CLAS Women of Distinction

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the admission of women to full, undergraduate status at UF, 47 alumnae will be named women of distinction. The group was selected to represent approximately 85,000 women who have attended the university, including those enrolled in summer school and specialized programs before 1947, when UF became fully coeducational. The celebration will be held Sept. 18-20 in conjunction with the public announcement of the university's $500 million "It's Performance That Counts" capital campaign. Listed below are CLAS alumnae who share this honor.

Carol Browner Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; English '77
Majorie H. Carr Founder and longtime president of Florida Defenders of the Environment; Biology '42
Sara E. Conlon Director of the National Clearinghouse for Professionals in Speech Education and the state's first speech consultant; Speech Pathology '65
Kathleen A. Deagan Research curator at UF's Florida Museum of Natural History, faculty member and archaeologist of the colonial Caribbean and St. Augustine; Anthropology '74
Molly Crocker Dougherty Professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, significant researcher focusing on women's health issues; Anthropology '73
Merrill J. Gerber Award-winning author of six novels and four collections of short stories; English '59
Adele K. Graham Leader for historic preservation, school volunteerism; attended '56-'59 Shere Hite Internationally known for her writings on sexual behavior in the U.S. and author of "The Hite Report on Female Sexuality," History '63, '66
Megan L. Neyer Chief of diversity management at the U.S. Air Force Academy, former diver, chair of Olympic Committee Athlete Support Program; Psychology '86
Patricia O'Connor Distinguished service professor at the University of Cincinnati, honored by Royal Spanish Academy of Language; Spanish/Romance Lang. '54, '62
Dr. Marsha Raulerson Physician, created Partners for Tomorrow Program, teaching parenting to 200 rural Alabama families; English '63
Joan D. Ruffier Businesswoman, past member and past chair of Board of Regents, will be first female president of the University of Florida Foundation; English '61
Emma Walker Schulken President of Virginia Highlands Community College; '59
Eleanor C. Smeal Former president of the National Association for Women, activist and authority on women's rights; Political Science '63