Fifty Years of History: Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future

For nearly a decade the Law Center has celebrated the leadership and diversity of its alumnae with an annual Women's Forum. The event features special awards, networking opportunities, and panel discussions about topics of interest to women in the law.

    This year's event was a very special one, as Georgetown marked the 50th anniversary of women in the law school. It was the summer of 1951, when Patricia Anna Collier made history as the first woman to enroll, followed by seven others that Fall and Spring. To celebrate that first class of women, and all the subsequent classes, more than 600 alumnae from across the nation attended this year's gala occasion held on April 20 and 21.

    The forum opened with good food and talk: an elegant dinner served in the Law Center atrium during which alumnae spoke about their experiences at Georgetown and as lawyers today. Representatives from each decade reminisced about the periods in which they were at Georgetown, first at 506 E Street and later at 600 New Jersey Avenue. A panel of mothers and daughters spoke about mentoring, mother-daughter relations, and changes in the legal field over the years. The next day, women gathered to discuss issues affecting the law. On the following pages, we print excerpts from their discussions and photographs from the 2001 Women's Forum.

    In a special section that follows are profiles of eleven alumnae leaders. Six were honored with alumnae awards this year: Lois Frankel (L '73), Mazie Hirono (L '78), Laura Rothstein (L '74), Dolores Silva Smith (L '75), Donna Wilson (L '81), and Marcia Wiss (F '69, L '72). Five others have distinguished themselves by service to the profession and to Georgetown. The Law Center is proud to number these eleven women among its alumnae but no more proud than it is of every woman who has passed through its doors since the summer of 1951. We salute you.

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