In honor of the 101-year anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, a re-dedication of the Louise Gasser Kirtley memorial is set for Thursday afternoon. There will also be a parade, a recognition of local women holding elected positions and a guest speaker.
The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History and will end at the Daviess County Courthouse, where the ceremony will take place beginning at 5 p.m.
The event will feature speaker Marcia Milby Ridings, first female president of the Kentucky Bar Association.
As previously reported, Kirtley was a practicing attorney for decades and served as Daviess County’s first female representative elected to the Kentucky General Assembly. In 1984, she was one of only three women who practiced law in Daviess County. She also served as the first president of the Daviess County Bar Association and as the County Attorney.
Judy Adams, a member of the Owensboro branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW), said that this will be a celebration not only of Kirtley but all female elected officials.
“We have a lot of history that we can build on. Now we have women CEOs, especially in many of our nonprofits, but we still have a long way to go,” Adams said.
The event is a partnership between the Owensboro Branch of AAUW, the Daviess County Fiscal Court and the City of Owensboro.
