Gwendolyn J. "Gwen" Elliott, the retired Pittsburgh police commander who was a trailblazing champion for the rights of women, children, the elderly, minorities and crime victims, died yesterday at her Highland Park home of cancer. She was 62.

Gwen Elliott Guest book Sign a guest book for Ms. Elliott

A larger-than-life character who had a broad smile, deep laugh and a sharp sense of humor, Ms. Elliott was a woman who broke down barriers. In 1976. she and 11 other women became the first female Pittsburgh police officers and, about a decade later, she became the department's first black female commander.

She also helped create organizations to assist those in need. In the early 1970s, she was among the group of mothers who founded the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime. And in 2002, the year she retired from the Pittsburgh force after 26 years, she founded Gwen's Girls, the first county nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the needs of at-risk girls 8 to 18 years old.

Wilkinsburg Police Chief Ophelia "Cookie" Coleman, a retired Pittsburgh detective who joined the city force the year after Ms. Elliott, said there is no overstating her friend's contributions to the region.

"When you look around and see how we do business today -- in the Pittsburgh police department, at the Center for Victims, at the Allegheny County Courthouse's advocates' room, in how child abuse, elderly abuse, and sexual assault cases are handled, and in the kind of training there is now -- you see Gwen's fingerprints," she said.

Stephanie Walsh, executive director of the Center for Victims, agreed: "We overuse the term living legend, but she was that. Her example on a daily basis showed you how to do it, whether it was women's rights, victims' rights or how police officers can be respected and trusted.

"She touched organizations, she touched people, she touched the structure of things. She was a remarkable lady."

As news of Ms. Elliott's passing spread yesterday, there was sadness from the halls of power to the homes of the disenfranchised with whom she felt a deep compassion.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Ms. Elliott's "dedication, professionalism, tireless efforts and eternal optimism helped to make this a better community."

Witold J. Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, described her as "a wonderful, caring woman who has worked hard to leave Pittsburgh a better place than she entered."

Lynn Knezevich, executive director of Gwen's Girls, called the group's founder a "visionary."

"To see the generosity of her spirit and how she used that generosity to help others is a role model for everybody. We're really, really missing her but ... we remain steadfast in her vision and inspiration as we continue this important work and carry on her legacy."

Ms. Elliott founded Gwen's Girls five years ago as a North Point Breeze after-school program because she was moved by the plight of pregnant teens she saw trapped in impossible home situations. Last year, the organization opened a residential program in a former North Side convent for up to 16 pregnant and parenting teens who are sent there by the court system for medical care, emotional and spiritual support and parenting and practical skills.

Ms. Elliott was born in Duquesne and graduated from West Mifflin High School. When she was 5, her mother, Vivian Campbell, died in a botched abortion. Ms. Elliott didn't learn the truth until she was an adult, but it prompted her to become a strong proponent of abortion rights.

She earned an associate's degree from Community College of Allegheny County and served in the Air Force for five years, retiring as a staff sergeant. Later, she served in the National Guard and the Air Force Reserve until 1985. More recently, she was an adjunct professor in criminal justice administration at Point Park University.

Ms. Elliott and the 11 other women who became Pittsburgh police pioneers weren't exactly welcomed by their male counterparts in 1976, but that didn't deter the goal-oriented woman. In a 1996 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story marking the 20-year anniversary of the female graduates, Ms. Elliott, the divorced mother of two, said her experiences facing discrimination as a black woman helped her weather the storm.

"At no period was I ready to give up," said Ms. Elliott, who at the time of the story was the only one of the 12 women still on the force. "I never thought about quitting. Those men who didn't cooperate with us in the early years made us smarter quicker. I was determined I was going to feed my babies, I was going to succeed.''

Chief Coleman recalled Ms. Elliott's leadership in setting up a support group with a St. Francis Hospital psychologist who would meet weekly with the female officers. Ms. Elliott also formed a local chapter of the International Association of Women Police.

"She was a very strong, very determined, very committed woman who knew where she wanted to go and how she was going to get there," Chief Coleman said.

Retired Pittsburgh Detective Claudia Salerno remembers that when she joined the force in 1980, Ms. Elliott "took all the new girls under her wing. She was really kind to everyone. Gwen was always there to help you."

Ms. Elliott rose to sergeant and then commander. When she was put in charge of the missing persons bureau in the early 1990s, she saw that more focus was needed on crimes against children and women. She combined the squad with the child abuse and sexual assault units, and, later, added domestic crimes, hate crimes and elderly abuse to create the family crisis/sex assault unit.

Retired Pittsburgh Detective Barry Fox never worked for Ms. Elliott but recalled that those who did "would say that, hands down, she was the best boss they ever had. They had a great deal of admiration for her because of the way she handled herself with everyone."

Ronald Freeman, retired Pittsburgh police commander, said: "Gwen had a personality that appealed to everybody. She appealed to all people, all groups and classes."

Ms. Elliott is survived by a son, James, and a daughter, Kathi, both of Pittsburgh, and three grandchildren.

Friends will be received from 2 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at Mount Ararat Baptist Church, 271 Paulson Ave., Larimer, where services will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. Interment will be in McKeesport-Versailles Cemetery.