Kathleen Gentile

Research Conducted By: Sara Epstein

Meet California's Youngest Delegate

Westminster High School Yearbook, 1978.
Source: Ancestry.com.

About Kathleen Gentile

Kathleen (“Kathy”) Gentile was born January 31, 1961 in Long Beach, Los Angeles to parents Paul Gentile and Ann Franco Gentile. Her father Paul, of Italian-American descent, served in the Army Reserve and worked as a financial analyst. Kathleen’s mother Ann, the daughter of Mexican and Italian immigrants, faced economic hardships throughout her childhood.

Gentile recalled that her mother’s stories inspired her own interest in and admiration for strong, independent women. This outlook spurred her political activity as a teenager.

How Kathleen Became Involved & Her Hopes for the Conference

In 1977, when she was a junior at Westminster High School, Gentile was inspired by Vivian Hall, her Women’s Studies teacher and a fellow National Women’s Conference delegate, to get involved in the conference herself. She was not elected at the state conference but was appointed a delegate-at-large for California.

Prior to attending the National Women’s Conference, Gentile expressed her concern over growing factions among women’s groups in a Los Angeles Times article, “I would really like to see women join together… I just hope things work out in Houston. I hope nobody walks out of the conference.” Having grown up in what she called a “small, isolated community” in Orange County, Gentile remembered feeling both excited to experience the diverse congregation of women in Houston and nervous over rumblings of potential anti-ERA protests.

delegate at

16
years old

"I would really like to see women join together."

- Kathleen Gentile on what she
wished to see at the conference

At the Conference: A Teen's Perspective

At the national conference itself, Gentile witnessed the divisions firsthand. “I don’t really understand what’s going on. I have a feeling I’m just going to have to sit back and watch,” Gentile told a reporter for the Los Angeles Times**, commenting on the intense political debates occurring at the conference. For Gentile, the caucuses proved to be overwhelming and a sign of division, not to mention a constant reminder of her student status and political inexperience. Wanting the women to find more unity than divisions, Gentile voted against forming a youth caucus. As a teenager, Gentile felt excluded from the processes of political debate that she found herself surrounded by in Houston: “I thought I was starting to learn things, but when I hear these women talking in the caucuses, I don’t really understand them….I feel like I’m not doing anything.”

Westminster High School Yearbook, 1976.
Source: Ancestry.com.

** While at the National Women’s Conference, Los Angeles Times journalist Lorraine Bennet befriended the 16-year-old, who at times felt alone and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event. Kathleen confided in Bennet many of her anxieties and concerns about the politics of the convention. Some of these comments were removed from their original context and used in articles to construct a narrative of the teenager’s perspective that does not necessarily align with Kathleen’s true views.

Kathleen's Takeaways Then...

Despite any misgivings Gentile had about being able to participate fully in the National Women’s Conference, she found it to be an eye-opening experience. Reflecting on her experience at the conference forty-five years later, Gentile recognized that her understanding of the political matters at the conference were limited due to her age and level of political experience. Nevertheless, she was acutely aware of this moment as a “tipping point of something big for future generations.” She was quoted after a few days in Houston saying “I’ve been so sheltered in my neighborhood…. For the first time, I’ve been seeing how people really are.” In adulthood, Gentile came to realize that her admittedly negative attitudes towards the seemingly endless caucusing in 1977 were caused by both the naiveties of youth and her lack of exposure to the unique issues that women of diverse backgrounds faced.

...And Now

Today, Gentile holds dear her experience at the conference remembering fondly her enthusiasm to hear Gloria Steinem speak to the delegation and the time she spent with her fellow California delegates.

Kathleen Gentile married Daniel Becher in 1984 in Los Angeles and subsequently moved from California to Minnesota where they started a business and raised their family. The couple have one daughter and one son. Their daughter Willow is a fine artist active in the Rochester, Minnesota art scene. Willow credits her own political activism and passion for social issues to her mother’s example, having always encouraged her to speak out against injustices. Willow was recently involved in a project to produce public art during the civil unrest during the summer of 2020. Kathleen feels immensely proud to have instilled in her children the value of political activism and art as a means for facilitating change in their community.

Sources

Photos from Westminster High School Yearbooks 1976-1978 accessed via Ancestry.com"Interview with Kathleen Gentile Becher" Interview by Sara Epstein, UCI Department of History. 13 March 2022. Bennett, Lorraine. “Teen-Ager Finds IWY Conference Real Eye-Opener” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995); Nov 21, 1977; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times pg. OC1 Bennett, Lorraine. “Women Delegates Find Unity in Their Diversity” Los Angeles Times (1923- 1995); Nov 21, 1977; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times pg. OC1

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