Legacy from a Little-Known Grant

Amy Beringer

For many of us, the strong friendships that we forged during our two years are the most important legacy of our time at the GSB. All of these friends mean so much to me, but I want to talk about one group in particular that has been a consistent part of my life.

I don’t recall the percentage of women students during our years at the GSB, but it was low enough that Doris McNamara (who was not a Stanford grad) established a fund to pay for a professional facilitator to work with groups of GSB women to address “a real need for women in Stanford GSB to talk to each other, to exchange ideas about their problems, and to develop real friendships.” Sometime during the first few months of 1985, a group of second-year women started to form to take advantage of this opportunity.

Thirty five years later, we are still meeting, listening, and laughing. I count these women among my very best friends: Su-Moon Paik, Nancy Ryan, Patty Brenner Jackson, Ann Brannan Mathieson, Sue Follett Panella, Deb Meyerson, Patty Root Collier, and Lisa Anderson Kelley.

The group began with a slightly different group of women. After graduation, some women dropped out and new GSB friends joined. We were Bay Area-focused, but when some of us moved away (Sue to Boston, Nancy to Wisconsin, and me to Colorado), we continued to join the annual weekends.

We started the group with a facilitator hired and paid for under the Doris McNamara grant. Befitting our take-charge personalities, however, we fired the facilitator after the first few meetings and launched out on our own. We have navigated so much together: careers, relationships, marriages, second careers, (no second marriages so far), children, balancing career with family, health issues, the death of loved ones, aging parents, disappointments, and successes. We have consoled and congratulated each other at every turn. We never lost touch. These women have been a constant bedrock in my life; I can’t imagine my life without them and hope I will never have to.

I wonder if our group discussions have been different because we are MBAs. I am guessing that we might be a bit more direct and perhaps more analytical in our thinking. But we are also compassionate, and our talks benefit by our commitment and longevity as a group.

For many years, we had a leather blank book that captured the key discussions from our annual weekends. At some point, the book vanished, and I was hopeful that it would show up when we were all cleaning out our attics during quarantine this spring. But perhaps it is best that we keep those discussions private. I don’t think there is any real blackmail material to be found, but one of the reasons this group has worked is our willingness to be vulnerable and honest with each other. Probably best not to document that.

I am so grateful for this group and hope we stay together for a very long time!

(Seconded by Patty Collier, Su-Moon Paik, Ann Mathieson, Patty Jackson, Deb Myerson, Nancy Ryan, Lisa Kelley and Sue Panella.)