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Biographical Note

Roxcy O'Neal Bolton, pioneer feminist, was born in 1926 in Mississippi. She was active in Democratic Party organizations. She married Commander David Bolton U.S.N. who later acted as president of Men for ERA. In 1966, Bolton helped form Florida's National Organization for Women, serving as charter president of the Miami Chapter and National Vice President in 1969. She founded Women in Distress, a non-profit agency providing emergency housing, rescue service and multi-discipline assistance to women in situations of personal crisis.

In 1974 she was instrumental in establishing the Rape Treatment Center, the first of its kind, at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. That same year Bolton organized Florida's first Crime Watch meeting to help stem crime against women. She has served on many boards and commissions and has been the recipient of numerous awards relating to her work in women's rights. She was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 1984.