The daughter of a suffragist who volunteered at a Margaret Sanger clinic, Lunt was told by her mother that she was a feminist "genetically." In 1974, Lunt established a feminist psychotherapy practice for adult women. At that time, she was also an associate clinical professor at Boston University School of Social Work, where she taught social policy using a feminist consciousness. From the mid 1960s through the 1970s,Lunt was invited to lead seminars on feminist therapy throughout the country. She was the founding consultant for Womanspace, a feminist therapy collective in Boston, and served as its supervisor from 1974-1977.

She was also a consultant to many government and private organizations and was an adviser for the feminist newspaper Sojourner. In 1971, Lunt was a charter member of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, served as its chair for many years, and represented it at NWPC meetings, where she served the board in many key roles. In the 1970s, her group worked successfully for Massachusetts ratification of the national ERA. A state ERA was passed as well. From 1974 -1978,

Lunt served on the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on the Status of Women as chair of its health task force. She was on the committee that organized the 1975 Conference on Women's Health held at Harvard Medical School, and was a delegate to the United Nations IWY Conference in Mexico City. Lunt was also part of a group that defeated an effort by right-to-life forces to pack the state's delegation to the 1977 IWY Conference in Houston, and was chair of the MA delegation.

In a speech at a State Department reception for women, she introduced the concept "seduction of access," arguing that proximity to the powerful should not be confused with having power. She also wrote on women gaining power in "Understanding Paradox and Power," which was published in the Hood College Alumnae Bulletin.

Her later career segued into mediation, and she worked with consumer assistance programs. Lunt graduated from Hood College (A.B.), Simmons College School of Social Work (M.S.), Harvard University (Ed.D) and Massachusetts School of Law (J.D.) In 1984 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Hood College. Now retired, Lunt crews on Tall Ships. She has two children.

 

Archives: Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Cambridge, MA.

 

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