The March 7-8, 2008, NWHP State Conference started off with a bang in
highlighting the theme – On the Move – Women in Transportation. Susan
Martinovich, Director for the Nevada Department of Transportation, opened the
evening with an informative talk on women highway
engineers after Rev. Jane
Foraker-Thompson gave the invocation. An entertaining and humorous skit closed
the evening with NWHP members Karen Benna, Marcia Cuccaro, Nell Fozard,
Cherry Jones, Susan Paslov, Heidi Wood, and Holly Van Valkenburgh presenting the history of Nevada suffrage as related to modes of transportation. Eileen Cohen
announced the scenes.
At promptly 9:00 a.m., after registration on
Saturday morning, conference participants gathered
to hear the first of 13 fabulous presentations. Dr.
Holly Walton-Buchanan’s talk on pioneer women in
aviation featured Florence Murphy of Southern Nevada. Florence’s Bonanza Airlines
flew routes between Nevada and Arizona for several decades. It was one of her
landing strips that evolved into the present McCarran International Airport in Las
Vegas.
Dr. Dene Chabot, a recognized long distance airplane racer in her own right, spoke
about W.W. II women aviators. Her enthusiastic presentation painted a vivid picture
of unsung 
women heroes ferrying huge airplanes solo from the U.S. to overseas airfields
for male pilots and their crews to take into
the war zones.
Tammy Buzick carried on the women in transportation theme by
discussing the history of Eilley Orrum Bowers from the perspective of
the variety of transcontinental sea and land methods she might have
experienced in her lifetime. Washoe County Transportation employee
Allison Graber’s presentation emphasized the scarcity of information to
be found on women in bus and trucking vocations. This is an area of
women’s history that definitely needs to be addressed by historians.
Dr. Sally Zanjani ended the morning by recounting the strenuous three
day, 220 mile horseback ride that Sarah Winnemucca made in her attempt
to save her people during the 1878
Bannock War. She is credited with saving at least seventy-five of her people,
including her father, Chief Winnemucca, with that momentous ride.
The group broke to enjoy a delicious catered lunch from Molly’s while harpist
Brenda Locke-Knight provided entertainment. The conference then reconvened
with introduction of the 2008 Roll of Honor recipients by State President Cherry
Jones. Patty Cafferata was introduced and presented with a certificate. Barbara
Hodges followed with a program describing the histories of some early Nevada
women drivers, as shown by application dates on their driver’s icenses.
Carrie Porter took us on a Mormon hand cart journey as she portrayed Mary
Anne Haffen who traveled from Iowa to Utah in 1860. This arduous type of
travel required a strong desire to 
travel west as well as a stalwart constitution.
The sage of “Rusty” Dow’s Alcan Highway then followed with Cherry Jones
recounting Rusty’s journey of the entire Alaskan Alcan Highway in 1944.
Betty Ifhe’s wonderful presentation described a slice of little known American History. “Harvey Girls”, possibly the forerunner of the
airline stewardesses, were a group of pioneer
waitresses stationed in restaurants along the Atcheson,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad from the late 1800’s
through the early 1950’s.
Heidi Wood recounted the hazardous races of fourtimes
Iditarod Sled Dog Racer Susan Butcher. In
describing this 1,131 mile race through Arctic blizzards
across the Alaskan wilderness, conference participants
gained a greater appreciation of sled dog racing. Holly
Van Valkenburgh followed up with a talk about
courageous women teamsters who handled freight
wagons and stagecoaches on the western frontier.
Sparks Heritage Museum volunteers, Beverly Railey
and Louise White closed the afternoon session with their
presentation concerning the family life of a railroad
engineer in early Sparks.
Dinner was held at the Silver Oaks Golf Club.
Cherry Jones introduced the new state officers.
Culminating the conference was a wonderful
Chautauqua presentation by Kathy Noneman. She
portrayed Alice Huyler Ramsey, the first woman to drive
across the United States in 1910.
Co-chairs Isabel Espinoza and Lisa-Marie Lightfoot
are to be congratulated for planning such an outstanding
event! Thanks also to Gwen Clancy who videotaped
the conference.
Patti Bernard
