She was a woman of many firsts, whose legacy lasts to today. Marian de Forest forged her own path in a time when not many women could and she continues to inspire to this day.

“She was a playwright. She was a journalist. She was an advocate,” said Vivian Cody, treasurer of Zonta Club Buffalo.

Marian de Forest played by her own rules.

“She was quite the character,” said Cody. "I don't think anybody could say no to her.”

Living for a couple of years in a darkened room because of an eye injury, she began as one of the first female reporters in Western New York.

“That's where she learned how to remember everything that people said,” said Cody. “She could fill out a story with just about every detail that was in there because everything stuck in her head.”

A lover of the arts, de Forest supported many organizations, including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, which she helped form, but again a trailblazer, she did her own thing, creating the first play adaptation of “Little Women” and inspiring others along the way.

“Kathleen Cornell was an unknown person and somebody [said], 'who puts an unknown as the lead character in a play if you're bringing it out,' and she got there, and Marian said, 'You will knock them dead,' and she did,” said Cody.

Perhaps her biggest contribution was founding the Zonta Club, an organization that still exists to this day for the advancement of women.

“It was at the end of World War I,” Cody said. “Women had spent the last four years learning how to do everything that had to be done, while they took care of the families because the men were all the way at war. When the men came home they said, 'Okay, you can go back to your kitchen.' 'No, no, no, no, we learned how to do things.’”

It grew from a few chapters to an international organization, even working with the United Nations on issues like trafficking, education, health and more.

“This club was there to have women get into the community and bring up and support women and girls,” Cody explained.

Cody keeps de Forest’s story alive, dressing up as her to give talks throughout the region.

“We've been doing this for a while and this is successful because we're still here,” she added.

In 2001, de Forest was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, but her impact goes beyond any accolades.

“The result of her efforts brought people to blossom and take care of these things that are now legacy things that we talk about without even realizing Marian was behind it,” said Cody.

Each year, Zonta International gives out a Marian De Forest award, which goes to someone doing good work in a field related to Marian, including journalism, theater, working with animals and more.