Joan Jackson Jeffers '56

(Interviewed - June 2011)

Joan was Presbyterian while at Penn and she fondly remembers Rev. Edward Brubaker, minister at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church.  It was at a time when Presbyterians were just starting to ordain women as Ministers of the Word and Sacrament. 

 

She taught English for 7 years, raised three children, and was proprietor of a “mom and pop” motel for 6 years.  She has volunteered extensively in her Church and community, serving as a Presbyterian Elder and Deacon.  Green Lane influenced her greatly.  She was Hackettstown (NJ) coordinator of the Fresh Air Fund for ten years, served on the Monroe County (PA) Head Start board, worked as a teen/parent advisor with Children and Youth, and was a volunteer with various programs to help find jobs and a home and parenting skills for homeless people. 

 

I was a resident student in the College of Women from 1952 to 1956.  The CA was home away from home.  I was a CA board member for 2 years.  During that time I co-chaired the Study Group Committee where we worked with the ministers on different topics of interest to students, usually 7-8 per semester, always including a bible study or two.

 

At the time I was a Penn student, the university had a ratio of men to women of 7 to 1.  Both the University and the CA felt strongly that women should have leadership opportunities.  Therefore there were separate but equal colleges for men and for women.  The CA Board had co-presidents, co-chairs, etc.  Dana How was Executive Director and Ann Graybill was in charge of the day to day details.

 

Some really great people drew me into the CA:  Barbara Baldwin [Donovan] ‘53, Bob Donovan ’53, ‘57, Ruth Smith [Leach] ‘54, Bart Leach ‘54, Janet Loucks [Parkerson] ‘54, Joyce Kirkpatrick [Masters] ‘54……..  Barb Baldwin, who married Bob Donovan, was funny, bright, warm, unorthodox, and wonderful.  Bart Leach was a basketball star who later became a Presbyterian pastor. 

 

I was a counselor at the Green Lane Camp for Girls for 3 summers.  My first year, Janet Loucks was Head Counselor, Joyce Kirkpatrick was “Mere” (French for mother) of the Junior Counselors, and Ruth Smith was Secretary.  These student leaders worked with Camp Director Fran Weakly.  Dana How was Executive Director of both the camps which were several miles apart.

 

In the Girls Camp there were 96 girls every 10 days, with 6 cabins, 16 girls in each cabin had a counselor and a junior counselor.  The cabins were organized by age.  Junior counselors were high school students who were repeat campers.  Junior counselors sometimes came from troubled backgrounds but had leadership potential and could be role models and work with the tough kids.  Moe, Cappy, Eddie, and Jenny were a few of the juniors I still remember fondly.  We had non-denominational devotions every night and on Sunday we walked the Catholic campers in for mass while we offered Sunday School to the others.  There was also a non-denominational chapel service held in a simple chapel on a hillside in the woods.

 

The Camps were integrated in 1947, but cabins 1 and 6 were all white (fear of white flight) and cabins 2-5 were integrated but mostly black.  At the end of the summer of 1953, the counselors requested the cabins all be integrated and this was done by Dana How in 1954.  White flight fears were not realized and the camps were successfully integrated.

 

(What is one thing you would say to Christian students on campus today?)

 

Open your mind and your heart to people who may think or worship differently from you and take time to study, do service, and worship as a community. 

 

(Do you have any suggestions for the CA?)

 

Get back to offering a variety of study topics.  Get the ministers to participate.

I love the meditation room (current CA chapel).  Invite Muslim friends.  Emphasize the commonality of the Abrahamic faiths.  Be open to all for interfaith discussions.  I talk to my three children in different ways.  God can do that too!