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A Beautiful Heart

Mrs. W, still young and beautiful at heart, is a 56-year old married woman who graduated from Washington State University in 1966. She joined the Peace Corps and served two years in Brazil. Married for thirty years, Mrs. W is a very successful woman. Being the mother of two children, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, and having attained a degree in accounting at Cal Poly, Pomona, Mrs. W would still like to see the highlights of life. Although she grew up with not a lot of money, Mrs. W managed to live a good life in the 60's to mid 70's - she loved every bit of it! Mrs. W has both Native American and Caucasian ancestors. She loves the fact that our country is so rich and diverse in it's culture.

Mrs. W believes that today's young women have evolved to be very different from the typical young woman of the 60's. She clearly states now "women have more freedom, but more responsibilities." Back in the 60's, Mrs. W was not privileged with the many choices we have today. Mrs. W was lucky to have been given a grant for college, when now, with society's competition for scholarships, it is sometimes difficult to seek financial aid. At the age of 13 Mrs. W admired independent women, especially her female teachers, and decided to attend college as they had. At a very young age, she decided what she wanted to do, and pursued her goal. She wanted to stay away from the typical low-paying jobs available to women, such as secretarial, clerical, and sales positions.

Mrs. W believes that teenagers have the capability of making bad choices, leading to bad results such as diseases and pregnancy. In the past, Mrs. W has seen young women get pregnant, and either have the baby and drop out of high school or decide to get married. But society now has been able to change into one where young mothers may choose to finish their But society now has been able to change into one where young mothers may choose to finish their high school education and attend college. Of course they have a more difficult time than do young women who made better choices.

Mrs. W thinks that back in the 60's there was a lot of inequality between men and women. The men were the people who controlled the household and finance of the women. The current trend is toward "equal partnership" between man and wife. Mrs. W lives this type of life with her husband and is very happy with the way it is going.

In the past, very few women were doctors and engineers. Most doctors were males, and nurses were females. Currently, Mrs. W is happy with the great change in equality.

Mrs. W continues to accomplish great feats in her life including such things as serving on the Walnut Creek Planning Commission and on the California and national boards of the American Association of University Women. And she is still pursing new opportunities. She hopes to see the whole age of technology become America's greatest advancement and plans to continue living a great life.