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Category: "Women In Science, Technology, & Math (STEM)"
Edith Windsor (1929 - 2017)
Edith Windsor, called Edie, was born in 1929, the youngest of three children, to James and Celia Schlain in Philadelphia. Her parents were immigrants from Russia who owned and lived above a candy and ice cream store, both lost during the depression. Despite hard times, her parents valued their children’s education, making financial sacrifices to buy them books and send them to college.
Edie was a very attractive young lady, dating many boys in high school. But during college at Temple University, she became aware of her homosexuality. In the 1950s, afraid to live her life as a gay person, Edie married her brother’s best friend. Within a year, she confided to him that she longed to be with women, and they parted amicably.
Edie moved to New York City, hoping to find other gay people. However, Edie was uncomfortable with gay life in New York City in the 1950s, outwardly a part of the rough gay bar scene in New York that frequently was raided by the police. She studied applied mathematics and received a master’s degree from New York University in 1955. She was one of the very few women at the heart of the revolution in computer programming, working for IBM starting in 1958 and becoming a senior systems programmer. Edie received the first IBM PC delivered in New York City, and in 1987 was honored by the National Computing Conference as a pioneer in operating systems. After leaving IBM, she founded and became president of PC Classics, Inc, a software house specializing in consulting and major software development projects.
At a West Village restaurant, she met Thea Spyer, a PhD psychologist and an accomplished violinist whose family fled Amsterdam ahead of Hitler’s invasion. Two years later, in 1967, they began what turned out to be a very long engagement Thea proposed to Edie with a diamond pin, because a ring would have prompted unwelcome questions. Edie and Thea kept a low profile, leading a life typical of upwardly mobile professional couples in Manhattan, hosting dinner parties for friends, traveling, and spending summer weekends at their beach house in South Hampton. But life changed when Thea developed multiple sclerosis. In 1977, Edie left IBM to care for Thea, who gradually became quadriplegic.
The AIDS crisis in the 1980s built solidarity among the gay community. Although Edie largely kept her private life secret in the past, she now decided to volunteer for many gay rights organizations. Numerous awards attest to her advocacy over more than two decades, including an award named for her: the Edie Windsor Equality Award.
Windsor and Spyer registered as domestic partners when it became possible in New York in the 1990s. In 2007, when Thea’s medical condition became terminal, they traveled to Canada to officially marry, accompanied by three health aides and a small group of close friends. Their marriage in Toronto, as well as their decades-long devotion, is chronicled in an award-winning documentary titled: Edie and Thea—A very Long Engagement.
Thea died in 2009. A short time later, Edie suffered a serious heart attack, leaving her in fragile health with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
When Spyer died, she left her entire estate to Windsor, primarily her share in the couple’s New York apartment. However, in 1996, Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage for all federal purposes as a union between a man and a woman. Despite being married in Canada and having a domestic partnership in New York, DOMA prohibited Edie from the benefit of a tax exemption for surviving spouses, resulting in a federal estate tax bill of more than $300,000. In 2010, at age 81, Windsor decided to challenge the unfair tax in court.
She met lawyer Roberta Kaplan, also a Jewish lesbian, who agreed to take her case. They became close friends while working on the case, celebrating Jewish holidays together with Kaplan’s family. After two lower court victories, her case was accepted by the Supreme Court. Windsor’s case had the backing of many Jewish organizations, including the Anti-defamation League, Hadassah, and the Conservative and Reform movements.
The Supreme Court victory for Edith Windsor was a landmark victory for gay marriage, declaring DOMA—which excluded gay married couples from over 1,000 federal provisions—unconstitutional. The decision marked the first time that the U.S. federal government recognized same sex marriage. Gay couples now could file joint tax returns, get access to veteran’s and Social Security benefits, hold on to their homes when their spouses died, and get green cards for their foreign spouses.
After the Supreme Court victory, worshipers packed Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in Manhattan for Friday night services to celebrate. Kaplan and Windsor spoke, comparing their efforts to the daughters of Zelophehad in the Torah, women who fought for their inheritance rights and won. “Inherent in Jewish belief is the view that people, communities, and even the law must and should change when times and ethical circumstances require it,” said Kaplan.
Now Edith Windsor’s living room was filled with mementos of a battle she never expected to fight, including a pile of thank-you letters and a photo of Michelle Obama giving her a congratulatory hug. In 2013, Edie was named one of the Forward 50 most important Jewish people and was nominated for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Her life is an inspiration to all seniors that it is never too late to make a difference!
On September 26, 2016, Windsor married Judith Kasen at New York City Hall. At the time of the wedding, Windsor was age 87 and Kasen was age 51.
On September 12, 2017, Windsor's wife Judith Kasen-Windsor confirmed that Windsor had died in Manhattan, but did not specify a cause. Former US President Bill Clinton, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, California US Senator Dianne Feinstein, and various politicians and celebrities posted words of tribute on their Twitter accounts.[1] Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at her funeral.
Among Windsor’s many accomplishments and awards are:
Award |
Presented by |
Date |
Notes |
Joyce Warshaw Lifetime Achievement Award |
October 25, 2010 |
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Trailblazer in Law Award |
Marriage Equality New York |
May 19, 2011 |
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Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty |
June 11, 2011 |
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New York City Council Award |
June 16, 2011 |
Presented during council's Gay Pride celebrati |
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Edie Windsor & Thea Spyer Equality Award |
The LOFT |
2012 |
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Susan B. Anthony Award |
National Organization for Women New York City |
February 15, 2012 |
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Visionary Award |
2012 |
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Trailblazer Award |
April 11, 2013 |
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Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service at New York University |
May 22, 2013 |
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Presidential Medal |
New York University |
May 24, 2013 |
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Keeping Faith Award |
American Constitution Society for Law & Policy |
September 17, 2013 |
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Lifetime Leadership Award |
October 8, 2013 |
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Trailblazer of Democracy Award |
The Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Award |
October 11, 2013 |
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Individual Leadership Award |
October 14, 2013 |
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Alumni Achievement Award |
October 18, 2013 |
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American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism |
Common Good Award |
November 13, 2013 |
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Out 100 – Lifetime Achievement Award |
November 13, 2013 |
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The Imperial Diamond Award for Vision – Support – Activism |
Imperial Court System New York |
March 29, 2014 |
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Ovation Award |
2014 |
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Laurel Hester Award |
Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) – New York |
April 25, 2014 |
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Women's Rights Award |
July 14, 2014 |
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Named by Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons of the 2015 LGBT History Month |
Equality Forum |
2015 |
Windsor was honored by the National Computing Conference in 1987 as a "pioneer in operating systems.
A 2009 documentary, Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement, by Susan Muska and Greta Olfsdottir, documents Windsor and Spyer's life and wedding. The DVD of the film contains a full-length interview with Justice Harvey Brownstone, the Canadian judge who officiated at the Windsor/Spyer wedding.
She was a runner-up, to Pope Francis, for 2013 Time Person of the Year.
In 2016, Lesbians Who Tech initiated the Edie Windsor Coding Scholarship Fund
In 2018, a block of South 13th Street in Philadelphia was designated as Edie Windsor Way.
In June 2019, Windsor was one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument (SNM) in New York City's Stonewall Inn The SNM is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history. Tthe Wall's unveiling was timed to take place during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots..
The information above came largely from:
(1) The LOFT: LGBTQ+ Community Center
https://www.loftgaycenter.org/edie_windsor
252 Bryant Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
(914) 948-2932
(2) Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Windsor
Sondra Akins (1944- )
Today we are celebrating the lifelong achievements of science educator Sondra Akins!
Akins was born on March 16, 1944 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. At a time when few women of color were pursuing a career in science Akins was inspired to study chemistry by her high school science teacher.
"But just before twelfth grade [at Atkins High School, Winston-Salem, North Carolina] is when I had my, I had Inez Scales (ph.) for a chemistry teacher, female chemistry teacher whom I had seen in the hallways, even from ninth grade with her white jacket on. And I thought she was--, in the days, language I would--she was cool. I mean there was just something very interesting about that lady. And once I got into her class, I knew chemistry was it. That was the subject. I knew it."
Akins earned her B.S. degree in chemistry in 1967 from the University of California, Berkeley and then her M.S. degree in chemistry with a minor in higher education from Florida State University in 1970. After earning her master’s degree, she taught physical science at Greco Junior High School in Tampa, Florida. Between 1971 and 1974, she served as an instructor in chemistry at St. Petersburg Junior College (now known as St. Petersburg College).
Akins went on to teach science at both the secondary and college level and had a long career as an educator in the Englewood, New Jersey school district, serving as a teacher, principal, and staff developer. In 1993, she received her Ed.D. degree in science education from Columbia University. Since 2001, Akins has been a professor in the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education at William Paterson University. She has written numerous essays on science education including a chapter in the National Science Teachers Association book, Exemplary Science: Best Practices in Professional Development
Over her long career in science education, Akins has been recognized many times by her community including the Award for Dedication to Science Teaching from Sigma Xi of Ramapo College. She has been a member of the American Chemical Society, the National Science Teachers Association and the Association of Science Teacher Educators.
By Alex Thompson
Ballet and Engineering
Born in 1933, Judith Love Cohen set out from an early age to do things girls were simply not expected to do at that time. She had a deep passion for maths and was very good at it, to the point where her fellow classmates would pay her to do their homework for them. As she grew up Cohen realised she was more interested in engineering and studied at college whilst also performing in New York’s Metropolitan Opera Ballet company.
Though this may seem an odd mix but Cohen was used to being unique – as she went through school, she had noticed that she was the only girl in the majority of her maths classes. This continued when she went to study at the University of South California, completing both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science courses without ever seeing another female engineer. She studied at night whilst working in the day as a junior engineer for North American Aviation. Upon joining NASA, she was one of only a handful of female engineers employed by the space agency at the time. Not that this discouraged her. She later remarked “I had already figured out that I was going to do things that no [other girls] ever did.”
Project Apollo
Cohen worked on many of the first spacecraft in America’s space programme, including Pioneer, where she worked with her first husband, Bud. However, she considered her greatest achievement to be her work on the Apollo missions. Her most important engineering feat was her contribution to the Lunar Module’s Abort Guidance System, which played a critical role in the safe return of the Apollo 13 astronauts after an oxygen tank exploded on their way to the Moon. The return of the astronauts alive and well is considered one of the most incredible moments in the history of human spaceflight and Cohen was present when the astronauts paid their thanks to the TRW facility for their crucial role in their return.
A Star is Born
It was whilst working on the Abort Guidance System that the story that went viral took place. At the time of the first Moon landings in July 1969, Cohen was already eight months pregnant with her fourth child. On one particular day the following month Cohen came into work as usual when her waters broke. On her way out of the door she grabbed a printout of a problem she’d been working on and continued to work on it whilst in labour. According to another of her children, Neil Siegel, she phoned her boss later that day and “told him she had solved the problem. And… oh yes, the baby was born, too.” The child she gave both to that day was future School of Rock and Jumanji star Jack Black.
Yes really.
Engineer to Author
Cohen continued to work at NASA throughout the 1970s and 80s, working with then-husband (and Black’s dad) Tom as satellite engineers on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Cohen retired as an engineer in 1990 and set up a publishing company Cascade Pass with new husband David Katz. She wrote and published a series of books called “You Can be a Woman….”, which was aimed at young girls and encouraged them to follow various careers in science, with David illustrating. They also published another series that encouraged younger children to practice environmentally friendly exercises called “Green”, and a book named “The Women of Apollo” which featured four biographies of women who had helped put humans on the Moon, including Cohen herself.
Legacy
Judith Love Cohen is much more than an interesting anecdote. She was a mathematician, a dancer, a publisher, a highly talented engineer and an advocate for women in the workplace. Some of the practices we take for granted today, such as internal listings of jobs in companies and formal descriptions for every vacant position, were Cohen’s ideas, with the main purpose being to encourage more women to apply. Upon her passing in 2016, Siegel wrote “she must have influenced tens of thousands of young girls to become interested in professional careers of one sort or another.”
And that is the true legacy of Judith Love Cohen.
About the author: Alex Thompson is a Space Communications Presenter at the National Space Centre.
What a remarkable, young woman. Hers will be a name we will hear more about as the years go by. We must do all that we can to protect our democracy so that young people like Dasia can get the knowledge to make the world a better place.
For more stories of remarkable women, see HERSTORY on womensvoicesmedia.org