"Gloria Kaufman: Gone, but not forgotten" newspaper article, 2004 October 6
Title
"Gloria Kaufman: Gone, but not forgotten" newspaper article, 2004 October 6
Description
This is an article published in the Preface several months after Gloria Kaufman's death as a tribute to her life and accomplishments.
"Gloria Kaufman: Gone, but not forgotten" describes her successful yet controversial B250 course that featured numerous guest speakers. Aside from her position as a professor, Kaufman was a writer, filmmaker, and all-around activist. Those who knew Kaufman saw her as a "gentle revolutionary."
The article also mentions the Gloria Kaufman Memorial Fund which was used to fund the Gloria Kaufman Memorial Lecture series as well as a scholarship.
"Gloria Kaufman: Gone, but not forgotten" describes her successful yet controversial B250 course that featured numerous guest speakers. Aside from her position as a professor, Kaufman was a writer, filmmaker, and all-around activist. Those who knew Kaufman saw her as a "gentle revolutionary."
The article also mentions the Gloria Kaufman Memorial Fund which was used to fund the Gloria Kaufman Memorial Lecture series as well as a scholarship.
Creator
Martin, Kara
Source
Gloria Kaufman Papers, Indiana University South Bend Archives and Special Collections
Date
2004-10-06
Rights
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University South Bend Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. The Indiana University South Bend Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyright interest for non-university records or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. It is the researcher’s responsibility to seek permission from the copyright owner and any other rights holders for any reuse of these images that extends beyond fair use or other statutory exemptions. Furthermore, responsibility for the determination of the copyright status and securing permission rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University South Bend Archivist.
Identifier
Kaufman_Box2_Folder92_K023_Combined
Text
The IUSB Preface
October 6, 2004
Gloria Kaufman: Gone, but not forgotten
Kara Martin
Staff Reporter
"People often have an image or vision of themselves --often they don't go beyond that vision. She desired to give people a bigger vision of themselves... she wanted to see her students have bigger dreams." said daughter, Miriam, of retired IUSB English Professor, Gloria Kaufman. Kaufman was founder and director of the Women's Studies department and Women's Resource Center, IUSB Affirmative Action Officer, author, filmmaker, and political activist. She passed away this June at the age of 75.
Kaufman, who taught English at IUSB for nearly three decades, was instrumental in founding the Women's Studies department and starting communication about feminism in our community. Before she came to IUSB, no one had even thought of creating a Women's Studies program. When she began teaching, she saw that many women had no vision of what they could become, they had no idea of the possibility of doing something more for themselves.
Kaufman brought many speakers to IUSB through her influential, and at times controversial, course B250, which has left a lasting impression on many students and people in the community.
The concept of this course was to have a class taught almost entirely by guest lecturers. The B250 course was open to the public, and it was so popular that many people who were not students, or students who had already taken the course, would come to have their minds expanded -- both men and women. The B250 course brought such speakers as Vinie Burrows, Dale Spender, Leslie Kanes Weissman, Juanita Price, Z Budapest, Carol Christ and Naomi Goldenberg, among many others.
Some of these guest lecturers stirred quite a controversy when they came, because of the conservative atmosphere of the area during the 1970s. The purpose of this course was to expose people to different viewpoints. In addition, Kaufman wanted to make the achievements of women more visible, to educate people about differing religions, particularly those that focused on the female and were rarely discussed (both contemporary, as in Wiccan practices, and ancient, as many ancient cultures revered female deities), and to present examples of women other than those typically portrayed in the media at the time. Back then, there was no Xena or Buffy on TV, women were typically stereotyped into the role of "homemaker." Women in the media were portrayed as being pretty but not smart, a few were smart but not pretty, but you couldn't be both. These opinions were presented in the national media. Locally, people questioned the woman's right to vote, debated whether women should be allowed to work outside the home, and if so, which professions were acceptable for a woman. People even questioned whether girls could play baseball at school. At times, teachers could be dismissive of girls, as they expected most ofthem to just get married and have children -the "important;' work was intended for the boys. Sexual harassment was common. People had misconceptions about battered women, believing that women liked it, or that they deserved it, or brought it on themselves. People were opposed to women leaving abusive marriages for religious reasons, even as women were being seriously injured and even killed. Shelters for battered women were nonexistent. Of course, not everyone believed these things, but these issues were being debated. Also, South Bend was not unique in being any more conservative than the most conservative places at this time.
Many people say that Gloria Kaufman changed their whole life. Even though Kaufman was an activist, challenging deep rooted ideologies, she has been described as a "gentle revolutionary."
Her daughter, Miriam, emphasized that she was not combative as many people might suppose a political activist would be. Her teaching was quite the opposite.
Former student Ruth Dilley describes her memories of Kaufman and the B250 course: "Lots of people would show up who had taken the class before, it was a big event, each class meeting. You knew you were being impacted in a big way. For those of us who were fortunate enough to have known her, it was how she modeled kindness and wisdom, and shaped our world to be a better place. She would do this primarily by identifying and educating us about what is not wisdom and kindness, for example: sexism, fascism, eurocentrism, and so forth. She was able to model what is kind and wise in life by introducing individuals that were working creatively to bring solutions to these limited ways of thinking. Something that impacted me profoundly was learning to do this social work and transformation in a place of love and joy and not hatred and violence as so many activists (do). Kaufman spread love and joy and the goodness of creation ... she was all about using our power to create kindness."
There will be a memorial service in Gloria Kaufman's honor on Wednesday, October 13th in the Administration building at IUSB. In addition to various speakers, a painting of Kaufman by Tony Droge will be on display, there will be readings from her work, and if possible, screenings of several of her video-poems. The painting by Tony Droge is then anticipated to be on permanent display at the South Bend Regional Museum of Art. The memorial is open to the general public and anyone who wants to be inspired, whether they knew Gloria Kaufman or not, is encouraged to attend.
The Gloria Kaufman Memorial Fund has been established to finance an annual guest lecture and a scholarship. The speaker will be chosen by the Women's Studies Governing Board to address a topic of interest in the field of Women's Studies. The scholarship is anticipated to be available for the Fall 2005 semester, and is intended for a student who has shown leadership in the advancement of Women's Studies. The amount ofthe award and the recipient will be determined by the Liberal Arts Scholarship Committee and the Director of Student Scholarships, and the scholarship is to be presented at the annual lecture.
Kaufman coedited two noted anthologies of feminist humor, "Pulling Our Own Strings --feminist humor and satire," and "In Stitches --a patchwork of feminist humor and satire." These books challenged the idea that people advocating feminist ideology do not have a sense ofhumor. She believed that "humor is a great way to connect with people on a touchy subject."
Kaufman was also a filmmaker, who wrote and directed fourteen documentaries which were shown at universities across the country. With titles like "Women, Ritual, and Religion," and "The Politics of Feminist Humor," these films were used mostly in Women's Studies programs. One film titled "Clothes" (1983) is described as "an interesting feminist analysis of the psychology and politics of clothes, profusely illustrated from costume and dress museums all over the world ... discusses 1620s clothes controversy in England when women cut their hair and donned "men's" apparel describes underwear such as electric corsets, crinolines, and breast styles throughout history." After her retirement, Kaufman began producing video-poems, which were short two-to six-minute films incorporating beautiful words, music, and visual imagery. If circumstances allow, several of these may be viewed at the memorial service on October 13th, as noted above.
October 6, 2004
Gloria Kaufman: Gone, but not forgotten
Kara Martin
Staff Reporter
"People often have an image or vision of themselves --often they don't go beyond that vision. She desired to give people a bigger vision of themselves... she wanted to see her students have bigger dreams." said daughter, Miriam, of retired IUSB English Professor, Gloria Kaufman. Kaufman was founder and director of the Women's Studies department and Women's Resource Center, IUSB Affirmative Action Officer, author, filmmaker, and political activist. She passed away this June at the age of 75.
Kaufman, who taught English at IUSB for nearly three decades, was instrumental in founding the Women's Studies department and starting communication about feminism in our community. Before she came to IUSB, no one had even thought of creating a Women's Studies program. When she began teaching, she saw that many women had no vision of what they could become, they had no idea of the possibility of doing something more for themselves.
Kaufman brought many speakers to IUSB through her influential, and at times controversial, course B250, which has left a lasting impression on many students and people in the community.
The concept of this course was to have a class taught almost entirely by guest lecturers. The B250 course was open to the public, and it was so popular that many people who were not students, or students who had already taken the course, would come to have their minds expanded -- both men and women. The B250 course brought such speakers as Vinie Burrows, Dale Spender, Leslie Kanes Weissman, Juanita Price, Z Budapest, Carol Christ and Naomi Goldenberg, among many others.
Some of these guest lecturers stirred quite a controversy when they came, because of the conservative atmosphere of the area during the 1970s. The purpose of this course was to expose people to different viewpoints. In addition, Kaufman wanted to make the achievements of women more visible, to educate people about differing religions, particularly those that focused on the female and were rarely discussed (both contemporary, as in Wiccan practices, and ancient, as many ancient cultures revered female deities), and to present examples of women other than those typically portrayed in the media at the time. Back then, there was no Xena or Buffy on TV, women were typically stereotyped into the role of "homemaker." Women in the media were portrayed as being pretty but not smart, a few were smart but not pretty, but you couldn't be both. These opinions were presented in the national media. Locally, people questioned the woman's right to vote, debated whether women should be allowed to work outside the home, and if so, which professions were acceptable for a woman. People even questioned whether girls could play baseball at school. At times, teachers could be dismissive of girls, as they expected most ofthem to just get married and have children -the "important;' work was intended for the boys. Sexual harassment was common. People had misconceptions about battered women, believing that women liked it, or that they deserved it, or brought it on themselves. People were opposed to women leaving abusive marriages for religious reasons, even as women were being seriously injured and even killed. Shelters for battered women were nonexistent. Of course, not everyone believed these things, but these issues were being debated. Also, South Bend was not unique in being any more conservative than the most conservative places at this time.
Many people say that Gloria Kaufman changed their whole life. Even though Kaufman was an activist, challenging deep rooted ideologies, she has been described as a "gentle revolutionary."
Her daughter, Miriam, emphasized that she was not combative as many people might suppose a political activist would be. Her teaching was quite the opposite.
Former student Ruth Dilley describes her memories of Kaufman and the B250 course: "Lots of people would show up who had taken the class before, it was a big event, each class meeting. You knew you were being impacted in a big way. For those of us who were fortunate enough to have known her, it was how she modeled kindness and wisdom, and shaped our world to be a better place. She would do this primarily by identifying and educating us about what is not wisdom and kindness, for example: sexism, fascism, eurocentrism, and so forth. She was able to model what is kind and wise in life by introducing individuals that were working creatively to bring solutions to these limited ways of thinking. Something that impacted me profoundly was learning to do this social work and transformation in a place of love and joy and not hatred and violence as so many activists (do). Kaufman spread love and joy and the goodness of creation ... she was all about using our power to create kindness."
There will be a memorial service in Gloria Kaufman's honor on Wednesday, October 13th in the Administration building at IUSB. In addition to various speakers, a painting of Kaufman by Tony Droge will be on display, there will be readings from her work, and if possible, screenings of several of her video-poems. The painting by Tony Droge is then anticipated to be on permanent display at the South Bend Regional Museum of Art. The memorial is open to the general public and anyone who wants to be inspired, whether they knew Gloria Kaufman or not, is encouraged to attend.
The Gloria Kaufman Memorial Fund has been established to finance an annual guest lecture and a scholarship. The speaker will be chosen by the Women's Studies Governing Board to address a topic of interest in the field of Women's Studies. The scholarship is anticipated to be available for the Fall 2005 semester, and is intended for a student who has shown leadership in the advancement of Women's Studies. The amount ofthe award and the recipient will be determined by the Liberal Arts Scholarship Committee and the Director of Student Scholarships, and the scholarship is to be presented at the annual lecture.
Kaufman coedited two noted anthologies of feminist humor, "Pulling Our Own Strings --feminist humor and satire," and "In Stitches --a patchwork of feminist humor and satire." These books challenged the idea that people advocating feminist ideology do not have a sense ofhumor. She believed that "humor is a great way to connect with people on a touchy subject."
Kaufman was also a filmmaker, who wrote and directed fourteen documentaries which were shown at universities across the country. With titles like "Women, Ritual, and Religion," and "The Politics of Feminist Humor," these films were used mostly in Women's Studies programs. One film titled "Clothes" (1983) is described as "an interesting feminist analysis of the psychology and politics of clothes, profusely illustrated from costume and dress museums all over the world ... discusses 1620s clothes controversy in England when women cut their hair and donned "men's" apparel describes underwear such as electric corsets, crinolines, and breast styles throughout history." After her retirement, Kaufman began producing video-poems, which were short two-to six-minute films incorporating beautiful words, music, and visual imagery. If circumstances allow, several of these may be viewed at the memorial service on October 13th, as noted above.
Collection
Citation
Martin, Kara, “"Gloria Kaufman: Gone, but not forgotten" newspaper article, 2004 October 6,” IU South Bend Archives Digital Collections, accessed April 28, 2024, https://iusbarchives.omeka.net/items/show/155.