FIC: Girls To Talk To (Chapel/Rand, R), 3/3
Part One
Part Two
They were finally going to have that baby.
Well, Christine corrected in her head, they were probably going to have that baby. There was no reason to think there would be any problem at all with the artificial insemination; it might take a few tries but the technology had improved beyond just using a turkey baster. Scotty had strong little swimmers and all of the tests they could do on Janice came up that she was fertile as hell; if she'd been with men all this time she'd probably have had ten or twelve children by now.
But one, one was enough.
She could hear Janice puttering around in the room they were converting from storage to a nursery, starting the sorting process. They were going to have quite the yard sale this summer, she was sure-and visit plenty in their turn, because completely outfitting a nursery was pricey, and even though Janice's work sold well and Christine was highly regarded at Scripps, they didn't make that much.
Christine was sitting in the den on her regular Wednesday night phone call with Leonard, where they watched Charlie's Angels (his indulgence; sometimes they watched Baretta instead) and talked about everything and nothing. Ma Bell took not a small amount of money for this weekly hour-long rap session, but it was worth it just to hear his voice and be able to joke and laugh. And when they did their budgeting for the baby, Janice, bless her, wouldn't hear of Christine giving it up.
This particular night they were talking about something or other, likely something silly, when Christine heard one of the extensions pick up and a familiar deep voice say, "Oh, sorry," and hang up again.
"Do I recognize that voice?" Christine asked, because even with just two words she could recognize Jim Kirk.
"Look, Sabrina is running without a bra," McCoy said.
"Don't you try to distract me with Kate Jackson," Christine said. "Why is he there and why didn't you tell me?"
"I can't tell you, and because I can't tell you."
"Truly?" she asked.
"Truly."
Christine was quiet for a moment, because that meant that Jim was in San Francisco on official business, and she wondered what that could be, what sort of spying might be going on in San Francisco. But at least she could trust him to keep Leonard safe, and to not have let him in on whatever was going on if there was any real danger; after all, he'd done pretty well by Spock last month, when they'd helped that man defect.
Oh. Maybe Leonard had a young Russian physicist in his home that very moment.
"Well, now that I do know, how is that?" she asked. "Cozy?"
"Why do you ask?" McCoy said innocently.
"Len," she said, because he knew damn well why-back in that summer of 1970, when they were both newly divorced, he'd told her about his trip to Europe with Jim. And she knew, sure as anything, that there were still feelings there, had always been feelings there.
McCoy sighed. "There are other people here," he said, and she thought she must be right about the physicist. "It's not like we're alone. But I don't know. It's nice to come home to dinner again, and have people I know in the house. Honestly I'm trying not to think about it. There's other news, but I'll have to wait to tell you about that."
"Fair enough," she replied. "Just be careful." She knew that Jim cared for Leonard-Janice had told her as much-but she also knew how single-minded the man could be, and he couldn't have both Leonard and the Air Force. Leonard had been sort of alone for a while now, and Christine wasn't sure if Jim was aware how very vulnerable Leonard was these days, how easy it would be for Jim to get his hopes up without even meaning to.
Leonard sighed and said, "I will, Chris."
Over the phone line Christine could hear a dull knocking sound. "Just a minute," Leonard said, getting up, and then she could hear him handing over the phone.
"Hi Christine," Jim said. It was so like him to know that she'd recognized his voice and not pretend for one second that he wasn't there.
"Hello there," she replied. "It's good to hear your voice."
"Yeah, you too."
"You want me to get Janice?" she asked.
"Could you?" he said, and he was like a boy getting a toy, seriously. They were both just boys, come to think of it.
She stepped out of the room and called up to Janice, who came right down when she heard Jim's name. Christine put her hand over the receiver. "We're not supposed to know he's there," she said.
Janice nodded, and took the phone. "Hello? … Oh that would be wonderful, of course we'll be here. We haven't any travel plans. … Lovely, I'm so looking forward to seeing you. Seeing you both, I hope," and here she winked at Christine, then gave her back the phone.
"Well!" Leonard said.
"Remember what I said."
"I will. I promise. I'll talk to you next week, at least."
"Okay, bye now." She hung up the phone and switched off the TV, and she and Janice sat down in the lounger, Janice on her lap.
"So, they're in the same house," Janice said.
"Think Jim will give up flying?" Christine asked.
"You know," Janice said, "I think he might."
The next day Janice said, "I'm heading into the city today. Do you need anything?"
Christine was confused; they usually ran their errands on Friday evenings, combining it with the treat of dinner at the local pizza parlor. "I don't think so, but why are you driving all the way in there? Gallery appointment?"
She smiled, a little shy. "I need to send a telegram," she said, and showed Christine what she'd written on a bit of scrap:
YOU ARE WONDERFUL STOP THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR YOU NOW STOP THERE ARE OTHER KINDS OF WINGS STOP BRING HIM WITH YOU WHEN YOU COME STOP
Christine smiled. "You're a good friend," she said.
She shrugged. "They gave us a little push when we needed it," she said. "I'm just returning the favor."
Jim called on Friday to say that yes, he was bringing Leonard, and they were driving down the PCH and should be there sometime late Sunday. But there was nothing about what might or might not have happened, and Christine was curious as anything, and a little irritated by Jim's tendency to keep secrets.
They arrived in a ridiculous air-brushed van that had to have been Jim's idea, and indeed he got out of the driver's seat with a spring in his step while Leonard looked back at the vehicle with a scowl.
Janice had started to walk down the driveway toward them when she stopped, staring.
"What are you looking at?" Christine asked.
Janice pointed at the ring on Jim's finger-Leonard's Harvard ring-and grinned. "Well, it's about time," she said.
"Yeah," Jim said. "About the right time."
Christine cocked her head. "But what about the Air Force?"
"Retiring in a year," Jim said. "But I'll tell you all about that later. Tell me about this baby!" He walked up to Janice and put a hand on her abdomen.
"It ain't there yet, idiot," Leonard said as he gave Christine a hug.
"Are you good?" she asked.
"Darlin'," he said, "I am all kinds of good. What about you, mom?"
"Never thought I'd be called that," she said. "But it sounds good to me."
Radcliffe Class of 1963
Fifteenth Anniversary Report
CHRISTINE CHAPEL. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Doctor, Researcher in Tropical Diseases, Associate Lab Director, Scripps Research Institute Degrees MD, PhD, Univ. of Chicago. Partner Janice Rand '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
I admit I had never thought about motherhood all that clearly, so focussed was I on career and marriage. Seems I just had the wrong partner, an odd thing to say when going from man and wife to woman and woman. Rosemary is starting school in the fall and we aren't sure what we'll do with her gone all day. It's certainly a bigger change, being a mother, than being a lesbian, but perhaps that's because I always was a lesbian, and wasn't always a mother. I'm taking a very short sabbatical to help with our new tiny girl, but then it's back to the lab for me with an even larger purpose of making the world better for Rosemary and whatever children she might choose to have.
GAILA KANE. Address San Francisco, Calif. Occupation Founder, The Orion Fund.
After much thought, and consultation with trusted friends and advisors, I've decided to put my travels, my own money, and my fundraising abilities to work running my very own charitable fund. I'm lucky to have a friend like James Kirk to be its administrator, and Radcliffe women like Nyota Uhura, Christine Chapel, and Janice Rand to serve on its board. We're still working on the focus, but rest assured that I'll be picking the brains of as many of you as I can this spring when we meet again in Cambridge!
JANICE RAND. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Artist, teacher. Partner Christine Chapel '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
Rosemary arrived just under the wire to be included in this year's report! And as you might imagine, I have next to no time to do much other than keep her fed and clean. Couldn't even begin to attempt this without the support of a wonderful partner like Christine.
My art was featured in the August, 1975 issue of Art in America, but that was before Rosemary came into our lives. Figuring out how to work with a small one in the house will be a challenge, but luckily I have many of you wonderful classmates to ask for advice, as well as my fellow women artists.
NYOTA UHURA. Address Berkeley, Calif. Occupation Professor of Linguistics, Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley. Degree PhD, Harvard University. Husband Spock '63, October 15, 1967. Children Isaac and Rebeccah, b May 17, 1970.
What a difference having school-aged children makes! Not only is our house slightly more orderly, but their curiosity is more focussed, coming out of their lessons at school. They look to their parents for answers and when we don't have them it becomes an adventure to find them together. If we can inspire in them a love of learning, then we really will have accomplished something. My husband is taking a larger role in their day-to-day now that they have a routine of school and various activities. He speaks often of being inspired by them, and I can only smile as that has been my experience as well.
Meanwhile I'm hard at work on another book, this time youth language with an international perspective, watching how music and film and television brings words from one country to another-mostly from the US outwards, to be sure, but also in the other direction via artists who come to Hollywood to ply their trades.
Radcliffe Class of 1963
Twentieth Anniversary Report
CHRISTINE CHAPEL. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Doctor, Researcher in Tropical Diseases, Lab Director, Scripps Research Institute Degrees MD, PhD, Univ. of Chicago. Partner Janice Rand '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
Now that I've assumed one of the lab director positions here at Scripps, I'm doing less of my own research and more facilitation of others. But I find that this is a good position for me to be in, as it allows me to vicariously investigate several interesting questions at once. I could do without the grant paperwork, but all jobs have their downfalls. And every time I see a young woman walk through the door, in particular the undergraduates in our summer programs, I know that I'm helping to inspire the next generation of women scientists. They don't have nearly the obstacles that we did, and they're better for it, but they still need all the encouragement they can get.
Another way I can encourage them is by reassuring them that while you can't have it all, as they say, you can absolutely have a family and a career, provided you find the right partner and are willing to do some juggling and make some sacrifices. We haven't made many major trips since Rosemary was born; mostly up and down the coast to San Francisco, back east to see my parents, and to Arizona to visit Janice's siblings. But once she's old enough to have a full and rich experience, we absolutely plan to get her traveling as much as possible. I can't wait to see this big old world of ours through her eyes.
GAILA KANE. Address San Francisco, Calif. Occupation Founder, The Orion Fund.
Well, my project is not so small any longer! The Orion Fund is five years old now and we've already seen results from the programs we've started here in the States and in other parts of the world. We're focused on an individual's right to control his or her own sexuality, a cause that I know is near and dear to many of my fellow Cliffies. Of course we have efforts to stop the spread of the HIV virus here and in Africa, but we are also working for reproductive freedom and against sexual servitude. (Yes, the "white slavery" we were all warned about as girls still exists, though its victims are often not white.) If you would like to become involved, please do drop us a line. Believe me, I'm more than happy to talk about our activities!
Personally, I'm just pleased to be able to do some good in the world, to share what I was fortunate enough to be given at birth with others that were given much less. I also spend time spoiling several honorary nieces and nephews, because I also had an eccentric spinster auntie and she inspired me to Radcliffe and thence to bigger and better things.
JANICE RAND. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Artist, teacher. Partner Christine Chapel '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
We've built ourselves a lovely little family of ladies, Christine and Rosemary and me. We regularly bring Rosemary up to San Francisco to see her father and her large number of doting honorary aunts and uncles, and we have our visitors in return, but mostly it's we three, cozy as bugs in our little house.
Something about seeing Rosemary at her own little easel with her watercolors and crayons spurs me on, and while I certainly put out less work than in the past, I think it's better than it's ever been. Happily the galleries agree, and over the years I've managed to acquire a set of regular buyers, many of whom are professional women with their own money to spend. They've told me having my paintings in their offices inspires them, and it's true that their lives inspire me as well. Occasionally a journalist asks me if I'm interested in moving "beyond the lives of women"-but with women making up half the planet and still so underrepresented in art other than as mere objects of beauty, why would I? There is so much left to explore.
NYOTA UHURA. Address Berkeley, Calif. Occupation Professor of Linguistics, Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley. Degree PhD, Harvard University. Husband Spock '63, October 15, 1967. Children Isaac and Rebeccah, b May 17, 1970.
At the moment the most important thing in this household is the upcoming bar and bat mitzvah for the children, and thank goodness my mother-in-law is here to help, because my husband has only the faintest memories of his own ceremony, which is less than helpful. The children are also excited that their "cousin" David Kirk will be moving to San Francisco soon and attending high school with them.
As for me, I've written two more books and find that the language of youth culture is a nearly inexhaustible topic. Seeing how the new cable television channels for young people, particularly the Music Television that my children are all but addicted to, both creates and facilitates the spread of slang at a national level is, as my husband would say, fascinating. The children are not entirely enthused to know that their mother sometimes hears about slang even before they do, but I'm sure they'll get used to it. Or invent words of their own, which would be even more interesting!
Radcliffe Class of 1963
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Report
CHRISTINE CHAPEL. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Doctor, Researcher in Tropical Diseases, Lab Director, Scripps Research Institute Degrees MD, PhD, Univ. of Chicago. Partner Janice Rand '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
1. Four ladies-an artist, a doctor, a linguist, and a benefactor -walk into a bar. (You see, ladies nowadays have careers.)
GAILA KANE. Address San Francisco, Calif. Occupation Founder, The Orion Fund.
2. They each as the bartender for a whiskey. (Ladies do drink something other than white wine.)
JANICE RAND. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Artist, teacher. Partner Christine Chapel '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
3. The ladies are eventually joined by four gentlemen -a pilot, a doctor, an engineer and a philosopher. (By choice, because ladies can be in bars unescorted.)
NYOTA UHURA. Address Berkeley, Calif. Occupation Professor of Linguistics, Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley. Degree PhD, Harvard University. Husband Spock '63, October 15, 1967. Children Isaac and Rebeccah, b May 17, 1970.
4. And they all lived happily ever after. (Together, but not the way you might think.)
Ridiculous pile of references includes: lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s; girl groups singing Brill Building songs; co-ed and career gal movies of the 1940s and 50s including The Best of Everything; Rodin's sculpture The Eternal Idol; The Boys in the Band; Neil Young's After the Gold Rush; The Beatles' Let It Be ("Two of Us" and "Dig a Pony" are quoted); Laura Nyro; the wardrobe of Shirley Jones on The Partridge Family; Jenny from Love Story jealously guarding "a few thousand lousy books" at Hilles Library (RIP); Vogue covers of the early 1970s; Roy Lichtenstein's 1963 painting "Hopeless"; and the paintings of Kelly Reemsten, however anachronistically; and of course, nearly 130 years of Radcliffe girls to talk to.
Part Two
They were finally going to have that baby.
Well, Christine corrected in her head, they were probably going to have that baby. There was no reason to think there would be any problem at all with the artificial insemination; it might take a few tries but the technology had improved beyond just using a turkey baster. Scotty had strong little swimmers and all of the tests they could do on Janice came up that she was fertile as hell; if she'd been with men all this time she'd probably have had ten or twelve children by now.
But one, one was enough.
She could hear Janice puttering around in the room they were converting from storage to a nursery, starting the sorting process. They were going to have quite the yard sale this summer, she was sure-and visit plenty in their turn, because completely outfitting a nursery was pricey, and even though Janice's work sold well and Christine was highly regarded at Scripps, they didn't make that much.
Christine was sitting in the den on her regular Wednesday night phone call with Leonard, where they watched Charlie's Angels (his indulgence; sometimes they watched Baretta instead) and talked about everything and nothing. Ma Bell took not a small amount of money for this weekly hour-long rap session, but it was worth it just to hear his voice and be able to joke and laugh. And when they did their budgeting for the baby, Janice, bless her, wouldn't hear of Christine giving it up.
This particular night they were talking about something or other, likely something silly, when Christine heard one of the extensions pick up and a familiar deep voice say, "Oh, sorry," and hang up again.
"Do I recognize that voice?" Christine asked, because even with just two words she could recognize Jim Kirk.
"Look, Sabrina is running without a bra," McCoy said.
"Don't you try to distract me with Kate Jackson," Christine said. "Why is he there and why didn't you tell me?"
"I can't tell you, and because I can't tell you."
"Truly?" she asked.
"Truly."
Christine was quiet for a moment, because that meant that Jim was in San Francisco on official business, and she wondered what that could be, what sort of spying might be going on in San Francisco. But at least she could trust him to keep Leonard safe, and to not have let him in on whatever was going on if there was any real danger; after all, he'd done pretty well by Spock last month, when they'd helped that man defect.
Oh. Maybe Leonard had a young Russian physicist in his home that very moment.
"Well, now that I do know, how is that?" she asked. "Cozy?"
"Why do you ask?" McCoy said innocently.
"Len," she said, because he knew damn well why-back in that summer of 1970, when they were both newly divorced, he'd told her about his trip to Europe with Jim. And she knew, sure as anything, that there were still feelings there, had always been feelings there.
McCoy sighed. "There are other people here," he said, and she thought she must be right about the physicist. "It's not like we're alone. But I don't know. It's nice to come home to dinner again, and have people I know in the house. Honestly I'm trying not to think about it. There's other news, but I'll have to wait to tell you about that."
"Fair enough," she replied. "Just be careful." She knew that Jim cared for Leonard-Janice had told her as much-but she also knew how single-minded the man could be, and he couldn't have both Leonard and the Air Force. Leonard had been sort of alone for a while now, and Christine wasn't sure if Jim was aware how very vulnerable Leonard was these days, how easy it would be for Jim to get his hopes up without even meaning to.
Leonard sighed and said, "I will, Chris."
Over the phone line Christine could hear a dull knocking sound. "Just a minute," Leonard said, getting up, and then she could hear him handing over the phone.
"Hi Christine," Jim said. It was so like him to know that she'd recognized his voice and not pretend for one second that he wasn't there.
"Hello there," she replied. "It's good to hear your voice."
"Yeah, you too."
"You want me to get Janice?" she asked.
"Could you?" he said, and he was like a boy getting a toy, seriously. They were both just boys, come to think of it.
She stepped out of the room and called up to Janice, who came right down when she heard Jim's name. Christine put her hand over the receiver. "We're not supposed to know he's there," she said.
Janice nodded, and took the phone. "Hello? … Oh that would be wonderful, of course we'll be here. We haven't any travel plans. … Lovely, I'm so looking forward to seeing you. Seeing you both, I hope," and here she winked at Christine, then gave her back the phone.
"Well!" Leonard said.
"Remember what I said."
"I will. I promise. I'll talk to you next week, at least."
"Okay, bye now." She hung up the phone and switched off the TV, and she and Janice sat down in the lounger, Janice on her lap.
"So, they're in the same house," Janice said.
"Think Jim will give up flying?" Christine asked.
"You know," Janice said, "I think he might."
The next day Janice said, "I'm heading into the city today. Do you need anything?"
Christine was confused; they usually ran their errands on Friday evenings, combining it with the treat of dinner at the local pizza parlor. "I don't think so, but why are you driving all the way in there? Gallery appointment?"
She smiled, a little shy. "I need to send a telegram," she said, and showed Christine what she'd written on a bit of scrap:
YOU ARE WONDERFUL STOP THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR YOU NOW STOP THERE ARE OTHER KINDS OF WINGS STOP BRING HIM WITH YOU WHEN YOU COME STOP
Christine smiled. "You're a good friend," she said.
She shrugged. "They gave us a little push when we needed it," she said. "I'm just returning the favor."
Jim called on Friday to say that yes, he was bringing Leonard, and they were driving down the PCH and should be there sometime late Sunday. But there was nothing about what might or might not have happened, and Christine was curious as anything, and a little irritated by Jim's tendency to keep secrets.
They arrived in a ridiculous air-brushed van that had to have been Jim's idea, and indeed he got out of the driver's seat with a spring in his step while Leonard looked back at the vehicle with a scowl.
Janice had started to walk down the driveway toward them when she stopped, staring.
"What are you looking at?" Christine asked.
Janice pointed at the ring on Jim's finger-Leonard's Harvard ring-and grinned. "Well, it's about time," she said.
"Yeah," Jim said. "About the right time."
Christine cocked her head. "But what about the Air Force?"
"Retiring in a year," Jim said. "But I'll tell you all about that later. Tell me about this baby!" He walked up to Janice and put a hand on her abdomen.
"It ain't there yet, idiot," Leonard said as he gave Christine a hug.
"Are you good?" she asked.
"Darlin'," he said, "I am all kinds of good. What about you, mom?"
"Never thought I'd be called that," she said. "But it sounds good to me."
Radcliffe Class of 1963
Fifteenth Anniversary Report
CHRISTINE CHAPEL. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Doctor, Researcher in Tropical Diseases, Associate Lab Director, Scripps Research Institute Degrees MD, PhD, Univ. of Chicago. Partner Janice Rand '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
I admit I had never thought about motherhood all that clearly, so focussed was I on career and marriage. Seems I just had the wrong partner, an odd thing to say when going from man and wife to woman and woman. Rosemary is starting school in the fall and we aren't sure what we'll do with her gone all day. It's certainly a bigger change, being a mother, than being a lesbian, but perhaps that's because I always was a lesbian, and wasn't always a mother. I'm taking a very short sabbatical to help with our new tiny girl, but then it's back to the lab for me with an even larger purpose of making the world better for Rosemary and whatever children she might choose to have.
GAILA KANE. Address San Francisco, Calif. Occupation Founder, The Orion Fund.
After much thought, and consultation with trusted friends and advisors, I've decided to put my travels, my own money, and my fundraising abilities to work running my very own charitable fund. I'm lucky to have a friend like James Kirk to be its administrator, and Radcliffe women like Nyota Uhura, Christine Chapel, and Janice Rand to serve on its board. We're still working on the focus, but rest assured that I'll be picking the brains of as many of you as I can this spring when we meet again in Cambridge!
JANICE RAND. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Artist, teacher. Partner Christine Chapel '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
Rosemary arrived just under the wire to be included in this year's report! And as you might imagine, I have next to no time to do much other than keep her fed and clean. Couldn't even begin to attempt this without the support of a wonderful partner like Christine.
My art was featured in the August, 1975 issue of Art in America, but that was before Rosemary came into our lives. Figuring out how to work with a small one in the house will be a challenge, but luckily I have many of you wonderful classmates to ask for advice, as well as my fellow women artists.
NYOTA UHURA. Address Berkeley, Calif. Occupation Professor of Linguistics, Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley. Degree PhD, Harvard University. Husband Spock '63, October 15, 1967. Children Isaac and Rebeccah, b May 17, 1970.
What a difference having school-aged children makes! Not only is our house slightly more orderly, but their curiosity is more focussed, coming out of their lessons at school. They look to their parents for answers and when we don't have them it becomes an adventure to find them together. If we can inspire in them a love of learning, then we really will have accomplished something. My husband is taking a larger role in their day-to-day now that they have a routine of school and various activities. He speaks often of being inspired by them, and I can only smile as that has been my experience as well.
Meanwhile I'm hard at work on another book, this time youth language with an international perspective, watching how music and film and television brings words from one country to another-mostly from the US outwards, to be sure, but also in the other direction via artists who come to Hollywood to ply their trades.
Radcliffe Class of 1963
Twentieth Anniversary Report
CHRISTINE CHAPEL. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Doctor, Researcher in Tropical Diseases, Lab Director, Scripps Research Institute Degrees MD, PhD, Univ. of Chicago. Partner Janice Rand '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
Now that I've assumed one of the lab director positions here at Scripps, I'm doing less of my own research and more facilitation of others. But I find that this is a good position for me to be in, as it allows me to vicariously investigate several interesting questions at once. I could do without the grant paperwork, but all jobs have their downfalls. And every time I see a young woman walk through the door, in particular the undergraduates in our summer programs, I know that I'm helping to inspire the next generation of women scientists. They don't have nearly the obstacles that we did, and they're better for it, but they still need all the encouragement they can get.
Another way I can encourage them is by reassuring them that while you can't have it all, as they say, you can absolutely have a family and a career, provided you find the right partner and are willing to do some juggling and make some sacrifices. We haven't made many major trips since Rosemary was born; mostly up and down the coast to San Francisco, back east to see my parents, and to Arizona to visit Janice's siblings. But once she's old enough to have a full and rich experience, we absolutely plan to get her traveling as much as possible. I can't wait to see this big old world of ours through her eyes.
GAILA KANE. Address San Francisco, Calif. Occupation Founder, The Orion Fund.
Well, my project is not so small any longer! The Orion Fund is five years old now and we've already seen results from the programs we've started here in the States and in other parts of the world. We're focused on an individual's right to control his or her own sexuality, a cause that I know is near and dear to many of my fellow Cliffies. Of course we have efforts to stop the spread of the HIV virus here and in Africa, but we are also working for reproductive freedom and against sexual servitude. (Yes, the "white slavery" we were all warned about as girls still exists, though its victims are often not white.) If you would like to become involved, please do drop us a line. Believe me, I'm more than happy to talk about our activities!
Personally, I'm just pleased to be able to do some good in the world, to share what I was fortunate enough to be given at birth with others that were given much less. I also spend time spoiling several honorary nieces and nephews, because I also had an eccentric spinster auntie and she inspired me to Radcliffe and thence to bigger and better things.
JANICE RAND. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Artist, teacher. Partner Christine Chapel '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
We've built ourselves a lovely little family of ladies, Christine and Rosemary and me. We regularly bring Rosemary up to San Francisco to see her father and her large number of doting honorary aunts and uncles, and we have our visitors in return, but mostly it's we three, cozy as bugs in our little house.
Something about seeing Rosemary at her own little easel with her watercolors and crayons spurs me on, and while I certainly put out less work than in the past, I think it's better than it's ever been. Happily the galleries agree, and over the years I've managed to acquire a set of regular buyers, many of whom are professional women with their own money to spend. They've told me having my paintings in their offices inspires them, and it's true that their lives inspire me as well. Occasionally a journalist asks me if I'm interested in moving "beyond the lives of women"-but with women making up half the planet and still so underrepresented in art other than as mere objects of beauty, why would I? There is so much left to explore.
NYOTA UHURA. Address Berkeley, Calif. Occupation Professor of Linguistics, Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley. Degree PhD, Harvard University. Husband Spock '63, October 15, 1967. Children Isaac and Rebeccah, b May 17, 1970.
At the moment the most important thing in this household is the upcoming bar and bat mitzvah for the children, and thank goodness my mother-in-law is here to help, because my husband has only the faintest memories of his own ceremony, which is less than helpful. The children are also excited that their "cousin" David Kirk will be moving to San Francisco soon and attending high school with them.
As for me, I've written two more books and find that the language of youth culture is a nearly inexhaustible topic. Seeing how the new cable television channels for young people, particularly the Music Television that my children are all but addicted to, both creates and facilitates the spread of slang at a national level is, as my husband would say, fascinating. The children are not entirely enthused to know that their mother sometimes hears about slang even before they do, but I'm sure they'll get used to it. Or invent words of their own, which would be even more interesting!
Radcliffe Class of 1963
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Report
CHRISTINE CHAPEL. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Doctor, Researcher in Tropical Diseases, Lab Director, Scripps Research Institute Degrees MD, PhD, Univ. of Chicago. Partner Janice Rand '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
1. Four ladies-an artist, a doctor, a linguist, and a benefactor -walk into a bar. (You see, ladies nowadays have careers.)
GAILA KANE. Address San Francisco, Calif. Occupation Founder, The Orion Fund.
2. They each as the bartender for a whiskey. (Ladies do drink something other than white wine.)
JANICE RAND. Address San Diego, CA. Occupation Artist, teacher. Partner Christine Chapel '63. Children Rosemary, b March 13, 1978.
3. The ladies are eventually joined by four gentlemen -a pilot, a doctor, an engineer and a philosopher. (By choice, because ladies can be in bars unescorted.)
NYOTA UHURA. Address Berkeley, Calif. Occupation Professor of Linguistics, Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley. Degree PhD, Harvard University. Husband Spock '63, October 15, 1967. Children Isaac and Rebeccah, b May 17, 1970.
4. And they all lived happily ever after. (Together, but not the way you might think.)
Ridiculous pile of references includes: lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s; girl groups singing Brill Building songs; co-ed and career gal movies of the 1940s and 50s including The Best of Everything; Rodin's sculpture The Eternal Idol; The Boys in the Band; Neil Young's After the Gold Rush; The Beatles' Let It Be ("Two of Us" and "Dig a Pony" are quoted); Laura Nyro; the wardrobe of Shirley Jones on The Partridge Family; Jenny from Love Story jealously guarding "a few thousand lousy books" at Hilles Library (RIP); Vogue covers of the early 1970s; Roy Lichtenstein's 1963 painting "Hopeless"; and the paintings of Kelly Reemsten, however anachronistically; and of course, nearly 130 years of Radcliffe girls to talk to.