In December 1978, Wisconsin Governor-Elect Lee Dreyfus announced to a room of journalists that he would allow the most powerful women’s organization in the state “to croak.” His coarse language led to lots of media coverage. It began a mediated discussion about women’s roles in Wisconsin after a decade of social change. In the end, Dreyfus followed through on his threat but it was not without a fight. Sparta native Katherine “Kay” Clarenbach, a powerful but behind-the-scenes figure, took on the governor. It was a more visible role than Clarenbach typically played. Lastly, unlike the national media which often mocked feminism, the state media took on a nuanced coverage of…

I have spent the afternoon going over what we found in Kathryn “Kay” Clarenbach papers at the University of Wisconsin. She saved everything – including many cartoons. The above (uncited) cartoon was one of my favorites. Much of Clarenbach’s advocacy was about women’s employment issues. We made hundreds of copies – so valuable that we had to carry them on the plane. I am beginning to divide the papers into possible articles. The first I am working on will trace the 15-years of the Wisconsin Commission on the Status of Women – Clarenbach was the long-term head of the group. The organization is important because it was used as a…

We spent this week searching through the papers of Kathryn “Kay” Clarenbach at the University of Wisconsin in Madison thanks to a grant from UCF. The papers were in the University Archives at the Steenboch Library. Her files were extensive – there was a 94-page finding guide. We made hundreds of copies. We found some wonderful material. There were references to several women’s page editors, including Dorothy Jurney and Vivian Castleberry. There were informative letters between Kay and feminist leader Catherine East. (We went through East’s papers at Harvard University a few years ago.) We also found the background material that we had been searching for regarding the NOW-initiated lawsuits…

We spent this week searching through the papers of Kathryn “Kay” Clarenbach at the University of Wisconsin in Madison thanks to a grant from UCF. The papers were in the University Archives at the Steenboch Library. Her files were extensive – there was a 94-page finding guide. We made hundreds of copies. We found some wonderful material. There were references to several women’s page editors, including Dorothy Jurney and Vivian Castleberry. There were informative letters between Kay and feminist leader Catherine East. (We went through East’s papers at Harvard University a few years ago.) We also found the background material that we had been searching for regarding the NOW-initiated lawsuits…

A week from today, Lance and I will be at the archives at UW-Madison. We are going through the papers of Kathryn “Kay” Clarenbach. Here is a link to the extensive finding guide. Kay was a leading feminist but not always the most visible. Much of her work was done behind the scenes although she did serve as the first president of N.O.W. I am curious how she negotiated change with conflicting personalities. We are going to examine Kay’s relationship with journalists – especially her communication with women’s page reporters and editors. I’m thankful for the UCF grant to make the trip.