SENECA FALLS - Seneca Falls is a small community, but it's one that has played a major role in American history.

It was 161 years ago that the first convention for women's rights was held in Seneca Falls and 40 years ago that the idea for the National Women's Hall of Fame first took root.

Over the weekend, women from across the globe gathered to honor the 10 inductees of the Class if 2009.

The induction ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon at the New York State Chiropractic College to wrap up a long weekend of celebrations.

Shirley Hartley and M. Dale Steen were among the founding members of the hall of fame that sits in the heart of downtown Seneca Falls.

During the ceremony, Steen recalled that it was John Rosencrantz, a former president of what was then Eisenhower College, that first proposed the idea of a hall of fame to Steen.

Steen said that Rosencrantz had visited other halls of fame, and realized there was little honoring women.

Steen then took the idea to her friend Hartley. Hartley said this was in 1968-69 and that within four years, the hall of fame had been established and has since gone on to honor a total of 236 inductees, including those honored Sunday.

“I can't believe it has been 40 years,” Hartley said. “But we have come a long way baby.”

Ginny Ryan, a news anchor for WHAM-TV in Rochester, served as emcee and reflected on what Hartley said and how all the inductees and the women honored Sunday have helped pave a path.

“These are 10 outstanding inductees,” Ryan said. “They paved the way. All of these women were before Google, before GPS, before cell phones and they never got lost. It is a great honor and I am very humbled and very honored, because without them coming before me as leaders, without the convention that took place here 161 years ago, I would not be able to be standing here today.”

The inductees touched on many fields from the arts to law, but all shared the common thread of helping change the world and make improvements in the struggle for equality.

The class of 2009 included:

• Louise Bourgeois, a world renowned artist.

• Mildred Cohn, a scientist and biologist, who helped further the understanding of enzymatic reactions.

• Karen Decor, a nationally-recognized attorney and activist who is one of the most celebrated leaders of the women's movement.

• Susan Kelly-Dries, who has worked tirelessly to enact legal protection on behalf of battered women and children.

• Allie B. Latimer, a civil rights leader and activist.

• Emma Lazarus, a Jewish immigrant and American poet, who used her writing to advocate for a Jewish homeland and to fight against anti-Semitism.

• Ruth Patrick, a scientist, who was a pioneer in limnology, the study of the phenomena of freshwater bodies.

• Rebecca Talbot Perkins, a highly successful business woman and philanthropist.

• Susan Solomon, a leader in the field of atmospheric science.

• Kate Stoneman, the first woman admitted to practice law in New York.

Each of these women made significant contributions in their respective fields and have stood as testaments to the achievements of the struggle for equality.

Looking back on the past 40 years and the women the hall has recognized, Steen was proud of her part in the hall from its inception.

“Because there is a hall of fame these women will be honored in perpetuity,” Steen said. “And I am so delighted to be a part of that in some small way.”