Mom would never have described herself as a feminist. The local politics made that unlikely. She just didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t do the same job as the men at the railroad, so she went for it — and excelled. She was the first Wire Chief there, responsible for keeping the surprisingly huge and complex communications systems up and running, and therefore the trains rolling.
She was the first computing professional I knew of. When I was a little guy, I was thrilled when she told me that boys were also allowed to work on computers.
One of the greatest things she taught her kids was not to be afraid to say yes to good opportunities we didn’t feel qualified for. That worked out pretty well over the years. But more than that, she never let us forget that we were completely loved and accepted.
Love you too, Mom.