Central Minnesota Women In History: Joan Parent

UNDATED -- In honor of Women's History Month each week in March we will feature a different woman from central Minnesota who has been a trailblazer for many in our area. This week we put our scope on Joan Parent--a woman of many firsts.

Parent was among the first women to graduate from the Ontario Veterinary College. In 1946 she moved to Foley and  became the first woman to be a licensed veterinarian in Minnesota.

Parent had a passion for education that led her to be the first female school board member elected president of a high school league activities association. Her passion for sports especially swimming and hockey led her to be an advocate for women's athletics and Title IX.

Parent was the first woman in the country to run a scholastic athletic association. She traveled across the state and the country addressing her concerns about the lack of opportunities for women.

In 1986 Parent was the running mate of gubernatorial candidate James Lindau who was the mayor of Bloomington.

Joan passed away on October 4th, 2013 at the age of 90. Having served 30 years on the Foley School Board her advice to young people was this, "Become informed, get involved, run for office or at the very least serve as a volunteer."