When 140 women and men gathered at the Henry Strater Theatre on Friday for the Women’s Resource Center’s Extraordinary Women Luncheon, they were there to honor four women who have made a big difference in the community.
They also learned about the accomplishments of a newer Durango resident, keynote speaker Kathy E. “Ket” Thomas, a retired Air Force major general whose 30-year career included making significant strides for women in the military.
Her record includes serving during important historical events, such as helping to write the plan to fully integrate women into the Air Force, supporting the rescue of the merchant ship SS Mayaguez and helping resettle refugees after the evacuations from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Saigon, Vietnam.
She has often led the way in breaking barriers, whether it was updating uniform standards for women serving in minus-50-degree weather in Minot, N.D.; being a member of the first group of women tested for suitability to “man” missile silos; serving as the first female leader of an Air Force squadron, which consists of 1,800 men; or becoming the first female general officer in the U.S. Space Command.
“They thought women were delicate, sensitive and overly protected, and they would be hesitant to push the (launch) button if ordered,” Thomas said about the missile-silo tests. “They’ve apparently never noticed it’s the lioness who hunts or seen a bear sow protecting her cubs. Woman are fierce when it comes to protecting their families.”
In addition to her military career, she is also a lifelong Girl Scout. She has been a mentor wherever she goes.
“People say I must really enjoy mentoring young women, and I do,” she said. “But I also love to mentor young men because they are the ones who will see we are people of character, courage and commitment.”
Thomas, who attended the luncheon with her 93-year-old mother, Julie Thomas, apparently surprised a lot of people with her talk.
“A lot of people I know came over and said they didn’t even know I’d been in the military,” she said afterward. “I told them this is what I did, not who I am.”
The WRC honored Snowdown and Cowboy Poetry Gathering co-founder and longtime volunteer Linda Mannix with its Character Award, Danielle Enea with its Courage Award and Missy Crawford Rodey for her long-term commitment to improving health care in La Plata County, especially for impoverished women and children.
After Enea lost her youngest sister, Gena Rich, in a plane crash near Silverton, she created a 5K race honoring her and donated the proceeds to the resource center.
Attendees were saddened to hear the fourth honoree, Judith Aitken, who was receiving the organization’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, had died last week at the age of 90.
abutler@durangoherald.com
If you go
March is Women’s History Month, and a number of events have been planned to celebrate it. Admission is free unless otherwise noted.
7 p.m. Monday: Comedian Gina Brillon will perform in the Vallecito Room in the Student Union Building at Fort Lewis College.
7 p.m. Tuesday: A panel of FLC students will explore the similarities between environmentalism and feminism in the Vallecito Room in Eco-Fem Lenses.
7 p.m. Thursday: “Ain’t I A Woman,” a musical theater piece for actress and trio, celebrating four significant African-American women, will take place in the FLC Theater. Donations will be accepted.
5:30 P.M. FRIDAY: The Women’s Resource Center’s Girls Night Out Movies will screen “Iron Jawed Angels,” a history of the women’s suffrage movement, at the Animas City Theater. Donations will be accepted.
11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. MARCH 22: The American Association of University Women’s Book and Author Luncheon will feature Trail Canyon: 6 Miles Long, 10,000 Years Deep by Howard “Bud” Poe and Ann Butler at the Vallecito Room. Tickets are $35, with $15 going to the Cheryl Jackson Scholarship. They are available by mailing checks made out to Durango AAUW; send them to Treasurer Grace Deltscheff, 56 Red Cliffs Road, Durango, CO 81301. For more information, email holgnd@frontier.net or call her at 259-3040.
5 p.m. March 31: Reception honoring the late Morley Ballantine’s induction into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame at the Rochester Hotel. Light appetizers will be served with a cash bar.
