Route 66 preservationist Anne Dodge, of Cambridge, Mass., was one of 80 women who won a contest to be named to the O White House Leadership Project by O, The Oprah Magazine.
Dodge was selected for her work in developing “a program encouraging historic preservation and economic development along Route 66 by connecting motel owners — of which half are East Indian — with preservation-related grants, resources, and information.”
Dodge said in her bio on the contest’s Web site:
“I wrote my master’s thesis at MIT about Route 66, and I was shy about it: It seemed lightweight compared to serious issues my peers were taking on. But as I got into it I realized this is not at all frivolous: A particular population of Americans is physically present on the road but not present in conversations about its identity and historic preservation. I want to change the narrative of Route 66, making it more honest and inclusive.”
The 80 winners got to attend a three-day program, led by some of the biggest women trailblazers. There were selected from more than 3,000 applicants.
You can see a portion of Dodge’s Route 66 work here. You can read parts of her master’s thesis on Route 66 here.
(Via Boston.com)
Bravo, Anne! She certainly deserves to be honored for all she’s doing for Route 66 — and for the wonderful Asian-American business owners who are contributing so much to the preservation of the road.