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“Outlander” and a First Woman

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The writers of Outlander know the power of First Women. In the second episode this season Claire is examining her lot in life. She has tried to fulfill her housewifely duties (with the notable exception of the bedroom). She keeps house, raises her child, entertains guests, and attends faculty parties, but she laments to herself that she does not feel “whole.”

While cleaning the breakfast dishes off the table, she reads the banner headline on the morning newspaper, “Truman Appoints First Woman Treasurer.” Just below is the name of Georgia Neese Clark.

One of the beauties of historical fiction is that real characters can appear in the narrative and Clark is very real. An economics major, she first tried her hand at acting. Later she worked at her father’s bank and, when he died, took over not only the bank, but a whole host of other business enterprises controlled by her father.

In her spare time, she was an active Democrat and supporter of Harry Truman. Men who support presidents often find themselves in the President’s administration, but from the beginning of the republic until Clark’s appointment in 1949 she was only the second woman to be rewarded. (The first was Frances Perkins, the First Woman cabinet member, appointed by FDR in 1933.)

For some reason, every Treasurer of the United States since Georgia Neese Clark has been a woman. The current Treasurer is Jovita Carranza.

The headline about Clark strikes Claire forcefully. She enrolls in medical school, where the white male students refuse to sit beside her. But she persists, graduates, and becomes a surgeon.

Outlander is one of my favorite sins. I crave it and indulge myself in its episodes. I appreciate that the series is adapted from a novel—and that the woman author is making big bucks from her work. It is historical fiction, combining fictional and real characters, my favorite genre developed in my favorite way. But, I also appreciate the artistry of the series: the lighting, the set design and decorations, the acting, the cinematography, the directing. And the writers, first of all Diana Gabaldon, author of the book, and the many artists who create the scripts.

Taking a whole episode to show a wedding night and maintaining tension throughout is a masterful creation. And now they have dipped their toes into my favorite topic. What could be better?

Claire is thrown into action by the example of a First Woman. The achievement of being first is laudable, but the greatest benefit is in the inspiration provided to other women. First Women are guiding lights. We cannot be what we cannot see.

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Gwen Ifill – A First Woman in Television News

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Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, co-anchors of PBS News Hour

A special woman died in November of last year and her life is a model for all women. Gwen Ifill, co-anchor of New Hour on PBS, separated her professional life from her personal life, not even informing others of her illness as she was dying. It is unfortunate that often we do not get to know special people until they are gone. We know only the public persona, which in Ifill’s case was impressive enough, but we know little of their private selves.

A “preacher’s kid,” Gwen Ifill grew up in a family that watched news and news-related shows on television. Ifill saw there (in her own words), “No women. No people of color.” This did not defer her progress.

Ifill attended Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, a college founded for women, that still has a women-centered focus today. She graduated with a degree in communications and went to work for the Boston Herald American. She later worked for the Evening Star in Baltimore, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.

Tim Russert of NBC persuaded her to make the shift to television and in 1999 she became moderator of “Washington Week” (called “Washington Week in Review at that time). She was the First Black Woman to host a political affairs talk show. She was also managing editor of the program. In 2013 she and Judy Woodruff became the First Women co-anchors of “NewsHour” on PBS. They were also co-managing editors.

Ifill was the only first woman or black to moderate a vice-presidential debate, both in 2004 and 2008. She later moderated a primary debate between Senator Bernie Sanders and Secretary Hillary Clinton, with her co-host Judy Woodruff.

There were several words that recurred in describing her and they provide inspiration for women who still strive to become First Women.

She had “courage.” She strode forward where no one had trod before. “I’m very keen about the fact,” she said, “that a little girl now, watching the news, when they see me and Judy sitting side by side, it will occur to them that that’s perfectly normal—that it won’t seem like any breakthrough at all.”

She embodied “fairness.” She pushed her interviewees hard, but always treated them respectfully, a model for those journalists that now think attacks are interviews.

And she represented “class.” She maintained her demeanor and professionalism.

These (and many more) were the ideals she conveyed to those around her. Having made her way up the ladder, she supported other women. The most touching tribute came from Ruth Marcus, a columnist at the Washington Post, who revealed that it was Gwen Ifill who recommended her for a commentator position at PBS.

Perhaps the greatest tribute came from someone who was not a work-a-day colleague. Scott Pelley, anchor of CBS News (for which she never worked) said she was “among the best we’ve ever had.” Another First Woman of stature and grave.