Memories
Dr. Meg Bowman ("Bowoman" on her nametag) passed away peacefully in San Jose on Monday, November 23, 2020. While she will miss the 2020 winter solstice, she lived long enough to see Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win the Presidential election. Meg celebrated her 91st birthday on July 28th. She was among the founders of Women & Religion with Rosemary Matson and others. She earned a PhD in Sociology and taught at San Jose State University. Meg was an editor for the book Telling Our Stories, Celebrating Ourselves, which includes the history of the W&R Task Force and was published by the PCD-UUA in 1998.
With deep sadness, we report that Liz Fisher passed away September 25, 2020 after several months in hospice care for cancer. She shared these thoughts with us in May 2020.
As I look back over my 72+ years of life in this body I am amazed at all I have experienced, thought and felt. During my years from early 1980s to the present, Women and Religion has been my nourishment. As Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898) of the 19th century taught so well, the early societies that proceeded patriarchy have a profound message for us.
The purpose of Women and Religion is to proclaim our ancestral stream of concern for fair, compassionate, kind, and most of all, mutually supportive inclinations. This tendency is to be blended with the contemporary concerns of positive modeling of non-violent co-existence and protection of the natural world – plant, animal, stone and star.
It is with sadness we share that Rev. Dr. Dorothy May Emerson passed away on May 13th, 2019. Dorothy was beloved in her community. Her life and works touched many. Her memoir “Sea Change: The Unfinished Agenda of the 1960s” was published just last year. We are grateful to have this glimpse of her life’s experiences and philosophies written in her own words.
A memorial service for Dorothy took place on Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 10:00 am, Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church, 70 W Emerson St, Melrose, MA 02176. All welcome.
Rev. Dr. Dorothy May Emerson * November 20, 1943 – May 13, 2019
Also read A Goodbye to Dorothy from Melody Lee
Rev. Dr. Dorothy Emerson was a semi-retired Unitarian Universalist minister. She and her spouse Donna co-founded Rainbow Solutions to promote socially responsible investing as an important tool for social change and to offer consulting services to support those who want their lifestyles and business practices, as well as their money, to reflect their core values. After Donna and associates have launched Rainbow Investment Solutions, the focus of Rainbow Solutions was on Dorothy’s ministry and publications.
A member of the UUWR core group that revised the bylaws in 2005, after her term Dorothy continued to be a mentor and advisor, and a frequent presence at the UUW&R booth at General Assembly.
Dorothy gave public lectures and led workshops and worship services. She also performed weddings, funerals and memorial services, child dedications, and a variety of other special rituals. She specialized in interfaith ceremonies, personally designed to suit your needs and reflect your values.
Dorothy has edited and published feature articles and books. She also helped create programs to help adults grow spiritually and gain insight into ways to implement their values in daily life.
In addition to her ministry, Dorothy was active in UU and community organizations:
Jane Britton passed away March 21, 2019 from lung cancer. At left is a picture of Gretchen O, Jane and Barbara S at the Asilomar international women's conference. Jane was a very loyal supporter of UUWR and a regular participant in District retreats as well as a close associate of Rosemary Matson and Meg Bowman. She was a member of the UU Church of Monterey for decades.
Elizabeth Fisher says of Jane, She was a jolly sort and well-liked by many. She took a lot of fabulous candid portraits of the church and activist community members and shared them with Rosemary, especially in her later years when Rosemary was not out and about as much. She read a lot. When she was in town between her travels to foreign places we often saw her at the Library, searching for new facts and entertaining fiction. We also would run into her walking along the Monterey Bay. She enjoyed local restaurants, always ready to recommend an overlooked gem. We will miss her.
Jane Britton
Sept. 12, 1945 - March 21, 2019 Pacific Grove
Cakes = Cakes for the Queen of Heaven leader
MSUU = Ministerial Sisterhood UU
UUWR = Continental UU Women and Religion
UUWF = UU Women's Federation
UUWHS = UU Women’s Heritage Society
W&R = Women and Religion
Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley (1949-2006) UUWF
Rev. Jean Lois Witman Gilpatrick (1925-2009) UUWF
Rev. Marjorie Newlin Leaming (1915-2010) UUWF, MSUU 1974 founding member
Rev. Dorothy W. Kimble (1942-2011) MSUU
Marilyn Abbott Gentile (1926-2013) UUWR
Rev. Janet H. Bowering (1930-2014) UUWF, Clara Barton Camp
Rosemary Matson (1915-2014) UUWR, UUWF
Rev. Elinor Artman (1927-2014) Cakes, UUWF
Rev. Dorothy S. Boroush (1925-2014) UUWHS
Rev. Roberta M. "Bobbie" Nelson (1935-2015) UUWF Ministry to Women Award, in 2001
Rev. Christine E. Hillman (1949-2015) Cakes,
Rev. Julie Denny-Hughes (1946-2016) Cakes, coauthored a UUA task force report on clergy sexual misconduct.
Rev. Carol I. Brody (1928-2016) UUW&R
Rev. Joan Kahn-Schneider (1930-2017) MSUU
Phyllis M. McKeeman (1923-2017) UUWF
Rev. Martha L Munson (1953-2017) MSUU
Rev. Beth E. Cooper (1975-2017)
Rev. Bets Weinecke (1936-2017) MSUU, PSWD W&R
Rev. Sarah Barber-Braun (1925-2017) UUWHS
Rev. Katherine "Kay" Greenleaf (1939-2018) MSUU
Rev. Eileen B. Karpeles (1925-2018) MSUU
