Lakewood Resident, Valerie Lyons, Inducted Into The Ohio Women's Hall Of Fame

Valerie Lyons 2011 Inductee into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame

Valerie J. Lyons and Linda S. Noelker were nominated into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame (OWHF), August 25, 2011, in the Atrium of the Ohio Statehouse last Thursday.

Lyons, nominated for her contributions in Science, is the Chief of the Power and In-Space Propulsion Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The Division performs research and technology development for aerospace power systems including batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, Stirling convertors, and power electronics. She is also the founder and director of an Aerospace Science Summer Camp for children ages 10 through 15.

Noelker, nominated for her contributions in Community Service and Health Service, is a highly accomplished and respected profession in the field of gerontological research, policies, and service. She joined the Benjamin Rose Institute in 1974 as a research analyst and gradually assumed positions of greater responsibility. Her contributions have addressed critical service concerns of older adults and their families and offer avenues for creative delivery of services at the local, state, and national levels.

All women received awards and yellow roses, which signified the suffrage movement and Women’s Equality Day, which was August 26, 2011.

Welcoming the inductees and guests was Linda R. Hengst, Executive Director of the Ohioana Library Association. Master of Ceremonies, Sharon D. Howard, Director of Marketing and Communications at Dayton Development Coalition and 2009 OWHF inductee, spoke while Dorothy O. Jackson, retired Deputy-Mayor, City of Akron, and 1990 OWHF inductee, interpreted for the hearing impaired.

OWHF was established in 1978 by the Women’s Division of Employment services, now part of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The 2011 inductees will be joining more than 400 members of OWHF which include famous Ohioans such as actors Doris Day and Hallie Berry, artists Maya Lin and Ann Hamilton, journalists Christine Brennan, Gail Collins, and Erma Bombeck, authors Harriet Beecher Stowe, Toni Morrison, Rita Dove, Lois Lenski, and other extraordinary women.

Other inducted into the 2011 OWHF: Cheryl A. Boyce, Franklin County, nominated for her contributions to Health Services. Elizabeth H. Flick, Franklin County, nominated for her contributions to Community and Military Service. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Franklin County, nominated for her contributions to Cultural Activism and the Arts. Brenda J. Hollis, Henry County, nominated for her contributions in the Military Service and Law. Mary C. Juhas, Franklin County, nominated for her contributions in Science and Education. Kleia R. Luckner, Lucas County, nominated for her contributions in Health Service and Law, and Carrie Vonderhaar, Hamilton County, nominated for her contributions in the Arts and Conservation. 

The Ohioana Library coordinated the nomination, selection, and induction program for 2011. It also holds the records of the members of the OWHF where they are accessible to researchers and the general public.

More information about the women in the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame can be found at http://jfs.ohio.gov/women/.

Thanks go to Farah B. Majidzadeh, 2000 OWHF inductee, who sponsored the event.