Norma West, '82

Norma West, '82, Saint Louis, MO, recently retired after a long career in the theatre. After 12 years as a costumer and crafts artisan/dyer in theatres across the country, West became the third female member of IATSE Local No. 6 Stagehands Union, founded 1893,  and the first female officer a year later.  She served as the secretary/treasurer of Local 6 for 21 years, then the first female member of the executive board for three years.  She remains active in the labor movement as the treasurer of Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT), and the local chapter of CLUW (Coalition of Labor Union Women). She has also been adjunct faculty at Washington University and Webster University and occasionally presents a short program about women in the labor movement. During retirement, West looks forward to spending more time in her garden, catching up on some reading and traveling with Rick, her husband of 32 years.