I met Jane when she when joined AUD in 1989. We moved quickly from sometime- colleagues to friends and remained so until her too early death. Her official work with AUD is described-really of course just outlined- in this issue’s cover piece and in the reprint of one of her articles which adds to that. However, Jane was with us continuously-in the spaces between and after- providing advice when asked and substantial support when needed. Her belief that the labor movement could not be effective unless democratic never altered. And her idea of union democracy was not limited to tidy formal structures but to leadership’s active ongoing engagement with and attention to the rank and file. She was focused on the need to hear the voices of people who too many think have nothing really worthwhile to say. She knew otherwise and always tried to find ways to tell their stories. I remember her talking about how difficult that sometimes was and I can see her face, lit up, when she thought she had accomplished it. And of course always the intensity of her belief that women should at last have a fair shot to do the jobs they wanted.
The range of her active involvements awed me. And if she committed to something she did it. But she had the ability, in a gentle way, but backed by steely determination, to get others to do what she thought they should and what they said they would. She was multi-tasking always: projects long term and short term, big and small, personal (her creative writing) and for the rights of working people. The extent of her activities, commitments and accomplishments has been detailed by other people here.
Jane was very far from ordinary and people knew it. But she was not just admired and respected -she was loved by very many- including me. I have not gotten accustomed to the idea that she is no longer with us.