Rhonda Fields is one of the most respected women in the Denver area.
A member of the Colorado House of Representatives, Fields is known for her work on anti-gun violence after her son, Javad Marshall-Fields, and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe, were on the eve of a trial in which Marshall-Fields was to testify against another man.
Yet Fields said earning induction into the inaugural class of the has inspired her as much as anything to move forward and to work hard to make a difference in the community.
“To be among the company of such accomplished women just gave me a huge sense of validation that I must be doing the right thing,” Fields said.
It’s going to be tough to beat the three women who were inducted into the inaugural class — all women who have left indelible marks on their community.
Nominations are now being accepted for the class of 2015, and the women who make the final cut — which isn’t a set number — will be honored in a ceremony in March. Inductions are made every two years.
“In any community you have people who are the ones who are the movers and shakers and make sure the community has what it needs,” said Sharon Powers, one of the volunteers for the Aurora Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. “We had some top-notch people we honored in our first ceremony.”
The other members of the first class were:
• Ruth Fountain Eide, who has been a volunteer in Aurora for more than five decades and has spent countless hours giving her time to the Aurora History Museum. She was instrumental in restoring an old trolley that was donated to the museum, and the new wing that houses the trolley is named after her.
• Ellin Mrachek was one of the founders of three of Aurora’s biggest institutions, including the Community College of Aurora, Pickens Technical College and the Aurora Mental Health Center. Mrachek Middle School is named after her and her husband, Harry, who was a principal there.
The Aurora Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame was born out of a city program called Aurora Women Sculptors of Our Community, in which several Aurora area women’s groups honored women who made significant contributions to the community.
When that program ended, several women formed the hall of fame to continue honoring women who have demonstrated actions that have a significant and lasting impact on Aurora, said Linda Berry, also a volunteer with the hall of fame.
The woman who spearheaded the effort was Stephanie Takis, who died earlier this year.
“She felt like it was important to continue to honor Aurora women who had been significant movers in the community,” Berry said.
Organizers say women sometimes get overlooked when it comes to recognition, and the hall of fame is a great way to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“It is important to honor people who have done something good in the community. So often it’s just the bad people getting press,” Berry said.
Nominations are accepted only by mail and can be sent to: Aurora Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 440896, Aurora, CO 80044-0896.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175, cillescas@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ cillescasdp
