Since 1848, when the first Women’s Rights Convention was held, women’s rights movements in the
United States have been expanding. In honor of women’s history month, let’s look at a small sampling of
five historical women from right here in Dayton, Ohio who’s influence carries on today!
We’ll begin our journey in 1873 with Hallie W. Brown when she graduated from Wilberforce
University. She was born the daughter of former slaves and became an educator, author, historian,
elocutionist, civil rights reformer and women’s rights advocate.
Among many other notable accomplishments, she was the elocution (formal speaking and grammar) professor at Wilberforce University for 10 years. Hallie also took part in establishing the National Association of Colored Women where she served as president for 4 years.
Next, we have Annae Barney Gorman who founded Barney Community Center in 1919, which is
now known as Dayton Children’s Hospital. During WWI, she volunteered to help the disabled soldiers.
This inspired her to use her skills to help the children in her local community.
Gorman dedicated her life to pursuing health for the children in her community, and now today, her legacy still helps thousands of children and their families beyond the Dayton region. Dayton Children’s is one of only 31 freestanding hospitals and provides jobs for thousands of people in the Dayton community.
Here at Sinclair, Gertrude Marie Bonholzer was the first female graduate of Sinclair college in 1926 she graduated with two other women in her class, Catherine E. Suber, who became a librarian at
the Dayton Public Library, and Gladys L. Powell, who became the gym and hygiene teacher for Fairmont
High School in Kettering and the director of the Girls’ Athletic Association.
Gertrude herself became a public accountant and studied further at Dayton Law College. She continued to work as an officer on the Sinclair Alumni Board and was an active member of the Dayton community.
Also in 1926, Esther Price began making and selling candy in Dayton, Ohio as a 22-year-old
mother of twins to support her family during WWII. Originally, she started selling the candy from her
front porch, but eventually, her candy became so popular and the traffic on her street prevented her
neighbors from getting home, that she bought a property on 1109 Wayne Ave. in Dayton (about 5
minutes from Sinclair) which is where the entire company’s supply is still made today!
Because of the disparity of war, Esther worked as a teenager and never finished school, but she became one of Dayton’s first successful businesswomen. Her business still provides jobs for hundreds of women.
Last on our list is Marie S. Aull who was the godmother of the environmental movement in
Miami Valley. She had a great love for plants, animals, and children. She and her husband owned 70
acres of land that they landscaped with flowers, streams, and natural growth, which they called
Aullwood. Two years after her husband passed, the 60-year-old widow donated Aullwood to the
National Audubon Society.
Her idea was to make the first nature center in the Midwest and to share her love for nature with children through one-on-one, hands-on discovery programs. She felt that it was important for people to understand family farming in American culture. After many years of dedicating her life to spreading her love for nature and environmental awareness, the park is now 200 acres and has Ohio’s largest tallgrass prairie. Born in 1897, she died in 2002 at 105 years of age.
These five women are just a small sample of the many kinds of women who have done great
things with their lives out of determination to follow the passion of their heart. Every woman has a different story how she will make a difference in this world and these women show that your racial
status, demographic, class, or education level can’t prohibit you from fulfilling your passion to better the
lives of people in your community.
Related article: The History Behind Women’s History Month
Heaven Diastello
Staff writer