Marilyn Monroe 1958 (March of Dimes archives)

March of Dimes has been near and dear to the hearts of many since its inception in 1938; including many celebrities.

• Beverly Sills, the opera diva, helped transform our fundraising
• Mary Pickford, beloved silent screen star known as “America’s Sweetheart” was the National Women’s Chair for March of Dimes
• Helen Hayes, known as the first lady of American theater and the only woman to have won Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy awards; lost a daughter to polio and became the first national Mothers March chair–from 1951 to 1961
• Jane Wyatt, who played in Father Knows Best and Star Trek, was the second Mothers March chair from 1961 to 1971, the first female trustee and was an honorary trustee to her death in 2006
• Mary Ann Mobley, Miss America in 1959, became our fourth national Mothers March chair
• other female celebrity supporters include:
  • Lucille Ball
  • Sarah Vaughan
  • Ella Fitzgerald
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • Judy Garland
  • Jean Seberg
  • Anita Loos
  • Chris Evert
  • Dorothy Hamill
  • Joan Collins
  • Zsa Zsa Gabor
  • and more…

There are so many more incredible women who have made March of Dimes what it is today–this and the four posts before it have only scratched the surface on the rich history of women in March of Dimes history.

This is the fifth and final post in a series on the women of March of Dimes in honor of Women’s History Month. Thank you David Rose, March of Dimes National Archivist, for sharing this information.