Notable Women of Humboldt County - Clarke Historical Museum

Notable Women of Humboldt County

In celebration of our county's notable women residents.

Notable Women of Humboldt County List Current as of 3.2.2023

Click on the images below to see the full image. The name of the notable woman is in the caption of the photo, near the bottom of the photo.

Know a woman you think should be on the list? Email us at Admin@clarkemuseum.org with information and an image and we'll add them!

Nancy Lee Hilfiker - Mrs. Hilfiker held both a bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Humboldt State University (HSU) and a life teaching credential. During her first year at HSU, she was chosen Semperviren's Sweetheart of 1950 by John Robert Powers. She taught at several schools, including Freshwater and Warren Creek - a one-room schoolhouse in grades first through eighth, and at Grant School in Eureka. She had a life-long interest in dance, acrobatics, tumbling, and sports such as swimming and skiing. She was Vice President of Hilfiker Pipe Company and played a significant role in promoting its retaining wall systems. She was deeply involved in community activities, having served as president or chairman of the Grant Parents Teachers Association, the Humboldt Ski Club, the Eureka League of Women Voters, the Board of Governors of the Humboldt Area Foundation, the Eureka Park and Recreation Commission, and Zoo Advisory Committee, the Library Construction Committee, the College of the Redwoods Advisory Board, and member of the 1988 Humboldt County Grand Jury. She also led the effort to conduct breast cancer studies in Humboldt County. Her honors and awards included receiving the Northern California Park and Recreation Achievement Award and the Eureka Mayor's Distinguished Citizen Award and, in addition, being named the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority Woman of the Year Award and Distinguished Graduate at Homecoming for HSU. She was honored as a friend and confidant by the many persons whose lives she touched, and her extraordinary sense of humor, warmth, and graciousness will long be remembered.