Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture, and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. Following are thumbnail sketches of some of Rye’s notable women, who made their marks as leaders in prior years.

Tamar Haviland (1738-1816) was a descendant of John Budd, who in 1660 bought land that was long known as Budd’s Neck and today is the Rye Neck section of Mamaroneck. In 1765, Tamar married Dr. Ebenezer Haviland, who was Rye Town supervisor and owned the Square House, which now is a museum run by the Rye Historical Society. He was killed during the Revolution while serving as a surgeon for the American Army. For many years after his death, the Square House was known as “Widow Haviland’s Tavern,” and Tamar was praised by George Washington in his notes of a visit there.

Caroline O’Day (1869-1943) was born and grew up in Georgia after the Civil War. She studied art in New York as well as in Paris, where she had success as a painter and contributed fashion sketches to international newspapers. In 1901, she married Daniel O’Day, who was secretary and treasurer of Standard Oil Company. A few years later they moved to Rye with their children. After her husband died in 1916, she became increasingly involved in civic and political activities, most notably as president of the Rye School Board and as com- missioner of the State Board of Social Welfare from 1923 to 1934.

Active in the New York State Democratic Committee from 1916 to 1920, she became a close friend of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. Beginning in 1934, she was elected at-large to four terms in Congress, from Jan. 3, 1935, to Jan. 3, 1943. The U.S. post office building in Rye was renamed the Caroline O’Day Post Office on Oct. 23, 2010, in recognition of her many years of public service.

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), born and raised in Kansas, devel- oped a passion for adventure at a young age, and became a pilot in her 20s. In 1928, Earhart became the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic by airplane, and in 1932, Earhart became the first woman — and the only person since Charles Lindbergh — to fly nonstop and alone across the Atlantic.

In 1931, she married George Putnam, publisher of her first book, and they lived together in a house that was part in Rye and part in Harrison.

On May 21, 1937, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan began a round-the-world flight, beginning in Oakland, Calif., and traveling east in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra. They departed Miami on June 1 and reached New Guinea on June 29, having covered 22,000 miles. They left on July 2 for their next refueling stop on Howland Island, but never found it. Recently an exploration team has claimed that Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane has possibly been detected by sonar 16,000 feet underwater.

Edith Read (1904-2006) lived in Rye for nearly all of her 102 years. She and her husband, Bayard, shared a passion for the natural world and wildlife preservation. Edith first put her conservation skills to work in leading the initiative to have the City of Rye purchase the land for the Rye Nature Center in 1956, then head- ing it for 10 years. In 1985, after many years of advocacy work to inform and educate the commu- nity on environmental issues, Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary officially opened as a “forever wild” natural park on the land between Manursing Lake and Long Island Sound.

Marion “Sis” Choate (1910- 1987) was married to Alyson Choate and lived in Rye for many years. She won the Apawamis Club golf championship 22 times (the last time at age 75) as well as the USGA’s Senior Women’s Amateur in 1963. A member of the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association Hall of Fame, she was Captain of the U.S. Curtis Cup Team in 1974. And in 1989, the Pinehurst tournament was renamed in her honor; a fitting tribute since she won the event four times.

Barbara Pierce Bush (1925- 2018) grew up in Rye and attend- ed both Milton School and Rye Country Day School. She met her future husband, George, at a dance in neighboring Greenwich, and they were married in 1945 at the Rye Presbyterian Church. She was known to be an important advisor to her husband through- out his political career from member of Congress to Vice President and President. In 1995, she

received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged. Two years later, she was the recipient of The Miss America Woman of Achievement Award for her work with literacy programs.

Allegra “Leggie” Mertz (1913-1989) was a four-time United States’ women’s national sailing champion and the first woman to receive the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy from US Sailing for “outstanding contribu- tions to the sport of sailing.” She was an eight-time winner of the Syce Cup, a trophy for the women’s sailing champion of Long Island Sound, among her numerous other awards. She and her husband, James Mertz were long-time residents of Rye.

Mary Ann Ilse (1929-2011) was Rye’s first and only woman to serve as Mayor, from 1985 to 1989. During her administration, the city approved the long-term lease and relationship with the Rye Art Center at 51 Milton Road; the demolition of the Jay Mansion and Carriage House was stopped; the Boston Post Road Historic District received National Historic Landmark designation; a referendum was passed authorizing the city to take over garbage collection; and a coastal Zone Management Plan was approved.