Suffragette Susan B. Anthony is in the Hall, and so is black civil rights activist Rosa Parks. Tennis great Billie Jean King, talk show host Oprah Winfrey and astronaut Sally Ride are there too. Now, Cyndee Klemanski and Ellen Margolis will be joining them.
Recognized recently as “Local Legends” for their contributions in the fight against AIDS, the two Pittsburgh women were inducted into The National Women’s Hall of Fame in a ceremony May 4 during the Virginia Slims Legends Tour at the Monroeville Racquet Club.
The women’s names will be engraved on permanent plaques that will hang on “The Wall of Fame,” a special section in the Hall honoring women of achievement. In addition to the plaque, a file of letters citing Klemanski’s and Margolis’ accomplishments will be included in the Wall of Fame Honorees Book. Each woman received a replica of the plaque and a silver bracelet bearing the inscription “Until There’s a Cure,” the honoree’s name and the date.
Located in Seneca Falls, NY, considered the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, The National Women’s Hall of Fame was created in 1969. An historic bank building in the heart of the Seneca Falls Historic District was purchased in 1979 and renovated to house the Hall’s permanent exhibit, historical artifacts and offices.
The women were chosen for the honor by the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, the National AIDS Fund and Philip Morris Cos. Inc., sponsor of the Virginia Slims Legends Tour.
According to Pam Vingle, volunteer coordinator of PATF, the selection committee involved in nominating the women for the honor first “looked at the slant the tournament took.” That narrowed the search to female volunteers who could be recognized as “legends” in keeping with the tennis tournament’s theme. Next, Vingle said the committee separated the female volunteers into two tiers–one administrative, the other grassroots or “roll up your sleeves.” The number of years of consistent volunteer involvement was also strongly considered.
“Cyndee’s name came up right away,” said Vingle, referring to Klemanski’s long list of accomplishments as a social worker and administrator. “She started the first support group for people living with AIDS.
“Ellen [Margolis] jumped right in, in 1988,” Vingle added.
Klemanski’s exhaustive resumé virtually chronicles the development of AIDS agencies and services in southwestern Pennsylvania during the last 10 years.
Klemanski served on the PATF board of directors from 1987 to 1994 and as president from 1988 to 1990. She was a founder of the Shepherd Wellness Community and organized the first Healing Weekend, an annual retreat for people with AIDS and their caregivers. She has served on the board of Persad Center Inc.
Klemanski also served as administrative director of the Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment from 1988 to 1996, the Pitt Treatment Evaluation Unit from 1992 to 1996 and as project administrator for the Pitt HIV Early Intervention Project from 1994 to 1996 and was the founding president of the Southwestern Pennsylvania AIDS Planning Coalition, a regional network of organizations and individuals that respond to the HIV epidemic and to people with or affected by HIV and AIDS within the region.
Currently, Klemanski is executive director of Verona House Corp. and administrator of Corpus Christi Residence, a personal care facility for people with AIDS.
Klemanski’s career path was not carefully planned. Instead, it evolved from her early experience with the disease as she responded to people in need, she told Out.
“I saw some of the earliest people with AIDS,” Klemanski said, “and I was struck by the fact that the usual resources were not available because of the stigma attached to AIDS.
“I guess the turning point came when I wrote a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Press. Phil Musick had written a satirical column in which he said that people with AIDS should be kept away from salad bars to prevent the destruction of the human race. In my letter I wrote that he was promulgating a myth about AIDS and people with AIDS in his column.”
Shortly after her letter was published, Klemanski said she received a call from a woman asking her to facilitate a support group for people with AIDS. “Back then, if you knew a little bit, you became an expert,” Klemanski said of her early days in the AIDS crisis. As time went on, Klemanski said, she just stayed “open to opportunities.”
“My learning experience helped me make a commitment,” Klemanski said of her work.
Klemanski said she felt extremely honored by the public recognition of her involvement with AIDS but added, “It’s humbling being honored in public when there are thousands and thousands of people who do it behind the scenes.”
Margolis, like Klemanski, said she “felt a bit sheepish” about the award. “It’s nice to have it acknowledged,” said Margolis, “but it’s like someone giving you a reward for eating 10 pounds of chocolate!”
Margolis’ involvement with AIDS began in 1988 when she volunteered at the PATF as a buddy to provide emotional support to people living with AIDS. Since then Margolis has been active as a volunteer on the PATF speakers bureau, conducting workshops and presentations on AIDS and developing and facilitating safer-sex workshops for women.
She has also been a member of the PATF women’s issues committee and coauthored the PATF volunteer policy and procedures manual. Margolis currently serves as a team leader in the buddy program, or the Three Rivers PAL Project, as it’s officially known.
“I’ve never felt the slightest burnout with the program,” said Margolis of the Pal Project. “It’s incredibly energizing. The whole experience has totally changed me, the way I view myself and other people.”
In the congratulatory letter sent to Klemanski and Margolis, Lyn M. Bedell, president of The National Women’s Hall of Fame wrote: “Strong women are the backbone of the nation, and your lifelong work illustrates the very finest spirit of American women. We offer you our most sincere congratulations, and we want you to know that The National Women’s Hall of Fame is enriched by your presence in it.
And so is the Pittsburgh AIDS community.
This article originally appeared in Pittsburgh’s Out. This article is preserved as a part of the Q Archives project. Please consider donating to help preserve Pittsburgh’s Queer history.
