Women Become Leaders As Men Leave for World War II

In an interview, Helen Alexander Bachman (Class of 1946) explains that the role of women changed during World War II: as men joined the service, women became leaders at Dickinson. She remembers one female classmate who became editor, or another high-up position, for the Dickinsonian. This student believed that "if all the men were there, she probably would not have risen to that position." As a member of the Dramatic Club and the Choir, Bachman recalls the reduction in competition for leadership positions: "Here where there were only girls or mostly girls, they might get some positions of leadership that would have been divided beforehand [to the boys]."