In 1978, the Kentucky Commission on Women started a campaign to bring attention to outstanding women who made significant contributions to Kentucky’s history.
The project, then called “Kentucky Women Excel” began as an exhibit at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair. Tens of thousands of Kentuckians viewed the watercolor portraits of six women from various backgrounds who worked in non-traditional ways during the eras in which they lived. Initially, when funds permitted, the collection of portraits was a traveling exhibit. But the Kentucky Commission on Women, in an effort to establish women’s rightful place in Kentucky’s history lobbied to have the portraits hung in the Kentucky State Capitol, creating a more appropriate balance to the statues and busts of men. In 1996, the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit found a permanent home in the West Wing and includes more than 60 portraits of Kentucky’s outstanding women.
The project, then called “Kentucky Women Excel” began as an exhibit at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair. Tens of thousands of Kentuckians viewed the watercolor portraits of six women from various backgrounds who worked in non-traditional ways during the eras in which they lived. Initially, when funds permitted, the collection of portraits was a traveling exhibit. But the Kentucky Commission on Women, in an effort to establish women’s rightful place in Kentucky’s history lobbied to have the portraits hung in the Kentucky State Capitol, creating a more appropriate balance to the statues and busts of men. In 1996, the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit found a permanent home in the West Wing and includes more than 60 portraits of Kentucky’s outstanding women.
As the depression swept through America, a young Thelma Stovall of Munfordville, Kentucky, wanted a job – mainly to help her struggling mother. At fifteen, she lied about her age, and went to work sweeping floors at the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company in Louisville. Thelma Stovall went on to become the first woman Lt. Governor of the Commonwealth defeating ten men to win the bid. And it was in this public service that perhaps she is best known for her relentless effort to ensure equal rights for women. She went on the speaking circuit across Kentucky championing passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Opponents of the ERA convinced legislators they had use poor judgment ratifying the amendment. READ MORE AND WATCH THE VIDEO SEGMENT ON THEMA STOVALL.
