Who Was...

Neroli Fairhall?

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New Zealand Olympian Neroli Fairhall, a woman who competed in horse-related sporting events prior to a horrific motorcycle accident which paralyzed her, did not give up competing in athletic events. She trained to be an archer and competed in national archery championships. In 1980, she qualified to attend the Olympic Games in Moscow. Sadly, due to the boycott of the games, Ms. Fairhall did not attend the 1980 Olympics. Ms. Fairhall competed in the double FITA archery competition in 1982, earning a gold medal. Then, in 1984, Ms. Fairhall qualified for the Olympics in Los Angeles. While she did not medal at the 1984 Olympics, Ms. Fairhall still made history as the first Paralympian to compete. Ms. Fairhall continued her athletic pursuits earning five national titles and participating in four Paralympics.

Source: New Zealand Olympic Committee. (2018). Neroli Fairhall. Retrieved from: http://www.olympic.org.nz/athletes/neroli-fairhall/

Who Was...

Dr. Wangari Maathai?

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Dr. Maathai was the first woman from a Central African country to earn her Ph.D., she was the first woman be a professor in Kenya, and she was the first woman from an African country to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Perhaps her greatest legacy was the Green Belt Movement that she began in 1977. Dr. Maathai gave women trees to plant because, “she saw tree-planting in a broader perspective which included democracy, women’s rights, and international solidarity.” The Nobel committee said of Maathai that, “She thinks globally and acts locally.”

Check out our blog post from a few years ago: 

Source: Nobelprize.org. (2018). Wangari Maathai-Facts. Retrieved from: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/maathai-facts.html

Who Was:

Elizebeth Smith Friedman

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The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies,and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone; 921 F156w

Mr. Fagone brings a private and humble woman to the forefront in his engaging biography of Elizebeth Smith Friedman. Though not a household name like J. Edgar Hoover, the United States owes a lot to Mrs. Friedman because of her work as a cryptographer for the U.S. government. Her code-breaking training began at a private civilian compound in Illinois where she had the task of deciphering messages supposedly hidden in Shakespeare’s plays. The college-educated Friedman became suspicious that Shakespeare’s plays had any hidden secrets because only the woman who trained her could find the secret codes, and her results could not be replicated. Elizebeth shared her suspicions about her Shakespeare work with a scientist named William Friedman, who worked at the compound doing genetics research.

William and Elizebeth married and left the compound in Illinois for Washington D.C., where they were employed for the rest of their careers. Both of them studied the art of cryptography and developed methods that their successors could use. They also collected cryptography materials so that they and others could learn. As part of the Coast Guard staff, Elizebeth aided the government in breaking organized crime syndicates that ran rampant during Prohibition. The skills she honed prepared her for cracking the communications of the Nazis working in South America during WWII. Though not publicly credited for her efforts, records in the National Archives demonstrate the impact she had on the national security efforts of the United States. Fagone includes some of the codes and methods Elizebeth used to break the codes throughout the biography. Those interested in U.S. history, intelligence, and women’s history will find Mrs. Friedman’s biography a compelling story.

Who is?

Malala Yousafzai

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“The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.”

Malala Yousafzai came into the world in July 1997. In her home country of Pakistan, Ms. Yousafzai went to school, even though the Taliban did not want girls to be educated. For years, Ms. Yousafzai spoke out against the oppression by the Taliban and defended the right for girls to have an education. In 2012, on her way home from school, a man got on Ms. Yousafzai’s school bus and shot her in the head. She survived the attack, and went on to speak at the United Nations less than a year after the Taliban tried to take her life away.

Ms. Yousafzai has written a book titled, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, which chronicles her life and experiences. She also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, the youngest person in the history of the prize to have this gotten this award. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, appointed Ms. Yousafzai as a U.N. Messenger of Peace in 2017.

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Source: Biography.com. (2018, February 26). Malala Yousafzai Biography. Retrieved from: https://www.biography.com/people/malala-yousafzai-21362253

Women's History Month at the Library: She Persisted

Each March, the Sullivan Library and Learning Resource Center celebrates Women’s History Month with a book display featuring items from the collection. Our theme this year is “She Persisted” featuring women who broke barriers and persisted in their efforts. In addition to the display, the library staff will make posts on our social media presences about these featured women. Follow our blog, “library news you can use,” and our Facebook page.

For more information about Women's History Month visit: 

The official Women’s History Month web site

The National Women's History Project

Come in the library and view our display.