Abstract
Ferelene “Nan” Bailey begins by discussing her childhood, the benefits of living overseas during her childhood, her experience applying to Brown University, and her expectations of her experience. She spends a significant amount of time discussing the various and bountiful activist groups she participated in, and more broadly, social turmoil during the seventies surrounding issues such as the Vietnam War and birth control. Towards the end, she shares experiences after graduation, and how she was able to take her enthusiasm for the groups she was involved in on campus and carry them into her career. Bailey ends the interview by discussing her thoughts on same-sex education and the benefits of attending Brown as a coeducational institution.
Recorded on September 15, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA
Interviewed by Emily Coe-Sullivan
Suggested Chicago style citation: Bailey, Ferelene. Interview. By Emily Coe-Sullivan. Pembroke Center Oral History Project, Brown University. September 15, 2015.
Biography
Ferelene “Nan” Bailey was born into a military family and moved around extensively throughout her childhood to countries such as France and Japan. Once settled at St. Timothy’s boarding school in Maryland, she applied to Brown University, encouraged by her mentor Jean Miller (Pembroke College class of 1949) who was at the time the headmistress of St. Timothy’s. Once at Brown, Bailey became enveloped in the social activism on and off campus and joined several groups such as the Women’s Liberation Organization, the Afro-American Student Society, the Student Caucus, and the Young Socialist Alliance, eventually turning these political groups into her degree as an independent study. After graduating, Bailey worked in several companies around the United States, including a meatpacking industry and an airplane part manufacturer. At the time of this interview, she lived in Los Angeles, California.