Pen and Gail are two young women who must…
The Punch Heard Around The School
The seventeen volleyball players included girls from African, Japanese, Chinese, Jewish families, and of course white kids, a fair representation of Garfield’s inter-racial student body. Pen was a competitive player but not knock-’em-dead aggressive. Yet, when one of her teammates called Pen’s friend Henrietta Mason a “nigger,” Pen punched her in the face, causing a profuse nose bleed. It was the punch heard around the school.
The dean of students, Elizabeth Ohmdahl, called the three girls, their parents (Katherine in Pen’s case), and the coach to her office for a meeting. When asked to explain her “attack,” Pen said, “It was wrong to call her that ugly name.”
“I think you are right, Pen,” said Dean Ohmdahl. “But did you have to hit her? Was that right?”
“Yes,” Pen said with a note of defiance. There was a brief pause. “Henrietta defended me in first grade when a boy made fun of me. She’s my best friend. I wanted her to know that. Dierdre shouldn’t have called her that.”
More Than A Pretty Face
Occasionally on weekends, Patty would ask Gail to choose a movie for them to see. “Let’s go see National Velvet. I like it because the girl [actor young Elizabeth Tailor] wins the race,” Gail suggested.
Coming out of the Egyptian Theater in the University District after seeing the movie, two women with daughters about Gail’s age, stopped them. One woman said to the other, “Isn’t she beautiful? Elizabeth Taylor has nothing on this young lady.”
“She can read a book too,” snapped Patty, and with Gail in hand, walked off in a huff.
Junior Achievement—boys first. . . girls?
Concerned about how Pen could learn about Applegate Enterprises, Katherine approached Sally. “It fits, doesn’t it?” Sally mused. “The-poor-little-rich-girl who has so much and yet so little. I’ve wondered how we can prepare her for what’s instore . . . Let’s get her involved with Junior Achievement. To learn something about business, however rudimentary.”
It was the third week in a row that Benton did not include
Pen in the discussions. This time, instead of feeling hurt, Pen hung back after their session to protest. “You didn’t let me make my loan application like the boys. I worked really hard on it. That’s not fair.”
“I’m sure you did, miss,” Benton said officiously. “But banking really is not a business for girls. Why don’t you change to retail, maybe a dress shop?”
For the first time Pen took notice of Benton’s sliver-thin salt-and-pepper mustache creased above his reed-thin lips. She felt his sneering tone as her emotions swelled up and congealed into anger. She turned, took a few steps toward the door, then stopped. Looking back directly at Benton, she said confidently, “You’re wrong, Mr. Benton. I’m going into banking. And I’ll be as good or better than any of the boys who do the same.”
Challenge the Status Quo
“Look, Si,” Pen joined in. “I mean no disrespect to your father, but he is not being respectful of you. Gail and I can help you now. You should not have to be at home and under pressure to marry a man you don’t want. There’s something else. Through your campaign, we can show that most students do not support the Greek organizations’ policies of discrimination.”