Gloria Jean Yerkovich (born 1942) is an American victims' rights activist who founded Child Find of America to prevent and resolve child abductions and missing children cases.Engel, Margaret (November 1983)
Child snatching - what's being done about it.
''

Glamour Glamour may refer to: Arts Film * ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film * ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film * ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film Writing * ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women * ''The Glamour ...

'', p. 315 Yerkovich is a 1993 inductee into the

National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution incorporated in 1969 by a group of men and women in Seneca Falls, New York, although it did not induct its first enshrinees until 1973. As of 2021, it had 303 inductees. Induc ...

for her work.

Life and career

Yerkovich was living in

New Paltz, New York New Paltz () is an incorporated U.S. town in Ulster County, New York. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village, also wit ...

, when her 5-year-old daughter Joanna was abducted by the girl's father, Franklin Pierce, on December 20, 1974. Pierce took the girl to Europe, and Yerkovich spent nearly ten years trying to find her daughter. She and her daughter were reunited in 1984.Associated Press (August 27, 1984)
Child Find official regains daughter.
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' In 1989 Yerkovich sued Pierce.Associated Press (March 13, 1989). Child Find founder suing ex-lover. ''

Schenectady Gazette ''The Daily Gazette'' is an independent, family-owned daily newspaper published in Schenectady, New York. ''The Daily Gazette'' also owns and operates ''The Amsterdam Recorder'', ''The Gloversville Leader-Herald'' and ''Your Niskayuna''. Histo ...

'' Child Find was a prototype for the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pres ...

, and the awareness raised by Yerkovich and other activists led to the 1982 Omnibus Victims Protection Act and the Missing Children Act. Yerkovich attended the signing of the latter at the invitation of President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

.Staff report (October 18, 1982)
Child Find women witness act signed.
''The Evening News''

References

External links

Child Find of America websiteGloria Yerkovich
via

1942 births Living people Victims' rights American activists People from New Paltz, New York {{US-activist-stub