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Celebrating 150 Years  |  Alumni Memories

Dottie Broberg Bengtson '47

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Spring of 1943 - World War II and our nation was embroiled in what seemed a never ending conflict in Europe and the Pacific. The military draft - all able-bodied young men were involved on both war fronts, a shortage of manpower on the home front produced a historic phenomenon - “Rosie the Riveter” and women in the workplace. Students at Lake View High School in Chicago demonstrated patriotic war support with drives to gather scrap metal and old newspapers. High school seniors dropped out to enlist.

Johns-Manville, a Fortune 500 company and asbestos giant with locations throughout the United States and Canada, was hard-pressed to staff middle-management positions In their rapidly expanding involvement with wartime production at a time when it seemed the war would never end. A revolutionary concept evolved from JM’s top management; if “Rosie” could be taught to rivet, young women could be trained in business management, full scholarships for a liberal arts degree plus business training would be awarded to 30 young women from the areas of JM locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Internships in production and sales operations would be included in this program. Centrally located in the United States and easily accessible to Chicago and Waukegan sales and production facilities, Lake Forest College was chosen for this program. This may well have been the birth of internships in the business world, as well as women in business management. World War II ended in 1945, and woman’s place in history was changed forever.

Of the 30 scholarships, four were offered through Chicago high schools. It spoke well for Lake View High School that three of those four were awarded to 1943 Lake View grads: Annamae Shumaker (Hoffer), Esther Oman (Pereira), and Dorothy Broberg (Bengtson). As a footnote, Lake Forest College survival was perhaps rescued in the fall of 1943 with the entry of 30 JM scholars, increasing the full student body to a grand total of 99 (including 9 guys) - ! Lake Forest's student population did an enormous turnabout in 1945 with the GI Bill at the end of World War II, and our beloved college has survived famously ever since.

P.S. - Esther’s wedding in the chapel immediately followed graduation - we went from caps and gowns into wedding garb. They have resided in California ever since. They are hoping to join us for Homecoming reunions in October.

Annie and I (both in Chicago ‘burbs) traveled together after she was widowed, places like Stratford Festival, Hawaii, Ireland, California, Wisconsin , Atlanta. Annie passed in November 2002. I miss her.

I’m looking forward to visiting campus with Esther and Wally for the BIG SIX-OH GRAD/WEDDING CELEBRATION!