Grace Harriet Macurdy (1866–1946) and Her Impact on the Study of Women’s History
Opening Featured Panel Waterloo Salons BC CAMWS 2017, sponsored by the Women’s Classical Caucus
Panel organizer:
Elizabeth Carney (Clemson University)
Panel Presiders:
Ann R. Raia (The College of New Rochelle), and Maria S. Marsilio (Saint Joseph’s University)
Panellists:
Judith P. Hallett (University of Maryland) — “Assessing and Continuing the Contributions of Grace Harriet Macurdy, Pioneering Feminist Scholar: Barbara McManus’ The Drunken Duchess of Vassar: Grace Harriet Macurdy, Pioneering Feminist Classical Scholar”
Elizabeth Carney (Clemson University) — “Grace Harriet Macurdy and ‘Woman Power’ in Argead Macedonia: Eurydice,Mother of Philip II”
Walter Penrose (San Diego State) — “From Feminism to Orientalism: Grace Harriet Macurdy on Cleopatra and Antony”
Gillian Ramsey (University of Regina) — “Grace Harriet Macurdy on the Seleucid Queens”
Sheila Ager (University of Waterloo) — “Response”
Barbara McManus Remembered
by Ann R. Raia, Professor of Classics Emerita, The College of New Rochelle, colleague and friend of Barbara F. McManus from 1967 and Maria S. Marsilio, Professor of Classics and Ancient Studies, Director of Classics Program, Saint Joseph’s University; alumna of The College of New Rochelle , where Barbara F. McManus was her teaching and scholarly mentor in Latin and Classics from 1981–1985 and colleague and friend throughout her professional career.
Barbara F. McManus (1942–2015) received her B.A. degree from the College of New Rochelle summa cum laude in 1964 and her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University in 1975. She began her teaching career as an Instructor at The College of New Rochelle in 1967, retiring as Professor of Classics in 2000. An active scholar and innovative teacher of classics, she led the field in developing online teaching resources, most notably the NEH-funded VRoma project. Barbara’s scholarly publications include various topics in classics, comparative literature, feminism, mythology, and women in antiquity. She gave papers and presentations on these topics as well as on pedagogy, internet technology, and Grace Macurdy’s professional career, which she celebrated in The Drunken Duchess of Vassar: Grace Harriet Macurdy, Pioneering Feminist Scholar (posthumously published by Ohio University Press, 2017). An active member of many organizations, she held leading offices in the American Philological Association, the Women’s Classical Caucus, The Classical Association of the Atlantic States, and the New York Classical Club. In recognition of her consistent and distinguished service and her visionary leadership she received major awards from the APA (2009), the WCC (2012), CAAS (2001, 2011, 2012), and her alma mater (2014).
Barbara will be remembered not only for her achievements as scholar, teacher, mentor, and colleague but for the indomitable spirit with which she lived her life — for her energy, her persistence, her courage in speaking up and speaking out, her fairness, her loyalty, her sense of humor, her work ethic, her clarity of thought and expression, her determination to find answers to questions of all kinds and her confidence in her ability to do so.
