Missed Rebellion

It was December 1966. Fresh, iridescent, sparkling snow cloaked the landscape. The sun piercing bright. The air cuttingly cold. I drove south, heading for home, escaping from a depressingly unhappy sophomore first semester at Lawrence University. Unlike the other schools my parents recommended — private, safe, conservative and not large — the drinking age was 18, not 21 in Wisconsin. I embraced legal partying. This was probably not the best choice. I was failing German, fed up with elitist sorority life and loathed living in a dorm with curfews. Even Saturday night frolics in the woods swilling beer and dancing to the Stones until fraternity buses retrieved and deposited us back at the dorms had lost its appeal. Heaving at the roots of a massive old oak, trying not to spatter on my mohair sweater, was downright embarrassing.

Why was I still here in this godforsaken winter hinterland, the birthplace of John Birch, freezing my feet off as a curling sweeper? It was because Dad said I should always finish what I start. Well, he was wrong this time. As I turned off the blacktop, bounded by four-foot snow mounds, onto the expressway, I made my decision. I wanted to see the world.

  Eight months later (the rule is age 21 by graduation from stewardess school), I was flying, serving meals in 60 minutes, calming babies, drunks, and scared passengers while cleverly evading the “coffee, tea or me” overtures of pilots and male passengers. It was a solid, fun job. I learned to travel alone, and I felt glamorous walking through airports in my uniform. Most importantly I found my passion — to learning why people behave the way they do. And, there’s satisfaction in helping people feel safe, solving their problems, and working on a team of women.

Less than a year later, however, I was engaged to my computer engineer boyfriend. Married women couldn’t be stewardesses (nor were men hired and women retired at 36). I left the friendly skies, married, and soon after returned to college to complete undergraduate and master’s degrees while working in a technology laboratory. All this led to a successful, innovative career working with people and technology.

I was lucky. All the illegal job restrictions played well in my life. Many women kept their marriages secret and childless or had to leave a decent paying job with health benefits only to start all over again. Many fought back in a multi-year struggle to win the right to work as professionals no matter their marital status, age or physical characteristics. Their amazing story is told in the new book, The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace rebellion at 30,000 feet by Neil McShane Wulfhart. 

I don’t regret my decision to leave the airlines. My only regret is I believed myself powerless to resist. #Livingalifeofadventure #Jacksgift #unitedairlines #greatstewardessrebellion #wulfhart