Menu:

The 2008 Eleanor Roosevelt Award Winner:
Ruth Gordon

Ruth Gordon, Winner of the 2008 Eleanor Roosevelt Award

When Ruth Gordon chained herself to the Pacific Stock Exchange on August 26, 1980, she was worried.

Not that she'd be arrested or labeled an upstart. A woman in a traditionally male profession, she'd heard that kind of name-calling before.

But she was concerned that a banner her fellow protesters had hung on the building's facade was blocking both of the building's exits. An ERA advocate, yes, but first she was an engineer and engineers are forever concerned for the safety of individuals inside buildings.

But, Ms. Gordon is more than just an engineer.

She is a pioneer. She is one of just two female engineers in her Stanford class of 1948 and the only woman to graduate in civil engineering and ear a master's in structures.

Despite her credentials, she would often use just her initials to gain a job interview. Her credentials finally caught the eye of the late Isador Thompson, a San Francisco structural engineer who "didn't care if you were green," Gordon reported later.

Ms. Gordon has been a mentor for many of us. Today she continues to "walk the walk". An active Democrat, a true supporter and member of the Democratic Women's Forum for many years.