SPRING
VFA HONORS SOME OF OUR NATIONAL TREASURES
It's always fun to be in Washington DC. Reunions are smaller and more intimate than the ones
we hold in New York. There's time to meet those who run the important organizations based there, to visit long
and laugh a lot with veteran and young feminists, to sight-see and eat in some of the Beltway's great restaurants,
and maybe even to get in a l little lobbying.
Being at the Sewall Belmont House is a high in itself. The aura and energy of Alice Paul, who chained herself to
the White House, was jailed and force-fed, wrote the Equal Rights Amendment and got it introduced year after year
in Congress, permeates the place.
|
The late Catherine East,
our first honoree, who was a great supporter of VFA, had urged us not to forget the women who worked in Washington,
either in or close to the government. This year we honored six, along with activists from Texas, Iowa, Louisiana,
Michigan and New Hampshire.. |
It was good to hear the applause that greeted Patricia Schroeder, Betty Friedan and Ellie
Smeal when they arrived. Nothing like some boisterous hand-clapping to say "thank you."
Ellie Smeal
(photo: Judy Kaplan)
Other prominent guests included Senator Max Baucus, who walked from the Senate building next door to greet fellow Montanan Mary Condon Gereau; Alice Cohan from the Feminist Majority came with Ellie; Judith Kaplan, former New York NOW activist and chronicler of feminist history, came from Fort Lauderdale.
There were so many young women in attendance. Lara Avery arrived with her mother, Kathryn,
an honoree; Tara Levison was with her mother, Cathryn Adamsky, also an honoree; Karen Staser and Chris Renz, president
and director of communications of the National Women's History Museum, were there. There were also representatives
from the Clearing of Women's Issues, CLUE, WIN, "OFF OUR BACKS," the AAUW and The Women's History Project.
Actually everyone there was prominent. If you'd like to see the guest list, send a stamped envelope to VFA .
THE PROGRAM
Introducers, the honorees, and a little of what they've accomplished...
|
Karen Mulhauser (left), former Executive
Director of Naral and president of Karen Mulhauser Associates, introduced former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder |
PAT SCHROEDER, UNDEFEATED ACTIVIST
|
PAT SCHROEDER won election for Congress
in Colorado's first district In 1972 and was re-elected eleven times. A Democrat, she became the first woman to
serve on the House Armed Services Committee and was a prime mover behind the Family and Medical Leave Act. |
Mary Eastwood, a former president of the National Woman's Party introduced Mary Condon Gereau, Kathryn Avery and
Karline Tierney, all ERA activists and active in the National Woman's Party or NWP Corp.
DEVOTED TO EDUCATAION
|
President of the National Woman's Party Corp. from 1991 to '96, Mary was
active in the ERA campaign with the NWP. Hailing from Iowa and Michigan, she was with the American Red Cross as
a program director for the Services to the Armed Forces and was Dean of Students at Eastern Montana College. She
served two terms as Superintendent of Education there, and was president of the Council of Chief State School Officers,
one of two women among 48 members. Mary has been a consultant to the U.S. Senate Interior Committee and to the
Subcommittee on Indian Affairs. She was Executive Director of the White House Committee on Education and Secretary
to the Penn State Legislative Dept of the National Education Association, all topped off with the presidency of
the ERA Ratification Counsel of NEA. |
KATHRYN AVERY - BEHIND THE SCENES VOLUNTEER.
Kathryn Avery graduated from the U of Washington in English Literature and Theater Arts.
When she moved with her military husband and family to Washington in the 1970's she met Alice Paul, who put her
right to work. She spent 20 years as an indispensable backstage volunteer for the National Woman's Party, where
she worked for passage of the ERA and helped organize the famous ERA march in Washington in 1977. Always active
in theater wherever her husband was stationed, she works today in Washington with the Children's and High School
Shakespeare Festivals. She lives with her daughter, Tara, in Falls Church, VA..
KARLINE TIERNEY ERA & AAUW ACTIVIST
|
A native of |
JOY SIMONSON, FEMINIST ACTIVIST/LEADER
|
From |
Gracia Molina-Pick, founder of the first Chicana/Latina Women's
Liberation organizations, introduced:
ANNE BROCK TURPEAU, WOMEN
|
A native of West Virginia, Anne Turpeau was a member for nine years of
the D.C. Commission for Women and Chairperson from '76
to '79. Under her leadership the Commission became a statutory body of the government of the |
Kay Cole,
MAURA McNIEL -- GRASSROOTS ACTIVIST/ORGANIZER.
|
Maura moved to |
Pat Cuza, first Exec. Director of the Michigan Women's Commission introduced:
JEAN LEDWITH KING, ATTORNEY, ACTIVIST,
|
Jean Ledwith King of |
Aleta Styers, founder and first president of Chicago
KAPPIE KAPLAN SPENCER, TRUST BREAKER,
Kappie Kaplan Spencer has been on a 30-year crusade to change the sexist language and laws
of wills and trusts which demean and discriminate against women. She is a pioneer member of Planned Parenthood,
worked on campaigns to keep funding their educational programs, took part in the Beijing Conrference, was State
and National Legislative chair of AAUW in '82 and '83 , was involved in major ERA campaigns. She the
Heather Booth, a founder of Chicago Women's Liberation introduced:
CATHRYN ADAMSKY
|
Educator, inspirator, mentor for hundreds of young women, Cathryn taught
at Chicago U in the late 60's and was inspired by the women who formed the first women's liberation group there.
She later taught Psychology at Indiana-Purdue, where she lobbied for and was allowed to teach women's studies,
a program she created. She helped found the Association for Women in Psychology and coordinated the first
conference in 1973 and was spokeswoman for AWP from
'77 to '82. She was head of Women's Studies at the U
of New Hampshire, where she helped develop the first minor and ultimately the first major in women's studies. Under
her leadership the university got a National Institute for the Humanities grant for an institute, "Women in 19th Century American Culture." She now lives in
|
.
Virginia Whitehill, all-around activist of
RUTH McLEAN BOWERS -- activist, feminist philanthropist.
|
Ruth has served on the board of Planned Parenthood, helped found Texas Abortion Rights Action League,
helped fund the Roe v Wade Supreme Court case, served
on the board of National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws - (NARAL) and is responsible for the first abortion clinic in San Antonio. She is also very interested in the
education of young girls and women and has served on the board of Regents of Texas Women's University. She's been
active in the National Women's Political Caucus and
Emily's List. Ruth lives in |
Sylvia Roberts - attorney, won landmark cases for women,
including
|
After each honoree received the VFA medal of honor (with their name and
the date of the event etched on the back), the former president of the National Woman's
Party, Elizabeth Chittick, addressed the guest briefly and called on the current
president, Marty Langlon. Marty spoke about the campaign to meet the $500,000 grant awarded the Sewall Belmont
House. |
Paula McKensie, an NWP vice-president gave news of NWP events, and VFA's Barbara Love, publisher of the Pioneer Directory, urged the women to take and fill out the questionnaires and help us find early feminists.
Two highlights were when Tara Adamsky and Lara Avery accepted for their mothers, who were in poor health. There
is nothing quite so moving as daughters of feminists who are proud of their mother's work!
Aleta and I were struggling over the bills ( DC is expensive!) and were wondering how we'd
meet the loss, when a
An hour later we were at Betty Friedan's apartment for cocktails… greeting other women and men who'd not been at the luncheon. Betty beamed as her photo taken with
some, and she loved hearing them tell her how "The Feminine Mystique" affected their lives. Later some
of us went out to dinner in small groups. Diana Gartner, Barbara Love , Gracia Molina Pick , Betty Friedan and
I were there til the last person left, so with Betty we went to an exotic Asian restauarant where we heard Betty's
family's response to her latest book (not too good) and shared
Saturday at
Besides Aleta Styers, who came from New York City to handle the door and help in general,
several VFA members from far away showed up to help out and/ enjoy the event. Gracia Molina Pick, my right hand
and good pal, flew in from