Four past editors view predecessors' achievements from the Today's Women Yesterday Editors know better than anyone else that a bicen- tennial is people. Events, decisions, judgment, vision, PHYSICIAN: Dr. Mary Thompson Stevens, first action - all are people. editor, 1884-85, resigned editorship in medical school, graduated, practiced medicine in Detroit An editor has not only read every word which goes for 50 years, one of city's first pediatricians, first into each issue, but many words which she must strike woman House of Correction commissioner. out, cut, condense, within the limits of space. The cutting is painful, and stricken portions are filed away JOURNALIST/TEACHER: For Elizabeth Kings- in the editor's mind where dwell the unforgettables of bury, editor 1885-87, Anchora was beginning of each issue. career as journalist, editor, teacher. Early book by In the years before the turn of the century each Delta Gamma to be reviewed by Anchora was her Anchora carried a regular "Personals" column Amateur Adventuress, published 1897. which reduced to mere mention items which would be headlines today. Take 1894 - "Dr. MERCHANDISER: Ima Winchell Stacy, 1887- Mary Bassett is a physician for women in the 88, inaugurated at Daytons' of Minneapolis in- Insane Asylum at Rochester, Minnesota." Or store training in sales, systems, retailing, then "Dr. Clarissa Bigelow is practising in the Uni- initiated work/study retailing course for NYU which became prototype for other schools. versity Stockyards, Chicago." And literary men- tion, "Miss Chandler's is among the new holi- INFANT AUTHORITY: Mary Mills West, 1887- day books, Three of Us; Cossack, Barney, and 90, followed husband to Washington, combined Rex, said to be to dogs what Black Beauty is to own experience as mother of five with her work horses." The next year, 1895, "Miss Caroline at Children's Bureau to write Infant Care, Hunt has accepted a position at Hull House circulated to more than 40,000,000 mothers. social settlement with a view to carrying on the experimental food inspection in the dis- PIONEER BIBLIOGRAPHER: Ina Firkins, 1890- trict." Later Miss Hunt clarifies her job as 97, compiled first Index of Short Stories, first "special agent for the U.S. Department of Index of Plays, spent lifetime creating, editing, Labor." updating universally-used library reference vol- Because the percentage of women being educated umes, aids, systems. before 1900 was small, those who did graduate had serious intent and the percentage of doctors, lawyers, CITIZEN/VOLUNTEER: Joe Anna Ross Pan- coast, 1897-05, in four cities in which she lived ministers, poets, journalists, professors, is greater than at various times reflected best sort of civic-minded today. Two journalists we remember - Julia Craw- volunteerism through lifetime. ford on the editorial staff of the St. Louis Globe Democrat in charge of religious news (1895) and CHILDREN'S ADVOCATE: Grace Abbott, 1905- Harriet Connor who reported the 1896 Republican 09, edited Anchora from Hull House, became Convention for the New York Tribune, then repre- lifetime advocate of child labor legislation, pioneer sented the New York Journal at the 1900 Convention. in child aid, Chief of Children's Bureau, U.S. Harriet Connor Brown was later noted with distinction Department of Labor. in several other fields. Early chapters chose women they admired as BUSINESSWOMAN: Ethel Tukey Korsmeyer, honorary members - at Colorado, Mary Rip- 1909-15, served university and fraternity, and pon, first woman faculty member (1878), head after husband's death took active part in operation of Germanic languages, had a theater named of family-owned electrical company. for her which is part of today's campus. At Minnesota, the mother of the first pledge (1882) OFFICER/EXECUTIVE: Leulah Judson Haw- thought she "could not join because she never ley, 1915-34, was Fraternity Editor/Secretary simultaneously, established first centralized office kept secrets from her mother" - so the chapter in her home, inaugurated lifetime Anchora sub- decided to initiate mother, too. And in Oxford, scription, firm finances for magazine. Mississippi, first female professor at Ole Miss, Sally Isom, an advanced, even liberated, woman, EDUCATOR/AUTHOR: Alta Gwinn Saunders, is said to have smoked cigars (1879)! 1934-48, professor at University of Illinois where No editor is likely to forget a 23-year old poetess she expanded English into business studies, wrote who was in 1934 the youngest Pulitzer prize winner number of basic business English textbooks. Audrey Wurdemann. Or the young woman who set 8/SUMMER 1976 THE ANCHORA OF DELTA GAMMA