Born in Grace, Idaho, Betty Anthony Zahn was the daughter of C.R. Anthony, the founder of the department store chain. Her husband, Fred H. Zahn, was an executive for the stores. She graduated from Christian College, Columbia, Mo., in 1936 and completed her education with honors at the University of Oklahoma two years later.
Mrs. Zahn’s accomplishments included serving as local president of the YWCA in 1958 and completing a six-year term on the national board of the YWCA from the southern region. A member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, she received the outstanding Panhellenic Alumna award in 1965. She was a member of the Women’s Committee for the Oklahoma City Symphony and served on the board of directors of the Oklahoma Science and Arts Foundation. Mrs. Zahn also was a member of the Junior League, Oklahoma Art Center, Uptown Kiwanis Wives and served as deaconess on the board of the Crown Heights Christian Church. She was second vice president of the Christian Women’s Fellowship of her church and was on the board of the Harding High School Parent-Teacher Association and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. After undergoing surgery to have malignant lumps removed from her breasts, Mrs. Zahn and her husband became active on the Oklahoma County Cancer Committee.
After receiving her award, Mrs. Zahn said she supported the legal aspects of the women’s movement such as equal pay and job opportunities. “But I don’t think women’s lib will ever replace motherhood,” she said.
