Flora Crater, a long time activist and friend has died at 94.  Her obituary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch began

Flora Marina Trimmer Crater was born in an era of male-only voting and racial segregation. Before her death Sunday at age 94, she was able to vote for a woman for president in a national primary and help elect the first black president.

She founded and led Crater’s Raiders, a group of us who worked for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia in 1972.  I remember using my lunch hour to stand vigil around the perimeter of the Virginia Capitol grounds. 

Also in 1972, she and I were McGovern delegates to the Democratic National Convention.  I remember that many of the union men were supporting Humphrey and were disappointed that McGovern was nominated.  Despite, or maybe because of, that disappointment, many of them joined the women in the delegation in supporting the vice-presidential nomination of Frances “Sissy” Farenthold.  I remember one of them saying to me, “We are doing it for Flora.”

I haven’t seen her since I left Virginia fifteen years ago, but she was someone I looked up to and learned a great deal from Flora.  I also remember her sense of humor and her gentleness which covered an iron will to gain equal rights for women and for all people.