The Deans’ Bible

Five women successively nurtured students on the Purdue University campus in America's heartland during the 1930s to 1990s. Each became a legendary dean of women or dean of students. Collectively, they wove a sisterhood of mutual support in their common-sometimes thwarted-pursuit of shared human rights and equality for all. Dorothy C. Stratton, Helen B. Schleman, M. Beverley Stone, Barbara I. Cook, and Betty M. Nelson opened new avenues for women and became conduits for change, fostering opportunities for all people. They were loved by students and revered by colleagues. The women also were respected throughout the United States as founding leaders of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve (SPARs), frontrunners in the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, and pivotal members of presidential committees in the Kennedy and Nixon administrations. The Deans' Bible sheds light on cultural change in America, exploring how each of the deans participated nationally in the quest for equality. As each woman succeeded the other, they knitted their bond with a secret symbol-a Bible. The Bible was handed down from dean to dean with favorite passages marked. The word "e;bible"e; is often used in connection with reference works or "e;guidebooks."e; The Deans' Bible is just that, brimming with stories of courageous women who led by example and lived their convictions.

Five women successively nurtured students on the Purdue University campus in America's heartland during the 1930s to 1990s. Each became a legendary dean of women or dean of students. Collectively, they wove a sisterhood of mutual support in their common-sometimes thwarted-pursuit of shared human rights and equality for all. Dorothy C. Stratton, Helen B. Schleman, M. Beverley Stone, Barbara I. Cook, and Betty M. Nelson opened new avenues for women and became conduits for change, fostering opportunities for all people. They were loved by students and revered by colleagues. The women also were respected throughout the United States as founding leaders of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve (SPARs), frontrunners in the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, and pivotal members of presidential committees in the Kennedy and Nixon administrations.The Deans' Bible sheds light on cultural change in America, exploring how each of the deans participated nationally in the quest for equality. As each woman succeeded the other, they knitted their bond with a secret symbol-a Bible. The Bible was handed down from dean to dean with favorite passages marked. The word "bible" is often used in connection with reference works or "guidebooks." The Deans' Bible is just that, brimming with stories of courageous women who led by example and lived their convictions.

Foreword
Preface
Author’s Note
The Deans’ List
1. Celestial Chicken Salad
2. Carolyn Shoemaker, a Faraway Look
3. Artists of Life
4. Far Horizons
5. Dorothy Stratton Finds a Bible
6. Helen Schleman, Born in the Right Moment
7. If Walls Could Talk
8. Amelia Earhart, Cabbages and Kings
9. Lillian Gilbreth, the One Best Way
10. Ladies’ Agreement
11. Beverley Stone, a Lovely Light
12. Your Best Foot Forward
13. Be Interesting
14. Don’t Be a Spare . . . Be a SPAR!
15. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
16. In Sheep’s Clothing
17. Barbara Ivy Wood Cook, ’Tis a Gift to Be Free
18. Bible Bequeathed
19. Gospel of the Go-to-Hell Fund
20. B-Squared
21. Dean of Women Punch
22. At the Service of the President
23. Mixed Messages
24. Winter’s Death Rattle
25. Betty Mitchell Nelson, Message in the Hollow Oak
26. ’Twas Ever Thus
27. The Quiet Crisis
28. Uncharted Waters
29. Peace, Love, and a Bible Passage
30. Off Guard
31. Sit In, Stand Out
32. In Walks the Pantsuit
33. Hip Women
34. Entitled to Title IX
35. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Can Rock the Boat
36. Easier to Move a Cemetery
37. And She Did It!
38. Deanie Weenies
39. Bible Holding Pattern
40. Chicken Salad Reprise
41. The Main Thing
42. To Understand More Than One Knows
43. Hearing What Is Not Said
44. Helen’s Hankie Club
45. Betty’s Blast Off and Bible Hand Off
46. Hugging the Purdue Campus
47. By Your Leave, Sirs
48. The Place Just Right
49. Epilogue
Index