Margaret Egan Namovic, Interview with Sister Mary Alma Sullivan, BVM, 1998
Item
Margaret Egan Namovic, 1951. (WLA, Mundelein College 1951 Class Photograph)
Interview Audio Side A
Interview Audio Side B
Interview Transcript
Title
Margaret Egan Namovic, Interview with Sister Mary Alma Sullivan, BVM, 1998
Summary
Margaret Egan Namovic was a 1951 Mundelein graduate. Egan Namovic recollects her Chicago, Irish Catholic family background and the decision making process that resulted in her attendance at Mundelein. Egan Namovic loved her experiences at Mundelein and asserts that it, “opened up the world” for her. She majored in Physics and recollects her experiences with the eminent Mundelein physicist and professor, Sister Therese Langerbeck who was “like a second mother to her.” Egan Namovic recounts her participation in the Red Cross as a student and her early professional career as a chemist for several companies including Kraft Foods where she developed innovative food products. Egan Namovic concludes her interview by recounting her experiences as a young mother of many children in Skokie, Illinois.
Date Created
1998
Biography
Margaret Egan Namovic is a native Chicagoan who grew up in an Irish Catholic family. Ms. Namovic earned a bachelor of science from Mundelein College in 1951, majoring in Physics with a minor in chemistry and math. After graduation, she worked as a chemist for HotPoint, A.B. Dick, and Kraft Foods where she developed food products. Ms. Namovic was the loving mother of a large family and passed away in the Chicago area in 2015.
Time Log
Margaret Egan Namovic
Interview with Sister Mary Alma Sullivan BVM, October 2, 1998
Time Log
Side A
0-5 minutes
Member of the Mundelein class of 1951
Major was physics with a minor in math.
Mother was educated through 6th grade, father an attorney with a law degree from DePaul.
5-10 minutes
Had wanted to attend Marquette but parents urged her to go to Mundelein. Egan Namovic was glad of their decision.
Had been a socially awkward girl at Scholastica High School. That changed at Mundelein where she put herself right into the social scene.
10-15 minutes
Egan Namvoici found herself at Mundelein.
Walking in the winter at Mundelein was the only difficult part.
15-20 minutes
Mundelein opened Namovic up to the world, especially through her encounters with international students through a special program with New York students at Mundelein.
Sister Therese Lamberbeck BVM was like a second mother to Egan Namovici Lamberbeck tried to get a job for her at Fermilab.
20-25 minutes
Went into physics because she wanted answers “why.”
Had relationships with Sister Irma and Sister Mary Marina who told her that she would never be a natural chemist because she only followed directions.
Took German because science students were expected to take it.
25-30 minutes
There were girls from all of the classes in the Red Cross activities. They went out to Great Lakes once per month to spend time with veterans in the hospital.
First job was at Hot Point in Cicero Illinois. No one was looking for a woman physicist. Was in the quality control lab and inspected materials that went into the construction of stoves, ovens, and refrigerators.
Namovic was infuriated by the fact that her boss was in charge of everything and she was limited to being a “technician.”
Found a job at A.B. Dick and tested raw materials for density and varicosity. Met her husband there.
30-35 minutes
Namovic’s husband was a scientist who served as a floater and he rotated around the company doing different tasks.
Transferred to Kraft Foods after her potential marriage was arranged. She did all chemistry work there and developed salad dressing, flavored Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Kraft Deluxe margarine.
Moved to a “fats and oils” lab.
35-40 minutes
In an example of gender inequity in 1957, Namovic was denied a raise at Kraft because she was pregnant and it was assumed that she would leave her employment.
Enjoyed all of her lab work.
40-45 minutes
Became a full-time homemaker. There were many families in their town, Niles, IL. On their city block there were over 120 children. There was a great deal of support. The mothers mentored one another.
45-50 minutes
Describes experiences at monthly women’s clubs in the parish.
Husband traveled and continued his education in addition to his work.
Namovic had no car except for Saturday grocery shopping.
Looked at stars and played and read with and sewed for her children. Loved her career as a homemaker.
Side B
0-5 minutes
Namovic learned self confidence at Mundelein. Sister Mary Therese said that the idea was not to know everything but to know where to find it.
Relays experiences with Sister Mary Bernarda from whom she learned to speak on a mike.
She learned how to organize and keep records and felt able to tackle anything.
Namovic was delighted to be at an all girls school so that she could handle things “on her own.” Mundelein gave her an education for “life.” She values that her father wanted his daughters to be educated.
5-10 minutes
Education has been a thrust throughout Namovic’s life. “A valued valued thing.”
She was the only physics graduate in her year. Her education was on the cutting edge. Went to a general physics class at Loyola in the summer. She felt that she was a nobody among all the men despite her academic ability. She was denied nothing at Mundelein. The BVMs had a high educational standard.
10-15 minutes
Wanted a family and prayed in the chapel for a good marriage, man, and family.
There was a “sodality group” that had annual retreats with Father Murphy and philosophy classes with Father Curran, especially logic classes.
15-20 minutes
Father Murphy was always putting the students down, saying they “would not reach the full beauty and bloom of womanhood until you are 33.”
Worked at Woolworths the whole time she was at school and she respected the customers as people.
20-25 minutes
Sister Mary Therese Lamberbeck was doing astronomy work when she was in Washington getting her PhD . She was able to get photographic slides from an area of the sky. Namovik was able to plot the path of a particular star. This was going to be published in a scientific publication. Margie Boyd was a graduate ahead of us who worked in the Naval Department with the wind tunnel. With an education, women could do something that men could do. Women have the brains, the education, and they can do
Women were more permitted into chemistry, but not physics. They hired Namovic at HotPoint because she could do the same work as a man but they could pay me less. This might have been true at A.B. Dick. The fact that Sister Mary Therese had worked on chemistry and had contacts all over the U.S. at observatories. This was big stuff. Virginia DeMean, a student, was going on to law school. Before this women were going into teaching and nursing. Asserts that through the nuns at Mundelein, the students saw that women could do anything.
25-30 minutes
Declares that the students at Mundelein were ahead of their time!
Namovic had five daughters, none of whom went to Mundelein. After their four years experience, they knew that they would have to work with men, therefore they wanted to go to college with men.
Marygrove College did not join up with the University of Detroit and they have maintained themselves as a women’s college.
Namovic’s husband compares his education with his own (at Loyola based on earlier mention in the interview) and believes that hers was more enhanced than his own. A good portion of the girls ended up with a “nun friend.”
30-35 minutes
Namovic declares that she is not afraid to tackle anything. An education was a plus in raising the children. They are all college and masters educated. One is an attorney.
Interview with Sister Mary Alma Sullivan BVM, October 2, 1998
Time Log
Side A
0-5 minutes
Member of the Mundelein class of 1951
Major was physics with a minor in math.
Mother was educated through 6th grade, father an attorney with a law degree from DePaul.
5-10 minutes
Had wanted to attend Marquette but parents urged her to go to Mundelein. Egan Namovic was glad of their decision.
Had been a socially awkward girl at Scholastica High School. That changed at Mundelein where she put herself right into the social scene.
10-15 minutes
Egan Namvoici found herself at Mundelein.
Walking in the winter at Mundelein was the only difficult part.
15-20 minutes
Mundelein opened Namovic up to the world, especially through her encounters with international students through a special program with New York students at Mundelein.
Sister Therese Lamberbeck BVM was like a second mother to Egan Namovici Lamberbeck tried to get a job for her at Fermilab.
20-25 minutes
Went into physics because she wanted answers “why.”
Had relationships with Sister Irma and Sister Mary Marina who told her that she would never be a natural chemist because she only followed directions.
Took German because science students were expected to take it.
25-30 minutes
There were girls from all of the classes in the Red Cross activities. They went out to Great Lakes once per month to spend time with veterans in the hospital.
First job was at Hot Point in Cicero Illinois. No one was looking for a woman physicist. Was in the quality control lab and inspected materials that went into the construction of stoves, ovens, and refrigerators.
Namovic was infuriated by the fact that her boss was in charge of everything and she was limited to being a “technician.”
Found a job at A.B. Dick and tested raw materials for density and varicosity. Met her husband there.
30-35 minutes
Namovic’s husband was a scientist who served as a floater and he rotated around the company doing different tasks.
Transferred to Kraft Foods after her potential marriage was arranged. She did all chemistry work there and developed salad dressing, flavored Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Kraft Deluxe margarine.
Moved to a “fats and oils” lab.
35-40 minutes
In an example of gender inequity in 1957, Namovic was denied a raise at Kraft because she was pregnant and it was assumed that she would leave her employment.
Enjoyed all of her lab work.
40-45 minutes
Became a full-time homemaker. There were many families in their town, Niles, IL. On their city block there were over 120 children. There was a great deal of support. The mothers mentored one another.
45-50 minutes
Describes experiences at monthly women’s clubs in the parish.
Husband traveled and continued his education in addition to his work.
Namovic had no car except for Saturday grocery shopping.
Looked at stars and played and read with and sewed for her children. Loved her career as a homemaker.
Side B
0-5 minutes
Namovic learned self confidence at Mundelein. Sister Mary Therese said that the idea was not to know everything but to know where to find it.
Relays experiences with Sister Mary Bernarda from whom she learned to speak on a mike.
She learned how to organize and keep records and felt able to tackle anything.
Namovic was delighted to be at an all girls school so that she could handle things “on her own.” Mundelein gave her an education for “life.” She values that her father wanted his daughters to be educated.
5-10 minutes
Education has been a thrust throughout Namovic’s life. “A valued valued thing.”
She was the only physics graduate in her year. Her education was on the cutting edge. Went to a general physics class at Loyola in the summer. She felt that she was a nobody among all the men despite her academic ability. She was denied nothing at Mundelein. The BVMs had a high educational standard.
10-15 minutes
Wanted a family and prayed in the chapel for a good marriage, man, and family.
There was a “sodality group” that had annual retreats with Father Murphy and philosophy classes with Father Curran, especially logic classes.
15-20 minutes
Father Murphy was always putting the students down, saying they “would not reach the full beauty and bloom of womanhood until you are 33.”
Worked at Woolworths the whole time she was at school and she respected the customers as people.
20-25 minutes
Sister Mary Therese Lamberbeck was doing astronomy work when she was in Washington getting her PhD . She was able to get photographic slides from an area of the sky. Namovik was able to plot the path of a particular star. This was going to be published in a scientific publication. Margie Boyd was a graduate ahead of us who worked in the Naval Department with the wind tunnel. With an education, women could do something that men could do. Women have the brains, the education, and they can do
Women were more permitted into chemistry, but not physics. They hired Namovic at HotPoint because she could do the same work as a man but they could pay me less. This might have been true at A.B. Dick. The fact that Sister Mary Therese had worked on chemistry and had contacts all over the U.S. at observatories. This was big stuff. Virginia DeMean, a student, was going on to law school. Before this women were going into teaching and nursing. Asserts that through the nuns at Mundelein, the students saw that women could do anything.
25-30 minutes
Declares that the students at Mundelein were ahead of their time!
Namovic had five daughters, none of whom went to Mundelein. After their four years experience, they knew that they would have to work with men, therefore they wanted to go to college with men.
Marygrove College did not join up with the University of Detroit and they have maintained themselves as a women’s college.
Namovic’s husband compares his education with his own (at Loyola based on earlier mention in the interview) and believes that hers was more enhanced than his own. A good portion of the girls ended up with a “nun friend.”
30-35 minutes
Namovic declares that she is not afraid to tackle anything. An education was a plus in raising the children. They are all college and masters educated. One is an attorney.
Index
Margaret Egan Namovic 1998 Index
KEY
MEN 1998= Margaret Egan Namovic 1998 Interview
INDEX
A.B. Dick, MEN 1998 A 25-30, MEN 1998 B 20-25
Boyd, Margie, MEN 1998 B 20-25
BVM Educational Standard, MEN 1998 B 5-10
Chemistry, MEN 1998 B 20-25
DeMean, Victoria, MEN 1998 B 20-25
DePaul University, MEN 1998 A 0-5
Father Curran, MEN 1998 B 10-15
Father Murphy, MEN 1998 B 10-15, MEN 1998 B 15-20
Fermilab, MEN 1998 A 15-20
Gender Inequality, MEN 1998 A 35-40
German courses, MEN 1998 A 20-25
Great Lakes Naval Base, MEN 1998 A 25-30
Hot Point, MEN 1998 A 25-30, MEN 1998 B 20-25
International students, MEN 1998 A 15-20
Kraft Deluxe Margarine, MEN 1998 A 30-35
Kraft Foods, MEN 1998 A 30-35
Logic classes, MEN 1998 B 10-15
Loyola University Chicago, MEN 1998 B 25-30
Marquette University, MEN 1998 A 5-10
Marygrove College, MEN 1998 B 25-30
Mundelein Class of 1951, MEN 1998 A 0-5
Naval Department Wind Tunnel, MEN 1998 B 20-25
Niles, Illinois, MEN 1998 A 40-45
Parish Women’s Clubs, MEN 1998 A 45-50
Philadelphia Cream Cheese, MEN 1998 A 30-35
Physics classes, MEN 1998 B 5-10
Red Cross, MEN 1998 A 25-30
Scholastica High School, MEN 1998 A 5-10
Sister Irma Corcoran, BVM, MEN 1998 A 20-25
Sister Mary Bernarda, BVM, MEN 1998 B 0-5
Sister Mary Marina, BVM, MEN 1998 A 20-25
Sister Mary Therese Lamberbeck, BVM, MEN 1998 B 20-25
Sister Therese Lamberbeck, BVM, MEN 1998 A 15-20
Sodality Group, MEN 1998 B 10-15
University of Detroit, MEN 1998 B 25-30
Woolworths, MEN 1998 B 15-20
KEY
MEN 1998= Margaret Egan Namovic 1998 Interview
INDEX
A.B. Dick, MEN 1998 A 25-30, MEN 1998 B 20-25
Boyd, Margie, MEN 1998 B 20-25
BVM Educational Standard, MEN 1998 B 5-10
Chemistry, MEN 1998 B 20-25
DeMean, Victoria, MEN 1998 B 20-25
DePaul University, MEN 1998 A 0-5
Father Curran, MEN 1998 B 10-15
Father Murphy, MEN 1998 B 10-15, MEN 1998 B 15-20
Fermilab, MEN 1998 A 15-20
Gender Inequality, MEN 1998 A 35-40
German courses, MEN 1998 A 20-25
Great Lakes Naval Base, MEN 1998 A 25-30
Hot Point, MEN 1998 A 25-30, MEN 1998 B 20-25
International students, MEN 1998 A 15-20
Kraft Deluxe Margarine, MEN 1998 A 30-35
Kraft Foods, MEN 1998 A 30-35
Logic classes, MEN 1998 B 10-15
Loyola University Chicago, MEN 1998 B 25-30
Marquette University, MEN 1998 A 5-10
Marygrove College, MEN 1998 B 25-30
Mundelein Class of 1951, MEN 1998 A 0-5
Naval Department Wind Tunnel, MEN 1998 B 20-25
Niles, Illinois, MEN 1998 A 40-45
Parish Women’s Clubs, MEN 1998 A 45-50
Philadelphia Cream Cheese, MEN 1998 A 30-35
Physics classes, MEN 1998 B 5-10
Red Cross, MEN 1998 A 25-30
Scholastica High School, MEN 1998 A 5-10
Sister Irma Corcoran, BVM, MEN 1998 A 20-25
Sister Mary Bernarda, BVM, MEN 1998 B 0-5
Sister Mary Marina, BVM, MEN 1998 A 20-25
Sister Mary Therese Lamberbeck, BVM, MEN 1998 B 20-25
Sister Therese Lamberbeck, BVM, MEN 1998 A 15-20
Sodality Group, MEN 1998 B 10-15
University of Detroit, MEN 1998 B 25-30
Woolworths, MEN 1998 B 15-20
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