Voices of Worcester Women

160 Years after the First National Woman’s Rights Convention

by Maureen Ryan Doyle and Charlene L. Martin, Co-Chairs, Worcester Women’s Oral History Project

Cost: $15.00 (includes shipping & handling)
Net Proceeds benefit Worcester Women’s History Project

After several years of editing the oral histories of the Worcester Women’s Oral History Project, Charlene L. Martin and Maureen Ryan Doyle decided that these compelling stories must be shared. They researched the stories of over 250 women ages 18 to 103 who are from diverse ethnic, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds and compiled the excerpts in Voices of Worcester Women. The authors share a glimpse into the lives of today’s Worcester women and how 160 years after the First National Woman’s Rights Convention held in Worcester, MA it is intriguing to learn how far women have come and how many challenges they still face. The stories are divided into themes based on the topics of primary concern at the 1850 Convention—education, work, health, and politics—as well as a chapter devoted to memories unique to living in Worcester.

Although each woman’s story is truly her own, readers will find much to appreciate in the sharing of their everyday lives, their goals and dreams, and their challenges and successes. Whether reading about the first female professor at a formerly all-male college, a great-grandmother, a cancer survivor, or a motorcycle-riding nun, these stories provide a snapshot of the lives of extraordinary, ordinary women.

Maureen Ryan Doyle has worked as a freelance writer for many years and is also the owner of a small property management company in Central Massachusetts. She was the winner of Good Housekeeping Magazine’s New Traditionalist writing competition. Charlene L. Martin, Ed.D. has over thirty-five years of experience in higher education. She is the former Dean of Continuing Education at Assumption College, an adjunct professor, and the founding director of the Worcester Institute for Senior Education known as WISE.