Kolb, Frances Arick

See the finding aid for the Frances Kolb papers (MC 481).

Frances (Arick) Kolb (1937-1991) was an educational consultant and historian who served as curriculum coordinator for the Training Institute for Sex Desegregation at Douglass College of Rutgers University (1975-1979), as training specialist for Project Inter-Action (1980-1981), and as assistant director of The Network in Andover, Mass., a nonprofit research and training organization. The author of Portraits of Our Mothers: Using Oral History in the Classroom (1983), Kolb was also associate director of the New England Center for Equity Assistance, a federally supported program to provide help to schools dealing with desegregation. A longtime activist with the National Organization for Women, Kolb was a founder of the Pittsburgh chapter, Eastern Regional Director (1973-1975), and member of NOW's national board (1975-1977). She served as NOW's archivist and was preparing a history of NOW before her death from breast cancer in 1991.

Kolb (1937-1991) was an educational consultant and historian who served as curriculum coordinator for the Training Institute for Sex Desegregation at Douglass College of Rutgers University (1975-1979), as training specialist for Project Inter-Action (1980-1981), and as assistant director of The Network in Andover, Mass., a nonprofit research and training organization. The author of Portraits of Our Mothers: Using Oral History in the Classroom (1983), Kolb was also associate director of the New England Center for Equity Assistance, a federally supported program to provide help to schools dealing with desegregation. A longtime activist with the National Organization for Women, Kolb was a founder of the Pittsburgh chapter, Eastern Regional Director (1973-1975), and member of NOW's national board (1975-1977). She served as NOW's archivist and was preparing a history of NOW before her death from breast cancer in 1991.

Frances (Arick) Kolb, an educational consultant and historian, was born in 1937 in Worcester, Massachusetts. She attended Brandeis University from 1954 to 1956 before receiving her B.A. in history and secondary education from Washington University (1958), her master's degree in American civilization from the University of Pennsylvania (1959), and her Ph.D. in history from Washington University (1972). She was married to and divorced from Zivon Cohen. She later married Alfred Kolb; they had a daughter, Sharon.

FAK was an instructor in continuing education at Pennsylvania State University (1971-1973), an instructor in American history at the University of Pittsburgh (1973), assistant professor in the department of history at Montclair (New Jersey) State College (1973-1975), adjunct instructor in women's studies at City College, City University of New York (1974-1795), curriculum coordinator for the Training Institute for Sex Desegregation at Douglass College of Rutgers University (1975-1979), a training specialist for Project Inter-Action (1980-1981), and assistant director of The Network in Andover, Massachusetts (1982-?). In addition, FAK was a member of the Panel on Teaching Women's History at the American Historical Association's national conference (1975), chair of the Panel on Funding Women's Studies for the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians meeting at Bryn Mawr (June 1975), served on the planning committee of the Bicentennial Celebration on Women at Douglass College (March-April 1976), was a consultant and trainer for the Educational Improvement Center South of the New Jersey Department of Education (June-July 1978), and consultant and trainer for the New England Educational Equity Center (1979-1980).

Her positions within the National Organization for Women included founding member and member of the Board of Directors of the South Hills NOW Day Nursery School (1972-1973), Eastern Regional Director (1973-1975), and National Board member (1975-1977), where she served as NOW archivist. She was also on the Rules Committee of the 1975 and 1976 national conferences, was a member of the Budget Committee of the National Board, Finance Coordinator of the NOW Freedom Train (1976), chair of the NOW Arrangements Committee for the International Women's Year Conference (1977), and chair of the Economic Sanctions Committee of the ERA Strike Force (1977-1979).

FAK died of breast cancer January 12, 1991.