The SWE Achievement Award is SWE’s highest tribute. It was first conferred in 1952, just two years after the society was established. The Achievement Award honors long-term technological advancements in engineering made by women in any engineering discipline. Several prominent SWE volunteers throughout the Society’s 75-year history have been recognized with this honor, including SWE Co-Founder and first President Beatrice Hicks in 1963.
When a group of SWE Late Career and Retiree Affinity Group members set out to write the recently published book, Women Engineering Legends 1952 – 1976: Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award Recipients, most of us didn’t know the technical contributions Hicks had made. I had no idea she owned her own engineering company and was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering and the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her patented gas density switch. She is but one of the engineering role models I wish I’d known when I was in school.
The book, a follow-up to SWE LCR AG’s SWE Legends Wikipedia project, started in 2021 to recognize the historic contributions of SWE’s first 25 Achievement Award recipients — all pioneers in their engineering disciplines blazing a technical path during the Great Depression, World War II, and the “space race.” It was a time before many engineering colleges admitted women. Hicks ran her business before the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act that finally allowed women to apply for credit in their own names without a male co-signatory.
You see, when I asked a recent 2026 WE Local audience who had heard of Beatrice Hicks, only three hands went up. All were seasoned SWE members. Learning about the trailblazing women who came before us is important, especially in a field where women comprise just 9% to 17% of the engineering workforce, depending on discipline. Role models help set the tone for what we view as possible in the world around us. Reading about the successes of the first 25 SWE Achievement Award recipients provides us with a base of understanding of what women have already accomplished, particularly at a time when women comprised <1% of the engineering workforce.
Publishing a book was an enlightening experience. All the authors, including editors Ceal Craig, Holly Teig, Debra Kimberling, Jan Williams, Jill Tietjen, Vicki Johnson, and chapter contributors Marie Aloia, Linda Reed, Deb Fisher-Rebstock, are extremely grateful and humbled for the opportunity to write about the lives and accomplishments of SWE’s earliest pioneers. The authors, shown at the WE25 SWE Boutique (left), took a moment to celebrate their success. A huge thank you to Ceal for organizing, inspiring, and encouraging us to write this book.
We are deeply grateful for support and insightful forewards by SWE Executive Director and CEO Karen Horting and SWE Archivist Troy Eller English for the added context. A special thank you to the SWE LCR AG for creating a home for the SWE Legends Wikipedia editing initiative. It formed the basis for this book. The book and its SWE legacy will live on!
The Women Engineering Legends book authors, including Jan Williams and Debra Kimberling shown at WE Local Portland, are in full marketing mode. We’re proudly promoting the book and SWE’s history at WE26 Boston and all 2026 WE Locals. We also raffle off the book at each SWE Boutique to some very happy conference attendees! Stop by the next SWE Boutique for an opportunity to win. You can also help spread the word by promoting the book to your alma maters and local academic libraries.
Purchase the Women Engineering Legends book using the 20% book discount code “SWE,” valid through March 31, 2026. (Sign up for a Springer account using your email to obtain the discount).
If editing a book inspires you, reach out to Springer Women in Engineering and Science series Editor Jill Tietjen. She’ll point you in the right direction. To help with the second book in the SWE Legends series, complete this SWE Legends Volunteer Interest Form. You can author a book chapter, participate in an oral history of a living SWE legend, write/edit Wikipedia profiles, or help market. Tell us about your passions!
Until our next conference or SWE history presentation, keep reading. Which SWE legend particularly inspires you? To learn more about our SWE pioneers and their accomplishments, attend one of these upcoming events:
- Friday March 27 — SWE Member at Large (MAL) Women’s History Month will have a virtual book summary of all 25 Achievement Award Recipients from book one.
- Tuesday April 21 — SWE Boston 75th Anniversary will include those Achievement Award Recipients and Legends with Boston ties.
- For more information, watch the “Histories of Women Engineers Need to be Told” video, read the SWE LCR newsletter, or visit our LCR SWE Legends origins video.
If you have ideas about how to promote the book or its content, please send me a note. Looking forward to seeing you at the next SWE Boutique!
