UW AHC to Host Panel Discussion on Women Railroad Workers During WWII

The University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center (AHC) hosts a moderated railroad storytelling panel, titled “War, Work and Women,” Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1:30 p.m. in the AHC’s Stock Growers Room, located at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie.

 

The event, free and open to the public, explores the untold stories of women who worked for the Union Pacific Railroad during World War II.

 

The discussion will feature Sally Meeker and Carol Pascal, both interviewees from the AHC’s recent oral history project “Life Between the Rails,” which was funded, in part, by a grant from the Union Pacific Historical Foundation. The two will share the experiences of their female relatives who took on critical roles with the Union Pacific during the war.

 

The project was conducted by AHC Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener and research assistant Tana Libolt. The panel will be moderated by Cecily Zander, a UW assistant professor of history, and Trisha Martinez, a UW assistant professor of American cultural studies.

 

Refreshments will be served at 1 p.m., and parking is free.

 

Visitors also are encouraged to explore two exhibits on view that day from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

 

-- “Life Between the Rails: Highlights and Insights from an Oral History Project.” This exhibit, curated by Libolt, showcases oral histories and photographs of Union Pacific workers and their families.

 

-- “The West is Waiting: An Exploration of Railroad Advertising” is the AHC’s main fall exhibit that traces how railroad advertising influenced Western migration and settlement from 1867 through the 20th century.

 

For more information, call the American Heritage Center at (307) 766-3756 or visit www.uwyo.edu/ahc.