The Washington Secretaries History Project

"This is Boom-Town-on-the-Potomac for secretaries. For every 'Mr. Big' in Government and Business there is a 'Miss Little' who backs up the boss. From the hills of New England, from Southern plantations, Midwest prairies, and the slopes of California, thousands of 'typewriter jockeys' have arrived on our wide avenues. Without them, the Government's business would collapse and most bureaucrats would go home." -- Marjorie Binford Woods, The Washington Post, April 28, 1946

Thursday, May 5, 2011

"Ex-secretaries of Washington, dig out your old steno pads and dish!"

Last Thursday, April 28, John Kelly of The Washington Post wrote a column about the launch of the Washington Secretaries History Project.

I was delighted with the response to the article from old colleagues, some of whom wished to remain anonymous, children of women who participated in the "Government Girls Project" and former Washington Post editor Sara Fitzgerald. Sara is about to publish a biography of Elly Peterson. Elly worked as a secretary in the Michigan Republican Party headquarters before going on to serve two stints as assistant chairman of the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C.: 1963-64 and 1969-70 (when I was there). If you'd like to learn more about Elly's career in politics, visit Sara's blog titled, "What Would Elly Think?"