East Volusia News

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis announced the selection of Graci McGillicuddy, May Mann Jennings, and Penny Thompson to the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame. Each year, the Governor selects three nominees from recommendations presented by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women.

Graci McGillicuddy is the Co-Founder of the All Star Children’s Foundation, a child advocacy center that combats child abuse and provides a safe place for foster children. She has dedicated her life to advocating for the rights and welfare of abused children. Her commitment extends to public service roles on various state councils and nonprofit boards where she contributes to arts, mentoring, and child abuse prevention initiatives. In 2022, she was recognized by The KNOW Women as a member of their “100 Women to Know in America” and was honored with the “Spirit of Service” Award by the Florida Senate in 2009.

May Mann Jennings was the First Lady to Governor William Sherman Jennings, who served as Florida’s 18th Governor. She was a founding member of the Florida State League of Women Voters and served as President of the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs. Jennings is known as the “Mother of Florida’s Forestry” due to her efforts in establishing what is now known as the Florida Forestry Service. She also spearheaded efforts leading to Royal Palm State Park's establishment in 1915, which later became part of Everglades National Park.

Penny Thompson was a leader in women’s aviation in Florida during the post-war years in the 1940s and 1950s. During World War II, she volunteered as a Civil Air Patrol Pilot searching for German submarines in the Gulf of Mexico. Afterward, she published an aviation newspaper called Southern Aviation News and held leadership roles within women pilots' organizations such as The Ninety-Nines. In 1949, she gained national publicity by piloting an experimental "flying car" called Roadable Ercoupe during an all-women air race from Montreal to Miami.

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