Madeleine Albright was born in 1937 in Prague, Czechoslovakia and after living in the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia, her family applied for asylum and emigrated to the United States in 1948, becoming a US citizen in 1957.

She received a Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a PhD from Columbia University. In 1993, she was the UN Ambassador to the United Nations, and in 1997 became the first woman to serve as Secretary of State, continuing until 2001.

In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

As many women in government and the political fields, she is often judged or at the very least has had her fashion sense scrutinized by the public and the media. Does anyone remember conversations about Hillary Clinton’s pantsuits?

For Secretary Albright, she was often seen wearing pins. So many pins of all shapes and sizes, colors and styles. I can relate. I have my own collection of pins, ranging from plastic holiday pins to show off as a teacher to fandom as well as pewter pieces and place name souvenirs from trips I’ve made.

Unlike mine, her pin collection was put on display and she wrote an accompanying book to go along with the collection’s display. I’ve recently read it, and was fortunate to see many of Secretary Albright’s pins, at least in picture form. I enjoy sharing this with her.

Below the cut, I have included many of photos of my own pins in a variety of groupings.The photos are in no particular order of importance. It’s just how they were imported onto the site.

Every time I went to post this since Tuesday, I came across more pins that I wanted to share, so instead of editing this again, I think I will post pictures of more pins next week in its own post.

Fandom: Top to bottom, L-R: Supernatual, Wonder Woman, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, ThinkGeek’s Geek & Proud button commemorating The HItchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Tick, Batman (1966), Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (c)2017

Places I’ve Been: L-R: Sawgrass Recreation Park – Florida, Canada, The Utica Zoo – NY, Hudson 400 – NY, Liberty Bell – Philadelphia-PA, The Blockhouse – Stillwater-NY. (c)2017

Social & Political: Clockwise: Kind and Soul from Penzeys Spices for the Women’s March – Jan. 2017, A variety of women’s rights issues plus Pride, I can’t even (I mean, look at the 2016 election, right?), Pluto will always be a planet to me. (c)2017

Not Your Average Pin: L-R: Y Ddraig Goch – the symbol of Wales. Gifts from places I’ve never been: San Francisco, CA. Kushiro from Hello Kitty from Japan. Paris, France. Las Vegas, Nevada. St. Brigid’s Cross. Gettysburg during Bike Week 2008. US Postal Service Stamp Pin from 9/11 and a pin from the FDNY 9/11 Memorial. (c)2017

Fandom 2: Top to bottom: Star Trek’s 25th Anniversary (1991), Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary (2016), Starfleet Command, Gishwhes Brave Little Ants Team pin, Hufflepuff house pin from Harry Potter, Penguin for Mayor (Batman). (c)2017

Special Pins: Clockwise: Green glass rectangle, Curly brass-colored bow shape, Colored crystal Snowman, Green and silver diamond shaped from my mother-in-law’s sister’s collection (my daughter picked it out for me), Large pewter dragon and castle, Circular blue stone Celtic pin (received in 1986). (c)2017

Places: Top to bottom, L-R: Wales, Medieval Times (Lyndhurst, NJ), Hard Rock Cafe (Manilla, Philippines), Colorado, Montauk Lighthouse (Long Island, NY), Shrine of the North American Martyrs (Auriesville, NY), Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the US (Grant’s Cottage, Wilton, NY), Hard Rock Cafe (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada), Northern Ireland. (c)2017