Lillian Ciarrochi, 85 feminist activist

Lillian Ciarrochi, 85, of Philadelphia, a feminist who campaigned to improve the lives of women both here and nationwide, died Wednesday, April 13, of an aneurysm at her Center City home.

Eleanor Smeal, the former president of the National Organization for Women, called Ms. Ciarrochi "a real jewel, a lover of action, a fighter, a strong friend, and an indefatigable feminist who worked constantly for women's rights."

"She did whatever needed to be done and never looked at any clocks."

The last of nine children born to Mary Taraschi and Alfred Ciarrochi of Ardmore, Ms. Ciarrochi had a good job with a pension at Scott Paper Co. when she resigned in September 1981 to work for the Equal Rights Amendment in Florida.

At that time, NOW had mounted a campaign of volunteers to help win ratification of the amendment in Florida, Illinois, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Missouri, and Virginia. The goal: to get 38 of the 50 states to approve the groundbreaking amendment by June 30, 1982, as required by the Constitution.

She undertook the effort because of her mother, an Italian immigrant who bore 14 children, nine of whom lived, she told the New York Times in a story published Nov. 8, 1981. "She died last year, a marvelous woman who had no choices, no opportunities. My work is a memorial to my mother."

Then 49, she went to Tallahassee, where she organized phone banks, coordinated demonstrations, and handled statewide public relations. "We have lots of volunteers, and good things are happening here," she wrote a friend. "I only hope it isn't too late."

It was too late; the amendment failed in Florida and Illinois, effectively sounding the death knell for ratification.

Ms. Ciarrochi told the Inquirer on July 4, 1982, that she felt "sad and angry" at the failure, but more determined than ever to push for the rights of women. "I feel we have reached the hearts and minds of hundreds and thousands of people who will carry their anger into the voting booth in November," she told the paper.

Ms. Ciarrochi worked as controller at the NOW office in Washington before returning to Philadelphia to become manager of accounting at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and later auditor with the Pennsylvania Treasury Department.

She was treasurer and president of NOW's Philadelphia branch. Ms. Ciarrochi led a delegation of 3,500 to the 1978 ERA march in Washington, and at her urging, women's groups in Philadelphia wrote thousands of letters to the president and Congress about the ERA.

Under her guidance, NOW also pressured television stations to hire female producers and on-air talent. Ms. Ciarrochi was thrilled when KYW-TV promoted media pioneer Jessica Savitch to anchor an evening news broadcast.

Another publicity tool was the "Barefoot and Pregnant Award" given on Sadie Hawkins Day in November to institutions that NOW hoped to label as sexist.

In 1973, Common Pleas Judge Lisa Richette gave a keynote speech at the Union League of Philadelphia but was told that because of her gender she had to enter through the exclusive club's back door. Incensed, the judge quickly alerted her friends at NOW.

Ms. Ciarrochi and others went at 4 a.m. to the Union League and attached both a huge pink bow and the proclamation alleging sexism to the league's front door.

"The next morning, a color photo was on the front page of the Inquirer," Ms. Ciarrochi later recalled in an email to a friend. "It caused quite a stir, and several male colleagues who were members told me it started a huge and heated debate among the membership."

Eventually, some of the club's younger members were able to change the entrance policy, and in 1986, NOW and other groups successfully pressured the Union League to admit female members.

"It was so exciting to be able to break down these barriers, but you had to hit the streets," Ms. Ciarrochi said. "You couldn't just be ladylike; you had to embarrass them, to do whatever you could to raise their consciousness, to do the right thing."

A graduate of West Catholic High School for Girls, Ms. Ciarrochi earned a bachelor's degree in accounting at night from Villanova University.

Ms. Ciarrochi never married. Her mother, with whom she lived in Ardmore before moving to Center City, died in June 1980. Her father died in the mid-1960s. She is survived by nieces and nephews.

An 11 a.m. viewing Monday, April 18, will be followed by a short memorial service at noon at McConaghy Funeral Home, 328 W. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore. Burial is in St. Denis Cemetery, Havertown.

Ms. Ciarrochi supported the candidacy of Hillary Clinton for president. Contributions in Ms. Ciarrochi's memory may be made to the NOW Political Action Committee, 1100 H Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20005.

bcook@phillynews.com

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