By law, Francesca Benson (then Stonaker) had to stop teaching when she adopted her children. In 1969, she joined the central New Jersey Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and was soon drawn into a committee tasked with setting up full-time day nursery. Alongside fellow activists, Francesca found and lost premises, recruited teachers, …
Victory Chase moved to the Princeton area in 1969 and soon became involved with the central New Jersey Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). As well as attending consciousness-raising sessions with fellow feminists, she volunteered for the committee on sex stereotyping in early readers. When University NOW Day Nursery (UNOW) opened in September …
Elisabeth (Liz) Hagen, who comes from South Africa, lived in southern Africa and Great Britain before moving to Princeton in 1969. She quickly became involved in the central New Jersey Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), including on the committee examining sex stereotyping in early school readers. Liz was soon drawn into the …
Mark Rosso has lived in Princeton nearly his whole life. He discusses his family’s arrival and work in the area, as well as his happy childhood attending school and growing up in Princeton in the 1960s and 1970s. He shares remembrances from adolescence of the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the atmosphere in …
Emily Liu moved to Princeton a few years ago with her husband and two children. She grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. Emily discusses her initial impressions of Princeton and how much she has grown to love the community. She enjoys the seasons, access to cultural attractions, local restaurants, her welcoming neighborhood, and volunteering with the …
Patricia Albjerg Graham, a historian of American education, spent the 1969–1970 academic year at Princeton University in an administrative role focused on hiring more women faculty. Pat came to Princeton from Barnard College, where she was a professor of history and education. In 1974, she joined the faculty at Harvard University, where she continues to …
Beginning in the fall of 1969, Halcy Bohen, assistant dean of students at Princeton University, and Mary Procter, assistant to the provost at Princeton University, worked together to welcome the first class of 171 undergraduate women to campus. In this joint interview, Halcy and Mary discuss the climate at Princeton during that period and their …
In 1972 David Keller had just finished his Ph.D. in English literature when he began teaching at the University NOW Day Nursery. In this interview, he speaks of his experience as UNOW’s first male teacher. He recalls memories of the children and teachers and of the school’s creative environment. David left UNOW in 1977 and …
Jane moved to Princeton to attend graduate school in 1986. She was surprised to learn when she arrived that there were no daycare options for her seven-month old daughter Emma. Jane heard about University NOW Day Nursery (UNOW) from another family living in graduate housing, and Emma began attending after she turned two. As a …
Pam Wakefield grew up in Bloomfield, NJ. She and her spouse, Bill, raised their children in Montclair before relocating the family to Princeton in the early 1980s to be closer to Bill’s workplace. Pam worked for years in the Princeton University Department of Psychology as a research assistant for Professor George Miller. She became active …
