Archives West Finding Aid

Virginia (Ginny) Wolf was born 1 July 1924 in Morristown, Indiana.[1] She became a professor of physical education at the University of Idaho in 1964. While at the university she took an active role in addressing issues affecting women on campus. [2] After her retirement in 1982, she moved to Port Townsend, Washington where she was a dedicated supporter of the arts. She died 17 September 2004.[3]

Wolf served as the chair of the University of Idaho Women's Caucus. The Women's Caucus was established to identify the cause of a 25% drop out rate of female students at the university. Finding sexual harrasment and pay inequity to be major contributing issues, they filed a complaint with the Idaho Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1973. This led to the signing of a Conciliation Agreement negotiated between the the Women's Caucus and the university detailing actions the university would take regarding gender issues, one of which was the creation of the Women's Center on campus.

In 1975, Wolf convened the Moscow, Idaho chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and served as president two terms. The following year, the first ID NOW conference and Wolf was elected state coordinator.[5] She attended many local, regional, and national NOW conferences throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

NOW was established in 1966 by a group of women to challenge sex discrimination in American society. For over 5 decades the organization has lobbied, demonstrated, and used other means to address issues such as pregnancy leave, abortion rights, and pension rights. A major convern of NOW throughout the 1970s and 1980s was the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which has failed multiple times on the national level. Since NOWs inception, it has grown to include chapters in all 50 states.[6]