History

The United Nations Decade of Literacy initiative (2003-2012) reveals that literacy is of world- wide concern.   It is estimated by UNESCO that 862 million people worldwide are illiterate, and of them two-thirds are women.  

Project FLIGHT is a family literacy program, established by Dr. Betty J. Cappella and Dr. Geraldine E. Bard as a pilot program in February 1994 at Buffalo State College.  Project Flight has several initiatives which include supporting the rights of women and their children through educational empowerment, advocacy and literacy programs.  Over the past 15 years, Project FLIGHT, at Buffalo State, has developed a women’s initiative to advocate for the rights of women by establishing the WNY Women’s Hall of Fame program.  

This program has  evolved from a vision developed by two professors into a construct that had been formally accepted by and presented at both the United Nations Regional Conference in Vienna, Austria and at the NGO Forum of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.  The constructs have been accepted by the United Nations and have been recognized locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.   Through rapid development and implementation, Project FLIGHT and its fifteen initiatives has become identified as an effective strategy for caregivers and their families to combat the social byproducts associated with under-education and illiteracy.  Project FLIGHT accomplishes its goals by assisting families through the establishment of a collaborative university/community/business partnership that is designed to develop an integrated urban response to under-education through literacy initiatives.  Project FLIGHT uses an integrated approach through its research initiative, consultant team, and its family literacy resource center.

The timeline of organizing events related to women’s issues begins in 1993.  In Western New York, the New York State Coalition worked for March to be publicly recognized as Women's History Month.  In 1993, an annual Celebration of Women Series was established that now encompasses a series of major programs that bring together the leaders of women’s service clubs, education, business and labor. The first Women’s History Steering Committee consisted of: Cindy Vastola-Lancaster, Dr. Bard and Dr. Cappella who coordinated the activities for the month.  Special attention was given to family literacy issues leading to Beijing and beyond.  Concurrent with this, in preparation for the Beijing Conference to be held in1995, a Call for Action was sent out by the United Nations Woman’s Conference Organizing Committee.  Lynn Marinelli, then director of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women, authorized the New York State Coalition of Women’s Issues, under Project FLIGHT, and commissioned by the National Women’s Conference Committee, to organize the community celebration.  A regional report was presented at the 1994 celebration and officially presented to Judith K. Avner of the New York State Governor’s Division for Women. 

In September 1995, the Buffalo Delegation, so proclaimed by Mayor Anthony Masiello, chaired by Dr. Bard and co-chaired by Dr. Cappella attended the 4th World Conference on Women, with Project Flight representatives seated as NGO delegates.  The paper presented was entitled, “Women, Education and Family Literacy Strategies for Empowerment:  A Collaborative Community Response” in Beijing.  The delegation consisted of: Drs. Cappella and Bard, Sarah Harder, chair of the National Women’s Conference Committee and Center, as well as Celeste Lawson, executive director of the Arts Council of Buffalo; Barbara Carr, executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Serving Erie County; Sawrie Becker, Debora Ivina, and Elizabeth Simons, then President Elect of the Junior League of Buffalo; Mark Lazzara, Executive Director of the West Seneca Youth Corps/AmeriCorps; Dr. Jean-Francois Gounard, Director, International Students at Buffalo State College;  and Dr. Craig Centrie, Curator of El Museo Francisco Oller y Diego Rivera.  Semi-annual Family Literacy Symposia were organized, at first, by Project FLIGHT and the Junior League of Buffalo, then, by Project FLIGHT and the West Seneca Youth Bureau.

At the world conference, the Platform of Action established 12 areas of concern to guide international efforts of focus on women.  Women in Poverty, and the education and training of women were of key interest to Project Flight and established family literacy programs focusing on those goals; however, the WNY Women’s Hall of Fame grew directly out of a third focus: Building Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women. As is well-known, one way we can more fully appreciate who we are as a community is by knowing what we have done and making certain that the community acknowledges the contributions of key women of remarkable achievement.  For instance, a native of Western New York, Belva Lockwood was the first woman to run for President and she did so championing the rights of women, Blacks and the underprivileged.  In 1957, Mary Wood and the Buffalo YWCA determined that there would not be Black branches and white branches in their organization, there would be only women’s branches and she became the first African American woman to head a major metropolitan YWCA.  Nancy McGlen, inducted just this year is not only a well-respected, published academician, but also established the Niagara Commission on the Status of Women.  Helen Urban  Elizabeth Coe Marshall who established the Visiting Nurses Association.  Olga Karmen, an immigrant from Cuba who is now a noted author and Administrator at D’Youville College.  Cornelia Bentley Sage Quinton, who, when she was made director of the then called, Albright Art Gallery, became the first woman to assume such a position.  Dr. Anna Reinstein, an immigrant who settled here and became Western New York’s first obstetrician-gynecologist who worked for social reform.  Mary Talbert who helped form the Niagara Movement, a forerunner of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People.   And, there are so many more women who have been celebrated, and to celebrate in the future.

Regarding the Hall of Fame, from the onset Project Flight has worked with community organizations and key individuals from those organizations although Dr. Betty Cappella has assumed key, behind-the-scenes direction of the event.  In later years, other significant contributions in hosting the event were contributed by Linda Suchocki and the Federal Women’s Network; Clotilde Perez Bode Dedecker, then head of the Commission on the Status of Women and past Junior League President, Gail Staines and Jessie Dunbar of the WNY Library Resources Council, Gretchen Fierle,  Catharine Weiss, Susan Oliver, and the late Gretchen  Stringer of AAUW and other organizations; Florence Baugh, Michele Ninacs, Cindy Vastola, Judy Chick, Rita Clement, Florence Baugh, Stephanie Barber, and others.  In 2007, Dr. Cappella assumed key logicstical responsibility for the induction luncheon and is aided by its Advisory Board including Jean Fletcher from Crowley-Webb and Dawn Everett and JeriAnn Ronsen from Barnes and Noble on the Boulevard, Wynnie Fisher who does the outreach to ensure a balanced selection in the Outstanding High School Girls cohort and Dr. Barbara Bontempo who has run the Essay Contest since its inception.  Also, of key help has been Pat Swift MacClennan, retired Copy Editor of The Buffalo News and WomenFocus columnist who has written the biographies of the inducted women and rounded up their photos, and A. Laura K. Brosnahan, formerly of the Governor’s Council for the Division for Women, and Brenda McDuffie of the Urban League.

The permanent establishment of the Western New York Hall of Fame is based on the following principles.

• The Hall of Fame will continue to represent a culturally diverse selection of area women.
• The program and invitation will continue the “look” of the Hall of Fame.
• The selection committee has and will be comprised of women representing different sectors of the community and include five members apart from the co-directors.
• The principles of selection into the Western New York Women’s Hall of Fame will remain the following:

Specifically, a nominee’s impact on Western New York through national prominence must be attested to through a demonstrated commitment of service to the community.  This award has been established to honor women throughout Western New York who, by example, are inspirational to others.  Recipients of this Hall of Fame Award:

• inspire an appreciation of women,
• are dedicated to the community, and/or active volunteerism,
• have made a beneficial impact through accomplishments in any of the following: athletics, the arts, business, communications and media, community service, education, engineering, entertainment, family life, government/politics, health, humanities, journalism, labor/law/justice, literature, medicine, organization leaders/pioneers, philanthropy, religion, science and/or social change/reform leaders.

 

13th Annual Western New York Women's Hall of Fame Inductee Luncheon March 2009 (information coming soon...) Thank You to our Diamond Sponsor! Western New York Women's Hall of Fame (inductees listed by year) 1997 (540kb) 1998 (389kb) 1999 (363kb) 2000 (206kb) 2001 (506kb) 2002 (410kb) 2003 (371kb) 2004 (238kb) 2005 (241kb) 2006 (403kb) 2007 (193kb) 2008 (172kb) 1997-2008 List of Inductees (no photos/bios) (58kb)

Explore the Western New York Women's Hall of Fame (links above) to view the achievements and biographies of inductees past and present. Our Women's History section contains important contact information for numerous women's organizations and support groups located in Western New York.