Dorothy Sinclair, YWCA Legend Award Recipient
Dorothy Sinclair is a legend, and she’s got the award to prove it. Sinclair was honored March 6 with the 10th Annual YWCA Legend Award, which is presented to a past YWCA Leader Luncheon Award winner—Sinclair received the Mother Frances Krasse Professions Award in 1988. What makes the award even more meaningful is that the Legend Award is decided upon by previous achievement award winners, who are given the opportunity to select one amongst themselves who continues to exemplify the vision, courage, and achievement of a proven leader.
Sinclair—a former chemist, Peoria City Council member, and longtime activist—was a natural choice for the award. A Georgia native, she graduated from Georgia State College for Women in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She obtained a master’s degree in chemistry from Wellesley College two years later. “Then I worked for about five years in industrial chemistry labs in St. Louis and Cambridge, Mass. My husband is also a chemist; we met over a laboratory bench in St. Louis. I retired from chemistry when our two children were born,” she said.
Her retirement from the chemical field made room in her life for her second career—activism. She made her way quite smoothly through a field in which women were rare, and she came to believe change needed to happen to ensure smooth sailing for all women. “In the late 1960s and 1970s it became obvious that opportunities for women were, in fact, limited. By then I had read Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique and became involved in local efforts to get the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed. We were unable to get the ERA adopted, but women have pushed on. It’s very exciting to see the success hard-working women have achieved,” she said.
Sinclair served on the Peoria City Council from 1975 to 1991, but her involvement in local politics began long before then. “Beginning about 1969 I chaired a League of Women Voters committee, which organized an effort to add members elected at-large to the council. Before that, all council members were elected from wards. After three years, hundreds of presentations to the people of Peoria, several lawsuits, and two successful referenda, the League action led to the election of city council members by a new method: one member elected from each of the five districts and three members elected at-large on a non-partisan basis and with staggered terms. After watching the council all those years, I decided I could be as good a council member as those serving.”
The first major issue Sinclair faced upon election was the controversial construction of the Civic Center. “Along with the previous downtown construction of the World Headquarters of Caterpillar and the Peoria County Courthouse, this undoubtedly led to the revitalization of downtown Peoria,” she said.
Sinclair also cited the beginning of riverfront development and the activities related to historic preservation as issues she was proud to have addressed during her tenure.
Because she believes former council members should move out of the picture once they step down, she doesn’t observe council meetings in person or on TV—though she does keep up with the issues. “I look forward to the time when the budget woes of the city are overcome and when the city can return to more aggressive growth, which I believe is vital to the wellbeing of our community. I believe the bio-technology focus is one of the ways to move forward. For the most part I support the development that’s taken place; however, I’m not sure the Sears block is the only—or even the best—location for the museum. Before the final decision is made, I would like to see a careful look at other riverfront sites, such as near the ballpark or at the foot of Spring Street.”
After moving away from being a politician, Sinclair once again had time for other passions in her life, including her continued work with the League of Women Voters. “The League is an organization dedicated to the informed participation of citizens in government,” she explained. “It grew out of the women’s suffrage movement and was organized nationally in 1920. The Peoria LWV was formed in 1924. Issues in which the Peoria LWV has been involved include adoption of a council-manager form of government for the City of Peoria, the drive to reduce the number of Peoria County Board members to nine, consolidation of the city and county health departments, and adoption of the 1970 State Constitution and subsequent homerule for the City of Peoria. The Peoria LWV also has a strong observer program whereby League members attend the meetings of local governments such as the Peoria Park District, District 150 School Board, Peoria Civic Center, Greater Peoria Airport Authority, and others.”
Sinclair also devotes time to several organizations addressing the problems of the Illinois River and the Peoria Lakes—the Tri-County Riverfront Action Forum, the Heartland Water Resource Council, and the Peoria Lakes Basin Alliance. Another commitment is her service as a lay member on the Planned Parenthood Heart of Illinois Clergy Committee.
Sinclair has proven that the committed life is worth living, and the YWCA Legend Award is just one way the community is honoring her efforts. “I feel especially proud to receive the Legend Award because of the very capable women who have received the award before me and because the women who have received the YWCA Outstanding Achievement awards selected me. Each award I’ve received has made me feel honored to have worked with such caring people in our community. Many Peorians deserve to be recognized.” TPW
Sinclair—a former chemist, Peoria City Council member, and longtime activist—was a natural choice for the award. A Georgia native, she graduated from Georgia State College for Women in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She obtained a master’s degree in chemistry from Wellesley College two years later. “Then I worked for about five years in industrial chemistry labs in St. Louis and Cambridge, Mass. My husband is also a chemist; we met over a laboratory bench in St. Louis. I retired from chemistry when our two children were born,” she said.
Her retirement from the chemical field made room in her life for her second career—activism. She made her way quite smoothly through a field in which women were rare, and she came to believe change needed to happen to ensure smooth sailing for all women. “In the late 1960s and 1970s it became obvious that opportunities for women were, in fact, limited. By then I had read Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique and became involved in local efforts to get the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed. We were unable to get the ERA adopted, but women have pushed on. It’s very exciting to see the success hard-working women have achieved,” she said.
Sinclair served on the Peoria City Council from 1975 to 1991, but her involvement in local politics began long before then. “Beginning about 1969 I chaired a League of Women Voters committee, which organized an effort to add members elected at-large to the council. Before that, all council members were elected from wards. After three years, hundreds of presentations to the people of Peoria, several lawsuits, and two successful referenda, the League action led to the election of city council members by a new method: one member elected from each of the five districts and three members elected at-large on a non-partisan basis and with staggered terms. After watching the council all those years, I decided I could be as good a council member as those serving.”
The first major issue Sinclair faced upon election was the controversial construction of the Civic Center. “Along with the previous downtown construction of the World Headquarters of Caterpillar and the Peoria County Courthouse, this undoubtedly led to the revitalization of downtown Peoria,” she said.
Sinclair also cited the beginning of riverfront development and the activities related to historic preservation as issues she was proud to have addressed during her tenure.
Because she believes former council members should move out of the picture once they step down, she doesn’t observe council meetings in person or on TV—though she does keep up with the issues. “I look forward to the time when the budget woes of the city are overcome and when the city can return to more aggressive growth, which I believe is vital to the wellbeing of our community. I believe the bio-technology focus is one of the ways to move forward. For the most part I support the development that’s taken place; however, I’m not sure the Sears block is the only—or even the best—location for the museum. Before the final decision is made, I would like to see a careful look at other riverfront sites, such as near the ballpark or at the foot of Spring Street.”
After moving away from being a politician, Sinclair once again had time for other passions in her life, including her continued work with the League of Women Voters. “The League is an organization dedicated to the informed participation of citizens in government,” she explained. “It grew out of the women’s suffrage movement and was organized nationally in 1920. The Peoria LWV was formed in 1924. Issues in which the Peoria LWV has been involved include adoption of a council-manager form of government for the City of Peoria, the drive to reduce the number of Peoria County Board members to nine, consolidation of the city and county health departments, and adoption of the 1970 State Constitution and subsequent homerule for the City of Peoria. The Peoria LWV also has a strong observer program whereby League members attend the meetings of local governments such as the Peoria Park District, District 150 School Board, Peoria Civic Center, Greater Peoria Airport Authority, and others.”
Sinclair also devotes time to several organizations addressing the problems of the Illinois River and the Peoria Lakes—the Tri-County Riverfront Action Forum, the Heartland Water Resource Council, and the Peoria Lakes Basin Alliance. Another commitment is her service as a lay member on the Planned Parenthood Heart of Illinois Clergy Committee.
Sinclair has proven that the committed life is worth living, and the YWCA Legend Award is just one way the community is honoring her efforts. “I feel especially proud to receive the Legend Award because of the very capable women who have received the award before me and because the women who have received the YWCA Outstanding Achievement awards selected me. Each award I’ve received has made me feel honored to have worked with such caring people in our community. Many Peorians deserve to be recognized.” TPW