Category Archives: strong women

Mildred Jeter:Marriage Advocate by Linda Harris Sittig

  One evening in 1950, seventeen-year-old Richard Loving decided to walk several miles through the isolated back country of Caroline County, Virginia. His destination was a well-known farmhouse where the Jeter Brothers would be playing bluegrass. When he arrived, he … Continue reading

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Helen, Elvira, Marie, Filleaul, Charlotte, Margaret, and Alice: Gold Medal Winners by Linda Harris Sittig

  A young woman enters the pool arena, takes off her towel, and shakes her hands in an effort to calm her nerves. When the announcer calls, she mounts the diving board and serenely walks to the front edge. One … Continue reading

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Margaret Gaffney Haughery: Saint of New Orleans by Linda Harris Sittig

    Almost two centuries before Hurricane Katrina wreaked devastation upon the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, a different type of villain stalked the city. That villain was hunger. It rooted itself in the poor parishes of the city, and … Continue reading

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Eugenie Thomas Duke and Margaret Vossberg Hellmann: the Mayonnaise Queens by Linda Harris Sittig

Many people erroneously assume that America is divided North and South by The Mason-Dixon Line; the survey boundary that separates Pennsylvania from Maryland and West Virginia. In truth, America is divided North and South by mayonnaise. Yes, mayonnaise, created in … Continue reading

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Anna Connelly: Lifesaver by Linda Harris Sittig

One hundred forty-six people perished in a matter of minutes in one of New York City’s most horrific fires—The Triangle Waist Company Fire in March of 1911. Most of the victims were young immigrant girls, all of them perished needlessly. … Continue reading

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Sanora Babb: Strong Woman of the Dust Bowl by Linda Harris Sittig

This particular strong woman is near and dear to my heart, because of her one supposed failure. Born in 1907 in Red Rock, Oklahoma, when the land was still a territory, Sanora Babb moved frequently as a child. When she … Continue reading

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Isabelle Eberhardt and Noor Inayat Kahn by Linda Harris Sittig

It has often been said that actions speak louder than words. However, actions coupled with the written word can last even longer. Both of the women I have chosen for this month’s blog hail from unique backgrounds. Blessed with good … Continue reading

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Florena Budwin and her 500 Sisters by Linda Harris Sittig

  One hundred and fifty-two years ago Florena Budwin faced the agonizing truth that her husband was dead and she was on the verge of being captured as a Yankee prisoner of war. The previous year, in 1864, at the … Continue reading

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Maria Montessori – a Visionary Educator by Linda Harris Sittig

I know that I usually choose women who are relatively unknown and that the name of Montessori is always synonymous with child-centered education. But, as I read about the life of Maria Montessori, I found that along with being a … Continue reading

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Leila Denmark: A Doctor in the House by Linda Harris Sittig

Leila Daughtry Denmark had the incredible distinction of being the oldest practicing physician in the United States when she closed her office at the age of 103. Yes, you read that correctly. But it is her full story that makes … Continue reading

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