Greetings Friends,
Missouri Women’s Leadership Coalition has lost its founding member, Rosemary Smithson. Rosemary’s vision and tenacity made space for women in the political world in Missouri. Please take the time to truly read her obituary and learn of her dedication to women, their choices for reproductive health care freedoms, and for making sure women had a seat at the table in Missouri.
I invite you to join us in celebrating Rosemary and her legacy by showing your support for the continued growth of the Missouri Women’s Leadership Coalition by making a donation to our education fund. This is a tax-deductible opportunity to celebrate her life’s work and to continue her legacy.
Many of our current board members worked closely with Rosemary. Below are some of their thoughts.
“I remember how kind and generous she was to me, as a first-time state rep candidate from a small town she gave me confidence that I could do it!” Nancy Coopenhaver, MWLC Secretary
“Rosemary was not only a founder of the Missouri Women’s Leadership Coalition, but she was also a person with financial contacts all around this country. She was instrumental in keeping this group together and in funding it.” Peggy Cochran, MWLC Board Member
“Rosemary had a very clear vision of the importance of women taking their place at the table in order to assure our basic rights. She worked tirelessly on the passage of the ERA. When that didn’t succeed she set her creative energy to electing women to office so we wouldn’t need to lobby men for our rights. Rosemary was at the first meeting of the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus and served in about every leadership position in the Caucus. She also was very clear that if women were serious about equal rights, we all had to invest in our future financially in a serious way.” Rebecca Richardson, MWLC Board Member
We celebrate Rosemary’s legacy and her vision for the future of women in Missouri, and we thank you for your support. We welcome you to also join MWLC as a member and help us work toward all of Rosemary’s goals. Membership information may be found here.
Truly,
