Women’s History Month: 23 And Me

I reposted something I wrote about my mom and Women’s History Month and I heard from people about that post and it got me thinking. Why not try and list as many of those people as I can think of who have been around me as positive, successful women? Here are twenty-three entries.

• Mom – As already noted.

• Mrs. Loula – 6th grade teacher who went to extra efforts for individual students and their learning needs (whether helping accelerated students OR the ones who lagged a bit behind)

• My sister – Took a weird path to her career…but always followed her heart. It’s okay to find that out when you are 30 rather than 18…it’s led to a great career helping other people (a nurse practitioner for the V.A.), a great husband, and four relatively tolerable children.

• My mom’s mom – Married in wartime, willing to move to a new country…raising kids that all turned out ok…ditto the grandchildren

• My wife – …it’s a bit odd to sometimes get Mr. and Dr. mail.

• Linda Grensing Crum – I’ve met so many coaches who trade their integrity away for the sake of winning. Linda never did that. Ever. She never settled for less than the best–personally or professionally. By not settling, she got the best.

• Laura Davis Johnson – I use stories of her as examples of leadership with players. Laura could mix niceness with intensity beautifully–and her teammates took the intensity well because Laura always pushed herself harder than she demanded of others.

• Carrie Leonard – A teammate of Laura’s. I loved Carrie at Ohio State, but what I appreciate with Carrie is from later. She has raised three strong girls as a single-parent and has overcome health problems–and while doing so, has continued to coach and teach and give back to the sport of volleyball.

• Jen Flynn Oldenburg – She wouldn’t remember it, but I remember her at Ohio State and when Julie was pregnant, I talked with JFO over lunch at a camp cafeteria on how she got to be so amazing–a story of good parenting and competitive siblings. When we had our daughter, I tried to apply a lot of the stuff JFO mentioned–encouraging our daughter to lead, speak her mind, get involved. As a dad, I am greatly indebted to JFO for this one hour of time 25 years ago.

• Brigitte Dietz – Might as well mention my daughter. Dog whisperer, grad ass’t, Veteran’s Admin worker, volleyball coach and official who’s already lobbied in Springfield and for a week out in DC…not to mention her learning Magyar and having the courage to study abroad in an unknown land (Hungary) [and now moves on to a top PHD program!]

• Eva Schmidt Nagyne – Brigitte’s host mom in Hungary. Math teacher who helped raise her own amazing kids and treated my daughter like a biological daughter. Eva was raised in Communism and got through it successfully. (If I knew them better, I’d bet you could put her daughters on a list of amazing women, too…)

• Mrs. Williamson – My Jr 1st (kindergarten) teacher–I had a speech impediment and a couple other things…she was kind and gave me the courage to get past those. I don’t recall specifics of what I learned–just the kindness to help me in the way I needed as a little boy.

• Cathy Wenthe – She’s responsible for bringing club volleyball to south central Illinois (since the club directors Mike and Craig were based in Champaign). During the 1990s, she elevated the quality of VB to amazing heights with her program.

• Amber Stephens – Took over Capital Area Volleyball club from me and Joe Reuben–she runs it in the spirit we created for the club–to teach, to encourage, to work on giving girls leadership skills and the confidence to go wherever they wanted in life–that VB is about friendship and relationships far more than the scoreboard. It also helps that Amber is an ok mom, too.

• Kallie Sinkus – She coached for me for two years. She took over a disaster of a HS program and has dramatically increased participation–without compromising work ethic or even success on the scoreboard. What I love the most is that she realized she liked coaching and working with young people and, like my sister, decided on a career-path change and will soon become a high school teacher–so she can help kids full-time.

• Hollie Schultz – She came to LLCC unsure what she wanted to do or who she really was–and along the way, figured it out…a kid who didn’t think she could play in college helped lead LLCC to nationals for the first time ever, then went on to be MVP at her four-year school and better still, found a career for her passion–as she continues to work out west in national parks.

• Brittany Stewart – Raising kids, doing grad school, co-directing a VB club (coaching a couple of those teams), I think she’s proof you can have a wonderful family and make your own career choices–you don’t need to be what others think you should be. She is also listed because she laughs at my jokes and understands Monty Python references.

• Sheila McBride – She’s the mom of a player I coached with USA VB 5 years ago. I stayed in touch with Sheila (not her daughter, Fran) over social media. Ms. McBride’s an advocate of education and holds high standards for her children–and I love the pride she takes in all of them I love that she agitates for education and not compromising school for the sake of sports.

• Abby Hunt – Awesome Ag student and LLCC VB alum who went on to coach junior high and high school. I’m still most impressed with Abby from being at LLCC and going through two-a-days while ALSO showing cows at the State Fair (she won at the State Fair by the way). Her work ethic always impressed me.

• Cara Anderson – After high school, she made a commitment to serve in the Air Force Reserve. She’s still doing that–and working school and volleyball around her commitment to service She wanted to be a cop, the Air Force gave her nurse training, then she headed in a third direction (pastoral counseling)–all avenues for helping other people. Where’d she wind up?? USAF Special Forces. If she wasn’t so nice, she’d be intimidating. I just so totally respect her commitment to the USAF. I don’t know many young women willing to make this sort of commitment. Awesome.

• Emily Orrick – Best JUCO libero to ever play. Emily took her talents, worked hard with them, and after LLCC, played for her dream school and led them to the NCAA tournament. She was all-American there (and at LLCC). She’s in the LLCC HOF. She kept working hard and decided she wanted to coach–and is now on the staff at the University of Alabama. As good as Emily was/is, she was never arrogant. She was always modest, always encouraged others. I suspect she coaches in similar fashion. NOTE: Emily has now been named to the NJCAA Hall of Fame as well since I first wrote this.

• Deb Kiick – She’s the coach at Millikin U. but I first knew her when we were both high school coaches a century ago (literally…it was the 1990s). She does not compromise her integrity. She wins doing things the right way. She cares about her players as humans first–sadly, this is a rare thing in collegiate sports. Just as important–though I do not know them so they won’t get listed–she’s raised two successful daughters who have gone on to their own successes.

• Cookie Mitchell – I only met her three years ago via Facebook. Art teacher, volleyball coach, Star Trek nerd, a powerful educated black woman–what I appreciate is that in discussing current events she gave me answers to questions, she did not belittle me for asking questions–and gave me room to think and consider many things with new perspectives. That’s all I could ever ask of someone in education–and eventually when the pandemic is over, she’s on the list of people I’m sitting down with over pizza.

And four bonus…just as deserving as the first 23 mentioned (but ’27 and Me’ isn’t a cultural reference…)

• Morgan Houser – A LLCC alum, Morgan caught the coaching bug while in my program coaching in our non-travel club program…and then coaching a travel team. After she graduated from her four-year school, she went and became a grad ass’t coach–then returned to her alma mater (MacMurray) and became the assistant there before taking over at Blackburn (she’s in her second season now). And then she stopped coaching…because she had the courage to change career paths–and to put personal stuff ahead of work (not very American)–soon she’ll be a mom!

• Alison Anderson – Cara’s mom. Also mom to four other kids (and a different LLCC alum). When there’s no COVID, she ran the Capital Area Youth Volleyball program for hundreds of kids for 20 years. She teaches fifth grade. She’s coached high school and club. She’s officiated. I just love the way she has centered her life around helping kids in every way possible.

• Starla Fitch – She’s part of the ‘Our Family Plays Games’ team with her husband and son. Boardgames are stereotyped as being for geeky white men. That’s not true–and the Fitches are out there to show that (their Youtube shows are quite entertaining–and give good insight into how a lot of games play). I was so impressed with Starla (and Mik, but he’s a guy and this is a women’s history post) that I asked her to join the Foundation’s Board of Directors for a two-year term back in 2021.

• Mrs. Canfield (Dee…but I have to put Mrs. Canfield) – a single mom who raised two boys (who became good men) while forced onto public aid before getting a job–while going to college, then becoming a head librarian with a master’s degree…and then along the way, also becoming an actor in a zillion plays, hiking a pilgrim’s trail in Spain, teaching in Alaska, teaching in Tibet, and teaching dozens of immigrants to the United States how to speak English (ESL). Did I mention she writes and paints, too? …and that I was always welcome in her house (her son, Eric, was always welcome at our place, too)

There you go–a whole bunch of amazing women. If you like commenting on blogs, please feel free to share the amazing women you know. They all deserve the kudos for making positive change in the world.