KAREN CROUSE
GINA BENNETT
JODY WILLIAMS
SPOILT FOR CHOICE:
Conversations with Exceptional Women
BY DAVID GRAY ADLER
So many extraordinary women have graced the stage at The Alturas Institute’s “Conversations with Exceptional Women,” held annually in Sun Valley, that in fulfilling an assignment to single out a precious few for special appreciation, one is spoilt for choice. The striking roster of Alturas Alumna requires for civic awareness no need to enumerate achievements and awards. Barbara Morgan. Sandra Day O’Connor. Diane McWhorter. Annette Gordon-Reed. Jody Williams. Gina Bennett. Anne Taylor Fleming. Karen Crouse. Joanne Freeman. Missy Franklin. Cherie Buckner-Webb. Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Caroline Heldman. Christine Walker. Shirley Babashoff. Alexandra Fuller. I am spoilt for choice, but consider the wisdom and impact of Crouse, Bennett, Morgan, Williams, McWhorter, Heldman and Freeman.
Karen Crouse: This prize-winning New York Times sports writer and author is a gifted storyteller whose inspirational narratives have pulled audiences from their seats. She discovered her love for journalism in the eighth grade when one of her stories inspired an Olympic swimmer to find hope when he had lost it. Since then, her writing has effected change, including triumphs for 26
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gender equality. As the Times’ Golf Writer in 2011, Karen endured more than a little heat from her editor, when she announced that she did not want to cover the Masters Tournament until Augusta National Golf Course opened its doors to female members. Her outspoken advocacy for gender equality influenced not only the storied Georgia golf club’s decision to admit women as members, but also the centuries-old Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland to do the same in 2014.
Gina Bennett: She is a CIA expert in counter-
intelligence, mother of five, author and the subject of several documentaries and articles about the historic but underappreciated role women have played in maintaining our national security. Bennett was the first official—man or woman–to warn America of the threat Osama bin Laden posed to the United States. She was a member of the team that tracked him to his final resting place. Quiet, smooth, professional and crisply analytical in her
