Newsletter | Nov/Dec 1973


Summary of October 15 Meeting

About thirty women attended the regular monthly meeting of the OWA at Mui Ho's house in Berkeley.

Anne King, formerly of Soule Steele and now with Kaplan and McLaughlin architects in San Francisco, gave an informal lecture on curtain wall technology. She illustrated her remarks with a full-scale mock-up of a curtain wall, or at least a part there of. During the ensuing discussion, she said that contrary to her initial expectations she had found her technical experience at Soule of great value. We concur.

Yung-Ling-Chen, 123 Taurus Street, Oakland 94611, telephone 547-3649, volunteered to become our next librarian for licensing examination materials. She will collect and loan materials to be copied and then returned. The OWA plans to build up a permanent collection of useful references and already has build up the collection. Those of us who took the exam last year are grateful to Danica Truchlikova who initiated this service.

Cathy Simon announced the discovery of a rare gem: a construction dictionary which reportedly contains definitions of all those obscure words once common to the vocabularies of itinerant carpenters and turn-of-the-century draftsmen which arise every now and then to haunt even the most modern practitioner and which never seem to be located in such usually reliable sources as Webster's Third International. This handy volume prepared by, we think, the Women in Construction of Phoenix, Arizona, should be invaluable for those taking the Equivalency Examinations. Great interest was expressed by many present. The OWA will attempt to purchase the book in bulk to provide a savings for its members.

Lia Margulies, the elusive recipient of our highest accolade thus far, an adjustable triangle, received the trophy from Mui Ho as a prize for designing the winning letterhead in the OWA graphics contest. Our congratulations to Lia who now may be said to know all the angles.

Christy Coffin reported that she is investigating the possibility of working with girls in grammar school to help them form images of potential careers in architecture while they are still young enough to sign up for mechanical drawing instead of home ec. Others wishing to expand woman's concept of her potentialities at this age level should contact Coffin at 526-2013.

What to do with the exhibit which the 014A prepared for the AIA convention last May remains a problem - especially for Pat Schilling in whose carport it languishes. Sylvia Reay will check the possibilities of storing or exhibiting the photographic panels in the University of California's Department of Architecture. Bring your ideas for the exhibit to our next meeting.

Due to the expected absence of many persons during the holidays, OWA steering comnittee elections will be held in January of 1974. Be thinking of candidates for jobs which require a minimum of 3 working days each month for even minimal service.

Our thanks to Corinne Moor Spingarn who, under conscription to write the meeting notes, responded most graciously and thoroughly.


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