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Member Hansen highlights four McLean County women in observance of Women’s History Month
Summary
During the meeting’s invocation/moment of silence, Member Hansen spoke about four McLean County women leaders — Lucy Orr Morgan, Florence Risserfunk, Eva Gator Jones and Nancy Froelich — and urged board members to learn local women's history.
During the invocation/moment of silence portion of the March 13 meeting, Member Hansen offered remarks in observance of Women’s History Month, highlighting four McLean County women whose civic work the member said offers examples for current leaders.
Hansen described Lucy Orr Morgan (born 1852, Bloomington) as a longtime social service leader who served as president of the Girls Industrial Home board for 33 years; the home later became Brightpoint. She identified Florence Risserfunk (born 1871) as a McLean County suffragist who worked to press the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Presidential and Municipal Voting Act, signed in 1913. Hansen said Eva Gator Jones (born 1930) was an advocate for young people of the local Black community who became the first person of color elected to the Bloomington School Board, later becoming the first Black school board president and subsequently a member of the Bloomington City Council. Hansen also noted Nancy Froelich as the first woman to serve as chair of the McLean County Board in the mid-1980s; she cited Froelich’s role in establishing the Juvenile Detention Center, expanding the Law and Justice Center and leading preservation of the old courthouse that became the McLean County Museum of History.
Hansen framed the remarks as a prompt for board members to explore local women’s history and said the stories offer models for public service.
Ending
The board proceeded to the Pledge of Allegiance and the evening’s agenda following Hansen’s remarks.
