Onstage at Wesleyan College receiving the Sarah Porter Hillhouse Georgia Woman of Achievement Award, March 16, 2006

SARAH PORTER HILLHOUSE INDUCTED INTO GEORGIA WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT by Marie T. DiPaola Each year in March, during Women’s History Month, Georgia Women of Achievement holds an induction ceremony to honor new inductees. This year, three women who were honored were: Eliza Frances Andrews, 1840-1931; Grace Towns Hamilton, 1907-1992 and Sarah Porter Hillhouse, 1763-1831. On a magnificent Spring day, with the cherry trees in full bloom, hundreds gathered at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia to participate in the ceremony. Guest speaker was Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, the first African American woman to serve as superior court judge in Georgia and the first woman and youngest person to serve on Georgia’s Supreme Court. She is also the first African American Chief Justice of a state supreme court in the United States. Chief Justice Sears was an inspiration to all. Ruth A. Knox, President, Georgia Women of Achievement and Wesleyan College, honored Frances Traxler Greiff, author of Printer Lady, as the nominator of Sarah Porter Hillhouse. Sharing special honors with Frances was a 6th generation great-granddaughter of Sarah Porter Hillhouse, Carol Timmann of Tallahassee, who drove up from Florida with her daughter Shannon to be present at this historic occasion. Videos depicting the lives and achievements of all three women inductees were shown. Students from various Georgia schools were present and were greatly impressed with the day’s proceedings. Family and friends of Sarah Porter Hillhouse sharing a table at the luncheon were: Frances Traxler Greiff and her daughter Leila Lawlor, Carol Timmann and her daughter Shannon, Marie DiPaola, Rachel Hull, Rosalie Krol and City Attorney Jim Elliott of Warner Robins, Georgia. For further insight into the life and times of Sarah Porter Hillhouse, the first woman newspaper publisher in Washington, Georgia and possibly the nation, please visit the website at   www.georgiawomen.org.