Ethel Knobloch of Thibodaux and Verna Landrieu of New Orleans are two of the four women who will be honored by the Louisiana Center for Women and Government at Nicholls State University when it holds its annual luncheon honoring women who have made contributions to the state, nation and world. This year’s event, to be held in New Orleans, will feature Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco as keynote speaker. All proceeds will benefit scholarships for students displaced by last year’s hurricanes.

The 2006 ceremony, which will take place Saturday, May 6 at the Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place, will feature the induction of the late Mari Ann Fowler of Hammond, Bunnatine “Bunny” Hayes Greenhouse, a native of Rayville and resident of Reston, Va., Ethel Knobloch of Thibodaux and Verna Landrieu of New Orleans into the Louisiana Center for Women and Government Hall of Fame. Former U.S. Congresswoman Lindy Boggs is honorary chair of the event.

Members of the Katrina Krewe and the Women of the Storm will also be honored at the luncheon.

Fowler, a native of Hammond, started out as an English and language arts teacher. She steered education legislation as the assistant state superintendent of education in charge of the Office of Research and Development, then was appointed by Gov. Edwin Edwards to serve as secretary of education. In 2000, she was named the superintendent’s special assistant. Upon her retirement in 2001, she became an educational consultant to school systems. She became a fixture at state and Democratic Party events after her 1986 marriage to Jerry Fowler, then Louisiana commissioner of elections.

Greenhouse began her career as a high school mathematics teacher in her hometown, the first black teacher many of the white students had ever seen. After 16 years as a teacher she entered civil service. She is the former principal assistant responsible for contracting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C., a position at the top of the federal government’s $1.8 million-employee pyramid. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Southern University and holds three master’s degrees.

Thibodaux native Ethel Knobloch was the first woman elected to the Thibodaux City Council and served five consecutive terms from 1978 to 1998. She campaigned for changes in meeting times and dates, creation of a new water treatment plant, changes in Civil Service and for an airport in Thibodaux. She spent 32 years working with the Lafourche Parish School Board, the last 17 as office manager and chief accountant. She was named the 1978 Thibodaux Business and Professional Woman of the Year and won the 1993 Monte B. Lemann Louisiana Civil Service League Award.

Landrieu was the first lady of New Orleans for many years and, in that role, championed the many causes of women and children. She was a founding member of the Committee of 21, an organization dedicated to supporting women candidates for office. She has been active in local, state and national campaigns, including those of her husband, “Moon” Landrieu, former New Orleans mayor; her daughter, Mary Landrieu, former Louisiana treasurer and current U.S. senator; and her son, a former state representative and current lieutenant governor.

Blanco is the first woman elected to serve as governor of Louisiana. Before reaching the state’s highest post, the Coteau native completed two terms as lieutenant governor in Louisiana, where she supervised the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Under her leadership, tourism in Louisiana increased by 41 percent. This growth led to a $2.5 billion increase in the tourism industry’s economic contribution to the state and the creation of 121,000 new tourism-related jobs. Blanco was the first woman to chair the Public Service Commission and the first ever elected to represent the people of Lafayette in the state Legislature.

The Louisiana Center for Women and Government Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon will be held at the Wyndham hotel at 100 Rue Iberville in New Orleans. Tickets are $40 each general admission or $225 for a table of six. Nicholls students may purchase individual tickets at half price. The ticket includes the coffee reception at 10 a.m. and lunch at 11:30 a.m. All tickets must be purchased by Friday, April 28. Proceeds will benefit scholarships for students displaced by last year’s hurricanes. For reservations, call the Louisiana Center for Women and Government at (985) 448-4770.

Established in 1994, the Hall of Fame is sponsored annually by the Louisiana Center for Women and Government. The Center was established in 1990 to encourage and promote the future leadership of women by providing resources and non-partisan support through educational workshops, training seminars and outreach programs. The Center is also committed to conducting, producing and preserving research on women in politics and to teaching all citizens about the importance of public service.