Ron Chepesiuk is head of the Winthrop University Archives and has been a freelance writer and journalist since 1982. He is the author of numerous historical books, including Winthrop College: A Pictorial History, and he has published more than 1,500 magazine and newspaper articles in over 200 publications, including Modern Maturity and The New York Times. Gina Price White is the assistant archivist at the Winthrop University Archives. She has written articles on local history for the Chester News and Reporter and the Rock Hill Herald. The authors hope their tribute to the influential women of South Carolina will inspire others to collect these valuable records and preserve them for future generations.