| Summary |
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the life of Frances Renfrow Doak, a woman who lived in eastern North Carolina from 1887 to 1974. In order to understand the importance of this woman's life, research into her background, her contemporaries, and the historical context of her life was necessary. Extensive use of the Frances Renfrow Doak Papers provided the backbone of the work. Three of Doak's job opportunities were especially influential on her life and the role she played in North Carolina history. While working for the law firm of former governor Charles B. Aycock and Judge Robert Watson Winston she was introduced to the world of politics and developed a deep admiration for Aycock that would affect her life. A later opportunity to work for Raleigh's WPTF radio station gave her the opportunity to exercise her creative talents and become the second female radio announcer in the nation, the first in North Carolina. During the New Deal era, Doak found employment with the Farm Security Administration, which allowed her to help fellow North Carolinians and to prove that women were capable of making contributions in an important governmental agency. In addition to her job opportunities, Doak's involvement in social and political movements strongly affected her life. She was a valued participant in movements for prohibition, improved opportunities for blacks, better prison conditions, and the abolition of capital punishment. In the area of politics she campaigned for a number of candidates including W. Kerr Scott and John F. Kennedy; she was an ardent supporter of world peace and the United Nations. Finally, Doak's involvement in women's clubs had a major influence both on her life and her community. By working through state and local organizations she was able to help the community and give women power and new roles in society. Doak emerged as a woman of transition, moving from the strict confinements of the Victorian era's idea of women's place in society to the opening opportunities that came with the move towards women's equality. She truly was a woman of transition between these two images. |
