12 Women We Lost – and What They Helped Us Find
It's almost time to crack the champagne and ring in the New Year. But first, why not celebrate the lives of the women trailblazers, activists and heroes we lost in 2009?
We said goodbye to some notable women, including entertainers (think Farrah Fawcett, Natasha Richardson and Bea Arthur) and pioneering businesswomen like Talbot's Founder, Nancy Talbot; renowned economist, Rose Friedman; Giants owner, Sue Burns; and toy exec, Lynn Pressman Raymond.
But some of the most world-changing women may not have names you'll recognize, but they left legacies we can all be grateful for:
The inspiration for Norma Rae, she unionized 3,000 textile workers in 1977, inspiring generations of women to fight for what they deserve at work.
Founder of the Special Olympics, she shed new light on Americans with intellectual disabilities - and the power of perseverance.
A writer and women's activist, her debut novel, The Women's Room, shaped modern feminism and perceptions about marriage.
A breast cancer patient who won the right (for herself and others to come) to be treated with Herceptin, an expensive but effective drug that can extend the lives of cancer patients.
A female Afghani politician who encouraged women to find jobs and fight for equality, she gave her life for the advancement of her countrywomen.
The first woman to chair the NAACP and second woman to practice law in the U.S., she helped ban laws restricting black people from home ownership, paving the way for a successful career for women in the future.
One of the first faces for women's golf and a founder of the LPGA, Jameson won $91,000 and 10 tournaments.
Founder of Save the Chimps, she made a name for herself by rescuing displaced Air Force training chimps and eventually building the second largest sanctuary for captive chimpanzees.
One of the first outsiders to warn there could be a genocide in Rwanda, she later testified in dozens of trials and wrote a book about her experiences which earned her the MacArthur Genius Grant.
Founder of Banned Books Week, this librarian championed her anti-censorship beliefs. Fiery and fearless, she called Madonna's book, Sex, "sleazy trash [that] should be in every medium-sized library in the United States."
Once stripped of her championship medal when recognized as a woman, she paved the way for women's judo, making it an Olympic sport.
Despite 61 years in an iron lung, she graduated from college and wrote an inspirational book about her challenging life.
