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The Grad Student, The Archivist, And Mitch McConnell's Wife

11/30/2016

34 Comments

 
Books by Patti Liszkay
​"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
 http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.
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​THE GRAD STUDENT, THE ARCHIVIST, AND MITCH MCCONNELL'S WIFE

     I see that Elaine Chao,
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...wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,
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...has been chosen by President-Elect Donald Trump to be his Secretary of Transportation.
         Many years ago I used to know Mitch McConnell's wife.
      I'm not talking about Elaine Chao,  but McConnell's first wife, feminist scholar  Sherill Redmon,
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...with whom I worked for while between 1977 and 1978 at the University of Louisville Archives and Records Center.
        Back then Tom was a graduate student at U of L and I landed a job at the  Archives and Records Center working on organizing and cataloguing thousands of documents from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad into a researcher-friendly collection.
       Tom and I were oh-so-happy newlyweds at that time in our little apartment on Utah Street in Louisville, with our mini-stove,

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...our three small rooms full of second-hand furniture,
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​     ...and our front lawn, where on nice evenings we'd often sit outside on lawn chairs eating bowls of ice cream and listening to the local radio station. (At that time we didn't own a TV, not because we couldn't afford one but because we couldn't be bothered).
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​       Also at that time a young up-and-comer named  Mitch McConnell  had just won the race for the politically powerful position of County Judge for Jefferson County, Kentucky.   After the election his was a name that everyone in Louisville knew.
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     When word came to us  at the Archives and Records Center that Mitch McConnell's wife Sherrill would be joining us as a grad assistant while working on her PhD, the feeling was a little as if we'd now be having a local celebrity - or rather, a local celebrity's wife - among us.   ​
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      But Sherrill McConnell, the name she went by back then, was no celebrity-type.   
     Pregnant with her third child when she arrived at the Archives, Sherrill was a sincere, intense and purpose-driven person. But at the same time she was very sweet, kind and maternal and there was a  gentleness about her that shone through her beautiful brown eyes.  Sherrill was  petite,  and though she must have been eight or ten years older than me and was far from fussy in her dress or hair - I never saw her wear make-up - I always thought she was really cute.  In any case, she was really nice and well-liked by everyone at the Archives.
     Tom finished his master's degree in the summer of 1978 and in the fall of that year we moved from Louisville to Columbus, Ohio where Tom had been offered a job.  I never again saw Sherrill though I did keep in touch with some of my former fellow archivists for a while longer.
     As for Sherrill, who now goes by Sherrill Redmon, she went on to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts to become the director of the Sophia Smith Collection of the Women's History Archives, described on the Sophia Smith Collection home page as "an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, archives, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history."   In her years as Director Sherrill worked to expand the Collection to make it more racially and culturally diverse and to fill in the gaps in the historical record.  She also worked with Gloria Steinem on an important oral history called Voices of Feminism. 
       I have two clear memories of Sherrill McConnell.
    The first was when she was going to be required to ride on a float with her husband the County Judge and wave to the crowd in a parade through downtown Louisville during Kentucky Derby Week.  On the morning of the parade Sherrill arrived at work all dressed up - actually she was wearing a cute denim jumper, which was dressed up for her - and her co-workers were teasing her about how she should wave from the float.  She then struck a Queen Elizabeth pose and began doing the Queen's signature cupped-palm wave, which cracked us all up.
      My other memory of Sherrill was of one time when I asked her how her husband was enjoying being County Judge and she shared  with me, looking at me with those deep, earnest brown eyes, that she was so happy for Mitch because up until now he had felt as thought he were stuck in third gear and now at last he finally felt as if he were in first gear.     
     I imagine  these days Mitch McConnell must be in Mach 5
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     But then I don't expect I'll ever have the opportunity to ask Elaine Chao about it.  
References:
http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/about.html

https://www.smith.edu/library/libs/ssc/news/redmon.html

https://www.c-span.org/video/?170790-1/writings-betty-friedan

34 Comments
Rory O'Mara
11/30/2016 10:13:09 pm

Reply
Steve
2/14/2018 01:23:44 am

Thanks for the lovely anecdotes. I must confess I'm bothered about the gears but I'm reluctant to mansplain transmission :)

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Patti
1/29/2020 07:08:09 am

LOL, Steve!

Patti
12/1/2016 05:21:37 am

Oops! Didn't get your comment there, Rory!

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Pamela Lesemann
2/17/2017 08:20:20 am

I worked at the U of L Archives and Records Center from 1977 to 1980 microfilming the Louisville Leader, the papers of Justice Brandeis and on the mayoral papers of Harvey Sloane. Sherril was my supervisor.

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Patti
2/17/2017 08:01:40 pm

Pam! I remember you! You were (and I'm guessing still are!) a pretty, blonde youngster (okay, maybe we're all a few years older now) with an always sunny disposition. I recall you being always in the back dusting off documents while I was up in the front flipping documents and putting them in boxes. Do you remember me? Tom Owen was my supervisor. Remember Tom? And Bill? And Debbie? And Dwayne? And Mr. Houchens? And that Christmas poem you and I think the other microfilmers wrote? I'm so wondering how you found "Ailantha!" And do you still live in Louisville? And I'm also wondering: since you must have known Sherrill better than I, did I get her right? Anyway, such a great surprise to hear from you, Pam!

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Rebecca Heinz
12/28/2020 12:28:10 pm

I also worked at the archives during that time. I filmed dissertations. One of my favorite jobs.

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Why did they divorce?
4/6/2017 12:53:01 am

Can you share about that? One typo. Thought should be though.

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Natalie Tschiedel
7/11/2017 08:56:21 am

Thanks for sharing about Sherrill Redmon. From her career interests it's obvious that she was a Feminist, supportive of everything Mitch opposes today. An insufferable man who relishes his nickname "the villian". The world needs more women like her. I wish the best for her.

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Patti
7/12/2017 06:47:53 am

I agree with you, Natalie!

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Cyd Peace link
7/12/2017 09:57:49 pm

Not such a bad looking young fellow. How does one get so ugly so fast; inside and out.

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Patti
7/13/2017 04:39:16 am

I know, right?

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ermajay link
10/10/2018 03:46:16 pm

He's so ugly on the outside now because all of the venom on the inside oozed out.

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Debra Harris Lazaro
3/3/2021 09:34:56 pm

Thats for sure he goes where the wind blows flip flops too much untrustworthy.

Debra Harris Lazaro
3/3/2021 09:33:18 pm

Fun to read all this TY gals

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George Alexa link
7/18/2017 10:30:01 am

My sister asked me how old is Mitch and I Google his age and found the information she requested (My sister will be 78 tomorrow)...I'm 73. I then read the thread above and see that Mitch has taken a second wife. I hold marriage to be sacred! We recited - Till death due ye part. It will be two years on 9/23 that my wife died of cancer and I still wear the wedding ring. I think many will have a rude awakening once they pass into eternity...and that is sad.

May we never degrade anyone's looks ever! A good book to live by is the Rule of Benedict. We all are in need of humility.
By the way,

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Atul Kapadia
10/25/2017 04:46:36 am

Beautiful thoughts, George. Same boat.

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Debra Harris Lazaro
3/3/2021 09:36:04 pm

❤🧡💛💚💙💜

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Jane
8/1/2018 07:58:12 pm

Just curious, how come there is no mention of Sherrill Redmon on Wikipedia or any Wiki sites? It just seems rather odd to me.

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Patti
8/2/2018 08:52:39 am

Hmmm...Don't know, Jane.

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Mary Anna Leverett
1/2/2019 08:05:48 pm

Mitch McConnell and Sherrill McConnell divorced after she slept with a married Harry Reid after meeting him at a party they all attended. They got a hotel room; it’s a fact...look it up. The two men were and still are bitter enemies to this day; Harry’s wife stayed with him and they are still married. Harry was quite a rounder in his day, read his bio. This is obviously a liberal site as such ugly remarks about someone you do not know because you disagree with his politics; I disagree with yours and you are entitled to your opinion but it doesn’t make you right.

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Patti
1/3/2019 07:54:55 am

Mary Anna, can you cite your sources for your information about about Sherill McConnell sleeping with Harry Reid? Is there a reputable nonpartisan news website where one can go to verify this? I did go online but didn't find any reference to what you stated above. Thank you,
Patti

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JA
1/4/2019 11:34:16 am

Mary Anna must get her news from The Onion.

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Patti
1/4/2019 11:37:22 am

LOLOL

Monica
5/21/2019 05:49:15 am

An Onion article claimed Sherrill and Harry slept together in 1986 but Sherrill and Mitch were divorced in 1980...

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db
1/15/2020 09:22:42 am

No wonder Trump is President. Our country is stuffed to the gills with stupid people. And only in America can a guy lose by 3 million and be the winner. Mary Anna, what you read was a joke article. It's obvious to anyone with a functioning brain. Are we doomed as a nation?

https://politics.theonion.com/sources-harry-reid-sleeping-with-mitch-mcconnells-wife-1819572018

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Ed
1/28/2020 08:34:17 pm

Mary Anna Leverett: That story was a JOKE, published in The Onion circa 1986, long after Mitch McConnell and Sherill Redmon had divorced and long before he married Elaine Chao.

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Karen Merry
11/12/2020 11:20:45 am

Wow Mary Leverett! Ouch! Lol feel better? Mitch is still the devil in a sheep’s costume! My opinion! Cocaine Mitch! Moscow Mitch! McRussian! If the shoe fits!

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paper writing service review link
4/6/2019 09:18:15 am

There is no reason for me not to admire strong women who desire for changes. During her time, I’ve seen how much effort Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has exerted for our country. Some people might not see that effort because they might be looking at a different picture. But based on the past articles I have read about her, she was exceptional and she really has the power to lead. Only if she is powerful enough, I believe that presidency fits her really well. Her background will always be a good support for this desire. By the way, thank you for this article.

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Gemma Taylor
7/11/2019 09:28:41 pm

The damage that Mitch McConnell has done to this Country and the Constitution cannot be repaired within a four year Presidential term. If anything the term limits of Congress should be limited as well as for The Senate Majorly Leader. No one in Government should serve in perpetuity or get paid in perpetuity. The free ride should end! Politicians should NOT have the option of loading the Courts with THEIR picks! The Judicial System should be unbiased and not an arm of the political right or left. Hence the blind fold on lady justice! Mitch McConnell and the GOP have lost all free thought and free will to act against Trump when it’s in the Nation’s best interest. When McConnell and Lindsay Graham decided to accept millions of dollars from Russian oligarchs and look the other way to Trump’s behavior it was the beginning of the end of the GOP. Our Nation’s only hope is the 2020 Election.

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Lala
7/28/2019 08:54:11 pm

Gemma: Thank you!

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Maggie Evans
11/3/2019 06:16:41 pm

Someone asked why she divorced Mitch McConnell.
Helloooo! She changed her last NAME!
Having watched him continue to back a person in the White House who is a criminal & whom any sane person wouldn't allow to be in charge of a bake sale, I think that answer should be evident.
Her intelligence, work & integrity could no longer stand to be connected by marriage to a man whose behavior in the U. S. Senate is a disgrace to the Institution. He is completely out of touch with his duty to his District and the U.S. Constitution!
Any good he has possibly done during his tenure is overcome by his actions during the last two administrations.
He is a disgrace to our country to the point of treason.

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Debi Blackmon-Hull Hull
5/1/2020 10:54:39 am

With all due respect, I venture to state that you should be the one representing us in the Senate.

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JaniceHuter
6/16/2020 02:19:24 pm

I would like to know how much wealth all these senators had when they entered their term and what they left with and the sources of new wealth.

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    Picture
    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
    Picture
    ​"Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
    Picture
    "Tropical Depression" 
    by Patti Liszkay
    ​Buy it on Amazon:   
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTPN7NYY

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