{"id":647,"date":"2019-11-05T14:24:59","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T14:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/?p=647"},"modified":"2020-01-27T19:00:31","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T19:00:31","slug":"betty-nelson-growing-up-in-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/2019\/11\/05\/betty-nelson-growing-up-in-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Betty Nelson: Sleuthing in Bluefield"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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by Anna Szolwinski<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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     Dean Betty Nelson has come to be one of the most highly respected figures in Purdue history. Known for being an \u201ciron fist in a velvet glove,\u201d Betty pioneered the fight for the disabled and contributed to the revolution for women\u2019s rights during her time at Purdue. Female students such as Teresa Roche and Jane Hamblin revere Betty for her commitment to furthering the status of women on campus and leaving behind a legacy of female empowerment. Although Betty was privileged to grow up in a loving household and receive a college education, her confidence in her female identity was primarily a result of observational learning rather than direct influence. Despite the lack of strong female role models during her childhood, Betty \u201cwas on [her] way to being a feminist and didn\u2019t even know the terminology.\u201d(1)<\/span><\/p>\n

     Betty Rebecca Mitchell was born in Bluefield, West Virginia to Emory and Margaret Mitchell. Bluefield\u2019s economy was centered around the coal mines, which lay buried underneath the town. Noises of bellowing train horns echoed throughout Bluefield as coal was transported to companies and families across America.<\/span><\/p>\n

     Betty\u2019s father, Emory. P Mitchell, was Bluefield city manager, while her mother, Margaret Mitchell, was a stay-at-home mom. The Mitchell family preached strong traditional values, including honesty, integrity, and usefulness. Although Betty was born second, the 10-year difference between her and her brother Lewis allowed Betty to mature into a \u201cfunctional first.\u201d(2)<\/span> Rather than be overshadowed by her older male sibling, Betty learned to adapt to the role of the first child and explore her independence. <\/span><\/p>\n

     Betty first began to learn about inequality in American society through her experience in elementary school, a time during which she was exposed to a full range of socioeconomic classes and backgrounds. When asked about her class, Betty laughed and said it was the most \u201crag-tag group you have ever seen.”(3)<\/span> Crossed-eyes, stringy hair, and face acne were among the qualities that characterized Betty\u2019s classmates. One student in particular, Arthur, stuck in Betty\u2019s mind. He often missed class, which caused Betty to wonder how someone could so frequently not come to school. Later, Betty learned that Arthur was only able to attend class when it was his turn to wear the shoes.(4)<\/span> Experiences like these enabled Betty to learn about a wide range of people from a young age and \u201cgrow up with compassion and understanding as a responsible adult.\u201d(5)<\/span> Betty\u2019s elementary years were also a time during which she was exposed to the discrepancies in the treatment of genders. She noticed that her mother would pack her brother\u2019s lunch but not her own, and at this moment, Betty knew that \u201cmales and females were valued differently in our society, and [she] didn\u2019t think that was rational.\u201d(6)<\/span> Although she was never explicitly taught about the American values, Betty\u2019s observational learning allowed her to understand the process of marginalization and discrimination from a very young age. <\/span><\/p>\n

     The gender roles within the Mitchell family were reflective of the era during which Betty grew up, a time when women\u2019s sole purpose was to raise children, support the household, and please their husbands. Betty was taught that women were seen and not heard, which was further exemplified by the female role models in her life. Betty\u2019s mother had been a teacher prior to getting married and spent little time outside of the home after having children. Similarly, Betty\u2019s other female influences subscribed to the societal norms of the time. Her friend\u2019s mother was a teacher, her neighbor was an executive secretary, and her cousin was a surgical nurse. When asked about her role models, Betty astutely stated: <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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“Nobody has to tell you something if you see examples like that; all really good people, and I\u2019m sure they grew up a little bit like Jane Austen\u2019s women [believing that] if you\u00a0grow up and attach yourself to somebody he will take care of you…I learned that\u00a0isn\u2019t necessarily going to happen.”(7)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Betty\u2019s determination to function independently in society could be attributed to the strong female role models she encountered in literature. An avid reader of Nancy Drew novels, Betty learned that women could have their own aspirations outside of fulfilling a man\u2019s requests.\u00a0 As she read under the covers with a flashlight, Betty learned that \u201cNancy was different. She was an independent thinker, good at analyzing situations, willing to step beyond some of those boundaries most women were afraid to approach. She didn\u2019t wait around for Ned [Nancy\u2019s special friend] to do something.\u201d(8) For many women, Nancy was an important female figure and may have been the first woman for many young readers who dared to defy the laws of society and adventure into the unknown.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Although Nancy Drew played an important role in Betty\u2019s life, she was not the only reason for Betty\u2019s growing independence. Betty\u2019s father passed away her freshman year of high school, which left her mother without financial support. Other than renting rooms, Margaret had little opportunity to earn money for the family. As a result of this experience, Betty vowed to be independent both financially and emotionally in her adult life. Betty stated:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cI saw the impact on my mother, her concern about how the family would keep body and\u00a0soul together, her lack of experience in business affairs. I decided I wanted to be able to\u00a0take care of myself. I wanted to feel I could manage, I could cope. I didn\u2019t want that kind\u00a0of surprise.\u201d(9)\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0This development inspired Betty to work at Kroger during her schooling years, not only to earn money, but because she enjoyed working.10 Although many women began working at this time, it was not usually out of interest but rather necessity. In the 1960s, \u201cnine out of ten girls would work outside the home at some point in their lives, but each of the girls thought that she would be that tenth girl.\u201d11 Rather than fall prey to the naive, helpless stereotype of women in the 20th century, Betty developed a strong sense of identity based on determination and individuality.<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Upon graduation from high school, Betty attended Radford University, an all-female college located in Virginia. Although Betty was not ecstatic about this decision at first, she was sensitive to financial issues and maturely concluded that Radford was the most cost-effective solution. The University had a population of around only 1,000 students, allowing Betty to explore her \u201cmelange of interests\u201d and accomplish just about anything she set her heart on doing.12\u00a0 She became involved on campus, holding positions including junior class president, editor of the yearbook, and officer member of her sorority. Betty frequently participated in school dances with the male universities located nearby, an activity for which she needed parental permission to participate. When asked if she had any regrets about attending an all-female college, Betty said, \u201cI just don\u2019t think I would have been this assertive about making opportunities for myself.\u201d13 Although the process of learning how to relate comfortably and easily with men was a limitation, Betty jumped over this hurdle upon enrolling in graduate school.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A 1960 photograph of Peters Hall from the Radford University archives14<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0During her time at Ohio University in the Student Personnel Administration program, Betty had the opportunity to \u201ccatch up socially.\u201d15<\/span> At Ohio University, Betty was a graduate assistant at Jefferson residence hall, a role that allowed her to evolve \u201cfrom ugly duckling to something better.\u201d16<\/span> Betty thrived in this role and quite enjoyed the dating process. In fact, Betty met her future husband, Dick Nelson, at Ohio University. Prior to meeting Dick, Betty had sworn she would never get married and thought she was unsuitable for a partner after a previous boyfriend had told her she was \u201ctoo independent.\u201d17<\/span> In fact, while reminiscing about her young adulthood and searching through old yearbooks, Betty found notes from her classmates stating she had chosen a \u201cdifferent path\u201d than the rest of her female peers. However, rather than subscribe to the societal norms of the times or surrender to the comments of her classmates, Betty refused to marry only until she found a partner who respected her independence.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Just as Nancy Drew collected clues in the fictional town of River Heights, Betty Mitchell did her own sleuthing in Bluefield. Growing up without any strong female role models in her life, Betty had to discover for herself what it meant to be an independent woman in the 20th century. She learned to be an analytical thinker, broke out of the confining box in which most women lived, and didn\u2019t need a \u201cspecial friend\u201d to find her way. Before Betty even stepped foot on Purdue\u2019s campus, she was equipped with the tools to create the perfect storm of revolutionary change and female empowerment.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNotes<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

1-\u00a0Klink, Angie.\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible: Five Purdue Women and Their Quest for Equality<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>

(Purdue University Press, 2014), 247.<\/p>

2-\u00a0Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski, 1 October 2019, Personal interview,\u00a0<\/p>

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.<\/p>

3-\u00a0Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski<\/p>

4-\u00a0Klink,\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible,\u00a0<\/em>244.<\/p>

5-\u00a0Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski<\/p>

6-\u00a0Klink,\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible,\u00a0<\/em>246.<\/p>

7-\u00a0\u00a0Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski<\/p>

8-\u00a0\u00a0Klink,\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible,\u00a0<\/em>246.<\/p>

9-\u00a0Klink,\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible, 249<\/em>.<\/p>

10-\u00a0Klink,\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible, 249<\/em>.<\/p>

11-\u00a0Collins, Gail.\u00a0When Everything Changed.\u00a0<\/em>Boston:\u00a0Little, Brown and Company, 2009,\u00a017.
12- \u00a0Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski<\/p>

13-\u00a0Klink,\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible, 251<\/em>.<\/p>

14-\u00a0\u00a0\u201c1960 photograph of Peters Hall,\u201d\u00a0McConnell Library, Archives and Special\u00a0Collections, Radford,Virginia.\u00a0https:\/\/www.radford.edu\/content\/radfordcore\/home\/news\/releases\/2016\/november\/then-and-now-gallery2.html.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

15-\u00a0Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski<\/p>

16-\u00a0Klink,\u00a0The Deans\u2019 Bible, 253<\/em>.<\/p>

17-\u00a0Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski<\/p>

Primary<\/strong><\/p>

-Betty Nelson, interview by Anna Szolwinski, 1 October 2019, Personal interview, Purdue<\/p>

University, West Lafayette, Indiana.<\/p>

-Ellis, Joan M. \u201c[Coal Tipple of the West Mine, Bluefield, W. Va.]\u201d Photograph. N.d. From West\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Virginia & Regional History Center, West Virginia History On View\u00a0<\/p>

-\u201c1930 photograph of Peters Hall,\u201d McConnell Library, Archives and Special Collections,\u00a0<\/p>

Radford, Virginia.\u00a0<\/p>

https:\/\/www.radford.edu\/content\/radfordcore\/home\/news\/releases\/2016\/november\/then-a<\/span><\/p>

nd-now-gallery2.html.<\/p>

Secondary\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

-Klink, Angie. The Deans\u2019 Bible: Five Purdue Women and Their Quest for Equality<\/em>. Purdue<\/p>

University Press, 2014.<\/p>

-Collins, Gail. When Everything Changed. <\/em>Little, Brown and Company, 2009.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Anna Szolwinski      Dean Betty Nelson has come to be one of the most highly respected figures in Purdue history. Known for being an \u201ciron fist in a velvet glove,\u201d Betty pioneered the fight for the disabled and contributed to the revolution for women\u2019s rights during her time at Purdue. Female students such as Teresa Roche and Jane Hamblin revere Betty for her commitment to furthering the status of women… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[45,56,55,6,57],"class_list":["post-647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-betty-nelson-modeling-campus-leadership","tag-college-administration","tag-gender-identity","tag-women-history","tag-women-in-higher-education","tag-women-leaders"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 07:10:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1142,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647\/revisions\/1142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu\/fall2019-honors49900\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}