BRAINERD — There are many different paths to finding success, whether it’s in leadership, artistic pursuits, personal achievements or service.
The Brainerd Public Schools Legendary Women Hall of Fame wants to honor those women who have found success through various paths.
The hall of fame was started in 2019 and is also meant to raise awareness of the influence these women have had on their community since their start at Brainerd Public Schools.
This year’s five inductees are Dr. Tori Bahr and Shayla Paradeis from the class of 2005, Judy Bialka from the class of 1986, Theresa Thesing Goble from the class of 1968 and Cheryl Wentworth Mathison from the class of 1981.
Dr. Bahr works at Gillette Children's in St. Paul, where she founded Gillette's Down Syndrome Clinic.
Paradeis is a humanitarian, public speaker, writer and artist. In 2025, she represented the United States on the International Day of Peace in Japan.
Bialka was a standout tennis and basketball player. She was also successful in the male-dominated waste industry, founded her own sales company and led innovative cancer fundraisers.
Goble spent more than four decades with the cities of Brainerd and Fort Ripley, becoming Brainerd's first female city administrator. She and her daughter, Deborah Erickson, Crow Wing County administrator, are the first mother-daughter inductees.
And Mathison retired in 2025 after a career supporting at-risk students at Northfield Public Schools' Area Learning Center, where she founded the student-run nonprofit Soy Scents Candles.
All five's full bios can be found on the district's website.
Nominations also happen on the website. Anyone can fill out a form to nominate a woman who graduated from Brainerd High School. Then a committee votes on the nominees.
The event will also recognize four current young women in high school in the fields of academics, arts, activities and athletics.
Previous inductee and current board member Laurie Wig told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show that while the word “legendary” can seem a bit daunting to label oneself, she thought accepting the nomination wasn’t just about her work as a teacher for 36 years.
“I accepted it on behalf of everybody I represent. Oftentimes, for me, teachers aren't seen as legendary. ... You kind of go about your doing, and you kind of live your life, and you just kind of help everybody, and then you step back and go, ‘Wait a minute, we all can be legendary in our own ways,’” Wig said. “It meant a lot to me to be able to receive the award for myself, but also in honor of all my fellow teachers who have fought the hard fight.
The event to honor the newest inductees is 5 p.m. Monday, March 30, at the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts. There is a public social hour starting at 4:30 p.m. The event is free to attend.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
