Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson
Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson
In 1986, The U.S. Supreme Court held that a hostile or abusive work environment can prove discrimination based on sex.
YWCA Teen parade float. Courtesy of Adams County Historical Society.
Irene Moerer
Irene’s 44 year teaching profession included work at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. She was Associate Dean of Students at Hastings College for 26 years.
Irene Moerer. Courtesy of Hastings College.
She joined the college in 1961, and soon acquired a reputation as an able administrator, strong leader, and a highly effective personal and academic counselor. This was due to her unique gift for sorting out students’ problems and needs.
A strong proponent of leadership training as an integral part of the college’s overall educational effort, she was both the architect and the builder of many successful student centered programs. She provided a guiding hand in the steady growth and development of the Student Association. In 1987, she retired from Hastings College and was granted an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her distinguished achievement and service in the field of Christian Higher Education.
Jane Foote and other members of the Planning Committee receive the First Lady’s Award for leadership of the Home Away From Home project, 1999.
Jane Foote
Living
Jane Ellen Fletcher Foote was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1953 with a degree in education. That same year she married Hastings native Bob Foote and moved to Hastings the following year.
She taught first grade at Alcott elementary school, and then Longfellow.
Jane has been involved in a number of clubs and volunteer organizations, especially at the First Presbyterian Church. She is still an active volunteer with the church’s Wednesday Night Live, a program that provides activities and support to children in grades K-6.
Her most lasting contribution to Hastings is Home Away From Home—affordable lodging for the families of Mary Lanning patients. She had the idea when visiting her mother in the hospital in Saint Joseph. She knew first hand the idea was a good one, and volunteered to start a committee. Pam Kearney was a key supporter of the project. The community embraced the idea and quickly raised $2.6 million for the new medical hospitality house.
The home officially opened in September 1999 and has since welcomed over 18,000 guests from nearly every state and nine countries. Jane and 52 of her friends still make sure fresh cookies are available at Home Away From Home each week.
Johnson v. Transportation Agency
Johnson v. Transportation Agency
This case was brought to the Supreme Court by Paul Johnson, a male Santa Clara Transportation Agency employee in 1987. He had been passed over for a promotion in favor of Diane Joyce, a female employee who Johnson argued was less qualified. The court ruled that it is permissible to take sex and race into account in employment decisions, even when there is no proven history of discrimination but there is evidence of an imbalance in the number of women or minorities holding the position in question.
Mona Mueller
Living
Mona grew up wanting to be a nurse. In 1954, she recognized her dreams when she graduated from Lincoln General Hospital School of Nursing. Shortly thereafter, she accepted a job at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings as a registered nurse. While there, Mona became involved in a variety of committees focused on improving and advocating for Nebraskans’ health.
Mona Mueller
In the early 1990s, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recognized breast cancer death rates were on the rise and determined income and education were preventing women from having mammograms. In 1992, Nebraska was one of 12 states to receive grant money to address the problem. Mona became an Every Woman Matters case manager and educator for an 18 county region, from Filmore and Thayer counties west to the Colorado border. Mona traveled the region meeting with women 40 years of age and older to teach them about cancer prevention and help them register for financial assistance.
Within 10 years, preventative screenings increased 29% in Nebraska. While knowing this information was helpful, Mona says the most rewarding thing was hearing women say that her support and education helped them catch their cancer early and saved their lives. Mona retired in 2009.