"The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times by spreading the light of freedom and truth still wider. The debt that each generation owes to the past it must pay to the future."

–Abigail Scott Duniway (1834–1915), founder and editor of the weekly New Northwest (1871) and suffrage advocate in Oregon

In a series of biographical portraits and historical overviews, this audio will tell the dramatic stories of dedicated American women from varied backgrounds. They paid their debts to past generations with interest and turned the setbacks they were faced with into opportunities. These women will come from all walks of life, with backgrounds as diverse as journalism and publishing, electoral politics, public life, law, appointed public positions, and the military. Each of these women had to blaze a path in their respective fields, battling adversity in order to open doors for the women who followed in their footsteps.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison grew up in La Marque, Texas, and received her bachelor and law degrees from the University of Texas. She was twice elected to the Texas House of Representatives, became state treasurer in 1990, and in 1993, she became the first woman elected to represent Texas in the United States Senate. In 2000, more than four million Texans reelected her to a second full term—the largest number of votes ever won by a single candidate in the state. In 2006, she was elected chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, becoming one of the top four leaders of Senate Republicans and the only woman. Senator Hutchison lives in Dallas with her husband, Ray, and their two children.