Focus on Women's History Month in Tiffin

March is Women's History Month. Started in 1987, the purpose is to recognize and celebrate the contributions made by women throughout United States history. In honor of Women's History Month, we'll take a look at some notable women throughout Tiffin's history. Theodora "Ted" Wilson was Tiffin's first social worker, beginning in 1917. She spent her career working to improve Tiffin. She led the way in establishing a mental health facility for the Sandusky River Valley and created a recreation center for senior citizens. Wilson, known as "Tiffin's Second Lady," worked closely with her good friend, "Tiffin's First Lady," Louisa K. Fast, to establish the Tiffin chapter of the League of Women Voters. Ms. Fast served many organizations in her 101 years. Raised in Tiffin, she graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts in 1898. Returning to Tiffin after her graduation, she served as a librarian at the Tiffin Public Library for 19 years. In 1917, she traveled to France to work with the Smith College Relief Unit during World War I, helping to rebuild the devastated country and serving in the American Library Association Overseas Library. After the war, Fast continued to live and work in Paris, focusing on the suffragist movement and international relations with her work in the League of Women Voters. Beginning in 1923, she worked with the International Relations Branch of the League of Women Voters to develop worldwide conferences on the subjects of women's suffrage and equal rights. Upon her return to Tiffin, she again worked as a librarian at the Tiffin Public Library, and traveled around Ohio, helping to establish local chapters of the League of Women Voters. She worked with Dr. Mary I. Park to found the Tiffin branch of University Women and the League of Women Voters. Ms. Fast was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1980 for her work in women's suffrage and cultural activism. Dr. Mary Isabel Park was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1904. In 1905, Charles F. Miller, the president of Heidelberg College, hired Dr. Park as the school's first Dean of Women, a position she served in until 1929, when she took the position of Professor of Philosophy. Dr. Park also served as the acting dean of Heidelberg from 1938-1940 and taught classes in art history, working for the college for a total of 56 years. In addition to her work with Heidelberg, Dr. Park was heavily involved in several Tiffin-area organizations, including the American Association of University Women, the Red Cross, the YWCA, and the Tiffin Woman's Club, where she served as President in 1930. The first and second women admitted to the Ohio Bar Association to practice law were also from Tiffin. Annette "Nettie" and Florence Cronise, both graduates of Heidelberg College, began practicing law in 1873, Nettie in April and Florence in September. Nettie married Nelson Lutes, a fellow law student, and started the firm Lutes & Lutes, which was continued by their daughter Evelyn after she was admitted to the bar. Florence maintained her own law firm, focusing mostly on wills and estate planning. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Florence served as the principal of Tiffin High School for three years. Her involvement with the Tiffin school system continued after she became a lawyer, serving as a member of the Board of Examiners. Florence was also a founder and trustee of the Tiffin Public Library in 1880 and served as the library board's president in the 1910s. She was also a founding member of the local Prohibition Party and was the party's candidate for county prosecuting attorney in 1877. For photos, newspaper clippings, and more information on these and other notable Tiffin women, visit the Seneca County Digital Library at www.tiffinsenecalibrary.org. Jennifer Aloisi is digitization librarian at Tiffin-Seneca Public Library.