blog
Who is Louise Bethune?
March 8th, 2007 by ushaNew Organizing Institute is conducting jam-packed three day training for non profits on online organizing and technology. The training is at the American Institute of Architects building. I am doing a session there this afternoon (shortly, actually :)) on data integration.
So, I walk in, register, and am told that the session is at the Bethune room. As I put my laptop bag down I realize that I am in the room that commemorates a historical moment. The conference room is named after Louise Bethune. If you are wondering, as I did, who Louise Bethune was, here is a short timeline of her life.
Louise Bethune FAIA
- 1881 Announced the opening of her office at the Convention of the Womenâ??s Congress, Buffalo, New York
- 1885 First woman admitted into the Western Association of Architects
- 1888 First woman admitted into the American Institute of Architects
- 1889 First woman fellow of the American Institute of Architects
This situation is rife with symbolism for me since today also happens to be International Womenâ??s Day. How cool is it to be doing a technology session in a room dedicated to Louise Bethune? So, I decide to blog about this and look for her on Wikipedia so I can link. But I find no references there. An inspiring but at the same time slightly disheartening symbolism alright. Thankfully Wikipedia had something on International Women’s Day. 
With that note, here are some women in technology links for your reading pleasure on this International Womenâ??s Day:
- Louise Blanchard Bethune: Buffalo Feminist and America’s First Woman Architect (Buffalo Freenet)
- A Short History of Women in Technology (Linux Journal)
- Powering the Electrical Revolution (IEEE Virtual Museum on Women and Technology)
- From plugboards to petaflops: The evolving role of women at IBM (IBM Women in technology archive)
I salute the many, many women who blazed the trail for all of us to travel on. Happy International Womenâ??s Day everyone.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Rock on, Usha! March also happens to be Women’s History Month, although I haven’t seen much going on around that… Still we can all take inspiration from women like Louise Bethune as fellow women in fields traditionally dominated by men. It’s our turn to look for ways to inspire the next generation to follow in our footsteps (even if ours aren’t quite as big as Bethune’s).
March 8th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Beaconfire Wire - Who is Louise Bethune?
With that note, here are some women in technology links for your reading pleasure on this International Women’s Day…
I salute the many, many women who blazed the trail for all of us to travel on. Happy International Women’s Day everyone.
March 9th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Awesome post!