Completed nomination packets must be submitted by Dec. 1.

AUGUSTA — The Maine Women’s Hall of Fame will celebrate 26 years of honoring women at the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to be held on Saturday, March 21, at The University of Maine at Augusta.

During the ceremony in March, one or two nominees will be honored with their place in the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame during Women’s History Month. Their photographs and citations will be displayed along with previous honorees who have each made a significant difference in the lives of other women. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to submit nominations of outstanding women for this honor.

In 1990, the Maine Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs established the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame, dedicated to women who have made an outstanding contribution to improving opportunities for all Maine women. The University of Maine at Augusta is a co-sponsor of the Women’s Hall of Fame, and has donated display space, open to the public, in the Bennett D. Katz Library on campus. The BPW/Maine Futurama Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, is also a co-sponsor.

The three criteria for selection are: woman’s achievements have had a significant statewide impact, woman’s achievements significantly improved the lives of women in Maine and woman’s contributions has enduring value for women. An independent panel of judges will review the nominations and select one or two inductees. Sponsors will be notified as soon as the selection has been finalized.

Previous recipients are the late U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith; the late Mabel Wadsworth, founder and first president of the Maine Family Planning Association; the late Gail Laughlin, J.D., the first national president of BPW/USA; the late Dr. Elizabeth Russell of the Jackson Laboratories in Bar Harbor; the late Ninetta M. Runnals, dean of women and professor of mathematics at Colby College; Gilda Nardone of Freeport, the first and only director of Maine Displaced Homemakers Program; the late Dorothy M. Healy, curator and cofounder of the Maine Women Writers Collection at Westbrook College; the late Esther Elizabeth Wood, author, journalist and professor of history at Gorham State Teachers College; Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic, associate director of Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community; the late Elizabeth “Liz” W. Crandall, home economist, feminist and citizen activist; the late Marti Stevens, humanitarian, educator and director of theater; the late Mildred Brown “Brownie” Schrumpf, home economist, nutritionist, columnist, humanist, author and cook; the late Ethel Wilson “Billie” Gammon, founder, Washburn-Norlands Living History Center, teacher and humanitarian; Lois Galgay Reckitt of South Portland, women’s advocate, human rights protector, skillful mediator, articulate educator and dedicated feminist; Elizabeth “Libby” H. Mitchell of Vassalboro, the first female Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives; U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe of Falmouth; the late Professor Caroline Gentile, educator in the field of health, physical education and recreation; Joan Benoit Samuelson of Freeport, first women’s Olympic marathon winner in 1984; the late Linda Smith Dyer, J.D., cofounder of Maine Women’s Lobby; Chellie Pingree of North Haven, former Majority Leader of Maine Senate; Dr. Theodora J. Kalikow of Farmington, president of the University of Maine at Farmington; Dr. Nancy Hensel of Washington, D.C., former president of the University of Maine at Presque Isle; Sharon H. Abrams of Winslow, executive director of the Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers; Judith Magyar Isaacson of Auburn, educator, Holocaust survivor and author of “Seed of Sara: Memoirs of a Survivor”; Patricia M. Collins of Caribou, community leader and artist; Judy Ayotte Paradis of Frenchville, educator, Senator, Representative, humanitarian and author; The Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen of Bath, the Episcopal Bishop of Maine since 1998; Laura Fortman of Nobleboro, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor; Dale McCormick of Augusta, founder of Women Unlimited and the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance; Karen Heck of Waterville, feminist, community activist, champion for women’s rights and co-creator of Hardy Girls Healthy Women; the late Florence Brooks Whitehouse, artist and writer, suffrage leader, peace activist, feminist and devoted wife and mother; Sharon Barker of Bangor, director, Women’s Resource Center, University of Maine (Orono); the late Thelma Swain, wife, mother, volunteer, philanthropist and quiet champion for the underdog; U.S. Sen. Susan M. Collins of Bangor; Katherine Ogilvie Musgrave, DSc, professor emerita of food science and human nutrition, University of Maine, registered dietitian, wife, mother, dedicated teacher of nutrition and advocate for sound practice of nutrition for wellness; Mary Farrar, victim-witness advocate since 1990; Ruth L. Lockhart, co-founder and executive director, Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center; Dr. Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D, community activist, professor of education at Colby College and co-creator of Hardy Girls Healthy Women; Mary R. Cathcart, former Maine State Representative and State Senator and senior policy associate with Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at University of Maine; Laurie G. Lachance, first female president of Thomas College, first female president of Maine Development Foundation and first female state economist; and Patricia E. Ryan, former executive director of Maine Human Rights Commission and founding member of the Maine Women’s Lobby.

Nomination forms are available from Sally Ann Parks, chair for Hall of Fame, PO Box 84, Hinckley, ME 04944, 207-453-6004. Information is available at www.uma.edu/mwhof.html and www.bpwmaine.org. Completed nomination packets must be submitted by Dec. 1.