More than 100 years before Hillary declared her candidacy, Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for president of the United States in 1872 under the newly formed Equal Rights party. Only two years earlier, Louisa Ann Swain was the first woman in the United States to vote in a general election. She cast her vote in 1870 in Laramie, Wyoming, a state also notable for having the first female governor in the United States. In 1924, Nellie Tayloe Ross, was elected to complete her late husband’s term of office and she has been the only female since to hold that office. Susanna Salter was the first woman to be elected mayor in the United States in the town of Argonia, Kansas in 1887.
Locally, in 1918, Natalie Couch became the first woman to legally cast a vote in Rockland County. Natalie Couch was known for many other firsts for a woman, namely, the first woman to practice law in Rockland, the first woman to serve as journal clerk to the New York State assembly, the first woman to win election as president of the Rockland County Bar Association, and the first woman to be elected as vice-chair of the Rockland County republican committee. She also was one of the first two women to face each other as opponents in a general election for New York’s at-large open House seat in 1934. A plaque, erected by the Historical Society of Rockland County, marks the Couch family home on the corner of South Broadway and Depew and proclaims the achievements of this important woman.
Read about other women of leadership and vision in the Nyack Sketch Log.
Here’s the week at a glance
at the Nyack Library.
Monday
- FREE AARP Tax Aid, bring 2 forms of i.d. – one must be a photo i.d., 10a
- Universal Class: Basic Computers 101, Registration required, 2:30p
- Build with Legos, Registration required, 4p
- FREE Assistance with NYS Health Insurance Programs, 5p
Tuesday
- Fiction Writers Workshop, Registration required, 11a
- Cuentos, Canciones y Artesania, 1p
- Nyack Toastmasters, 6:45p
Wednesday
- Universal Class: Improve Your Memory 101, Registration required, 10a
- Meet Paddington, Registration required, 4:30p
- Tweens Read, Registration required, 6p
Thursday
- Yoga Monkeys, Registration required, 1:30p
- College Forum: Q&A with Josh Marber, Registration required, 7p
Friday
Teen Choice Movie, 3:30p
Saturday
Carnegie Concert Series – Life & Times of Chopin, 7:30p
Sunday
Celebrating Women with Penny Colman, Registration required, 2p
Carnegie Concert Series: Life & Times of Chopin – Tragic Hero, Sat at 7:30p
As Chopin’s dream of a free and proud Poland slips away, his inner circle begins to break apart with the loss of close friends and the beginning-of-the-end for his 9-year love affair with Aurore Dudevant (better known by her pen-name, George Sand). These pieces capture Chopin at the height of his powers as a pianist and composer, embodying the very spirit of nobility and heroism – though tragically and ironically, unfulfilled.
Artistic Director Yashar Yaslowitz performs part 4 of five concerts dedicated to the Life & Times of Frederic Chopin, featuring his most essential piano music: The Complete Mazurkas, Nocturnes, Ballades, Scherzos; Barcarolle, Berceuse, “Heroic” Polonaise, Polonaise-Fantasie.
TRAGIC HERO
Fantasie in F minor, Op.49
Three Mazurkas, Op.50
“Heroic” Polonaise, Op.53
Two Nocturnes, Op.55
Three Mazurkas, Op.56
Ballade No.4, Op.52
Yashar Yaslowitz, piano
Tickets In Advance: $20 Adult, $18 Seniors & Students, $15 member. At the Door: $25 Adult, $22 Seniors & Students, $18 member. Tickets and more info at CarnegieConcerts.org.
Celebrating Women with Penny Colman, Sun at 2p
Penny Colman is the author of award-winning biographies and social histories. Her intriguing topics range from Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II to Thanksgiving: The True Story. A popular speaker, Penny has appeared on television, radio, including National Public Radio, and on Book TV, C-Span2.
She has been honored by the New Jersey State Legislature for her books and public appearances that have “contributed to the advancement of women.” The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs presented her with the New Jersey Women of Achievement Award.
A graduate of The University of Michigan and The Johns Hopkins University, Penny has taught nonfiction literature and creative writing at various colleges and universities, including Teachers College, Columbia University and Queens College, The City University of New York, where she was a Distinguished Lecturer.
Join us as we celebrate Women’s History Month with this dynamic program of unique photographs and lively commentary by Penny Colman, based on her many road trips in search of historic women’s landmarks.
Have a question or a fun fact you want to know? We’re looking for suggestions for our weekly Did You Know fact. Write to info@NyackNewsAndViews with your suggestions.
Did You Know comes to you each Monday on NyackNewAndViews, sponsored by the Nyack Library.
