Highland County Women’s Hall of Fame inductees announced
Lead Summary
By
Caitlin Forsha-crforsha@gmail.com
The Highland County Women’s Hall of Fame committee has announced that five local women have been selected for induction into the hall of fame this year: Marilyn Morris Anders, Anneka P. Collins, Gayle Coss, Paige Juillerat and Mary Ann Sommers Larkin.
The ceremony will be held Aug. 16 in the atrium of Southern State Community College’s central campus in Hillsboro. Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Tickets are $16 and may be purchased at in Community Savings Bank in Greenfield and Southern Hills Community Bank in Leesburg and Lynchburg.
The following are excerpts from the biographies of the Hall of Fame class of 2016:
Marilyn Morris Anders was raised on a farm outside of Leesburg. A horse lover from early childhood, Anders was winning shows all over Ohio and beyond from an early age. By the time she was 10 years old or so, her unassuming parents stopped entering her in competitions, embarrassed because she won nearly every event. Instead, Anders began breaking and training ponies and horses for others.
Anders chose to attend the prestigious Stevens College for Women in Columbia, Mo., partly because she could take equestrian classes. She became a 4-H advisor at the age of 18 and served as an organizational advisor for 55 years, leading the Klip Klop Klub. She was described as a “hands-on teacher, working directly with the youth” and “highly respected in Highland County and in surrounding counties.”
Anders served on the Highland County 4-H Committee, the Extension Advisory Committee and the Ohio State 4-H Horse Committee, in addition to supporting many 4-H fundraisers for Highland County Endowment. She was noted for her patience and understanding with the hundreds of 4-H members she assisted and her dedication to local 4-H activities.
• • •
Highland County Anneka P. Collins has been a resident of Highland County for approximately 31 years. During her youth, she was active in 4-H and FFA, earning her State Farmer’s Degree and her American Farmer’s Degree, along with multiple awards in beef production and public speaking. She promotes agriculture with her own children, encouraging them to show livestock at area shows.
Collins is a graduate of Hillsboro High School, later earning a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Dayton School of Law.
Collins joined the Highland County Prosecutor’s Office in March 2006 as an assistant prosecutor practicing in juvenile court. She received the Community Service Provider Award from the Highland County Board of Children Services in 2009 for her dedication to abused, neglected and dependent children in Highland County.
Collins was appointed Highland County Prosecutor by the Highland County Republican Central Committee in June 2011, making her the first female to hold the office of Highland County Prosecutor and one of only 10 female prosecutors in the 88 counties in Ohio.
Collins has been a member of the Farm Bureau, Hillsboro Rotary Club, Junior Women’s League, NRA, the Ohio Township Association, the Republican Central Committee, Highland County Bar Association, Altrusa, Highland County Law Library Association and the South Central Regional Detention Board. She has organized toy drives for local families during the holiday season and has also served as a children’s Sunday School teacher at the family’s church, the Marshall Church of Christ.
• • •
Gayle Coss moved to Highland County in 1998. Born in Arizona, Coss worked in health care for a number of years, including in a pharmacy and in the medical insurance field in Arizona and in physician recruiting in Utah. In 1983, she began a career in criminal justice in Davis County, Utah upon graduating from the peace officer training academy. She worked as an EMT, a jailer and a road deputy before being appointed as the public information and crime prevention officer for the sheriff’s office.
In 1987, Coss began working to establish a victim witness assistance program in every county in Ohio, serving as the director of grants and special projects for the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. She also earned her Ohio Peace Officer certification and became a reserve officer for the Upper Arlington Police Department and a victim’s rights issues instructor at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
Coss married her husband, Rocky Coss, in 1993 and split her time between Columbus, then later Mount Sterling, and Hillsboro for five years before moving to Hillsboro full-time in 1998. Upon moving to Highland County, Coss worked for several years as an administrative assistant at Ferno in Wilmington, followed by serving as the executive director at Highland House (now Bell Gardens) Assisted Living Center and the marketing director for The Laurels of Hillsboro.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a substitute teaching certificate, Coss decided to “semi-retire” before being asked to become the executive director of the Highland County Society for Children and Adults in June 2005, where she continues working to this day. The Society is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance for medical expenses to residents Highland County. While it is a part-time position, it often involves dozens of telephone calls a day, contacting medical providers to help clients.
Coss is active in the community, serving as a member of the Hillsboro Rotary Club and as its secretary; as member of the Highland County Family YMCA Board of Trustees; and as a member of the Highland Horse Council. An animal lover, Coss was elected to the Highland County Humane Society board in 2014.
• • •
Paige Juillerat is described as “a household name, particularly around Leesburg” for her service to the community. The owner of Mane Street Salon in Leesburg since 2012, Juillerat’s salon is jokingly described as a “donation collection center” for her many community service projects she organizes in the area.
Juillerat has donated time and services to the Alternatives to Violence Center during their annual Tea for Tweens, Teens and Queens event, which promotes awareness of domestic violence, and has also sponsored and donated to their annual Trivia Night fundraiser. She also hosted a fundraiser for Highland County Community Action’s community Christmas program.
Juillerat has supported and helped with the Head Start teachers banquet and Leesburg teachers luncheon; donated to many community agencies to provide services through her salon; and has collected needed items to provide to the local homeless shelter. Juillerat has also been active in raising funds for several local families, including organizing an event to raise money for in-vitro fertilization for a local couple.
Juillerat and her husband have two daughters and lost their 4-month-old son, Lincoln, on New Year’s Eve of 2014. After losing her son, Juillerat held on to her faith and encouraged others to do the same. She stood strong and comforted others during her own loss, reminding everyone of the importance of God and finding comfort in one’s place of worship.
• • •
Mary Ann Sommers Larkin is described as a person who quietly helps others whenever she sees a need. She is a retired teacher of 20 years and public librarian of 15 years.
Moving to Highland County from Cincinnati as a high school student, Larkin has been an active member of the Greenfield Presbyterian Church for over 60 years, serving as an elder, deacon, moderator of the Presbyterian Women, a leader of numerous small groups, secretary of the District and as founder and organizer of the annual tasting luncheon fundraiser.
After retirement, Larkin continued to work as a volunteer on the boards of the Basic Child Care Unit, the First Presbyterian Church and the Greenhills Retirement Village in Greenfield. She has volunteered hundreds of hours at Edgewood Manor, cooking and bringing lunch to residents and sharing many stories and poems.
Larkin has been an active member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Alpha Chi Chapter, History Club, the Social Civics Club of New Petersburg, The Highland County American Association of University Women, the Highland County Retired Teachers Association and the Red Hat Society. She received the Faith Award from the Presbyterian Women Association of Scioto Valley Presbytery and in 2005 was awarded a certificate form the Ohio Retired Teachers Association for accumulating 475 volunteer hours.
The ceremony will be held Aug. 16 in the atrium of Southern State Community College’s central campus in Hillsboro. Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Tickets are $16 and may be purchased at in Community Savings Bank in Greenfield and Southern Hills Community Bank in Leesburg and Lynchburg.
The following are excerpts from the biographies of the Hall of Fame class of 2016:
Marilyn Morris Anders was raised on a farm outside of Leesburg. A horse lover from early childhood, Anders was winning shows all over Ohio and beyond from an early age. By the time she was 10 years old or so, her unassuming parents stopped entering her in competitions, embarrassed because she won nearly every event. Instead, Anders began breaking and training ponies and horses for others.
Anders chose to attend the prestigious Stevens College for Women in Columbia, Mo., partly because she could take equestrian classes. She became a 4-H advisor at the age of 18 and served as an organizational advisor for 55 years, leading the Klip Klop Klub. She was described as a “hands-on teacher, working directly with the youth” and “highly respected in Highland County and in surrounding counties.”
Anders served on the Highland County 4-H Committee, the Extension Advisory Committee and the Ohio State 4-H Horse Committee, in addition to supporting many 4-H fundraisers for Highland County Endowment. She was noted for her patience and understanding with the hundreds of 4-H members she assisted and her dedication to local 4-H activities.
• • •
Highland County Anneka P. Collins has been a resident of Highland County for approximately 31 years. During her youth, she was active in 4-H and FFA, earning her State Farmer’s Degree and her American Farmer’s Degree, along with multiple awards in beef production and public speaking. She promotes agriculture with her own children, encouraging them to show livestock at area shows.
Collins is a graduate of Hillsboro High School, later earning a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Dayton School of Law.
Collins joined the Highland County Prosecutor’s Office in March 2006 as an assistant prosecutor practicing in juvenile court. She received the Community Service Provider Award from the Highland County Board of Children Services in 2009 for her dedication to abused, neglected and dependent children in Highland County.
Collins was appointed Highland County Prosecutor by the Highland County Republican Central Committee in June 2011, making her the first female to hold the office of Highland County Prosecutor and one of only 10 female prosecutors in the 88 counties in Ohio.
Collins has been a member of the Farm Bureau, Hillsboro Rotary Club, Junior Women’s League, NRA, the Ohio Township Association, the Republican Central Committee, Highland County Bar Association, Altrusa, Highland County Law Library Association and the South Central Regional Detention Board. She has organized toy drives for local families during the holiday season and has also served as a children’s Sunday School teacher at the family’s church, the Marshall Church of Christ.
• • •
Gayle Coss moved to Highland County in 1998. Born in Arizona, Coss worked in health care for a number of years, including in a pharmacy and in the medical insurance field in Arizona and in physician recruiting in Utah. In 1983, she began a career in criminal justice in Davis County, Utah upon graduating from the peace officer training academy. She worked as an EMT, a jailer and a road deputy before being appointed as the public information and crime prevention officer for the sheriff’s office.
In 1987, Coss began working to establish a victim witness assistance program in every county in Ohio, serving as the director of grants and special projects for the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. She also earned her Ohio Peace Officer certification and became a reserve officer for the Upper Arlington Police Department and a victim’s rights issues instructor at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
Coss married her husband, Rocky Coss, in 1993 and split her time between Columbus, then later Mount Sterling, and Hillsboro for five years before moving to Hillsboro full-time in 1998. Upon moving to Highland County, Coss worked for several years as an administrative assistant at Ferno in Wilmington, followed by serving as the executive director at Highland House (now Bell Gardens) Assisted Living Center and the marketing director for The Laurels of Hillsboro.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a substitute teaching certificate, Coss decided to “semi-retire” before being asked to become the executive director of the Highland County Society for Children and Adults in June 2005, where she continues working to this day. The Society is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance for medical expenses to residents Highland County. While it is a part-time position, it often involves dozens of telephone calls a day, contacting medical providers to help clients.
Coss is active in the community, serving as a member of the Hillsboro Rotary Club and as its secretary; as member of the Highland County Family YMCA Board of Trustees; and as a member of the Highland Horse Council. An animal lover, Coss was elected to the Highland County Humane Society board in 2014.
• • •
Paige Juillerat is described as “a household name, particularly around Leesburg” for her service to the community. The owner of Mane Street Salon in Leesburg since 2012, Juillerat’s salon is jokingly described as a “donation collection center” for her many community service projects she organizes in the area.
Juillerat has donated time and services to the Alternatives to Violence Center during their annual Tea for Tweens, Teens and Queens event, which promotes awareness of domestic violence, and has also sponsored and donated to their annual Trivia Night fundraiser. She also hosted a fundraiser for Highland County Community Action’s community Christmas program.
Juillerat has supported and helped with the Head Start teachers banquet and Leesburg teachers luncheon; donated to many community agencies to provide services through her salon; and has collected needed items to provide to the local homeless shelter. Juillerat has also been active in raising funds for several local families, including organizing an event to raise money for in-vitro fertilization for a local couple.
Juillerat and her husband have two daughters and lost their 4-month-old son, Lincoln, on New Year’s Eve of 2014. After losing her son, Juillerat held on to her faith and encouraged others to do the same. She stood strong and comforted others during her own loss, reminding everyone of the importance of God and finding comfort in one’s place of worship.
• • •
Mary Ann Sommers Larkin is described as a person who quietly helps others whenever she sees a need. She is a retired teacher of 20 years and public librarian of 15 years.
Moving to Highland County from Cincinnati as a high school student, Larkin has been an active member of the Greenfield Presbyterian Church for over 60 years, serving as an elder, deacon, moderator of the Presbyterian Women, a leader of numerous small groups, secretary of the District and as founder and organizer of the annual tasting luncheon fundraiser.
After retirement, Larkin continued to work as a volunteer on the boards of the Basic Child Care Unit, the First Presbyterian Church and the Greenhills Retirement Village in Greenfield. She has volunteered hundreds of hours at Edgewood Manor, cooking and bringing lunch to residents and sharing many stories and poems.
Larkin has been an active member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Alpha Chi Chapter, History Club, the Social Civics Club of New Petersburg, The Highland County American Association of University Women, the Highland County Retired Teachers Association and the Red Hat Society. She received the Faith Award from the Presbyterian Women Association of Scioto Valley Presbytery and in 2005 was awarded a certificate form the Ohio Retired Teachers Association for accumulating 475 volunteer hours.