Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    I admire my daughters Mary Beth and Jennifer.  Mary Beth was raped
    when she was 9 years old; however, at age 19, she is now pulling
    her life together with therapy, improved self-esteem, ready to take
    her GED tomorrow, and is going to go to college.  She may never
    be famous, but she has courage and is a beautiful person too!  My
    17 year old, Jennifer, has faced a lot of trauma in her life, but
    still is responsible, doesn't have a "poor me" attitude and has
    made the honor roll in high school.  She is already a "woman" that
    I am proud of and admire.  That's why I'm giving them recognition
    here.  They more than deserve it!
    
    Barb

    Oprah winfrey will make more money than any woman in America this
    year. She didn't marry it, steal it, or hustle it. She earned it.
    Oprah Winfrey was a sexually abused child. She was not an exceptional
    beauty either.Today she is an Academy Award winning actress, a talk
    show host,a t.v. producer and more-all at the ripe old age of 34. 
    She has shed 67 pounds and looks great.
    Oprah is an inspiration to us all.
    
    Kate
    

    Who says Oprah isn't beautiful??
    
    I wish *I* looked as good as she does (of course, I am a bit older...).
    
    /Charlotte

    re:.3
    
    She is beautiful. I meant she's not the stereotypical version of
    beauty. She looks like the woman next door. 
    
    Happy Holidays, Charlotte,
    Kate
    

    I like Oprah, too, but I think she did us all a dis-service in her
    weight-loss TV show for two reasons:
    
    (1) The show encouraged people who _shouldn't_ to go on liquid diets.
        Now responsible medical and nutritional experts are having to
        caution people, especially young girls, about Oprah's diet.
    
    (2) When her show aired, she was still on the liquids-only diet.
        Let's see what happens after she's been back on solid food for
        6 months!
    
    I still like and admire her, but I am disappointed at her judgment
    in that show.  (Did she get a kick-back from Opti-Fast?)
    
    Nancy

    I admire Debbie Allen:  actress, dancer, choreographer, and now
    director!  Beautiful, talented, strong, and will let nothing stand
    in her way!
    
    K.C.

    Who can say enough about the greatest actress ever!
    
    -Kate
    

Maggie Tarbet has moderated this file forever.
And I sometime wonder how she does it.
Maybe when I'm her age... :-).
	Mez

re:  .5

   My heart also did a "oh no" when I heard what Ophrah did about
   her weight!  What's wrong with having a little cushion over 
   your skeleton?  And, who's to say what too much "little"?

    justme....jacqui

    The one and only Kathryn Hepburn!!
    

    re:.10
    Oprah lost weight because she felt better that way. That's what
    she said on" Larry King Live". I just love her, fat or skinny.
    
    re:.11
    Katie H. is tops on my list too! She's as beautiful today as she
    was 40 years ago. Real class.
    
    Kate

    You do not recognize her name but she has friends around the
    globe.
    
    She had degrees in physics and nutrition.  She started each day 
    with horseback riding.  She had many and varied interests and friends.
    
    I admired her gutsy take charge attitude towards life.  She
    accomplished a lot
    
    She was my sister's mother-in-law.
    
    m

...she makes me laugh when I need it most..

Jenna

    re:.7
    
    Merryl Streep the greatest actress ever? Sorry, but I think she's
    vastly over-rated. I'm with .11 and .12 -- Kate Hepburn is Queen
    of the Mountain.
    
    --- jerry

    As I head off for Christmas vacation, I add my dwindling voice to
    the pack:  Katharine Hepburn (note the correct spelling) is my
    all-time favorite actress, and one of the most inspirational women
    ever.  She has been laughing at sexism for 50 years.
    
    (I have to quote the author blurb from the back jacket of her book,
    _The Making of THE AFRICAN QUEEN_ :  "Katharine Hepburn is an actor. 
    She is interested in tennis and gardening and lives in a small town
    in Connecticut.  This is her first book.")
    
    	-Neil

    
    	   I'll cast my vote for Mother Theresa, in light of her
    	on-going humanitarianism.
    
    	   What a gal!
    
    	- Greg

    The mystery note returns!
    
     Here's to Chelsea, Mez, Suzanne, Catherine, Bonnie�, Jody, et al,
    the women of notes, who should start a club called "WOMENSA," a
    club for women of high intellect. They keep this file rolling.
    
     Mark

    Mass. State Senator Linda Melconian - for pushing insurance
    reform thru the legislature. 

    
    A friend of mine, who wishes to remain anonymous.  She's independent,
    articulate, energetic, and has a great sense of humor.  She raised
    three children (mostly on her own), went back to school, became a
    very talented technical writer, took care of her aging parents,
    and remodeled a house.  She raises dogs, sketches, and keeps her
    friends in stitches.  She has a wonderful, infectious sense of herself
    as a woman of independence and power.  She's a joy to be around.
    
    Ron 

    re:.15
    
    Jerry, I wrote both #7 and #15. I appreciate both Meryl and Kate.
    I'm glad not everyone feels as you do about Meryl Streep. If they
    did I'd have a lot of empty slots at my video store. Different 
    strokes for different folks.
          
    Are there any other Streep fans out there?
    
    What do you think about Bette Davis? I like her too.
    
    Kate

    Davis, YEA!
    
    Streep, BOO!
    
    And I like BOTH Hepburns (Kate and Audrey)!
    
    K.C.

    why don't we use this note to nominate our favorite women of note
    and refrain from commenting on others' suggestions?
    
    thanks
    liz
    

Sally Ride - for opening doors and being professional when others wanted to
	focus away from her professional life

Susan B. Anthony - for not giving up

Holly Near - for standing up for what she believes in

    
    	Now she would have been a GREAT Air Force Officer.
    
    GO IRISH!
    
    Rachel

    "I charge you, John, to remember the Women" 
                  

    IMO, the most underrated actress who can act circles around the
    Streep:  Teri Garr!
    
    From Mr. Mom to a recent TV movie where she played a female POW
    returned, she is the best!  (I know Mr. Mom wasn't near her first;
    just an example)
    
    Also, (honorable mention) Crista McAuliffe, for not being afraid
    to try.
    
    K.C.

    I also put in a vote for Meryl Streep.  I LOVE her.  Talk about
    versatility.  I also admire Glen Close.  What talent!!!  At least
    they obtained their fame with good acting ability without resorting
    to playing the Dumb, over endowed blonde.
    
    As far as people I know personally, I vote for Barbara Haslam here
    at DEC who in her own quiet way, has been responsible for pulling
    me out of the dumps and making me feel like I have infinate worth.
    A lot of people are better human beings for having met you.
    Thanks, Barb.
    
    Louise
    

                                
    
    How about Barbara Streisand? Great voice, talented comedic actress,
    and early in her career when her backers wanted her to have a nose 
    job, she refused because it might have interfered with her voice! 
    Clearly a woman with her priorities straight!
                    
    Roberta
    
    P.S. Saw her in two movies (both I've seen at least 2 or three times
    before) this weekend - Hello Dolly and What's Up Doc. She's great in both.
                                                                
    
    PPS I also go along with Kate Hepburn.

    Chrissie Hynes (sp?) - lead singer of The Pretenders for being a
                           Rock Star, instead of a female vocalist,
                           and without ever dressing in what is
                           traditionally considered sexy attire for
                           women
    
    
    Toni Morrison - For writing many beautiful novels, such as "Beloved",
                    "Sula", and "The Bluest Eye", and giving us a
                    perspective of life outside of mainstream America
    
    
    Marge Piercy - For writing many wonderful poems and novels about
                   being a woman in America, and for being, probably,
                   the first person to make me really aware of feminist
                   thinking (when I stumbled upon her books looking
                   for something good to read)
    
    Margaret Atwood - For writing "The Handmaiden's Tale"
    
    Lorna
     

    Laura Ingalls Wilder
    Helen Keller
    Anne Frank
    
    K.C.

    Mother Theresa - Although I strongly disagree with her faith I admire
                     her seemingly endless love and devotion.  She really
                     cares about other people.
    
    Meip Geis (sp) - The woman who together with her husband had the
                     courage and conviction to hide Anne Frank and
                     the rest of her family during WWII.
    
    Georgia O'Keefe - A brilliant artist who's works are among my
                      favorites.
    
    ASP

       Wilhelmina Holladay, she and her husband Wallace were the driving
       force behind the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The
       collection is over 500 works dating from Renaissance to the
       present and a large number of them are from the Holladay's
       private collection. As I look at some of the pictures (I have a
       calender that gives a cross section of the art) I can't tell why
       these women artists weren't as famous as their male counterparts.
       They are all 'women of note', liesl

    You can't find why these women aren't as famous as their male
    counterparts?
    
    Of all the worlds out there, I can think of few more sexist than
    the art world.
    
    
    Another group of women of note:  "The Guerilla Girls", who've exposed
    a small but significant part of the art world for what it is.  They
    aren't widely known, but they are constant in their pressure.  A tiny
    group, devoting almost all of their limitted resources to a several
    block area in SoHo, they track shows in New York City.  They've
    been delightfully thorough in documenting the discrimination.
    
    And they are forever optimistic, that one day, the masks will be
    gone.
    
    								-mr. bill

    
    Susan M. Cook, Sheila Brady
    
    Whip cracking smart and knew next to everything about GDSII and
    DDM...

      my vote goes to:
    
                 SHIRLEY CHISHOLM,for the strength and courage it took
                 to back up her beliefs to run for president.
                 
                 BARBARA JORDAN, who has for me been an inspiration
                 since your speach at the democratic convention years
                 ago.
    
    
                

    Little did she realize what her stubborness would lead to.
    
    I'm surprised no one has mentioned her already.
    
    --- jerry

    I too would like to start by commending our moderators and WOMENSA.
    Thanks for everything especially the great work you do.
    
                             Cori Aquino
    
    I don't know an awful lot about her - just what's been splashed
    in the papers here and there.  I do know that from the time of
    her husband's assassination she has led his political party to
    overthrow that of Marcos - which by the way had the *full* 
    backing of the Reagan administration!  Even in the throws of
    extreme political unrest she has managed to hold her country
    together with poise, dignity, courage *and* great intellect. 
    *She doesn't* need designer dresses and expensive china to convince
    the world of her abilities!!  One of the *great* political leaders
    of our times!
    
    Luis

    
    The woman who was trapped in the Armenian earthquake for 8 days
    with her 4-year-old daughter.  The daughter begged for something
    to drink and Susanna cut her own fingers with some glass and let
    her daughter suck on her fingers.  The news didn't say how many
    times she had to do this -- she herself probably doesn't know!
    
    She said, "I thought my daughter was going to die of thirst.  I
    had no water, no fruit juice, no liquids.  It was then I remembered
    that I had my own blood.  I knew I was going to die, but I wanted
    my daughter to live."
    
    (This was after she had found a jar of jam and given that to her 
    daughter.)
    
    They were rescued on the 8th day.  The daughter was in intensive
    care for four days with a dangerously low temperature, alarmingly
    thick blood, and in shock and in a deep state of depression, refusing
    to talk or smile.  Susanna was dehydrated, was given intravenous
    fluids and placed in a coffin-like box so that pressurized oxygen
    could be pumped around her as treatment against exposure.
    
    It was then that doctors discovered that the woman, who also has
    a 7-year-old son who was not hurt in the earthquake, is two months'
    pregnant.

    We may never hear about her again.  She's had her "15 minutes of
    fame."  But I, for one, would like to remember her name...

	In addition to Corazon Aquino, who deserves more than passing
mention as the leader of 50 million Filipinos, and who defeated a dictator
entrenched for years in a corrupt regime, I would like to nominate another
brave woman.

	Benazir Bhutto is now the prime minister of Pakistan, after
running a campaign against many odds.  She is newly-wed, and bore a
son two weeks before elections, and legally won her country's highest
office.  She has negotiated with opposition groups to a peaceful
succession to a brutal military leader's regime.  

	Both women have succeeded in ways and places I could never
imagine conquering.  They are my heroines, and leaders of unusual
courage and strength.  They create peace in an uncertain world, 
bring the virtues of restraint and support to many deserving souls,
and nurture an alliance of great daughters of Gaia.

    
    I just thought of another - Judy Garland. Great singer, actress.
    
    Roberta_who_likes_old_movies

    re .40
    
    While listing major political leaders who also happen to be women,
    it's interesting that both Margaret Thatcher and the late Indira
    Gandhi were omitted. (You don't have to agree with them to note
    their significance...) 

Ruth Draper
     ... a name that kept popping up in the footnotes of
theatrical memoirs and the autobiographies of many writers,
comedians, jounalists, muscians, and historians. Finally
read a biography and found five LPs of her work.

     She toured the world from the late teens through the 1950's,
presenting "An Evening with Ruth Draper," a one-woman show she
wrote ... a set of character studies, something like the
characters presented by Whoopie Goldberg and Richard Pryor.
In the 30's and 40's, she was a household name in the US and
Europe.

     Draper is Breaktaking.  Anyone studying acting should listen
to the Draper monologs on LP.  Anyone studying the "Anon, thy
name is Woman" phenomenon should try to discover how someone
so wonderful could simply vanish into the footnotes.  (If your
curious but pressed for time, start with her monolog "The
Italian Lesson.")                            Meigs

    Somewhat belatedly I'd like to echo the mention of
    Corizon Aquino. I followed her rise to the leadership
    of the Phillipines with admiration and fascination and
    have been impressed with how she has been able to deal
    with the problems she has faced.
    
    Bonnie

    	Closer to home...
    
    	My mom. 
    
    	In addition to being a smart, talented, loving person who was the
    peacemaker and glue in our family, nuturing us all while still
    holding down an outside job (often while dealing with health problems),
    she is now, in her 50's, learning to really stand up for herself. 
    She was raised by her mother and 7-years-older sister who are two
    of the most devaluing, manipulative people I've ever met.  How she
    came out so kind, patient, and just generally great to be around
    is a mystery to us all!  This past weekend, Aunt Donna and Granny
    piled on the last straw.  Mom shocked the Hell out of my dad and I
    by calling them up and telling them calmly, but firmly what they
    could do with their insults, manipulation and lies.  
    
    	As my husband can attest this is one woman who gives lie to
    all the sterotypical Mother-in-law jokes.  Gary would like to spend
    MORE time with my parents and we are both delighted that Mom'll
    be up to help with the baby when it come this May.
    
    tlh
    
    

    
    re .42>
    
       "(You don't have to agree with them to note their significance...)"
    
       Does that mean we should include Immelda Marcos??
    
    
    Luis

    re:.46
    
    Good question. I'd say it depends on what criteria you are using.
    I wouldn't say that Immelda Marcos was a particular significant
    person of importance, regardless of whether one likes her or not.
    
    There are any number of political figures whose politics I either
    mildly disagree with or totally loathe, but I will still admit
    that they were statesmen of significance (among the former is
    Mao Tse Tung, among the latter are Nixon and Reagan).�
    
    The deeper question is should this topic be used to list "women
    of note" regardless of what we think of their platforms, or to
    list those we admire for one reason or another. I think the intent
    was for the latter.
    
    --- jerry
    
    � I'm sorry to use men as examples here, but they were the most
    obvious examplesw for what I was trying to get at. I'll go to my
    room now...

    Eleanor Roosevelt
    Clara Barton
    

    That truly is an example of ethics in action.  Even though I disagree
    strongly with her position, I still really respect her for her clarity
    and steadfastness in the face of *terrible* provocation.
    
    						=maggie 

Excerpts from Astrogram Vol XXXI Number 9, 13 Jan 89, a newsletter 
of the NASA Ames Research Center.  The article excerpted mentioned 
a speaking engagement by Dr Mae C. Jemison.  Her biographical 
information is the inspiring part, as follows:

"...As a young black woman, she received degrees from two of the 
most prestigious universities in the world, Stanford and Cornell.  
Her areas of study range from Afro-American studies to medicine.  
Now at the age of 32, Dr Jemison is the first black woman selected 
as an astronaut candidate by NASA.

"In 1973, Dr Jemison graduated from Morgan Park High School in 
Chicago, Illinois.  Four years later, she received a Bachelor of
Science degree in chemical engineering and fulfilled the requirements
for a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and Afro-American studies at
Stanford University.  In 1981, she received her doctorate in medicine
from Cornell University.

"Dr Jemison's activities have not only demonstrated excellence, but
humanitarian concern as well.  From January 1983 through June 1985,
Dr Jemison was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone
and Liberia in West Africa.  During this time, she developed curriculum
for and taught personal health training for volunteers, wrote manuals
for self care, developed and implemented guidelines for public health/
safety issues for volunteer job placement and training sites.

"Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June 1987, Dr Jemison
completed a one-year training and evaluation program in August 1988,
which qualifies her for assignment as a mission specialist on future
Space Shuttle flight crews.  Her present technical assignment, as an
astronaut office representative to the Kennedy Space Center, involves
participation in the processing of the Space Shuttle for launch,
especially its payloads and the thermal protection system (tiles)."

DougO

[ I know, I know, why are my both of my notes about women astronauts?
  Everybody has a dream or two...those women are realizing mine! ]

Rose Yalow, who received a Nobel Prize in Medicine, will be speaking
to the World Science Fiction Convention in Boston over the Labor Day
Weekend.

If you're interested in attending the convention (one-day memberships
will not be available), feel free to contact Ann Broomhead (REGENT::BROOMHEAD)
or myself.

Martin.

I just got a rare chance to correct Martin:

    Her name is Rosalyn, generally called Ros. (That's by her friends,
    most of the people who know her use other words.)

    I can't  recommend  her  talks. The last time I heard her lecture,
    she  was  ignoring an awful lot of physics in a talk about physics
    to  a physics department. The kindest thing said was "Did she know
    everything before she won the prize?" 

--David

    My sister who is 24 years old today.
    
    Some of her history can be found in 393.10.
    
    She is the single parent of an active two-year-old.  She will soon
    finish her BS/Biology and is now considering whether to go on to
    Medical School or to accept the genetic research graduate fellowship
    at Brown [cytogenetics is a passion with her].
    
    She also does volunteer counselling at a pregnancy crisis center
    that has resulted in a lot of healing for her.
    
    She's fa-a-a-r from being a Superwoman, the above description
    notwithstanding.
    
    She is a survivor and I am very proud of her.
    
      Ann
    
    

    This woman has written the best cartoon I've ever seen!
    It's not really possible to convey a cartoon in words,
    but I'll try. It shows a magazine cover for a magazine
    called BAD HOUSEKEEPING. It has masthead, a cover "photograph," 
    and a list of articles on the side. The subtitle is "The
    magazine for women who couldn't care less!" The photograph
    is of a woman sitting in an armchair reading a book. Her feet 
    are on an ottoman and there is a drink beside her on a table. 
    There is a doily behind her head on the chair. The book she
    is reading is titled "Wonders of Tibet."
    
    Here are the list of articles: "I Let My Houseplants Die:
    You Can, Too!," "200 Meals You Can Whip Up in Under 10 Seconds,"
    "How To Ignore a 17-Inch Dustball," "Defrosting With Dynamite,"
    "and Much, Much More!"
    
    I have never showed this to a woman who didn't request a copy.
    
    Eileen
    (Who has not introduced herself but who will as soon as she can
    think of something to say.)
    

    I'd like to congratulate Ruth Goldenberg, member of this notes
    community, who (along with a co-author) has just written another
    volume in the VMS Internals and Data Structures series (published
    by DECpress). Impressive work, Ruth.
    
    Liz

re .58

Aw, shucks.

Watch for part 2, due back from the printer in early June!

reg

One of my coworkers bought a new postage stamp with the likeness of 
Ida B. Wells.  Not knowing who the woman was, she sent mail out asking if
anyone else knew.  With her permission, I am posting here the mail that
she sent us with the responses.

      Carol

*****************************************************

From:	CSC32::HARGRAVE "08-Mar-1990 1148"  8-MAR-1990 12:08:18.57
Subj:	little known famous woman

Wells, (hee,hee) I did find out one thing.  You must have
proven your mortality before they'll put you on a stamp, i.e.
the woman is dead.

Since we are so close on the heels of black history week,
and since no one seemed to know this woman, I'm sending
this out so we may all be edified.

Neither the biographical section of Webster's II Riverside University
Dictionary nor that of, ironically enough, the American Heritage
Dictionary  mention the woman's name.  AND NO ONE out there in @SOCIAL
seemed to know either.

However, Marie Texeira offers the following synopsis from the
library's encyclopedia.  The woman did a LOT.

Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (1862-1931)

was an American journalist and reformer.  She was known chiefly for her 
campaign against the lynching of blacks during the late 1800's and 
early 1900's.  Many blacks were lynched without even a trial after 
being accused of a crime, and others were lynched for no apparent 
reason at all.  Wells-Barnett worked to expose such killings and to 
establish laws against lynching.

     Ida Wells was born a slave in Holly Springs, Miss.  She moved to 
Memphis in 1884.  In 1889, she became part-owner and a reporter for 
"Free Speech", a Memphis newspapaer.  In 1892, after three of her 
friends were hanged in Memphis, she began to investigate lynchings and 
other violence against blacks.  Her work led to the establishment of 
many antilynching organizations.

     She moved to Chicago in 1894 and the next year married Ferdinand 
L. Barnett, a lawyer and journalist.  In 1909, Wells-Barnett helped 
found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,
(NAACP).  She also took part in the campaign to give women the right 
to vote.
     					(Otey M. Scruggs)


From:	CSC32::HARGRAVE "08-Mar-1990 1220"  8-MAR-1990 12:30:18.57
Subj:	more interesting details on Ida

From:	SSDEVO::RICHARD      "I'm a lumberjack & I'm OK - CXO1-2/M26 522-2256"  8-MAR-1990 12:14:51.83
Subj:	RE: Who is Ida B. Wells?

She was a black woman who lived in Memphis around the turn of the century,
who edited the black newspaper.  She probably did more than anyone else
to counter the terrible racism of the time, by publicizing lynchings and
other overt acts.  She was forced into exile when she wrote an article
hinting that sex between black men and white women was instigated more by
the women than the men, thus arousing the ire of the entire white community.
She then travelled Europe, and was instrumental in starting economic boycotts
of Southern products by publicizing Southern racism in European, primarily
English, periodicals and newspapers.  She also did quite a bit of organizing
and publishing in both New York and Chicago, and was a primary force behind
the creation of the NAACP.  Her last years were spent organizing black women
in Chicago, and in defending a group of Arkansas black men on trial for 
murder.  She was definitely one of the great heroines of American history, 
and is only now getting the recognition due her.

/Mike

I remember Ida Wells from the days I thought I wanted to be the next
Walter Chronkite!  She was quite a heroine of activist journalists
because of her courage and integrity in saying what she thought was
the truth no matter what the consequences.  

I didn't know she was black, however.  That's a revelation to me . . . and, 
I suspect, an indication of the racism in me . . . 

--bonnie

    
    
This was sent in a letter to my grandmother:

					December 31, 1936

Dear Mrs. Bobbitt:

The birds are gone.  The life that throbbed through tree, bush and grass is
stilled.  The ground is frozen so that it hurts our feet to tread on it.
Yet we thank God for the seed-time and the harvest that have vanished, for
the rough, steep ways that again lead to beauty and fertility.

...

Out of the darkness in which...I still am living I thank you, O friend, for
the joy of lending a hleping hand to those whose eyes seek light in vain.
I thank you for gifts of faith and support that have renewed their courage,
transmuted their shipwrecked lives and sweetened their hearts with the
sense of accomplishment.  Strengthened by your good-will we shall press on
to new goals, and obstacles that once were our despair shall be sign-posts
pointing to a life richer than any we have dared to dream.  May God's
blessing rest upon you for your generosity to the American Foundation for
the Blind, whose activities comfort the sighless with the rod of counsel
and the staff of self-help.

...

				Gratefully yours,

				Helen Keller (hand-signed....)

Beautiful.


Jodi-