ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
These ladies have been with me a long time. They’ve seen me through tenure and marriage and a baby. They’ve taken me to archives across the country and introduced me to interesting people. They helped me earn promotion. They have also refused to fit neatly into any of the preconceived packages I created for them. Every time I thought I had a handle on how to get their story out, they wouldn’t quite cooperate with my methodology. Finally, I had to give up and let them have their say.
Along the way, I have accumulated debts too numerous to mention, but I will try. When you work on a project for over a decade, you have to have a significant support system holding you up and keeping you going. The administration at Texas State University–San Marcos provided both financial assistance with a Research Enhancement Grant and departmental travel funds as well as much-needed time for research through a developmental leave. The Margaret Chase Smith Library also generously awarded me grant monies for two visits to their beautiful facility. Archivist Angela Stockwell deserves special mention for her willingness to share her time and memories with me. I was also privileged to receive a travel grant from the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. Wherever I traveled I was fortunate to encounter archivists and librarians who were generous with their time and knowledge. I especially appreciated their willingness to chat with a lonely stranger. Dawn Letson of the Woman’s Collection at Texas Woman’s University floored me by sending unsolicited information she found that she thought would be useful for my study. Back here in Texas, I was fortunate to work with the ever-ready and amazingly diligent Margaret Vaverek, reference librarian at the Alkek Library. Margaret never found my requests for obscure information anything but challenging.
As always, I have benefited from the help, support, and advice of colleagues across the country and here in Texas. Historian Thomas Reeves graciously allowed me access to his notes from the extensive interviews he conducted for his biography of Joseph McCarthy. William H. Moore offered me advice and a tour of Laramie during my visit to the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. Richard Fried and Leo Ribuffo offered advice and encouragement. Perhaps most important, I have been blessed with that rarity in academia: a department of true colleagues. They go far beyond the normal polite queries of “what are you working on?” They sit through countless brown-bag discussions, asking pertinent and probing questions; they lend sympathetic ears to rejection notices and send heartfelt e-mails of congratulations. Moreover, their ability to produce top-notch work while teaching large numbers of students has continually inspired me. In particular, I thank Gregg Andrews for his ever-ready editor’s pen, Jimmy McWilliams for his incisive comments, and Frank de la Teja for his tech wizardry and determination that I would finish this project.
Two of my colleagues deserve special thanks. Vikki Bynum has been colleague, mentor, and friend as well as ruthless editor. Perhaps most important, she started all of this in the first place when she suggested I investigate Joe McCarthy’s wife. If Vikki initiated the project, Ken Margerison provided the final push to get it done. As I struggled with revisions, he volunteered to read through the entire manuscript, giving up a good part of his summer to work with me. Ken’s and Vikki’s thorough editing, insightful questions, and relentless pursuit of clarity are responsible for much that is valuable in this work. I accept responsibility for all the mistakes.
After wandering lost in the publishing jungle, I lucked upon Darrin Pratt and his associates at the University Press of Colorado. They have proven wonderful to work with. I especially appreciate their patience and senses of humor.
Lastly, I must thank my family and friends. Nancy Scott Jackson worked hard for years to keep me focused on the project. Trace Etienne-Gray and Jo Snider willingly listened to various versions of the book. My cousins in Cincinnati and my in-laws across Texas showed interest and offered encouragement. The continual support of my sisters Brigid and Patty, my brother-in-law Jack, and my nieces and nephews sustained me over the years. None of this would have been possible, however, without the efforts of my husband, Alan Apel, and our daughter, Riley. Alan impressed me at our first meeting by asking questions about this project. Almost ten years later, he told me he was taking over full-time parenting for the summer so I could finally get the manuscript sent off. He never doubted the project or me. As for Riley, her sweet voice asking me “so, how was work?” made me double my efforts so I could get home to her.