I wish to thank the many people who liberally gave their assistance over the last three years. I owe a great debt to Alex Gottfried, Sydney Kaplan, and Carolynn Allen of the University of Washington for behaving like it was the most natural thing in the world for an undergraduate to write a book. That support gave me the self-confidence necessary to tackle this project. In a like manner, M.I.T. professors Suzanne Berger and Deborah Stone encouraged me to continue the effort while in graduate school. Ginny NiCarthy’s practical how-to-do-it advice helped me bridge the gap between reading about oral histories and actually collecting them. Christine Suksdorf, Dee Clapp, Donna Burgess, and Caroline Clarke have been marvelous about transcribing tapes, a truly onerous task. At this point, I must single out Trucia Tureman for special thanks. Trucia has been an integral part of this project from the very beginning—part-time typist, editor, critic, sounding board, and full-time friend. Sometimes I feel this book bears as much of her imprint as mine.
Finally, last but obviously not least, are the women who have generously shared their lives with us. Thank you.