"I think that’s what I wanted to do through my work with the
Women’s History Project was to let children know there is a history … this
[Worcester] used to be the center of activity for the whole Northeast region.
It was a place people came to do all the things that needed to be done. They
came for religious reasons, for temperance reasons, for abolitionists’ reason,
for women’s rights reasons, it was the center, it was the hub of activity and
liveliness and, you know, hold on to that."
Carolyn Howe, born November 19, 1949 in Upland, California, has been a Worcester resident since 1988 after accepting a position at the College of the Holy Cross. She is a professor of Sociology and a mother of one daughter, Molly Del Howe-Lembcke. Carolyn is the daughter of Delphine “Del” Howe and John “Jack” Wentworth Howe, both deceased. She is the fourth born out of five children, having two brothers and two sisters. She has lived in California, Mexico, Colorado, Iowa, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. She was a full time activist in the 2 ½ Override Campaign in 1991. She was a member of the Worcester Women’s History Project (founded in 1994) having served as chair of the program committee, clerk of the organization, and as its president the years before, during, and after the 150th anniversary of the First National Women’s Rights Convention in 2000. She currently runs a Latin American Studies program at Holy Cross. In this interview she discusses experiencing different cultures growing up, her view of Worcester, her role in the Worcester Women’s History Project, her work on the Oregon Federal Art Project, as well as how she co-wrote a play entitled, “Yours for Humanity-Abby” a one-woman performance portraying the life of Worcester’s own Abby Kelley Foster (1811-1876).