Pinstripes & Pearls: The Women of the Harvard Law Class of '64 Who Forged an Old Girl Network and Paved the Way for Future Generations [Hardcover]

Judith Richards Hope (Author), Kathleen Sullivan (Afterword), Justice Stephen Breyer (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Lisa Drew Books | Publication Date: January 7, 2003

"[W]e didn't fully understand what we were getting into -- what obstacles we would encounter, what trails we would blaze....We just knew, from an early age, that we wanted both to serve our country, help make our world a little better and a little safer -- just like our fathers and our brothers -- and to marry; rear honest, happy children; and lead fulfilling personal lives -- just like our mothers."

-- from the Introduction

To illustrate the challenges facing women of her generation, author Judith Richards Hope describes the lives and careers of a handful of barrier-breaking women, including herself, from Harvard Law School's pivotal class of 1964, who fought and overcame preconceptions and prejudices against their entering what, at the time, was a male vocation. Despite their struggles in law school and in the workplace, they maintained their ambition and ultimately achieved remarkable success. They look back on law school as a time of enormous personal and intellectual growth.

In 1961, before modern civil rights legislation and women's liberation, women were generally regarded as undesirable candidates for law studies. Most law firms believed that women couldn't keep up the pace, that they couldn't avoid emotional outbursts, and that their place was in the home. Nonetheless, 48 women applied to Harvard Law that year, 22 were accepted, and 15 graduated in a class of 513. The rigorous training at Harvard Law taught these women to survive and to thrive in one of the toughest, most competitive professions in the country. It took grit, confidence, resourcefulness, thick skins, and a certain irreverence for them to succeed. These qualities propelled Judith Richards Hope and her classmates into some of the most prominent careers of their generation, yet they did not sacrifice their more traditional female roles. Their achievements have helped pave the way for women of subsequent generations.

Pinstripes & Pearls illuminates the extraordinary trajectories of these women -- among them Pat Schroeder, Judith W. Rogers, and Hope herself -- who forged an old-girl network and became lifelong friends. Through compelling and often witty anecdotes, unprecedented archival research of Harvard records, and revealing testaments to the difficulties faced by women harboring serious career goals, Pinstripes & Pearls personifies in these women the emergence of a new type of American female, one whose "goal is to reach the destination, not just to avoid humiliation on the way."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hope was one of 15 women (out of 513 students) who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1964. She went on to become the first female partner at a leading corporate law firm. This book, based primarily on her classmates' and professors' recollections, as well as yearbooks and other archival material, offers sketches of the women at different stages of their careers, starting with their first days at Harvard and ending with their musings on retirement. Of applying to law firms, Pat Schroeder recalls, "Almost all of them asked me if I could type. Many said they did not and would not hire a woman." Elizabeth Dole remembers working in the school's library while getting her master's degree in teaching at Radcliffe. After spending a year observing Hope and her classmates and grilling Hope about "how a woman could straddle... the huge chasm between the traditional career world... and the traditional world of home and family," she changed career goals and graduated from Harvard Law in 1965. Hope doesn't probe too deeply into her colleagues' personal lives; nor does she draw conclusions about how these women's aspirations paved the way for future generations. She lets the memories speak for themselves. The most vivid chapter describes a dinner hosted by the school's dean, Erwin Griswold, where the guest list included all of the women in each class (and none of the men), along with selected faculty and their wives. After dinner, the students were called upon, one by one, to answer Griswold's horrifying question, "Why are you at Harvard Law School, taking the place of a man?" Photos.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In 1961 one would have been hard-pressed to find many women pursuing careers, let alone legal careers, and let alone at Harvard. Hope, who's had an impressive career in both the legal and political arenas, gives readers a glimpse at the women in her law class. Of the 510 graduates from Harvard Law '64, 15 were women who made their marks on the world. This is their story. Some notable classmates include Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder and D.C. Circuit Court Judge Judith W. Rogers. These women's achievements are presented in a refreshing way. First, Hope summarizes how the women came to attend Harvard, including what their families' reactions were, where they did their undergraduate work, and how their boyfriends felt about their choice. Then she delves into life as a woman at Harvard, from the higher expectations to the lack of ladies' facilities. Finally, Hope outlines the women's lives after graduation, most of which consist of legal, political, or business careers that would impress the most misogynistic classmate. A tale of true accomplishment. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (January 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074321482X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743214827
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies > History

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pinstripes and Pearls -- a success story, January 17, 2003

By 

J. Stewart (Gainesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pinstripes & Pearls: The Women of the Harvard Law Class of '64 Who Forged an Old Girl Network and Paved the Way for Future Generations (Hardcover)

I loved this book!! What an inspiration! I was so interested in knowing what motivated these women to go to Harvard back in the 60's. I found it also interesting that all of the women in the book had the support of their fathers. How wonderful! Their determination to succeed should give hope to every woman today. The descriptions of the women's experiences at the Harvard Law school is at times moving and humorous. Their lives from an early age to their lives' today was exciting to read. And to get a glimpse of Harvard through the eyes of the author and others at Harvard in those days who have risen to such fame and prominence in our society today was fascinating. I think Judith Hope did a great job writing this book, and I particularly enjoyed reading about her life -- wow!! What an exciting life!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book!, March 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pinstripes & Pearls: The Women of the Harvard Law Class of '64 Who Forged an Old Girl Network and Paved the Way for Future Generations (Hardcover)

Pinstripes and Pearls made for a very late evening -- I couldn't bring myself to put it down to go to sleep.

I found myself cheering for the author and all of her classmates as they struggled through life, law school, relationships, and their legal careers -- and laughing out loud at some of the humorous twists in their lives.

Mostly, though, the book made me feel like I could conquer the world someday. I realized that whatever difficulties I and my peers are now facing as new women attorneys have been confronted -- and triumphantly surmounted -- by the very successful author and her impressive classmates. I marveled at the fact that prior to reading the book, I assumed that each of the story's protagonists had achieved their goals so effortlessly. It was refreshing to know that it was difficult for these prominent women too, but that they all got through it all in the end with grit, fierce determination, and love.

The book was inspiring and immensely satisfying to me as a woman attorney. I intend to pass it along as a birthday gift to all of my attorney friends and law school classmates. I highly recommend reading it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptionally Beautiful, Moving and Interesting Book, August 12, 2003

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pinstripes & Pearls: The Women of the Harvard Law Class of '64 Who Forged an Old Girl Network and Paved the Way for Future Generations (Hardcover)

Before commenting on this book, let me mention that I am a graduate of Harvard Law School in 1971. By then, women were about 10 percent of the class, and some of the problems described in this book had been overcome. But many had not. Since then, I have had the pleasure of attending many of the special celebrations on the anniversaries of the admission of women to the school on September 1950. But in those gatherings, I have heard few stories as moving as the ones in this book.

This book moved me even more than the fine memoir, One-L, that has become a classic concerning legal education.

Ms. Judith Richards Hope is one of the most successful graduates of Harvard Law School in the last 40 years. Many in her situation would have chosen to write a memoir, basically recounting how she did so well. I admire her for choosing to write the story of all the 20 women in her class (1964) and also including the remarkable Elizabeth Dole who worked in the library during that class's first year before deciding to apply and join the class of 1965.

The book begins with the history of why women had been excluded from Harvard Law School. Mostly it's nonsense about not being sure of the intellectual capacity of women, not wanting to keep a man from practicing law who might stick with it for more years than a women, concern about whether law firms would hire women, and the cost of putting in women's bathrooms. It's not a pretty story, but that's all history now. Women saw, they came, and they persevered and prospered.

If you are like me, you'll enjoy hearing about the family backgrounds that encouraged these women to enter what was a challenging and hostile educational environment. The silliness at the school will alternately amuse and annoy you. There weren't enough bath rooms. Some professors chose to have Ladies Days when they would call on women, and ignore them otherwise. Well-intentioned efforts often backfired and made the women feel uncomfortable . . . such as when Dean Griswold had everyone over for dinner at his home.

The law firm silliness was even worse. It was impressive how the women got around that. Ms. Hope's negotiating strategy with Edward Bennett Williams was remarkable.

Then, trying to be a perfect mom and a great lawyer created even more silliness . . . and lots of fatigue. But they did it. It's great!!!

I know many of the people described in the book, and I thought that they were characterized accurately with one exception. Eleanor Appel of the Placement Office comes in for a lot of criticism for not trying to make law firms change their prejudiced ways. What the book does not make clear is that Ms. Appel was not a lawyer. She was a Radcliffe graduate. With no one in the faculty to back her in forcing recruiters to change, all she could have accomplished was getting herself fired by trying to make recruiters change. I personally overheard many conversations she had where she argued effectively the case that women and minorities should receive better treatment, and observed the white male lawyers then go on to ignore her arguments. If there is a fault, it is with the faculty. They had the bully pulpit to do more, but did not.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand how women get to be tops in the legal profession. I even more highly recommend it as a story of human struggle and success.

These are remarkable people, and they have already made our world a better one for their willingness to run the gauntlet in the legal profession. Thank you, women of the class of 1964!

Where else are people being excluded from opportunities? What can you do to change that?