Speakers Bureau Speaker
Mary Melcher, Phoenix
Mary Melcher is a historian and consultant who works with organizations and museums to develop publications, exhibits and other projects. Her publications on Arizona history focus on ranch and farmwomen, civil rights, public health, and the impact of World War II. Dr. Melcher has conducted more than one hundred oral histories with Arizonans.
Arizona Women’s Heritage Trail: Marking Their Sites
Arizona women have a rich and varied history; building communities, maintaining families, and influencing Arizona’s political, cultural, and economic development through their labor and commitment. In this multicultural state, with its great geographic diversity, their lives and accomplishments were defined, and sometimes limited by, gender, ethnicity, race and class. This talk describes women and sites included in the Arizona Women’s Heritage Trail that illustrate the link between women’s history and the built environment. The presentation includes photos of the historic sites and women who will be featured on the Trail. Some of these women and sites are well known, such as Mary Jane Colter, who designed several buildings at the Grand Canyon, and Isabella Greenway, Arizona’s first Congresswoman who also founded the Arizona Inn in Tucson. Other women who are less well known include Rebecca Dallis, who taught in the segregated black school in Casa Grande that now sits on the Casa Grande Valley Historical Society Museum grounds. Other sites are the Faraway Ranch in southern Arizona, where Lillian Riggs ran cattle for decades, and Carmen Soto Vasquez’s Teatro Carmen in Tucson.
"Batter Up!" Arizona’s Women Softball Teams
From the 1930s to the 1950s, in the days before television, people turned out in the thousands to watch women’s softball teams play in Arizona. The Ramblers and the Queens, two Phoenix teams, won five national championships between them in the 1940s, garnering Phoenix the title of Softball Capitol of the World. These women endured sexism and stereotyping, playing in short shorts or skirts and maintaining a feminine, attractive appearance even as they competed vigorously to win. Women of color also experienced racism during this time period, but love of the game fueled their desire to compete. This presentation draws on oral histories and photos that describe athletes such as Dottie Wilkinson, Flossie Ballard, Rose Mofford, and Billie Harris, who excelled on the softball field and represented Arizona with vigor and grace.
Making Do with Less: Arizona Women and the Great Depression
During the 1930s, Arizonans experienced drought, loss of jobs, and falling prices for copper, cattle, and farm crops. The New Deal brought some relief, but severe economic conditions continued throughout the decade. Women in urban and rural areas responded to this crisis by finding a variety of means to contribute economically. Although most New Deal employment went to men, some women found Works Progress Administration jobs in cities and towns. On ranches and farms, women from all ethnic groups bartered for needed goods and expanded their gardens as they struggled to feed their families. They diversified ranching operations to raise cash and made do until times improved. Okies and other migrants, including many women and children, traveled into Arizona searching for work in the fields. Many families lived in tents and shacks in migrant camps. This presentation uses oral histories, memoirs, and photos to illustrate women’s experiences during this difficult time.
• Host organization provides overhead projector and screen.
