The Michigan Women's Studies Association (MWSA), an academic-professional
organization, was founded in 1973 on the campus of Michigan State
University. Their goal was to change what is thought and taught about
women's role in history, particularly Michigan women, in public
schools and at the college level.
In February of 1976, anticipating the need for a broader role and
mission in community education, MWSA was formally reconstituted as a
non-profit corporation and granted 501(c)3 tax exempt status.
In 1980, following almost a year of planning, MWSA acquired a lease
on the Cooley-Haze House from the city of Lansing on the condition that
the building be brought up to code and fully renovated for use as the site of the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of
Fame. By February of 1986, approximately $180,000 had been raised in
building funds and work began in the summer of 1986 on the renovation.
The Center was dedicated and opened to the public on June 10, 1987,
the anniversary date of Michigan's
ratification of the Women's Suffrage Amendment. Since the opening,
the Center has encouraged Lansing's
efforts to restore Cooley Gardens, and is now surrounded by a
beautiful garden and picnic area.
The Michigan Women's Historical Center and
Hall of Fame displays cultural and historical
exhibits on the accomplishments and achievements of Michigan women. The
Center is also home to the Belen Gallery in which the work of
Michigan women artists and photographers is shown.
In October of 1983, the first Awards Dinner
for the
Michigan Women's Hall of Fame was held in Dearborn at the Fairlane
Manor. This event was attended by over 700 friends and supporters, men
as well as women of different races and origin. Participating in
the program honoring distinguished Michigan
women who were inducted into the Hall of Fame that evening were such leaders as
Secretary of State Richard Austin, former Governor George Romney, First
Lady Paula Blanchard, Chief Justice G. Mennen Williams and Justice James
Brickley of the Michigan Supreme Court, the Honorable Wade McCree,
Jr., and others equally prominent. The
success of this first evening of awards was subsequently repeated in
February of 1985, also in Dearborn, and each year thereafter alternating
between southeast Michigan and Lansing.
The Michigan Women's Hall of
Fame Gallery currently displays over 200 distinguished women including
Rosa Parks, Helen Milliken, Betty Ford, Patricia Hill Burnett, Lily
Tomlin, Gilda Radner, Dorothy Comstock Riley, Mother Waddles, Sippie
Wallace, Jean "The Queen" Steinberg, Helen Thomas,
former Lieutenant
Governor Connie Binsfeld, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow,
Aretha Franklin, and Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Organizations, businesses, and private foundations have contributed greatly to the development
of the Center. Among the major contributors have been the
Michigan Education Association, the Michigan Federation of Business and
Professional Women's Clubs, the United Auto Workers, the Michigan Division of the American Association of
University Women, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, the Women's
Coordinating Committee of Grand Rapids, the Junior League of Lansing,
and the Tri-City (Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City) Friends of the Michigan
Women's Hall of Fame. The Kmart Corporation, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, and the Automobile Club of Michigan, along
with other major corporations, have been equally supportive.
The Gannett Newspaper Foundation, the Greater Lansing Foundation, and
the Ford Motor Company Fund have also made
significant contributions to the Center. In addition, the
Center has received special grant funding
from the Board of Commissioners of Ingham County, the State of Michigan,
The Michigan Humanities Council, and the
city of Lansing, the latter having
established a trust fund in excess of
$60,000 available for building renovation purposes on a matching-gift basis.
Since the opening of the Center, the establishment of the Friends of
the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame has been a
significant source of support of both volunteer effort and operating
funds. The friends group has grown to 450 members
with plans to eventually involve over 1,000
individuals and organizations annually.
The Center has published an anthology, Historic Women of Michigan,
edited by Rosalie Riegle Troester; an educational resource packet, "How
the Suffragist Changed Michigan"; and Michigan Women: Firsts and
Founders Volumes I and II by Betty MacDowell
and Rachel Brett Harley, as well as several smaller publications.
The Center has changing exhibits and sponsors many events such as the
"Picnic on the Lawn" in June. The Picnic is one of
the major fundraisers for the year and
brings together friends for a fun-filled evening of food, entertainment,
and conversation. The Center also pays tribute
to mothers on Mother's Day by sending cards and gifts
to individuals for a
small price.
The Michigan Women's Studies Association, the
Center's parent organization,
also sponsors an academic conference
each spring to bring more visibility to women's roles in history