History

Carson’s work sparked national concern about pollution, particularly pesticides. In 1963, she testified before Congress, demanding new policies for the use of chemicals. Her efforts led to celebration of the first Earth Day and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, as well as passage of key environmental laws, such as the Clean Air and Clean Water acts.

In 1972, the U.S. banned the pesticide DDT, which may have saved the bald eagle, the osprey, and other birds from extinction.

Carson’s courage is all the more remarkable given that, as she wrote and then defended Silent Spring, she was also battling breast cancer. She died in 1964 in her Silver Spring home, which she had designed herself.

“She was vilified, she received death threats, and she was dying of cancer the whole time,” says Linda Shevitz of the Maryland State Department of Education, who also serves as coordinator of the Maryland Women's History Project and MWHC program chair.

“Yet, she persevered.” 

Carson’s home, at 11701 Berwick Road in Silver Spring, is designated a National Historic Landmark and remains open to the public.

In 2007, in honor of what would’ve been her 100th birthday, Governor Martin O’Malley proclaimed May 27 “Rachel Carson Day.”

Carmen Delgado Votaw

A national and international civil rights leader, Carmen Delgado Votaw has committed her life to the advancement of women, children, and families.

Promoting equal opportunities for women since 1964, the Puerto Rican-born Votaw has led programs and campaigns—such as those promoted by the Overseas Education Fund of the League of Women Voters—that improve the status of women in the U.S. and Latin America.

In the mid 1970s, Votaw was appointed to the Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, the International Women's Year Commission, and the National Advisory Committee for Women by President Jimmy Carter. In 1978, she was elected president of the Inter-American Commission of Women. The first Latina to hold the position of chief of staff in a Congressional office, Votaw worked with Congressman Jaime Fuster of Puerto Rico from 1985 to 1991.

Besides governmental operations, she has shared her expertise with numerous other organizations, including the United Way of America and the Girls Scouts of the USA.

A Maryland resident since 1962, Votaw, who also penned Puerto Rican Women: Some Biographical Profiles, retired as senior vice president for public policy for the nonprofit Alliance for Children and Families in 2007. She still serves women, girls, and youth today, volunteering with the Girl Scouts and the MWHC.

“Carmen has [accomplished great feats] in 90 different countries,” says Jill Moss Greenberg, MWHC’s executive director.

“Yet what is so special about her is that she remains, at heart, a real advocate of people in the community, in low-income areas, and in neighborhoods. She is simply down to earth and dedicated to justice.”

“Being included in the first and exalted group of significant female figures of Maryland is important to me because it reinforces my belief that hard work [and] principles of fairness, civil rights, and quality of life pay off,” says Votaw.

“If just one girl in Maryland is motivated to emulate any of the women selected, that is payoff enough.”

Nancy S. Grasmick

Maryland’s first lady of education, Dr. Nancy Grasmick, is a woman of courage and a tireless advocate for education.

The first female state superintendent of schools and the nation’s longest-serving superintendent, Grasmick has helped Maryland become a nationally recognized achiever. In 2009, Education Week ranked the state’s public schools first in the country and noted that Maryland is “the nation’s most consistently high-performing state.” Many policies enacted over Grasmick’s long tenure, in fact, have been copied by other systems nationwide.