Miriam Dell

Dame Miriam Patricia Dell ONZ DBE (née Matthews, born 14 June 1924) is a New Zealand women's advocate.[1]

Dame Miriam Dell

ONZ DBE
Dell in 2011
Born
Miriam Patricia Matthews

(1924-06-14) 14 June 1924
Hamilton, New Zealand
Known forWomen's rights advocacy
Spouse(s)
Richard Kenneth Dell
(m. 1946; died 2002)

Early life and family

Miriam Patricia Matthews was born in 1924 in Hamilton,[1] the daughter of Ruby Miriam Crawford[2] and Gerald Matthews. She studied science at the University of Auckland, and at age 22 in 1946, she married Richard Dell.[3]

Activism

Dell was a founding member of the Hutt Valley Branch of the National Council of Women (NCW). She became National President of the Council in 1970. In 1974, she became chairperson of the Committee on Women and was coordinator for International Women's Year, attending as a member of the New Zealand Government delegation at all three of the UN Conferences for the Decade of Women. She was elected to the Board of Officers of the International Council of Women (ICW) in 1976, and was International President 1979–1986, Honorary President 1986–1988 and was coordinator of the ICW Development Project Program until her retirement.[4] Dell was the New Zealand Government Delegate to all three United Nations conferences during the decade for women in the 1970s.[5]

Honours

In the 1975 New Year Honours, Dell was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for public services.[6] In 1977, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.[7] In the 1980 New Year Honours, Dell was promoted to the rank of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to women.[8] In 1990, she was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[7] On 6 February 1993, Dell was the 22nd appointee to the Order of New Zealand,[9][10] New Zealand's highest civil honour. Also in 1993, Dell was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.[11]

Patronage

Dell is the patron of the New Zealand Association for Women in Science (AWIS). In 2013, the New Zealand AWIS launched an award for excellence in science mentoring and titled the award in honour of Dell.[12] The biennial prize is awarded to someone who demonstrates outstanding mentoring efforts to retain females in science, mathematics and technology.

References
  1. The International Who's Who of Women 2002 (3rd ed.). London: Europa Publications Limited. 2001. p. 135. ISBN 1857431227.
  2. Ruby Miriam Crawford – Diary National Library of New Zealand.
  3. Alan Beu, Bruce Marshall and Winston Ponder : Richard Kenneth ('Dick') Dell (1920–2002), obituary, bibliography and list of his taxa; Molluscan Research, 2003, 23, 85–99
  5. "Trailblazers: Dame Miriam Dell". NZ Herald. 16 September 2018. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  6. "No. 46446". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 1 January 1975. p. 38.
  7. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 120. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  8. "No. 48043". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1979. p. 25.
  9. "Honours and Awards" (11 February 1993) 18 New Zealand Gazette 325 at 326.
  10. "The Order of New Zealand (instituted 1987)". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
  11. "The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – register of recipients". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  12. "The Miriam Dell Award". AWIS. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
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