NEW CASTLE, Del. – In honor of Women’s History Month, County Executive Thomas P. Gordon and County Council Members John Cartier and Elisa Diller are pleased to host a Great Women in History event at Rockwood Mansion, Museum and Park.
The March 22, 2015 program, which is being organized by the Department of Community Services, will feature presentations by local women that are making history. Audrey Boys, Vice President of Council Advancement, of Girls Scouts of Chesapeake Bay, was thrilled to partner with New Castle County to bring focus to educational opportunities for girls.
County Executive Gordon declares the month of March as time to proudly reflect on the great contributions of women who helped change our world. Women’s History programs began in the United States in 1911 celebrating the contributions of women for one day. This custom later grew to weeklong and subsequently a month-long tribute. County Executive Gordon stated, “I encourage all citizens to be inspired by the women who paved the way for our future. Women like scientist Marie Curie, who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. We should be inspired by the poetic writings of the great Maya Angelou. We should also look to the women who inspire us today, women such as United States Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor and Nobel Prize winner, youth activist, Malala Yousafzai.”
Rockwood Mansion was built in the mid-1850s by investment banker Joseph Shipley. Councilwoman Diller said, “The Rockwood location was selected not just for its majestic beauty, but because this Gothic estate was bequeathed to charity by a prominent woman, Nancy Hargraves.”
Councilman Cartier views this month-long tribute as a time to also focus on the local trailblazers. “We should celebrate the accomplishments of women like Delaware’s Teacher of the Year, Postlethwait Middle School teacher Megan Szabo, and Dr. Melva Ware, who is providing excellence in her leadership at both the University of Delaware and at the Delaware Historical Society,” Councilman Cartier said. “They inspire young women and they inspire us all.”
The Great Women in History program will feature words of reflection and wisdom from current history makers. Sophia Hanson, General Manager for the Department of Community Services, noted that “As we climb our career ladders, we stand on the strength of the foundation that was established by the great women that came before us.”
For further information, please visit: www.nccde.org/specialevents.
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