Dorothy Dodd, Born in Kentucky, she moved to Florida at age eight. She graduated from Florida State College for Women (now FSU) and earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1925.

Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry, The first African-American woman elected to the Florida Legislature, was also Dade County’s first black female attorney. Born in Miami, she earned three degrees between 1946 and 1965, while mothering two children.

Rosemary Barkett, Born in Mexico to Syrian parents, Barkett moved to Miami at age six, where she began school speaking no English. She entered a Catholic convent at 17 and served as a nun for eight years before leaving to continue her education.

Carrie P. Meek, of Miami, In 1992 she became the first black woman elected to Congress from Florida. Born in Tallahassee, she graduated from Florida A&M University in 1946 and was chosen to its Sports Hall of Fame.

Jacqueline Cochran, was an internationally known aviator who commanded the women in the U.S. Air Corps during World War II. Born in a tiny town near Panama City, she grew up in poverty, working in a textile mill at age eight.

Janet Reno, The first female attorney general of the United States, she was born in Miami and educated in its schools.

Paulina Pedroso, was born and died in Cuba, but during the years she lived in Key West and Tampa, was very influential in the fight for Cuba’s independence from Spain.

Christine Fulwylie-Bankston, A renowned poet concerned for societal ills, Christine Fulwylie-Bankston established her own printing press to publish her work on women and children. Born in Paducah, Kentucky, she earned a doctorate degree at the University of Pittsburgh in 1974 prior to moving to Florida in 1980.

Dessie Smith Prescott, A Florida pioneer who was born in the backwoods of Alachua County. Left an orphan when her widowed mother died in the great flu epidemic of 1918, she supported herself from an early age by nontraditional ‘women’s work’ such as selling cars.

Chris Evert, A native Floridian, champion tennis player Chris Evert trained in Ft. Lauderdale under the watchful eye of her father. As ‘America’s Sweetheart,’ she was ranked as the number one tennis player in the world for seven years, was the first player to win 1,000 singles matches and won 18 Grand Slam titles. Evert serves on the boards of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Florida Sports Foundation, Women’s Sports Foundation and the United States Tennis Association.