Brighton Area Women’s History Roll of Honor
The Roll of Honor Advisory Council is pleased to announce the 2022 Honorees to the Brighton Area Women’s History Roll of Honor.
Sandra Leith Bates is a third generation Brighton resident who graduated from Brighton High School in 1971. A pianist who accompanied the high school choir as an eighth grader, performed with the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra and was the youngest student to receive a full Brighton Kiwanis Club music scholarship to Interlochen National Music Camp. Very active in high school activities, Sandy served as class secretary her freshman and senior years and assisted in organizing the successful fifty-year “Golden Graduation” reunion in 2021. Sandy joined First Presbyterian Church of Brighton in 1968 and was the assistant pianist and organist through 1985. Elected a church Elder in 1976, becoming the youngest female to serve in this position, and her committee produces the first church newsletter. Sandy had been employed by Brighton State Bank from 1970-1976, while attending college and was the executive administrator for Cars and Concepts until 1985. In 1983, she organized what would become one of the most successful blood drives of our community. From 2007-2018, Sandy was the Administrative Assistant in the church office, and in 2014 became a certified Stephen Minister, counseling those experiencing grief through Christian care. Sandy has been Notary Public since 2012, and was elected Secretary in 2021 for the Brighton Area Schools Alumni Association board. Sandy attend Eastern Michigan University majoring in Early Education.
Dolores S. Johnson (1938-2020) moved to Brighton in 1979 and soon became the rare female paid soccer referee for the Brighton area youth recreation leagues, high school games, and regional adult league games. Dolores was a volunteer coach for several youth soccer teams, encouraged numerous women in the Brighton area to start playing soccer on the local Stinger’s soccer team, and as the oldest player in that league, she was an example of longevity and staying active. .In the Women’s Over-40 and Over-60 teams of the Great Lakes Women’s Soccer League from 1980-2010s, Dolores played in National Soccer Championships organized by the Veteran’s Cup. Dolores was a mentor to women players of all ages and an ambassador for women’s soccer. In her later career as a realtor for Preview Properties, Dolores volunteered to collect food for Gleaners and make blankets for the homeless. Dolores was a nearly 40-year member of the nonprofit Brighton Food Cooperative, helping to provide affordable organic food and environmentally friendly products for members to purchase, and volunteered whenever and in whatever position was needed to keep the club operational.
Anne King-Hudson served on the Brighton District Library Board from 1992-2013, and was Board Chair from 1996-1998, helping to plan/build the current library facility, promote passage of local mileages, and establish the board as a governing body. From 1998-2018, Anne founded and grew Key Development Center, Inc. as an accredited, licensed non-profit that provides critical substance abuse prevention and treatment services to Livingston County. Since 2009, Anne has served and chaired the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Work Group of the Livingston County Human Services Collaborative Body. Anne is currently the Director of Recovery Advocates in Livingston, Inc., a nonprofit established in 2019 to provide sober living recovery housing for local women. Assistant Director of Substance Abuse and Prevention Services for the Ann Arbor Community Center from 1976-1994, Anne was the Substance Abuse Specialist at the Washtenaw County Trial Court from 1994-1998. As a member and President of the Livingston County League of Women Voters from 1999-2006, Anne led community voter forums and encouraged community education about local candidates. For over ten years, Anne served as past Treasurer and Parent volunteer of the Brighton Girls Swim Team. She serves as a trained volunteer on the Livingston County Sheriff’s Victim Services Unit. Anne earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from Eastern Michigan University, a Master of Educational Organizations from the University of Michigan, and is a State of Michigan licensed social worker, certified addictions counselor, clinical supervisor, and prevention specialist.
Ruth E. Munzel, a longtime Green Oak Township resident, was a Democratic representative on the four-member Livingston County Board of Canvassers (1984-2016), serving as chair numerous years. Her contributions were recognized in 2017 with a proclamation from the Livingston County Commissioners for her experience, knowledge, and attention to detail. In 1999, Ruth advocated against the dioxin emissions of a proposed expansion of a local asphalt company using data and led organized neighborhood protests to reduce pollution affects through required installation of filters inside the emission stacks. In 2000-2001, Ruth investigated a manufactured-housing projects plan to avoid pollution oversight by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Her efforts inspired community organization, expert consultation on soil and safer sewage systems, and successfully reduced the size and effluent of the development. Active in the Green Oak Historical Society as long-serving trustee, multi-year President, and ten year hospitality chair, Ruth was instrumental in saving the 1856 Township Hall from demolition. Ruth served from 1978-1982 on the South Lyon Schools Board of Education, two years as Secretary and two years as Chair. Founding member of the Livingston County Democratic Party and member of the State Central Committee for the Michigan Democratic Party, Ruth served as a 1964 and 1984 delegate to the Democratic National Convention, voting on civil rights issues and nominating the first woman Vice-President candidate, Geraldine Ferraro. In 2005, the Ruth and Herb Munzel Distinguished Service Award was established recognizing a major contributor to the party. Longtime member of the Crossroads Group of the Sierra Club, the Huron River Watershed Council, and the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Ruth earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.
Susan G. Rosebrough was hired by Brighton Area Schools (1970-2004) to teach high school English and Spanish. With graduate studies in Career Education, Susan led the development of programs and opportunities for students to explore career paths before graduation and wrote the grant proposal to implement Brighton High School’s Career Center. By teaching employable skills and exposing students to occupations through internships and work-study, the program became a model for educators to observe and replicate throughout the state and across the country. Over 500 different companies in manufacturing, medical, hospitality, public service, business and finance partnered to provide mentorships, internships, field trips, and speakers to Brighton students. Susan was recognized as an Outstanding Workforce Development Professional and received a Livingston County Career Pathways Award from the Livingston County Board of Commissioners. The US Department of Education bestowed a National Partnerships in Education award, the State of Michigan recognized her with a Technology Innovation Award, and Susan has been a program presenter at both State of Michigan and National conferences. During the 1970s, Sue taught Spanish to the inmates at the Livingston County Jail and continues to be active in her church.
Our History Is Our Strength
Women’s History Month and Roll of Honor Advisory Council
Mission: To honor and celebrate the diverse accomplishments of women of the greater Brighton area.
Purpose: To create an awareness in the general public of women’s contributions and steadfastness as a group inside and outside the home; in the work force; in social movements; in the professions and business; in charitable and cultural institutions; in the arts; in government service; in health care and human services; in education; in athletics and sports; in science, the environment and technology; and in all areas of volunteer work. Women as a group are working for the greater good through their personal strengths, and are inspired and energized by the stories of other women.
To recognize individual women of the greater Brighton area who have made a remarkable or unique contribution or have achieved an accomplishment in the greater Brighton community, the state of Michigan, the nation, or the world.
Affirmed October 2004
Title IX of the Higher Education Act
Passed by Congress on June 23, 1972, this Act offered new opportunities for women in academics, sports, and the workforce. These past and present Brighton High School athletes represent the excellence and opportunities granted by the phrase:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
The Celebration of
Women’s History Month in Brighton
The first Brighton area celebration of women’s accomplishments took place in March 2002. Books, pictures, and posters of notable women were displayed in the Board of Education Room of the Brighton Area Schools. This collection, assembled by School Board Secretary Joyce Powers and Assistant to the Superintendent Sheri Lohmiller, informed, enlightened, and inspired the general public.
In March 2003, the Brighton Chamber of Commerce and downtown merchants joined the celebration by displaying pictures and details about various women of achievement in their business establishments. The Women’s History Advisory council was formed, and seven local women were named to the first Brighton Area Women’s Roll of Honor at Womenfest in the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts. Pictures and biographies of these women were displayed at the Brighton District Library.
Posters for Women’s History Month were supplied to the media centers of all Brighton Area Schools. Teachers in the district have had the opportunity to integrate women’s history into their curriculum.
Previous Roll of Honor Honorees
Kathleen M. Barden
Therese K. Cremonte, P.E.M.
Ellen Lafferty
Colleen Tokai Monroe
Rhonda R. Trask
Carolina Louise DeLuca
Josephine DeLuca DelVero
Melinda Rodabaugh Kinsey
Marie Sedmak
Susanne Roys Seitters
Karen Storey
Athletic Championship Honoree:
Evelyn Money
Haidee F. Judson Brady
Charlotte L. Haight Mellus
Reneé R. Nix
Sarah Richardson-Burns, PhD
Nina Jones Cord Stowe
Mary Zizka St. Pierre, RN
Athletic Championship Honorees:
Natalie Klein
Ann M. Bollin
Julie Fielek
Nancy J. Fritch
Mandana “Mondi” Miller
Gloria Klepser Downing, EdSpec
Priscilla Luce Durante
Lucy Newman Lyon
Claudia Ann Roblee
Pat Schuch, PE,
Athletic Championship Honoree:
Abby Krzywiecki
Amy Lou Arnold
Carole Bullion-Mincy
Kathleen Carney
Shirley Jean Shekell Danforth
Colonel Karin Flood, M.D.,
Mary E. Griffith
Nancy B. Johnson, Ph.D.
Edith Amanda Leith
Athletic Championship Honoree:
Julia Dean
Nancy J. Fredenburg
Laura Kelley
Donna Susan Oswalt Kelly
Pamela McConeghy
Jane Marie McManus
Jane K. Petrie
Nancy Jane Roberts
Sara Thomas
Shirley J. Barton
Jean K. Becker, PhD
Michele Bouhana
Heidi G. Clausnitzer
Karen J. Goss
Sheryl Lohmiller
Cheryl Ann Mayday
Barbara Ann Binkley
Patricia Sue Cherry
Jeannine M. Dufault
Carol S. Griffith
Dorothy Musch
Colonel Kriste Kibbey Etue
Sharon L. Kisak
Nancy A. Rosso
Brighton Area Women’s Roll of Honor Advisory Council
Acknowledgments The Advisory Council appreciates the Collaboration and Support of:
Jean K. Becker
Nancy Fredenburg
Karen Goss
Carol Griffith
Nancy B. Johnson
Joyce Powers, Chair
Margaret Siford
Elizabeth Walker
Brighton Area Historical Society
Brighton Area Schools
Brighton District Library
Brighton Rotary Club
City of Brighton
Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce
Livingston County Daily Press & Argus
Livingston Sunrise Rotary
The Marketeer
Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame
National Women’s History Project
WHMI 93.5FM
Athletic Championship Honorees
Brighton High School Girls Cross Country Teams won state titles in 1979, 1980, and 1983 following the early years of Title IX. The 1979 team was the first girls athletic team to win a state title for Brighton.
2003 Brighton Varsity Girls Softball Team won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I State Championship with a season record of 43-1. They were also named an All State Academic Team with a 3.25 grade point average.
2011 Brighton Varsity Girls Lacrosse Team won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I State Championship with a season record of 15-5-1.
2014 Brighton Varsity Girls Ski Team won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I State Championship with 92 points and a season record of 12-0.
2016 Julia Dean won the 2015 Division I Individual State MHSAA Golf Championship and then was chosen as Miss Golf by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association. Julia is the first Brighton female athlete honored by the Michigan Interscholastic Coaches Association.
2017 Abby Krzywiecki was honored as the 2016 Miss Softball winner by the Michigan Interscholastic Softball Coaches Association, the STATE CHAMOS! Softball Player of the Year, MLive Detroit’s Softball Player of the Year, and a Flosoftball First Team All-American. Abby holds the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s record for hitting 20 home runs in the 2016 season.