In 1981, Maryland's own Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Sen.Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) sponsored a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women's History Week.

In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women's History Month.

The role of women in American history was seldom discussed before the '70's - a situation that changed in 1978 when the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a "Women's History Week" The rest, as they say, is history! You can learn about Natonal Women's History Month by visiting the National Women's History Project.

The University of Maryland has made it easy for us to learn about MARYLAND women who have made a difference, so I'm going to highlight a few here in honor of Women in Hstory Month:

CARMEN BALTHROP - World-class soprano whose voice is described as "pure silver." She enjoys an internationally acclaimed vocal career spanning both modern and classical repertoire.

SUSAN BRAUN - (M.A. - Health Sciences, UMD) Former Chairman and CEO of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

EUGENIE CLARK - Known as the "Shark Lady", Pofessor Emeritus Eugenie Clark is famous for her world-renowned shark research.

JANE HENSON - She and husband Jim Henson developed the Muppets into a world-wide entertainment powerhouse. Henson serves on the board of directors of the Jim Henson Foundation. In 1992 she established the Jim Henson Legacy to preserve and present Jim Henson's lifework.

KATHLEEN MAGEE - Operation Smile. Magee is both a nurse and a philanthropist. Since 1982, she has brought smiles to the faces of more than 50,000 children and adolescents around the world though Operation Smile, an organization that funds and performs oral surgery.

JOSEPHINE "JODY" OLSEN - Deputy Director of the U.S. Peace Corps. She has visited more than 80 countries around the world as a tireless advocate for the mission of the Peace Corps and the work of Volunteers, speaking at dozens of domestic and international events each year.

MARY YOUNG PICKERSGILL - Flagmaker of the famous banner hoisted over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Major George Armistead, commander of the forces at Fort McHenry, commissioned Mrs. Pickersgill to sew a flag "so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance."

JUDITH A. RESNICK - NASA astronaut. Judith Resnik was killed in the Challenger explosion of 1986. After receiving her doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Maryland in 1977, Resnik began working for NASA. She spent six days in space in 1984 on the maiden flight of the orbiter Discovery. Hall of Fame inductee.

BERNICE SANDLER - "The Godmother of Title IX." She is the third recipient of the Thomas M. Magoon Distinguished Alumni Award at The University of Maryland for her outstanding work as an educator, advocate and change agent in the college experience for women of all ages. She has won numerous awards, and in 1988 was named one of the nation's 100 most important women by Ladies Home Journal. Dr. Sandler received her doctorate from CAPS in 1969.

MARY SHORB - Discovered a microbe which led to the commercial development of Vitamin B-12. She served as a research professor at Maryland from 1949 to 1972 in poultry husbandry.

HARRIET TUBMAN - Born into slavery in Maryland, Harriet Tubman freed herself, and the played a major role in freeing the remaining millions. After the Civil War, she joined her family in Auburn, NY, where she founded the Harriet Tubman Home.

SOURCE: University of Maryland Newsdesk: Women's History
Maryland Women's Heritage Center