Jill Ker Conway
Jill Ker Conway AC ( born October 9, 1934 in Hillston, New South Wales ) is an Australian- American historian and writer. She was from 1975 to 1985, the first female president of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, the largest women's college in the United States.
Biography
Conway was born in Hillston in the Australian outback. Along with her two brothers Conway grew up on a Coorain ( aboriginal for " windy place " ) mentioned piece of land. Conway was taught by her mother and a governess. When Conway was eleven years old, her father died in an accident. Three years later, she moved with her family to Sydney and visited the Abbotsleigh School for Girls in Wahroonga, a suburb of Sydney. After graduating Conway enrolled at the University of Sydney and studied English and history to graduation in 1958.
In 1960 he moved Conway in the United States, where she accepted a position at Harvard University. She assisted the Canadian professor of British history John J. Conway, whom she later married. The marriage lasted until John Conway's death in 1995.
1969 Conway was awarded at Harvard University, the title of Doctor of Philosophy. From 1964 to 1975 she taught at the University of Toronto, the Vice - President, she from 1973 to 1975. 1975 Conway became the first female president of Smith College in Northampton. This post had Conway held until 1985. Since 1985, Conway has a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Conway explores in her work mainly on the role of feminism in American history, for example in the books The Female Experience in 18th -and 19th - Century America by 1982 and in Women Reformers and American Culture from the year 1987.
About their lives Conway has published three autobiographical books. The first book, The Road from Coorain was filmed in 2002 for American television. The main roles were played by Juliet Stevenson, Richard Roxburgh and Katherine Slattery. Directed by Brendan Maher.
In 2012, Conway was awarded the National Humanities Medal.