Professional Dimensions Sacagawea Award
The
leadership of PD created the Sacagawea Award in 1982. At the time, there were
few women who were prominent in the leadership of southeastern Wisconsin, and
there was a general lack of awareness of women who had made significant
achievements in their realm of professional expertise and who were often
trailblazers.
The Choice of
Sacagawea
The
award was named after Sacagawea because she epitomized the qualities we sought
in the award recipients. A woman of many dimensions, Sacagawea distinguished
herself throughout her life by her foresight, leadership, intelligence, common
sense, and adaptability. She was a mother, and the only woman on the 1803-1806
Lewis and Clark expedition to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean.
Although her presence was initially resented by many of the men who were part of
the expedition, Sacagawea overcame those objections, and proved herself to be a
capable leader, interpreter, and guide. She helped to provide a unifying
presence, and to the many native peoples the expedition encountered, Sacagawea
and her infant child were regarded as a symbol of peace. She often led the
expedition through hostile territory, because her presence provided a shield of
protection for the entire party. In spite of her crucial role in the Lewis and
Clark expedition, Sacagawea's contribution went virtually unrecognized in the
history books until the 1990s. Spelling and pronunciation of Sacagawea's name
have evolved over the years as historians have sought greater cultural
accuracy. Today's preferred pronunciation is: Suh CAH guh WAY uh.
Goals
The
Sacagawea Award Dinner was not created to be a fundraiser, nor is fundraising
its primary goal today. However proceeds of the event are used to support
the charitable efforts of PD. The dinner's goals, in priority order, are to:
-
Celebrate and honor professional women
-
Raise
funds for PD Charitable Fund which designates a Milwaukee area charity that fosters overall
self-sufficiency for women and children
-
Showcase the Professional Dimensions organization
-
Provide a not-to-be-missed social event
The Selection of Award
Recipients
At least half of the award selection committee is composed
of community leaders who are not PD members. Award candidates are solicited
from PD members and the general public, and many nominees are members of PD.
Award recipients are chosen for their significant career accomplishments,
commitment to community, support for the advancement of women, and embodiment of
the trail blazing spirit of Sacagawea.
The Selection of Award Artist
The
first year PD committee members considered using the third art piece to give a
corporate award, but then decided against it. After the first Saci was over,
the committee went back to artist Claudia Gorecki Bodine and asked if her piece
could be made the official, permanent Saci award. It was Claudia's generous,
ingenious and serendipitous suggestion to the committee that a different woman
artist be selected annually to create the award.
The
PD art collection, which is now valued at over $40,000 is the only contemporary art
collection in the world devoted solely to honoring the spirit of Sacagawea. For
the first several years, the collection was housed in the home of the presiding
PD president--a definite advantage of office. Now, it is housed in the Rotunda at Alverno College at 3401
S. 39th Street in Milwaukee.
PD
members support the event by attending, encouraging others to
attend, serving on the Sacagawea Committee and/or by assisting in obtaining
corporate sponsorship and underwriting.
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Additional Information
2008 Sacagawea Award Winners
2008 Pathfinder Award Announced
Past Sacagawea Award Winners and Artists
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