Results tagged “Jane Alexander” from York Town Square

Former Chief County Detective Becky Downing, shown here in her 1997 York City Police trading card, was a pioneering police officer. She's also an answer to this year's women's history quiz. Background posts: World War II propaganda posters raised spirits, women's wrath and York County WWII nurse: 'You know, it was the biggest war ever, and they needed nurses' and
A short test of your women's history knowledge, Part I.

March is Women's History Month, and to get folks warmed up, here is a quiz about female pioneers in York County. (Answers below.)

Who was the first ...

1. First Latino city school board president?
2. First Latino school board member?
3. First appointed female mayor of York?
4. First elected female mayor of York?
5. First city female police officer?
6. First black elected York County row officer?
7. First female county commissioner?
8. First female York County Common Pleas Court judge?
9. First female state legislator?
10. First black homecoming queen, William Penn High School?

Here's a hint to answer part of York County Smarts quiz, Part IV: This former York County legislator made history when she became the first woman elected to the General Assembly in the 1960s. (See additional photo below). York County smarts quiz, Part I, Part II, Part III.

Since its beginning, Pennsylvania has accomplished awesome results in the civilized arts -- more so than other areas of the United States of comparable size.

So says Philip Klein in his "History of Pennsylvania."

"Every region generates some creative people," he and co-author Ari Hogenboom wrote, "but Pennsylvania produced them by the hundreds."

Why?

Credit it to a diverse population, William Penn's quest for liberty and a varied, resource-rich geographic landscape.

Benjamin Franklin is Klein's Exhibit A of a Pennsylvania who showed original thought coupled with practical experiment.

All this could help explain why York countians have long made their mark on the state and national landscape... .

State Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf addresses the YorkCounts Summit in March. He is the latest in a string of York County residents who have held high office in Harrisburg. Wolf has since returned to his family business in York, The Wolf Organization.
Our quest for high state and federal state office holders from York County's past started when Tom Wolf was under consideration for state treasurer.

Soon thereafter, we added former state attorney general Robert P. Kane to the list.

I found more in reading the appendix to Georg Sheets' "Lawyers and Leaders: The Role of Lawyers in the Development of York County, Pennsylvania." (Order through York County Heritage Trust.

Here is Sheets' list of county residents who became state administrative officials (concentrating on lawyers) between 1950-2000 (some of which duplicates mine):

The ode to former governor George M. Leader banquet Monday night raised $64,000 to start a foundation to educate county students on local history.

A good lesson emerged... .