Montague Encourages Women to Excel, then Open Doors for Others
| April 4, 2017 | “When someone tells you that you can’t do something, don’t believe them.”
Those wise words summed up the way that Raye Montague has lived her life and set the tone for her keynote address at UAMS’ annual Women’s History Month event March 28, titled “Hidden Treasures – Herstory: Celebrating UAMS Phenomenal Women.”
From the time she was 7 and toured a German submarine that had been captured off the coast of the Carolinas, Montague knew she wanted to be an engineer. Despite the obstacles in her path, including the fact that the only college in Arkansas that offered an engineering degree was the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, which didn’t accept African-Americans, she was determined to succeed.
So the Little Rock native attended Arkansas AM&N (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), where she earned a Bachelor of Science in business. After receiving her degree, she headed to Washington, D.C., where she interviewed with the U.S. Department of the Navy.
With a bit of bluster and a lot of self-confidence, Montague was hired in the Applied Mathematics Laboratory.
Amber Booth from Center of Diversity Affairs recites “Phenomenal Woman,” a poem by Maya Angelou.
“I was there with guys who graduated from Harvard and Yale with degrees in engineering, as well as with people who had worked on the Manhattan Project building the atom bomb,” she said. “They all thought I knew what they knew. I didn’t. But I could listen and learn.”
And that is what she did.
By the time President Richard Nixon ordered the Navy to design the FFG-7 class of ships in two months instead of the standard two years, Montague was ready. When admirals came to her and offered her a month to design the ship on her computer, she said yes.
Then she designed the FFG-7 ship in 18 hours and 26 minutes, earning her the Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 1972.
The Secretary of the Navy credited her with revolutionizing the design process for all naval ships and submarines and nominated her for the Federal Woman of the Year award.
That success opened up many doors for her.
Montague never did earn that engineering degree. However, she is still registered as a professional engineer in two countries — Canada and the United States.
“I’ve found that in order to be successful, you have to get inside of the system and learn to play the game,” she told the crowd of 200. “Then, you will start to influence what changes the game. You become a master of the game so that you can open doors for other people.”
“You MUST open doors — that is your role in life as a phenomenal woman.”
Some of UAMS’ 2017 Phenomenal Women pose with Raye Montague (center) and Billy Thomas, M.D., vice chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion.
As part of the celebration, UAMS recognized 22 employees who were honored as UAMS’ 2017 Phenomenal Women. These women were nominated by their departments and peers for championing basic human rights by demonstrating a UAMS core value of integrity, respect, diversity and health equity, teamwork, creativity, excellence or safety; championing women by promoting sisterhood; making her mark in her field; or utilizing her skill and determination to serve and inspire future generations.
“While this group of 22 women is diverse, they share a commonality in that each of their stories —Herstory — inspires us, encourages us and challenges us to be the very best we can be,” said Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, as she introduced each of the women and read from their nomination letters.
The 2017 UAMS Phenomenal Women are:
- Nukhet Aykin-Burns, Ph.D., College of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Tonya Balmakund, M.D., College of Medicine, Pediatrics
- Elizabeth Bard, Academic Affairs Administration
- Kelly Betts, Ed.D, R.N., College of Nursing
- Kim (Tatera) Bonner, Hospital Billing Services
- Kelly Brown, B.S.N., R.N., Nursing Informatics
- Kim Gardenhire, B.S.N., R.N., Cancer Institute
- Betholyn Gentry, Ph.D., College of Health Professions, Audiology
- Becky Hall, Ed.D., Regional Programs
- Amanda Hickman, Pharm.D., M.P.H., Integrated Clinical Enterprise (ICE) Pharmacy & Therapeutics
- LaShannia (Shan) Houston, Campus Operations – Environmental Services
- Deborah K. Johnson, M.N.Sc., R.N., ICE Cancer
- Mattie Jones, Nutrition Services
- Michelle Krause, M.D., ICE Medical Specialties
- Astryd Menendez, M.D., College of Medicine, Pediatrics
- Mary Prince, M.B.A., ICE Primary Care
- Andrea Roy, Center for Health Literacy
- Susan Schultz, D.C., M.H.S.A., Business Planning & Analysis
- Liu Smith, M.D., Regional Programs
- LaTunja Sockwell, College of Medicine, Department of Family and Preventative Medicine
- Bonnie Starks, M.B.A., Office of Human Resources
- Patty Summons, College of Medicine, Geriatrics
The event was planned by the Women’s History Committee and supported by the UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs.