A citizen activist, Surbaugh started pushing leaders to do something, regularly showing up to meetings of the then-rural water board. Deciding she would need to sit on the board to enact the changes she wanted to see, Surbaugh joined in 1988, becoming its first female member. It was the start of a long career of firsts. She led the merger of the rural district with the county’s much larger public water utility. She later became the first woman to serve as chair of the WaterOne board. In 1992, she won a seat on the Johnson County Commission, and years later became the first countywide elected chair. Surbaugh, credited with helping shape Johnson County as it is today, died last week at the age of 79. “She was best known for being the first woman in places where women had not been before,” Johnson County Commissioner Becky Fast said. “She had gone before me and created a place for me, so I could be here today. She walked where only men had previously been allowed. And she left footprints for me to follow and for other women to follow. To me, that was the greatest gift.”
Source: Joco 913 News
