Women S History

Cleopatra fell for Marc Anthony, but her real passion was roses: She covered the floor of her banquet hall with roses to a depth of nearly 2 feet.Tropical plants intrigued the late Margaret Mee, a botanist who spent much of her life in the Amazon, painting endangered flora and living on packets of dried soup boiled in swamp water.Dahlias won the heart of the Empress Josephine, who spent 3,000 francs for a single tuber for her famous French garden."Josephine collected plants like her husband Napoleon conquered countries," says Jennifer Bennett in her book, "Lilies of the Hearth," a study of the historical relationship between women and plants.

March is Women's History Month, but the headlines give us little to celebrate. Women who dare to attend protests in Egypt are routinely beaten and subjected to brutal "virginity tests. " Girls in Afghanistan are beaten or disfigured for attending school. Infant girls are poisoned or abandoned to die in India and China because they are a burden to the family. Honor killings, the forced marriage of young girls to older men, the rape of virgins in Africa because they do not carry the AIDS virus - the list of horrors goes on and on. Indeed, as much of the developing world is shaken awake by democratic movements or plain old capitalism, the lives of women, made so clear to those of us in the West because of the globalization of news, seem to be trapped in amber.

Elaine Hedges, the founder and coordinator of the Women's Studies program at Towson State University and an English professor for more than 20 years, died of undetermined causes June 5 at Sinai Hospital. She was 69 and lived in Roland Park.Dr. Hedges, who retired last year, was nationally known as an authority on women's history and women's studies. She wrote or edited 12 books and wrote scores of articles related to women. Her writings were used in college classrooms nationwide."She was a truly profound and reputable scholar in a field that was criticized about not being serious about real scholarship," said Clarinda Harris, a longtime friend who chairs the English Department at Towson State.

BOSTON -- The WNBA draft came soon after the NCAA women's championship game -- a little too soon, perhaps, for three Duke players still agonizing over their 78-75 overtime loss to Maryland on Tuesday. Wednesday afternoon, Duke's Monique Currie went No. 3 in the draft, while teammates Mistie Williams (second round) and Jessica Foley (third round) were selected, too. Three other first-round picks were from teams that also felt the sting of Final Four defeat: No. 1 selection Seimone Augustus of LSU, No. 9 La'Tangela Atkinson of North Carolina and No. 14 Scholanda Hoston of LSU. Also taken among the 14 players in the first round were four whose seasons ended in the Elite Eight and three who made it as far as the Sweet 16. And what college team was totally absent from the draft?

March is Women's History Month, but the headlines give us little to celebrate. Women who dare to attend protests in Egypt are routinely beaten and subjected to brutal "virginity tests. " Girls in Afghanistan are beaten or disfigured for attending school. Infant girls are poisoned or abandoned to die in India and China because they are a burden to the family. Honor killings, the forced marriage of young girls to older men, the rape of virgins in Africa because they do not carry the AIDS virus - the list of horrors goes on and on. Indeed, as much of the developing world is shaken awake by democratic movements or plain old capitalism, the lives of women, made so clear to those of us in the West because of the globalization of news, seem to be trapped in amber.

It's National Women's History Month, and appropriately, seniors in Brooklyn Park are talking about Rosa Parks. They're also discussing Marion Anderson and other women who have made their indelible mark on America.The catalyst for all this conversation is what Kathy White, satellite coordinator for the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging, calls "an impromptu little history program (about) women."White started the Women's History Program about three months ago as one of many activities offered by the Department of Aging at the Brooklyn Park Library, and the discussions have been going on since.

The traffic jam and the ticket scalpers outside Cole Field House in College Park last Tuesday night were only to be expected when a game features the country's No. 1 and No. 2 teams -- except for one thing: These were the top women's teams.No. 1 Maryland lost to second-ranked Virginia as a last-second shot missed the basket. But the Terps' slim defeat took back seat to the fact that a standing-room-only crowd of 14,500 jammed into Cole to see women playing good, exciting basketball. The evening was a tribute to Chris Weller, who in her 17 years as coach has built a strong women's program despite the years when a big crowd might mean a couple of hundred spectators.

Every so often a show comes along that makes you remember why art is such a vital part of the human experience. The big Judy Chicago retrospective at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington is such a show. If you see nothing else this season, don't miss this one. Chicago almost single-handedly invented feminist art in the 1970s; before her, there were plenty of women artists, but they were stuck in the same situation as women pianists then, for whom the highest praise was the backhanded compliment, "She plays like a man."

SILENTS AT THE CREATIVE ALLIANCE -- "Silent Sounds," a series of vintage silent films shown with live musical accompaniment, kicks off at the Creative Alliance tonight with Frank Peregini's Scar of Shame (1927), a drama that examines the role of social class within the African-American community. The film was the first produced by the Colored Players Film Corp. of Philadelphia. Saxophonist and band leader Carl Grubbs will perform his jazz-inspired score for the film. Showtime is 8 p.m. at the old Patterson Theatre, 3134 Eastern Ave. in Highlandtown.

BOSTON -- The WNBA draft came soon after the NCAA women's championship game -- a little too soon, perhaps, for three Duke players still agonizing over their 78-75 overtime loss to Maryland on Tuesday. Wednesday afternoon, Duke's Monique Currie went No. 3 in the draft, while teammates Mistie Williams (second round) and Jessica Foley (third round) were selected, too. Three other first-round picks were from teams that also felt the sting of Final Four defeat: No. 1 selection Seimone Augustus of LSU, No. 9 La'Tangela Atkinson of North Carolina and No. 14 Scholanda Hoston of LSU. Also taken among the 14 players in the first round were four whose seasons ended in the Elite Eight and three who made it as far as the Sweet 16. And what college team was totally absent from the draft?

SILENTS AT THE CREATIVE ALLIANCE -- "Silent Sounds," a series of vintage silent films shown with live musical accompaniment, kicks off at the Creative Alliance tonight with Frank Peregini's Scar of Shame (1927), a drama that examines the role of social class within the African-American community. The film was the first produced by the Colored Players Film Corp. of Philadelphia. Saxophonist and band leader Carl Grubbs will perform his jazz-inspired score for the film. Showtime is 8 p.m. at the old Patterson Theatre, 3134 Eastern Ave. in Highlandtown.

HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut now stands alone in women's college basketball history. The Huskies reached an unprecedented fifth consecutive Final Four last night with a 66-49 victory over Penn State in the NCAA tournament East Regional final at the Civic Center. The streak started in Philadelphia with the 2000 championship. It was a crowning moment for senior Diana Taurasi, one of the best to ever play the women's game. The East Regional's Most Outstanding Player scored 27 points, including six in a 9-0 run that helped the second-seeded Huskies (29-4)

In Ellicott City, where the past is regularly documented with exhibits, events and "living history" participants in period dress, a new walking tour reveals some overlooked workers, property owners and entrepreneurs - all of them women. "I'm a little more interested in the ladies," said Adele Air, historic sites programs coordinator for the county Department of Recreation and Parks and leader of the tour. "They don't get recognition off the bat." Air has offered the Women of Ellicott Mills tour - which uses the town's former name - since March.

Jennifer Weeks Sekowski of Forest Hill has accomplished what few have by their early 30s: She has made breakthrough discoveries in science, won numerous awards and has a loving family. And because of her many accomplishments, she has been selected to be a speaker at the 19th annual Women's History Month luncheon March 2 in Edgewood. "I feel really blessed," she said. "I've been able to accomplish everything that I wanted." It was at college that her interest in science flourished. She attended University of Pennsylvania, where she studied neuroscience and did some research.

Every so often a show comes along that makes you remember why art is such a vital part of the human experience. The big Judy Chicago retrospective at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington is such a show. If you see nothing else this season, don't miss this one. Chicago almost single-handedly invented feminist art in the 1970s; before her, there were plenty of women artists, but they were stuck in the same situation as women pianists then, for whom the highest praise was the backhanded compliment, "She plays like a man."

They are women you know, or should know. Women of courage, intelligence, vision - "she-roes" who have broken ground and, occasionally, the rules, to make this world a better - or at least more interesting - place. We celebrate their achievements throughout March - National Women's History Month. The seed for the celebration was planted back in 1978, when a group of teachers in Sonoma County, Calif., set aside a week to recognize women's history. Three years later, Barbara Mikulski (then a Maryland congresswoman)

Advice and strategies to help your children read Women in the United States have made huge advances over the years, but just how far have they really come? In 1789, Abigail Adams made a plea to her husband to "remember the ladies" in the new constitution. It took more than 100 years before her words were heeded. In 1920, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, and 73 years later Janet Reno became the first women attorney general. By walking history's pathways with women like these, girls learn to step forward with confidence and gain a sense of what is possible.

Cindy Gail Konits' pictures make viewers think twice about sexual stereotypes.On display at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, her exhibit of 40 black and white photographs depicts 23 working women in fields historically dominated by men. The show, "The Best Woman for the Job," introduces women in fields such as construction, railroad engineering and steelworking, which the photographer hopes will expose viewers to non-traditional career options for women...

Ruth Levy, who turns 80 today, has a "very fine recollection of Baltimore." She grew up in Reservoir Hill, on a block of Whitelock Street since razed. But her memories can still take you door to door of the "intensely Jewish neighborhood" where she once went on foot, collecting payments for her father Albert Surosky, a kosher butcher. The 900 block of Whitelock Street, chock-full of dairy stores, groceries, cleaners, bakeries, a barbershop and drugstore, was a place "to exchange gossip and to shop," Levy says.

They have sailed the world many times over, charmed presidents and popes, rescued wounded men and cheated the deadliest tropical diseases. During World War II, Army nurses Helen Blotzer, Dorothy Davis, Agnes Sweeney and Eda Teague burrowed in foxholes, crawled through hostile turf, bathed from their helmets. All the while they wore brave faces as enemies attacked and baby-faced Americans cried in their arms. It was an adventure. And when it ended, they reverted to traditional roles, becoming military wives.