Teacher, columnist, social justice activist, politician, advisor, director of several public agencies, and more: Ann Arbor native and U-M alum Josephine Fellows Gomon (LSA 1913) had an impact on Detroit, on Michigan, and on social justice across the nation — an impact matched by few others.  Join us for a presentation by Michelle McClellan and learn about Gomon’s life and work in the context of women’s roles in the early and mid 20th century, including her involvement in the birth control movement and her service as  director of women personnel at the Willow Run bomber plant during WWII.  Find out why the Detroit Free Press called her “the City’s Conscience.”

Michelle McClellan is the Johanna Meijer Magoon Principal Archivist at the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. She serves as the field archivist for the Michigan Historical Collections, aiming to preserve diverse stories from across the state. Michelle earned her Ph.D. in American history from Stanford University and her M.S.I. from the University of Michigan. Before coming to the Bentley, Michelle worked in academia, museums, and historic preservation. She has published on the history of women and medicine, on “Little House” heritage tourism, and on how museums and historic sites can highlight formerly hidden stories. Most recently, she co-authored “Not Even Past: Archiving 2020 in Real Time” with Aprille McKay, which appeared in the volume Being Human during COVID-19 (University of Michigan Press, 2021).

For those attending in person, the event will be followed by tours of the Observatory, with observing if weather permits.

If you’d like to attend this event IN PERSON at the Observatory, register  here.

If you’d like to attend this event VIRTUALLY, register here.