OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Nebraska -- Four keynote speakers shared women’s stories in history during a TED-Talk-styled speaking engagement here March 24 inside the 557th Weather Wing’s Chief Master Sgt. Peter Morris Auditorium.
The Offutt Diversity Team, in recognition of Women’s History Month, showcased four women in both military and civilian sectors, and asked them to select a women who has inspired them in their personal and professional careers.
Col. Jill Scheckel, 55th Medical Group commander, Senior Master Sgt. Gloria Weatherspoon, superintendent of the 55th Wing Equal Opportunity office, Dr. Elaine Nelson, a historian specializing in the North American West at the University of Nebraska Omaha and Christina Richards, chief, U.S. Strategic Command Air and Missile Defeat Traditional Capabilities Branch, had a chance to speak to attendees followed by a roundtable discussion after their presentations.
Scheckel spoke about Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci, who endured years of hardship following her record-breaking Olympic performance at just 14 years old.
“I would submit that Nadia was important to many young girls - her life, through the sport of gymnastics, was a metaphor for developing the very characteristics that are important to me this day,” Scheckel said. “Nadia was a trailblazer around the world for her role in revolutionizing the sport of gymnastics, but also she was a symbol to fellow Romanians of what their country could be if only they were given the chance.”
Weatherspoon, representing enlisted leadership on the panel, took her time to talk about Lt. Gen. Stayce Harris, assistant vice chief of staff and director, Air Staff.
“Lt. Gen. Harris had a lot of firsts,” Weatherspoon said. “When you are the first, it sets the precedence for everyone else.”“Lt. Gen. Harris is the epitome of an Air Force leader
Nelson finds inspiration in seeking inspiring women who have been excluded from the pages of history – stories that would be lost if not actively sought out and shared.
“So much of what we don’t know about women is the stuff that we should try to find out,” said Nelson. “The women who haven’t made it into the textbooks are some of the most important women in this country.”
She found such a women while working on her master’s thesis when she found a collection of material at the Nebraska State Historical Society on a woman named Eunice Woodhull Stabler – an Omaha Indian woman, born in 1885, who was of the first generation of Native Americans to assimilate to western culture.
After graduating Genoa Indian Industrial School in 1906, Stabler decided to continue her academic pursuits by attending Boyles Business School. She followed that by attaining a teaching degree from William Woods College and took business courses at Bellevue College.
Rounding out the panel of four, Richards touched on the women she worked with in her military career, giving a peek into the lives of military women.
“I had a really hard time picking just one women that resonated with and impacted me throughout my career,” said Richards. “I wanted to talk about the trailblazer that’s in all of us.”
She went on to reflect upon women in her early military career, where women were significantly outnumbered by their fellow male Airmen, and the imprint they made on her.
“When I was a load master I worked with some amazing women who paved the way for future aircrew members,” said Richards. “Back in those days (late 80s through mid-90s) the culture was a lot different - women weren’t allowed to fly an air drop mission.”
Richards went on to highlight then - Capt. Michelle Johnson, the first female superintendent the U.S. Air Force Academy, as a notable trailblazer she flew with in her Air Force career.
“There’s a little bit of trailblazer in all of us and all of you,” said Richards.