Barbara Washburn was born in 1914 in the Boston area. Washburn redefined expectations about gender roles and adventuring. Referred to as “McKinley’s First Lady”, she was the first woman to summit Denali, North America’s tallest peak, on an expedition with her husband in 1947. Only fifteen people had climbed Denali before the Washburns’ expedition. Not only were few women mountaineering at this time, but she also transformed gender role expectations by leaving her children in the care of relatives to pursue adventure, something for which women are still often judged.