Pioneers for Progress

These messages show how individuals led the way for others, and opened up society.

    • The Spark for Change

      Anna Walentynowicz was born in 1929 in what is now Ukraine. She began to work as a maid at the age of 10. After World War II, she immigrated to Poland to work in the Gdañsk Shipyards. She became known for her hard work, but was upset by the oppression of the Communist...

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    • Giving Voice to the People

      All of us have seen videos of buildings being imploded. Often these buildings at one time had been billed as the promise for affordable housing in cities. Instead these massive high density housing projects became breeding grounds for crime and soulless living. Jane...

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    • Advocating for Public Health

      Alice Hamilton was born into a family of privilege, but devoted her life to public health service. She received a medical degree from the University of Michigan. After graduation, she developed an interest in public health while living at the Hull House, a settlement...

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    • Pioneering Through Personal Tragedy

      Myriam Morgenstein Sarachik was born in Belgium to an Orthodox Jewish family. When she was seven, her family fled from the Nazi threat. They were captured but later escaped. They eventually went to Cuba and then New York City. Myriam was a pioneer in her education...

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    • Coming Out of the Closet

      Billye Talmadge was raised in Oklahoma by her mother. She never knew her father. She was the niece of Herman Talmadge, a former U.S. Senator and Georgia Governor known for his conservative views. When Billye was in college she became aware that she was a...

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    • Chipping Away at Gender Discrimination

      Lynn Conway excelled in math and science courses and was accepted at MIT. She suffered from unease about her biological gender. Due to a failed gender transition surgery while at MIT she dropped out of college. She worked as an electronic technician until she decided...

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    • Access to Capital, Not Charity

      Millard Fuller was born in 1935 in Alabama. He obtained an Economics degree from Auburn in 1957 and a law degree from the University of Alabama in 1960. By the age of 29, Millard was a millionaire. He gave up his wealth to devote his life to religious service. Fuller...

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    • Honoring Sacrifices

      Maya Lin grew up in Athens, Ohio. Her parents emigrated to the United States, but Maya was born in the U.S. Maya never thought much about her cultural heritage growing up. While at Yale, Maya entered a public design competition. There were 1,422 entries, but Maya’s...

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    • Overcoming Rejection

      Katalin Karikó grew up in Hungary. Her passion for service led to her earning a PhD from the University of Szeged. When her research funding in Hungary disappeared, she and her family came to America. Karikó was able to get a research appointment at Temple University....

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    • A Cool Technology with a Big Impact

      The availability of food has long affected urban development. Prior to the availability of refrigeration, cities tended to grow vertically because they needed an agricultural green belt for their food supply. Once refrigeration became widely available, food production...

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