Dr. Muriel A. Howard, president of Buffalo State College, will host an inaugural reception to celebrate the formation of the Western New York Friends of the National Women's Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2002, at 5:30 p.m. in the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. The event, underwritten by the law firm of Hodgson Russ, and membership in the Western New York Friends will support the educational programs of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

"As the National Women's Hall of Fame prepares to induct Jamestown's Lucille Ball and Buffalo native and Zonta International founder Marian de Forest, we applaud all the dedicated women of Western New York and their commitment to preserving women's history for future generations. It is fitting that our region, so steeped in women's history, will now be home to the first associated Friends of the National Women's Hall of Fame. It is gratifying to see the continued recognition of women's roles in the evolution of our country," said Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, Executive Director of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women and National Women's Hall of Fame Board Member.

Dr. Geraldine Bard and Dr. Elizabeth Cappella, Founders of the Western New York Women's Hall of Fame see the importance of connecting the two organizations. "The Western New York Women's Hall of Fame has been at the forefront of recognizing the significant contributions of women here to our local and national legacy. We are gratified that the two organizations, which share such an important mission of recognizing and celebrating the achievements of great American women, will be linked," Dr. Bard said.

The National Women's Hall of Fame is a national membership organization recognizing and celebrating the achievements of individual American women. The Hall was founded in historic Seneca Falls, New York, the site of the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848. A not-for-profit educational organization, its programs include inductions of distinguished American women, educational activities, special exhibits and events for the enrichment of public understanding and appreciation of the diverse contributions women make to society. One hundred and seventy-six women have been inducted since the Hall's founding in 1969. The National Women's Hall of Fame is supported by corporations, foundations and individual benefactors.

The roster of women inducted into the Western New York Women's Hall of Fame includes: Lucille Ball; Florence E. Baugh; Ellen Grant Bishop, Ph.D.; Mary Johnson Lord; Olga Karman Mendel, Ph.D.; Muriel A. Howard, Ph.D.; Deborah A. Naybor; Cornelia Bentley Sage Quintin; The Honorable Mary Lou Rath; Anna Reinstein, M.D.; Mary B. Talbert; Margaret L. Wendt; Bridgett Barrell; Marian de Forest; Carman del Valle; Constance B. Eve; The Honorable Ann T. Mikoll; Anne Rogovin; Pat Swift MacClennan; Esther Sans Takeuchi, Ph.D.; Elizabeth J. Cappella, Ph.D.; The Honorable M. Dolores Denman; Susan Gaska; Lois Marie Gibbs; Maria Maltby Love; Sister Denise Roche, Ph.D.; Carolyn B. Thomas; Lauren Belfer; Joan Kendig Bozer; Annie Damer; Ernestine Nardin; Elizabeth Pierce Olmstead, M.D.; Mildred Ellis Tidwell; Marion Can?edo; Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker; Diane English; Edith Marie Flanigen; Maryann Saccomando Freedman; Marsha S. Henderson; Katharine Pratt Horton; Anna Catherine Murray Kearns; Elizabeth Jane Letson; Geraldine Ochocinska; Gretchen Engstrom Stringer; The Honorable Rose H. Sconiers; Arlene F.Kaukus; Eunice E. Lewin; Joan Male; Nancy A. Naples; Margaret Pericak-Vance; Ph.D.; Catharine Weiss; and Mary Wood.

For more information about the August 28 event or to join the Western New York Friends of the National Women's Hall of Fame, please contact Denise O'Donnell at (716) 848-1314.