THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT

Martha Buck

March 27, 1935 – November 7, 2021

“We really thought the Supreme Court had taken abortion out of politics and put it into the realm of human rights.”  Martha Buck, July 13, 1977

For 44 years, Martha worked in the public sector in the fields of Personnel Administration, Labor Relations and Civil Rights Law Enforcement. Her work for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) involved her in the struggle of women to achieve equal pay for equal work. Monmouth County, NJ NOW, 1971. Essex County, NJ NOW, 1972. In 1977 Martha was elected Executive Vice President of the National Organization for Women (NOW) after two years on the organization’s national board. She later worked as a Senior Labor Economist for AFSCME, the public employees’ union, and then moved to California to become Director of Personnel Services and Labor Relations for the West Contra Costa Unified School District. In 1997 she was ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church and served as parish Deacon at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley and later at St. James Episcopal Church in Monterey.

Photo. Newly elected NOW officers give the ERA salute. Left to right, Martha Buck, Administrative Vice President; Arlie Scott, Action Vice President; Ellie Smeal, President; Eve Norman, Treasurer and Sandy Roth, Secretary 1977.