Marin Women's Hall of Fame

JEAN BEE CHAN, Ph.D.
Education
1998

     Jean Bee Chan, Lucas Valley resident, is an outstanding educator and mentor.  As a professor of mathematics at Sonoma State University since 1973, Dr. Chan has been instrumental in bringing a sense of community and mutual support to the Mathematics Department which has had an immeasurably beneficial effect on the morale of students and faculty.

     Dr. Chan has championed a cause, believing that a firm understanding of mathematics and science is critical to success in our highly technical society.  She is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to all.  To this end, she established a family scholarship fund for Sonoma State students entering the teaching profession, and founded the Asian Scholarship Endowment Fund which helps send students of Asian descent to college.  Dr. Chan is passionately concerned about mathematics education for girls, who tend to lag behind boys in math and science.  

     Beyond her own community, Dr. Chan is Chair of the Northern California Section of the Mathematical Association of America, involving over 100 mathematics departments in thousands of mathematics faculty and students.  She has provided leadership for the Marin Chinese Cultural Group and was a founder of the Asian American Alliance of Marin, which is dedicated to bringing justice and equality to all citizens.  As a result of her contributions to the community, Dr. Chan was honored by the Marin County Marin Luther King, Jr., Humanitarian Award in 1996.

Read the extended biography by Nancy Harris

SISTER M. SAMUEL CONLAN O.P.
Education
1995

     Sister Samuel, a member of the Sisters of St. Dominic, is a dedicated and exemplary educator.  She received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Stanford University and joined the faculty of Dominican college in 1957, serving as President of the College from 1968-80. She continues to teach English.  Under her leadership, the college was transformed from an all women's college into a co-educational institution.  She spearheaded the placement on campus of a model Development Center for children with special needs and supported the development of a Special Education Teacher Training Program which earned statewide recognition for excellence.  Seeing the need for the college to be an integral part of the community, she expanded the Board of Trustees to include members of the business and professional community.

     Through her work in the field of education for over 40 years, Sister Samuel has influenced the lives of scores of students.  She is teaching by example that you can address the world with confidence, serve with courage, principle, elegance, compassion and grace.  In 1980, she received the Dominican College Distinguished Service Award and in 1981, School Master of the Year.  Golden Gate University awarded her an honorary degree in 1980.

Read the extended biography by Kathleen Mullen

JANET DAIJOGO
Education
1996

     Janet Daijogo is the consummate teacher -- a role model of strength, flexibility and compassion as she endeavors to fulfill her goal of instilling in children a sense of importance, uniqueness and personal power.  A kindergarten teacher at Marin Country Day Elementary School since 1984, she has had a positive impact on hundreds of children.  She has incorporated an Aikido/Energy Awareness Program into the kindergarten program.  She holds a second degree black belt and uses aikido to build sensitivity and strength, and to teach children to be at peace with themselves and centered.  Prior to teaching kindergarten she spent 18 years working at the Marin Child Development Center in San Rafael, where she helped her students "mainstream" and go on to college and productive lives. 

     Ms. Daijogo understands how emotional trauma can affect a child. In 1942, she and her family were forced to leave their California home and live for three years at a relocation camp where Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II.  Ms. Daijogo received her B.A. degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  In 1990 she was honored by the California State Department of Education with the California Educator Award for teaching excellence.

     Through the Resource Directory of Marin Women, she serves as a volunteer speaker to children about her wartime experiences.  A Mill Valley resident, she also designs art-to-wear clothing.

Read the extended biography by Nancy Harris

VIRGINIA FRANKLIN
Education
1989

     With understanding and enthusiasm for the democratic process, Virginia Franklin infused several generations of high school students with appreciation for civil liberties and our system of government.  Through her efforts, many Marin teens have participated in "mock political conventions"; others have had the opportunity to experience government in Sacramento or Washington, D.C.

     Beginning teaching after her graduation from U.C. Berkeley at age 19, she always strongly believed in an informed student population, opposing book bans and other restrictions on instructing.  Even during a storm of protest in the 1960's when she was attacked for encouraging critical thinking, she remained a fearless teacher of all ideas.  Mrs. Franklin successfully survived attacks on her teaching by the John Birch Society, the American Legion, Congressional hearings and nation-wide publicity in Life Magazine.  She went on to get a doctorate in education and developed a curriculum for educators on how to teach civics and democracy.  Named outstanding teacher of the year in 1982 by the Marin Educational Foundation, she encouraged students to write bills which were actually introduced into Congress.  Other honors have included Barbara Boxer's "Women Making History", the Valley Forge Classroom medal, the constitutional Rights Foundation Award and numerous others.

     After "retirement', Mrs. Franklin served as an active consultant and mentor for Marin's Human Rights Resource Center, sharing her experience in education and commitment to democracy.  She passed away in 1991.

Read the extended biography by nancy Nakai

CAROLYN HORAN, Ed. D.
Education
1992

     As Executive Director of the Beryl Buck Institute for Education, Carolyn Horan is dedicated to working with schools to restructure education to better meet student and family needs.

     While working to support her two children, Ms. Horan earned her B.S. and Masters degree from San Francisco State University.  During her education, she was involved in developing the Regional Occupational Programs. particularly the Office Occupation Program which offers free training for re-entry women.

     Ms. Horan has a keen understanding of the importance of change and growth for education.  Some of the positions she has held include Superintendent of the K-8 District in Fairfax, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services and Planning for Marin County Office of Education, President of the Marin Chapter of the Association of California School Administrators, President of Marin Association of Superintendents, and Chair of the Youth Committee for the San Rafael Rotary Club.  She was in charge of the project that resulted in the development of the 1,700 acre Walker Creek Environmental Education Center in West Marin.  Ms. Horan was a member of the County-State Steering Committee under the California Department of Education and the recipient of the Educator of the Year award in Marin County.

 Sister Marion is committed to serving others by raising social consciousness, primarily through teaching, administration and example. In 1949, she began her vocation as a Roman Catholic nun and taught third-graders at St. Raphael Elementary School in San Rafael. For 50 years, Sister Marion held eleven different positions in education in Marin, Vallejo, Monterey, Stockton, San Francisco, Napa and Santa Rosa, including serving as Assistant Superintendent of Schools.

Shifting her focus from education to commitment and social activism, she holds the title of "Promoter of Peace, Justice and the Care of Creation" and works tirelessly with others to: ban capital punishment, protect the environment,  provide affordable housing, improve education and to further other social justice issues.

In 2003, Sister Marion led the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael to take a stance against pre-emptive strikes in Iraq, and she continues
to work and pray for peace in all global conflicts. She is against the death penalty, and along with members of the community, has held a vigil at San Quentin at each execution. She has collaborated with others to address issues relating to human trafficking, worked to create safe houses or to provide additional support services, and protested during the ICE raids in 2007.

Sister Marion has served as Secretary, Vice-President and President with the Marin Interfaith Council to address not only the death penalty but also affordable housing issues and immigration injustices. At MIC, Sister Marion works with Protestant Christians, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Sufi and many other religious leaders, for the purpose of justice, equity, excellence, equal opportunity and respect for all.

She is also an athlete and began running at 48 years old. Her fellow Sisters have become her cheering squad. Sister Marion experienced her own human limitations while running which helped to deepen her compassion taking her to new heights in more than the running world, inspiring her to reach out beyond education to a role of social activism.

Sister Marion ran competitively for 15 years and was the oldest woman ever to qualify for the Olympic trials in long-distance running in 1983. This event earned her a sponsorship by Nike and a place in the Road Runners Club of the American Hall of Fame.

As Sister Marion approaches her 80th birthday, she continues to model leadership that is founded upon compassion, humor, perseverance and social justice.  She has received the Marin County Human Rights Commission’s Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award and Dominican

University’s Athletic Hall of Fame recognition. Marin Women’s Hall of Fame joyfully welcomes her for her humanitarian efforts, leadership for social justice and dedication to education on so many levels. 

FRANC0ISE LEPAGE, PhD
Education
2007

    For 30 years, Françoise Lepage, PhD, Professor and Dean Emerita at Dominican University of California’s School of Business, has pursued a vision: to enhance Marin’s global perspective. What makes this woman unique is her singular ability to translate her vision into concrete plans and partnerships.

    In the 1980s she secured a National Science Foundation grant to create a program that would enhance the global perspective of Marin’s K- 2 teachers. What’s unique is that Lepage’s NSF grant was for a social studies program—unheard of from a foundation focused on science and mathematics. NSF funded the program for four years, and then hired Dr. Lepage as a consultant to promote social science grant opportunities within NSF.

    In the 1990s Dr. Lepage became the founding director of Dominican’s Graduate Program in Pacific Basin Studies. With faculty backing for the new MBA curriculum with an innovative new focus, she secured a grant from the Compton Foundation to establish the program. Lepage’s work has been the foundation of Dominican University’s business program for 25 years.

    In fall 2007, thanks to Dr. Lepage’s vision, Dominican University will begin its Green MBA program. This innovative curriculum, an offshoot of Pacific Basin Studies, is an example of the way Francoise Lepage works: concept to vision to implementation to reimplementation— accompanied by amazing perseverance, tenacity, and long-term commitment.

    Along with these formidable academic contributions, Lepage enjoys getting a personal look at the world. Besides meeting alumni in Taipei, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Shanghai, addresses to business groups in Seoul, Sydney, Marrakech, and even San Rafael fill her calendar. She’s also brought an astonishing group of world figures to lecture on campus, among them the late U.S. ambassador to the UN Jeanne Kirkpatrick, former secretary of defense Robert McNamara, anthropologist Louise Leakey, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison, and string theorist Brian Green.

    Dr. Lepage has received many awards for her achievements, among them a Japan Foundation Fellowship, the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Marin Cultural Center, the Sarlo Distinguished Professor Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Pacific Basin Alumni Award.

    Marymount University, Lepage’s alma mater, has awarded this outstanding woman a Doctor of Human Letters as a “distinguished alumna and educator.” Young women searching for a role model with the vision, fortitude, and talent to change the world need look no further than Marin’s own Françoise Lepage.

    Dr Lois Merriweather Moore, a wife, mother, grandmother, and Novato resident, has been an educator for 35 years. She empowers her students to envision their own excellence, and gives them the tools to achieve success.

     Dr. Moore taught Spanish, English, and English as a Second Language in Marin’s middle and high schools. While famous for setting the performance bar high, Lois set even higher standards for herself. She knew that if she didn’t excel, she couldn’t expect her students to excel. She is a superior role model for students. In addition to speaking appearances and presenting research at international conferences, her professional training included the Women & Power Executive Education Program at Harvard University and the Institute for Social and International Studies in Barcelona, Spain.

    As an Adjunct Professor in the International & Multicultural Education Department of the University of San Francisco, Dr. Moore teaches other teachers and administrators. She assists doctoral scholars in gathering, organizing, and presenting research at international conferences such as the Hawaii International Conference on Education in Honolulu and the International Association for Intercultural Education Conference in Verona, Italy. Presenting at prestigious conferences gives junior scholars needed exposure that significantly enhances job marketability, and Lois shows them how it’s done.

    Moore also helps doctoral scholars navigate the arduous road to professional publication – a critical step on the path to tenure. In her second publication, The Dispersion of Africans and African Culture Throughout the World: Essays on the African Diaspora, Moore edited and published the research of several doctoral scholars that she taught. By having a publication on record before they graduated, Moore’s students had an edge in the job market. Dr. Moore’s collaboration in this work was a milestone in the history of USF’s School of Education.

    Lois Moore teaches more than what’s in the textbook. She’s a living example that education is a lifetime project. She teaches students how to live by exhibiting character, self-respect, perseverance, and integrity. She empowers students by challenging them to perform at levels they thought impossible.

    Dr. Moore’s commitment to community and educational excellence has been widely recognized. She has received the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award, the Novato Citizen of the Year Award, the Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy Leadership & Achievement Award, the Carl. A. Grant Multicultural Research Award, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Gates Millennium Scholarship Award. We welcome her to the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame.

RUTH SLUSER
Education
1997

     Ruth Sluser's 35-year teaching career has encompassed serving "at risk" and special education students and administering programs for teenage mothers.  Devoting herself to helping those with special needs help themselves, she has made a practical difference in the lives of many young women.  She has provided the vision to see a high-risk person as a successful graduate and member of the work force.  She has inspired her charges to find appropriate career paths and remain goal-oriented, despite the many obstacles they encountered.

     Through the Cal Learn program, Sluser provides guidance to teenage mothers and pregnant teens who are attempting to complete their high school education and enroll in vocational programs designed for economic independence.  She mentors at least a dozen girls at any given time, seeing each one at least weekly.  She arranges parenting classes, nutrition workshops, counseling sessions and transportation.  She celebrates their success and teaches them how to solve adult problems with patience.  She is remembered by one of her students as "the first adult who really listened to me and helped me feel I was worth something."  Many of the young women she has helped stay in touch and seek her counsel, wisdom and wit.  She attributes her success to her mother who returned to work to provide the financial support  for Sluser to complete both B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of Illinois.  Retired from teaching, she continues to administer the Cal Learn program and serve the needs of young women, offering tough love, guidance and support.

Read the extended biography by Wendy Norwood

 ELIZABETH TERWILLIGER
Education
1988

     Elizabeth Terwilliger, known to generations of Marin residents as "Mrs. T.", has devoted over forty years of her life to environment teaching.  She began the work as a young mother when she took her own children on nature walks.  During these times, she shared her high regard for all living creatures and extensive knowledge about the eco-system of Marin.  Through her animal collection, her famous walks and countless visits to Marin and Bay Area schools, she has communicated her love of nature in a creative and memorable way.

     Mrs. T., an active member of the Marin Conservation League, worked toward the creation of Monarch butterfly preserves and the purchase of land for open space and parks.  The establishment of the natural preserve on Goat Hill, located on the Tiburon peninsula, was a direct result of Mrs. T's efforts.  She helped to co-found the Marin County chapter of the Audubon Society.  Mrs. T. also helped to establish many of the bike paths throughout the county, setting an example for other communities in the nation and enabling cyclists to enjoy the beauty of Marin.  She is the recipient of numerous local and national awards, including the President's Volunteer Action Award, given to her by President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1984.

Read Elizabeth Terwilliger's extended biography

DR. SHIRLEY A. THORNTON
Education
1994

      A strong advocate of equality and excellence in education for all children, Dr. Shirley Thornton served as Deputy Superintendent of the Specialized Programs Branch of the California Department of Education from 1986 through 1995.  She also served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Marin Community foundation.  She was named to the board by the Foundation's first sic trustees in 1986, and was re-appointed to a second term.  She is a retired Colonel in the United States Army Reserves with her last assignment as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

     As Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Thornton was a strong voice and prime "mover and shaker" to improve programs statewide in career vocational educational special education and adult education, state special schools, alternative education and programs for "at-risk" youth.

     Dr. Thornton's contribution to education is most visible in the bold and innovative program she instituted ten years ago --- the California Local Educational Reform Network, C-LERN.  With technical assistance, resources and training provided by Dr. Thornton's division, C-LERN schools, including the San Rafael City Schools, learned to transform their organization to meet the needs of students more effectively by providing equal opportunity for all students regardless of ethnicity, race, linguistic, social or economic differences.

Read the extended biography by Sheri Rice

    Victoria has been a strong and consistent voice for women of color and other disenfranchised people in pursuit of quality education.  She is passionate about promoting education and opportunities for women.

     As a 20-year old immigrant, not content with the status quo of deplorable conditions for minorities, she committed herself to becoming educated and to empowering others to continue similar work.  She has had a prestigious career in college administration, activism, fundraising, program organization and humanism.  Her self-fulfillment comes from helping to improve the quality of life and developing a cultural identity for Latinos in the Bay area.  The means by which she achieves objectives are numerous, varied and awe-inspiring.

     She was one of the two founders and Directors of the educational component of the Latino Film Festival of Marin;  she has initiated numerous programs at the college that address needs of minorities, as will as founding the Latino Educational Council and Hispanic Cultural Center.  While much of her activism is focused around her profession, she understands the experiences that Latinos, African-Americans and other minorities have in working to carve out a life in Marin County.  She accepts people as they are and also knows what a difference a friendly hand can make.  She does her work quietly and asks nothing in return.

    Victoria provides a legacy of success by courage, determination, perseverance and pizzazz.

Read the extended biography by Barbara J. Euser