'Lady and Gentlemen'

When the Harvard Corporation--traditionally composed of seven white men--appointed Judith Richards Hope as its first woman member this February, observers were cautious to avoid labeling the move as a genuine step toward opening up the University's top governing board.

Since Andrew Heiskell announced more than three years ago that he would be stepping down from the Corporation, students and faculty had called on the self-perpetuating body to name a woman or minority as his replacement, a decision they said would bring the 339-year-old body much-needed new perspective.

But when Hope--a Washington lawyer with close ties to the Republican party--was tapped for the post, many said that, except for her gender, she differed little from the generations of men who had preceded her.

"I suppose one says 'lady and gentlemen' instead of 'gentlemen,' but [otherwise] I don't think it makes that much difference in today's world," Heiskell said after the appointment.

Hope does not fit anyone's profile of a radical reformer, and most say that her main success has been overcoming the barriers erected against women rather than dismantling them.

Known by colleagues as the "consummate Washington insider," Hope served in the Ford Administration and held top posts in several Republican presidential campaigns. As a Harvard Law School-educated attorney specializing in transportation law, she was the first woman to serve on the executive committee of her firm.

That kind of success shaped Hope's pragmatic approach toward women's progress--a belief that once women bypass traditional obstacles to advancement in the corporate and political worlds, equality will naturally follow.

But despite her conservative approach, Hope's appointment seemed to indicate that the Corporation was at least willing to take into account calls for diversity.

"I think that there will be a change in perhaps subtle ways in having a woman on the Corporation," said Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54.

Ironically, some have complained that the Corporation flouted democratic procedure even as it was ostensibly moving toward openness.

The Board of Overseers--which must approve Corporation selections--was formally notified only two days before it was to vote on the choice. And members complained that their lack of adequate information about Hope forced them to rubberstamp the appointment.

"I was troubled by the failure of the Board to look seriously at the nominee for the Corporation," said Overseer Peter H. Wood '64. "I understood when I was elected that that was one of our most serious and major obligations."