The only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor had it taken away more than a century ago just before she died, then posthumously restored by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 in a back-and-forth not unlike the pitched battles she waged on the front lines for equal rights.
The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in Chattanooga, beginning Saturday, will feature a new exhibit honoring the contributions of Dr. Mary Walker.
The exhibit recognizing Walker’s life and accomplishments is fitting for a celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, center officials said. The temporary exhibit will be on display June 20 to Oct. 19.
Dr. Walker – subject of the new exhibit titled “Dr. Mary Walker: Surgeon, Spy and Patriot” – was an unapologetic, groundbreaking civil rights activist who tested the status quo during the Civil War and afterward. She was captured and imprisoned as a Union spy and arrested for impersonating a man because of her attitude toward women’s clothes.
“This exhibit tells an important story of a woman that few know but every American should learn about, as her story is relevant to the issues being discussed today in our community and across the nation,” Heritage Center curator Molly Randolph said. “Dr. Mary Walker was a person who cared so deeply about our country and gave so much to make it better. She campaigned her whole life, often putting herself in harm’s way, and ultimately she was vindicated in so many areas that helped to create lasting changes and equality for women in our country.”