African-American women in Owensboro strengthened their communities through family, neighborhood, school, church, public service, and care for others. Teaching was one of the careers open to women and provided discipline, hope, and liberation to young people, while teachers served as strong and positive role models. Emma Edwards became the first black female principal at Dunbar School in 1938, and Antoinette (Toni) Talbott became the first since integration in 1992. Jessie Howard started the first black Girl Scout troop and took the first girls to Girl Scout camp. Nanny Locke, a missionary who served in Kentucky, Virginia, and Georgia, exemplified church leadership and inspired many; the Nanny Locke Housing Project on the city's east side was named for her. In the late 20th century, African-American political acceptance began to grow. Daisy James ran for city commissioner in 1981 and, though unsuccessful, opened the door for others while serving senior citizen causes, the Human Relations Commission, and numerous city boards, including a 13-year term as the first black member of the OMU board; she was also the first Owensboroan to serve on the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. Jean Higgs became the first African-American member of the Owensboro Board of Education in 1979. Olive Burroughs became the first black woman, and only the third female ever, elected to the Owensboro City Commission in 1995. Ruby Taylor McFarland became the city's first African-American woman licensed embalmer and funeral director. Fannie Dorsey, an outspoken champion of the elderly, served on the Federal Council on Aging in the 1970's, served as state director of the Division for Aging Services, and in 1982 was honored as one of only six women in the nation chosen as role models by the Older Women's League. Former schoolteacher Hattie Neblett was the driving force behind the indoor recreation center in 1936, and the H. L. Neblett Center remains a focal point of the community. In 1960, Estelle Moss, a retired University of Kentucky home extension agent and seamstress, founded the West End Day Care Center, continuing a tradition of caring and nurturing. Many other African-American women also made important contributions in education, church work, politics, and human relations.