Some might say that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. But for 35-year La Jolla resident Tanja Winters, the countless hours spent advocating for world peace and equal rights leave her little time for cooking.
It’s rumored, however, that when she’s not stirring up a crowd of protesters, she’s whipping up one of her famous dishes, which has gotten everyone’s attention ” even those who nominated her for the 2007 San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame.
“I was advised by one woman who nominated her that she makes a pretty mean salad,” Elaine Nelson, a board member for the Women’s History Museum and Educational Center, said with a laugh, explaining that Winters had been selected as an honoree based on her 60 years of activism in San Diego, but that apparently she is a woman who can do it all.
Winters acknowledges that her salads ” equal to a stand-alone meal and reflective of her active and healthy southern California lifestyle ” are part of her claim to fame. Ironically, on March 24 at the University of California, San Diego’s (UCSD) Price Center Ballroom, Winters and six other women ” including La Jolla’s iconic Ellen Browning Scripps ” will be recognized for their ability to think outside the box and develop new roles for women in society.
The event, which is going on its sixth year, is held to honor the many women who have made their mark on history and is a collaborative effort between several San Diego organizations, including UCSD’s Women’s Center, the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women, San Diego State University’s Department of Women’s Studies and the Women’s History Museum.
An honorary committee of 100 San Diego women, including members of U.S. Congress and presidents of local firms, nominate women each year whom they believe are qualified to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, according to Nelson.
Of the five nomination categories, Winters was classified as an activist and is being honored for accomplishments such as her involvement in Women Strike for Peace in the 1950s, as well as her membership in the Peace & Democracy Action and Activist San Diego groups.
Winters recently participated with thousands of others in a peace vigil to oppose the increase of funding for the Iraq war and said she thinks paying attention to such key issues is what keeps democracy alive.
“I think it’s absolutely essential for people to get involved,” Winters said. “I think it’s part of our role as responsible citizens.”
Browning Scripps, also a longtime La Jolla resident who lived during the turn of the century in a large house that is now the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, was nominated as a trailblazer, or someone who has paved the way for other women or was the first in their field.
Creating a newspaper empire with brother E.W. Scripps and becoming active in women’s rights and politics, Browning Scripps made a name for herself throughout San Diego and showed particular fondness for her own community, funding Scripps College for Women, La Jolla Recreation Center, the seawall at the Children’s Pool, Scripps Memorial Hospital and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography ” to name a few.
Belle Jennings Benchley, former San Diego Zoo director, will be inducted under the trailblazer category for becoming the first and only female zoo director. Clara Estelle Breed, who sent food and clothing to Japanese internment camps during World War II, will be inducted under the bridge-builder category.
Sister Patricia Shaffer, a research chemist, university professor and nun, will be honored in the “Improver of Women’s Lives” category, and the “Keeper of her Culture” inductee is Sara “Madre Sarita” Macias Vasquez, a 97-year-old Mexican immigrant who carries on traditions of spiritual healing.
Staff members at the La Jolla Historical Society take pride in Scripps’ upcoming induction and hope the ceremony will help others understand the importance of her role as an influential woman in La Jolla’s history.
“This is just another way that we can keep informing people about her and make sure she is remembered and appreciated,” said Kara West, archivist and curator of the society. “Even after how long it’s been, we are still able to show our gratitude.”
Nelson and event staff members hope the induction ceremony serves as both a teaching tool and a way to inspire young women.
Members from local Girl Scout troops, as well as student interns from UCSD and SDSU, will be in attendance at the ceremony. Hoover High School will present a student art project depicting women’s history.
“We want to encourage their participation so they can see the accomplishments of women of several different generations,” Nelson said. “We feel it’s very important to get young women involved and strive to have them participate at every level.”
The ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. in UCSD’s Price Center Ballroom, 9500 Gilman Drive. For information or tickets, call (619) 233-7963 or visit www.whmec.org.