IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
JEAN KERN (1913 - )
PAPERS, 1921-1988
1.5 linear feet
|
ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 253) were donated
by Jean Kern in 1995. |
|
ACCESS: |
The papers
are open for research. |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
»Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
|
PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In boxes 1,
2, and 3. |
|
PROCESSED
BY: |
Heather
Ritchie, 1995. |
Biography
Jean Kern, a Professor Emerita of English and an independent
scholar, was born in Indiana on April 30, 1913 to John S. and Stanta
Bordner. She lived in South Bend,
Indiana, from birth until 1919 when her family moved to Wisconsin. Her parents were educators interested in
rural culture and nature conservation.
Her father received his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in biology,
soil chemistry and forestry. From 1927
until retirement in 1947, he worked with the State Department of Agriculture
developing an economic inventory of the land, lakes and streams of
Wisconsin.
In 1936, at the age of twenty-three, Kern completed her
doctorate at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She received her degree in English literature specializing in
eighteenth-century drama. In September of that year, she married Alexander
Kern. They have two children.
During her professional career, Kern taught in Iowa as
well as abroad in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Her publications include a book entitled Dramatic Satire in the Age of Walpole:
1720-1750 (1976), numerous essays on drama and women in the
eighteenth-century and several book reviews.
After retirement in 1975, Kern continued to be active in her profession,
publishing and presenting papers at various conferences.
Kern's professional experiences were not unique for women
professors beginning their careers in the 1930s. The antinepotism policy at the University of Iowa significantly
constricted her professional life. The
policy forbade two family members from being hired at the university. Because her husband taught in the English and
American Studies Departments, Kern was not eligible for tenure at the
University of Iowa. Thus, she taught at
the private liberal arts colleges in the area.
While these positions allowed her to remain with her family in Iowa
City, the lack of affiliation with a larger university stunted her professional
life, making her a "commuter throughout [her] career as a professor of
English" (Box 3, Professional life, Published essays, 1960-1985, "The
Long, Hard Road").
Despite these obstacles, Kern creatively developed
alternative paths to secure teaching positions and established a career
independently and in partnership with her husband. She found employment abroad as a woman professor without
difficulty. Thus, she and her husband
taught overseas as frequently as possible.
She discusses her experiences with gender discrimination in the essay
"The Long, Hard Road" (Box 3, Professional life, Published essays
1960-1985).
Scope and Content Note
The Jean Kern papers date from 1921 to 1988 and measure 1.5 linear feet.
They are arranged in four series: Personal material, Photographs, Professional
life, and Volunteer activities.
Comprised primarily of photographs, the collection illustrates the richness
of Kern's international experiences, her broad interest in the humanities, the
focus of her professional career after retirement and a slice of her personal
life. A small part of the collection
addresses gender discrimination in academia.
The Personal material series (1921-1994,
scattered) contains a 1929-1931 college life diary written while Kern pursued
her undergraduate degree, along with her father's memoirs and her living
will. This series also includes
information on the Kern's international travels in the 1980s, recorded through
log diaries.
The Photographs series (1921-1994) contains
photographs from Kern's early childhood, her family and friends (mostly
unidentified) and an extensive collection of pictures recording Kern's international
travels.
The third series, Professional life (1980-1988)
consists of correspondence and publications written by Kern after her
retirement in 1975. Her interaction
with national and international colleagues reflects the respect and warmth
Kern's colleagues had for her. Although
much of the correspondence discusses requests for reviewing manuscripts written
by her colleagues, a few of the letters speak to the difficulties women face in
academia. Of particular interest on
this topic is the correspondence to and from Mary Anne Schofield (Box 3,
Professional life, correspondence, 1980-1988).
Kern frequently drafted responses on the back of original letters. This series also contains published essays
and book reviews.
The Volunteer activities (1980-1993) are comprised
of materials regarding the Iowa Humanities Board, the University of Iowa Museum
of Art docents, the Nineteenth-Century Club, and the Greater Iowa Housing
Fellowship meetings, where Kern represented her church, the Unitarian
Universalists.
Related Collections
Alexander
Kern papers, University of Iowa Special Collections Department, University
Archives
Box no. Description
**PRESS <control v>1 to return to level 1.**
Box 1
Personal life
Diaries
Trips (Mexico and New
Zealand), 1981, 1982
Trip to Mexico, 1981
University Life, 1929-1931
Living will, 1991
John Bordner's memoirs
(father), undated
Photographs
Childhood photos, 1921-?
Family and friends, undated
Folders 1-5
Box 2
Folder 6
Travel
England and Hebrides, 1978
Consumers Coop Society
Reunion, 1979
Europe, 1980
Neustact and Korbach
Aberdeen, Scotland
Prague and Budapest
New Zealand, 1982
Australia, 1982
Hawaii, 1983
Box 3
Alaska, undated
Fairfield, Iowa, undated
Mexico, undated
Oxford, Mississippi, undated
Sun City, Arizona, undated
Professional life
Correspondence, 1980-1988
Conference programs,
1977-1983
Published essays, 1960-1985
Book reviews, undated
Newspaper clipping, 1980
Volunteer activities
Greater Iowa City Housing
Fellowship
Minutes, 1990-1993
Iowa Humanities Board, 1980
and undated
University of Iowa Museum of
Art docent
African art exhibit, undated
Newspaper clippings, 1992
Nineteenth-Century
Club, undated