NORTH BRUNSWICK – Members of the North Brunswick Woman’s Club have announced the continuation of the North Brunswick Township Wall of Influential Women.
The program was established in 1998 by the Woman’s Club and the North Brunswick Township High School (NBTHS) Social Studies Department.
The North Brunswick Education Foundation provided the plaque at the time to highlight and honor important women in the township.
In years past, during Women’s History Month in March, an annual assembly was held to personally thank each honoree. The program was discontinued after 2001.
Recently, township resident Pete Clark reached out to the Woman’s Club for a “rebirth” of the initiative.
”It was important to continue this initiative to remember all the women who had an impact on the growth and history of the North Brunswick community. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their leadership so this is just one small way that the children of North Brunswick will view this plaque, Influential Women of North Brunswick, as a reminder and to look to them as role models in future years,” Clark said.
During the Township Council meeting on April 4, the names of the women who are inscribed on the plaque were read:
• Connie Adamo: Community volunteer/Heritage Day Award
• Gina Braconi: Government/Civics/Law enforcement, North Brunswick Police Department
• Ann Casey:Education/Teacher/Board of Education member
• Ann Marie Chandlee: Community volunteer/Adult Drama Group/Heritage Day Award
• Gail DiPane: Education/Woman’s Club/Board of Education member
• Phyllis Giglio: Human Services/Board of Education member
• Mary Paccillo: Community volunteer/Business
• Christine Krauss: Education/Board of Education president
• Ann Novak: Community volunteer
• Lisa Racz: Law Enforcement/Captain in North Brunswick Police Department
• Diane Pincus: Government/Civic/North Brunswick Council member
• Elizabeth Schneider: Education/Woman’s Club/Board of Education
• Trieste Rao: Education/Arts/Culture/Music
• Mary Slye: Community/Heritage Day Award
• Eunice Davidson: Educator/Senior Award at NBTHS
• Donna Scher: Educator/Director of special education in North Brunswick
• Gloria Zastko: Business/Heritage Day Award
• Florence Shimko: Government/North Brunswick Public Library director
• Ruth Supp: Founder of the Woman’s Club
• Ruth Mihalenko: Community/Volunteer/Historian
• Pat Mizerak: Educator/Coach at NBTHS
• Marion Ingham: Education/Board of Education
• Alma Edly: Education/Teacher in Science
• Jessie Applegate: Education/Principal
• Joan Raffiani (Dambach): Government/Civics/North Brunswick Council member
• Mary Delaney: Education
• Ida Otken: Otken farm, North Brunswick
“A lot of the women are from our childhood and we remember their influence on us,” Councilman Carlo Socio said.
A proclamation was also read, marking 2022 as the 174th anniversary of the Women’s Rights Movement.
A short video presentation depicted the mission of the initiative.
For more information, call 732-247-0922, ext. 798, or email iwonb@northbrunswicknj.gov
