Colorado Women's Hall of Fame


The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2024, 205 women have been inducted.
WWW cogreatwomen.org

History

There was a short-lived recognition program established in Colorado in 1965 to honor the contributions of women to the state, known as the Colorado Women of Achievement awards. Each year, three honorees from throughout the state who had distinguished themselves in their profession or avocation were recognized at an annual banquet held in Denver, given a cash award, and received a pin with the emblem of the program, which was sponsored by the Columbia Savings and Loan Association. The 1965 inductees, honored in 1966, included Verona Burkhard, Jo Eleanor Elliott and Sister Frances Marie Walsh. In 1967 the inductees for the 1966 award were Sabina O’Malley, Elizabeth McAulliffe Calabrese, and Genevieve Fiore. In 1968, the honorees for 1967 were recognized. They included Rena Mary Taylor, Marion M. Maresh, Mrs. E. Ray Campbell. Two Life Award recipients, honoring a life-long commitment of service, were given to Mary M. McDonald and Ella Matty Orman. 1968 inductees, recognized in 1969 were Anna M. Garnett, Betty Pellet, and Margaret Rossi, with Ruby Lewis Neal being recognized with the Life Award.
Almost two decades later, a new recognition program began. The Hall of Fame organization was founded and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1984 to recognize women's contributions to the territory and state of Colorado and to provide role-models for young girls and women. Serving on the board also offers leadership opportunities for women. Discussed conceptually in February 1984, it was organized by June of the same year. M.L. Hanson sat as the president on the board until 1997.

Criteria

The criteria for induction into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is that women have "significant ties to Colorado and during their lifetimes:
  • Made significant and enduring contributions to their fields of endeavor
  • Elevated the status of women
  • Helped open new frontiers for women and for society in general
  • Inspired others by their example"

Inductees

Up to 10 inductees are admitted to the Hall of Fame every evenly numbered year.
NameImageBirth–DeathYearArea of achievement
202417th president of the University of Colorado System
2010First woman to become the United States Secretary of State
2004First woman in the United States to receive a jockey's license
2006Founder of the Colorado Women's Coalition; founded Women's Vision Foundation to develop leadership skills among women; first woman recipient of the Dan Ritchie Award for Ethics in Business; Businesswoman, women's advocate, and civic leader;
2002President and CEO of Alvarado Construction
2022Powerful first wave feminist, suffragist and advocate for women's education
2020Cultural arts and arts education
1997Frontier doctor
2008Cattle rancher, philanthropist
2012Tisone Professor and associate professor of surgery at the University of Colorado at Boulder
1997Folk artist
2020First Latina Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management
1985Colorado educator, first Latina principal in the Denver Public Schools
2014Federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado and is a former Colorado state official
2020Physiclan, college professor, first president of the Colorado Woman Suffrage Association
2000First woman to chair the Democratic Caucus of the Colorado House of Representatives and the first Latina elected to the Colorado State Senate
2014Newspaper publisher, philanthropist
1990Journalist, former Ziegfeld Follies performer
1997Women's basketball coach
2024President and CEO of Mile High United Way
1985Explorer, writer, and natural historian
1996Athlete and organizer
1991Founder of the Denver Symphony Orchestra
2018Philanthropist who supported cultural and healthcare facilities
1985Arts patron, philanthropist, managed the Denver Post
2012Transportation engineer for the Colorado Highway Department; won a 1972 sexual discrimination lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Highways when she was barred from working inside the Eisenhower Tunnel.
1997President of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, Peace Corps volunteer and advocate for women
2022Community activist in housing, education and criminal justice
1996Quaker sociologist and major contributor to creating the academic discipline of Peace and Conflict Studies
2004Helped found the Colorado State Trained Nurses Association
1986Conductor and pianist
2024Founder of Women+Film
2020Chicana leader in Colorado’s Labor Movement
1989Aided the settlement of former slaves during Colorado's Gold Rush
1985Socialite, philanthropist, and activist who became famous due to her survival of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic
2000President of the Burnsley Hotel in Denver
2022Champion of immigrants, the poor and the sick
1990Advocate for neglected and abused children
2014First black woman to head a foundation in Colorado
2004Philanthropist, businesswoman, and lawyer
1985Journalist, playwright and screenwriter, known primarily for writing the Broadway play Harvey
Chipeta1985Second wife of Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre Ute tribe, she led her people after his death in 1880. Chipeta used diplomacy to try to achieve peace with the white immigrants to Colorado and often represented the Utes as a delegate to lobby the US Congress
1988Feminist writer
2024First Latina Colorado State Representative in House District 1
2006Singer-songwriter
2024Director of Staff at the United States Air Force Academy
2022Champion for women scientists and dedicated crusader for women's reproductive rights
1988Major in the U.S. Army, regional administrator of the Women's Bureau for the U.S. Department of Labor
1996Historic preservationist and developer
2008Mexican-American educator, human rights activist, and prominent Latina leader who became a Franciscan nun after a successful business career
1996Parole officer and advocate for women prisoners
2008Education and athletics advocate; Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame 1997; Laureate of the Association of National Olympic Committees 1999; United States Track and Field Hall of Fame 2004
2022Educator and human rights activist
2006Audiologist and professor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center who pioneered universal newborn hearing screening
2008First woman to become a Colorado Supreme Court Justice, former Deputy Attorney General for Colorado
2012Owner of The Cotton Club bar in Colorado Springs
1985Wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961
2020African American educator, political activist, and suffragist
2006American poet, post-trauma specialist and Jungian psychoanalyst
2016American arts activist who devoted her life to the founding and support of some of Colorado's largest cultural institutions, including the Denver Art Museum, the Central City Opera, and the Denver Civic Center
1989Author
1996Researcher into auto-immunity, AIDS, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and cancer
1991Humanitarian and peace activist
1985Denver's first black woman physician
2012Dean of the University of Rochester School of Nursing, co-founded the nurse-practitioner model at the University of Colorado in 1965
2018Community activism
2024Planned Parenthood advocate; founder of the Colorado Legal Initiatives Project
2002Advocate for women's rights and the elderly
2004CEO of Denver Health and Hospital Authority
2012Educator and San Luis Valley postmistress
2002Outdoorswoman and organizer of the Colorado Trail
1996Occupational therapist and advocate for those with disabilities
2012Photographer known for her portraits of Native Americans, particularly the Navajo and Pueblo, and her Southwestern landscapes
1987Publisher of the Intermountain Jewish News
2020Supporter of the arts and culture; provided a safe haven for economic and political refugees in Denver.
2012Doctor of animal science and professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior
2010Adult educator and author
1985Pioneer of adult education, founder of the Emily Griffith Opportunity School
2018Community Service
2024Businesswoman, founder of Western Industrial Contractors Inc, an industrial construction company
2010Executive director of the Latin American Research and Service Agency
2024Latina reproductive rights activist. Founding executive director of the Latina Initiative; President and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights
2014Pilot, educator, co-holder of World Aviation Speed Record, set October 22, 1991
2022Dedicated medical professional; the first Black to earn a nursing degree from the University of Colorado
2024Entrepreneur, Gerry Baby Products Company
2016Philanthropist and charter member of the Colorado Federation of Women's Clubs.
2020Founder of the Denver Urban Spectrum newspaper and the Urban Spectrum Youth Foundation
2016Civil rights activist who brought the national Head Start Program to Denver; president emeritus, Mile High Montessori Early Learning Centers
2000President of the Community Foundation serving Boulder County; Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1990 and 1992; community activist and educator
2018NASA Astronaut aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour
1989Founding board member and executive director of the Asian Pacific Development Center in Denver
2016Author, activist and advocate for the disabled community.
2024Entrepreneur and advocate for early childhood education
2006Community leader, philanthropist, and activist
202420th president of the University of Colorado System
2024President and CEO of the Denver Preschool Program
2014First woman to climb Pikes Peak
2018Chancellor of CU Denver
2020Colorado Deputy District Attorney
2012Co-founder and majority shareholder of Pacific Western Technologies
1997Founding director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School, and former United States Ambassador to Austria
2014Architect
1985Writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government
1987School teacher and philanthropist who founded the United Way and National Jewish Hospital
2022Veteran global activist using economic development to create equitable and safe lives for women in more than 50 countries
2014Optoelectronic processing systems, 3D imaging, and color management systems
2006President and CEO of Girl Scouts – Mile Hi Council
2002First woman and first American to serve as secretary general for the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
2024Pioneering pediatrician
2008First woman in the United States Navy to rise from seaman recruit to captain
2012Co-founder of La Leche League International; women's health advocate
2016Educator and pioneer of bilingual education
2024Nursing leader
1985Former First Lady of Colorado, ran for the U. S. Senate against Ben Nighthorse Campbell
2004The youngest of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Now a Colorado real estate broker
1987Journalist and lawyer; first woman to try a case before the Colorado Supreme Court
2000Director of the World Data Center A for Solar-Terrestrial Physics
1996Businesswoman and one of the original owners of Elitch Gardens
2006Founder of the Denver Sheltering Home
2024Educator and non-profit leader; owner of Kebaya Consulting and Coaching
2014Aerospace engineer
2008Colorado Springs' first female mayor
2004Along with Charlotte Perry, co-founder of the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp
2010Biologist known for her research into T cell development, T cell apoptosis and survival, adjuvants, autoimmune disease, and for identifying superantigens, the mechanism behind toxic shock syndrome.
2010Businesswoman and former president of the Denver City Council; member of the Democratic National Committee since the 1990s
2018Corporate and securities lawyer
1985Self-educated naturalist and artist who helped found modern taxidermy
1996Denver's first city toxicologist and perhaps the first female forensic pathologist in the United States
2010American actress and first African-American to win an Academy Award for her role in Gone with the Wind
1985Teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of Israel
2018Accomplished journalist who led Colorado's suffrage movement
2002Founded the city of Lafayette, Colorado
2002Fashion model and breast cancer survivor who founded the Sue Miller Day of Caring
2012Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice
1997First woman and first African-American to anchor a newscast in Colorado
2004First woman in the United States Armed Forces to be promoted to both major general and lieutenant general
2020Physician, breast feeding expert
2008Founder of Chinese Children Adoption International, Chinese Children Charity Fund, and the Joyous Chinese Cultural School
1996African American educator, politician and civil rights leader; namesake of Rachel B. Noel Middle School
2020United States Secretary of the Interior, Attorney General of Colorado
2010First female television news director in Denver
2022Champion for the students at the Amache Japanese-American "relocation" camp during World War II
1988Founding president and chief executive officer of the Women's Bank in Denver
Owl Woman1985Cheyenne princess who managed relations between Native American tribes and Anglo American men
2016First woman minority leader in Colorado State Legislature.
2016Catholic nun, educator and author who champions education for girls in Afghanistan and Ghana; founding member of the Rose Community Foundation
2022Philanthropist and Patron of the Arts
2004Along with Portia Mansfield, co-founder of the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp
2004Actress and director
1986First Native American woman director of the National Congress of American Indians
2008First woman to be elected to the Colorado Board of Education
1990Suffragette and advocate for women's rights
2018Developed protocol to teach deaf children to listen and talk
2022Mental health care advocate
2018Cultural mediator who bridged Native American and Western cultures
2022Groundbreaking politician, farmers' advocate, human rights advocate
1990First female landscape architect in Denver
1985One of the first women to become faculty at a university; taught at the University of Colorado in Boulder
2022Advocate for women through the promotion of public policy changes
1989Choreographer and artistic director of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble
2014Journalist, suffragist, and the first woman elected to the Colorado State Senate
2000First African-American librarian in Denver
1986Humanitarian, industrialist, activist, and politician
2016Appellate court judge and sex discrimination litigation pioneer
2008Suffragist and Colorado's first First Lady alongside John Routt
1985Medical scientist. She was a pioneer for women in science; she was the first woman to hold a full professorship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the first woman elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and the first woman to head a department at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. In her retirement years, she pursued a second career as a public health activist in Colorado, and in 1951 received a Lasker Award for this work.
2022Journalist who advocated for women's suffrage
1985Colorado botanist who conducted the first systematic study of plant life in Southwestern Colorado
201844th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
1985Democratic politician who represented Colorado in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997
2010Rancher and conservationist
2016Attorney, advocate for abused and neglected children. Founded the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center
2022Champion of post-secondary education for women
1986Newspaper editor, Colorado legislator, and registrar of Denver's US District Land Office
2006Atmospheric chemist working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
2006Suffragist and physician
2006Court reporter at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials
2022Author, librarian, and trailblazing historian for women and western history
2024Attorney, judge, law professor, child advocate and writer
1985Philanthropist
1985First Colorado woman to serve as president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs
1985Legislator; first woman president pro-tem of the Colorado State Senate
1988Ran the first hotel in the Fort Collins area, serving Overland Trail travelers. She financed and initiated businesses to support the growth in and around the area.
1991Entrepreneur, first wife of silver king Horace Tabor
1985Second wife of Colorado businessman Horace Tabor and inspiration for the opera The Ballad of Baby Doe
2002First African American woman to serve in the Colorado State Senate
2010Philanthropist
2004Public servant and community leader
2010Author, electrical engineer
1997American Roman Catholic Religious Sister
2022Author and historian of Hispanic culture
2000Montessori educator
19961958 Miss America pageant holder and founder of the American Coalition for Abuse Awareness and One Voice
2016Co-founder of both the Colorado Women's Foundation and the Women's Bank
1987Founder of the Domestic Violence Institute
2014Soil invertebrate diversity expert
1996Author, activist, educator, and women's advocate
2002First woman hired as a pilot by a major U.S. airline
1991Member of the Colorado State Legislature from 1980 to 1993; the first First Lady of Denver to have held political office herself
2000United States federal judge
2022Advocate for the welfare of mothers and children
2008Pilot and one of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees for the Mercury project
1985Archaeologist and author; first woman to obtain a doctorate in anthropology at Harvard and the first archaeologist and first woman to receive a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship
1985Women's small business consultant and motivational speaker
2008Athlete who achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball, and track and field. She was named the 10th Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN, and the 9th Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century by the Associated Press.