Liberation of Winifred Bryan Horner
This inspiring tale of grit and determination sprinkled with humor, wit, and a taste of irony is the story of Winifred Bryan Horner's journey from a life of domesticity on the family farm after World War II to becoming an Endowed Professor. Her compelling story is one of a woman's fight for equal rights and her ultimate success at a time when women were openly deemed "less than" men in the professional world.
Winifred, a professional writer and consummate storyteller known to friends and family as Win, always assumed she would write her own memoir. But after retiring from teaching, she found that she could never find the time or inspiration to sit down and record the pivotal stories of her remarkable 92 years of life. Colleague and mentee Elaine J. Lawless devised a plan to interview Win about her life and allow her to tell stories with the intention that Win would edit the transcriptions into her memoir. Over four months, Elaine visited Win on Wednesdays to interview her about her life. Sadly, just one week after the conclusion of the final interview, Win unexpectedly passed away, before Elaine could give her the final transcripts. With the support of Win's family, Elaine set out to finish this book on Win's behalf.
Win's story is one that will inspire and resonate with women as they continue to work toward equality in the world.
Elaine J. Lawless is Curators' Distinguished Professor Emerita of English and Folklore Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and Religious Studies at the University of Missouri, where she first met Win in 1983. Lawless has previously published eight scholarly books, including most recently Women Escaping Violence: Empowerment through Narrative.
Winifred Bryan Horner was Professor of English at the University of Missouri and Endowed Chair in Writing and Rhetoric Emerita at Texas Christian University. As one of the earliest scholars to unite rhetoric with composition, she was author of over 30 articles and nine published books.