Orlean Koehle’s Eagle Forum story . . .

It was on March 22 of 1972 that the Equal Rights Amendment was first placed before the state legislatures for them to start ratifying it. A majority of the states did so immediately. But Phyllis Schlafly and her grass-root followers were able to get to many of the state hearings to speak against the ERA before the ratification, and those legislators who heard her and her supporters began to change their minds. The ratification process slowed down.

The leaders of the church that I belong to, the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, heard Phyllis Schlafly speak in Utah and realized the threat the ERA would be to the family and traditional values that we hold so dear. They asked church leaders and members throughout the nation to get behind Phyllis and help defeat the ERA.

I was the president of our church women’s group in Boston called The Relief Society and received the directive from our Bishop to tell the women in our congregation that they needed to get involved and fight against the ERA. Of course, I needed to find out more about it to give correct arguments against it, which I did. I also found out more about Phyllis and how remarkable she was and how correct she was with her criticism of the ERA. It would not have given equal rights for all women; it would actually be taking rights away – the right of a woman to stay at home with her children if a war was going on and a draft – women would have to be drafted just like men. There was also language in the ERA that would have made abortion legal with tax paying dollars funding it, something our Church and most Christian Churches are very opposed to.

However, my battle to fight the ERA was short-lived. In 1973, my husband graduated and accepted a job offer in Lingen, Northern Germany, where Kurt taught political science at a German gymnasium, which is like a junior college/high school combined. We lived in Germany for three years during which time, I totally forgot about the ERA and American politics. I was so busy learning German, coping with a new culture, and taking care of my two small children, ages 2 and 9 months.

When we returned to America in 1976, I became very busy as a school teacher, teaching in a middle school in Idaho Falls, Idaho, while my husband was also teaching and getting another master’s degree. When I was expecting our third child, we decided it was time for me to stop teaching.  I became a full-time mother and raised in total six children, five sons, and one daughter.

After Kurt received an MBA and a PhD in 1982, we moved to Santa Rosa, CA, where Kurt became an administrator at Sonoma State University. When our youngest son was in the 6th grade, I went back to teaching as a substitute teacher. Going back to the schools, I noticed how things had changed, with such a different kind of liberal education that children were receiving.

Concerned for the education of my own children, in 1997, I traveled with a friend to Salt Lake City to attend a homeschooling convention, where I heard the President of Eagle Forum for Utah, Gayle Ruzicka speak. She mentioned Phyllis Schlafly and showed us the books Phyllis had written promoting phonics and traditional education which Gayle had used as she was raising and homeschooling her 12 children. I spoke to Gayle afterward and she told me that I should start an Eagle Forum chapter. She also introduced me to the monthly Eagle Forum Education Reporter to find out what is really going on in Education.

I was already holding monthly meetings at my home. We had started doing that five years before as Concerned Citizens of Sonoma County, then changed to Parents Involved in Education. We decided it would be good to be connected to a national, already established group, so we officially became Sonoma County Eagle Forum in the fall of 1998. The California state president back then, Sandee Beckers, traveled all the way from Santa Barbara to install me as the chapter president. I started receiving The Education Reporter and the Phyllis Schlafly Report and learned so much from both of them.

How I Met Phyllis Schlafly and Became her Roommate: Sandee Beckers asked me to become a member of her state Eagle Forum board and to attend a state board meeting held Friday night just before the state conference that was starting the next morning in the Hyatt Hotel in Sacramento. This was in the spring of 1999.

I drove to the meeting with my Vice President at the time for Sonoma County Eagle Forum, Ysabel Johnson. She dropped me off at the board meeting and then drove to the hotel where we were staying. She had arranged the hotel for us, and I was sure she said it was the Holiday Inn.

Phyllis was at the board meeting and I was briefly introduced to her. I was so impressed by meeting this great American legend and was rather tongue-tied. After the meeting, I asked one of the women who lived in Sacramento and had a car if she could take me to my hotel, which she did. She dropped me off and left.

When I went to check-in, I discovered that neither Ysabel or myself were registered there. I asked if the clerk could try another Holiday Inn. She called that number. I was not registered there either. The clerk tried several other hotels that had an Inn attached to their name. Again, neither Ysabel or I were at any of them.  The clerk was getting a little bit tired at this point and there were other people to help. I had no idea how to reach Ysabel or to find out what hotel I was supposed to be in (Remember, this was before the age of cell phones.)

In desperation, I asked if the clerk would just call one more number for me – the Hyatt. I tried to reach Sandee Beckers, but she was not in her room. The only other person that I remembered who was at the hotel was Phyllis, so I asked to be connected to her.

Fortunately, she answered the phone. I explained my dilemma to her – that I had no idea what hotel I was supposed to be in. I could not find my friend who had arranged it for us, and she had my luggage, and Sandee Beckers was not answering her phone.

Phyllis replied with: “How soon can you be here?”

“Uh, ten minutes,” I answered.

“I have an extra bedroom in my suite and you can stay here.”

“You’re sure that will be all right?”

“Yes, but come quickly.”

I did. I quickly caught a cab and was at the Hyatt in less than ten minutes. I found out which room was hers and knocked on her door.

I heard her voice say, “What’s the password?”

I had no idea what the password was, but I tried “Orlean?”

“That will do.” The door opened.

Phyllis pointed to the bed and said, “This is your bed. My bed is next door. Good night,” and she disappeared through the adjoining door.

I had heard that Phyllis was very direct and right to the point and doesn’t like small talk.  I found out that was true.

I thought, “Now, what do I do? I have no luggage, no nightgown, nothing to wear, no tooth brush, no makeup remover and no makeup for tomorrow!”

I ended up washing my underclothes out and hanging them up to dry. I washed my face the old-fashioned way with soap and water, wrapped myself in a towel and went to bed.

The next morning, I was supposed to be at the conference room early to help decorate and get things set up. I showered, put on my underclothes, which were now dry and put on my same clothes as the day before.

I was about to knock on Phyllis’ door when I heard the phone ring. I heard Phyllis say, “Yes she’s here. Orlean, pick up the phone.”

It was Ysabel, who had woken up and noticed that I never made it to whatever hotel room I was supposed to be in. She apologized for not giving me the correct hotel name. She told me that she would bring my suitcase to the conference room and I could change into what I was going to wear for the day.

I then knocked on Phyllis’ door and hesitantly asked, “Phyllis, I’m so sorry to disturb you, but I have to be to an early meeting. Would it possibly be all right if I could use your makeup?

She kindly answered, “Sure, come right in. My makeup bag is on the counter in the bathroom, help yourself to whatever you would like.”

I thanked her and while I was applying the makeup, she asked me more about myself and what were some of our Eagle Forum activities in Santa Rosa. I told her we were mainly fighting the pro-gay agenda that was coming in with some outlandish programs being presented in our high schools. She gave me some good advice, and we had a nice talk. I thanked her again for her kindness, taking in a poor, wayfaring stranger, whom she had hardly even known. I told her I would see her later and hurried off to the conference room.

Ysabel was already there with my suitcase so I could change my clothes.  All throughout the day, when I would see someone I knew, I would mention, “Guess whose makeup I am wearing?”  It was a great honor to have Phyllis’ makeup on my face. I didn’t want to wash it off when the day was over.

Becoming the State Eagle Forum President:  Three years later, the summer of 2002, Sandee Beckers had to step down from her position as state president because of family reasons, and called and asked me to take her place. I was very humbled and honored to be asked, but told her I would need a week to pray about it and, of course, have my husband’s consent. After that week was over, both Kurt and I felt we received answers to our prayers and I told Sandee, “Yes.” Sandee and I both attended the September national conference in St. Louis, where she introduced me as her replacement.

The next January, she called for a state board meeting that took place in Santa Barbara, where she lived, and I was officially voted in and installed as the new State President. Sandee sent me home with several boxes of files for Eagle Forum that she had inherited and had added on to.

The end of January was the national Constitution Coalition meeting in St. Louis, followed by a national Eagle Forum Roundtable for all the state presidents. That is where I gave my first report as the new Eagle Forum state president for California and began to get to know so many other state presidents and listen to their glowing reports of the success they were having in their states. I began to find out more about the amazing things that Eagle Forum leaders do.

Being a Guest in Phyllis Schlafly’s Home:  For my next trip to St. Louise for the national Eagle Council, I thought I would stay over and fly home Monday afternoon, so I could visit the Education Center and learn more about the history of Eagle Forum and all that it has been involved with.

Phyllis found that out and rather than have me stay all alone in the hotel Sunday night, she invited me to come and be a guest in her home. What a thrill that was!

She always had her son John come over for Sunday evening dinner. While she was preparing a delicious salmon meal, John played beautiful classical music for us on the piano. After the meal and after the dishes were done, Phyllis took me up to her room where she does all of her writing. She had to finish a syndicated column that was due the next day. She told me that I could use the other computer that she had in the room.

So while she was busy writing, I sent out an e-mail to everyone back home, telling them, “Guess where I am and whose air I am breathing in the same room?”  It was truly a great honor to be in Phyllis’ home and to get to see her in action and get to know her better.

The next morning, she gave me a guided tour of the Education Center and the vast volumes of books that she had – especially on the subject of Communism, books that had been sent to her by people from all over the nation and the world. Of course, all the files and files of ERA documentation were there as well, and the many other subjects she had written and spoken about.

Phyllis’ Support: We had Phyllis come and speak for all of our state conferences from 2002 until 2015 when she was no longer in good health. Many of those conferences were in Santa Rosa, and I had Phyllis as a guest in my home for dinners the evening before the Saturday conference. These were attended by our state and local board leaders. Phyllis would always speak to us afterward and give us an inside scoop on some of the important issues of the day. We all felt so honored to have her with us.

I truly came to regard Phyllis as a second mother. She was always so supportive and would say so many kind things about what I was doing as an Eagle Forum leader. She would immediately return a phone call as soon as she could. She was also so supportive of the books that I had written and sent me statements of endorsement for them. Plus, she had me as a guest on several of her weekly radio shows talking about them.

Phyllis Speaking for Berkeley and Her Tragic Accident:  In February 2009, Phyllis was invited to speak for the conservative students at Berkeley, sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation and the Young Republicans on Campus. I and many of our Eagle Forum members attended to hear her speak. She gave a great talk about the difference between conservative women and liberal feminists.  I remember there was just one person protesting outside when we arrived – she looked like an old hippy holdover from the 60s. The students inside the hall were very respectful of Phyllis. I had tears in my eyes listening to how politely they spoke to her, addressing her as Mrs. Schlafly, when they would ask their questions of her.

One of the things I remembered she said in her talk was how conservative women were very strong. They did not complain and whine and did not play the victim role.

After her talk, she was still at the podium answering people’s questions. Jiesi Zhao, the president of the Young Republicans asked me if I would ask Phyllis to come and stand with her officers because they wanted a picture with her before they had to leave. I quietly whispered in Phyllis’ ear asking if she could come soon and join the Young Republicans for a picture. I did not realize that she immediately turned to follow me. I should have held her hand and helped her off the podium. As it was, she did not see the step-down, and fell and ended up breaking her hip.

We all felt so terrible. Some of the students were crying. I especially was crying, feeling that it was my fault. Phyllis never shed a tear. As the gurney was carrying her out to the ambulance, she was smiling and waving goodbye to the students. She exemplified everything that she had just spoken about in her talk. A conservative woman is strong. She does not complain or whine and does not play the victim role, even with a broken hip.

It was a two-hour drive to Berkeley from Santa Rosa, but I tried to visit her at least once or twice a week during the four weeks that she was in the Berkeley hospital.  The Young Republicans students did as well.  I remember on one visit, a nurse asked me, “Who is this woman?  She never complains, is always so nice  to all of us, and she never stops writing on her laptop.”  I didn’t want to tell the nurse too much since I knew they tended to all be very liberal.  I was afraid if I told them that she was the lady who led the battle to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment, they might stop treating her so nicely.  I just said, “She is a professional writer and has a syndicated column that she gets out every Monday. She is a very strong, determined person and isn’t about to let a broken hip stop her.”  All of the nurses, her doctors, and the Young Republican students were very impressed with Phyllis during her stay in the hospital.

She truly exemplified all that she spoke of in both word and deed.  She left her mark on many of us – both old and young. When she passed away, September 5, 2016, I wept as much as I did with the loss of my own mother. That is how I felt about Phyllis. I so wanted to be at her funeral, but I had just fallen out of a pear tree the day before and had a broken shoulder and tail bone and was in no shape to travel.  But, I was so thrilled to hear that Donald Trump came and spoke at her funeral. Phyllis was one of the earliest supporters in his run for the presidency. She could always pick a winner.