Women's Museum of California

The museum had its roots with the women's rights activist, Mary B. Maschal who collected items from women's history in her home.^[4] The home had formally belonged to a suffragist, Veronica Burke.^[5] Maschal had been collecting artifacts relating to women's history since the 1970s.^[6] She finally opened her collection to the public in 1983, naming it the Women's History Reclamation Project (WHRP).^[4] Maschal felt a passion for collecting artifacts because of her "own disappointment over the lack of knowledge about women's history among the younger generation."^[5] Maschal also received a grant in 1984 in order to conduct and collect oral history interviews.^[7]

The initial success of Mary Maschal was sparked by the Women's History Reclamation Project. In addition to taking part in UN conferences, Maschal joined the National Organization for Women as a public member while also honing the skills necessary to work well with others in business. To preserve the legacy of past-generational leaders, she started a museum educating others on second-wave feminism.^[8] The Women's Museum of California continues to preserve her legacy towards the newer generation.

Maschal moved her collection to the Art Union Building in Golden Hill in 1997.^[2] Maschal died in 1998, and Cindy Stankowski and Sue Gonda took over leadership of the museum.^[6] In 2000, the museum sponsored a Women's History Poetry contest, which was held at the same time as an exhibit titled In Our Own Voice: women's History through Women's Poetry.^[7] The museum co-created the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame in 2001.^[9] In 2003, the Project changed its name to the Women's History Museum and Educational Center (WHMEC).^[6]

The Women's History Museum and Educational Center changed its name again in 2011, this time to the Women's Museum of California (WMofC).^[10] They concurrently updated the museum logo.^[11] WMC also moved to the Liberty Station Promenade in Point Loma in 2012.^[4] The new location was three times larger than their former location at Golden Hill.^[11]

Part of the museum is a library and archive. The Helen Hawkins Memorial Library and Research Archive includes books and several special collections.^[7] Part of the special collections is the Alice Park Archive which collects artifacts from the women's suffrage movement from the late 19th century and early 20th century.^[7] The special collections also include papers documenting the career of Lucy Killea, a collection of materials relating to the UN Conference on the Status of Women and the Neff-LeClair Collection of period women's clothing dating from the 18th century on.^[7]

The Women's Museum of California offers a Film Festival^[12] that showcases women who have worked in the film industry to show their film creations and share their experiences with others. The film festival includes a panel that consists of activists and filmmakers that discuss the representation and roles of women in the film industry environment.^[13]

After eight years, the Women's Film Festival ended in 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following year, the Women's Museum began sponsoring a "Women's Series" under the umbrella of the San Diego International Film Festival.^[14]

The Hall of Fame was created in 2001, partly through the WMofC and other organizations.^[6] Some organizations that have partnered with WMofC for the hall of fame include the Girl Scouts, MANA, A National Latina Organization and Executive Women International.^[15] Co-Hosts of the HOF include the Museum, the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women, San Diego State University's Women's Studies Department, and the Women's Center of the University of California, San Diego.^[16] Inductions into the hall of fame take place in March during Women's History Month.^[17] Each year about five women are inducted.^[18]

The San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame mission is "to acknowledge and honor women who have significantly contributed to the quality of life and who have made outstanding volunteer contributions in San Diego County."^[18]

List of inductees

San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame Inductees

Name	Image	Birth–Death	Year	Area of achievement	Ref(s)
Huma Ahmed-Ghosh			2023	Anthropologist	[19]
Norma Chavez-Peterson			2023	Executive director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial counties,	[19]
Amy Forsythe			2023	U.S. Navy Reserves as a public affairs officer; Military journalism, U.S. Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan	[19]
Juana Machado			2023	Cultural bridge builder	[19]
Patricia A. McQuater			2023	Trailblazer, community service	[19]
Planned Parenthood			2023	Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest	[19]
Mary Salas		(1948–	2023	Political office holder	[20]
Holly Smithson			2023	Chief executive officer of Athena advocacy group for women	[21]
Marie M. Herney			2022	First San Diego woman to practice in Federal Court, and the first local woman to practice in the Supreme Court	[22]
Tamila Ipema			2022	Judge of the California Superior Court in San Diego	[23]
Rosalia Salinas			2022	Advocate for bilingual education	[24]
Josephine Talamantez			2022	Co-founderd Chicano Park in 1970, helped develop it into a cultural National Historic Landmark	[25]
Francine Foster Williams			2022	Administrator for the San Diego Unified School District	[26]
Susan Jester			2021	Empowerer	[27]
Margaret Iwanaga Penrose			2021	Cultural Bridge Builder	[27]
Niki de Saint Phalle		(1930– 2002)	2021	Sculptor	[27]
Rosalie Schwartz			2021	Historian	[27]
Randa Trapp			2021	Court Judge	[27]
Geneviéve Jones-Wright			2021	San Diego County as a public defender	[27]
Kathi Anderson			2020	Co-founder of Survivors of Torture, International (SURVIVORS)	[28]
Lupe Buell			2020	Bridging the gap between Spanish speaking individuals and the English language	[28]
Nola Butler Byrd			2020	Activist - SDSU's School of Education	[28]
Susan Davis (politician)		(1944–	2020	U.S. Representative for California's 53rd congressional district	[28]
Iris Engstrand		(1935–	2020	Historian	[28]
Sue Gonda			2020	Historian and founder of San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame	[28]
Olivia Puentes Reynolds			2020	Civic leader and founder of San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame	[28]
Lilia Garcia			2019	San Diego County Deputy District Attorney and co-founder of the group "Latinas in the Law."	[29]
Colleen O'Harra			2019	Founding Executive Director of the Oceanside Women's Resource Center	[29]
Ruth Goldschmiedova Sax			2019	Survivor of three Nazi concentration camps	[29]
Dorothy Smith			2019	First African American woman elected to public office in San Diego County	[29]
Bridgit Wilson			2019	LGBT military veteran worked within the Obama administration	[29]
Dede Alpert		(1945–	2018	Served in both houses of the California legislature	[30]
Nellie Andrade			2018	Community activist in the Latino community	[30]
Fahari Jeffers			2018	Labor leader, United Domestic Workers of America	[30]
Carol Jahnkow			2018	Bridge Builder	[30]
Jerrilyn Malana			2018	Past president of the San Diego County bar association and Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego	[30]
Janice Martinelli			2018	Historic preservationist	[30]
Dilkhwaz Ahmed			2017	Bridge Builder	[31]
Carol Rowell Council		(1948–	2017	Empowerer	[31]
Darlene Davies			2017	Historian	[31]
Irma Gonzalez		(1948–	2017	Trailblazer	[31]
Joyce Nower		(1932–2010)	2017	Empowerer	[31]
Lilia Valasquez			2017	Activist	[31]
Sally Wong Avery			2016	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[32]
Maria Garcia			2016	Historian	[32]
Christine Kehoe		(1950–	2016	Trailblazer	[32]
Elizabeth Lou			2016	Empowerer	[32]
Evonne Seron Schulze			2016	Activist	[32]
Viviana Enrique Acosta			2015	Historian	[33]
Anita Figueredo		(1916–2010)	2015	Trailblazer	[33]
Natasha Josefowitz			2015	Empowerment	[33]
Lee Ann Kim			2015	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[33]
Starla Lewis			2015	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[33]
Sarah Moser			2015	Activist	[33]
Dianne (Dee) Aker			2014	Trailblazer	[34]
Lorraine Boyce			2014	Empowerer	[34]
Sonia Lopez			2014	Cultural guardian	[34]
Rachael Ortiz			2014	Activist	[34]
Deborah Szekely		(1922–	2014	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[34]
Bree Walker		(1953–	2014	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[35]
Betty Evans Boone			2013	Empowerer	[36]
Constance Carroll			2013	Trailblazer	[36]
Irma Castro			2013	Activist	[36]
Aurora Soriano Cudal			2013	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[36]
Dorothy Hom			2013	Cultural guardian	[36]
Jane Booth			2012	Historian	[37]
Barbara Bry		(1949–	2012	Empowerer	[38]
Makeda Dread Cheatom		(1942–	2012	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder.	[39]
Ingrid Croce		(1947–	2012	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[40]
Anne Hoiberg			2012	Activist	[41]
Lynn Schenk		(1945–	2012	Trailblazer	[42]
Margaret Costanza		(1932–2010)	2011	Trailblazer	[43]
Judy Forman			2011	Empowerer	[44]
Donna Frye		(1952–	2011	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[45]
Clara M. Harris			2011	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[46]
Martha Longenecker		(1920–2013)	2011	Historian	[47]
Rita Sanchez		(1937–	2011	Activist	[48]
Gloria Harris			2010	Empowerer	[49]
Judith McConnell			2010	Trailblazer	[50]
Vivian Reznik			2010	Activist	[51]
Laura Rodriguez		( –1994)	2010	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[52]
Anna Sandoval			2010	Historian	[53]
Charlotte Baker		(1855–1937)	2009	Empowerer	[54]
Li-Rong Cheng			2009	Historian	[55]
Joan Craigwell			2009	Trailblazer	[56]
Edith Dabbs		( –2009)	2009	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder.	[57]
Monique Henderson		(1983–	2009	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[58]
Marisa Ugarte			2009	Activist	[59]
Kate Yavenditti			2009	Activist	[60]
Bonnie Dumanis		(1951–	2008	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[61]
Sylvia Hampton			2008	Activist	[62]
Marianne McDonald		(1937–	2008	Empowerer	[63]
Judith Munk		(1925–2006)	2008	Historian	[64]
Elizabeth Riggs			2008	Trailblazer	[65]
Karen Vigneault			2008	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder.	[66]
Belle Benchley		(1882–1972)	2007	Trailblazer	[67]
Clara Breed		(1906–1994)	2007	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[68]
Joan Embrey		(1949–	2007	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[69]
Ellen Scripps		(1836–1932)	2007	Empowerer	[70]
Patricia Shaffer			2007	Empowerer	[71]
Sara Vasquez			2007	Historian	[72]
Tanja Winter			2007	Activist	[73]
Nona Canon			2006	Trailblazer	[74]
Jeri Dilno			2006	Activist	[75]
Lucy Gonzales			2006	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[76]
Deborah Lindholm			2006	Empowerer	[77]
Sally Ride		(1951–2012)	2006	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[78]
Kate Sessions		(1857–1940)	2006	Trailblazer	[79]
Ashley Walker			2006	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[80]
Evelyn Clarke			2005	Historian	[81]
Alyce Smith-Cooper			2005	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[82]
Anne Ewing		(1930–2011)	2005	Activist	[83]
Helen S. Hawkins			2005	Empowerer	[84]
Ruth Heifetz			2005	Trailblazer	[85]
Alice Hohlmayer		(1925–2017)	2005	Spirit Of The Women's Hall Of Fame	[86]
Rulette Armstead			2004	Activist	[87]
Herminia Enrique			2004	Historian	[88]
Doris Howell			2004	Trailblazer	[89]
Joan Kroc		(1928–2003)	2004	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[90]
Mary Maschal		(1924–1998)	2004	Historian	[91]
Gloria McClellan			2004	Activist	[92]
Jean Stern			2004	Trailblazer	[93]
Alice Barnes			2003	Activist	[94]
E. Margaret Burbidge		(1919–2020)	2003	Trailblazer	[95]
Gloria Johnson		(1937–2013)	2003	Activist	[96]
Ardelia McClure			2003	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder	[97]
Lilia Moreno de Lopez			2003	Empowerer	[98]
Midge Neff-LeClair			2003	History	[99]
Nancy Reeves			2003	Trailblazer	[100]
Beverly Yip		(d.1991)	2003	Activist	[101]
Madge Bradley		(1904–2000)	2002	Trailblazer	[102]
Alemi Daba			2002	Empowerer	[103]
Jane Dumas			2002	Historian	[104]
Lucy Killea		(1922–2017)	2002	Activist	[105]
Gracia Molina de Pick		(1928–2019)	2002	Cultural Competent Bridge Builder. Founder of IMPACT, a grass-roots civil rights organization, and of Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional	[106][107]

• Russo, Stacy Shotsberger (2008). The Library as Place in California. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 9780786431946.

• Official site
• Mary Maschal (video)