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"Church-going women were no shrinking violets when it came to advocating for the rights of the less fortunate and, eventually, for their political equality," stated Teri Gay.

Mrs. Gay would know: She is the author of "Strength Without Compromise," which details the saga of suffragists in Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. It's subtitled, "Womanly Influence and Political Identity in Turn-of-the-Twentieth Centu-ry Rural Upstate New York."

A parishioner of Corpus Christi Church in Round Lake, Mrs. Gay said a sub-theme of her book is that Victorian era women were regarded as "keepers of morality" who were encouraged to participate in church, charitable and benevolent work.

"In so doing, they earned respect and became smart, savvy leaders with power and influence - albeit largely outside of the sphere of men. Ultimately, these women of faith moved mountains in the political arena," said the author.

Much of the information of the suffrage activities in the book came directly from interviews Mrs. Gay conducted decades ago with elderly women who shared their experiences in attending suffrage events and teas.

Many faiths
As she reviewed her research, Mrs. Gay realized that her book would include references to women of diverse religious denominations who held leadership roles in church settings that ultimately helped them fight for - and win - the right to vote.

She added that "women of faith, who were largely shielded from the rough and tumble of business and politics, were ultimately also involved in two other important 19th century reformist causes: anti-slavery and temperance."

A native of Glens Falls, Mrs. Gay said she spent hours as a child "reading about strong women in history, the adversities they faced and how they handled the challenges in their lives."

She wrote the first chapters of her book while serving as an intern at the Chapman Historical Museum in Glens Falls during college. Although she dreamed of developing the subject matter into a bona fide work of literature, Mrs. Gay found herself tackling many other assignments first: raising three sons, earning a teaching certificate and most of a graduate degree in education, and holding a variety of professional positions - most recently, as historian for the town of Malta.

It was in the latter capacity that Mrs. Gay published her first book, "Malta Memories," in 2007. That volume shares about 50 stories and recollections from current and former Malta residents about what local life was like in a bygone era.

Pursuing dream
Mrs. Gay left that job in 2008 when her second husband, John, was ill with cancer. "We had been married only a year at that point," she noted. "We wanted to spend more time with each other and, at age 70, John wanted to semi-retire.

"Additionally, John knew of my dream to finally finish this book, and he offered me the chance to fully devote myself to writing. This was a dream come true for me."

In fact, were it not for her husband - who has since recovered - Mrs. Gay is adamant that her second book would never have been written.

"I love John so much - and owe him so much. I resurrected my research from 1980 to 2004, did some additional research in the summer and fall of 2008, then sat down last winter at my laptop and wrote for five months to finally finish 'Strength Without Compromise.'"

She is now working on a third book, a memoir on turning 50 and living simply.

("Strength Without Compromise" is available at Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores and at several library and museum gift shops in the Albany Diocese.)

(05/13/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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