Women of Fenn College Oral History Project
Barbara Moysey Sones (BA, 1965)
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Interview conducted through Cleveland State University's Mary Joyce Green Women's Center.
Transcript:
INTERVIEWER: Barb, you're going to be reflecting and remembering your years at Fenn and the time before and the time after. But tell us a little bit about yourself. Are you a native Clevelander?
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Yes. In fact, thank you, Rita, for calling and for inviting me to participate in this project. Yes, I was born and raised on the West Side of Cleveland, West 46th off Denison. My mom and dad-- my dad was one of the first homeowners in his family. Even during the Great Depression, this was something very important to him. He was a truck driver.
My mom was a stay-at-home mom at the beginning, then took part-time jobs. And I went to school-- I walked to school to Saint Boniface Catholic School right on West 54th off Denison and went there from elementary school through 11th grade. And then talk about a cultural shock to me. It was a 150 all-girls school, Catholic school, and it closed down. And here I was as a senior, having to make the transition to West Technical Public High School. And, of course, that was the closest of the Cleveland Municipal schools to me. So there I was, going to a coed school of almost 4,000 students.
And to say the least, I was a bit overwhelmed. Many of the students, of course, had known each other from elementary school, so I did kind of feel-- not quite a part of it, but you always find people like yourself who are not in quite the mainstream, the most popular kids in the class. And so I finished my high school at West Tech.
And then my sister before me-- my sister was five years younger than me, my little sister. And she was already at Ohio University and majoring in English, wanting to be a teacher. And not exactly knowing what I was going to do, and thinking that English was one of my better subjects, I decided to go to college like she did. And I chose Fenn because, obviously, my mom and dad didn't have a lot of money. Fenn was a co-op school, and so it would enable me, for one extra year, to really, pretty much, pay my way.
Of course, I think they offered me a scholarship that first year as well until the co-op program set in. So I decided to do that. It would enable me to live at home, which obviously would save some money as well. And so I was a commuter to a Fenn College. And, of course, most students would have been. I think there was some housing on campus, but not a lot. But anyway, I went back and forth very easily, often just taking the bus downtown and then walking from Public Square to East 24th Street, which in cold weather was not so much fun. But obviously, you could pick up the blue buses.
So I started in English. And after my first year there, then I started the co-op program. And so for the first three co-op assignments, I was working at the Cuyahoga County Library, which was great. I love books, loved reading. Worked in the bookmobile and help with shelving, all kinds of assignments. And then after that, I was given the assignment to start in the Cleveland Municipal Schools. And then for four quarters, I taught-- not taught-- I worked at-- John Marshall was one of them. I think Lincoln West was the second.
And I can't remember where the other two were, but because we were studying to be teachers, but were not, we could not, obviously, go in the classroom as teachers. But I got a lot of experience with working in the guidance counselors' office and the attendance office, the main office. So I really got an overall view of what the schools were like.
And I actually did also look in some of the classes as well. And then-- well, since I did go to John Marshall, too, after then, I finally came back to Cleveland to teach. That was my one and only English assignment, was dean at John Marshall. So that was kind of like a coming back home, which was great. So it convinced me that teaching was something that I would enjoy. It was a great program.
And the nice thing is because I went to school one quarter, worked a quarter, I pretty much was able to make enough money to pay my schooling off. And that was a great help because my sister at that time would have been graduated from Ohio U, but my brother was two years younger than I. So weren't sure what he was going to plan.
When I think of-- most of my life at Fenn was at Fenn Tower. I remember the second-floor lounge where, of course, I know you, Rita, and Connie Geffert and Connie Rankerd and so many other people. That was the place you stopped on your way before classes started. And knowing that we were going to talk today, I was thinking about some of the teachers who I still remember 40 years later. And probably, my all-time favorite was Professor Hazelrig.
This was, of course, after I got into the upper-level English classes. But he was just one of the most passionate, dynamic people. And still remember that we were-- I think we were studying Wordsworth, and he was going over some famous pass, mountain pass. And Professor Hazelrig got on his toes-- I mean, he was standing, and his arms were in the air, and he was talking about this mystical experience. And I thought, my goodness. I mean, he loved literature, and he loved ideas.
The other one who was much more colorful than-- and Professor Hazelrig was just a fine teacher-- was Professor Haas. And he taught Chaucer. And I remember it was very, very dramatic. And he would come in, and he would always be sitting at the front of the room. And there was a window there. And he would go over-- as soon as he would walk in, he would have his tie flying over his shoulder, and he would go and open the window. And I mean, it would be like-- and he often would wear a cape, so he really-- it was very dramatic. And so I still remember his torturing us to try to pronounce Chaucer in Middle English.
And then some of the other things-- I did not join a sorority, but I did become part of the choir. And Professor Drossen, I think-- I still remember him-- was the music teacher as well as choir director. And I have zero acting background, and my voice is pretty pitiful. But again, they were pretty much taking anybody. But I remember we staged The Mikado, and I was in the choir there with my friend Linda. And we had a lot of fun. They did the wigs, and they did the makeup.
But one of the funniest experiences was Professor Drossen thought that our choir should make an LP of Civil War songs. We were the most pitiful-sounding choirs. I would never, ever, ever, unless I knew somebody, have purchased such an LP. But it was a lot of fun. We learned all of the old Civil War songs. And he just thought this was the greatest idea. So some of those were just very colorful. The student teaching I did at Carl Schuller. Let's see. That would have been middle school.
And in November of that year, my year as a senior, I was in a car accident. And I compressed two vertebrae so that after I got out of Metro Hospital, obviously, I had to stop student teaching. I was on crutches, although it was my back that was injured, not my legs. And so my brother had this beat-up jalopy car that was supposedly very cool. And so he would take me to Carl Schuller in this maroon-- I don't know what it was with a built-up back and stripes down it, and he thought that was really fun. But he helped me out.
And then I still remember that-- I don't remember how I got back to school, but when I would take classes, my dad was a truck driver. And so I still remember very vividly coming out of Fenn Tower-- it was one of those circular doors-- and looking down the street. And that was before East 24th was blocked off. It was a through street. And there would be my dad's favorite ice cream truck waiting for me. And then I would-- not exactly hobble, because I could actually walk, but I was supposed to keep the weight off my back. And I would go, and then he would drive me home. And that happened until I obviously I could put my crutches away.
So it was a very good school for me. I was very, very happy with the program, met a lot of wonderful people like Rita. And I was trying to think how Rita and I ended up going to the University of Chicago. And my sense was that the Master of Arts in Teaching Program was a brand-new program that was going to be begun at the University of Chicago, and they were making very nice scholarships available. Again, it would not have been something I probably would have been able to afford so much. But the opportunity to go to the University of Chicago was amazing, overwhelming.
And my only concern-- I had not been away to school, but I was going to be going with Rita. We were going to room together at the graduate apartments, and so there was no fear of that so much. But I wondered about going from a very small liberal arts school to the University of Chicago. I just felt like I probably would be blown away. But I was very, very pleased to see that I could-- I mean, not that I had the background of somebody coming from some of the wonderful undergraduate schools that fed into the university, but I really felt that I was competent, that the kind of education I had gotten from Fenn stood me in good stead. So it was a very, very good experience because, again, I had not been away from home.
So that was a two-year program at the University of Chicago. And the only unusual thing that happened is the program had been set up so that the students had one year in the same kind of graduate work that any English major would have. But then the second year, we were supposed to go into the Chicago Public Schools and work half-time with another student. Well, I remember for me what happened is that the student, for some reason, either got sick or had to drop out. And so I was asked to take over the class full-time, which was a little bit of a shocker. But anyway, it worked out fine. It was great support from the people at the University of Chicago.
And again, it was a wonderful experience. We lived very close to the lake. It was a beautiful campus. And we also had the opportunity to get down to Chicago and see some of the sights there-- not often. We didn't have a lot of money. But we became friends with other people like ourselves who were in the area. And so it was a very good experience for me. And then when I decided, though, that I would be coming back to Cleveland where my family was-- so that would have been-- I graduated in '65, June of '65. I had two years at the University of Chicago, then I came back in June of '67 and applied for a position in the Cleveland Municipal Schools and was accepted at John Marshall, which, having done my co-op, one quarter co-op, was really a nice thing to do.
So I was hired and started. In fact, since you want to know a little bit about my marriage, I will tell you that the very first-- Bill and I have a different point of view of what happened here, but we were both new teachers in English. And so we went to an in-service just to tell us a little bit about the program. And Bill was new to the city, having come from Dayton. And I had taken the bus from my home downtown. And then I think it was that John Hay that we had this in-service.
And so when the program was over, I went up to Bill and asked if he knew where I would pick up the bus to go back home. And he said I was trying to pick him up, but I object to that. Perhaps there was an element of it, but honestly, I really didn't know where the bus was since I wasn't an east sider And so he was nice enough to say he would drop me-- he would take me downtown. And so we started to talk on the way back. And he said that he was brand new to the city. He was kind of homesick. He hadn't had a good home-cooked meal. His mom was a great cook.
And so I said, well, why don't you take me home, and I'll ask mom if she has enough food for an extra person? So again, that's not typically how I would act. I'm a little bit-- and I was certainly at that time a little shyer. But nonetheless, I was feeling pretty-- well, I don't know if Bill would say drawn to him or just being generous. But nonetheless, I still remember he had a red Buick because his dad worked for General Motors, and he got a discount on that. And it was almost brand new.
But anyway, I remember he dropped me off-- it was 46th. And I said, well, let me check to see if that's OK with Mom. And went in-- of course, my mother was very generous. And I still remember what we were having. We were having beef stew and homemade apple pie. I think it was my mother's cooking that got Bill interested. So we dated from-- that would have been August or September of '67.
And Bill's sister came to visit over St. Patrick's Day in '68, and Bill proposed in the airport when we were taking her back. So I guess I passed that test, too, that his sister seemed to like me well enough. So anyway, he did propose. And I did say I had to think about it, but I guess it was-- anyway, I obviously said yes. And we have been married for-- well, since June of '68, so we've been married 40 years.
And we have no children. We lived in Cleveland except for the very first year when we got married. And we lived several blocks away from John Marshall on West 143rd off Lorraine. But then my sister's good friend lived in an apartment in Cleveland Heights, and she let my sister know that there was a place that was going to become open. And so Bill and I went over-- the place we were at was just a one-bedroom on West 143rd. It was kind of busy on the street, and there was some kind of factory behind. And it would constantly blow soot, and there'd be soot on the windowsills.
So we thought, well, Cleveland Heights might be a little bit cooler place to be. So we went in. This place was just gorgeous-- I mean, gorgeous just in terms of what we'd been used to. It was all hardwood floors and tall ceilings, and it had a big front porch and a smaller back porch. And it had built-in bookshelves. And I think Bill and I, both loving to read and both teachers-- because Bill was a teacher in English until he decided to try his hand at writing-- and so we rented the place. And so we stayed-- we were there for 33 years, but for the first few years, we were renting.
And then the owner of the building had the-- he and his wife wanted to spend half of the year in Florida, so he wanted the place to be a stable place and offered all of the people who were currently there the opportunity to purchase the apartment as a condo. And I think-- I still remember-- I think it was $39,900. It was one of those offers you can't refuse. We loved the place. We knew it well. We were a block away from Coventry Village, and I would walk up there all the time to eat at Hunan's And, of course, there was a bank on the corner, and the library was within walking-- I loved the walking community of Cleveland Heights. And it was a diverse community, very, very lovely.
So Bill and I were very happy. And we did decide then to purchase the condo. And we stayed there for 33 years through all of my teaching. And when I retired in '95-- let's see-- I retired in '95. My friend gave me a-- OK, so I think we were just talking about my teaching for 30-- I think it was 29 or 30 years at John Marshall. Very good experience.
The last few years were probably some of my best. I was offered the opportunity to teach in the honors program, which was a very coveted program. And so that worked out very, very nicely. I was part of the-- we had a-- I guess it would be a literary art collection called martial arts, which we thought was so clever. And so it was-- I really enjoyed that. The students love to do poetry. Some of them like to draw. Some of them wrote short stories, but most of it was that.
And I did that for maybe six or seven years. And then, of course, I taught ninth grade honors. And the last two years were just remarkable. I had a-- she would be a performance poet, Mary Weems. So I think Mary is at Cleveland State or was at Cleveland State. Mary is a wonderful poet. I think she also writes plays as well. But she came to my class and did a performance poetry-- she did a poetry unit, and she was just absolutely dynamic and opened up to the students something that I just didn't have the talent or the ability to do. So I really left on a wonderful note.
But at this time, as anybody who knows the Cleveland Municipal Schools now, I guess the Cleveland Metropolitan Schools now, just lots and lots of economic hard times. And I think at that time in '95, there was talk about the state taking over the schools. And we had been through so much turmoil.
And I never was transferred from John Marshall, but I was always just right at the edge. I would be the next-- if they had gone one more person, I would have been transferred to another school. I was very fortunate because I think having-- if I had been transferred to a middle school, I think it would have been much, much harder for me. I was not a strong disciplinarian. But the students-- usually, I could relate pretty well to the students. They were very supportive.
And we generally worked together. They tried to help me discipline the classes. I don't think I would have lasted in middle school more than a day. But nonetheless, that wasn't an issue for me because I just had a little bit more seniority than other people who were not so fortunate. So I stayed in for-- I think it was 29 years at Marshall, and then I got a year's credit for being in Chicago since that was a full year's credit. And even I was able to buy some of the time from Fenn College because I was in the Cleveland schools for the four quarters. They accepted that.
So when I saw that they were going to take-- the state would take over the schools, and they were going to try to run it more like a business. And I thought, I don't think that this is really in the best interest of the students or the teachers. And so because I had enough years to retire-- I still remember that probably in March of that year, I went to tell the principal that I was going to retire. And I still remember his comment. He said, I always thought they would take you out on your shield like a fallen soldier. And I said, well, I think it's just time for me to go.
And so I made the break. And then as I maybe mentioned-- maybe I didn't-- when I retired, several of my very good friends from John Marshall had retired a year or two earlier. Some of them were involved with the League of Women Voters. And one of the teacher friends who I taught American studies with, she, as a retirement, gift gave me a gift of membership to the League of Women Voters. And I remember that I went to the-- they had a training session, an introductory session called Ignite the Passion where this one facilitator was trying to talk about what the value of the league was.
And I met a woman that became my mentor. Her name was Shirley Babbitt. She, in fact, was a supervisor in the Cleveland schools, I believe in phys ed. And so she approached me at the end of the meeting and said, would you like to join our board? And I said, but Shirley, you just met me. She said, well, you have enough friends on the board that I think that I won't be making a mistake. So I said, well, sure.
I've always had an interest in politics. But honestly, when I taught full time, I didn't have a lot of extra time to get involved with things like that, social issues. So I decided to do it. And I agreed to be a-- I guess it was like a-- I would do public relations and publicity. And so I was going to help with the-- there was a little booklet that the league put out every two months or so. So I got involved that way. And then I think about in 1999, Shirley and her friend Jermaine [INAUDIBLE] really didn't want to be quite so actively involved with being president. And so she asked if I would consider being co-president with her so that she would then be my mentor. And I really, really did not want to do it.
But I remember Shirley-- Shirley was astute. She brought out the big guns. She asked me on a day when we had-- once a year, we had this Belle Sherman Democracy in Action Award. Well, this happened to be-- we were awarding Donna Shalala the award, but Donna Shalala happened to be a graduate of West Tech. And so I did not know her well. I knew her, and she and her twin sister both were in my graduating class. But they, of course, had been part of the school from the time they were very young. I didn't know her. But nonetheless, we were honoring her.
So she was there as our guest. Well, Shirley also invited-- the National League president, Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, happened to be a native Clevelander. She was principal, I think, in Cleveland Heights, one of the alternative schools, but she also had just finished writing a history of the Black vote. And she had gone on to become National League president. So Shirley invited her because, of course, Donna Shalala was also a local person. And so Shirley asked me again, don't you think you'd be co-president? Well, she got Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins to come over and say, this is something, of course, I absolutely should do.
And it was a little too much pressure for me to say no. But fortunately for Shirley, she took-- understanding that I was a little bit shy and that I didn't exactly like speaking in front of big groups. She took a lot of that on herself because she was co-president. But I could do other things that she was not maybe quite as comfortable with-- certainly, again, being the editor of The Voter and other things.
So anyway, it worked out fine. But unfortunately, Shirley died of a heart attack 2000-- maybe 2001, 2002. I think it was February of 2002. And so it was devastating for everybody. She was just such a wonderful person and so kind to me and such a positive person. And her good friend Jermaine, who they shared a side-by-side condo out in Homestead Township at the Renaissance, she was a doctor. And she discovered Shirley and could do nothing to save her good friend.
So anyway, we plodded along, and I continued until-- let's see-- that would been 2002, so from 1999 to 2005. By that time, Bill-- Bill had been a teacher, then he went into freelancing. And then he started-- he did a column with John McGreevy, Case Western Reserve professor of physics. Guy was a probability guru, and he and Bill got along famously.
They shared a lot of values. And they started to do a column called "The Numbers Column." And they were published in The Plain Dealer and other places, the Sunday magazine. So I helped Bill with some of the editing. And obviously, once I retired, I had a little bit more time because it was just-- teaching English was a busy prospect.
Nonetheless, so Bill started that, and I was just involved as an editor. And then John wanted to take the column a little bit different direction. And by this time, Bill's brother, who is his-- he has an older brother but has a younger brother too who was nine years his junior, just got his PhD from Ohio State and came back to Cleveland. Mary came back to Cleveland and lived in Cleveland Heights. And they were getting together. They had a little table at Nighttown called The Philosophers' Table. And the four of them, our good friends Roger and Richard McMillan, would get together, and they would just talk everything. And occasionally, I would go over, but largely, it was the guys' night out.
And so that was where they started talking about starting a new column called "Strange But True." By this time, I had retired, and so I became the chief editor for Bill's column. And they did very, very well. It was a great contact for Bill and his brother because Rich was-- Rich is-- a wonderful, wonderful, loving brother, supportive, very, very good to me as well. And so they could hatch over ideas. And so Bill started writing that column, and he gave control of the "Numbers" column to John. And then unfortunately, John just got sick. He suffered a stroke and was not able to continue. But Bill did continue with his brother.
And 2002-- oh, again, because of the internet. Bill's brother was obviously nine years younger, very computer literate, and Bill and I were dunderheads when it came to computers. And Bill still remembers-- and I do vaguely-- one day, we lived in Cleveland Heights on the third floor of an apartment building, beautiful old building right on Euclid Heights Boulevard. He rang the doorbell, and he brought up a computer. He had a computer, a monitor. And he said, Bill, this is ludicrous. You are typing with an old Remington standard. This is nonsense.
So he set it up, and then Bill, of course, took to it and eventually was able to, of course, get the internet connection and then to actually be able to market his columns. And so I've been a part of that little project. And the wonderful culmination for Bill, although the column is still going on, is that in 2002, Bill often will write to publishers and ask them for complimentary copies with the hope that he can use the book and then he can use-- mention the book in the column that he's doing.
And he got a call from [INAUDIBLE] Press. And the guy-- his name is Jeff Gallo-- said, Bill, I really think you have a great idea for a book. He said, I was flabbergasted. I was flabbergasted. Because Bill had been thinking about writing a different book. And he looked at trying to get an agent, and just absolutely no luck, and he just kind of dropped the idea.
And also, then the column was picking up a little bit because with the internet, you can so easily just spam and show people what you do. And he had a little bit of experience with The Plain Dealer. So when they offered the opportunity for the book, it was just a wonderful opportunity because Bill didn't have to do any new writing. All of this he could use from the columns that he had done.
Jeff already had the idea, can a guy get pregnant? Scientific answers to everyday and not so everyday questions. And he said, let's do it in four parts so you only have to-- all we had to do was just go through all of Bill's archive and just choose what we thought were some of the most interesting topics under those headings. And all Bill had to write, new material, was a preface of four pages.
And so they set up a publicity-- Bill, I think was on 22-- all done over the phone. Again, talk about advances. He was interviewed 22 different times about the book. And Bill and I had a lot of fun trying to get him through that because it's a little bit nerve-wracking, to say the least, when you're talking live, live, not video, not edited, on the phone, and they can ask you any question from the book. But nonetheless, we got through that very well. And they, in fact, were actually going to fly Bill and Rich, and I was going to go along for the ride to New York to be on Fox and Friends.
But I think what happened is that there was another book that just, unfortunately, for Bill and Rich, came out at the same time called Why Do Men Have Nipples and Other Questions-- I'm not sure of the subtitle-- that you've always been embarrassed to ask your doctor. Well, the authors were a medical doctor from New York City and a humorist. And it came out, like, three months before Bill and Rich's did. And so I think there was a sense in which-- because it was done somewhat like a Q&A, because Bill's was all Q&A. So I think that maybe they decided that that wasn't exactly cost-effective to send Bill and Rich to New York City, and so that didn't happen. But that's OK.
And so that pretty much takes us up to the present except in July of this year. Bill has been trying to get into The Plain Dealer since his "Numbers" column. But unfortunately, there were all kinds of problems with rights. Bill and I joked that at one point, they wanted Bill and Rich to sign away all rights in perpetuity in the universe-- in the cosmos, in the cosmos. And, of course, Bill could not do that. And it was good that he didn't because he would never have been able to have the book published since the rights would have been compromised.
So anyway, when all of the downturn in the economy started, The Plain Dealer decided to downsize. And Bill had been spamming them periodically and just saying, I'm still here, and I'm still doing this column. So they actually called Bill-- it must have been the middle of June of this year-- and said we have a space for you for your column if you'd like it. Well, Bill was absolutely delighted, delighted. And again, because he could draw on a 10-year archive-- he continues to write new things, but he didn't have to do any new writing. He just had to choose things.
So that was just great for Bill and great for me as well. In fact, Bill, with the book, actually wanted to put me as an author. And I said, no, that would not be correct. But he did have a little-- they put "and Barb Sones" on the front page. And in fact, Rita, I'd like to give you that book. That's your copy from Bill and me. But again, when they made the offer for The Plain Dealer, Bill was absolutely absolutely. And so at this point, Bill had developed MS, and it had gotten a little bit worse. And he wasn't able to walk like he had been able to when we came here.
But on the first day, July 1 of this year, Bill wrote a little announcement to all the people on Ray Road, the 29 other houses. And Bill and I-- he went out in his wheelchair, and I pushed him up and down, and we stopped at every mailbox announcing that Bill was going to have a column in The Plain Dealer. And it was wonderful, not only wonderful for Bill-- I mean, wonderful for me because I felt this was a connection that Bill could have. And I'm still the chief editor, and I certainly know about all of the columns that Bill-- and it really, I would say, has kept my editing skills good. I mean, certainly when I was an English teacher, I had to do a lot of grading of papers. But Bill has a real light style.
And so I continued to work with the League of Women Voters, but I gave up being the president to Penny Jeffrey just a year ago. And so I'm still on the board. I'm not able to go to meetings as often, but I know that when I was president, I was also doing The Voter, which, again, is a bi-monthly publication. It's very, very hard to be president and do that. So I felt with Penny very graciously agreeing to take over-- she went through a vote, of course, but I was very glad to see that she was willing to consider stepping into that position-- I decided to take on The Voter because I knew that at least would take a little bit of a burden off of her.
And so I continue to do that. And then my only other project that I'm very proud of, but I haven't seen copies of it, so I really can't share it, but it's connected with the Euclid Corridor indirectly-- the Oral History Project. The league has, as a publication, the history of the Black vote, but we did not have a history of the women's vote. And I was always interested in women's history when I was at-- I guess it was when I was at John Marshall.
There was a point at which we could do-- what would you call them-- like in-service classes where they weren't exactly a part of the accepted curriculum. But if a teacher had an interest-- well, I know that I did at least one quarter, one semester on women's history. And I had this little book, a little paperback that I used. And the kids really seemed to enjoy it.
I also remember I used to take yoga classes, and I loved yoga. And I remembered that I stayed after school one semester and taught a yoga class to six or eight or 10 kids, because I love yoga, and I think it's a wonderful-- not only a skill, but something that can be used throughout your lifetime once you know the general principles of it, once you know some of the positions and a little bit of the breathing. It's something that I've used, that I continue to use now. And I thought that it would be something that some of the students might like, which they did.
But anyway, getting back to the women's history, then, I said-- because I knew that I would not be able to be quite so active on the board, but that I knew we had an interest in a gap in our publications, I said that that would be my summer project, especially knowing that Hillary Clinton was running for the Democratic position as president. And I thought that would be just a great tool to have. So the internet was just amazing. I remember having done research for letters I would write to the editor, why should people vote or other things like that.
But with this, I just went on and did a timeline of women's history, and six different timelines came out. And then I wanted to do a little bit about statistics about how many women are in political office. And Rutgers University has this wonderful website. They said, all you have to do is just give us a mention, but anything that's there, you can use. So I was able to put it together, really, in a month's time. And I was amazed it went that quickly. It's only a tri-fold or quad-fold on women, but it would be something, again, very easily given to young people or, really, any kind of meetings that you would have.
So that's in the process of being printed, and that is my latest project. So my interest from Fenn with English and with-- well, I won't say writing because I was never a good writer. I remember-- oh, that was the other class I remember, Alberta Turner in-- I we had to take a class in creative writing. I was not creative. My forte is definitely not creative writing. But I would still say that the editing part, I think that I have more of an interest in, maybe a little bit more of a talent.
So anyway, when I was the league president, I did write letters to the editor. I had a very nice piece published, the op ed, page about why should women vote-- no, no, no-- why should women vote for 2004-- why should people vote? And I think my working with Bill has made it more possible for me to know, how do you put together something that would be of interest to people, not scholarly but a little bit more colorful? And so because Bill has to write in a colorful way, I was able to pick up some of the ideas.
And so anyway, I was very fortunate that they did run that "Why Vote." In fact, they made it a full page-- it was a full page on the op ed page, which was really, really wonderful. So that was 2004, though, because I remember the National League president came, and we actually went down to The Plain Dealer to speak with the editorial board. And after I did, I went to speak to Gloria Milner because we thought some of the information that the National League president had given might be of interest to Gloria Milner, who was the op ed page editor. And so she just said, yeah, why don't you try it?
And she was very supportive, very helpful. The league was just very, very pleased when that was printed. So I continue. I think that would be some of my major interests-- working with Bill, doing the editing. I'm still part of a book club that I joined 30 years ago. In fact, Bill and I were some of the original founders. The group has gone through a lot of changes, but we still are meeting-- 11 months of the year we read, and then Christmas, we just have a get-together. But I've read some great books, and I've got a lot of good ideas. And that is pretty much taking you to the present, Rita. So have I covered it OK? And what else might I-- questions might I answer?
INTERVIEWER: You covered a lot of material. I'm thinking back to some of your activities during your Fenn days. I think you were on The Cauldron a couple of years.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Oh, I was.
INTERVIEWER: Two to three years you wrote for The Cauldron, come to think of writing.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Rita, I didn't remember that, but you're right.
INTERVIEWER: And weren't you president of the Ohio Student Education Association?
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Oh, that doesn't sound like I would have done it. But The Cauldron I definitely remember.
INTERVIEWER: I think you took over the presidency of the Ohio State Education Association back in '62 or so if my memory is serving me correctly.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Well, your memory is certainly finer than mine because I didn't remember that. I don't have a strong recollection of that. But again, I defer to you. That is very possible. I really should have tried to find my yearbook. It's probably downstairs someplace. And maybe they actually would have listed. The Cauldron I do remember now that you mention it.
INTERVIEWER: You wrote for The Cauldron. That I recall. The other thing that I remember is-- didn't you work for the head of the English Department, Dr. Randall?
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Yes. Oh, I'm so glad you remember that. Oh, I certainly did. He was so wonderful. Oh, he was so-- just such a gentleman. Oh, yes, I'm so glad that you-- and why I don't remember? And as soon as you mentioned him of course, I can still picture him. Yes, Dean Randall. So that must have been probably my junior or senior year.
INTERVIEWER: I believe you worked for him. And when we were rooming in Chicago, he came to visit you.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Oh, no, Rita. Oh, no.
INTERVIEWER: I can still remember that.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES I don't remember that.
INTERVIEWER: That would probably slip your memory, but it sticks in my mind because I don't think we were quite-- we probably had late classes, and we weren't quite ready to go to class, so I had to run down and let him in.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Oh, my goodness, Rita. I did not remember that at all.
INTERVIEWER: He was probably recruiting.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Oh, I bet so. I'll bet so.
INTERVIEWER: He was probably recruiting for the English Department at the time.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES And, of course, he would have been very proud to have you and myself going from Fenn College to the University of Chicago and the master of arts and teaching. And he probably was the source of the information about the Master of Arts and teaching program. Oh, that's wonderful. Oh, he was fine. He was fine.
INTERVIEWER: [INAUDIBLE] coming, knocking at the door.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Oh, I'm so glad you remembered.
INTERVIEWER: I was surprised he was over there.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES I'm so glad you remembered that. I did not remember that. Oh, yes. Oh, he was a wonderful, fine, fine person, fine person.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, and you worked for him, as I recall.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Yes, I did. You're exactly right. I did. But it was a great experience. Fenn College was all I expected it to be. And the background I got stood me in such great stead as we went to the university and teaching and, of course, continuing that with working with Bill, doing the editing working at the League, the writing. And we actually did the copy of the history of the women's vote, something that I really care very deeply about, to be able to put something like that together.
Oh, and then the connection with the Euclid Corridor is when I was talking to Sharon McGraw, the executive director of the Ed Fund. She said that they had contacted-- the Euclid Corridor Project had contacted the League. Because in 1920 when women first got the vote, Belle Sherwin, who was the first president of the League-- she was the daughter of the Sherwin of Sherwin-Williams-- she felt that all women needed to be educated to vote. And I believe that before women got the right to vote, they actually put a mock voting place on 9th and Euclid.
And so women could actually go there and see what the voting process would be like. And I remember that Belle Shewin's motto was "every woman an educated voter." And so she was the local president of the League for four years and then went on to become National League president. And her going to Washington established some of the principles of the League, nonpartisanship and the candidates nights and all of that. So when the Euclid Corridor Project talked to Sharon, they wanted to do something connected with the League connection with, again, voting.
And I said, oh, Sharon, you should ask for a kiosk at 9th and Euclid because that is exactly where they had this little voting booth that women could go to to understand about how to vote. And then I said, oh, wouldn't it be great if we could have some of the history of the women's vote to be available? So I don't know at what point that is, but Sharon said that that was something that they were talking about. Because all along-- and I haven't been down to see the new Euclid Corridor, but all along the Euclid Corridor, they wanted to put various signages about various organizations, various groups. And the League was going to be one of them.
So talk about, again, small world. 24th and Euclid was my home for five years going to school and walking up and down Euclid Avenue. And coming back to it is just a delight. So this has been a wonderful, wonderful experience. And again, you were mentioning Dr. Randall. I mean, it's such a special thing, and I feel badly that I didn't remember, and I guess maybe because he wasn't maybe as dramatic a teacher as Professor Drossen. But just a wonderful support person and just a great individual. So thank you again. Anything else that you would like me to answer?
INTERVIEWER: I can't think of anything else. Anything else you want to share?
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES I think I talked a little bit too much, but it's been wonderful, wonderful recollections of some of those charming, delightful kinds of memories. And again, it was a great school, great school for me. I have very, very positive feelings about all of my experiences there. And the co-op experience really helped me to make the comfortable transition to teaching. So all of that was very good for me. So thank you, Rita, for taking the time to do that. And I'll be glad to--
INTERVIEWER: Barbara, thank you so much, and thank Bill too. And thank you for the book moving forward.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES We had a few extra copies of--
INTERVIEWER: The women's vote, yes.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES Oh, I definitely-- in fact, I'll get your--
INTERVIEWER: Any idea when [INAUDIBLE]?
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES It should be published already. The League, because of the economic times, just hasn't had the money. So I think we [AUDIO OUT] fund that somebody had endowed. It was an endowment. And I think they were going to take that. I'm sure that it's probably published now, but I just haven't been downtown to pick up a copy. [AUDIO OUT] if you give me your address, because I do have your phone number. Give me-- [AUDIO OUT] a copy. I'll send you a copy.
INTERVIEWER: Thank you. You should get a copy to [AUDIO OUT].
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES I'm sure--
INTERVIEWER: They would love seeing that.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES And, of course, the nice thing is Mareyjoyce Green, of course, she's on the board.
INTERVIEWER: So she knows.
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES She would have that. [INAUDIBLE] will be sure that they get it. In fact, the-- I'm trying to think of [AUDIO OUT] I worked with a while. We were doing-- oh, I forgot something else that I did, but you don't [AUDIO OUT] necessarily, but--
INTERVIEWER: No, that's OK. [INAUDIBLE]
BARBARA MOYSEY SONES It was a wonderful thing that we did also with the help of the Cleveland [INAUDIBLE]. One of my other projects [AUDIO OUT] doing something [AUDIO OUT] in an outreach program. And one [AUDIO OUT] in my knowledge. And I don't have a really great background in [AUDIO OUT], but was the role of Black women in the suffrage movement. [AUDIO OUT] research with the help of Miriam [AUDIO OUT] the Social Sciences Department of [AUDIO OUT]. I guess the library downtown [AUDIO OUT].
