The Stephen B. Luce Library celebrates

Women’s History Month 2015.

A celebration of remarkable women in Maritime History

and Society.

The Origins of Women’s History Month

• “Women’s History Week” was founded by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission in 1978.

• In 1980, President Jimmy Carter renamed it “National Women’s History Week”.

• March was selected to coincide with International Women’s Day which is celebrated annually on March 8th.

• National Women’s History Week became Women’s History Month in 1987 through the help of Congress.

MARY ANN PATTENFirst woman to command a US merchant vessel

• Sailed on the Neptune’s Car from New York to San Francisco with her husband, Captain Joshua Patten, July 1856. It was her third voyage.

• After her husband became bedridden with fever, she had to take over the navigation and the control of the ship through bad weather around Cape Horn.

• Faced a mutiny attempt from the first mate who had been removed from duty for neglect and insubordination. The crew stuck with her.

• The Neptune’s Car arrived in San Francisco on November 15, with Mary having commanded the boat for 51 days. When not on deck, she attended to her infirmed husband. She was 19 at the time.

IDA LEWISLife-saving lighthouse keeper

• Keeper of the Lime Rock Light in Rhode Island from1879-1911. Assumed these duties for her paralyzed father from 1857 onward.

• Famous for her heroic rescues in the line of duty. She gained national recognition for the 1869 rescue of 2 soldiers. This rescue earned her a cover of Harper’s Weekly, and visits from President Grant and Vice President Cofax.

• She saved at least 17 other lives before she passed away in 1911, still the active lighthouse keeper.

LILLIAN GILBRETH

• Parent of 12 children. The book, Cheaper by the Dozen, was based on her family life.

• She and her husband, Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr., introduced revolutionary concepts of time and motion management, and design into engineering.

• Industrial Engineer and American Psychologist.

• Fulltime mother and working woman, one of the first working female engineers.

• First woman to be a member of the Society of Mechanical Engineers.

LT. HARRIET IDA PICKENS and ENS. FRANCES ELIZA WILLISFirst African American WAVES

• Graduates from the final class of the Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Northampton, Massachusetts in December 1944.

• First African-American females to be admitted to the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) commissioned in the U.S. Navy.

CHIEN-SHIUNG WU“First Lady of Physics”

• Chinese-American Nuclear Physicist.

• Worked on the Manhattan Project. Helped to develop the process for separating Uranium 235 (the proposed fuel for the atomic bomb) from Uranium 238.

• First Chinese-American to be elected into the United States National Academy of Sciences.

• First female president of the American Physical Society (1975).

OLIVIA J. HOOKERFirst African American woman to enlist in the U.S.

Coast Guard

• Survivor of the Tulsa, Oklahoma race riots on May 31-June 1, 1921.

• In 1945, she became the first African American woman to join the U.S. Coast Guard, where she would eventually earn the rank of Yeoman Second Class in the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve.

• Earned her M.A. in Psychology from Columbia University’s Teachers College. This was followed by her doctorate from the University of Rochester.

• March 2015, the Coast Guard named the galley at its Staten Island base after her in recognition of her “distinguished service to the Coast guard and her wonderful efforts in serving and helping others”.

LYNN KORWATCHFirst female captain of a commercial ship

• Graduated from California Maritime Academy in 1976, and became a chief mate for Matson Navigation commercial ships.

• She was made the first female captain when she was put in command of the Maui in 1988.

• Later served as general manager of marine operations for Matson, overseeing 14 vessels.

• Currently the executive director of the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region.

KALPANA CHAWLAFirst Indian-American astronaut

• Born in Karnal, India in 1961 and moved to the U.S. to pursue higher education in aeronautical engineering.

• She started astronaut training in 1994, and made her first flight on the Columbia Space Shuttle in 1997.

• Her second flight was on the ill-fated Columbia flight in 2003. After completing over 80 experiments during a 16-day mission, the shuttle broke upon reentry, killing all 7 crew members 16 minutes before their scheduled landing.

KARIN STAHRE-JANSONFirst female captain of a cruise ship

• Born in Sweden. Began her maritime career as a junior seaman at the age of 19 on a small petroleum tanker. Worked her way up through the ranks.

• On May, 2007, Royal Caribbean International gave her command of the 2,400-passenger ship, Monarch of the Seas. That was the first time in maritime history that a woman was appointed to the position of captain of a cruise ship.

ADMIRAL MICHELLE HOWARDVice Chief of Naval Operations

• Confirmed December 2013, making her the first female four-star admiral, and the first African-American woman with any four-star rank.

• She graduated from the Naval Academy in 1982, the third class which admitted women, and in 1999 became the first African-American woman to command a ship.

• In 2009, she took command of Combined Task Force 151, the counter-piracy strike force that coordinated the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips, which was dramatized in the movie “Captain Phillips”.

Women of SUNY Maritime History

MARJORIE MARY MURTAGH-COOKE - Class of 1974First Female Graduate

• First woman to graduate from SUNY Maritime College and earn a U.S. Coast Guard license.

• Graduated as a Naval Architect from the Marine Engineering Department in May 1974.

• Became Assistant Dean of Students at SUNY Maritime College where she was instrumental in establishing the first program for female cadets.

Women of SUNY Maritime History

LISA M. DOWNING – Class of 1979,First African American Female Graduate

• First African American woman to attend SUNY Maritime College, member of second class of women to join the regiment.

• Graduated in 1979 with Bachelors of Science degrees in Economics and Marine Transportation Management.

• Earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the George Washington University.

• Over 25 years service in the U.S. Government Intelligence Community.

Women of SUNY Maritime History

FILOMENA MAGAVERO,First Female Faculty at SUNY Maritime College

• Filomena served the

library at SUNY

Maritime College for

over 54 years. When

Filomena retired in

2003, she became

the longest serving

librarian at SUNY

Maritime College.

• In 2007, Filomena’s

experiences and long

tenure as a librarian

serving SUNY

Maritime College

were published in the

book, Mrs. Magavero:

A History Based on

the Career of an

Academic Librarian.

Women of SUNY Maritime HistoryDR. KAREN MARKOE

First Female Department Chair

• Holds an M.A. in Modern European History and a Ph.D. in American History from Columbia University.

• Dr. Markoe joined the faculty of SUNY Maritime College in 1974 as Assistant Professor.

• Arrived at Maritime with the first class (of four) female cadets.

• She has been the chair of the Humanities Department since 1992.

Women of SUNY Maritime HistoryCatie Hanft

First Female Navy Scholarship GraduateDeputy Commandant of Cadets

• Class of 1985. Earned her B.S. in Meteorology/Oceanography from SUNY Maritime. She also has a Masters in Systems Management from the Naval Postgraduate School (specializing in Shore Installation Management/Public Administration).

• CAPT Hanft was commissioned directly into the Navy upon graduation and served 26+ years (17 PCS moves) in the Fleet Support Community.

• Selected as a Battalion Officer and Ethics Instructor at USNA. Board selected for three Command Tours – it include the Navy prison in Charleston, SC and the Navy first Expeditionary Guard Battalion in Guantanamo.

Women of SUNY Maritime HistoryDR. KATHY OLSZEWSKI

First Female Department Chair for the Science Department

• Since its inception in 2004, Dr. Olszewski has been the Program Coordinator for the very successful SUNY Maritime-ITUMF (Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty) Dual Diploma Program.

• In 2007, she was the recipient of a State University Chancellor’s Award for excellence in Teaching.

• Earned her B.S. in Chemistry from The State University at Albany. This was followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. from Stony Brook University. After finishing her postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School, she joined the Science Department faculty at SUNY Maritime.

• Since 2006, Dr. Olszewski has been the chair of the Science Department; she is first female to hold this position.

Women of SUNY Maritime HistoryMEREDITH JOHANSSON

First Female Inductee into SUNY Maritime’s Athletic Hall of FameCadet Shipping Coordinator

• Member of the Class of 1991. Graduated with a B.S in Meteorology/Oceanography.

• In 1991, Mrs. Johansson was the first female in SUNY Maritime’s history to be awarded the Student Athlete of the Year.

• In 1994, she became the first woman admitted to the NY/NJ Sandy Hook Pilots Association. She entered as chief mate.

• In 1997, she was the first female to be inducted into SUNY Maritime’s Athletic Hall of Fame.