David Israel – Page 17 – Forty Years: The History of Women at Bowdoin

Social Life and Sexuality Focus Group

This discussion brought together three women of the first two classes of coeducation at Bowdoin. These women, Elissa [Liddy] Berry (’75), Barney Geller (’75), and Anne Ireland (’76), describe their social experience during their four years at Bowdoin. These women did experience hostility from some students on campus due to their gender, but the stories they share for the most part express a strong sense of belonging. Listen to the audio to hear their experiences with fraternities, sexual harassment and simply what it was like to be a woman at Bowdoin in the 70s.

Audio: click title below to begin listening

Athletics Focus Group

For this discussion, three women who were among the first female athletes at Bowdoin came together to share their stories. Click the audio links below to listen to Karen Brodie Doyle, ’79 (field hockey, diving, lacrosse), Sally Clayton Caras, ’78 (field hockey and lacrosse), and Ruth Spire Small, ’77 (lacrosse and swimming), discuss their experiences as female student-athletes during the initial years of coeducation at the College.

Audio: click title(s) below to begin listening