Barbara Hillyer

American academic and feminist activist (1934–2024)

Barbara Hillyer or Hillyer-Davis (March 1, 1934 – March 9, 2024) was an American academic and feminist activist. She was the founding director of the Women's Studies courses at the University of Oklahoma. Her 1993 book, Feminism and Disability was the 1994 Emily Toth Award winner for the best feminist publication of the year and was also named as Outstanding Academic Book by the Association of College and Research Libraries's Choice Magazine. Her work explored the response of the disability and feminist rights movements to aging, chronic illness, disability, and mental health.

## Early life, education, and family

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Barbara Gene Hillyer was born on March 1, 1934, in Creston, Iowa, to Grace (née Coy) and Murrel Newman Hillyer.[1][2] Her mother died when she was three and her father remarried the following year to Wanda Griswold.[3][4] When she was six, her family relocated to Kansas City, Missouri,[5] where her father managed movie theaters for fifteen years.[4][6] Upon completing high school, Hillyer went on to further her education completing an undergraduate degree at Rockford College, graduate studies at Claremont Graduate University, and a PhD at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[7][8] After completing her doctorate in 1958, Hillyer traveled in Europe for more than two months before returning to marry Robert M. Davis, a fellow alumni from Madison.[9][10][11] The couple would later divorce after having been married for twenty-two years.[11][12] Later, Hillyer privately married poet and English Professor Abigail Keegan in 1995.[13] The couple was married publicly and legally in 2021.[14]

## Career

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In 1962, when Robert was hired at Loyola University the couple moved to Chicago, and Hillyer began teaching at Mundelein College.[15][16] She followed him when he was appointed to the University of California at Davis and then they moved to Norman, Oklahoma, in the mid-1960s with their three children, when Robert was hired at the University of Oklahoma.[11][17][18] Hillyer was involved in the civil rights movement and transitioned into the women's movement, becoming involved with the National Women's Political Caucus' lobbying efforts for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.[19][20] In 1973, she was hired as a visiting assistant professor of English at the University of Oklahoma.[21] Simultaneously, she gave workshops for the Women's Resource Center of Norman,[22] directed the Limits-to Freedom Project for the Oklahoma Public Library Systems,[23] and served as chair of the Norman branch of the Women's Caucus.[24]

In 1976, Hillyer was hired as an assistant professor and the director of Women's Studies.[2] She was the only faculty member appointed in the new undergraduate degree program, which was the first of its kind in Oklahoma.[25] By 1978, the program was expanded to include a master's degree.[26] In 1982, she was promoted to associate professor and continued as director of the Women's Studies and Human Relations program until 1988.[2] The Board of Regents of the university honored her with a Regent's Award for superior teaching in 1990.[27] In 1996, Hillyer was promoted to full professor and chair of the Department of Human Relations.[28] She continued as chair until 2001.[29]

## Academic work

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Hillyer's publications initially focused on issues of the women's movement, but by 1983, she was writing and lecturing about women and disability.[30] Her works examined diversity within the feminist movement, as well as the various categories that make up a woman's identity.[31][32] She recognized the need for feminism to represent various constituency groups and questioned the response of feminists to address the concerns of diverse sectors of society, such as activists, academics, LGBT members, ethnic groups, and religious affiliations.[33] Hillyer also analyzed the internal relationships that make up identity and society's response to the needs and interests of women with disabilities.[32] She noted that disability forced a reciprocity on the relationship between people as it involved reliance upon others, an ability to give and receive help and empathy, and delegation of responsibility while simultaneously respecting boundaries.[34][35] Evaluating the relationship between chronic illness, degenerative conditions, and mental health, Hillyer noted that mourning and grief were often recurrent issues for both the person who is cared for and the carer.[36][37]

Hillyer's 1993 book, Feminism and Disability was the 1994 Emily Toth Award winner for the best feminist publication of the year and was also named as Outstanding Academic Book by the Association of College and Research Libraries's Choice Magazine.[38][39] In separating biology from gender, Hillyer noted that the women's movement had sought to remove stereotypes about women's identity rooted in thoughts that they were biologically predetermined to be weak, inferior, and self-sacrificing carers. In the book, Hillyer drew on her experience as a mother who raised a child with disability and re-examined her ideas of women's autonomy and self-sufficiency.[40][41] The book was a critical examination of the limitations of the disability rights and feminist movement and the value placed by society upon productivity.[41] Hillyer recognized that some people are unable to maintain themselves[40][35] and that binary strong versus weak comparisons failed to allow people to integrate their full potential in their idea of self.[42] In later works, Hillyer also explored the issues of body and its effects from aging on identity.[43]

## Death and legacy

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Hillyer died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on March 9, 2024, at the age of 90.[13] According to author and scholar Deborah Kent, who is blind,[44] Hillyer's work broke new ground in looking at the foundations of theory in the disability rights and feminist movements.[45] She was interviewed about lesbian life in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area during her era, as part of the Oklahoma Unheard Voices Project a Lesbian Oral History program of the Oklahoma Metropolitan Library System.[46]

## Selected works

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* Hillyer-Davis, Barbara; Frech, Patricia A. (Summer 1981). "Diversity, Fragmentation, Integration: The NWSA Balancing Act". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 6 (1–2). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press: 60–64. doi:10.2307/3346493. ISSN 0160-9009. JSTOR 3346493. OCLC 5546262349.
* Hillyer-Davis, Barbara (Winter 1981). "Teaching the Feminist Minority". Women's Studies Quarterly. 9 (4). Old Westbury, New York: Feminist Press: 7–8. ISSN 0732-1562. JSTOR 40003956. OCLC 5547294914.
* Hillyer, Barbara (1984). "Women, Disability, and Feminism: Notes toward a New Theory". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 8 (1). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press: 1–5. doi:10.2307/3346081. ISSN 0160-9009. JSTOR 3346081. OCLC 5546262622.
* Hillyer, Barbara (1985). Feminist Education. Journal of Thought. Vol. 20\. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma. OCLC 241588025.[47]
* Hillyer, Barbara (June 1987). "Disability and Grief". Families in Society. 68 (6). New York, New York: Family Service America: 352–357. doi:10.1177/104438948706800605. ISSN 1044-3894. OCLC 7588014703. S2CID 149706884.[48]
* Hillyer, Barbara (1993). Feminism and Disability. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-2979-2.
* Hillyer, Barbara (1998). "The Embodiment of Old Women: Silences". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 19 (1). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press: 48–60. doi:10.2307/3347132. ISSN 0160-9009. JSTOR 3347132. OCLC 936788370.

## References

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### Citations

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1. ^ Greenlee 1956, pp. 214–215.
2. ^ a b c Stock 2018.
3. ^ The Marion Star 1937, p. 18.
4. ^ a b Greenlee 1956, p. 214.
5. ^ McConnell 2011, minute 0:0:33.
6. ^ The Des Moines Register 1933, p. 30.
7. ^ McConnell 2011, minutes 0:0:45-0:0:50.
8. ^ The Kansas City Star 1954, p. 19.
9. ^ Wisconsin State Journal 1958, p. 18.
10. ^ The Capital Times 1958, p. 2.
11. ^ a b c Howard Funeral Home 2021.
12. ^ McConnell 2011, minutes 0:8:30-0:8:40.
13. ^ a b Oklahoma Cremation 2024.
14. ^ Oklahoma county marriage license
15. ^ McConnell 2011, minutes 0:1:05-0:1:07.
16. ^ Chicago Tribune 1962, p. 23.
17. ^ McConnell 2011, minutes 0:1:10-0:2:05.
18. ^ The Daily Oklahoman 1968, p. 99.
19. ^ McConnell 2011, minutes 0:4:12-0:5:39.
20. ^ The Daily Oklahoman 1972, p. 21.
21. ^ Regent's Minutes 1973, p. 11912.
22. ^ The Daily Oklahoman 1975, p. 10.
23. ^ The Lawton Constitution 1975, p. 12.
24. ^ The Daily Oklahoman 1974, p. 14.
25. ^ The Daily Oklahoman 1977, p. 12.
26. ^ Hagan et al. 1978, p. 27.
27. ^ Regent's Minutes 1990, p. 21649.
28. ^ Regent's Minutes 1996, p. 24994.
29. ^ Regent's Minutes 1997, p. 25508.
30. ^ Women's Studies Quarterly 1983, pp. 31, 37.
31. ^ Strongman 2018, p. 177.
32. ^ a b Viñuela Suárez 2009, p. 35.
33. ^ Strongman 2018, pp. 177–178.
34. ^ Rohrer 2005, p. 48.
35. ^ a b Wendell 2006, p. 252.
36. ^ Hainsworth 2010, pp. 97–98.
37. ^ Burrell 1999.
38. ^ Frontiers 1998, p. 215.
39. ^ The Daily Oklahoman 1994, p. 84.
40. ^ a b Viñuela Suárez 2009, p. 38.
41. ^ a b Kent 1994, p. 10.
42. ^ Viñuela Suárez 2009, p. 44.
43. ^ Haynes 1998, pp. vi–vii.
44. ^ Pierce 1990.
45. ^ Kent 1994, p. 11.
46. ^ McConnell 2011.
47. ^ Journal of Thought 1983, p. 167.
48. ^ Hainsworth 2010, p. 98.

### Bibliography

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* Burrell, Patricia M. (January 1999). "Book Review: Feminism and Disability Barbara Hillyer Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997, 320 pages". The Social Science Journal. 36 (1). New York, New York: JAI Press: 189–191. doi:10.1016/S0362-3319(99)80015-9. ISSN 0362-3319. OCLC 4655124006. Gale A54370558.
* Greenlee, William Clarkson (1956). The Descendants of Edward Greenlee of West Virginia. Winter Park, Florida: The Winter Park Herald. OCLC 1726908.
* Hagan, Sharon; Reuben, Elaine; Frank, Shirley; Howe, Florence (Fall 1978). "Women's Studies Programs". Women's Studies Newsletter. 6 (4). Old Westbury, New York: Feminist Press: 23–29. ISSN 0363-1133. JSTOR 40042448. OCLC 5547235349. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* Hainsworth, Christine (July 2010). Coping with Special Needs and Disability in the British Forces Community in Germany: An Exploration of Context and Parents' Experiences (PDF) (PhD). Norwich, UK: University of East Anglia. OCLC 876406021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
* Haynes, Deborah J. (1998). "Identity, the Body, and the Menopause: A Personal Introduction". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 19 (1). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press: vi–x. ISSN 0160-9009. JSTOR 3347132. OCLC 5546562626. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* Kent, Deborah (April 1994). "Review: A Movement or a Monolith?; Reviewed Work: Feminism and Disability by Barbara Hillyer". The Women's Review of Books. 11 (7). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Old City Publishing, Inc.: 10–11. doi:10.2307/4021820. ISSN 0738-1433. JSTOR 4021820. OCLC 6907994066. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
* McConnell, Julie (July 27, 2011). Oklahoma Voices: Barbara Hillyer (Audio recording). Oklahoma Unheard Voices Project a Lesbian Oral History. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma Metropolitan Library System. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* Pierce, Barbara (January 1990). "Shackled Imagination: Literary Illusions about Blindness by Deborah Kent Stein". The Braille Monitor. 33 (1). Baltimore, Maryland: National Federation of the Blind. ISSN 0006-8829. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
* Rohrer, Judy (Spring 2005). "Toward a Full-Inclusion Feminism: A Feminist Deployment of Disability Analysis". Feminist Studies. 31 (1). College Park, Maryland: University of Maryland, Women's Studies Program: 34–63. doi:10.2307/20459006. hdl:2027/spo.0499697.0031.103. ISSN 0046-3663. JSTOR 20459006. OCLC 7376542476. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* Stock, Jennifer, ed. (2018). "Barbara Hillyer". The Writers Directory (Thirty-sixth ed.). Detroit, Michigan: St. James Press. ISBN 978-1-55862-978-3. Gale K1649566935.
* Strongman, Saraellen (2018). The Sisterhood: Black Women, Black Feminism, and the Women's Liberation Movement (PhD). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* University of Oklahoma Board of Regents (January 11, 1973). Minutes of a Regular Meeting, The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, January 11, 1973 (PDF) (Report). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* University of Oklahoma Board of Regents (January 11, 1973). Minutes of a Regular Meeting, The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, June 19, 1996 (PDF) (Report). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* University of Oklahoma Board of Regents (January 11, 1973). Minutes of a Regular Meeting, The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, June 24–25, 1997 (PDF) (Report). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* University of Oklahoma Board of Regents (March 8, 1990). Minutes of the Annual Meeting, The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, March 8, 1990 (PDF) (Report). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* Viñuela Suárez, Laura (June 2009). "Mujeres con discapacidad: un reto para la teoría feminista" [Women with Disabilities: A Challenge for Feminist Theory] (PDF). Feminismo/s (in Spanish) (13). San Vicente del Raspeig: Centro de Estudios sobre la Mujer de la Universidad de Alicante: 33–48. doi:10.14198/fem.2009.13.03. ISSN 1696-8166. OCLC 6072164065. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* Wendell, Susan (2006). "Toward a Feminist Theory of Disability". In Davis, Lennard J. (ed.). The Disability Studies Reader (Second ed.). New York, New York: Routledge. pp. 243–256. ISBN 978-0-415-95334-4.
* "Barbara Gene Hillyer". Legacy.com. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Cremation. March 12, 2024. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
* "Call for Articles". Journal of Thought. 18 (3). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma: 167. Fall 1983. ISSN 0022-5231. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* "Contributors". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 19 (1). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press: 214–217. 1998. ISSN 0160-9009. JSTOR 3347132. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* "Creston Theater Manager Named". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. June 18, 1933. p. 30. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "European Trip". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. May 22, 1958. p. 18. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Lab and Lectern Report". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. October 20, 1968. p. 99. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Loyola Names 2 Residents as Teachers". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. September 9, 1962. p. 23. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Marriage Licenses". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. December 18, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Mrs. Merle Hillyer Dies at Creston, Ia". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio. November 10, 1937. p. 18. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Norman". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. May 18, 1994. p. 81. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Norman Meeting Set". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. July 10, 1974. p. 14. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "NWSA '83 Convention". Women's Studies Quarterly. 11 (1). Old Westbury, New York: Feminist Press: 22–38. Spring 1983. ISSN 0732-1562. JSTOR 40004667. OCLC 5547232214. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* "Robert "Bob" Murray Davis". howardfh.com. Phoenix, Arizona: Howard Funeral Home. September 11, 2021. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
* "Seminar Explores Women's Roles". Lawton Constitution. Lawton, Oklahoma. July 9, 1975. p. 12. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspaperarchive.com.
* "(untitled)". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. April 1, 1954. p. 19. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Women to Battle for Amendment". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. October 7, 1972. p. 21. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Women's Seminar Set". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. July 11, 1975. p. 10. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
* "Women's Studies-Related Courses Formulated". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. July 19, 1977. p. 12. Retrieved March 29, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.

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