File f11 - Buckley-Jones, Dilys

File consists of a recording of Dilys Buckley-Jones. Topics of the conversation include professors in Queen's French Dept. (early 1960s); bewildering, fascinating Freudian slant of Gerald Bessette. Minor campus political activities, e.g. Ban the Bomb groups. University attendance as natural development of subject's education; Queen's chosen for small size, well-developed language programme in comparison with western universities, family contacts in Kingston. Lack of contact with Alumni Association since graduation. Competitive Foreign Service exam (1964), election as Officer. Belief that neither her diplomatic nor academic career has been adversely affected by sexual discrimination. Standard of Latin in prairie schools, not up to Queen's standards; Prof. McDonald's super Spanish, Italian courses. Subject's living arrangements at Queen's: residence, boarding out ('not entirely a happy experience, but I survived'), apartment-sharing. Various childhood home towns as daughter of banker. Foreign Service postings : Lima, Ottawa, Copenhagen, Ottawa, next assignment Mexico. Minor problems, irritations, as intelligent single woman in male-oriented Peru. Division of Peruvian society into exclusive upper class, peasant class: official contact only with Peruvians, friendships confined to foreign ex-patriot community. Application to Foreign Service motivated by distaste for further study/teaching alternatives. Equal Opportunity for Women in the Dept. of External Affairs: objection that despite good record, EOW people concentrate on women in highly visible positions, ignore secretarial grievances. Present position as Deputy Director, Public Relations Division. Diplomatic ranking in the Foreign Service. Dept. of External Affairs' current difficulty finding employees who will leave Canada: problems of education and employment for diplomats' spouses, children. Problems assigning couples where both members are diplomats; FS couples' solution that wives should resign after husbands' posting abroad as perhaps sad, but an exercise of choice; understanding of freedom for women as the right to choose. Approval of Women's Lib work in consciousness-raising, legislation, attitude-changing; disgust with propaganda urging that women must achieve outside the home in order to fulfil themselves. Subject's splendid mother as example of fulfilled personality, intelligence, womanhood, though part of a generation restricted in its options; university crash course aet. 63. Family supportiveness, freedom from sexist prejudices, restrictions. Subject's pleasure, unambitious pride in work; confident indifference to questioning of careerwoman's femininity, surprise at chauvinism still present in Dept.'s younger male generation. Firm belief in importance of personal life, disapproval of excessive devotion to job.//Cultural interests, pleasure in entertaining abroad, love of travel. Parents' love of travel; father's Welsh origins. Dislike of phrase 'role model': opinion that many people have influenced her but none especially, excepting parents. Shock of adjustment to independence in first-year university: discipline, curfew in family life contrasted with outside permissiveness; residence regulations. Subject's shyness, ability to hide it; early entrance into Foreign Service aet. 21, bad moment of initial insecurity followed by happy apartment­ sharing with new-found friend. Adjustment to FS comings and goings, long period required anywhere to settle in; particular attachment to Copenhagen, Danish friends. Char ter excursion through Eastern Africa: superb country, excel­lent accommodations, African wildlife. Current FS hiring rate of 6-7 officers per year; other possibilities for persons in­ terested in international employment.