A Baby Goat

Noelie Houle

Dartmouth residents learned kindness from Noelie Lemire Houle (1899-1993), the “Goat Lady of Dartmouth.” Noelie raised as many as 90 goats so that others could experience the benefits of goat’s milk. At first, neighbors complained about her farm, where goats roamed freely. Eventually, the community moved from intolerance to acceptance to celebration.
Color Painting Of Maria Alves -- A Woman With Short Black Hair Wearing A Light Green-blue Dress, Black Shawl, And Jeweled Brooch And Earrings.

Maria Alves

Feelings of “saudade,” love, loss and longing, were created when Maria Fernandes Alves (1924-2008) sang fado, traditional Portuguese folk music, throughout the South Coast and beyond.
Juan Bennett Drummond

Juan Bennett Drummond

Dr. Juan Bennett Drummond (1864-1926) was the first African American woman licensed in the state of Massachusetts to practice medicine.
Lighting The Way Logo

Rita Lopes

From Wareham’s cranberry bogs to New Bedford’s Aerovox assembly line, Rita Alice Lopes (1915?-1999) emerged as a community activist who advocated for children, the elderly and Cape Verdeans.
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