By Mary O’KEEFE

CVW is asking our readers to share stories of the women in their lives who have inspired them. I would like to highlight some of the many women who have been examples of inspiration for me, through their strength and in the way they live/lived their lives.

I am from a long line of strong women. My grandmother raised her children during the Depression. Her husband died of cancer and she supported her family by taking in ironing. She lost her youngest, my Aunt Mary, to cancer when Mary was only 21. Like all families, there were struggles but my grandmother always seemed to find joy in everything. She supported me in everything I did, even if it wasn’t traditionally a woman’s role. She and I would have afternoon tea and she would share the stories of the strength of the women who came before me and reminded me that I stand on their shoulders because they fought for equality, including the right to vote.

My mother was another strong woman who at work at the phone company trained one man after another who was promoted over her to a management position. My father would get angry about the unfair practices but my mom dealt with this issue in her quiet, thoughtful way. She became a leader in the union and changed things from the inside without fanfare, but with constant determination.

I have been lucky enough to know some amazing women who made a difference for those women who came after them – simply by doing the work they were meant to do. Years ago, I interviewed Geraldine “Jerri” Sloan Truhill. She was one of the Mercury 13 women who in the 1960s was being groomed for the space race along with Mercury Seven men. Of course the men received special treatment as they went through the very difficult testing as part of the astronaut training program. The men received new Corvettes and were treated as supermen as they went through training. The women did not receive cars and were put it in what Jerri described as “no-tell motels” as they went through training. Mercury 7 was supported by NASA while Mercury 13 was sponsored by another woman – Jacqueline Cochran, a famous pilot herself. What impressed me most about our conversations was Jerri’s ongoing positive attitude. She was angry, no doubt about that, at not getting the shot to become an astronaut after the program for women was canceled, but she said all the “girls” continued to fly. They all continued what they were doing before the program and nothing stopped them. They formed a strong sisterhood and often met with each other. I don’t know if I would have had the grace she had if this had happened to me. Her strength continues to inspire and guide me.

Another woman who I was again lucky to know and in fact call a friend was Dorothy “DC” Fontana. She was a science fiction writer and wrote for the original “Star Trek.” She penned several episodes for the series under the name of DC Fontana. At the age of 27 she became at the time the youngest story editor in Hollywood and one of the very few female staff writers. She was also the force behind the Spock character. She developed this iconic character who struggled between his Vulcan and human side. Dorothy wrote many scripts before she became secretary to “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry. She faced her share of rejection, though not because of her writing but because of the bias by male producers who, in some cases, would only see her “female” name and decide the script was not for them. She changed the name on the scripts from Dorothy C Fontana to DC Fontana and suddenly her writing was being read. She went from being Roddenberry’s secretary to a writer and editor, contributing to the “Star Trek” legacy along the way. She faced gender bias with a sense of style and a great sense of humor.

She recently passed away and I feel the loss every single day.