Is Knoxville a good place for professional women?

Phyllis Nichols, president and CEO of the Knoxville Area Urban League, is immediate past president of EWA. She refers to the 1985 article last night following her remarks at the Orangery.

Phyllis Nichols, president and CEO of the Knoxville Area Urban League, is immediate past president of EWA. She refers to the 1985 article last night following her remarks at the Orangery.

In 1985, I was assigned to write a series of articles for The Knoxville Journal about women in power in Knoxville. The conclusion of the series, which was called “Silent Majority: A Woman’s Voice in Knoxville,” was that women were not at all powerful in Knoxville.

There had never been a woman mayor, UT President or TVA board member. Women were not allowed in any of the major civic clubs in 1985. They couldn’t hold  a membership in their own name at Cherokee Country Club. There had never been a female chair of the Chamber of Commerce or the United Way of Greater Knoxville.

In fact, when it came time to name the ten “most powerful” women in Knoxville, we at the paper reneged. We didn’t think there were 10 powerful women in Knoxville. So we changed the name of the category to “Ten Women on the Threshold.” That’s about as far as we were willing to go.

Ann Hanson, left, and Mintha Roach chat during the EWA celebration last night.

Ann Hanson, left, and Mintha Roach chat during the EWA celebration last night.

I’m happy to report that we have made some progress in the past 25 years. Today, although there still hasn’t been a female mayor or UT president, we could easily name 10 powerful women. And last night, about 100 women gathered at the Orangery to celebrate that fact. The occasion: the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Executive Women’s Association (EWA).  We reflected on the facts contained in that 1985 series of articles (which I’m happy to say won me a statewide journalism award at the time). But mostly, we ate and drank and socialized and generally raised a glass to the progress women (and men!) have made in Knoxville.

But I thought you, fabulous Blue Streak readers, might be interested in some of the comments from that not-so-long-ago series of articles.

Here’s how we summed up the situation in 1985: “Although women are not now very powerful in Knoxville’s political and corporate life, these 10 women are making strides in that direction: Jean Teague, Sharon Bell, Doris Scott Crawford, Pat Head Summitt, Ann Baker Furrow, Wanda Harding, Anne Hopkins, Pat Ball, Judy Benson and Donna Cobble.”

Dotty Roddy, left, and Lillian Mashburn, who was a founding member of EWA.

Dottie Roddy, left, and Lillian Mashburn, who was a founding member of EWA.

  • Pat Ball had been for five years the highest paid and highest ranking woman in city government during the Randy Tyree administration. When the articles were written in 1985, Ball was director of public relations at Park West Hospital. “This is not necessarily the best town to live in if you’re female or a minority,” she was quoted as saying. “But it’s not the worst.”
  • Sharon Bell became the first woman judge in Knox County when she was elected General Sessions judge in 1982. Prior to that she served two terms in the state legislature. In the 1985 article she said she still winced when someone refered to her as a “judgette.”
  • Judy Benson was vice president of H.T. Hackney Co. and was one of only two women in 1985 to serve on a Knoxville bank board. She related that her father was opposed to women working, so after she graduated from college, she kept her job as an interior decorator a secret from him for six months. When he found out, he exploded. It wasn’t until after his death in 1972 that she began running the family company, commuting once a week from Atlanta. Finally, thinking absentee management wasn’t good for the company, she moved back to Knoxville.

    Margie Nichols, left, and Madeline Rogero joined the celebration last night.

    Margie Nichols, left, and Madeline Rogero joined the celebration last night.

  • Donna Cobble in 1985 was president of Dunhill Temporary Systems, a spin-off of her husband’s company. She was the only woman on the Chamber of Commerce’s 27-member board. She advised that working on boards or committees was a good way to gain visibility and access to powerful people and said “the two biggest network builders are the Chamber and United Way.” Two years later she became the first female chairman of United Way and later was the first female Chamber chairman.
  • Doris Scott Crawford in 1985 coordinated neighborhood programs for the city of Knoxville. Previously she had headed the federal CETA program here and had been associate dean of Knoxville College. She urged women to “develop economic and financial savvy.” She said: “Love of money may be the root of all evil, however prosperity appears to be the stem from which power sprouts.”
  • Ann Baker Furrow was the first female member of the UT Board of Trustees. In the article she said when she previously served on a committee to help governor-elect Lamar Alexander identify women he could appoint to key positions in his administration, she was surprised by what she found. “I was absolutely shocked,” she said. “There were very few women in top positions — and very, very few in Knoxville. And I don’t know that it’s improved any since then.” Furrow said women had been unable to climb to leadership positions in Knoxville because Knoxville was not much of a “corporate” town. “The really aggressive young professional women tend to go to Nashville or another more progressive city where there are more opportunities,” she said. “The good old boy system is everywhere.”

    Susan Brown, left, and Janet Testerman

    Susan Brown, left, and Janet Testerman

  • Wanda Harding in 1985 had been executive director of the thriving Arts Council for five years. Her advice: “Approach male leaders on a peer-to-peer basis. Be businesslike; don’t be intimidated. I always have very focused conversations. They are usually brief — about 20 minutes or so — and they are goal oriented. And they get results.”
  • Anne Hopkins in 1985, as assistant provost, was one of highest paid and highest ranking women at UT. “I became successful by being visible and being outspoken,” she said. “Focus your energy. I have found that focused efforts are more effective. I’m not a person to serve on five boards. I like to do something where I can really make a contribution.”
  • Pat Head Summitt at that time had been head women’s basketball coach at UT for 10 years and the prior year had coached the U.S. Women’s Olympic team. “Be high achievers,” she advised. “Focus in a field of interest and be successful. I don’t think I became an influential person before I became a successful basketball coach.”

    Diana Condon, left, and Sandy Martin

    Diana Condon, left, and Sandy Martin

  • Jean Teague was one of only four women to that date to serve on City Council. “With men, you have to be very careful — they get their feelings hurt easily,” she said. “And a lot of people don’t want to listen to women.” She offered this advice to women who might find themselves in male-dominated business meetings: “Keep your cool. Don’t let them get you upset because then you’re on the defensive. You want them to be on the defensive.”

Today, Pat Ball is senior vice president of strategic development and public affairs for Legacy Hospital Partners in Dallas; Sharon Bell has retired from the bench and still lives in Knoxville; Judy Benson (now Judy Morton) and Donna Cobble both have retired and are still acitve in Knoxville civic and cultural affairs; Doris Scott Crawford is vice president of institutional advancement at Virginia University of Lynchburg; Ann Baker Furrow is still active in Knoxville civic circles; Wanda Harding, who married Ron McMahan, the  editor of the Knoxville Journal who assigned this story, is now widowed and living in Naples, Fla.; Anne Hopkins is a professor of political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville after having served as president there from 1999 until 2002; Pat Summitt is still the phenomenal women’s basketball coach at UT, of course; and Jean Teague is no longer on City Council but is active in neighborhood and political issues in Knoxville.

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Many former EWA presidents attended the anniversary party last night. Among them, from left: Jenny Morrow, me, Phyllis Nichols, Lillian Mashburn, Dawn Ford, Ann Hanson, Robyn Askew, Sandy Martin, Andrea White and Margie Nichols

Lawyer Pam Reeves, left, and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee

Lawyer Pam Reeves, left, and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee

Diane Hanson,left, and Liza Zenni

Diane Hanson, left, and Liza Zenni

Anne McKinney tries the pasta bar at the Orangery.

Anne McKinney tries the pasta bar at the Orangery.

Ellen Fowler, left, and Bonnie Carpenter

Ellen Fowler, left, and Bonnie Carpenter

Dawn Ford, left, and Kathy Hamilton seem to be having a good time!

Dawn Ford, left, and Kathy Hamilton seem to be having a good time!

Pam Fansler, left, and Dr. Margo Uri Simmons

Pam Fansler, left, and Dr. Margo Uri Simmons

Jeannie Dulaney, left, and Rosalyn Tillman

Jeannie Dulaney, left, and Rosalyn Tillman

Beverly Kerr played beautiful music all night long!

Beverly Kerr played beautiful music all night long!

Pat Bright, left, and Carolyn Pointer

Pat Bright, left, and Carolyn Pointer

I thought the simple pair of pink roses on each table added the perfect touch.

I thought the simple pair of pink roses on each table added the perfect touch.

Photo credit: The group picture of the past presidents was taken by Sharon Miller Pryse. Thanks!

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