Thousands of women have made a difference in the history of the University of Memphis.

To celebrate these women, the Center for Research on Women (CROW) is partnering with African and African-American Studies and the Department of History to honor 100 women from the U of M’s first 100 years.

The event, "100 Years, 100 Women," will be held on April 27 at 7 p.m. in the U of M Holiday Inn. In addition to the Centennial Celebration of the University, CROW is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

"I think it’s really good to step back and look at the vital role women have played in the U of M’s history," said Beverly Bond, director of the College of Arts and Sciences‘ African and African-American Studies program.

The honoree list ranges from current and former faculty members, to former students, alumni and U of M benefactors.

Sara Shelton Thatcher (BA ’99, MBA ’01) will be honored at the event. Thatcher served as chair in 1999 for the inaugural committee for Up ‘til Dawn.

"Up ‘til Dawn was one of the most exciting things I participated in while at Memphis," Thatcher said. "To have gone from (what it was at the start) to what it is today, it’s exciting to have been a part of it."

The program, which has raised more than $28 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, started at the U of M and has grown to a national event at about 250 college campuses across the United States.

Another honoree, Honey Scheidt, said, "It’s so exciting being a part of this University. I didn’t go here, but I think it’s wonderful to be a part of the list of honorees and to be chosen."

Scheidt and her husband, Rudi E. Scheidt, endowed the U of M’s School of Music in 2000. She also helped to establish the University’s Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology and, in honor of her late mother, the Dorothy Kayser Hohenberg Chair of Excellence in Art History.

"We could have easily recognized 1,000," said Janann Sherman, professor and chair of history.

Tickets are $60 per person and are available at www.memphis.edu/100women.­ — by Laura Fenton