Ramona Ripston

Ripston was born on February 18, 1927, in Queens, New York. Her parents were William and Elsie (). In 1948, she graduated from Hunter College with a degree in political science. == Career ==

Ripston worked for the New York Civil Liberties Union as its public relations director then moved to the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee in 1965. She became "the first woman — and one of the few non-lawyers — to head an A.C.L.U. affiliate." At the beginning of her tenure, the ACLU SoCal had six employees and an all-male board of directors. Ripston began to grow the organization and diversify the board; she appointed more women, people of color and members of the LGBT community. By the time she retired from her position in 2011, the ACLU SoCal had 50 employees in two offices. == Personal life ==

Ripston was married five times. She was the widow of federal judge Stephen Reinhardt at the time of her death in Marina del Rey, California, on November 3, 2018. == References ==