Alabama Women's Hall of Fame
Jeanne Friegel Berman, political activist and civic leader, was born before the passage of the 19th Amendment (1920) giving women the right to vote. She grew up during the first World War and the Great Depression. In 1931, she moved to Montgomery, where the following year she married prominent insurance broker Isadore "Izzy" Berman. Her adult life was framed against the backdrop of WWII, the Korean War, the Civil Rights Movement, and The Great Society movement. During these turbulent years of change, Jeanne and Izzy had three sons as she matured to become a leader in the promotion of women’s voting rights, mental health access, education progress, and disease prevention.
Berman founded the Alabama League of Women Voters and organized many of the local League chapters in the state. In addition to her work with the League, she was an active participant in groups that promoted physical and mental health. During the administration of Governor Gordon Persons, Berman persuaded him to introduce a bill in the Legislature forming the Mental Health Association of Alabama. She was instrumental in lobbying for its passage.
Under Berman’s guidance as a two term president, the Alabama and Montgomery League of Women Voters became an effective political activist organization. She also served as state chairman for the Christmas Seal Fundraiser, president of the Montgomery Lung Association, state treasurer for Alabama Tuberculosis Association, and was the first female member of the Southern Regional Education Board. She also lobbied tirelessly for the creation of educational Television in Alabama. During World War II, she was a member of the Red Cross Motor Corps.
Berman influenced and rallied people toward noble aspirations. She courageously and single mindedly sought to make the lives of Alabama citizens better, regardless of their social standing, financial status, or race. Alabama has benefited greatly from the drive, leadership, and actions of Jeanne Friegel Berman.
She died in 1981 of cancer at age 67, and, as a final act of generosity, donated her body to medical science.
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Alabama Women's Hall of Fame