The Women's L Project Blog

Mary Nelson

Mary Nelson (born 1940) came to Chicago in 1965 to help her brother, a minister, get settled in his new home on the West Side of Chicago. A few days...

Margaret Hie Ding Lin

Margaret Hie Ding Lin

Margaret Hie Ding Lin (1888–1973) came to Chicago in 1907 to attend medical school. Following her training and internship, she returned to China where she practiced medicine for two decades...

Marilyn Miglin

Marilyn Miglin (1938-2022) was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated with her family to the US. As a young woman she worked as a model as well as a dancer at the...

Lori Cannon

Lori Cannon (born 1951) enjoyed getting to know many gay entertainers when she worked as a “Bus Driver to the Stars” in Chicago. When the AIDS epidemic hit, Lori’s caring...

Eve Ewing

Eve Ewing grew up in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. After completing her elementary and high school education at Chicago Public Schools, she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of...

Emma Dryer

Emma Dryer (1835-1925) was born and raised in upstate New York by an aunt and uncle after her parents died. Following her college graduation, she moved to Illinois and joined...

Frances Glessner Lee

Frances Glessner Lee

Frances Glessner Lee (1878–1962) is one of only a few Women's L Project honorees who was born into wealth. She was privately tutored in general academics as well as the...

Bessie Coleman

If you’re driving or taking the Blue Line train to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, you’ll see an exit for Bessie Coleman Drive. If you’re going to International Terminal or returning a...

Archange Ouilmette

Archange Ouilmette

It is believed that Archange Ouilmette was born around 1764. She may have been the daughter of a Potawatomi chief; or she may have been the daughter of a French...

Patricia Barber

Patricia Barber

Patricia Barber, pianist/singer/composer, was born in the Chicago in 1956, raised in South Sioux City Nebraska and educated at the University of Iowa where she vacillated between classical music and...

Malva Andre

Malva Andre (1889-1959) was the daughter of a Jewish dressmaker/herbal medicine-maker from Bohemia and a Roman Catholic artist from the South Tyrol. Her nomadic parents lived in Heidelberg, Germany at...

Margaret Frisbie

Margaret Frisbie

For nearly 20 years, Margaret Frisbie has been the Executive Director of Friends of the Chicago River where she has led the non-profit organization in environmental advocacy work, educational programs...

1 2 3 4 5 6 … 12