Yesterday, I had the privilege of being part of the goodbye gathering of this influential feminist group. Yes, I've been listed as a co-founder but I did none of the grunt work, I only helped where I could. If I'd had the chance, I would have saluted this group, which has now earned its place in history. Their work has saved millions of women's lives. I actually put on a "dressy" red jacket to appear among them--foolish of me, but as an Elder, it was a way for me to salute their accomplishments and longevity. Yes, I wore lipstick and a brooch as well, definitely both age-giveaways. How did such a loner even get involved? Here's how. The late great author and activist, (and my dear friend), Barbara Seaman, pulled me into it--she wanted a feminist name that was "famous" at that time (1974) to raise the profile of this relatively new group. I gladly lent her the use of my name and I attended the press conference that Barbara called in her living room. But this all happened after Belita Cowan had essentially started her lifelong exposure and confrontation of the medical and pharmaceutical establishments on behalf of women's health--really, on behalf of saving women's lives. Belita was the real founder of our Network. But others also worked in parallel and eventually some joined forces. Here on Zoom were the living, breathing, eloquent women who accomplished what I call the impossible. Some no longer walk the earth but remain very much with us: Dr. Mary Howell, Barbara Seaman, Carol Downer, Susan Wood, and Helen Rodriguez-Trias for starters, and then the all-too living: Cindy Pearson, Belita Cowan, Billye Avery, Adrienne Fugh-Berman, Alice Wolfson, Judy Norsigian, Joanne Fischer, Amy Allina, Diana Zuckerman, Lisa Jacobs, Nancy Krieger, Lenore Tiefer, OMG! Everyone talked, but it went by so fast that I am sure I've not gotten all the names. And so: what did these women do? The Network covered a rather impressive waterfront. Here's some of the issues they raised and dealt with successfully: The harm of DES (diethylstilbestrol) which caused cancer in the daughters of women who had taken it during their pregnancies. The sterilization of women who had just delivered a baby but who without their knowledge or consent, were sterilized. The Dalkon Shield outrage; the Depo-Provera scandal; the fact that estrogen caused cancers--and the victory obtained by the Network in having drug companies agree to insert information warning women of the consequences of taking estrogen-based birth control pills; the creation of a Black Women's Health Imperative; the class action lawsuit against Depo-Provera; the formation of clearinghouses for women's health information, such as National Center for Health Research; the dangers of tamoxifen in cases of breast cancer; the HPV vaccine; information on menopause; the dangers of silicone breast implants--just on and on. If I'd had the opportunity to speak, I would have shared some memories of both Barbara Seaman and Dr. Mary Howell, the first woman dean of students at the Harvard Medical School, who also wrote under the pseudonym Anna Demeter. Mary wrote a memoir of child kidnapping and a custody battle from hell, a subject much on my mind and which I addressed in my book "Mothers on Trial. The Battle for Children and Custody." Perhaps I'll share these memories in the future. Soldiers All. Generals All. I salute your fifty years of service with all my heart.