Introduction
Prologue
Fredonia Academy
Fredonia Normal School
Teachers College
Faculty Dames
The Post-War Years
Fredonia 1961-Present
Epilogue
Student Reaction
Images
Thanks To
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Introduction
JoAnn Kaufman, Classes of 1969, '77
Who knows what might have happened if Jan McVicker hadn't been sitting on the
cement wall outside the Williams Center, enjoying the April sun while correcting
papers after an American Association of University Women (AAUW) meeting back in 1998?
We began chatting about Women's Studies, and I expressed a perceived need to capture
the memories of our own Fredonia Dames while we still could, and the rest is...well, yes,
history.
The initial idea was to "somehow" record the experiences of Fredonia women, and the
first project description read: "Involve current Women Studies students in capturing
the history of women at Fredonia, beginning with Faculty Dames and early women faculty,
but continuing to the present, involving professional staff, support staff and women students
through the years." Ask any one of us who is primarily responsible for the document you're
about to read and we'd all name someone else. Like most women's projects, this is a
collaborative effort and we worked from our strengths: Jan McVicker was then coordinating
the Women's Studies minor and teaching the Introduction to Women's Studies class; when Sue
Jemison found the infamous Secretary's Handbook (that alone is worth a visit to the
College Archives) in an old file cabinet, she volunteered to be our classified staff
liaison while keeping us organized from start to finish; alumna Judy Clark, long-time
Dames historian, was motivated to organize those records and get them into the archives;
and I'd been a Fredonia librarian and member of the Fredonia Alumni Association Board
of Directors for enough years to know many women - and that Fredonia's 175th Anniversary
was fast approaching. Later, Karen West helped us find grant money to get started
(thank you, Carnahan-Jackson Humanities Fund) and kept us on track and motivated,
while alumna Lisa Eikenburg and Kathy Kolo used their editing skills and alumni
experience to polish this document. Carole Somerfeldt valiantly assisted all of us
as we negotiated the college history collection, and Jen Champ stepped forward when
we needed her help to keep this publication student-centered. SUNY Fredonia graphic
design intern Mary Chesebro added her talents in designing the Traditions and Transitions: Reflection of the Women of Fredonia book.
Please keep in mind our decision to keep this publication student-centered. This
is no more an authoritative history of Fredonia than the previous physical plant-centered
versions, but any discrepancies are errors of enthusiasm as the project evolved with
a life of its own.
The students were given a condensed overview of Fredonia history and the results
of a brief, initial survey sent to select women we thought might be interested in
helping. By letter, e-mail, telephone and personal interview, our students contacted
almost all of the women who returned surveys, and a few additional women of their
own choosing. Their assigned women represented a specific time period and all
segments of our population. Regrettably, some of the women were never interviewed
despite our best efforts, and we know there are many more important stories out there.
This document is an illustrated celebration of Fredonia women, published for the
college's 175th Anniversary. It is a very condensed version of all the student
papers and there is much more material which could be developed as a scholarly
publication, but this isn't it. The complete record - surveys, original student
papers, bibliographies, photographs, letters, etc. - has been deposited in the
College Archives at Reed Library, where it will remain available to those interested
in more detail.
Virtually all of the participating students expressed the hope that someone will
repeat this project 25 years from now and enable them to be interviewed. To those
women who wish to contribute memories, comments, photographs, scrapbooks, etc.,
for use in any future projects, we encourage you to send them now (c/o Susan Jemison,
Reed Library, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY 14063). E-mail comments can be addressed
to susan.jemison@fredonia.edu or
joann.kaufman@fredonia.edu. We'll make sure that
everything is added to the College Archives for posterity.
Thank you again to all those who helped make this happen, and now it's the
students' turn... |
