Abstract
This is part two of an oral history with Beverly Toy, a retired associate university librarian at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and founding member of Women For: Orange County. Toy has also been involved with several organizations, such as the Southern California Library Association of Librarians and the League of Women Voters. The purpose of this interview was to collect her life history, details of her local activism, and experiences as a librarian. Specifically, this interview details Toy’s experience moving to Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1956; speaks about moving her family several times to follow her husband’s career path, and her correlating work experiences; discusses home life in Boulder, Colorado, joining the League of Women Voters, and working at the University of Colorado; recalls earning her Master’s Degree in Library Science from UCLA, and later working as a librarian there; remembers brief introduction to librarianship and working with the System Development Corporation; describes moving to San Diego and working at California State University, San Diego; shares how she met her second husband, Ernest Toy; recollects trying her hand in real estate; recalls advocating for herself during her Master’s program; discusses her work at UCI, the sexism she encountered, and advocating for equal pay; briefly talks about her time on Affirmative Action and Status of Women Committees; details her involvement with the Southern California Library Association of Librarians; recalls writing verse plays for the American Association of University Women [AAUW]; speaks about her poetry and publishing experiences; discusses her role in co-founding Women For: Orange County, in the 1980s, the organization’s goals, and her subsequent decision to leave; reflects on her experience with the League of Women Voters; talks about her decision to get the League’s records and paperwork archived at UCI; shares her thoughts on the challenges faced by political women candidates; briefly talks about Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign; reflects on the importance of women involved in politics; and finally, provides her thoughts on feminism and what she’s most proud of.
