Balancing Act: Mountains, Family, Career – Dr. Elizabeth White
Elizabeth "Betsy" White is a mountaineer, skier, runner, mother and pioneer in women's studies. She began climbing mountains in Colorado in 1955; her distinguished career began in 1962 as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Pakistan with her husband Gene. Until his death in 2008, their shared enthusiasm for mountains and their careers took them to fifty countries. Along the way, they raised three children. She wrote a groundbreaking dissertation on Muslim women in South Asia, defining the focus of her teaching and work. With The Asia Foundation she focused on promoting human rights, especially women's rights. She lived 9 years in Pakistan and 5 in Indonesia, immersed in the cultures of those nations. She lives in Berkeley, close to her grandchildren. She continues to hike, but the summits are lower and the pace slower. She hopes her life story will encourage others to create lives of adventure and fulfillment.
Dr. White will have a slide show and read from her book.