Local news- Press Release
Louisville Public Library Colorado - Celebrate Women s History Month 20 February 2024 ( news )
Louisville Public Library , state Colorado ( By Press Release office)
Feb 20,2024
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March is Women’s History Month!
Louisville has certainly been home to many exceptional women . While we don’t know all the stories , read on to learn about just a few trail - blazing Louisville women , including one of Louisville’s earliest historians , a daring aviatrix , a teacher with a love of reading , a Japanese American prom queen , and an award - winning astronaut! Follow us on
Instagram @LouisvilleMuseumto see photos of these amazing women all month long!
Eileen Harris Schmidt
was born in 1927 in Louisville . As a child , she suffered from rheumatic fever , which led to many hours in bed reading , learning , and listening to stories from her Italian grandmother , Savina Ferrari Zarini . She developed a lifelong love of reading and history , which she then dedicated to making Louisville better .
Eileen and cousin Denny Lepenske in a cart with a goat in Louisville in 1930
Eileen fostered a love of history in the youngest Louisvillians by leading story time at the very small Louisville Public Library in the 1970s , as well as in elderly Louisvillians by recording oral history interviews of Louisville’s older residents . These interviews captured priceless stories and information about what Louisville was like in the earliest days!
Louisville Public Library staff circa 1978 , L to R: Pam Papini , Pam Ferris , Larella Stout , Eileen Schmidt
In the 1980s , Eileen spent countless hours volunteering for the Louisville Historical Commission , and at the Historical Museum . She cataloged photos and artifacts , documented historic sites and buildings and wrote about Louisville history for the Louisville Times newspaper . Eileen was awarded the Louisville Pioneer Award in 1999 . Eileen is remembered for her outstanding efforts to preserve Louisville’s history .
Mary Trebingwas born in Illinois in 1920 . The Trebing family moved to Louisville , where Mary attended grade school . Her brother remembers that she excelled in school without really trying , and , indeed , she is listed as one of only five students to make straight A’s in the Lafayette Leader when she was a freshman in high school . After graduating , Mary attended Eastern Oklahoma Agricultural college , worked in the local District Attorney’s office , and actually took flying lessons at the local Winson Cocke Airport . According to the Louisville Times , Mary flew for six months before her parents knew about it!
Mary joined the aviation ferrying service of the Army on February 15 , 1943 , and was stationed at Houston , Texas . Mary was part of the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots ( WASPS ) . As more male servicemen were drafted or volunteered for the United States Army Air Force , female pilots were needed for transporting military aircraft throughout the country . Mary flew a variety of aircraft from trainers and transports to light , medium , and heavy bombers .
In a tragic turn of events , Mary’s plane lost power on a ferrying run over a heavily forested area in Oklahoma in November 1943 and she was unable to successfully crash land . She was killed instantly . Louisville was hit hard with the news . A funeral was held in town and the Mayor , James W . Hindman , issued a proclamation that all Louisville businesses be closed during the funeral .
Vera Dixon Taylor
was
born in 1907 in Superior , Colorado , a community founded by her great - grandfather , William Hake . She grew up on the Dixon farm , where Louisville Tech Center is now . She graduated from Louisville High School in 1925 and the University of Colorado in 1929 . Vera taught English and Latin after graduation in South Dakota and Colorado , including at Louisville High School for 20 years from 1952 to 1972 .
Louisville students from classes of 1924 , 1925 L to R: Vera Dixon , Victor Perrella , Agnes Liddle , & Vincent Mangus
Vera continued to share her love of reading after her retirement , volunteering at Centaurus High School’s library for the next 25 years! She also served as a member of the Louisville Housing Authority Board for 10 years and was active in the Saturday Study Club . In 1983 , Centaurus High School named their library “The Taylor Library , ” and Vera was named Colorado School Volunteer in 1988 , an award presented by Gov . Roy Romer .
“Mrs . Taylor” passed away at the age of 103 and will always be considered a treasured icon in our community as she touched many lives with her teaching and volunteer work .
Kiyoko Yamamoto
was born in Canfield , Colorado , to parents who immigrated from Japan . Her family spent the years during WWII there while she was very young . Unlike Japanese - Americans in California , Washington , Oregon , and some parts of Arizona , the Yamamotos were allowed to continue living in their homes and working on their farm during WWII .
During this month , the Museum is talking about “enemy aliens , ” a designation given to Japanese - Americans during WWII and the changes they were forced to make in their lives based on this designation . When Kiyoko was very young , the Yamamotos would have been forced to register as “enemy aliens” and surrender any firearms , shortwave radios , explosives , or cameras they may have owned .
Nonetheless , by the time Kiyoko was in high school , she seemed to be fully accepted by her Louisville classmates . During her senior year in 1953 , she participated in Glee Club , Mixed Chorus , was Secretary of the Future Business Leaders of America and Treasurer of the Future Homemakers of America . Kiyo was even voted as prom queen! According to the Louisville Times , the theme was “starlight . ”
“The gymnasium decoration continued the theme with a canopy of blue paper streamers falling from the ceiling with a silver star on the end of each streamer . In the center of the room was a huge blue and silver revolving star . The queen’s throne was a star and moon in a corner of the room . Miss Kiyo Yamamoto was crowned prom queen with Misses Yvonne Dionigi and Dolores Brown her attendants . ”
Kiyo left Louisville shortly after graduating , marrying David Takashi Nikaido in Denver in 1956 , and eventually settling in Maryland .
Jessica Watkinswas born in Maryland in 1988 but her family moved to Colorado when she was young . Often claimed by our neighboring town of Lafayette , which celebrates an annual “Jessica Watkins Day , ” many people don’t know that Watkins was actually an LMS Pirate for her middle school years! After attending Louisville Middle , she graduated from Fairview High School in Boulder , and went on to earn a BS in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford and a Doctorate in Geology from UCLA . Jessica is accomplished in several sports , including rugby , but is most well known for her work at NASA , including working on the Mars rover , Curiosity , and spending 170 days in space on her first spaceflight from April 27 - October 14 , 2022 .
Watkins has made invaluable contributions to NASA , furthering what we know about space , spaceflight , Mars , and conducting experiments that could one day improve life on Earth . To read more about Jessica Watkins’ many accomplishments and awards ,
read her NASA bio
, or follow the story of her time in space by scrolling through her Instagram account
@astro_watkins .
Astronaut Jessica Watkins observes Underway Recovery Test - 8 aboard the USS John P . Murtha . Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
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