There are many area women who have made a difference and changed the history of Genesee County. The Zonta Club of Flint 1 honored the contributions of women to history at an awards dinner held on April 23 at the Flint Institute of Art, inducting seven local women into the Genesee County Regional Women’s Hall of Fame.
The 2014 nominees are truly deserving of the honor as all of them have a long list of accomplishments. Please meet this year’s Hall of Fame inductees!
Peggy Reimel Abrams
Peggy began to sketch as a young girl, and aside from the instruction of a high school art teacher, is self-taught in a variety of mediums, including oil and watercolors. Her first works were drawn on empty cereal boxes and old wallpaper scraps – anything her mother could find served as her sketch pad. Now 81 and with no plans to slow down, Peggy donates her time and artwork to several organizations. Two of her best-known projects are the Flint Institute of Arts and the Founders Gallery. In 2011, Peggy received the Angel Award from the Girls Town Foundation for her generosity with her time and artwork. Her designs can be found on cards for several organizations, such as the National Geographic, the National Audubon Society, the Smithsonian and the American Breast Cancer Society. “I paint what I love,” she states, “and I always will.” |
Dr. Edna Raye Bick, DO
Dr. Bick has been an educator/social justice advocate for the majority of her life. She established herself in Flint as a family physician and later opened a practice in Mt. Morris. Rayna has been very active in FACT (Flint Area Congregations Together) since it started in 2007. She has taken the lead and advocated for higher academic standards as the way to transform the education system, placing importance on parent/teach collaboration. Her work led to the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project pilot, which was launched in the Flint Area Community Schools in 2013. |
Ruby Jean Butler
Ruby Jean has achieved many things in her 91 years. At the age of 19, she worked at WSOO (1230AM radio) in Sault Ste. Marie. Honored by the Flint Journal three times in its “Salute to Business Professionals and Industrial Women,” she is a member of the Foundation of Mott Community College, served on the Mott Community College Women in Education Committee and was chair of the Saint Cecilia Society’s Music Scholarship Committee. Ruby wrote, illustrated and published a small volume of poetry and is working on a children’s storybook. |
Donna Dodds Hamm
Following in her grandfather and father’s footsteps, Donna operated Dodds Dumanois Funeral Home for 44 years. She was the first woman president of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association. Having learned from her father the value of community involvement, she has volunteered for the Hurley Foundation and Child Welfare Society. Donna continues to serve as a part-time director for two local funeral homes. |
The Late Hon. Elza H. PappHonorable Elza H. Papp was sworn into practice in Genesee County in 1945 and became the county’s first female assistant prosecutor in 1947. She was elected as the first female judge in the history of Genesee County Circuit Court in 1965 and remained in that position until retiring in 1972. Papp was known as a vanguard in the struggle to insure the power of the court. When she passed away in 2001, she was remembered as a pioneer for women in the law. |
Honorable Judith A. Fullerton
Genesee County Circuit Judge Judith Fullerton has been an inspiration and model for all women who are considering a career in law, particularly in the judiciary. When she was first elected as a Flint District Judge in 1980, she became the only female judge then serving in Genesee County and only the second female judge in the history of our county. Since that election, seven other women have become judges in Genesee County. Prior to becoming a judge, Fullerton was a staff attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, an assistant prosecuting attorney for Genesee County and the Chief Assistant City Attorney for Flint. |
Doris Sain
Doris’ first grass roots community volunteer activity laid the groundwork for more than 50 years of youth, senior and community advocacy and business development initiatives. It was the late ‘60s in the Flint bedroom community of Beecher where Doris, a mother of eight, began tutoring at-risk children through a Probate Court Initiative. In 1975, Doris co-founded Common Concern, Inc., a community nonprofit organization whose mission was to support Beecher families through a drug intervention counseling program. |
The Zonta Club of Flint 1 is proud to honor women at this event. “It’s a great event!” exclaimed Sandi, who adds that this event not only promotes recognition and celebration of women’s contributions to local history, but encourages other women to work hard and achieve their dreams. Stacy is also very proud of the women who were nominated this year. “They have given so much to the community,” she declared.
PHOTOS BY MIKE NADDEO
