Four trailblazers to be honored by Georgia Women of Achievement
The Georgia Women of Achievement Board of Trustees will host its annual induction ceremony at Wesleyan College on March 11.
The ceremony celebrates the lives and accomplishments of Georgia women who, in the past, are honored for setting the stage for Georgia women today.
The four women being honored this year are the late Clarice Cross Bagwell, Katharine Du Pre Lumpkin, Juanita Daniel Marsh and Jean Elizabeth Geiser Wright.
“It is important to note that per the GWA by-laws, these female trailblazers must have been deceased at least five years before they can be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The founders wanted to honor the past while inspiring the future,” Dr. Penny L. Elkins, President of GWA Board of Trustees and Senior Vice President of Mercer University said in an email.
GWA is an organization created by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and seven other founding members between 1988-1992.
GWA’s mission is to, “honor the many inspirational and courageous female trailblazers of our state, to encourage others through example to utilize their own unique talents and raising awareness about these outstanding female role models and mentors,” according to their website.
“This has become a passion project for me. One of the joys of my work is being able to pour into others and encourage their growth through mentorship. This platform gives me a way to continue to inspire others to continue to kindly and compassionately remove barriers for others,” Elkins said.
GWA has been honoring Georgia women for nearly 30 years.
Elkins said women have been selected by the GWA Board of Selections through a process of reviewing nominations and recommending nominees to the Board of Trustees.
“The event has historically been done in Macon because the founders went to Wesleyan College to ask if they could host the event when it began in 1992. It made sense that they approached Wesleyan, being the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women,” Elkins said.
The event is open for the public to attend, Elkins said, as well as middle and high school groups that come annually and all Mercer students, faculty and staff who are interested.
She said there are usually 150-200 attendees from all across the state of Georgia, the event usually has a keynote speaker and short videos to introduce inductees to the audience.
There will also be a luncheon following the ceremony.
If you go
When: 11 am. March 11
Where: Pierce Chapel of Wesleyan College (4760 Forsyth Road in Macon)
Cost: The ceremony is free, the luncheon costs $35 per ticket and $250 for table of eight