DAR program honors Wayne County women

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Wooster-Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will sponsor a program titled Two Extraordinary Women of Wayne County, Ohio at 6:30 p.m. March 24 at the Orrville Public Library.

The program will highlight the accomplishments of Patricia Purdy, a colonel in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps, and Dr. Maria Sexton, a pioneer in women’s athletics.

Purdy had a long and rewarding career before retiring in 1993. Highlights of her service include her work as a surgical nurse during the Vietnam War and her role planning and coordinating the release of American hostages from Iran in 1981. After her retirement she continued her service as part of the Red Cross Response Team in Pennsylvania following the crash of the hijacked jet during the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001.

Sexton has the distinction of being the first Wayne County resident inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. During the 1950s and 1960s, women leaders began to challenge the notion that girls and women should not be allowed to participate in high-level sports in high schools and colleges.

An early pioneer, Sexton played a critical role in bridging the divide between educational institutions and high-level sports outside colleges. An advocate for national championships for college women, she was one of three women who wrote the bylaws for the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. She also served on several national committees within the Amateur Athletic Union and the United States Olympic Committee for track and field and women’s basketball. Her advocacy for girls and women in sports served as a critical bridge between these two groups.