As we approach the last days of Women’s History Month, what better time than now to recognize pioneering alumnae of Kenyon’s past? The Collegian spoke with four women who attended Kenyon during its first years as a coeducational institution. 

Adele Davidson ’75 is the Charles P. McIlvaine professor of English at Kenyon College. Liz Foreman ’73 is a retired assistant director of admissions and currently serves as a Council member on Gambier’s Village Council. Kay Koeninger ’73 is a professor of art at Sinclair Community College. Jackie Robbins ’73 is the former director of advancement information at Kenyon. Her interview took place over email as she is currently traveling in Paris, a city she fell in love with during study abroad as a Kenyon undergraduate. 

The following quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

How did you hear about Kenyon and why did you apply?

Davidson: I really loved the beauty of the place, and it kind of felt right. I think that’s not unusual, really. Some people come, they see it and think, “Oh, it’s a tiny place, and I’m not interested.” But for others, usually there’s something quite magical. 

Robbins: I heard about Kenyon when I received literature from the College encouraging me to apply. I was impressed by the academic reputation of the College, and, as a feminist, I was intrigued by the idea of being in the first class of women.

What are some adversities you faced as a female student on campus?

Koeninger: The first year I came, actually there were only two women on faculty. So within that group of almost all men, there were varying degrees of support and varying degrees of non-support. In fact, I had one young political science professor who actually told the class the first day, “Don’t expect, if you’re a woman student, to get above a B in this class.” Well, it helped me decide never to be a political science major. Some of the faculty obviously didn’t want women there, but in general, they were kind of the outliers.

Davidson: We were not allowed to sign the matriculation book. And it was made very clear to us early on that we were members of the Coordinate College for Women at Kenyon College, and not members of Kenyon College. And in a way, it was a distinction without a difference, particularly in the classroom.

Robbins: I really managed to get through Kenyon without too much adversity, but I was cautious (timid) in my social life. Academically, there were no real problems beyond occasional teasing, much of which would now be considered sexual harassment. I was the only woman in an upperclassman history course my freshman year. Some of the men in the class asked me to bake them a cake for their birthday. After I refused, suggesting that they buy a cake mix, no one in the class spoke to me for the rest of the year. 

Foreman: Dean [Doris] Crozier was an interesting woman, poor woman, because she both knew what challenges were going to be out there for women — intellectual, emotional, physical. It’s not like we were wild, but she knew the danger of getting pregnant. You need to be careful. You’re 18, and there’s no older woman around to give you some tips, if that makes sense. The first couple years, she helped a couple of women. She would lend them her car because the only place, if you didn’t want to carry a child, that you could get an abortion was New York State. So she would lend them her car. 

What was the relationship like between male and female students on campus? 

Koeninger: You know, a lot of times we would be the only woman in a class, especially when we got into the smaller classes and seminars, and that was kind of a challenge. When you’re in that position, you kind of become a symbol of all women, and that’s a really heavy burden to carry. I shouldn’t have thought that way, because, of course, I wasn’t a symbol for all the women in college, but you kind of felt that way too. But in general, for me, the classroom environment was okay. It was good, actually.

Robbins: I became very close friends with many of the men in my Class of 1973 and subsequent classes. Upperclassmen were often more of a challenge: Some were angry about having women on campus during the week and in their classes, some were all-too-welcoming of women for all the wrong reasons. Most, I think now, were just as uncertain and timid about this new Kenyon as many of the women were. 

Are there any moments of sisterhood and friendship that have stuck with you throughout the years? 

Davidson: We just enjoyed simple things and going on long walks through the countryside with groups of friends, or relaxing in the dorms, taking it easy, playing silly card games or something like that. And it’s in those quiet, continuing moments that the bonds are forged.

Koeninger: Yeah, in fact, I’m taking a trip this summer with women friends from Kenyon. We were together our junior year in the old Caples high-rise dorm right on the very top floor. A lot of my women friends and myself have really kept up with each other all through the years and still really enjoy being around each other. I think the women had a really close bond. I’m really thankful for that, and I think it’s because we were such a small class, and we did stick around with each other. 

Foreman: Our class is close, including the males. I think it was a little bit hard for the male students, because when anybody talked about the Class of ’73, the first thing they said was that it was the first full class of women to enter and graduate. And I’m like, “They’re not chopped liver.” They played a large role in getting us through college too, as we did with them, because your classmates help you.

Robbins: The women in my class share a very close bond that will endure as long as we do.