The Kent State Stark Women's History Committee will spotlight different, recognized women in fields like the arts, politics, science, sports and business every Wednesday in March on Kent State Stark's social media platforms.
Kamala Harris
She is the current Vice President of the United States of America. Harris is the daughter of immigrant parents. Her mother was a pioneer in her field as a breast cancer scientist and a great influence on her daughter. Previous to her vice presidency, Kamala Harris was elected as Senator for California, Attorney General of California, and San Francisco district attorney. She was the first woman, first black, and first south Asian elected as attorney general in California, and the first Indian senator. Her parents were activists that instilled in her the desire to be involved in social justice. One of her signature accomplishments as California Attorney General was the creation of an online platform making criminal justice data available to the public, improving police accountability. As a senator, she worked on issues such as securing elections, hunger, maternal health care, and climate. Vice President Harris is the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American Vice President in US history.
Billie Jean King
A famous American tennis player most known for her victory over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the sexes in 1973 (6-4, 6-3, 6-3). King is a tireless advocate for opportunities and equity for women in sports. She testified before Congress on the need for Title IX which is celebrating its 50th anniversary since its passage in 1972. King created the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974 to help promote and support women’s participation in all sports. She worked with eight other women to establish World Team Tennis in 1974, creating the only co-ed professional sports league at the time. In 2009 King received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama for her tireless work on behalf of women and LGBTQ athletes. She added to her efforts in 2014 with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative to continue the fight for women’s opportunities.
Jane Keckler
Jane Keckler was the first women library director at the Kent State Stark Campus Library. Jane graduated from Hiram College with a B.S. in Chemistry and received her Masters of Library Science from Western Reserve University. She was named Stark Campus Library Director in 1968 and served 22 years until her retirement in 1990.
In her role as Library Director, Jane was instrumental in transforming the library from a small space located in Main Hall to its current location with the construction of the impressive Learning Resource Center. Her influence and vision can be seen in the design of the library. Montage, the student newspaper at the time, reported that she had researched and planned the new library for three years. At the time of its construction the library was state-of-the-art, with the most modern facilities and equipment. In another Montage article, Jane stated the library will “have esthetic appeal and will make the Stark LRC one of the more attractive libraries in the state.” Jane passed away in 2016 and in her estate she generously left a monetary gift to the library. In her honor, the Director’s Conference Room is named after her. Jane’s legacy lives on today in the library’s comprehensive services and the beautiful spaces she helped create.
Betty White
Betty White (her real name) was an American actress and comedian whose career in the entertainment industry spanned over 70 years. During World War II, to assist in the war effort, she volunteered with the American Women’s Volunteer Services by helping move war supplies in California and participating in events for troops before they were deployed. After the war she got her first radio show in 1949 – “The Betty White Show”. In 1952 Betty moved to television with an unscripted show that was five and a half hours long – six days a week! And she was the first women to work on both sides of the camera. Also, in 1952 she founded the Banoy Productions with writer George Tibbles and Don Fedderson, a producer. In 1959 she made her theatrical debut in “Third Best Sport”.
Her career included:
- In the 1960’s she was offered but decided an anchor position at N.B.C. (the job was filled by Barbara Walters)
- In the 1970’s she starred in the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Betty White Show”
- In the 1980’s she was in “Mama’s Family” and “Golden Girls”
Betty starred in a movie “The Proposal” in 2009, hosted a “Saturday Night Live” television show and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by Female Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. During her career she received 8 Emmy Awards in 3 categories, a Grammy Award and 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Betty has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is the Author of 5 books. In 1963 Betty Married the love of her life Allen Ludden, who died in 1981. When asked why she didn’t remarry she said, “when you have had the best, who needs the rest?” But most of all we will remember Betty White for making us laugh, helping us enjoy the moment.
Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi is the former CEO PepsiCo. She is the first immigrant women of color to lead a Fortune 50 company. As CEO, Indra transformed PepsiCo with the “Performance with Purpose” mission of making healthier products in environmentally sustainable ways. She immigrated from India to the US to study a Master’s degree in Public and Private Management at Yale university. She worked at PepsiCo for 24 year, 12 of which she was the CEO of company. Under her leadership, PepsiCo’s grew 80 percent. When Indra began working at PepsiCo in 1994, there were no women CEO’s in the Fortune 500 companies, today in 2022 there are only 41 women. Indra is known for her candid discussions about the challenges women face to reach senior leadership positions in the corporate world.