The city of Coatesville has been shaped over the years by
the courage and dedication of bright, passionate women. Rebecca Lukens set the stage by assuming
control of Brandywine Ironworks and Nail Factory at a time when a woman running
a business was almost unheard of. A
woman running an ironworks was unthinkable.
But not to Rebecca. In the face of her own family’s opposition and a
financial panic in 1837 she persevered, When she retired in 1847,the ironworks was the
nation’s premier manufacturer of boilerplate and Coatesville was a thriving,
prosperous community.
The Graystone Society’s Rebecca Lukens Award honors women
who have followed Rebecca’s example through their leadership and commitment to the
Coatesville community. Community
Dental’s Regina Horton Lewis was honored with this year’s award. In her
acceptance speech, Regina shared stories of her struggle as a young black woman
to break into IBM’s corporate culture in the 1970s. She also illustrated how she’s applied the
lessons she learned in her corporate experience and as a foster parent to her
passion for helping others improve their lives and serve their community. Those who know and work with Regina today recognize
her as an outstanding example of servant leadership. Community Dental is fortunate to have such an
engaged community leader and accomplished woman as our Executive Director.
