The AAUW-Bradford Branch has honored two members for service to the organization and to the community.
The Outstanding Woman recipient is Nancy Grow Dryden, and Stephanie Eckstrom was named as the recipient of the Gateway to Equity Award.
The Outstanding Woman award is given annually to a member of the Bradford Branch of AAUW for meritorious service to the branch and to the community. Dryden is recognized for her dedication to the Bradford Branch as a long-term member, currently serving in the role of secretary and as member of the newly formed subgroup focusing on promotion of the AAUW and attracting new members. A productive and dedicated individual, she is respected for her hard work, involvement and leadership.
Dryden was born and raised in Bradford. She is a graduate of Allegheny College where she earned a degree in secondary English and met her future husband Richard Dryden. She later earned a master’s degree at the University of South Carolina in linguistics.
She taught college English and English as a second language at the California University of PA and at Waynesburg College for 15 years. She was an active member of the local Washington AAUW Branch.
Retiring in 2010, the Drydens moved to Bradford, where Nancy Dryden became a substitute teacher at the Bradford Area High School and taught in the district’s English Language Learners program for three years before finally retiring — again.
In retirement Dryden’s focus moved to helping young children. As a Golden Helper she has assisted with the school’s Child Care teacher program. She also chairs the Kiwanis Club Young Child Priority One Committee. With that committee she has been instrumental in organizing the collection and distribution of literally thousands of free books to area children.
Dryden is a YMCA 21st Century Programs volunteer and is an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Bradford. She also enjoys serving as a volunteer for the Crook Farm school program as “school marm” and as a weaving and spinning instructor.
Receiving the Outstanding Woman Award has special meaning for Dryden. It is the continuation of a family legacy. Her mother, Dorothy Grow, also a longtime member of the Bradford Branch, was posthumously honored by the award in 1990.
Eckstrom was chosen for the Gateway to Equity Award, which honors an individual, group or organization that has shown by action and philosophy the promotion of the AAUW mission to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
Eckstrom earned a BA with a double major of social work and sociology from University of MD Baltimore County in 1990 and a Masters of Social Work in 1991 from University of MD at Baltimore. She also holds an MA in Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Eckstrom is with the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, serving as the Regional Program Director for the Pitt-Bradford MSW Program since the program’s inception in 2002.
In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Eckstrom also teaches Generalist Foundations of Social Work Practice; Social Work Practice with Diverse Populations; Children and Families at Risk; and Poverty and Economic Inequality. She participates on several committees at the Pitt School of Social Work, including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, serving as co-chair.
She is active on campus. She has been an adjunct faculty member with the Sociology Program since 2001, teaching Intro to Sociology; Sociology of Race and Ethnicity; The Family; Social and Cultural Change; and she created Sociology of Sexuality, now part of the regular course catalog. Eckstrom was a founding member of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies program, helping to create and oversee the GSWS minor; as well as promote activities that empower women and members of the LGBTQ+ communities, on and off campus. She has served on the President’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and helps to coordinate activities for Women’s History Month, Black History Month, and the National Day of Racial Healing.
As part of her personal and professional mission, Eckstrom seeks to create a sense of community through shared learning and dialogue. She regularly organizes professional development workshops and informal gatherings to watch and discuss webinars, documentaries and other streamed presentations.
