While the Little 500 began in 1951, it was 37 years before there would be a women’s race. Now, the women’s Little 500’s existence exceeds its absence. This is a milestone.
Few consider the effort to secure the first and now the 38th running of this event. Yes, it took a lot of work and determination. However, thousands of women have benefited from its opportunity over the years. I believe it is worth acknowledging those who helped bring about this first event.
To the many women in the decade or more prior to 1988 who shared a vision for this race, IU Student Foundation administrators Spero Pulos and Rita Erickson, Dean Phyllis Klotman from the Office of Women’s Affairs and the women riders in the inaugural race whose heart yearned for the words, “Ladies, mount your Little 500 bicycles,” thank you!
Debbie Satterfield
An alumna of IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, class of 1987, and member of the ‘87 Women’s Riders Council.
