The Anita S. Goodstein Lectureship in Women's History was created in 1998 in recognition of Dr. Goodstein's significant contributions as a professor, colleague, and friend. Dr. Goodstein and her family were members of the Sewanee community for over forty years. Arriving in Sewanee in 1955, she began teaching as a history professor in the mid-1960's and continued until her retirement in 1992. By the time women were admitted to the college in 1969, Dr. Goodstein was known as a teacher who promoted academic excellence, encouraged intellectual freedom, and inspired personal achievement. Throughout the 1970's, when there were few women faculty and students, Dr. Goodstein's presence on campus was instrumental in claiming a place for women and creating a more inclusive academic community. Over the years, Dr. Goodstein's leadership fostered positive changes both in the history department and in the Sewanee community. Dr. Goodstein introduced and developed new courses, including American Intellectual and Social History, Indians and Blacks in America and, in 1992, Women in American History. As an advocate of civil rights, she taught by example and was instrumental in the struggle to end segregation in the local public schools and commercial establishments. In addition to her roles as teacher and community activist, Dr. Goodstein pursued her love for independent research and scholarship throughout her career. She published two prize-winning articles on the Nashville frontier, and is the author of Nashville 1780-1860: From Frontier to City, the recipient of the Tennessee History Book Award in 1989. She made substantial contributions in documenting women's history in Tennessee and was a leading organizer of Tennessee's 75th celebration of women's suffrage.
