AAUW Pennsylvania Special Honoree
LINDA HAIGH TOZIER
A 1965 graduate of Bucknell University, Linda Tozier followed her mother into AAUW, earning awards and positions of responsibility at all levels of the organization. Linda has said that AAUW has been THE significant factor in creating who she is. Her mother was president of AAUW Stroudsburg, now AAUW Pocono Area, when she was born. Because this was during World War II and because her mother ran the family business while her father was in the Army, her mother stepped down from being branch president before the end of her two-year term. Linda has dedicated herself to honor the memory of her mother through her years of service to AAUW in two branches, at the state level, and on AAUW committees and the national board.
AAUW Board of Directors Candidate.
A life member, Linda served as her branch president for six years and in four other branch positions: Program Vice President, Membership Vice President, AAUW Funds chair, and Tech Savvy Volunteer. She won both the 1984 Outstanding Woman Award and the 2015 Member Making a Difference Award from her branch. Since 1990 when she was appointed Cultural chair, Linda has served at the state level in many positions, most importantly as the 2002-04 president and for many years as membership vice president. During her presidency, she was challenged to raise $75,000 to support a research study. Of course, the 75th Anniversary Diamond Donor Campaign succeeded. AAUW’s Educational Foundation and Legal Advocacy Fund jointly produced Tenure Denied, and AAUW-PA’s financial support was recognized therein. Linda eventually earned the well-deserved post of Middle Atlantic Regional Director and was elected to the AAUW National Board as a Director-at-Large. She has also served on the national Membership Committee and the Committee Appointment Task Force and is currently on the national Advancement Committee.
Enjoying an AAUW Pennsylvania 2016 state convention with AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh friend, Peggy Schmiedecke.
Linda cares deeply about AAUW at all levels, and her commitment to the organization and the mission has been unwavering. Notably, her passion for membership has encouraged individuals and branches to stay involved and engaged. In working tirelessly for AAUW, she remembers the business and the people and contributes her all. She provides vision and AAUW history as well as a willingness to work on projects, committees, branch concerns, and other matters large and small. For example, in 1992, Linda was one of a handful of women serving as the first district coordinators for AAUW-PA. Because she is creative, careful, and caring, others in the group leaned on Linda’s AAUW experience and expertise when creating the expectations of the role and in working with branches. Members across the state and country still lean on Linda for the same reasons. Even those who do not know her have, nonetheless, benefitted from her contributions over several decades, as their branch officers have no doubt received information, forms, and moral support from her.
A joy to work with, Linda always brings a spirit of play, making AAUW endeavors both more successful and more enjoyable. She always says that she doesn’t do anything if it isn’t fun, and she has made AAUW fun for so many while enjoying herself at the same time. She has lightened 
our work by playing Marion Talbot, co-founder of AAUW in 1881, in The Talbot Story at the 2016 AAUW-PA convention. Even better, in 1995, the state board asked Linda to dress up like Mickey Mouse at the state convention to encourage members to attend the national convention at Disney World. Linda’s son helped her write a rap song and provided a tape of background music. In costume, she jumped out right before the awards dinner chanting, “My name is Mickey, and I’m here today to invite you all down the Florida way.”
It is with great respect and gratitude that AAUW-PA honored Linda Tozier with a 2020 donation of $1850 to the Greatest Needs Fund and now honors her as an AAUW-PA Special Honoree for exemplifying the best of AAUW in her dedication to the mission and service to AAUW at the branch, state, and national levels. Congratulations, Linda, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
2024 AAUW PENNSYLVANIA SPECIAL HONOREE
BARBARA PRICE
A lesson we sometimes learn too late is to take time to bestow an honor in-person. With great admiration and respect, the AAUW Pennsylvania Board awards the AAUW Pennsylvania Special Honoree to Barbara Price.
Barbara is a remarkable woman who has dedicated her life to her passion for women’s rights for all. She represents the best of AAUW, from how she engages with fellow advocates and women to her tireless commitment to advancing gender equity. There is no way we can capture all the contributions made by Barbara or count how many lives she enriched over these 50 years. With this honor, we want to highlight Barbara’s AAUW work in the Lower Bucks branch, at AAUW Pennsylvania and the entire Commonwealth, and at the AAUW national level.
Barbara joined (now named) Lower Bucks Branch in 1974, and it has benefitted from her leadership and professionalism ever since. She has held several board positions, including branch President, Treasurer, and Public Policy Chair. Barbara is a believer in education for women and girls. She is known for tackling thorny issues to understand and discover solutions as well as being a “doer” volunteering to do a job, be on a committee, or work on a project. Her strong support has been critical to the fact that the Lower Bucks Branch still exists and attracts new members.
At the state level, Barbara became the face of AAUW Pennsylvania, especially on the issue of Equal Pay. She never turned down a request to speak on pay equity – for lawmakers, branches, and other organizations. Barbara testified several times before legislative committees and routinely visited lawmakers at all levels to discuss the issues. One of her talents is educating policymakers and helping them to understand the issues and impact on their constituents. Barbara’s influence is apparent in many statewide projects, including Project Director for GEM (Gender Equity Model). Barbara held leadership positions on the AAUW PA Board as Treasurer, Membership VP, President, and Public Policy Co-Chair.
Barbara’s national impact is an outcome of her serving as Co-Chair and Chair of the national AAUW Public Policy Committee. She led a group of national leaders with both thoughtfulness and determination using her special talent to juggle many personalities and produce meaningful outcomes. She brought a balanced, experienced perspective to her service. AAUW staff knew she could be trusted with the most sensitive issues AAUW engages in with a tactful and compassionate approach, particularly when working on issues impacting the most marginalized communities in our country.
We can’t bestow this honor on Barbara without mentioning Richard, her soul mate. Richard believed in the AAUW ideals and issues and was even a member. He supported Barbara in all ways and was extremely proud of her work.
Phrases that kept emerging when asking for input for this tribute are: facts at her fingertips, works tirelessly, keen sense of humor, always has a story to tell, no one is a stranger, and her never waiving belief in AAUW issues.
There is no way to capture all of Barbara’s contributions to AAUW in these past fifty years. And, we haven’t touched on her work with ERA advocacy, Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition, or the twenty years of Barbara’s career as Executive Director of the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence, a statewide coalition of 28 domestic violence programs.
Please know that you are cherished and admired and we all feel your impact. Thank you.
Ann Pehle
AAUW PA Past President
PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE
PATRICIA BYERLY
I am delighted to announce a very special award to be given this year to Pat Byerly. The
President’s Award for Exemplary Service recognizes the many long hours that Pat has put into AAUW Pennsylvania, serving both the State Board and our Branches for over a decade.
We have roughly 1,500 Pennsylvania members and I guarantee that half of our members have interacted with Pat at one time or another.
Not only does Pat keep us all on task but she is our problem solver. Pat has worked closely with Board Presidents as well as countless State Board members.
Pat lives in Bell Township in Westmoreland County located in southwestern Pennsylvania, just northeast of Pittsburgh. She has been an AAUW member since 2007. Pat joined the Pittsburgh branch as their newly appointed web designer after recently retiring from U. S. Steel in 2004 as a Senior Systems Designer.
In that time period, websites were primarily designed using HTML. The Pittsburgh branch was fortunate to benefit from Pat’s talents– she was very fluent in HTML and actually teaching the subject at Robert Morris University and the University of Phoenix.
Pat was first asked to join the AAUW PA board in 2012 by Margaret McGrath. Margaret had attended a Pittsburgh Branch program featuring Dr. Jackie Filla from Chatham University speaking on “Women in Politics.”
As Pat recalls, “Margaret and I had a long conversation after the program and she asked me to consider joining the AAUW PA board as her administrative director. And, as they say, the rest is history.”
“My AAUW education did not end at the end of Margaret’s term, I would be asked to stay on by Dot McLane, Ann Pehle, and Cindy Hall. I have enjoyed working with each of these wonderful women (and their boards) and furthered my AAUW education by each. It has been a real eye-opener that I will never forget.”
“In 2012 so many things were still being handled using paper. Remember the old Branch Officer Forms? The MSD was just being introduced and DropBox didn’t exist. Now we use WordPress to update our websites, Survey Monkey for registration and voting, DropBox and email to distribute documents, and so much more. It is really amazing how far AAUW has come technology wise!”
“I have learned so much about AAUW during my time on the AAUW PA board and have enjoyed every minute. I have met so many interesting AAUW members throughout the state and have made several lasting friendships. It is truly an enlightening experience. If you are asked to serve on the AAUW PA board, say YES! You won’t regret it!”
“My most memorable moment as a member of AAUW was watching The Women’s March on January 21, 2017. Many AAUW members traveled to Washington D.C. and if they couldn’t they held marches in their hometowns. AAUW streamed it live on Facebook and I could not walk away. To this day, it is the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.”
The time that Pat has put into AAUW PA truly is a testament to her dedication to our mission. Her energy and expertise have helped us move mountains. Thank you, Pat!
Cindy Hall, Ph.D.
President, AAUW Pennsylvania
SPECIAL THANKS
LINDA ROBBINS
The AAUW Pennsylvania Board thanks Linda Robbins (Allentown and Bethlehem) for her many years of service to the state board as well as her branches. Linda has filled many roles on the State Board as District Coordinator, Nominating Chair, Convention Coordinator, and, most recently, ten years as the archives Chair.
At the branch level, she served as Finance Officer twice, Diversity Chair, and President for Allentown; and Book Fair Chair and Finance Officer for Bethlehem.
We commend Linda for her three decades of service in leadership roles. We hope she will continue her travels for many years to come. Thank you, Linda.