AC_1965_Web

73 AN T I OC H CO L L E G E C L A S S O F 19 6 5 5 0 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y B O O K A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z H E N S H AW HENSHAW CHARLOTTE EAKIN MERRISS THEN AND NOW 4 B.A. Theater Arts, ’64 4 Master’s in Social Work 4 Master’s in Public Administration FAMI LY 4 Husband, Stanley 4 Daughters, Stephanie and Emily ADDRESS 4 1082 Fearrington Post Pittsboro, NC 27312 CONTACT shenshaw@concentric.net A R R I V I N G A T A N T I O C H in 1960 from a low-calorie public high school in Pittsburgh was daunting in the face of my NewYork City dorm- mates. I took heart in the promise of tantalizing freedom and the wealth of ideas floating around.The campus was so basic and simple, and we re- ally didn’t need anything more.We had small classes and helpful, acces- sible faculty. I jumped into the theater de- partment and enjoyed the kindness of the Dallas and Treichler families, and lots of Shakespeare. The co-op experience took me to four ma- jor cities which I valued, but wish the staff had been more diligent in helping us analyze just what in the world was going on in those varied organizations we touched for three months.The flexibility of the college worked for me many times; I wanted to take an advanced child develop- ment course from Jerome Kagan.He found this somewhat amusing as I had no prerequisites but concurred and was gracious when I got one of the fewA’s.This course probably set the stage for my career interest. I married R.M. ‘65 just before my graduation and became a townie. When that suddenly blew up, I was more than out at sea. On to New York City. Later got master’s degrees in social work and public adminis- tration. After marrying Stanley Henshaw, a medical sociologist, in 1972 and f leeing across the river to New Jersey, I worked in a variety of set- tings at the fork in the road where public policy and direct service meet. I wanted two daughters, three years apart, and lo, Stephanie 1974 and Emily 1977. It was a great time to have babies: woman power was busting out and we knew everything. The contemporary new mother is at the hands of the anxiety machine and now many old-timers are sucked into the health delusion of perfec- tion and hyper-medicalization. I am so glad I was conscious dur- ing 1960 to 1980 and Antioch pre- pared me for that. I never dreamed we would have such a struggle pro- tecting those accomplishments. Being on campus when President Kennedy was killed was stunning, being together in a community of such generosity. It seems as if I re- member every television moment. Our daughters went to col- lege and graduate school in New England and they were married out of the same house in which they were born. I never thought of living in any other area. But the pot was stirred—happily—and amazingly, we all ended up in various parts of the Triangle area surrounding Chapel Hill, N.C. It has been won- derful to see the five grandchildren from their beginnings and help out, as needed, as the parents’ careers were launched.We also spend time on a corn and soybean farm outside of Cincinnati that my husband inher- ited and has protected from com- mercial development. I believe that man created God for purposes of social control and comfort and that we should take from the tradition what we wish: mine is sacred music and cathedrals. The Triangle area has a wonderful symphony, ballet and the PlayMakers Repertory Company.A bit too hot in the summer, but very pleasant in all other respects. (Well, the current state government is going down- hill.) The implosion of Antioch was a huge blow. Sorry to have lost touch so much.There was a flurry of alum contact in NYC and then in north- ern N.J. I always feel a kinship when someone says Antioch.They used to talk about the “old Antioch” but it was truly a special place in the ‘60s.