The Deans' Bible: Five Purdue Women and Their Quest for Equality

by Angie Klink

Overview

Five women successively nurtured students on the Purdue University campus in America's heartland during the 1930s to 1990s. Each became a legendary dean of women or dean of students. Collectively, they wove a sisterhood of mutual support in their common-sometimes thwarted-pursuit of shared human rights and equality for all. Dorothy C. Stratton, Helen B. Schleman, M. Beverley Stone, Barbara I. Cook, and Betty M. Nelson opened new avenues for women and became conduits for change, fostering opportunities for all people. They were loved by students and revered by colleagues. The women also were respected throughout the United States as founding leaders of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve (SPARs), frontrunners in the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, and pivotal members of presidential committees in the Kennedy and Nixon administrations. The Deans' Bible sheds light on cultural change in America, exploring how each of the deans participated nationally in the quest for equality. As each woman succeeded the other, they knitted their bond with a secret symbol-a Bible. The Bible was handed down from dean to dean with favorite passages marked. The word "bible" is often used in connection with reference works or "guidebooks." The Deans' Bible is just that, brimming with stories of courageous women who led by example and lived their convictions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557537652
Publisher:	Purdue University Press
Publication date:	01/15/2017
Series:	The Founders Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	510
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Angie Klink writes biographies, histories, documentaries, children's books, essays, and advertising copy. Klink was the scriptwriter for the 2013 documentary about public education, Rise Above the Mark, narrated by actor Peter Coyote. She is the author of Kirby's Way: How Kirby and Caroline Risk Built their Company on Kitchen-Table Values (Purdue University Press, 2012), a spirited profile of one of the Midwest's leading businessmen, his wife, and their company, the Kirby Risk Corporation. In her book Divided Paths, Common Ground: The Story of Mary Matthews and Lella Gaddis, Pioneering Purdue Women Who Introduced Science into the Home (Purdue University Press, 2011), Klink brings to life two remarkable female educators who improved the lives of American women. She also has authored the popular lift-the-flap children's books Purdue Pete Finds His Hammer and I Found U. Klink is published in four titles for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She has won forty-four American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards and an honorable mention in the 2007 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. She holds a BA from the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Preface xiii

Authors Note xix

The Deans' List xxi

1 Celestial Chicken Salad 1

2 Carolyn Shoemaker, a Faraway Look 3

3 Artists of Life 13

4 Far Horizons 23

5 Dorothy Stratton Finds a Bible 31

6 Helen Schleman, Born in the Right Moment 39

7 If Walls Could Talk 47

8 Amelia Earhart, Cabbages and Kings 55

9 Lillian Gilbreth, the One Best Way 69

10 Ladies' Agreement 79

11 Beverley Stone, a Lovely Light 93

12 Your Best Foot Forward 101

13 Be Interesting 111

14 Don't Be a Spare … Be a SPAR! 121

15 Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch 135

16 In Sheep's Clothing 145

17 Barbara Ivy Wood Cook, 'Tis a Gift to Be Free 157

18 Bible Bequeathed 167

19 Gospel of the Go-to-Hell Fund 179

20 B-Squared 187

21 Dean of Women Punch 195

22 At the Service of the President 205

23 Mixed Messages 217

24 Winters Death Rattle 233

25 Betty Mitchell Nelson, Message in the Hollow Oak 243

26 'Twas Ever Thus 253

27 The Quiet Crisis 261

28 Uncharted Waters 267

29 Peace, Love, and a Bible Passage 279

30 Off Guard 285

31 Sit In, Stand Out 293

32 In Walks the Pantsuit 303

33 Hip Women 313

34 Entitled to Title IX 323

35 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Can Rock the Boat 333

36 Easier to Move a Cemetery 339

37 And She Did It! 349

38 Deanie Weenies 357

39 Bible Holding Pattern 365

40 Chicken Salad Reprise 379

41 The Main Thing 383

42 To Understand More Than One Knows 393

43 Hearing What Is Not Said 403

44 Helens Hankie Club 415

45 Betty's Blast Off and Bible Hand Off 421

46 Hugging the Purdue Campus 427

47 By Your Leave, Sirs 435

48 The Place just Right 441

49 Epilogue 445

Index 447

Reading Group Guide 461

Editorial Reviews

"Angie Klink has woven the lives of these remarkable, courageous women educators into an inspiring narrative—scrupulously researched, wonderfully written. A compelling story and a joy to read." —Ilene Beckerman, author of Love, Loss, and What I Wore, adapted for the stage by Nora and Delia Ephron.

"The Deans' Bible superbly chronicles the indelible impact of five courageous, passionate, and caring women who led and fought for the advancement of women and higher education. ... These women were "leaning in" long before others recognized that women could take their place in a leadership position." —Rusty Rueff, Chairman, the GRAMMY Foundation

From the Publisher