University Park, PA -- The groundwork that prepared the way for many of the advances in the status of women in government was the work of a few good women and men in the Nixon administration, from 1969–74. The story of their efforts and the results achieved are recalled in an oral history collection "'A Few Good Women . . .' Advancing the Cause of Women in Government, 1969–74," recently archived in Penn State University Libraries' Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library. An overview of the project, including profiles, is available at www.afgw.libraries.psu.edu.

Richard M. Nixon took office in 1969, at the height of public discourse regarding Vietnam, civil rights, and women's rights. Asked at a press conference why so few women were among his appointees brought his promise to look into the matter. A task force was appointed, and it recommended the creation of a position charged with the recruitment of women for high-level positions in the Federal government. By 1972 the number of women in posts paying $28,000 and up (about $100,000 in today's dollars) had nearly tripled. By 1973, the number of top positions had quadrupled from four years earlier. Middle management positions increased, and other successes followed, including ripple effects in business, education, and the professions.

By 1997 a formal project, under the leadership of the Honorable Barbara Hackman Franklin, had begun to capture this pioneering effort through oral histories. Aetna Inc. Foundation provided major funding and other foundation contributors included AMP, Incorporated, The Dow Chemical Company, and Milacron, Inc. An agreement with Penn State University Libraries will ensure long-term archival management of the histories and provide access by scholars, historians, and the public.

For more information, visit the Penn State University Archives at www.libraries.psu.edu/crsweb/speccol/univarch.htm or call 814-865-7931.