Dorah Sterne (1896 – April 9, 1994), born Dorah Heyman, was an American clubwoman and philanthropist.

Early life

Dorah Heyman was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Arthur Heyman and Minna Simon Heyman. Both of her parents were born in the American South. Her father was a lawyer.Sandra Berman, interviewer
Lyons Joel Heyman
(2001), oral history interview for the Jewish Oral History Project of Atlanta. She graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

in 1919.

Career

In Birmingham, Alabama after she married, Sterne was involved with the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

, and the Birmingham Little Theater. She served as commissioner of the Birmingham

Girl Scout Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

Council, president of the Birmingham branch of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

, and president of the Birmingham chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women. During World War II, the Sternes sponsored families of German Jewish refugees, and helped them settle in Alabama. The Sternes' philanthropic interests extended to libraries, museums, hospitals, mental health, and civil rights in Birmingham. Dorah Sterne took particular interest in prison reform, serving on the 1948 Prison Investigating Committee, and arranging for radios for women prisoners. Sterne gave an oral history interview to the Birmingham Public Library in 1985.Hazel Olshan, interviewer
Dorah Sterne
(January 10, 1985), Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections. That same year, she was presented with the Smith College Medal, as a distinguished alumna.

Personal life

In 1922, Dorah Heyman married banker Mervyn Hayden Sterne (1892–1973). They had one daughter, also named Dorah, called Dody (1933–1998). Dorah Sterne died in 1994, aged 98 years. The Sterne Family Papers are at the University of Alabama Birmingham Archives.Mervyn H. Sterne and Sterne Family Papers
UAB Archives.

References

External links

* Levy, Cynthia Betty
"You Can't Imagine This Life: Diaries and Letters of a Southern-Jewish Grande Dame, Josephine Joel Heyman, 1901-1993"
(PhD. diss., Louisiana State University 1999). About Dorah Sterne's sister-in-law, Josephine Joel Heyman. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sterne, Dorah 1896 births 1994 deaths People from Atlanta People from Birmingham, Alabama Smith College alumni Jewish women philanthropists American women philanthropists American anti-poll tax activists Activists from Georgia (U.S. state) Activists from Alabama Philanthropists from Georgia (U.S. state) Philanthropists from Alabama 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century women philanthropists Jewish women activists