Lindsay France/University Photography

A staff member celebrates winning a door prize at the office professionals program, April 24.

Lindsay France/University Photography

Traci Morse, ILR, presents a plaque to Don Farley, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering, in honor of his late wife, Jennie Farley '54, M.A. '69, Ph.D. '70.

In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Jennie T. Farley Office Professionals Celebration, held April 24 in Barton Hall, President David Skorton lauded the contributions of current office professionals, and ILR School guest speakers recalled the early days of the program and the professor for whom it is named.

“You are indispensable to all the major functions of this institution,” Skorton said in addressing more than 700 office professionals. He highlighted their roles in being contacts for students, in learning new technologies and teaching them to others, and in providing support networks for faculty and researchers. Skorton thanked the office professionals for “all the ways you make Cornell truly a caring community,” noting their volunteer efforts in times of disaster, and their contributions to the United Way and to such programs as the Elves Holiday Program and the Summer Backpack Program.

Professor Susanne Bruyère, ILR School associate dean of outreach, recalled Jennie Farley ’54, M.A. ’69, Ph.D. ’70, who had been her office mate for more than a decade. She said that Farley cared deeply “about the issues of women, the students she taught, her many friends both here and abroad, and above all, her family.”

The office professionals program had its roots in a brown bag lunch and symposium founded by Farley in 1988 to recognize National Secretaries Day and drew about 50 people. Farley had been a determined champion of women's rights, co-founder of Cornell’s Women’s Studies Program and professor of industrial and labor relations, and was well-known for a report she authored that contributed to the formation of a university Advisory Committee on the Status of Women.

Farley “would be absolutely delighted to see the number of people gathered here,” Bruyère said.

In her keynote address, Ileen DeVault, professor of labor history, provided a condensed history of work and family issues in the U.S. workplace, from the 1880s when the roles for men and women were clearly delineated, through World War II, into the 1970s, when more than half of women age 15 and older were employed, and employers started to pay attention to work/family concerns.

At the end of DeVault’s address, Farley’s husband, Don, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering, received a plaque in honor of his wife and was thanked for “continuing to support the office professionals program.”

The program closed with musical entertainment from the student duo The Mimi’s and student group The Hangovers, and with distribution of many door prizes.

The office professionals celebration is sponsored by the ILR School, the Office of the President and the Division of Human Resources and Safety Services.