POWER WOMEN ROCK

The Women Who Changed the World Without Getting the Credit and some who did

I’ve always admired people who break barriers, challenge convention, and accomplish extraordinary things without worrying about who gets the credit. Some of the most remarkable people in history have been women whose stories were never fully told.

Take Natalie de Blois.

If you know anything about architecture, you know Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). But you may not know Natalie de Blois, one of the extraordinary architects who helped shape the firm’s legacy and some of America’s most iconic modern buildings.

Natalie entered architecture when it was almost entirely a man’s profession. She began her career at SOM in New York in 1944, working alongside Gordon Bunshaft on major projects that would help define modern American architecture. She was brilliant, determined, and enormously talented. Yet much of the recognition went to the men around her.

She eventually moved to SOM’s Chicago office, where she continued her remarkable career.

I’ve heard it said that if Natalie de Blois had been a man, there would be books written about her.

How many extraordinary women have changed our world while someone else received the applause?

Elizebeth Smith Friedman helped pioneer American codebreaking and played an extraordinary role in uncovering criminal networks and enemy espionage. For years, much of her contribution remained in the shadows.

Frances Perkins became the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet. As Secretary of Labor under Franklin Roosevelt, she helped shape some of the most important worker protections and social reforms in American history.

Katharine Graham took the reins of The Washington Post during a time when few women led major American corporations. She demonstrated remarkable courage and conviction, helping guide the newspaper through the Pentagon Papers and Watergate.

And then there is Emilee Hackney, whose story is still being written. Through her book All That’s Unseen, she reminds us that there are still powerful stories waiting to be told and voices that deserve to be heard.

These women came from different generations, different professions, and different circumstances. But they share something important.

They refused to let the expectations of their time define what they could accomplish.

I know that great things are never accomplished by one person. Behind every extraordinary building, company, breakthrough, or institution are people whose names may never appear on the front door.

Here’s to Natalie, Elizebeth, Frances, Katharine, Emilee, and the countless other women who have pushed boundaries, opened doors, and made the world better.

POWER WOMEN ROCK.