Every once in a while, government officials do something that's just right. Mecklenburg County commissioners did so last week when they voted unanimously to name a section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway for Elisabeth "Liz" Hair.

Ms. Hair's resume contains a long list of major accomplishments: first woman to chair the Mecklenburg Board of Elections; first female county commissioner; first woman to chair the county board; leader in establishing, among other programs, the Council on Aging, the Council for Children, the Mecklenburg County Women's Commission; and member of public and private boards.

But dry resume entries do not fully capture the climate of the times in which she worked or the truly pioneering nature of many of her accomplishments. In 1971, women held only two of 188 posts on appointed city commissions. In 1972, when she decided to run for the county board, only one woman had ever been elected to the Charlotte City Council. No woman had ever been a county commissioner. Even after leading the vote total she was not accorded the traditional role of chair. That came later.

As a founder of the Charlotte Women's Political Caucus, Ms. Hair helped create a formidable political force that changed the face of local politics and government forever. And in the words of the greenway-naming application submitted in her behalf to the county commissioners: "Throughout her life, Liz Hair has been a model public servant. Passionate about the needs of women and children, education, the environment and citizen participation in public decision-making, Liz has been at the forefront of almost every important movement in Charlotte-Mecklenburg since 1960."

Ms. Hair has been a strong supporter of the greenway project. The county commissioners have created an excellent monument to her. While county money will be used to acquire the greenway land, private funds are being raised to pay for landscaping and other improvements. If you wish to give to the portion of the greenway to be named for Ms. Hair, contact Betty Chafin Rash at (704) 377-4957, or mail a check to Friends of Liz Hair, 610 N. Pine St., Charlotte, N.C. 28202. Checks should be made out to Partners for Parks.