Fall 2006

As the Florida Commission on the Status of Women continues its service to the women of the State of Florida, we are honored to have completed our nomination process in selecting the 2006 nominees for the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, three of which will be inducted at our Hall of Fame ceremony March 13, 2007 in Tallahassee.

Since 1982 distinguished women of our state have been nominated by the citizens of Florida and selected by the governor for this prestigious designation. As officially mandated by the Florida Legislature in 1992, the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame recognizes and honors those women who, through their work and dedication have made significant improvements to the lives of women and to all the citizens of Florida.

This year we were once again given the challenging task of selecting 10 nominees from a pool of over 60 qualified and outstanding women. The Women’s Hall of Fame Committee completed this daunting task with a final selection of 10 meritorious women whose names will be sent to Governor Jeb Bush for his final selection of three for this year’s inductees. These outstanding women are: Dr. Ruth Alexander, Elizabeth “Budd” Bell, Issay M. Gullay, Frances “Dolly” Hand, Kathy Herrmann Catino, Peggy A. Quince, Patricia Webb Robbins, Mary L. Singleton, Rebecca P. Tharpe and Maryly Van Leer Peck.

The ten nominees, as have all the nominees, made outstanding contributions to our state and our citizens. The nominees represent women from all areas of our state and from every profession and walk of life.

Following our commitment to education and Women’s History, the 3 inductees for 2006 will join past inductees with a plaque featuring their picture and a brief history of their accomplishments to be displayed in the Florida Capitol. Our induction ceremony will be held the 13th of March 2007 in the capitol rotunda. The nomination period for the 2007 Hall of fame will reopen April 1st of 2007 until July 15, 2007.

The Florida Commission on the status of Women continues the proud tradition of celebrating highly accomplished women of our state. For more information on our Hall of Fame please log onto our website at FCSW.net.

Florida Women’s Hall of Fame Finalists:

Ruth Alexander of Gainesville was the first woman appointed to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by President Nixon, and was subsequently reappointed by Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan. In 1987, the National Association of Sport and Physical Education named her to its Hall of Fame. Dr. Alexander was one of the founding members of the Florida Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and was appointed/reappointed to the Council by four different Governors from 1977-2000. In 2004 she was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. Dr. Alexander developed an exchange degree program in Sport Management between the University of Florida and the University of Loughborough in England. She is the mother of four sons, and has two granddaughters and one grandson.
 
Elizabeth “Budd” Bell of Tallahassee has worked almost 70 years to help Florida’s families, women and children. She has been a dedicated advocate, teacher and mentor, who throughout her career, has shown a commitment to those often unheard. In addition to her child advocacy efforts, Ms. Bell has also championed the needs of the elderly, mentally ill and victims of domestic violence.

Issay M. Gulley of Clearwater is a leader in the revitalization of urban communities and the development of programs aimed at the elimination of blighted and slum conditions. Ms. Gulley served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve for 22 ½ years and was in 1989 was named Bay Area Reserve Coast Guardsman of the Year. Ms. Gulley received gubernatorial appointment and subsequent reappointment to the Governor’s Affordable Housing Commission. She led the effort to revitalize and redevelop North and South Greenwood subdivisions where renovations to hundreds of apartments and newly constructed houses and apartments took place. Gully developed numerous affordable housing programs and commercial loans. She received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the YMCA of Tampa Bay and is a graduate of Leadership Pinellas. Ms. Gulley is married, the mother of four children and grandmother of ten.

Francis R. “Dolly” Hand of Belle Glade is a philanthropist, a visionary, and an arts patron. Ms. hand was instrumental in bringing cultural events to an area of the state that would have otherwise been untouched by the arts. She was the leading figure in the effort to create a performing arts center for the Belle Glade community – a rural and relatively low-income area. The center, which opened in 1982, was dedicated to her commitment and now bears her name: Palm Beach Community College / Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center. Her educational and cultural commitments have also led to vital community programs such as the Center’s CAFE (Cultural Arts for Education) Series, which serves over 12,000 students each year and the Community Annual Living Christmas Tree Program. Ms. Hand has received numerous awards and recognitions including the Florida Arts Recognition Award. Dolly married her high school sweetheart Homer J. Hand.

Kathy Herrmann Catino of Naples is a domestic violence survivor with more than 20 years experience as a non-profit administrator. Ms. Catino is a successful fundraiser, educator, team builder, public speaker and advocate for social change. She spread about awareness domestic violence issues throughout Collier County through many preventative programs throughout the school system. Hands are for Help, Not for Hitting programs in elementary schools and teen dating violence prevention programs in the middle and high schools reach thousands of children each year. Ms Catino has dedicated her life to eradicating domestic violence through education, helping victims escape a situation similar to what she courageously escaped. Ms. Catino received the Woman of Courage from the Battered Women’s Clemency Project and the Appreciation Award from Collier County Domestic Violence Awareness.

Peggy A. Quince of Tallahassee is the first Black female Justice of the Florida Supreme Court and only the third female Justice. She has the distinction of having been appointed jointly by then-Governor Lawton Chiles and Governor-Elect Jeb Bush. A graduate of Howard University-where she was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's Alpha Chapter-and Catholic University's law school, Justice Quince has served on the Florida Supreme Court since 1999. In all of her years as a lawyer and later a judge, Justice Quinces has always had a special interest in serving and protecting all citizens especially the minorities and the underserved. Peggy Quince was recognized as a pioneering woman in the law by the American Bar Association with the Margaret Brent Award.

Patricia Webb Robbins of Miami has been a dedicated community leader and an inspiration to tens of thousands of Florida families for her tireless efforts to feed the needy as founder of the Farm Share program, a multi-tiered program providing food directly to over 6,000 families in Florida. Through collaborations with the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Agriculture, Farm Share has received world wide recognition as a model program to address world hunger. Since its inception, Farm Share has distributed millions of pounds of wholesome produce that otherwise would have gone to waste. Ms. Robbins, entirely as a volunteer, has contributed tremendous energy and dedication to ensure Farm Share is a success. Robbins is also active in other charitable, civic and religious organizations in South Florida. She received the "Florida’s Finest" award from Gov. Lawton Chiles, which honors Floridians "who make their communities significantly better through dedication, hard work and good ideas." Ms. Robbins was recently named Florida's "Woman of the Year in Agriculture" by Commissioner Bob Crawford.

Mary L. Singleton of Jacksonville served the City of Jacksonville and the State of Florida as an elected official political appointee. In 1967 she became the first women elected to the Jacksonville City Council along with Sallye Mathis. In 1972, she became the first woman elected to the Florida House of Representatives from North Florida. After four years in the House, Ms. Singleton was appointed Director of the Florida Division of Electors, which made her the highest ranking African American in the executive branch of state government. Throughout her career as a public servant, Ms. Singleton has championed the greater attention to the needs of children through better childcare services and increased funding for early childhood education services.

Rebecca P. Tharpe of Bradenton is recognized as “First and only Florida Highway Patrol Major.” She has served 25 years as a Florida State Trooper, longer than any other woman Trooper. Major Tharpe is married to Captain C.C. “Bo” and she raised three children while working. Major Tharpe holds an Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Liberal Studies and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. She has served a mentor for many female Troopers. She has received numerous awards, including the “Top Shooters Award,” “DUI Enforcement Award,” and the National Center for Women & Policing awarded her with the prestigious “Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award.”
 
Maryly VanLeer Peck of Winter Haven has influenced many lives as an educator, administrator and pioneer for women in science. With more than 45 years of experience in chemical engineering, government research and university administration, Dr. Peck exemplifies the concept of servant leadership. As a pioneer in the field of engineering, she has been a lifelong advocate for women in science. She comes from a family of engineers, and she herself has three degrees in chemical engineering. Her Masters of Science in 1955 is the first engineering degree awarded by the University of Florida to a woman. Dr. Peck serves on the boards of various schools and other organizations that assist young people and provide scholarships for worthy students. She is currently Chairman of the Theatre Winter Haven Board. She was awarded the "She knows Where She's Going" award by Girl's Inc., and the 2002 Community Service Award by the Junior League of Winter Haven. She has been honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Florida. Dr. Peck is currently President Emeritus of Polk Community College, but she’s also a founding member and dean of the Community College of Guam and the first women to preside over a Society of Women Engineers section, in addition to numerous local honors and appointments.