Fireside Chat Memories: The Best of…

Terry Coblentz: Glendale College, Washington State University, California State

University, Los Angeles

Getting to know and having Bonnie Bevans as a Big Sister was a highlight. Mary Mott asking
me to be on the Board. Meeting Mabel Locke. Meeting Carol Gordon and later working with her
at WSU. Following Martha Yates and her Bagpipes to dinner, as other Asilomar visitors looked
on. Working with the best Conference Program Committee during my term as President.
Meeting Wally Funk and Mariah Burton Nelson. Being President during the ’94-’95
Conference. An impactful, enjoyable and scary moment was when Bobbie Bennett introduced
“Lesbian” to the Society.

Roberta Rikli: Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Health and Human Development
California State University Fullerton

I became a member of Western Society in 1972 during my first year as an Assistant Professor
faculty member at Cal State, Fullerton and, at the strong and persistent prodding of Eula Stovall
and Ginny Scheel, attended my first conference at the lovely Awanhee Hotel in Yosemite that
November, driving into the valley on a beautiful crispy clear fall day and leaving with the ground
covered by the most perfect blanket of snow I ever saw. What a lasting memory and moving
experience that whole weekend was!
Joining Western Society turned out to be the best thing I could ever have done in my young
career. The warm support I received there had a major impact on my professional and personal
self-confidence which in turn led to a long list of leadership and service opportunities that I will
treasure forever, with one of the first being to serve as President of WSPECW, itself, and then as
past president and program planner for (excuse the bragging) one of the associations most
successful annual conferences held at Couer d’ Alene Idaho in 1990 with a record attendance of
95 and with some of the profession’s most honored scholars and leaders as speakers – Barbara
Drinkwater, Jo Safrit, and Waneen Spirduso.
Gail Evans; HEN Member-at-Large, San Francisco State University
The women of Western Society mentored throughout my entire career, and many of them
became dear friends. I stay involved now because of the people, and what the Society means
to so many. I want to help young professionals in any way that I can.
I’ll never forget walking into my first conference in 1981 and meeting so many women who
were icons in the profession. Joan Johnson talked about coaching Billie Jean King at Cal State
LA! I was definitely in awe of the women who were there. I loved being Program Chair when
Bonnie Bevans was President. She wanted the program committee to “bond,” so she took us
rock climbing outside of Yosemite. I invited Arlene Bloom, who led the first women’s
expedition up Annapurna, to be our keynote speaker. That was the first year that Martha Yates
“piped” us to dinner (1988). I can truly say that any success I had in my career is directly
related to my contacts in Western Society.
Fireside Chat Memories: The Best of…

Bev Johnson: Pasadena Community College

Riding to and from a conference with Joan Johnson who told me everything about WSPECW.
Carole Oglesby: UCLA, Purdue University,
I was very aware of the closing of NAGWS, NAPECW and all regional bodies. I thought it so
courageous and impactful that the women of The Society determined to persist and survive;
also however to have evolved in at least one important and challenging way. When I attended
WSPECW, I was a grad student intimidated and in absolute awe of the women of Western.
My graduate major professor (Dr. Camille Brown) and her great colleague Dr. Rosalind
Cassidy made it very plain that membership and involvement in The Society was a MUST!
The basic message was, it would be a long and arduous journey to even approach the
'greatness' of the leadership to be found in Western, all the Regional bodies and National. My
first Conference was somewhere in Arizona (in mid-1960s). I cannot verify this memory
precisely but my recollection is I spent the entire weekend 'quiet and in a corner'. I
approached no one and no one really reached out to me. My 'job' (I perceived) was to 'soak up
the knowledge' and at some point down the road I would (finally) know enough to participate
and give back. When I came back to The Society much, much later in my career, the
commitment to total mentorship and collegiality was incredibly amazing. This re-imagining of
the organization has (to me) been the magical ingredient enabling Western to persist and
enliven the professions.
Sarah Eikleberry, University of Iowa; St. Ambrose University
I attended my first conference in 2017. The theme was "Nevertheless She Persisted." When I
arrived I saw Emily Houghton, who I knew through my cousin and from NASSS. What a
great surprise to see someone I'd actually eaten Thanksgiving dinner with! That was also the
year that Layshia Clarendon spoke and we kicked the conference off with some really cool
short films. I believe we were instructed to gather up our best feminist apparel and several
people brought their homemade pussy hats. I had no idea that we would be processing with
Martha leading us to the dining hall playing bagpipes. Later, Jackie Hudson served as a
colorful master of ceremony and I believe Camille Bryant gave the address at the reception. It
was a pretty great time and I've been coming back ever since.