04/22/07 Know Your Madisonian: Betsy Lawrence

Know Your Madisonian: Betsy Lawrence

Wisconsin State Journal
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Interviewed by Mark Pitsch


City: Madison.

Family: Husband, David Nance; two kids, Daniel Nance, 23, and Ursula Lawrence, 29.

Age: 59.

Occupation: Director of grantmaking, Wisconsin Community Fund.

Volunteer activities: Rainbow Bookstore; board member, Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network & Fund; former volunteer for Pastors for Peace and Mothers Against War.

Why is what you do important?: We're dedicated to social change and social justice throughout the state, giving voice to people and issues not heard in social discourse and to people who want to change society and feel their needs are not being addressed.

Where did you grow up?: Montclair, N.J.

What do you miss about your childhood?: The feeling of just being able to go off and just doodle around or lie under a tree and look at the clouds. I don't do that enough for myself.

How did you end up in Madison?: I came to go to UW-Madison in the '60s and stayed. I met my husband here. But my father had come to school here in the '40s and he always told me that this seemed to be a more democratic area with people having a voice. He really liked going to school here.

What is your greatest Madison pleasure?: I like walking along the lake.

What are your hobbies?: Reading, shopping, movies, going to demonstrations when it's nice.

What is the last movie you've seen?: I just watched a great movie called "Idiocracy" by Mike Judge, who did "Beavis and Butt-Head" . . . It's a discussion, in a way, of how everything has been privatized and sexualized. It's a very funny movie although most people would be disgusted by it.

I love it when: My friends call up and say "how are you doing, let's get together and see a movie and hang out."

I hate it when: I want to do something and there's no one around and I have to sit around and be bored by myself and I'm not in the mood to be bored by myself.

Friends describe me as: Funny.

I knew I was an adult when: My kids were in grade school and middle school. At that point I realized I was able to be totally responsible. When my daughter was born and I was 30 I felt like I was 15.

I stop what I'm doing when: One of my kids calls and wants to talk.