Jenna Bush Hager to Keynote Fundraiser for Virginia Women’s Monument in RVA
Adèle Goodman Clark’s name is not well known but a monument honoring her as well as other groundbreaking women will be the recipient of a September fundraiser featuring Jenna Bush Hager as the keynote speaker.
Located in Capitol Square, the Virginia Women’s Monument, subtitled Voices from the Garden, is the first of its kind in the nation recognizing the full range of Virginia women’s achievements, from the first president of a bank, to the chief of the Pamunkeys, to women’s sufferage, to a 1700s newspaper publisher. The monument recognizes and honors their achievements.
About Adèle Goodman Clark: Born in Montgomery, AL, in 1882, her family moved to Richmond when Adèle was 12. At the age of 27, she and 18 other women formed the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia to encourage legislators to give women the right to vote. A graduate of the New York School of Art, she was instrumental in the opening of the Richmond Academy of Arts which later became the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Throughout her life she served in a number positions including dean of women at the College of William and Mary, secretary of Governor Lee Trinkle’s Commission on the Simplification of State and Local Government, secretary of Governor Harry Byrd’s Liberal Arts College for Women Commission, served on the Virginia Arts Commission, and other endeavors. Adèle died in Richmond at the age of 100 in 1983.
About Jenna Bush Hager: Jenna, 35, is the daughter of former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, and the granddaughter of former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush. Her husband Henry is the son of former Virginia Lieutenant Governor John Hager and his wife Maggie Hager. Jenna is a wife, mother of two daughters ages 2 and 4, teacher, author, journalist, and TV personality with her work on NBC. She and her twin sister Barbara are currently on tour promoting their book, “Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.”
About the Virginia women chosen for the Women’s Memorial: Twelve Virginia women were chosen to represent all areas of the Commonwealth, from all walks of life, spanning 400 years of history.
Ann Burras Laydon (c. 1594-after 1625) Jamestown. -Ann Burras, a 14-year-old maid to Mistress Forrest, arrived in Jamestown in 1608 aboard the Mary and Margaret. Ann and Mistress Forrest were the first two female settlers in the colony. When Mrs. Forrest died, Ann married carpenter John Laydon, in what is believed to be the first wedding held in the colony. She and John had 4 daughters—Virginia, Alice, Katherine and Margaret. She was employed as a seamstress and at one point Gov. Thomas Dale is reported to have ordered her beating because of the unsatisfactory quality of the shirts she had made. As a result of the punishment, she suffered a miscarriage. Ann survived both this harsh treatment and the winter of 1609-1610, known as the “starving time”, demonstrating her resilience and fortitude.
Cockacoeske (fl. 1656- d. 1686) Jamestown. -Cockacoeske, (pronounced Coke a cow ski) was a Pamunkey chief, and descendant of Opechancanough, brother of the paramount chief Powhatan. Upon the death of her husband Totopotomoy, chief of the Pamunkey circa 1649-1656, Cockacoeske became queen of the Pamunkey. In 1676, a few months before Bacon’s Rebellion, the insurrection’s leader Nathaniel Bacon and his followers attacked the Pamunkey, killing some of Cockacoeske’s people and taking others captive. An astute politician, Cockacoeske signed the Treaty of Middle Plantation on May 29, 1677, reuniting, under her authority, several tribes that had not been under Powhatan domination since 1646, as well as establishing the Pamunkey Reservation. Cockacoeske ruled the Pamunkey for 30 years until her death in 1686.
Mary Draper Ingles (c.1732-1815)-Southwest Virginia. Moved as a teenager to Virginia as a part of the Scots- Irish migration. In July 1755, Mary was taken captive by Shawnee Indians during the French and Indian War. She escaped, travelling 600 miles back to her home. She established the Ingles Ferry which was vital to her rural community.
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (1731-1802)-Fairfax. While she was not referred to as First Lady, she was the first woman to hold the position, during George Washington’s presidency, and will serve as the representative for the wives of all eight Virginia-born presidents.
Clementina Bird Rind (1740-1774)-Williamsburg. Took over the editorship and management of the Virginia Gazette, after the death of her husband; under her leadership the newspaper remained official printer of the colony.
Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818-1907)-Dinwiddie. A slave who bought her freedom, she became Mary Todd Lincoln’s seamstress and confidant during the White House years. She established the Contraband Relief Association, which provided support for recently freed slaves and wounded soldiers.
Sally Louisa Tompkins (1833-1916)-Mathews Co. Captain Sally Tompkins established Robertson Hospital in Richmond to treat wounded soldiers when few, if any, women held the top administrative position. Her hospital had the lowest death rate of any during the Civil War due to her skill and standards.
Maggie L. Walker (1864-1934)-Richmond. The first woman to charter a bank in the United States, with the founding of the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Richmond.
Sarah G. Boyd Jones (1866-1905)-Richmond. One of the first women to pass the Virginia Medical Examining Board’s examination. She helped found a medical association for African-American doctors, opening a hospital and nursing school in 1903 which ultimately became Richmond Community Hospital.
Laura Lu Copenhaver (1868-1940)- Smyth Co./Marion. Expanded southwestern Virginia’s agricultural economy, as director of information for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, by emphasizing cooperative marketing of farm products to improve the standard of living for farm families. She established Rosemont Industries.
Virginia Estelle Randolph (1875-1958) – Henrico. Virginia developed a nationally-recognized approach to education, creating a successful formula based on practicality, creativity, and involvement from parents and the community.
Adele Goodman Clark (1882-1983)-Richmond. Active suffragist who became president of the League of Women Voters in 1921. Adele was instrumental in the establishment of the Virginia Art Commission, She is considered to be one of the founders of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Join the Virginia Capitol Foundation
for
A Conversation with Jenna Bush Hager
Moderated by Kay Coles James, this open Q&A session will be a lively discussion of the challenges of work/life balance, insights about female role models, and many other topics. This event supports the Virginia Women’s Monument on Capitol Square. Light refreshments and coffee will be served.
If you’re going:
What: A Conversation With Jenna Bush Hager
Date: Thursday, September 7, 2017
Time: 10:00-11:30 a.m. (Doors open at 9:15 a.m. for registration and refreshments)
Location: Saint Catherine’s School
601 Grover Avenue, Richmond, VA 23226
