In this extensive portrayal of Florida’s guiding matriarchs, Doris Weatherford highlights the myriad contributions women have made throughout Florida’s history. From the select few who traveled with Ponce de Leon to the state’s first female mayor Marion H. O’Brien, Weatherford sheds light on the roles these pioneering women played in the shaping of the Sunshine State.

They Dared to Dream reveals the lifestyles and achievements of women throughout landmark moments in history, including Native civilizations before the arrival of European colonists; early Spanish, British, and French exploration, the Civil War era, Reconstruction, the early twentieth century, and the population explosions post–World War II. Featuring often-celebrated personalities—including Mary Martha Reid, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton—alongside the lesser-known lives of Princess Murat, lighthouse keeper Barbara Mabrity, Florida Memorial College founder Sarah Ann Blocker, and others—this pivotal examination of Florida’s female agents of change draws attention to women’s instrumental roles in the historical events that defined the Sunshine State.

From prehistoric times to the space age, the female half of the population has made giant, but too often unacknowledged, contributions to Florida history. Countless women have overcome great obstacles and yet are often left out of historical accounts. They Dared to Dream aims to fill in some of these gaps by celebrating the many successes women have made. Because without women, there is no history—nor any future.
 
The Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc., is dedicated to empowering women and girls in our state by supporting educational, entrepreneurial and self sufficiency programs and initiatives through grants, mentoring, and other opportunities. The FCSW Foundation supports the work and programs of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, including the Florida Women's Hall of Fame.  
 
The Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc. dedicates this book to: the women of the past who struggled to achieve gender equality and showed the path, the women of the present who continue with the same goal, and the women of the future who will carry the baton and make us proud.--Dr. Mona Jain    
 
Acknowledgments, by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc    
 
The Florida women’s history book project could not have been completed without the cooperation and support of many people. To thank all of them who made it possible would be nearly impossible. We would, however, like to express our sincere appreciation to those who have helped take this endeavor "from dream to reality."  
 
First and foremost, we are indebted forever to our nine founding members as well as to the generous donors to the History Book Project. Next, our thanks go to the charter members: Nancy Acevedo, Claudia Kirk Barto, Susanne Hebert, Laura McLeod, Dr. Jeanne O’Kon, Laurie Pizzo, Blanca Bichara, Dr. Mona Jain, Carrie Lee, and Kathleen Passidomo, Esq., who freely gave their time and talents. Our heartfelt thanks to Kelly Sciba and Michele Manning, who spent many, many hours of their own time to see that the project was moving forward smoothly. Special mention is also made here for the assistance given by Kimberly Mehr and Veronica Vasquez.  
 
We gratefully acknowledge Doris Weatherford for writing this comprehensive Florida women’s history book. We are also grateful to the University Press of Florida for publishing the book as well as for valuable editorial help and comments.  
 
Our special thanks to each and every one who played a part in discovering the stories behind the women that makes them unique and trailblazers. These notable women have created history. We are also thankful to many women and men for their well wishes and encouragement in order to fill a void in the history of the Sunshine State. Together we empower each other.  
 
Last but not least the foundation members offer our deepest sense of appreciation to our families for believing in us as well as for their unwavering moral support.  
 
To all others we have omitted inadvertently, please accept our sincere apologies and thanks. According to the old saying, "To err is human and to forgive is divine."        
 
Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation, Inc. Founding Members, "Visionaries"
Blanca C. Bichara, Miami  
Cheryl Holley, Tampa  
Dr. Anila Jain, Bradenton-Sarasota  
Dr. Mona Jain, Bradenton-Sarasota  
Carrie E. Lee, Gainesville  
Marie Flore Lindor-Latortue, Miami  
Janet Mabry, Gulf Breeze  
Representative Kathleen Passidomo, Esq., Naples  
Debbie Sembler, Pinellas Park    
 
Donors, from "Vision" to "Reality" This Florida Women’s History Book Project has been made possible due to the generosity of the following:  
Hawa Allarakhia, Bradenton  
Blanca C. and Ricardo Bichara, Miami  
Eugenia Price Joyce Blackburn Foundation  
Brighthouse Networks of Manatee County for Rose Carlson, Bradenton  
Leah Brown, Bradenton  
Betty Chambliss, Bradenton  
LaDonna Cloud, Sarasota  
Community Foundation of Tampa Bay for Alex Sink, CFO  
Representative Faye Culp, Tampa  
Lynn and Dr. Arthur Guilford, Sarasota  
Gini Hyman, Sarasota  
Dr. Mona and Kailash Jain, Bradenton-Sarasota  
Kappa Delta Foundation, Inc. for Dr. Anila Jain, Chair, Bradenton-Sarasota  
Carrie E. and Dennis Lee, Gainesville  
Manatee and Sarasota Commissions on the Status of Women  
Miami-Dade Commission for Women  
Dorothy Middleton, Bradenton  
JoAnn Morgan, Melbourne  
Representative Kathleen Passidomo, Esq., Naples  
Mary Runnells, Bradenton  
Linda Simmons, Tampa  
St. Petersburg Times Fund (Lynda Keever)  
Mariamma and Dr. George Thomas, Bradenton  
University of South Florida for Dr. Judy Genshaft, President  
Amy VanDell, Bradenton  
Anne Voss, Tampa  
Renee Warmak, Tampa  
Senator Marlene Woodson-Howard, Bradenton

Sample Chapter(s):

Excerpt

Table of Contents

An invigorating account of Florida women, from pre-Columbian times to the present. Author Doris Weatherford works like a pointillist painter, gradually adding dots of bold color as she relates achievements of or anecdotes about Florida women—bringing women into the foreground alongside the great white men who have previously dominated the landscape.
--Florida Times-Union

Goes back far in history, and . . . points out that females don’t get the credit they deserve.
--Tampa Bay Times