eConnection 3/24: Firsts, Spring Conferences, Thanks, Deadlines

By NJSFWC | March 24, 2021

First Women

Susan Kove was first woman in New Jersey to be on a 1975, 1976 men’s high school winter track team and on a men’s Mile relay team at Jadwin Gym Winter State Championships held in Princeton, NJ. She also had the State Record in the 880 yd run for women in winter track of 2:16.

She was also was one of the first women from North Jersey to graduate from the United States Naval Academy with Merit and receive a Presidential commission as Ensign, US Navy from President Ronald Reagan. She entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD in 1979 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1983.

Susan was one of the first women officers to serve aboard the Navy ship USS FULTON (AS -11) and USS Cape Cod (AD -43. Her jobs were multiple roles: First Woman Data Systems Officer, Site Component Officer, Disbursing Officer, Assistant Navigator, and Assistant Supply Officer. In another role at the Naval Submarine Base New London located in Groton, Ct, she was the first woman to win the Navy’s most prestigious International Food Service Executive’s Association’s Award for Food Service Excellence called the Ney Award for having the best International Large Ashore in the entire Navy. She ran a large Galley as the Food Service Officer. She was responsible for leading 140 sailors and serving 3000 meals a day. The award was based upon financial management, sanitation, food quality, facilities management, customer satisfaction, nutrition, inventory management, training, and leadership. They went on to win it 3 years in a row. There were several other firsts in her military journey during my groundbreaking training.

As a side note, Susan was also the first woman in the Rutgers Army ROTC at Rutgers University to score the highest physical fitness score and hold the record on the physical readiness test in 1977 among all men and women. She did the men’s version and stills holds the record.

Fourth in a series of notable Women of New Jersey for National Women’s History Month

by Maribeth Hugelmeyer, NJSFWC Historian :

Dorothea Lynde Dix was born on April 4, 1802 in Hampden, ME. She was a mental health activist who founded the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in 1848, a first such hospital in New Jersey. She was also able to convince the New Jersey legislature to build Greystone Psychiatric Hospital. Dix worked for the humane and fair treatment of those with mental illness, in a time where they were housed in jails or almshouses. During the Civil War, she held the highest executive position by a woman, when she served as the Superintendent of Women Nurses of the Union Army. She died on July 17, 1887, in Trenton, NJ.

Spring Conferences

Club Presidents should be receiving invitations to their District Spring Conferences shortly. Please share this information with your members. This is an opportunity to hear how your fellow clubs have functioned in the Pandemic. Come cheer for the District award winners. Celebrate your accomplishments.

Thanks

The last ALMANAC for the year is in the mail and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ALMANAC committee for their diligence in getting it in the mail each month. Also, thanks to all the Board members who contributed their articles and the Office staff who put it all together.

Deadlines

  • April 1-Photographs to Headquarters for the Photography Contest
  • April 1 -Continuing Fund Sheet due to Headquarters
  • April 9-Deadline to register for the virtual Convention
  • May-1-Blue (General Clubs), Green (EMD’s) and Yellow (Juniorette Clubs) Sheets due to Headquarters

Jan Hanson, NJSFWC President