Shining examples
Museum showcases accomplishments of more than 200 California women
By Anita Creamer, Bee Columnist
May 23, 2004

An afternoon visit to "California's Remarkable Women, " the lively, yearlong exhibit that opened May 13 at the California State History Museum. Busy groups of fourth-graders from schools in Fremont and San Rafael and Stockton have already clamored through, wide-eyed at the life-size replica of snowboarder Tara Dakides swooping through the air right beside the 7-foot tower of variously costumed Barbie dolls.

To each her own, after all.

"When I was giving a tour earlier, I had two little girls from a school in Oakland who were fascinated with the Barbies, " says the museum's community relations coordinator, Kelly Bitz. "One saw the African American Barbie doll dressed as a doctor, and she said, 'That's what I want to be.' "

Bingo. Success. Where do dreams come from, if not from weighing the possibilities we see in the world around us?

"When the boys in the tour groups see Barbie, they're like, 'Eww, ' " says Bitz. "But they're drawn to the exhibit's colors and the sports and the videos. They recognize all this stuff, because it's all out there."

As are women of achievement making their mark. Pioneering laser cataract surgeon Dr. Patricia Bath. Brain researcher Dr. Marian Diamond. Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Novelist Amy Tan. eBay chief executive officer Meg Whitman. United Farm Workers of America co-founder Dolores Huerta. Cookie maven Debbi Fields - the original Mrs. Fields.

And another 200 women with a connection to California who've helped shape our world.

Pop culture meets heavy-duty history, business, science, politics and the arts, then careens straight into Hollywood glitz in this bright, highly accessible exhibit, the brainchild of California first lady Maria Shriver. Honorees were chosen by a committee led by Shriver, who intends the exhibit to be something of an evolving women's hall of fame.

Elizabeth Taylor's three Oscars are here, along with a lovely silver-sequined gown she wore to an awards ceremony in her youth - and that fabulous Andy Warhol portrait of her, all turquoise eyelids and ruby lips.

A pair of Kristi Yamaguchi's ice skates are on display, along with Peggy Fleming's Olympic gold medal. Across the way, here are replicas of tiles designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan - and here are four swimsuits made by famed swimsuit entrepreneur Anne Cole.

"It's amazing, " says Geanen Cook, 14, a freshman at Clarksburg's Delta High School. "I've seen Anne Cole swimsuits in magazines but never in person before. I need to tell my friends to come see this."

And here's Sally Ride's spacesuit, suspended in a plexiglass box along with her flight log.

"Isn't that cool, " says Bitz. "And look how tiny she is."

Very trim, yes.

Some would consider it quite a bit more reasonable to find cute teenage entertainment moguls Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen showcased here (as they are) than to discover a brief tribute to radio dominatrix Dr. Laura Schlessinger lurking a room or two away.

"Some people didn't wish to include Dr. Laura, " says museum curator Amanda Meeker. "But she is a California woman, and she has an incredible listenership."

Uh-huh. Whatever. Blame the committee.

Sacramento Monarchs guard Edna Campbell, a breast cancer survivor, says she's honored to be included in the exhibit - not only because she's in a stellar lineup of sports greats, historical figures and powerful women, but also because the recognition allows her to continue advocating breast cancer awareness.

"Selecting me in a way is like celebrating the millions of women everywhere who battle breast cancer each year, " she says.

When Davis artist Susan Shelton first heard about plans for the exhibit, she urged organizers to consider including her bronze plaque of Queen Califia, the mythical queen who gave her name to the state.

Shelton - who grew up in Mexico City, the daughter of a Mexican mother and an English father - is perhaps best known as co-creator of the large bronze Spanish- Mexican State Seal inlaid in the west steps of the Capitol.

"I was so surprised when I brought Queen Califia in to the museum, " she says. "They said it would be displayed in the room devoted to artists, and I was one of those artists."

And so she became one of California's remarkable women.

"It's so humbling, " she says. "It's so daunting, the company I'm in."

Shelton's photo and a brief bio hang below her bronze of Queen Califia. Still, she prefers to think that Califia is the ultimate remarkable woman of California, while she represents ordinary women working hard to contribute to the state.

Not everyone can be an icon. Every star needs a cast of supporting players.

Pass through the video room, where a tribute plays to the women of Hollywood, and enter a hallway labeled "Live Your Dream" and intended to inspire young girls to do just that. Carpeted in red, the hall is lined with wonderful life-size illustrations made by Sacramento artist Sandra Hoover of several dozen unnamed yet nonetheless remarkable California women.

Let's name a few of them.

On the right, depicted in uniform, sitting astride a motorcycle, is Ramona Prieto, the California Highway Patrol's first female motorcycle officer. She broke that barrier in 1980.

"There's so many options out there now for girls, that's the main thing, " says Prieto, now a CHP assistant chief who lives in Davis with her husband, Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto, and their two daughters.

Beside Prieto, portrayed in her shorts and baseball cap, ready to work in the garden, is Georgia Lovell, who owns a Sacramento landscaping business called Fat Cat Gardening.

"It was so overwhelming to see, " says Lovell. "I got all choked up. I was overwhelmed with pride to be included. I wasn't named, but I know who I am. It's my moment of fame."

Here, too, are chemist Marisa Bautista, accountant Diana Muller, children's book author Kyndell Wright and many more. For them, as well, a moment in the spotlight.

"Seeing these women up there on the wall is really validating, " says Hoover. "It really shows them that the possibilities are totally open. They're endless."

Even now, with decades of pioneering women in every conceivable profession available to them as examples of what's possible, young women can still use a nudge in the direction of their dreams.

Go, girls.