Memorial gathering set for history pioneer Gerda Lerner

The family of Gerda Lerner, Robinson-Edwards Professor Emerita of U.S. Women’s History, will join with the Department of History to host a celebration of Lerner’s life and work on Sunday, April 28.

Lerner died on Jan. 2 at her home in Madison. She was 92.

The event will take place at 1 p.m. in the Morgridge Auditorium, 1100 Grainger Hall, located at 975 University Ave. Attendees are asked to RSVP by Friday, March 28 to Florencia Mallon, chair of the history department and a longtime friend. In addition, a block of rooms will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, 525 W. Johnson St., for out-of-town guests.

Lerner, who joined the UW–Madison faculty in 1980, established the nation’s first graduate program in women’s history in 1972. In 1981, she founded UW–Madison’s doctoral program in the same discipline, leading it until her retirement in 1991. Several of her scholarly works are considered classics in the field of women’s history, including “The Creation of Patriarchy” (1986), “The Creation of Feminist Consciousness” (1993) and “Black Women in White America” (1972), which she edited.

To make a gift to the Gerda Lerner Fellowship Fund, please contact Ron Luskin at the UW Foundation at 608-265-3526, or give online.