Lola Van Wagenen (December 1938) is an American historian who was a co-founder of Consumer Action Now, a non-profit organization that offers Americans protection in consumer problems. Not only does she advocate for consumers, she also offers informational and educational material that informs them of everything they need to win their little battles.
Given the great success obtained with this launch, Lola Van Wagenen ventured to confuse Clio Visualizing History, Inc. in 1995, in order to promote historical content, one of her greatest interests.
Image courtesy of heightline.com
This achievement not only allowed him to share his passion for history with thousands of people, but it also aroused his curiosity about the world of cinema, a world that would be a part of his life in a great way.
Childhood
He was born in Utah into a family of Mormons, an American religious movement that has spread throughout the world. However, Lola Van Wagenen has never presented herself to the world as a member of this religion, although she has admitted looking for other sources of philosophical and religious knowledge other than the one her parents had taught her.
Ironically, nothing is known about the family or childhood history of this famous and passionate historian, but there is information about her personal life, studies and career.
Marriage
In 1958 she married Robert Redford with whom she had four children and from whom she divorced 27 years later. They had a secret ceremony in Las Vegas, it is even said that she ran away from college to marry the one who was the love of her life.
Just one year after the wedding, they had the first of their children, Scott, who died at five months of sudden death, a syndrome that was not known or understood at that time. It seems that this hard blow changed the life of Robert Redford forever, who was beginning to succeed in the cinema but was known for being a troublesome teenager who bordered on crime.
Her second daughter, Sawna, sank into a depression that led her to want to kill herself when her boyfriend was murdered. She threw her car into a lake to kill herself, and is almost unable to walk again.
The third of his children, James, had to undergo a liver transplant at age 15, which was rejected by his body and had to be operated on again.
His other daughter seems to have had a 'normal' life despite her parents' divorce, which he admits affected him greatly. However, the Redford family seemed to have a curse on her.
Studies
He earned a BA in History from Vermont College in 1982 and a Master's in Public History from New York University in 1984. It was from New York University that he earned his Ph.D. in American History in 1994.
Her doctoral thesis was considered so masterful that in 2003 it was published in book form under the title Sisters-Wives and Suffragettes: Polygamy and the Politics of Women's Suffrage. In 2012 this book received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the New York School of Arts and Sciences.
Activism
Lola Van Wagenen has always been very immersed in helping others, as shown by the co-foundations of two non-profit organizations with the purpose of helping others, such as Consumer Action Now and Clio Visualizing History, Inc.
However, the CAN was only the beginning of a life dedicated to others, and in which it remains immersed to this day.
In 2002 she married George Burril, an honorary New Zealand consul to Vermont who was a United States delegate to the Forum of the United States Association in New Zealand. Both participated in solidarity campaigns, such as collecting funds for programs to recover from damage caused by earthquakes.
To this day, Lola Van participates in scholarship programs for students such as the Robertson Scholars, or one that she founded with her husband: New American Scholarship Fund.
Since 1970 he is part of the board of directors of associations focused on charity such as:
- Shelburne Farms. This non-profit organization consists of 1,500 hectares of farm, field and forest that are maintained in a sustainable way and without causing damage to the environment. It is used as an educational resource on how to work rural land in an effective and non-harmful way.
- Vermont Historical Society. Non-profit organization that connects students, academics and educators with the history of the city, which is intended to preserve through the knowledge of it that is given to schools and other educational institutions.
- New York Women's Foundation.
His relationship with the cinema
Her marriage to Robert Redford brought her to the public eye, which made her see the opportunity to mix cinema with her passion and her uncertainty for the planet.
Concern for the environment has been around for decades, as in 1977 he presented The Sun Fund to the world, a project that sought to raise awareness about energy conservation and publicize alternative energy sources. Within this project, The Solar Film was presented, nominated as the Best Live Action Short Film.
She was also an executive producer on such films as Miss America: A Documentary Film and The State of Marriage. Other cinematographic works in which he participated fully or in part, were:
- Catching th Shadow: America's First Female Photographers.
- The Battle of the Sexes: Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. (This was shelved, never saw the light or received funding).
- Lowell Thomas: The American Storyteller.
In addition, given the role of providing historical material for Clio Visualizing History, Inc., he participated in the development of various documentaries, interactive books and short films that are used in various universities around the world.
Without a doubt, Lola Van Wagener was not a conventional woman as expected in her time, but one more example that a woman can be a wife, mother, a great professional and a person concerned about others and the planet. Without a doubt, an example to imitate.
References
- The "curse" of Robert Redford's children: diseases, murders and traffic accidents. (2019). Retrieved from abc.es.
- Lola Van Wagenen Bio, Wife, Children, Net Worth, Grandchildren. (2019). Retrieved from heightline.com.
- Wikipedia contributors. (2019, January 28). Lola Van Wagenen. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
- Wikipedia contributors. (2018, August 14). Consumer Action. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
- Van Wagenen L. Sister-wives and suffragists: Polygamy and the politics of woman suffrage, 1870-1896. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. 1994.