Laurie Fein:
CLASS OF 1971
James Madison Memorial High SchoolClass of 1971
Madison, WI
University of Iowa - Social WorkClass of 1996
Iowa city, IA
Clark UniversityClass of 1980
Worcester, MA
University of Wisconsin Class of 1978
Milwaukee, WI
University of WisconsinClass of 1976
Madison, WI
Laurie's Story
Life
The greatest irony of my life was landing in Iowa. After living and travelling all over the United States, Europe and Israel, Iowa is perhaps the most unlikely of places. In fact, despite it's close proximity to Mad City, I never knew it existed until I actually moved here 16 years ago. And I conform to almost none of the small-town norms that prevail here: privacy means nothing, naturalizing your yard is perceived as a radical concept, walking your dog is treated like an insurrection and being from out of state qualifies you as a member of a diverse population. This and the fact that I have no desire to "fit in" is what led to the outcome of my life. Perhaps I owe it all to my very first employer whose basic law of economics is: whateveryone else does do the opposite. And perhaps it owe it to the radical era I grew up in. Against the odds of being a single female from out of state, I have raised two daughters, almost equally nonconformist, and who are still in the process of trying to find themselves; I have founded and opened the first Women's Counseling Center in Iowa; and I continue to both naturalize my yard and walk my dog. Such is one of the greatest truisms: you can take the woman out of Madison, but you can't take the Madison out of the woman. And, yes, I still have my original copy of "Our Bodies, Ourselves."
College
I had so many wonderful college experiences. Some of it was pure unadulterated fun such as laughing for hours with two other dance majors. In Madison, week-ends went from Thursday through Tuesday dancing in the bars and walking around town just laughing with friends. Despite the belief that this time in history was known for partying, drugs and rock and roll, I explain to my daughters that it was so much more--it was a time of serious revolution, with opportunities to channel our passions in movements the likes of which I have not seen since. It was an honor to get involved in women's issues such as volunteering with the Madison Rape Crisis Center, the Sojourner Truth House in Milwaukee, Roe v Wade and the legalization of abortion, rape crisis and battered women's programs in Massachusetts an...Expand for more
d the women's action movement in Madison. It saddens me that my own daughters are denied the opportunity to be part of the ground-breaking movements of the 70's. I wish I could take them both back in time. My red 1973 copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves is one of my prize possessions, and represents a tangible reminder of what true social passion feels like--what it feels like to not only care, but to do something about it.
Workplace
If someone told me that the world would be like something out of a science fiction movie by the time I came of age, I would never have believed them. But, alas, we have arrived: we have succeeded in convincing our populace that there is but one option for our career endeavors: being a corporate cog. I don't know when it happened. But, one day I woke up and found we had gone from "The customer is always right" to "The customer is always wrong." And it was rare to find a place that was not either a franchise or some version of Wal-Mart. The best evidence of this corporate skew is perhaps the growing popularity of business programs. What was once a haven for outcasts, those with no passion or imagination or brains, has become the "IT" major of today, and the key to survival in this corporate world. Unless, of course, you subscribe to the principal that whatever everyone else does do the opposite, which is entrepreneurial, grassroots, issue-oriented, customer/client/patient first endeavors. I'm glad I was able to find my undehumanized niche. But, while I may be sitting pretty, let's not forget that I not only had to earn my way up the ladder, but also paid in blood to be where I am. This is partly due to the fact thatI have a proclivity for bucking the status quo. But even when I did conform, I was attacked for such achievements as passing my boards (yes, I kid you not) and taking a stand for what is right. One of the benefits of my set up is that retirement is not an issue. I feel for people who live to retirement, since they will still be faced with the challenge of finding meaning in their lives. Retirement is not an issue for me. I have found meaning and, therefore, have no intention of retiring.
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