A quality home is the foundation
of society & community

A quality home is the foundation of society & community

Dr. Mildred Freburg Berry

March is Women’s History Month, to celebrate the history of amazing women we recognize Dr. Mildred Berry, known as a “pioneer in language disorders in children.” Berry was also the second woman to receive a PH.D in speech pathology and she even wrote a book on the topic, her earliest publications were about rhetoric and stuttering disorders.

Mildred was born in Iowa in 1902, received her bachelor degree in 1922 and stayed to earn her master’s degree in 1925. Berry then moved to Rockford and married Rockford lawyer James Berry and was also professor at Rockford College; she challenged the speech department by infusing learning with excitement and left an impression on everyone who came through her classroom. Mildred resigned from Rockford University and continued to expand her compass- she traveled through Turkey and Europe writing, lecturing, and teaching quickly becoming an internationally known specialist on language and speech disorders. While doing all of this she was still involved in government issues and was appointed to a three year term on the Rockford Sanitary Board in 1975.

Dr. Mildred Berry was recognized by many different organizations including; The Women of The Year Award from Delta Zeta Sorority in 1951, Honors of ASHA in 1971, and the YWCA Education Award. Berry also has 19 professional writings about numerous speech disorders and studies on them.

Through the Month of March, the Rockford Housing Authority is recognizing the countless contributions that women have made to our nation. WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH is the history of women in the United States, the state of Illinois and our community. By way of exploring these important stories, you will able to understand our nation’s history and explore the remarkable legacies of American women. Through letters, photographs, film, and other primary sources of the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum you will join in commemorating and joining in celebration of the vital role of women in American history. https://womenshistorymonth.gov/

Sources:

http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~duchan/history_subpages/mildredberry.html

“We the People” C. Hal Nelson. Pages 85-86