YOUR AD HERE »

Hamilton to be inducted into Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame

Sky-Hi News staff
news@skyhidailynews.com
Penny Hamilton will be inducted into the Colorado Womens Hall of Fame this spring. Here inclusion into the category of contemporary inductees is alongside the likes of historical inductees Dr. Susan Anderson (Doc. Susie) and Mamie Eisenhower. "Doc Susie was inducted years ago and to just be mentioned in the same breath as her is so humbling," Hamilton said.
Staff Photo |

On the Web

For more information, visit http://www.cogreatwomen.org.

Dr. Penny Hamilton of Granby is one of 10 women who will be inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame at a gala ceremony on March 20.

Among her contemporary inductees are: Christine Arguello, U.S. District Court Judge; Lauren Casteel, first African American woman to head a Colorado foundation; Kristina Johnson, Ph.D., internationally acknowledged expert in optics and crystal display technology; Joanne Maguire, aerospace executive who led the development of the Mars Rover; and Diana Wall, Ph.D.; environmental scientist who has a valley in Antarctica named after her.

Historical inductees are: (Elizabeth) Morley Cowles Ballantine, Durango Herald publisher, businesswoman and philanthropist; Julia Archibald Holmes, pioneer and women’s rights advocate; Elizabeth Wright Ingraham, architect and businesswoman who designed AIA-award winning buildings in Colorado Springs; and Helen Ring Robinson, first female Colorado State Senator.



“These extraordinary women have made significant contributions to their fields or blazed trails in society,” said Elizabeth Heid, chair of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. “They will join the other 132 remarkable women who have shared vision, ideals and accomplishment to become inductees into the Hall of Fame.”

Hamilton was a general aviation pilot for more than 20 years and co-holds World and National Aviation Speed Records with her husband Bill, set in October 1991. She was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011, inducted into Amelia Earhart International Forest of Friendship Class of 2013, is executive director of the Teaching Women to Fly Research Project, and is dedicated to bringing more women into aviation. Hamilton has authored two books aimed at encouraging and training women in aviation and flight instruction. In 1994, the FAA named a new holding intersection in Colorado at an altitude of 15,500 feet above sea level after her as part of the U.S. aeronautical system. She was selected in 2009 as the ABC TV-Denver 7 “Everyday Hero” for her more than 25 years of public service and community aviation education programs, directs Colorado Airport History Preservation Project, was first executive director of the Grand County Business & Economic Association and was instrumental in having a 100-year history of Granby,published for its centennial celebration.



A former college professor, Hamilton, originally from Pennsylvania, moved part-time to Grand County from Lincoln, Neb., in 1989. After she and Bill sold the newspaper they owned, the Capitol Times in Lincoln, the couple moved to Grand County to live full-time. She learned to fly planes from her husband, she said, who when they met was a general aviation pilot.

The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame gala induction ceremony will be celebrated Thursday, March 20, 2014, at the Denver Marriott City Center, hosted by Linda Alvarado, honorary chair and inductee in both the Colorado and National Women’s Halls of Fame. For more information, visit http://www.cogreatwomen.org.

The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame was founded in 1985 to inspire others by celebrating and sharing the enduring contributions of Colorado’s extraordinary women. The Hall serves as a leading resource of exciting, dynamic stories of women who have achieved greatness in their fields or acted as agents of change for girls and women in society.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.