Description
- Abstract:
- In this interview, Phyllis Feynman Schlesinger, Brown University class of 1973, reflects on her childhood as the daughter of Canadian parents growing up in segregated Atlanta, Georgia, during the 1950s and 1960s. She recalls her parents' early activism for the Civil Rights Movement and describes the overt antisemitism she experienced in her public elementary school. Determined to leave Atlanta for an intellectually challenging environment, Schlesinger ignored her high school counselor’s recommendation to attend secretarial school and instead applied to Pembroke College - the women’s coordinate college in Brown University until 1971. She details her arrival at Brown in the fall of 1969, just as the New Curriculum was being implemented, and notes how the separate women's administration and living spaces at Pembroke initially appealed to her desire for female empowerment. Schlesinger discusses her unique academic journey at Brown, where she pursued an independent concentration in Inner City Teaching of Science under the guidance of physics professor Walter Massey, which allowed her to teach in Providence public schools. She highlights the liberating impact of the grade-free system, the crucial mentorship of biology TA Dr. Ripley, and the shifting social dynamics on campus, including strict dorm regulations set by parietal rules, the offensive student "pig books," and required posture pictures. As an elected member of the student government, Schlesinger helped navigate a politically charged campus environment defined by the Vietnam War draft lottery, the Black student walkout, and national outrage over the Kent State shootings in May 1970. She recalls the mass student meetings that ultimately led students to vote for a non-violent strike, shut down the university early for the semester, and secure a two-week academic break in October 1970 to canvas for local democratic candidates in Rhode Island. Schlesinger explains that after finishing her degree a semester early, she briefly taught science in the Bronx before moving to Wisconsin. While there, she successfully filed a landmark sex discrimination lawsuit after a public school district refused to hire her because she was female. This legal victory catalyzed her career in higher education. She details how she went on to work for the University without Walls program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, earn a master's degree, and complete a doctorate in organizational behavior at Boston University. Schlesinger spent decades teaching at Babson College and serving as an executive coach at Harvard Business School, and attributes her professional confidence and collaborative leadership style to the speaking and listening skills she honed at Brown. She concludes her interview by drawing parallels between the activism of the 1960s and contemporary political struggles, expressing her deep concern over the Supreme Court Dobbs decision that returned the authority to regulate or ban abortion entirely to individual state legislatures, threats to birthright citizenship, and modern social media echo chambers. She closes by affirming her ongoing commitment to marching for justice and equality. Please note that this abstract was originally drafted by Gemini and reviewed and edited by an archivist.
- Notes:
- Biographical/historical note: Phyllis Feynman Schlesinger was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, by Canadian parents. She attended Brown University, where she pursued an independent concentration in Inner City Teaching of Science and graduated a semester early with the class of 1973. While at Brown, Schlesinger was an elected member of the Camarian Club student government and met her husband, Leonard Schlesinger, during her freshman year on campus. Following graduation, she briefly taught junior high school science in the Bronx, New York, before relocating to Wisconsin, where she successfully filed a landmark sex discrimination lawsuit against a local public school district that had refused to hire her because of her gender. Schlesinger subsequently channeled her experiences into a multi-decade career in higher education and organizational behavior. She worked for the University without Walls program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, completed a master’s degree, and earned her doctorate in organizational studies from Boston University. Schlesinger went on to teach management and organizational behavior while serving as an academic administrator at several Boston-area institutions, including serving as a faculty member at Babson College from 1988 to 2001. Following her retirement from full-time teaching, she became an executive coach for Harvard Business School's Executive Education Program and joined the board of directors for the non-profit organization IDEA4Africa. Schlesinger currently resides in Dover, Massachusetts, and has three daughters and three granddaughters. Please note that this biographical note was originally drafted by Gemini and reviewed and edited by an archivist.
- Class year: 1973
- Phyllis Schlesinger, class of 1973, Brown University Library
- Digital object made available by: Brown University Library, John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts, Box A, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, U.S.A., (http://library.brown.edu/)
Citation
"Phyllis Schlesinger, class of 1973"
Pembroke Center Oral History Collection.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:838163/
Relations
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Phyllis Schlesinger, class of 1973
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Phyllis Schlesinger, class of 1973
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Phyllis Schlesinger, class of 1973
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Collection:
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Pembroke Center Oral History Collection
This collection contains oral history interviews with alumnae of Brown University, which admitted its first women students in 1891. The Women's College at Brown was renamed Pembroke College in 1928, and in 1971, Pembroke College merged with the Men's College …...