While I only posted occasionally at this research blog, it was a productive summer for the larger Women of Bethel project. In addition to ongoing research in the Bethel archives and digital library, I spent the last three months writing the first drafts of the four thematic essays that will become the centerpiece of the final project, as framed by an introduction and a conclusion suggesting directions for further research.
I’d still like to do a bit more research on the essay about debates over sexual harassment and maternity policy, and I’m waiting on some feedback from Bethel colleagues before finishing edits to the other three. But we’re near the end of the project, and I can’t wait to share the finished product! My goal has always been to have everything available here at womenofbethel.org by Homecoming, and we’re on track to meet that goal.
To celebrate the project’s completion and to share some of its takeaways, I’ll be giving a talk in the Bethel Library on Tuesday, October 7, 1:20-2:10pm. Hope to see many of you there! (And if you can’t attend, I’ll share the video once it’s added to the library archive.)
One goal of this blog is to help involve members of the Bethel community in doing the history of Bethel, so comments are always welcome! Just know that if you leave a comment at the project blog, I’ll take that as expressing your permission to quote it in the project.
Cover image: this photo of a Bethel hurdler comes from the 1988 yearbook — Bethel Digital Library.
The Women of Bethel 