Existing comment:
Capitol Personalities
Kay Clarenbach (1920-1994)
Women's Rights Advocate
"Feminism is a vision of a different kind of society in which there is greater egalitarianism... a society that is fair to everyone."
Kathryn "Kay" Clarenbach studied political science at the University of Wisconsin. She earned her bachelor's in 1941, master's in 1942, and PhD in 1946, and then became a college professor.
In 1964, she was asked by Governor John Reynolds to chair the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. Its purpose was to investigate the condition of women in Wisconsin and help change laws that discriminated against them on the basis of gender.
This work connected Clarenbach to the national women's movement. In 1966, she co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and chaired its board from 1966 to 1970.
In 1971, with feminist icons Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and Shirley Chisholm, she helped organize the National Women's Political Caucus. Her behind-the-scenes diplomacy helped keep women's issues in front of national and state policymakers for 25 years.
When Governor Lee Dreyfus eliminated Wisconsin's Commission on the Status of Women in 1979, Clarenbach resumed her teaching career. At her 1994 memorial service, historian Gerda Lerner called her "the foremost organizer of the modern women's movement." |