Women's History Month: reflecting on women that have inspired Lee women

Graphic by Clarion graphic designer, Evie Mendez.

March marks Women’s History Month, a time “set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history,” according to womenshistory.org. Originally, only a week was set aside to reflect on women’s historical impact. In 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, declaring March as Women’s History Month.

Many people can reflect on women that have made everlasting impacts on their life.

For Dawn Bixler, the Library Coordinator for Public Services, Reverend Mary Ruth Stone is one woman that has had a lasting impact on her life.

“Dr. Mary Ruth Stone was a proponent for just equality within the Church of God to allow women to be able to speak on the floor and vote in the general assembly and have a voice in their church,” Bixler said.

Stone’s voice for women in the Church of God prickled and inspired Bixler from a young age.

“As a girl in the Church of God … she inspired me so much because she was fighting for her church and what she believed in and that really inspired me,” Bixler said.

According to Stone’s obituary, she served on the Board of Directors for the Church of God. Stone “‘encouraged all women to be ‘the woman God intended you to be,’ and was the first female to speak in the business session of the Church of God General Assembly.”

Stone also made an impact on Lee University. She was a Lee College alumni and taught at Lee and served as the Instructor and Director of Faculty Development in 2016.

“She was the first female commencement speaker at Lee in 1987,” Bixler said.

Bixler is inspired by both Stone’s accomplishments as well as how she served as a voice for women.

“She was gentle yet firm. She wasn’t an abrasive woman … she didn’t put people off with her speech or ever her calls for equality,” Bixler said. “She just was consistent and well spoken and scriptural and biblical and godly and a woman of prayer. She did all these things while still not backing down.”

Stone passed away in 2022 and is remembered by many for the voice she fought to give women in the Church of God.

Dr. Roberts, the Vice President for Student Success, also finds inspiration close to home. The women that have inspired Roberts are her sisters, Anna Anderson and Stephanie Taylor, who are both graduates from Lee University.

“They are like my best friends,” Roberts said.

Roberts reflected that one of the things both of her sisters have taught her is to “remain grounded in the mist of challenges” and to “depend on the Lord” for strength during difficulties.

Both Anderson and Taylor were diagnosed with breast cancer at separate times. Despite this, they focused on the positives.

“They chose to turn their thoughts towards Christ, to focus on the positives and like the Scripture says, ‘Whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is trustworthy, whatever is good, think on these things,’” Roberts said.

“One thing they did is they continued to laugh,” Roberts said. “They didn’t stop laughing when times were hard. They did not want to lose that joy and that’s contagious … They still went through grief … it’s not like they laughed 24/7. They still expressed their frustrations, their sadness, but they still depended on the Lord and he carried them through all of their challenges. That is inspiring. That’s the kind of woman I want to be every day. Not just in challenging times, but every single day.”

From a family hardship, Roberts saw her sisters face their challenges with “grace and determination,” inspiring Roberts to do the same in her everyday life.

Roberts is also thankful for the grown up relationship she has with her sisters. Upon reflection, Roberts believes that she is closer to her sisters now as adults then they were as children.

“They have allowed me space to express my difficulties without judgement … We need people like that in our life. Like I’m having a rough day and that’s okay. You can express whatever you need to with me and I’m not going to go tell anybody. I’m not going to make you feel unworthy or less than for expressing these challenges. You can just be yourself in my presence and that’s so valuable to have friends like that in your life.”

Even though Roberts is the middle child among her two sisters, she can look to both of them for support and inspiration, no matter the stage of life.

As Women’s History Month comes to an end, it would be fitting to take some time and reflect on women that have influenced and inspired others; in fact changing the history, in their own unique ways, in the lives of those around them.