By Megan Maharry
Student Reporter
Womens history has impacted lives all over the world, even in our small town of Alva.
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States, left a powerful impact during her time in office and continues to be an inspiration now.
She and many other women are celebrated during Women’s History Month.
According to Women’s History Month, this national celebration got its start in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the president to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982, as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the president to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”
While the world has been shaped by numerous influential women, often times these women are overlooked. Whether these women were forgotten about or the impact they left was not recognized, women do not always receive the credit they deserve.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University would not be where it is today without the influence of some very special women.
When NWOSU was first established, the first two women teachers were Sarah Bosworth and Mary DeLisle.
Jonny Barton knows Northwestern’s history inside and out. He spent around 29 years working as a teacher, the head of the speech and drama department and the dean of the school of humanities, fine arts and language.
He said he believes women are often left out of the history, even at Northwestern.
“Many of them were some of the better teachers,” Barton said. “And I think we want to encourage that.”
He said there was a biology professor, Anna B. Fisher, who taught at Northwestern beginning in 1927. He said she was very highly respected.
“At that time, and this was a true statement, the adage was, if you couldn’t get a recommendation from Anna B. Fisher, you couldn’t get into medical school,” Barton said.
Minnie Shockley is another important woman in Northwestern’s history.
She began her career in 1910 and eventually became the dean of women and an instructor in the English department.
Shockley Hall, the current math and computer science building on campus, is named after her.
Fryer Hall, the current girl’s dormitory, is named after Agnes Fryer and her husband James T. Fryer. They were donors to the original site of the college.
The women on Northwestern’s campus continue to leave an impact through their teachings and contributions to campus.
It is important to continue to recognize women and the impact they are continuing to leave, even after Women’s History Month is over.
Helen Keller said “We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.”