We Are a Strong, Articulate Voice: A History of Women at Penn State

235 Pages·2016·0.6 MB·English

by  Carol Sonenklar

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WE ARE A STRONG,ARTICULATE VOICE
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Image not available
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Carol Sonenklar
WE ARE
A STRONG ,
ARTICULATE
VOICE
A History of Women at Penn State
published for the penn state commission for women
the pennsylvania state university press
university park, pennsylvania
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Disclaimer:
Some images in the original version of this book are not
available for inclusion in the eBook.
Photographs used in this book are reproduced
courtesy of Naomi Fischer (page 105), The Daily
Collegian(pages 145, 170, 173, 179, 202, 206, 209, 213),
Greg Grieco and the Penn State Department of
Public Information (pages 149, 185, 192, 194), Penn
State Athletic Communications (page 156), Bonnie
Marshall (page 159), the Penn State Commission
for Women (pages 196, 197), Amanda Wetzel
(page 200), and Devon Zahn (page 205). All other
photographs are reproduced courtesy of the
Penn State University Archives.
library of congress
cataloging-in-publication data
Sonenklar, Carol.
We are a strong, articulate voice : a history of
women at Penn State / Carol Sonenklar.
p. cm.
Includes index.
isbn0-271-02857-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Pennsylvania State University—Faculty—
History.
2. Women in higher education—United States—
History.
I. Title.
ld4481.p82S662006
378.748’53—dc22
2005028080
Copyright ©2006
The Pennsylvania State University
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America Published
by The Pennsylvania State University Press,
University Park, PA 16802-1003
The Pennsylvania State University Press
is a member of the
Association of American University Presses.
It is the policy of
The Pennsylvania State University Press
to use acid-free paper. Publications on uncoated
stock satisfy the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for
Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1992.
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CONTENTS
Foreword by GrahamB. Spanier vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Gaining the Privileges of Education 1
2 Few in Number but Strong in Influence 9
3 Making Strides 33
4 Improving the Learning Experience 55
5 Standing In for the Men 67
6 The Home Economists 85
7 Yours for Happy Living 97
8 A Time of Unrest 119
9 Feminism and Fair Play 139
10 Leveling the Field 163
11 Redefining Roles 181
12 The Future Is Ours 199
Afterword by JanisE. Jacobs 215
Index 217
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FOREWORD
The rich history of Penn State is replete with accounts of accomplishment and success.
Woven into that heritage is the story of the remarkable women of Penn State and the
legacy of achievement they have created.
Over the decades, women at Penn State have made significant and lasting contribu-
tions to our University, paving the way for new generations. As pioneers in the areas of
science, medicine, education, business, the arts, student affairs, administration, and
more, the women of Penn State have played a key role in our University’s advancement
and have greatly shaped its destiny.
We Are a Strong, Articulate Voice recounts those vital details of our heritage and cele-
brates the many accomplishments of the talented women who have called Penn State
home. Within the pages of this book, more than two hundred women are portrayed. Each
of these women has accomplished great things and left her mark on Penn State as leaders,
innovators, and scholars.
This is an important volume in chronicling Penn State’s extraordinary success as one
of the nation’s leading universities. The women of Penn State are a tremendous source of
inspiration, innovation, and ingenuity.
GrahamB. Spanier
President
The Pennsylvania State University
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PREFACE
It was a brisk Sunday afternoon in January of 1930. Eighteen-year-old Grace Baer, just fin-
ished with her first semester at the Pennsylvania State College, sat in her dorm room with
her two roommates. Grace was living on her own for the first time in the freshman dorm
McAllister Hall—“Mac Hall” to everyone on campus. Studying in her room on “fourth
floor north,” Grace was interrupted by the girl on phone duty. She had a call.
Grace had just come back from spending the Christmas break with her family in
Reading. The fourth of six children, Grace was the first in her family to go to college.
Graduating in 1929 at the top of her Reading High School class, she was awarded a schol-
arship from the Women’s College Club of Reading—three hundred dollars a year for
each of the first two years of college.
However, by the fall of 1929, Grace could see that even with the scholarship she would
still not have enough money to go away to college.
“The stock market had just crashed and everything was in great upheaval. Not that it
affected my family much,” she laughs. “We never owned any stock.”
She decided to take some postgraduate classes at her high school, where she met the
new principal, JohnP. Lozo.
“I’ll never forget his name because the man changed my life,” she recalls. “He told me
to go to the Pennsylvania State College. He’d taken courses there and said it was a great
place and very affordable.”
“All right,” Grace remembers thinking. “I’ll go to Penn State then.”
And she did, arriving in State College in the fall of 1930. At that time there was no
tuition per se, but students were responsible for an “incidental fee” of $67.50 in addition
to room, board, and books. Grace could not have attended the Pennsylvania State College
and lived in Mac Hall without the scholarship from the Women’s College Club.
Although enrolled in the School of Education, Grace Baer had always been a per-
former, well known around Reading. When she arrived at the College, many students
knew of her talents and frequently asked her to perform. She performed solely for female