Edna Dean Baker
Edna Dean Baker (1883-1956) was a pioneering educator who helped develop standards for early childhood education in the U.S. She served as president of the National College of Education (now National Louis University) from 1920 until 1949 and, with her sister Clara, founded the Baker Demonstration School there. The two were early proponents of kindergarten and preschool, where they developed their “learning by doing” approach. A nationally recognized author, Baker also served on numerous national panels and committees promoting new standards in child education and care.
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Margery Carlson
World renowned botanist and conservation advocate Margery Carlson (1892-1985) lived in Evanston from 1930 until her death in 1985. She taught botany at Northwestern University and was a research associate at the Field Museum, helping build its plant collection through her travels around the world. Later she was involved with the Illinois Nature Conservancy, helping to preserve Volo Bog, Illinois State Beach and Matthiessen State Park. She was active in Evanston throughout her life, promoting Victory Gardens during WWII and helping create the Lighthouse Nature Center (the Carlson Greenhouse is named for her).
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Lorraine Morton
Lorraine Morton (1919- ) came to Evanston in 1941 to study for her Master’s Degree in Education at Northwestern University. In 1953, Morton took a position at Foster School, a segregated K-8 school in Evanston. Quickly she found herself challenging segregation. She was the first African-American teacher at Nichols Middle School and the first African-American president of the Junior High School Association. Her success led her to become an advisor to other school districts around the nation attempting desegregation. In 1977, she became Principal at Haven Middle School, a position she held for twelve years. She was elected alderman of the fifth ward in 1982 and served until 1993, when she was tapped to run for mayor. She was the first African-American mayor in Evanston. Morton retired in 2008, becoming the longest-serving mayor in Evanston history.
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Today is International Women’s Day! Here’s a description from the organization’s web site — “International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday. The first IWD was run in 1911. Next year is IWD Global Centenary 1911-2011.” For more information click on this link — internationalwomensday.com/about.asp.
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Catherine Waugh McCulloch
Catherine Waugh McCulloch (1862-1945) was an attorney, activist and suffragist. McCulloch was the first female Justice of the Peace in Illinois and the first woman to serve as a presidential elector. Deeply concerned about the family and women’s legal rights, McCulloch helped push the age of consent law in Illinois from 14 to 16 and lobbied for passage of a bill granting wives equal guardianship, with their husbands, of their children. McCulloch was a key force in getting women the right to vote in Illinois in 1913 and was active in the national women’s suffrage movement as well. She served as legal counsel for the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the National Woman’s Suffrage Association, and was partner with her husband in their Chicago law firm.
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Frances E. Willard
World renowned social reformer Frances E. Willard (1839-1898) lived in Evanston all her adult life. Through her efforts, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union became the largest women’s organization in the U.S. before 1900, and mobilized countless women to take on a wider role in the world through temperance activism. Her “Do Everything” reform agenda included advocating for women’s suffrage, the 8-hour work day and age-of-consent laws. Her presence in Evanston made the community a player on the national reform stage, and gave local women a glimpse of a larger world. For more information about Willard, visit www.franceswillardhouse.org. Her home in Evanston is a museum filled with artifacts from her life, well worth a visit itself.
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February 26, 2010 by EWHP
Alice C.D. Riley
Alice Cushing Donaldson Riley (1864-1953) was an author and playwright who lived in Evanston from 1898 until 1931. She wrote children’s poetry and stories, and several one-act plays. Her best known work is “Slumber Boat,” a familiar children’s lullaby which she co-wrote with Dorothy Gaynor. Her home at 1822 Sheridan Road (now demolished) was the scene for many amateur theatricals, writing workshops and club meetings. She and her friends formed the Riley Circle and the Drama Club of Evanston. She was also an active member of the Garden Club of Evanston and a founder of the Evanston Art Center. Her work with amateur drama groups led her to help found the Drama League of America, which for many years was the primary national organization for such groups. She and her husband Harrison retired to Pasadena, California.
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February 16, 2010 by EWHP
Isabella Garnett
Dr. Isabella Garnett (1872-1948) was born in 1872 to one of Evanston’s earliest African-American families. One of the first African-American female physicians in the state of Illinois, Garnett received her medical degree in 1901 from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago. She returned to Evanston in 1904. Recognizing that hospital care for African-Americans was very limited, she and her husband, Arthur Butler, opened the Evanston Sanitarium and Training School in 1914 in their home at 1918 Asbury Avenue. After Butler died unexpectedly in 1924, Garnett continued to manage the hospital. In 1928, Garnett joined the staff of the new Community Hospital and the two organizations merged. She served as superintendent at Community Hospital until 1945. Garnett was a member of many organizations, including the local NAACP chapter, the Iroquois League and the Evanston Community Chest.
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Cora Watson, 1968
You might be wondering about our new heading — who the women are and where we got the title “Lifting as We Climb.” Our next few posts will tell you more about the women pictured, but first we’d like to tell you about the title.
“Lifting as We Climb” is the title of our new women’s history exhibit which will open at the Evanston History Center on March 19, 2010. Stay tuned for more on that event and the many others coming up in the next few months. The reason we chose it is that it was the motto of an important Evanston women’s organization and it perfectly describes the efforts of the many women and women’s organizations that we’ve encountered in this project. They all have this in common: while they are climbing to new levels in their own lives, they are also lifting others and the community that surrounds them.
This is especially true of the Iroquois League, from whom we are borrowing the title. The Iroquois League was organized to offer support to the many young, single African-American women who were working in Evanston. The organization was formed in 1917 and its house at 1125 Garnett Place functioned both as a boarding house and social center, and worship services and bible classes were offered as well. In 1926, Cora Watson was elected president and the League began to grow, eventually changing its name to the North Shore Community House. Watson was active in the League for the rest of her life. For a number of years, the motto of the League was “Lifting as We Climb” — it was also the motto of the National Association of Colored Women.
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Frances E. Willard, ca. 1892
There’s a new exhibit that focuses on Frances Willard open at Northwestern University Library from now through March 18. Arguably one of the most famous and influential Evanstonians in the 19th century, Willard left her mark on this community and the world.
Here’s the link for more information: http://www.library.northwestern.edu/news/archives/003837.html
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