Pioneer Profiles Archive

Where we started….   
Initially launched as “Pioneer Tales,” this page began with observations and a few anecdotes that surely merit a permanent home in our historic archive. 

We were indeed pioneers at Princeton. For better, and sometimes for worse, our unique experiences as Princeton "co-eds" shaped us, and just maybe helped shaped the trajectory of coeducation in future years. We wonder how much the filter of 45 years has tempered, clarified, maybe altered recollections of those years.

We all recall searching for scarce women's rest rooms in academic buildings. Being the sole woman in many a class, not to mention being put on the spot by even well-intentioned professors to represent the "women's perspective." Chris Loomis' eloquent Reunions Reflections blog post mentions admissions of surprise and dismay expressed by women classmates, even among those who overall had a wonderful experience. She also recalls sitting next to an elderly alum at her eating club, who promptly got up and moved to a different table.

Humorous notes abound as well. Daryl English recalls being sent on a Student Odd Jobs agency gig serving cocktails at a nearby tennis club, expressly to act as an ambassador to diehard coeducation opponents among alumni in attendance. Nothing a few shared scotch-and-sodas couldn't resolve with surprising ease.