There were some significant names at the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters annual dinner held at the Fireside Manor last week. Both Dunkirk and Fredonia Mayors Wilfred Rosas and Athanasia Landis were in attendance as well as Roslin Smith, a SUNY Fredonia professor, who put together the documentary “Among the Hemlocks” that features historical stories on the village of Fredonia.

But there was probably no one of more importance at the meeting than longtime League of Women Voter member and advocate Minda Rae Amiran. During the meeting, Amiran received recognition as well as a standing ovation for her commitment to the organization and for her efforts to educate the public on voting for many years.

It was well deserved. In recent years, she received the inaugural Elizabeth Cady Stanton award in honor of the 100-year anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York state and was the recipient of the 2017 Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award by the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce.

Amiran, who never seeks out the spotlight, will be moving out of our region in the coming months. Besides a tremendous teaching career at the university, she was also involved in a number of non-profit and community organizations.

Our community has been fortunate to be blessed by her work and caring.