The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 145

News Feature Ackerman still fights good fight ACKERMAN from 3 insurance executive planned to retire Instead Ackerman thought it over A few weeks later she called Fox They learned the algae was thought to be caused by phosphates a cleaning agent found in most detergents They also learned they needed 10000 signatures to get the Metro Commission to consider a phosphate ban The two women both grandmothers went to work at Point East They knocked on doors and held meetings and organized every building and had captains appointed at each one Point East called a meeting and invited other condominiums telling residents to bring their detergents with them They invited the media More than 1000 people showed up It was army Fox was dubbed Gen Mollye always felt she was an extraordinary Fox said let her do the talking Without her we would have nothing With all of the ideas I had unless I had the proper speaker to bring it across none of it could have Under the glare of television lights the condo commandos dramatically emptied their open boxes of phosphate detergents into barrels Later 250 pollution protesters marched before the county commission waving signs that hailed what was dubbed the Pollution Revolution Attorney Cromwell Anderson who represented 4 the Soap and Detergent Association remembers impact on the commissioners and on the bevy of high-powered Miami Washington and New York attorneys who filled the room to oppose the phosphate ban was a very charming and articulate lady" Anderson said met with her and tried to work with her She was a lot of fun to work with but she was very very tough There was absolutely nothing in it for her You could rely upon her On July 1 1971 an anti-pollution ordinance limiting the phosphorous content of cleaning products went into effect in Dade County went to Tallahassee and the vice president of Procter Gamble came up to us at the Fox recalled said ladies finished with He was very very angry thought about it later" Fox said just get over the fact that the two of us had created all of this turmoil in jj Years later after massive improvements to sewage treatment plants which are credited largely to Ackerman the ordinance was rescinded but not before proponents gained Ackerman's approval go to the county commission" 0 attorney Anderson recalled say Annie law and have to talk to cc 1 From that first battle it was always Ackerman and Fox who led Point East the two grandmothers who fought City Hall and won 5 we did we did together" Fox said did it all Whatever came up the people came i- to us And we became very good friends" Annie Ackerman was born 73 years ago to the parents of Russian Jewish immigrants in Chicago Her father a Talmudic student was 19 and her Please turn to ACKERMAN 23 ANDREW INNERARITY Miami Herald Staff Annie strategy: Always have two sets of goals: one long-range something you can accomplish in 10 years and second something you can change in six months.