![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Zonia Baber |
Mary Arizona "Zonia" Baber [1862-1955] was an American geographer & geologist best known for developing a method for teaching geography. She was involved in many social causes & worked to popularize peace monuments.
She was born August 24, 1862, in Clark County, Illinois (USA), and died in 1955 at the age of 93. She had a lifelong association with Flora Juliette Cooke, who was the first director of the School of Education at the University of Chicago, then named principal of the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago (1901-1934), & author of "Nature Myths & Stories for Little Children."
Baber worked initially as a teacher of geography & as a principal in a private school. She earned a teaching credential in 1885 at Cook County Normal School (now Chicago State University). Beginning in 1889, she traveled widely in the US & Latin America.
In 1895, she began working at the University of Chicago & was in the first field class in geology to which women were admitted. In 1899-1900, she traveled 'around the world' (including Asia & the Middle East) & later the Pacific, & southern & eastern Africa. She obtained her Bachelor's degree (BS) from the University of Chicago in 1904.
She was Head of the Geography Department at Cook County Normal for a decade, then Associate Professor in the Department of Education (not Geography) at the University of Chicago (1901-1921). An active organizer, when others procrastinated in efforts to support teachers. She organized a meeting at her home in Englewood, Illinois, on January 12, 1889, with Prof. Rollin D. Salisbury, Prof. Wallace W. Atwood, Mr. Charles E. Peet, Dr. Henry B. Kuemmel & Miss Kate Kellogg, where she said:
"I suggest the founding of a Geographic Society in Chicago, similar to the National Geographic Society in Washington, which will bring together not just professional geographers, but all those who travel and study for pleasure. With lectures and field excursions, the public may be brought to understand the importance of geography."This led to the founding of the Geographical Society of Chicago in 1898. She was involved with the Society for 50 years, served as its president 1900-1904) & received the society's Gold Medal (lifetime achievement award) in 1948.In 1927, seeking recommendations for women speakers for the Chicago Geographical Society, she wrote to Harriet Chalmers Adams [1875-1937], first president of the Society of Women Geographers (SWG) to ask for a list of women who might speak on geographical subjects: 'Men speakers are almost invariable chosen, first from lack of knowledge of women geographers, and second from prejudice.'"
Baber challenged the norms throughout her life. She was strongly committed to feminist, anti-racist, anti-imperialist & environmental politics. She was active in the leadership of many organizations & gave regular public lectures. Titles of some of her own public presentations clearly show her political commitments.
Among her activities were serving as Chair of the Race Relations Committee of the Chicago Women's Club, on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), & on the Board of Mangers of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
She served as chairman of the WILPF's Pan-American Committee & worked with the Asociacion Puertoriquena de Mujeres Sufragistas & the Liga Social Sufragistas of Puerto Rico. In 1926, she represented the women of Puerto Rico in the extension of suffrage to the country.
As a member of the WILPF's Peace Symbols Committee, Baber made a project of collecting & publicizing 'peace symbols,' principally public monuments of various kinds. She assembled pictures & explanations of these objects into books, traveling exhibits & presentations, which circulated in both religious & secular settings: 'schools, churches, conferences, or missionary societies.' A photograph of the [Geneva] peace plow figured prominently in her productions."
Sources of information: Patricia Appelbaum, Baber Family Tree, Geographical Society of Chicago, Society of Women Geographers (SWG), Wikipedida & Women of Achievement & History.
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Baber, Zonia (March-June 1937), "Peace Symbols," Chicago Schools Journal, vol. 18, pp. 151-158. Zonia Baber [1862-1955] was a geographer, geologist, peace activist & member of the Peace Symbols Committee of the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). "Baber described some 20 'peace gardens' along the US-Canadian border. These were built after World War I in commemoration of the Rush-Bagot agreement a hundred years earlier.""
Baber, Zonia (January 1938), “Build Monuments to Goodwill,” Fellowship, 7 pages.
Baber, Zonia (Date?), "Distribution of Peace Monuments," world map (with notations). "Part of material gathered by Baber for Peace Symbols Committee of the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), 1937-1949." Contains about 39 dots representing peace monuments - probably same as described in Baber (1948). Put on-line by the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Right click corners of image to enlarge.
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Baber, Zonia (1948), "Peace Symbols," 96 pages, paperback, published by Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Room 635, 410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago 5, Illinois, or 2006 Walnut Stree, Philadelphia 3, Pennsylvania, price $1.00. Borrowed from Illinois State Library. Dedication: "Miss Baber dedicates this book to the cause of World Peace, and on her eighty-sixth birthday presents it as a gift to the WILPF." Describes 40 peace monuments. Includes "Supplementary Materials" on "Early Peace Treaties Made by the U.S. Government" & 2 "verses concerning racial equality."
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1956 - Grave of Zonia Baber, Evergreen Cemetery (Section E), Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan (USA). Mary Arizona "Zonia" Baber [1862-1955] was an American geographer & geologist best known for developing a method for teaching geography. She was involved in the WILPF & many other social causes & worked to popularize peace monuments.
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March 28, 2013 - "Zonia Baber: 'The Public May Be Brought to Understand the Importance of Geography,'" by Dana Hunter, Scientific American. "Zonia Baber [1862-1955] is one of those people you aspire to be and fear you will never manage to become even half as good as... Born during the American Civil War and lived straight through to see two world wars and the beginning of the Cold War. No wonder she was inspired to develop strong anti-war and anti-imperialism beliefs. Why have I never heard of her before? She truly achieved marvelous things for women, teaching, geography, the peace movement and the womens movement. What a woman!" /// "Dana Hunter is a science blogger, SF writer & geology addict whose home away from SciAm is En Tequila Es Verdad. Her book "Really Terrible Bible Stories vol. I: Genesis" is available on Amazon. Follow on Twitter @dhunterauthor."
40 Peace Monuments Described by Zonia Baber (1948)Date Location Name as Used by Zonia Baber Name as Used Today (with web link) Notes c370 BC Athens, Greece
Irene (Eirene), Greek Godess of Peace Statue of Eirene, Glyptothek, Munich (Germany)
"Statue made by Cephisodotus, father of Praxieles." 28 BC Asia Minor
Pax: Roman Goddess of Peace Medallion On eBay for $962.50:
"AUGUSTUS 28BC Ephesus Mint PAX Cista Mystica
LARGE Ancient Silver Roman Coin RARE""Earliest Roman personification of peace." 9 BC Rome
Ara Pacis Augustae Altar of Augustan Peace "Symbol of Pax Romana" 1339 Siena, Italy
Pax Pax, Sala della Pace, Palazzo Pubblico "Personification of Peace." 1683 Near Philadelphia
William Penn Peace Treaty Elm Treaty Elm, Sackamaxon "Only treaty not sworn to & never broken." (Voltaire) 1876 Philadelphia
Peace Plow, Centennial Exposition Charrue de la Paix, Alabama Hall
Hotel de Ville, Geneva (Switzerland)Celebrates the 10th anniversarry of the Universal Peace Union. 1886 Bedloe's Island, New York
Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty National Monument "Gift from the people of France."
1892-1940's Jackson Park, Chicago
Japanese Temple (Ho-O-den) Former Japanese Pavilion (of which the Kasuga Stone Lantern remains in Osaka Garden)
For World's Columbian Exposition. Destroyed by fire during WW-II. 1893 Chicago
Columbian Peace Plow,
World's Columbian ExpositionToured Europe after Chicago, but where is it now? "An appropriate & attractive display [of] the Peace Societies." Made by John Deere & Company. 1903 The Netherlands
Peace Palace at The Hague Vredespaleis / Peace Palace "Gift of Andrew Carnegie to the nations of the World." Mar. 13, 1904 ![]()
Agentina & Chile
Christ of the Andes Cristo Redentor de los Andes, Uspallata Pass "Famous monument by Mateo Alonzo." Oct. 4, 1909 Berne, Switzerland
Universal Postal Union Monument Weltpostdenkmal "Commemorates UPU's 25th anniversary in 1874." Nov. 15, 1910 Chatanooga, Tennessee
Central Historical Memorial, Peace Monument New York Peace Monument, Point Park, Lookout Mountain "The most important and the largest of the New York Monuments at Chattanooga." Aug. 16,1914 ![]()
Norway & Sweden
Century of Peace Monument Fredsmonument, Morokulien "Dedicated in the presence of thousands of enthusiastic nationals from both sides of the boundary." Sept. 6, 1921 ![]()
Blaine, Washington
International Peace Arch International Peace Arch "Commemorates more than 100 of peace between the two countries." Sept. 1921 Chefoo, China
Memorial Arch Cannot find. Chefoo is now Yentai. "In honor of American citizens."
1922 Chicago
The Fountain of Time Fountain of Time, Midway Plaisance Park ![]()
"Commemorating a hundred years of peace between England and the United States."
1925 Riverside, California
Frank A. Miller Testimonial Peace Tower Frank A. Miller Testimonial Peace Tower & Friendshp Bridge, Mount Rubidoux Replica from Spain. For "promotion of civic beauty, community righteousness & world peace."
Sept. 16, 1925 Vancouver, British Columbia
Harding International Good Will Memorial Harding International Good Will Memorial, Stanley Park "No grim-faced fortifications mark our frontiers..."
Aug. 7, 1927 ![]()
New York & Canada
International Peace Bridge Across the Niagara River Peace Bridge, between Buffalo & Fort Erie "Dedicated by Prince of Wales & Vice-President Dawes."
Aug. 24, 1928 Havana, Cuba
Pan-American Fraternity Tree Arbol de la Fraternidad Americana, Parque de la Fraternidad Americana "On the occasion of the holding of the sixth Pan-American Congress." June 12, 1930 Exposition Park, Toronto
Universal Peace Statue "Angel of Peace", Shrine Peace Memorial "To the Cause of Universal Peace... By Ancient Order of Nobles of Mystic Shrine for N. America."
1930 Flanders, Belgium
Flemish Peace Shrine IJzertoren Museum of War, Peace & Flemish Emancipation "Described in an issue of World Events, March 1, 1937." 1930-1940's Athens, Greece
Peace Lighthouse on Summit of Mount Lycabettus "Was to be re-lighted each time the League of Nations was in session [but] was destroyed by the Germans in World War II." "In honor of...[27th] Congress of Universal Peace." 1932 St. Paul, Minnesota
Indian God of Peace,
Ramsey County Court House"Vision of Peace" "ByCarl Milles Carl Milles, the great Swedish artist."
June 18, 1932 ![]()
Alberta & Montana
International Peace Park Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park "Had its origin at the annual good-will meeting of the Alberta & Montana Rotary Clubs in 1931." July 14, 1932 ![]()
Manitoba & North Dakota
International Peace Garden International Peace Garden "Originated at annual meeting of Association of Gardeners from the U.S. and Canada in Toronto in 1929." Jan. 21, 1935 ![]()
Detroit & Windsor
Kiwanis Peace Plaque, Ambassador Bridge Cannot find. Click here for table listing all 13 Kiwanis monuments on US/Canadian border as named by Barber. 1935 ![]()
Laredo Bridge
Pan-American Friendship Symbol Cannot find. "One For All, All For One." "First visible expression of international good will on our southern boundary." July 1, 1936 Mexico-Laredo Highway
Friendship Monument Cannot find. Erectred by the "American Colony in Mexico" 56 miles from the City of Mexico.
June 16, 1936 ![]()
International Peace Bridge
Record of a Pilgrimage of Friendship
of the Associated Country Women of the WorldCannot find. "Dedicated to the rural women of this continent.
Marks the crossing...into Canada of a delegation.."1936 Peace Memorial to the members of the Congress who voted against entrance
into World War, 1917Cannot find. (Yens often painted coastal views.) Painting by Karl Yens [1868-1945]. Features Jeanettee Rankin [1880-1973]. Nov. 1936 La Plata, Argentina, S.A.
International Peace Garden Jardin de la Paz Also "Mast of Nations" & a museum. July 4, 1938 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Eternal Light Peace Monument Peace Light Memorial "Peace Eternal in a Nation United" Nov. 23, 1938 ![]()
Cardiff, Wales
National Temple of Peace & Health Welsh National Temple of Peace & Health (Temple of Peace) "Let temples of peace arise throughout the world
to be a constant reminder to each nation..."July 3, 1939 Lake George, New York
New York State Peace Memorial to Isaac Jogues Isaac Jogues Memorial, Lake George Battlefield Park "Ambassador of Peace from New France"
1940 Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan
Peace Carillon Peace Carillon "To aid in the musical part of the Annual Easter Sunrise Service." Sept. 16, 1941 San Antonio, Texas
Statue of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla,
a fraternal gift of Manuel Avila CamachoStatue of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Hemisfair Park "Father of Mexican Freedom" by Adolfo Ponzanilli of Mexico City.
Nov. 11, 1941 Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan
International Peace Monument International Peace Monument (Bench) "Erected by the Monument Builders of America."
Sept. 5, 1944 Brewster County, Texas
Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park "The last great wilderness of Texas. The park faces faces Mexico on three sides."
The remainder of this web page identifies the 40 monuments in Zonia's 1948 book (& on her map):
Right click any image to enlarge.
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