Wow! Week 1 was fantastic -- we hope you agree!  Keep reading to learn what's coming up this week as we continue to celebrate Women's History Month here West Michigan!
 
"Whoever heard of a woman dentist?" a Grand Rapids Herald article asked on March 11, 1917. Well, Dr. Loretta Rempis came to town and "with her woman's sympathetic nature," we hear she was very careful wielding her drill! Women at work in Grand Rapids was big news at the turn of the twentieth century. On March 24, 1913 the same newspaper had claimed that "Two thousand women in Grand Rapids . . ." were employed after 7 o'clock in the evening. So how many were working during the day? Quite a few, say Marcie Beck and Ruth Van Stee, from the local history department of the Grand Rapids Public Library. They will elaborate during an extraordinary look at "Women and Work in Grand Rapids, 1890-1930." Prepare for all your stereotypes about women and work to be overturned this Thursday at 7PM. Come on down to the Ford Museum.
 
Want some homework while you wait? If you're anxious to learn more at home about our month's theme, "Wearing Different Hats: Women at Work and Play in West Michigan," make time for a podcast with a two-minute lesson on Hattie Beverly, the first African American teacher in the Grand Rapids Public Schools in 1899. Then advance to a photo essay providing information on one source that suggests up to 40% of Grand Rapids women in 1918 worked outside their homes.
 
Two events this week will tempt you toward book talk. On Wednesday evening, hear Maryann Lesert, GRCC English professor and author of Base Ten, discuss her novel about a woman scientist seeking balance in her life. On Thursday morning, GVSU's Catherine Frerichs will read from her book, Desires of the Heart: A Daughter Remembers Her Missionary Parents. Finally, on Saturday, the Circle of Crones invite you to explore possibilities for the third stage of life, to embrace the wise woman within.
 
Check our online calendar regularly and mark your own for three more weeks of programming on women at work and play in historical Grand Rapids: on women singing the blues, on nineteenth-century women physicians, and on Grand Rapids' (yes, our very own!) most famous courtesan! These topics will be discussed in our Thursdays at the Ford Series -- every Thursday evening at 7PM at the Ford Museum. 

 

Don't forget to visit the exhibit on women and work at the Grand Rapids Public Library's Downtown Branch. You also can pick up a copy of the self-guided walking tour of downtown spots significant in women's history: Legacy Landmarks!  The brochure and map are available at any GRPL branch.

 

Help us spread the word about these programs by clicking on the "Forward to a Friend" button at the top of this newsletter. Or, if you've received this as a forward, click on the "Join Our Mailing List" button in the left column and receive the next newsletter directly from us.

 

We're looking forward to seeing you at the LEGACY programs this week!

 

Best Regards,

Jennifer Marbury Bryant

Kyle Irwin

Marjo Jordan, administrative assistant

Mary Jane Keeler

Helen Kinsworthy

Jennifer Morrison

Maureen Fitzgerald Penn, Communications Chairperson

Pamela Vanden Berg

Jolan Webster