International Women’s Day celebrated in Hillsboro

Hillsboro celebrated International Women’s Day with a decidedly local flair, a wealth of information and a capacity crowd last Friday as the Highland County Democratic Party and the Highland County YMCA co-hosted an afternoon of shared information, resources and experiences.

The nonpartisan event at the Y was open to all, with staff from local organizations offering literature and answering questions from 10 a.m.-noon and guest speakers starting at noon.

YMCA Membership Director, Jennifer Waterman, welcomed the group, and committee chair Linda Emery introduced the first speaker, Judge Kristy Wilkin of the 4th District Court of Appeals.

Judge Wilkin serves as one of four judges handling 14 Southern Ohio counties, from Highland to Washington, and Adams to Athens. She says, “The number of judges correlates to population. Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, has 12 judges.”

Recounting her unexpected path to the Appellate Court, Wilkin says, “I always loved school, loved learning. I started in pre-med, then changed to accounting, which led to an internship at a law office, which led to law school. I graduated from law school in the top ten. I was the ten!”

She never anticipated the opportunity to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court.

“When a judge hearing a case must recuse themselves, they can ask an appellate judge to sit in their place,” Wilkin says. “It was such an honor to be asked to serve. And, I got to write a dissenting opinion — it was probably about 60 pages long.”

Whether working from home or traveling for court business, the judge says, “I’m always ‘on’ and available for priority cases or when emergency responses are needed.”

Dinah Phillips, HCDP chair, introduced restaurant entrepreneur, Andrea Holt, who promptly acknowledged, “I did not love high school, but I tried to do a great job everywhere I worked, from babysitting or mowing lawns, at Hobart or the Wooden Spoon.”

When she married John Holt, the owner/operator of Ponderosa Restaurant, her enterprising work ethic kicked into high gear, and so did the community service and support that has become her hallmark. She credits the drive-through window and committed employees for saving the restaurant through COVID and has learned the power and pitfalls of internet marketing.

The business has grown to include the convenience store and coffee shop, Holtfield Station, a 17-year partnership with the Edenfields, and the newer partnership with Maplecrest Meats.

“All of our children, and now a granddaughter, have worked in the restaurant, and we have long-term staff members with a total of 150 years’ experience,” Holt said. “Like me, they’ve come a long way. I did finally get my associate degree from Southern State and am only a few credits short for a bachelor’s in education at OU. For any of you unsure about your odds of success, just know, if I can do this, you can do this.”

Committee member Carolyn Goins introduced Patty Burns, former Hillsboro city treasurer, first African American woman elected to citywide office in Hillsboro and Pastor of the Hillsboro Church on the Rock.

Hoping to become a stenographer, she went to school in Columbus and business college in California. Ms. Burns says, “My mother taught me to love everybody, and I wanted to make my family proud. I’ve had victory over a lot of challenges and transgressions during my life, but when there was an opportunity, I took it. When there was another opportunity, I took that.

“For a time, I was making four dollars an hour, with no benefits, and three children. Then I was offered a full-time position with benefits, and travel, something I always wanted. I took my first plane ride, went on a cruise, went on another cruise, even ended up at the tail end of a hurricane. Working at Mac Printing, I learned how to pack like nobody’s business, and for 11 years, I also did accounting for Samaritan Outreach. Didn’t even know I had it in me.”

She shared her best advice with the group, “Wherever you are going, be true to you, and who you are.”

In the YMCA lobby, representatives and informational tabletop displays from the Highland County Board of Elections, the Alternatives to Violence Center, Coleman Health Services, the African American Awareness Research Council, My Daughter's Closet and the Highland County Democratic Party offered opportunities for conversation and the exchange of ideas. Home-baked refreshments, including colorful macarons, cookies and candies contributed to the camaraderie of the day.

Linda Emery closed the event with an observation about the speakers. “They were all born and raised here. When they were young, they couldn’t wait to leave here. And now, they are each back here, and with the same message: Be proud of who you are.”

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.