Kathleen Culman Ridder (October 2, 1922 – April 3, 2017) was an American philanthropist, educator, writer, and feminist. She graduated from University of Minnesota Duluth as a teacher, advocated for women's athletic programs at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, and was a benefactor of Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey. She was active in Republican politics, supported the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...

, and later turned to writing and philanthropy to help her causes. She was married to

Robert Ridder Robert Blair Ridder (July 21, 1919 – June 24, 2000) was an American ice hockey administrator, media businessman, and philanthropist. He was the founding president of the Minnesota Amateur Hockey Association, and managed the United States m ...

, and is a namesake of the Ridder Arena.

Early life

Ridder was born Kathleen Marie Culman on October 2, 1922, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Her father was a stockbroker who went broke during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, and her mother worked in a dress shop to support the household. Ridder was active in sports in her youth, attended the all-girls Brearley School, and later went to Smith College. After college she married

, who was a member of the family which founded Knight Ridder media company, and moved with him to

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

in 1943. She resided in

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

with her husband while she completed a teacher's degree at the University of Minnesota Duluth, then relocated to Saint Paul.

Activism

Ridder dedicated her life to fighting for women's access to opportunities in education and athletics, that she did not have as a young lady who grew up before Title IX came into effect. Ridder felt that supporting women's athletics was a means to help women succeed in life, and in the business world. She volunteered on the boards of non-profit organizations, and multiple committees at the

while being an advocate for women. Ridder supported the Republican Party, embraced

civil and political rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

, was opposed to United States involvement in the Vietnam War, supported legalized abortion in the United States, LGBT rights in the United States, and the proposed

at the 1980 Republican National Convention. Ridder befriended Rosalie E. Wahl as the first female on the Minnesota Supreme Court, funded a book about Wahl and a Twin Cities Public Television documentary about Wahl. Ridder collaborated with Marlene Johnson in 1982 to set up the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund, in an effort to encourage more women in political office. Ridder's other involvement included serving on the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota State Board of Human Rights, the Saint Paul Urban League, and the Minnesota Foundation Board of Trustees. She also sat on the board of trustees for the William Mitchell College of Law, and the accreditation committee for the American Bar Association.

Philanthropy

In 1983, Ridder established the first endowment awarded to a female student-athlete at the University of Minnesota, known as the Kathleen C. Ridder scholarship for studies in math, medicine, or science. The University of Minnesota also awards the "Kathleen C. and Robert B. Ridder Scholarship" annually to a student athlete on the Golden Gophers women's ice hockey team. Ridder and her husband helped build the first women's-only college ice hockey facility, and which became the Ridder Arena, home to the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey. The Ridders gifted $500,000 towards the project which opened in 2002, and remained the sole facility dedicated to college women's ice hockey until the Wisconsin Badgers opened LaBahn Arena in 2010. Robert Ridder died in 2000 before the arena's completion, but Kathleen Ridder attended the opening night and dropped the ceremonial first puck.

Publications

Ridder authored a total of seven books and articles, including three autobiographical books of her life: Books *''Kathleen Incorporated''. (1990). Privately published, St. Paul Minnesota. *''A Woman Ahead of her Time''. (1995). Privately published, St. Paul Minnesota. *''Shaping My Feminist Life: A Memoir''. (1998). Minnesota Historical Society Press. *''Stories by Minnesota women in sports: leveling the playing field''. (2005). St. Cloud, Minnesota. North Star Press Articles *''Kathleen C. Ridder papers, 1978–1985''. Minnesota Historical Society. *''The Women's Institute and how it revived downtown St. Paul: speakers, style shows, and 12,000 shoppers''. (1997). Ramsey County history. Vol 32, no. 3. *''A win at Wimbledon in 1959: links, courts, lanes, diamonds: Ramsey County's women athletes and their history of success''. (1998). Ramsey County history. Vol 33, no. 3.

Later life

Ridder was married to Robert for 56 years, until his death in 2000. She moved to Lantana, Florida in 2008, later volunteered as a hospice worker, funded exhibits at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium for water quality and restoring the Everglades, and funded educational programs operated by the League of Women Voters in Palm Beach, Florida. She died at home on April 3, 2017.

Honors and awards

Ridder was inducted into the University of Minnesota M Club Hall of Fame in 1990 as a benefactor, and received the Director's Award in 2004 in recognition of her generosity and service to the Minnesota Golden Gophers sports programs. The American Hockey Coaches Association recognized Ridder and her late husband in 2009 with the Joe Burke Award, for dedication to women's ice hockey.

References

External links

Kathleen Ridder tribute video (1922–2017) on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridder, Kathleen 1922 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American essayists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American women writers Activists from Minnesota American feminist writers American women educators American women essayists Brearley School alumni Educators from Minnesota Educators from New York City Ice hockey people from Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey Minnesota Republicans People from Lantana, Florida Philanthropists from Minnesota Philanthropists from New York (state) Ridder family Smith College alumni Sportspeople from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area University of Minnesota Duluth alumni Writers from New York City Writers from Saint Paul, Minnesota