10th anniversary celebration will be Sept. 22
For years, creating a special place to honor the community’s women was a dream of Jule McClellan, a long-time visionary for local arts and culture projects.
She thought Henderson needed to showcase women, such as the person who envisioned a holiday to celebrate mothers (Mary Towles Sasseen Wilson) and the “woman behind the man” who pushed for recognition and publication of the “Birds of America” (Lucy Bakewell Audubon).
Her idea was to find a place for a small park in downtown Henderson that not only highlighted the noteworthy people who made their mark on community history but also everyday women — mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, teachers, co-workers, community servants and more.
That park, the Women’s Honor Court located at 16 S. Water St., opened in 2014 on county-owned property following a collaboration between a citizens committee and Henderson County Government.
When it opened, research indicated that it was the only park devoted to honoring women in Kentucky and among only a handful in the entire United States.
The park featured five women spotlighted for their contributions to local history plus a granite wall onto which dozens of other names were carved thanks to the benevolence of the friends and relatives who donated to the park.
It doesn’t happen often since the park is small, but since 2014 three other plaques showcasing notable women have been added.
“I’m proud of that park and what it means,” said McClellan, who took the lead in getting a commitment for the park from county government to designate the property that previously had an aging and fading antebellum residence on it. “It was a dream of mine for a long time. It finally materialized.”
For the 10th anniversary, the Women’s Honor Court committee is planning an expansion of the granite wall. The public will have an opportunity to donate $1,000 to have the name of someone that holds a special place in their hearts added to the park. McClellan said about half of the money has already been raised for the expansion.
The committee plans to hold a 10-year anniversary ceremony at the park on Sept. 22 with a guest speaker to be named later. Information about getting a name added to the park with a tax-deductible contribution is available at: https://forms.office.com/r/bhmcMHeDqa
Women’s History Month is a good time to revisit the eight highlighted honorees at the Women’s Honor Court. They are:
- Mary Willie Arvin: Born in 1879 and buried in Fernwood Cemetery, she was a Red Cross nurse honored by three nations (France, England and the United States) for her bravery in caring for the wounded when her hospital was bombed by German forces in World War I. She is the most highly decorated female Kentuckian from the World War I era.
- Lucy Bakewell Audubon: The wife of famed naturalist John James Audubon provided crucial support for his artistic pursuits that allowed for the ultimate publication of “The Birds of America,” his seminal work.
- Mary Towles Sasseen Wilson: This teacher at Center Street School floated the idea of a holiday to celebrate mothers (in honor of her own mother) long before others were successful in securing an official national declaration.
- Susan Starling Towles: She was the first public librarian in our community, and was instrumental in securing the federal funding to build John James Audubon Museum as a location for preserving art and artifacts that interpret the artist/naturalist’s local legacy.
- Thelma Banks Johnson: Born in 1909, she was the first African-American elected to public office in Henderson County. She was an educator working within the family services wing of the local Extension Service and became chairman of the Henderson County School Board. The local early learning center is named in her honor.
- Joan Frields Hoffman: Another who made education her life’s work, Hoffman became the first female mayor of the city of Henderson and has been a pioneering civic leader.
- Bobbie Weathers Jarrett: The lifelong resident of Henderson has been executive director of the award-winning Housing Authority of Henderson since 1999 after starting there in 1978, and has been a tireless member of many civic and faith-based organizations and boards.
- Marianne Cascio Walker: A local English professor and author, she has written many books acclaimed by national and international audiences and is a co-founder of St. Anthony’s Hospice.
