Jean Arden Eversmeyer, known as Arden Eversmeyer (April 4,1931 – November 14, 2022), founded the organizations Lesbians Over Age Fifty (LOAF) and Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP) to give older lesbians visibility and a sense of community and to document their stories.[1]
Arden Eversmeyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 4, 1932 Stevens Point, Wisconsin |
| Died | November 14, 2022 (aged 90) Houston, Texas |
| Alma mater | Sam Houston State University |
| Occupation(s) | Public school teacher and counselor |
| Organization(s) | Lesbians Over Age Fifty (LOAF), Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP) |
| Known for | Lesbian community activism |
Early life
editBorn to Herbert and Audrey Eversmeyer in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, on April 4, 1931, Eversmeyer graduated from Texas State College for Women with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 1951.[2] In 1964, she completed a master's degree in education from Sam Houston State University.[2]
Career and community activism
editEversmeyer worked in Texas public schools, starting in Plano and spending the majority of her career with the Pasadena Independent School District and Houston Independent School District, both as an educator and counselor.[1][2] After a 30-year career, she retired in 1981.[2]
In 1952, she met her first partner, Tommie Russum.[1]
After Russum's death in 1985, Eversmeyer became involved in community activism focused on lesbians.[2] She started the organization Lesbians Over Age Fifty in 1987 to create safe meeting places and a social network for mid-life and older lesbians in Houston.[1][3] For 14 years, Eversmeyer served on the steering committee of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, a national organization for lesbians age 55 and older working to confront ageism and promote social justice.[2][4]
In 1987, Eversmeyer became a partner to Charlotte Avery, and they married in 2008.[1] Avery died on April 4, 2018.[2]
In 1998, Eversmeyer founded the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, which conducts interviews with lesbians age 70 and older to capture their personal stories and document the life of lesbians in the 20th century.[1][5] Project volunteers have collected over 800 stories from women around the world.[1] OLOHP has published two books of oral histories: A Gift of Age: Old Lesbian Life Stories (2009) and Without Apology: Old Lesbian Life Stories (2012).[1] Transcripts, audio recordings, photographs, and other materials from OLOHP are archived at the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History at the Smith College Libraries in Northampton, Massachusetts.[6]
Arden's work with OLOHP was the subject of a documentary short film called Old Lesbians, directed and edited by Meghan McDonough in 2023.[7] Old Lesbians received the Audible/Aesthetica Listening Pitch[8] and was commissioned by The Guardian.[9]
For six years, Eversmeyer was a mayoral appointee to the Houston Agency on Aging.[2]
Later life and death
editIn 2014, the National Women's History Alliance, a nonprofit educational organization, named Eversmeyer one of its Women of Character, Courage and Commitment honorees for her work on the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project.[10]
Mary Speegle, creator of the podcast The Lesbian Story Project, combined two interviews with Eversmeyer into a 45-minute episode published on October 17, 2016.[11]
Eversmeyer died in Houston on November 14, 2022.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Wolf, Brandon (March 3, 2021). "Herstory Maker". OutSmart. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jean Eversmeyer Obituary". Legacy.com. November 22, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ Ford, Nancy (October 1, 2011). "Lesbians Over Age Fifty (LOAF) Kicks Off Approach to Quarter-century Anniversary". OutSmart. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ "OLOC Mission Statement". Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ "What we are about..." The Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ "Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project records". Smith College Libraries. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ McDonough, Meghan (2023-11-11), Old Lesbians (Documentary, Short), retrieved 2024-07-27
- ^ "Aesthetica Magazine - 2023 Listening Pitch: Winners Announced". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "Old Lesbians: reclaiming old age and queerness through storytelling". the Guardian. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "2014 Honorees: Women of Character, Courage and Commitment". National Women's History Alliance. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ Speegle, Mary. "The Lesbian Story Project Episode 08: The Lesbian Story Project with Arden Eversmeyer". thelesbianstoryproject.libsyn.com. Retrieved November 26, 2023.