Although there are many women like Elizabeth Caddy Stanton, Lecretia Mott and others in the public domain who deserve our honor and respect, for me, this conversation is a personal one. My mother, Dorothy Hinck, and her mother before her, Bertha Joerger, have been inspirational in many ways.

My grandmother was in her 30s when her husband, a postal delivery man and leader of his own orchestra, passed away unexpectedly, leaving her with a house to pay for and two daughters to raise. This was in 1932, before Social S.ecurity benefits were available. She taught herself to drive their model A Ford, enrolled in training at a nearby hospital and became a licensed practical nurse in order to support her family and herself.

In a similar fashion, my own mother sacrificed and worked to support her family following the untimely passing of my father in his 40s. She also studied, in her case, to become a realtor, ultimately owning her own business and becoming a respected professional in the region. In addition to supporting her family, she gave selflessly to her church and community, working as a member of the Tusten Ambulance Corps, helping at the Fireman’s Field Day celebrations over many years, chairing the Oktoberfest Celebrations, serving on the chamber of commerce as a member and ultimately as president. It was in this capacity that she was inspired to replace a weed infested, overgrown eyesore in the center of town, enlisting the support of other town leaders, with Narrowsburg’s Main Street Deck.

I have been blessed by their inspirational lives of hard work, vision and self-sacrifice, all done for the benefit of family and community.