One of the most beautiful ways to honor somebody when they die is to go over their life and remember what they did rather than focus on their death. While death is the end of life, the way somebody dies isn’t something that people are defined by. That is true, especially for Dr. Gertrude (Gertie) Galloway. Back in 2011, Gertie was selected as one of the Pearls. In the Pearls video on Gertie, she was asked questions such as, “You’ve done many first of’s. Which one is your favorite?”
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As somebody that has accomplished many things in her life, she truly valued her part in the community as a pioneer. She was the first woman president of National Association for the Deaf. In many of her interviews, she portrays a sense of humor and was very humble. Her ability to remove her ego and listen to others is what made her an excellent role model for women out there.
Gertrude Galloway – First woman NAD president. 07/21/2014.
Gertrude was a motivational speaker that talked about obstacles she fought through in life and what she did to overcome barriers. As a woman who focused on raising children until she was divorced, she faced a lot of the struggles that women face when they stay home for years. When women find themselves alone and powerless, they often find themselves not knowing what to do with themselves. Not Gertie, she picked herself up and went out there and did something spectacular with her life.
Being a role model for women out there wasn’t her primary focus. She did many things to show the world that women are just as capable as men because she wanted to do those things. Attitude towards women has changed over the years but that’s only because of people like Gertie. Knocking down the standard image of women that stay home and cook/clean for their husbands is one of the biggest things that Gertrude was able to do for our community. While that general attitude towards women wasn’t exclusive to the community, she had the biggest impact there.
Honor her by remembering this one piece of advice from her.
“Be more assertive, not to be fighting back but convince people you can do your job. Show your skills, be willing to listen. Work with people and go with the flow. Get your ego out of the way.” Gertrude Galloway
