“50 Years of the Exponent II Paper Almost Wasn’t So”
Exponent II and I began our New England lives together five decades ago. Amazingly, we are both still here all these many years later. I came to Boston for graduate school — naïve, newly married, and easily intimidated. I read the Pink Issue of Dialogue, attended the first Institute class of women teaching about early Mormon women, and devoured the first issue of Exponent II, the cover of which is framed and hanging on my sewing room wall. Nudged by Judy Dushku, I spent long hours at Carrel Sheldon’s for “paste-up” and mailing, community and friendship.
My fifty-year association with Exponent taught me of the diversity of Mormon women and the strength and beauty in that diversity. I saw that you can work and still be a good mother. Exponent revealed the extraordinary contributions of our forebears, the power of female blessings, and that depression is not a spiritual failing. These insights may sound quaint today, but not so when Exponent began publishing personal essays and exploring women’s experiences.
Fifty years of the Exponent II magazine almost wasn’t so. Subscriptions began a steady decline with the rise of the internet and expansion of the media. Mormon women had more options to express their opinions and connect with each other. Our funds were depleted. Perhaps the mission of Exponent II was complete. The board scheduled a meeting after our August 2009 retreat on Cape Cod. We planned to vote to end the paper. We did not want to fade away. We wanted to have a climatic final issue to say goodbye and honor the vision of Exponent II. But quietly behind the scenes, Emily Clyde Curtis and Aimee Hickman were working on a proposal to take over the paper on a one-year trial basis. The choice was obvious. The vote was unanimous. The paper was turned over to a new generation. As a result, Exponent II lives.
Karen is a speech therapist. She has worked for Exponent, beginning with mailing and “paste-up” parties, and has since served as treasurer, secretary, retreat organizer, and board president.
Belmont, Massachusetts
Categories: Shout Outs
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