Barbara Hackman Franklin, a Penn State Distinguished Alumna and staff assistant to five presidents, returned to her alma mater Thursday to recount her experiences as part of a 1970s effort to recruit women to high-level government positions.
Franklin spoke to more than 40 students and State College residents in Foster Auditorium about the "A Few Good Women: Advancing the Cause of Women in Government, 1969-74" oral history project.
The project chronicles the experiences of Franklin and 19 others who worked for the federal government in the 1970s. Franklin shared excerpts from interview transcripts, spoke about her work under Richard Nixon and held a question-and-answer session with the audience.
She said the effort began when Vera Glaser, a White House journalist, probed Nixon about why he appointed only three women to more than 200 high-ranking government positions.
To Glaser's question, Nixon replied, "We'll have to do something about that," and later appointed Franklin as his staff assistant.
Franklin graduated from Penn State in 1962 and went on to become one of the first women to receive an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School. Among her many accomplishments, she served as the public director of 14 companies and was the 29th Secretary of Commerce for President George H.W. Bush.
Many of the audience members knew Franklin personally before her speech, either from work or her time at Penn State.
Grace Holderman, 96, of State College, was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity for women with Franklin.
"I'm thrilled to be back," Franklin said in her introduction. "It's so nice to see some longtime friends."
While only five students attended the presentation, Franklin said she was glad to see them and hoped they would take away "a sense of history that is often missing today about the struggle for women's equality and the role that this chapter ... played."
Beatrice Mellinger, Class of 1954 and State College resident, said she hoped students would also take away the message that women can do anything to which they put their minds.
At the end of her presentation, Franklin encouraged women's fight against adversity and also urged students who are looking for employment to hold onto their dreams.
"The key is to overcome things without losing your sense of humor or humanity," she said. "This is a tough year with looking for a job. You can't give up your dreams. Just go for it."
There will be a private session at 10 a.m. today in 203 Paterno Library for students to ask Franklin questions.
The Special Collections Library and First Thursday State College sponsored the presentation, and the exhibit will remain in the main hall of Pattee Library through April 17.
