ORANGE COUNTY LETTERS : Taking a Different Path

I am an older Orange County Republican who wants you to know I don’t see you as the enemy, but as one of my heroes (“Republicans Say She’s a Radical,” Dianne Klein column, Aug. 25).

When I grew up, expectations for women were simply marriage and children. The man would be the breadwinner. His wife would learn to bake brownies, manage his home and cater to his needs. ERA was a baseball term.

Perhaps I was born a generation too soon. I envisioned myself as a businesswoman. I was probably inspired by my mother, who somehow managed a full-time job, an immaculate home, good meals and child-raising responsibilities without losing it.

I have 35 active years in the workplace. I fought for the financial rights of my female co-workers. Irresponsible males were not invented in the ‘90s. I saw timid women who needed only encouragement and guts to develop into competent executives. Maybe this is not the life they would have chosen, but their children were housed and fed because of their responsible actions.

I married at age 40. I owned my own condo and my marriage was an adjunct to my life, not a solution to a problem. My husband became totally disabled seven years following our marriage, and financing our future and caring for his physical needs became my responsibility. I gained a lot of personal strength as a result.

My husband died in January of this year, after 20 years of illness. In the foreseeable future, I don’t have financial concerns. I thank God for the training I received in the workplace, which has and will now stand me in good stead. I still can’t bake brownies, but I really don’t give a damn.

Kathryn G. Weinmann

Tustin