Alumnae celebrate women

As the first woman police officer to ever patrol the streets of Pittsburgh riding in a… As the first woman police officer to ever patrol the streets of Pittsburgh riding in a police car, Gwen Elliot was already making history on her first night of duty.

But apparently this was not enough for her.

That evening, Elliot caught four male thieves red-handed and became the first woman to arrest four felons in Pittsburgh.

The Pitt Alumnae Council celebrated Women’s History Month with the program, “Strong, Smart, Successful: Women in the 21st century,” on Tuesday evening in Alumni Hall’s Connolly Ballroom.

A panel composed of Elliot, Kim LaScola Needy, Terry Miller and Rev. Catherine A. Munz, spoke at the event. These women have all worked very hard to earn the success they have achieved. They spoke about the ways in which they stay motivated, in order to maintain their hectic lives.

Needy is an associate professor and the undergraduate program director in the industrial engineering department of Pitt’s School of Engineering. She discussed the ways in which she balances her family and career.

“Work is more like a gas than a liquid or solid; it tends to expand,” Needy said.

She warned the audience to ask for help when dealing with the everyday stressful occasions that life brings, because no matter how hard people try, they can’t do it all alone.

Elliot is the former commander of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the founder of Gwen’s Girls, a non-profit independent agency helping at-risk girls in Allegheny County. She spoke about achieving success while trying to overcome what she called the two major strikes against her — being black and being a woman. She emphasized the idea that young girls need to be taught to live up to their potential.

“You have to find your soul to give you strength,” Elliot said.

Miller serves as the deputy director of politics here at Pitt. She is also the co-founder of the Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery (P.O.W.E.R.). She spoke of overcoming a rough childhood and battling addiction in order to become the successful woman that she is today.

“We all make incredible contributions to this world,” Miller said.

Munz serves as the rector of St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church in Franklin Park. She is also a member of the National Committee on World Issues for Women. Munz spoke of overcoming her struggle with dyslexia. She, too, encouraged women to seek help from their community members when they are feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

Dr. Jeannette E. South-Paul was awarded the Alumnae Council’s 2004 Distinguished Alumnae award. South-Paul is the chair of Pitt’s School of Medicine’s department of family medicine and a retired U.S. Army Colonel. South-Paul emphasized the importance of women giving each other encouragement.

“Wherever we are, whatever we do, we have the chance to motivate whoever we come in contact with,” she said.

The 2004 Alumnae Endowed Scholarship Award was presented to Alicia M. Bergbigler. Bergbigler is a nursing major.

A silent auction was also held. The proceeds will benefit Lantern Night and their scholarship fund.