Dr. Agnes Wells was a Saginaw-born woman who was one of the nation's leading educators and an ardent support of women's equal rights. After being a principal in a high school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and then at teacher of mathematics at Duluth High School, Wells became a faculty member at the University of Michigan in 1917. She was also the dean of women for two years. Wells left U of M to serve as Dean of Women at Indiana University and taught mathematics and astronomy after retiring from her administrative post. She founded a $1 million fellowship fund for the American Association of University Women and also belonged to the American Association of Deans of Women, and the American Association of University Professors. In 1949, she became chair of the National Woman's Party. The NWP had fought successfully for a constitutional amendment enfranchising women and after passage of the 19th amendment sought an Equal Rights Amendment. Upon reading a newspaper editorial which advised women that the 14th amendment doesn't mention sex (it does mention persons), she reportedly replied, "Women are persons, aren't they?" (Saginaw Hall of Fame, 2000).
Saginaw Hall of Fame, biographical sketches by Ed Miller and Jean Beach, published by The Saginaw Hall of Fame, 2000.
Link to archival collection on Wells: http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00957
Deborah Stephens was the first female firefighter in the Saginaw Valley region. Stephens faced a lot of challenges being the first female fire fighter. She first joined the Saginaw Fire Department because it looked like a good and interesting job. Having taken a degree from Mississippi State University, she wasn't able to find a full-time teaching job in the area and had worked in various fields. When she joined the department, a Saginaw News reporter quoted her as saying that all she wanted to do was fight fires, not carry a torch for equal rights." (Saginaw News, 2/20/1990) Asked about that statement in 2014, Stephens said that she was happy to have represented females well. That she always tried to set a good standard through continuous improvement and keeping up a good image.
Although an educated and hard-working professional, it was difficult for Stephens to fit into the boys club. As she stated in a 2014 interview, "It doesn't matter how you try to fit in, there is always someone who thinks you should be at home baking cookies." Resentment of her hiring as a result of affirmative action marked the beginning of her career. Physically and mentally, Stephens knew she could do the job, but had to counter those who thought that women weren't strong enough or wouldn't be able to handle the horrors of the job. She stated that she wasn't afraid to do the job, but she was appropriately "cautious"—a good trait in a person who is running into a burning building where other people's lives are at stake. Even though she had all the proper training, she know that she had to "try harder" than a man would. At the time that she was hired, she told a Saginaw News reporter, "I'm going to have to prove myself every day. But whatever I do, I try to do my best." (Saginaw News, 2/20/1990) Doing her best was exactly what Stephens did and earned her a life-long career on the fire department and promotion in 2005 to the officer position of lieutenant. After twenty-two years on the department, she retired. The door that she opened continues to help women. When Ona Hoard became the first female captain in the area, she credited Stephens' mentorship. Women like Deborah Stephens remind us how important it is to have role models and that more women need to continue to integrate the firefighting profession so that young girls have a picture of who they want to emulate and someone to help show them the ropes.
Carpenter, Cari. Selected Writings of Victoria Woodhull. (University of Nebraska Press, 2010).
Frisken, Amanda. Victoria Woodhull's Sexual Revolution. (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004)
Gabriel, Mary. Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull Uncensored. (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1998).
Tried As By Fire; or, True and False Socially, an oration by Victoria Woodhull
McElderry, Andrea. "Woman Revolutionary: Xiang Jingyu." The China Quarterly 105 (March 1986): 95-122.
Capaldi, Gina. Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist. (Millbrook Press, 2011).
Fisher, Dexter. "Zitkala Sa: The Evolution of a Writer." American Indian Quarterly, vol. 5, no. 3 (August 1979), pp. 229–238.