The 1958 Winner will also offer at
Heritage Auctions in November her trophy,
gown and a one-of-a-kind bracelet.

CWHF Inductees to be inducted into the
Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame September 18, 2021

 Left: H. Marie Wormington Volk, right Penny Hamilton

• H. Marie Wormington-Volk, Legacy Author. The pioneering anthropologist battled sexism to rise to the top of her field, as well as publishing dozens of works that helped readers understand ancient indigenous people in what’s now Colorado.

• Penny Rafferty Hamilton, Living Author. Hamilton is a world record-holding aviator who writes about aviation and aerospace, as well as educating countless students about women’s history in aerospace.

CWHF: Women In STEM
– October, 2019

Thanks for all who attended, this event was SOLD OUT!

An evening of “Wow”!  The CWHF vision is to inspire women in STEM and women from other walks of life to consider learning and sharing the inspiring stories of our Inductees in STEM fields to the lives of women they work with, their daughters, their friends, and even if considering a career move. Panel included  Hall Inductees Lt. Gen (Ret.) Susan Helms, Jill Tietjen, P.E., Jo Ann Cram Joslyn, PhD, Patricia Gabow, M.D. and Toi Massey, Moderator. Leslie Smith substituted for Hall Inductee Dorothy Horrell.

Clockwise, left: Toi Massey, Moderator, Bottom right, Lisa Downing, Deborah Radman, former Hall Chair, Hall Inductee Jill Tietjen, and guest, Pamela Detamore. Left, is Hall Inductee Susan Helms.

CWHF: Great Colorado Women Stories
– June, 2019

We are so grateful to you for joining us at the Great Colorado Women Stories Luncheon. You were joined by 250 committed champions of women’s leadership and history.

Kyle Dyer reminded us of the importance of listening to each other’s stories. Carlotta LaNier, 2004 Inductee, shared her story of desegregating Central High School in Arkansas, as one of the Little Rock Nine. Incoming Board Chair, Deborah Radman, updated us on CWHF’s new educational initiative, including our partnership with Girl Scouts of Colorado. Former Lieutenant Governor and 2018 Inductee Gail Schoettler  urged us to invest in extending women’s legacies and inspiring the next generation.

Clockwise, right, Kyle Dyer, Hall Inductee Gail Schoettler, Carlotta LaNier, and left, M.L. Hanson, CWHF Founder. 

Lead Like a Woman

Hall Inductee Jill Tietjen was a guest speaker March 11, 2020 at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

Keynote speaker Jill Tietjen, electrical engineer, women’s advocate and Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, highlighted important women throughout history and barriers in the fight to obtain equal rights.

Read More

University of Colorado Boulder Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine Highlights Exhibit Celebrating Suffragists

One Honoree, CWHF Hazel Schmoll, an Alumna became the first CU graduate to land a Vassar faculty position. There, she promoted Women’s Suffrage. Read More:

Colorado is one of the first states to grant female citizens the right to vote—and the first state in U.S. history to do so by popular vote as opposed to executive order or legislative action. It wasn’t until more than 20 years later that all women in the country were granted that right.

 Check Out Our Latest Partnership with Girl Scouts of Colorado!

Girl Scouts of Colorado (GSCO) and the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame (CWHF) have joined forces to create a patch for Girl Scouts of all ages. The history of women isn’t taught in Colorado schools. Since the Girl Scouts provide opportunities for girls to learn by exploring their interests, passions and dreams, the exposure to great Colorado women —both historic and contemporary — provides role models to begin to fill that gap.

CWHF highlights extraordinary women, their accomplishments and impact on Colorado, the United States and even the world. Hall inductees are women who, through grit and grace, have advanced the roles of today’s women to levels of heightened recognition and models of inspiration. “Who better than CWHF to provide an adventure in learning about contemporary and historic Colorado women,” asks Beth Barela, CWHF board chair.

How to Earn the Patch!

CWHF Wins Multiple Awards for Season One Film Series

CWHF-Produced Films win again at the Heartland Emmys in 2019

July, 2019 CWHF won another Heartland Emmy in the Public/Current/Community Affairs – Program category for Marilyn Van Derbur Atler film: “An Incest Survivor’s Odyssey” a season one film from 2018. CWHF was also nominated in the Music category.

Above: Hall Dana Crawford with Betty Heid, Executive Producer

Above: Former Hall Film and Board Chair, now Executive Producer Betty Heid above with Hall Inductee, Marilyn Van Derbur Atler. Top right, Bill Ranshaw, Enchanted Road Productions, Lisa Downing, Musical Composer. Bottom Right – Rick Higgins, Enchanted Road Productions.  Becky Martinez, Writer, Lisa Downing Musical Composer, Betty Heid, Executive Producer, and Bill Ranshaw, Enchanted Road Productions. 

CWHF Wins Multiple Awards for Season One Film Series

CWHF-Produced Films win again at the Heartland Emmys in 2019

July, 2019 CWHF won another Heartland Emmy in the Public/Current/Community Affairs – Program category for Marilyn Van Derbur Atler film: “An Incest Survivor’s Odyssey” a season one film from 2018. CWHF was also nominated in the Music category.

Above: Hall Dana Crawford with Betty Heid, Executive Producer

Above: Former Hall Film and Board Chair, now Executive Producer Betty Heid above with Hall Inductee, Marilyn Van Derbur Atler. Top right, Bill Ranshaw, Enchanted Road Productions, Lisa Downing, Musical Composer. Bottom Right – Rick Higgins, Enchanted Road Productions.  Becky Martinez, Writer, Lisa Downing Musical Composer, Betty Heid, Executive Producer, and Bill Ranshaw, Enchanted Road Productions. 

The CWHF-produced films began in 2018 viewing on RMPBS:

• In March of 2018, we premiered a CWHF-produced film series featuring five Inductees on Rocky Mountain PBS. The category for Best Music Composition/Arrangement won the Heartland Emmy award for the film, “Saving the Soul of Denver” featuring CWHF Inductee Dana Crawford, a visionary preservationist and developer who worked to preserve historic downtown Denver.
• Also shown in season One was Hall Inductee Marilyn Van Derbur Atler’s Film, “An Incest Survivor’s Odyssey” won the Los Angeles Film Festival for Most Inspiring Woman in Film. Season one Links – Film Library Page
• The Marilyn Van Derbur Atler film “An Incest Survivor’s Odyssey” was also nominated in the category of  Musical Compostion in 2019 at the Heartland Emmy Awards.

The Hall  is extremely grateful for former Film and Board Chair and  current executive producer Betty Heid, composer and pianist Lisa Downing, Rebecca Martinez, and Enchanted Road Productions Bill Ranshaw and Rick Higgins who handled production of these films and deserve this recognition.

Hall Inductee Jill Tietjen honored: Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies

Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies  sets out to document that women have been in the film business since the beginning of its existence, when it was a mere flicker of light on the screen. We have done the research to create an historical compilation of the many women who contributed to the Hollywood film industry. Included are around 1200 women who have added their talent and creativity in the many categories needed to make a movie. Tietjen, and electrical engineer and women’s advocate co-authored the book with Barbara Bridges.

• Best Interior Design – Winner
• Performing Arts – Winner
• Best Cover Design: Non-Fiction – Finalist
• Novelty & Gift Book – Finalist

“Celebrate Colorado Women” Essay Contest – October, 2019

The Center for Colorado Women’s History and the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame hosted an essay contest to celebrate International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2019. Denver metro students in grades 3 through 8 were invited to learn about women who have made a difference in history, so that they can use them as inspiration to create a better tomorrow.

A winner from each category was invited to attend an afternoon tea with Denver’s Margaret “Molly” Brown to celebrate International Day of the Girl on October 11, at 4:30 pm, at the Center for Colorado Women’s History at the Byers-Evans House.

2014 Hall Inductee Penny Hamilton wins award for essay sharing her battle with breast cancer

It was a sudden, unexpected blurt from her long-time radiologist that led Penny Hamilton to discover she likely had breast cancer.

The rapid-fire sentence: “We probably found breast cancer,” stung her ears that day in October 2017. But it wasn’t unfamiliar as Hamilton first received a breast cancer diagnosis 10 years earlier.

Today, Hamilton is a two-time breast cancer survivor. And it has led her to share some important perceptions. Read full article: 

Penny Hamilton has been a general aviation pilot for 23 years, marking her as one of a select group of women in her field. Hamilton has worked for decades to encourage women to choose aviation as a career and break down the barriers that keep women from taking to the skies.

CWHF laureate pens new aviation history book

CWHF laureate pens new aviation history book

The 2019 Lowry Foundation Speaker Series featured Lauren Y. Casteel President & CEO

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado in April. Lauren Y. Casteel is the first person in Colorado to lead three foundations and possesses more than 20 years of philanthropic leadership as well as a career-long dedication to inclusiveness. Lauren is an experienced and recognized advocate for women, children, youth, and families in Colorado.  Throughout her career, Lauren has earned numerous accolades. Most recently, she received the Anti Defamation League Mountain States Region’s 2018 Civil Rights Award; she received the 2016 Monte Pascoe Civic Leadership Award, presented annually by Denver’s Mayor to a member of the community; she was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in 2015 by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce; and in 2014, she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.

Historic Inductee Julia Archibald Holmes Featured in Denver Your Hub – Colorado Panorama

Julia Archibald Holmes – First Woman to Summit Pikes Peak (1828-1887)

80 Years ago CWHF Inductee Hattie McDaniel took home an Oscar – becoming the first African American woman to win at the Academy Awards. 

McDaniel was recognized as best supporting actress for her role as “Mammy” the house servant in “Gone with the Wind.” While she was honored with an award, McDaniel had been barred from the movie’s 1939 premiere in Atlanta because of her race. Deborah Radman, CWHF Hall Chair, says: “In 2010, McDaniel was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. She’s one of 172 women historical and contemporary women honored by the nonprofit organization founded in 1985.”

Hall Inductee Hattie McDaniel Featured in Our Community Now Publication: Our Coloradans Then: Hattie McDaniel, the First Black Woman to Win an Academy Award 

Theatre and show business run deep in Colorado’s roots, just as the Gold Rush does. For Hattie McDaniel, show business was in her blood, literally. She was born to former slaves, Susan Holbert and Henry McDaniel, and was the youngest of 13 children. In fact, her brother, Sam, played a butler in a Three Stooges film and her sister, Etta, was also an actress. So you see, McDaniel was made for the arts. Read More

Women’s College alumna Betty Heid is winning awards for putting Colorado women in the spotlight

The documentaries Betty Heid produces always have a turning point. There’s a moment when the soon-to-be-successful Colorado women she features get the opportunity to reach their full potential. Big Impact on the Big Screen

Let’s Talk About Colorado’s Amazing Female Astronauts

NASA may not have been properly prepared for the first-ever all-women spacewalk, which was supposed to take place on March 29. But we’re honoring Colorado’s female astronauts and their contributions to NASA anyway. Colorado’s Amazing Female Astronauts

News from the Western Slope – Celebrating Women: Mary Rait

Mary Rait was a woman so prepared and knowledgeable, even college students were intimidated. She was a pioneer in the Grand Valley and Women’s history across the state. She started out as a high school teacher, and then was invited to teach at the newly formed Mesa College. She’s fairly well known in the history of the Valley, but not by those outside of the Western Slope. Priscilla Walker is trying to change that. She is a board member for the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, but many of the inductees are from the Front Range. In fact, out of 162, only 5 are from the Western Slope. But many women, like Mary, deserve to be on that list. While her nomination is pending for the 2020 year, Western Slopers can continue to be inspired by her, a truly “first rate” woman.

Honoring Historic Colorado Women Through Public Art

“There are a lot of pieces of public art that have women in them, but they aren’t specific women,” she said. “So they’re either allegorical or they are representative of a genre of women. So there’s a really great statue in front of the Colorado History Museum that’s about Colorado teachers. But it’s not a specific person.”

Carrie MaKenna stands in front of a statue dedicated to dancer Maria Mosina in the lobby of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

9news writes about Hall Inductees Janet Bonnema and Sandra Rothenberg

Colorado woman Janet Bonnema fought for equal opportunities after she was denied a job on a major highway construction project due to her gender. Bonnema filed a discrimination suit and was represented by Hall Inductee Sandra Rothenberg.

Northeast Notes: Forever young – a story of two women – by Julie Richman

Julie Richman, daughter of Ellie Greenberg writes about her mom and another inspiring woman in her life. Northeast Notes – Woodmen Gazette