Arden Eversmeyer
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Jean Arden Eversmeyer, known as Arden (1931–2022), founded both Lesbians Over Age Fifty (LOAF) and the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP)[1] and was a mayoral appointee to the Houston, Texas Agency on Aging.[2] After retirement, she dedicated her efforts to ensuring that older lesbians have access to community resources and that their unique life stories are recorded and celebrated. Arden Eversmeyer died in Houston, TX on November 14, 2022.[3]
Eversmeyer realized and accepted her love for women while still a teenager, but remained closeted for half of her life.
Born to Herbert and Audrey Eversmeyer in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, on April 4, 1931,[1] Eversmeyer graduated from Texas State College for Women in 1951. She later completed graduate work at Sam Houston State University. She worked in Texas public schools, starting in Plano and spent the majority of her career with the Houston Independent School District, both as an educator and counselor.[1] She met her first partner, Tommie Russum, shortly after moving to Houston.
After Russum's death in 1985, Eversmeyer began to volunteer openly with lesbian rights initiatives. She started Lesbians Over Age Fifty (LOAF) in 1987 to encourage a safe environment, meeting places, and a social network for mid-life and older lesbians.[4] She also served on the steering committee of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, a national network of women over 60 working to confront ageism and improve the lives of lesbians everywhere.
After being with her second partner, Charlotte, for more than 25 years, the couple were legally married in California. Charlotte died on April 14, 2018.[1]
In 1997, Eversmeyer founded the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project to "collect and preserve our life stories (focusing on lesbians aged 70 and older), to honor the lives of old lesbians."[5] Project volunteers have documented over 750 diverse life stories recording the sacrifices and obstacles faced by lesbians of that era. The collection is now archived, and continues to grow, as part of the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College (see WorldCat record). OLOHP has published two books of collected interviews: A Gift of Old Age (2009; Purchase from OLOHP or borrow from a library (see WorldCat holdings); and Without Apology (2012; Purchase from OLOHP or borrow from a library (see WorldCat holdings).
Mary Speegle, creator of The Lesbian Story Project,[6] combined two interviews with Ms. Eversmeyer into a single 45-minute podcast published on October 17, 2016.
Honors and awards
- 1981
- Appreciation award from Houston School Counselors Association for 30 years of service to children.
- 1995
- Houston Pride Committee award for community service
- 2001
- An Uncommon Legacy Foundation, Inc. -- Extra Mile Award for Founding Lesbians Over Age Fifty (LOAF) in 1987
- 2004
- Houston Zoological Gardens honors for 23 years of service as a Docent
- 2008
- Old Lesbians Organized for Change (OLOC) honors for founding the Old Lesbian Herstory Project (OLOHP)
- 2010
- LOAF Founders Award as a Visionary/Dreamer
- 2011
- Proclamation from the City of Houston for community service through LOAF and OLOC: In August 2011, a room in the Montrose Counseling Center was dedicated to Eversmeyer.[7]
- 2012
- Bold Woman Award, Bold-fest Conference, Vancouver BC
- 2012
- Proclamation from the City of Houston on the 25th Anniversary of LOAF
- 2013
- Proclamation from the City of Houston for founding the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project
- 2014
- Women's Trailblazer Award from the Department of Energy, Washington DC.: During National Women's History Month in March 2014, Eversmeyer was one of twelve honorees recognized for their contributions by the National Women's History Alliance.[8]
- 2014
- Honoree, National Women's History Project, Washington DC, "Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment"
- 2014
- Featured speaker for Pride Month Celebration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Washington DC
- 2017
- In June 2017, Eversmeyer was selected to join Tony Carroll and Marion Coleman as Grand Marshals of the Houston Gay Pride Parade.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d Wolf, Brandon (March 3, 2021). "Herstory Maker". Outsmart Magazine. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ "Arden Eversmeyer". Outwords. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ "Jean Eversmeyer Obituary (1931 - 2022) - Houston, TX - Houston Chronicle". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ Ford, Nancy (October 2011). "Lesbians over age fifty LOAF kicks off approach to quarter century anniversary".
- ^ "A Tale of Two Organizations: OLOHP and OLOC".
- ^ www.thelesbianstoryproject.com http://www.thelesbianstoryproject.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
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(help) - ^ "The First Meeting of the Arden Eversmeyer Fan Club Comes to Order".
- ^ "2014 Honorees : Women of Character, Courage and Commitment".
- ^ Wolf, Brandon (June 2017). "Pride Houston Honors Three 'Treasures of the Community". OutSmart.
- ^ Eversmeyer, Arden (July 2016). "Awards and Honors". Letter to.