Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools issued the following announcement.
Every year, people around the world take time to reflect on the many contributions women have made to social, artistic and economic progress throughout March for Women’s History Month and specifically on March 8 for International Women’s Day. Winston-Salem is privileged to have a wide array of female trailblazers who have called the city home. Below, we take a look at just a few of the many women who have made Winston-Salem proud.
Salem College
Founded in 1772, Salem College was the first women’s college in what would become the United States of America. The college celebrates its 250th anniversary this year and is still catering its educational resources specifically to women, making it the oldest such institution in the country. Salem College offers women the chance to earn degrees in business administration, physics, biochemistry, exercise science, design, mathematics and religious studies just to name a few.
Sandra WaldronSandra Waldron
Waldron was hired as a public safety officer in Winston-Salem in 1972. She was the first woman to become a paid fire fighter in the entire United States, and her career spanned about 30 years.
Vivian Burke
Dr. Burke served on the Winston-Salem City Council for nearly 43 years before her passing in 2020. In addition to serving the longest tenure for a woman in the council’s history, she was also a teacher and guidance counselor for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Vivian Burke
Susan Ivey
Also known as Susan Cameron, Ivey is the former CEO of the Winston-Salem-based Reynolds American, Inc., the second largest tobacco company in the United States. She was the first female CEO of a major cigarette business. In 2016, Forbes named her one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
Lestine Earline Mackey
Mackey opened a jewelry store in downtown Winston-Salem in 1951. Today, she is regarded as a trailblazer for female-owned businesses in the area.
Linda DavisLinda Davis
Davis was the first woman to be named police chief in Winston-Salem back in 1999. While she only spent five years as chief, her total tenure with the department spanned over three decades. She was also a graduate of Salem College, the city’s women’s college that is the oldest in the country.
Patricia D. Norris
Norris was the second woman tasked with leading Winston-Salem’s police force. She took over for Davis as chief in 2004, meaning that the department’s first two female chiefs served back-to-back. In 2008, she left the department and became director of public safety for Winston-Salem State University.
Joan Cardwell
In 1979, Cardwell became the first woman appointed to the Winston-Salem Board of Elections. She wouldMartha Wood eventually become the board’s longest-serving chair. Cardwell was also a tireless volunteer and an employee at Carver High School for over 30 years.
Martha Wood
Wood became the first female mayor of Winston-Salem in 1989 and served until 1997. Her tenure as mayor was marked by a surging economy, drops in violent crime rates and an increased emphasis on regional, national, and international partnerships for the city.
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin
Sprinkle-Hamlin was the first black woman to serve as library director for the Forsyth County Public Library System. She also established the system’s first bookmobile service for Spanish-speaking residents and headed up the National Black Theatre Festival after the passing of her husband, who founded the event in 1989.
Denise Franklin
Denise Franklin
Franklin was the first woman to work as an anchor for WXII evening news. Anchoring alongside Rick Amme in the 80s and 90s before her transition to public radio, she was a longtime face for news in the Triad.
Maya AngelouMaya Angelou
One of the most revered writers of the 20th century, Angelou’s poetry, autobiographies, essays, stage plays, television productions and more remain cultural touchstones for both women’s advancement and African-American civil rights. She served on two presidential committees and earned a Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000, a Lincoln Medal in 2008, a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 and three Grammy Awards in 1995, 1997 and 2002. While she was born in St. Louis, she came to Winston-Salem in 1981 to accept a position as Wake Forest University’s first Reynolds Professor of American Studies and became one of the city’s most famous residents.
Jake Browning
jbrowning2@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
(336) 727-8213 Ext. 70545
Original source can be found here.
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