Women’s Hall of Fame honors six, including two from Jewish community of San Diego County

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Ingrid Croce will be honored as the Spirit of the 2012 San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame during an Induction Ceremony and Dinner at Liberty Station on March 10th at 5pm.

Other honorees will include at least two members of the Jewish community: former U.S. Rep. Lynn Schenk and Barbara Bry.

Croce is a self-made entrepreneur, restaurateur, author, publisher and philanthropist.  She opened Croce’s Restaurant in memory of her late husband, Jim Croce, in the mid 80’s at a time when downtown San Diego was in need of development.  Not only has she expanded her restaurant, but she is also the owner of Avalanche Records and Books, authored books, raised thousands of dollars for life threatening diseases, contributes to programs that help victims of abuse, and has been instrumental in lending a hand to the music and the arts scene.

Croce’s visionary work in the development of our community is one of the reasons she has been chosen for this award.

Other inductees will include:

Jane Booth, (1921 – 2008) has been selected as a “Historian”, and was directly responsible for preserving and archiving thousands of photos into numerous collections that are easily accessible to the San Diego community. Mrs. Booth took it upon herself to tell the story of Women’s History in San Diego through these photos that are kept in the San Diego History Center. Through her hard work and dedication, the History Center is able to maintain these 2.5 million photos, and her legacy lives on with numerous photos being added. Mrs. Booth will be honored posthumously.
 
Barbara Bry, is an entrepreneur who is being inducted as an “Empowerer of Women”. Ms. Bry is the co-founder of Atcom, but also the creator of Run Women Run, which focuses on electing pro-choice women in San Diego.  Ms. Bry is also a board member of the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation, the San Diego Jewish Women’s Foundation, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, and a lifetime board member of CONNECT.  As a way to further empower the girls and women in her community, she also serves as a mentor at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Business and an advisor to the UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge.

Makeda Dread Cheatom, Director of the World Beat Cultural Center is being inducted as a “Culturally Competent” woman.  The Center has been incredibly successful in providing a stage from which women can rediscover themselves and build self esteem through music, dance, and art.  Her selfless acts of kindness and voluntarism have touched many lives in the San Diego community. Her fight for equality through the expression of music and culture is not only inspirational but also vital to many people’s lives.

Anne Hoiberg, is being inducted as a courageous and generous “Activist”. She has been published hundreds of times, including two books (Women and the World of Work and Women as New “Manpower”), which discuss women’s health, women in military and domestic violence.  Ms. Hoiberg has held leadership positions in many local, national and international organizations including League of Women Voters, Women’s Political Caucus, American Association of University Women, and National League of American Pen Women. She was invited by NATO to lead an international symposium, Women and the World of Work, in Portugal.  Ms. Hoiberg has received awards for her work with the United Nations Association.

Lynn Schenk, selected as a “Trailblazer,” is courageous, fearless, and pushes for what she believes.  As a lawyer, Ms. Schenk co-founded the Lawyers Club of San Diego, and works to eliminate gender bias in the law in such areas as community property, credit, and marital equality. Also, Ms. Schenk was the first woman elected to the United States House of Representatives representing the San Diego area.  Following her position in the House, Ms. Schenk worked under Governor Gray Davis as his Chief of Staff and was responsible for increasing the number of women and people of color on the bench.

 
The Women’s Hall of Fame is a collaboration between the Women’s Museum of California, the Women’s Studies Department at San Diego State University, The Women’s Center at UC San Diego, and the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women   The ongoing goal of the Women’s Hall of Fame is to recognize and celebrate women’s authentic contributions.

Leslie Lopez from KUSI TV as Emcee for the evening program and Justice Judith McConnell will serve as the Induction Officiate. Other prominent guests include Congresswoman Susan Davis, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Debra Reed, C.E.O. of Sempra Energy,
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Preceding provided by the Women’s Hall of Fame of San Diego, http://www.womenshalloffamesd.org