Cornell Law School students listened to a dialogue on "Women in Leadership Roles" Oct. 22 from two experts on the subject: Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, and Cornell Provost Biddy Martin.

The two engaged in a "fireside chat" in Anabel Taylor Auditorium and then answered questions from the Women's Law Coalition.

In a down-to-earth, humorous tone, O'Connor, now retired and Cornell's Distinguished Jurist in Residence this week, described her childhood on a ranch in rural Arizona. Her professional work ethic and sense of humor, she said, were inspired by her upbringing -- daily tasks were completed efficiently, and solutions to problems "didn't have to be elegant, but they had to be practical," she said.

After high school in El Paso, Texas, O'Connor went on to excel in college and law school at Stanford University, which she referred to as "the Cornell of the West."

When asked if she had ever considered another career, her answer was a definite "no." Law always fascinated her, O'Connor said, and her passion for it was evident not only in her exceptional academic record in the early 1950s, but also by her determination to find a job when women simply were not hired as lawyers. But O'Connor eventually was hired in a county attorney's office; after a series of other appointments, including service as a state senator and judge, she was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981.

While women are "better off than in the past" in terms of discrimination in traditionally male professions, she added that there is still a lot of work to do to achieve full gender equality.

She credited her success in balancing a family and a career to her energetic personality and an intense desire to "do work that was worth doing." O'Connor said her extensive experience at the state level benefited her tenure on the Supreme Court. And she noted that the framers of the Constitution believed that state, county and city legislation is essential to successfully controlling the delicate balance in a nation's federal power.

Celia Smith '09 is a writer intern with the Cornell Chronicle.