A woman who blazed a path for future women lawyers and a St. Joseph resident is being honored during Women’s History Month by the St. Joseph YWCA.
An event called the Amazing Grace Luncheon is being held in honor of Grace Day March 16th from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the YWCA in the Terrace Room. YWCA program director, Ellen Kisker said the luncheon will feature a showing of the documentary “Amazing Grace” which follows Day’s story as a local celebrity and a trailblazer for women.
“When she went to Law School at the university of South Dakota she was the only woman in her class of 170. That’s courageous. She faced many taunts and jeers and snide comments expecting her to quit anyday and she just wouldn’t put up with that,” Kisker said. ” She showed them that she was perseverant and determined to receive her degree and she did extremely well in that class. I think she opened that field for many more women after her.”
Kisker said Day ended up in St. Joseph after meeting her future husband in law school.
“Out of the 170 men who probably did no want her there was one gentleman who did like her and was happy to know her, Milton Day and he was from St. Joe,” Kisker said. “He fell in love with her and she fell in love with him and when they graduated they moved back to St. Joseph.”
She passed the bar in 1959 and became one of the first women to practice law in St. Joseph However, graduating with a law degree and working in the field was a little more difficult at that time for a woman. Kisker said Day found a way to make it work.
“She couldn’t find a job because that was unheard of to have a woman in a law firm at that time and they were afraid that would drive away clients,” Kisker said. “She finally found a job but they expected her to do secretarial duties. That’s not what she wanted to do. She and her husband discussed it and she decided she was going to open her own practice. She couldn’t get any clients so she told the judges she would take client who couldn’t pay and of course this was back before we had public defenders. She became well-known quickly.”
Soon Kisker said, Day was recognized by a valuable lawyer and was then hired. After working in the field for nearly 64 years Day retired in 2013 at the age of 88.
In honor of Day’s contributions the YWCA will honor her on March 16th with a luncheon. RSVPs for the luncheon are due by March 9th to the YWCA. The cost is $10 dollars with lunch served by Pronto Cafe. Individuals who simply want to view the documentary can do so free of charge. For more information CLICK HERE.