They answered with their lives: The oral histories of two tenured reading professors

The storied lives of two tenured reading professors were represented in this project. The encompassing purpose guiding the oral histories of Margaret Griffin and Rose Spicola was to tell the stories of their lives through their voices.

Oral history methodology (Ritchie, 1995), with a particular focus on feminist methodology (Gluck & Patai, 1991), was used to discover the wholeness of their life experiences as individuals and together, both personally and professionally, with an emphasis on their tenure at Texas Woman's University. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) directed the analysis and the writing of the stories.

Their tales highlighted relationships that had shaped the journeys they took. Voices of relationships influenced them in the areas of teaching, service, and research. In turn, their voices have influenced students' lives, the reading program at TWU, and the communities that surround them. We, who follow, can learn from their life experiences with a challenge to continue the hallmark of scholarship on these areas.