European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 17, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes february 1981 iving South Carolina legislator Mother proc Ltd into politics by Linda Kuntz Logan United press International first South Carolina state har Ricl Keyserling looks like somebody Mother an assessment that is Par Lilly the 5kyearold raised in an upper mid dle class jewish Home in new York City where she and her family were surrounded by musicians and Intel found herself married and living in in 1945 a culture Shock for the accomplished she spent More than 30 years raising children and doing Volunteer work in the Small Rural Community before find ing herself in the role of a for women in her that was when she entered politics six years the experience has changed her she after 1 was in Public office and had a Little authority for the first i found myself being me instead of my husbands wife or my childrens but this is probably a product of my upbringing in still not comfortable in the role of women of Keyse lines generation did Little rebel Ling against the established pattern of Early mar raising and going where ones Hus band in riot an aggressive person and there was a tendency in those Days to understand that everything was not going to be Keyserling said during an interview in her sparsely decorated legislative office in we tended to balance things to be there was very Little except for some really Strong most women did what i what the Barnard College graduate did was marry a Young doctor during world War ii and move with him to his family it didst even occur to me to say i have a Good Job and i want to go somewhere where i can get another after years of Active Community Keyserling found herself running for the Beaufort county Council almost by id been assigned by the league of women voters to observe the after several i saw How they did i i think id do things different 11pi state Harriet Keyserling taking stands on issues Independent of Power during a dinner she and a Friend were Dis cussing the fact that had Keyserling been on the county she would have chosen to give Holiday turkeys to a group of employees who had Little Money instead of throwing a party for i kept saying i thought i could do better than some of those and my Friend kept telling me How wonderful id and after what was probably several glasses of she said i should Keyserling i talked to my husband and some people on the and suddenly i got propelled into when i saw the announcement in the i almost had a heart she also didst know that in politics especially in South Carolina there is a Good old boy system of doing 1 didst understand you had to go to the party and Check with in new she had been aware of National but was unfamiliar with the Way Small states and Small town politicians but she had a Broad base of people with whom she had done Volunteer work for 30 years plus the fact that her Herbert had tended most of the population both Black and White on the coastal islands for she led the ticket and became the first woman Ever elected to the Council in in one of those flukes that frequently occur in the districts state House former Jim decided not to run for some Man stopped me on the Street and said Why dont you run for Moses and i said i  do i  leave my but Jim Moss said id be and said he would manage my Campaign and it was so easy to get on the county Council that i didst realize All that it in her a Beaufort with All the right was backed by the Beaufort county democratic she had her base of support from her women volunteers and the Blacks who make up a Large percentage of the county the legislature is considered a product of the old boy and i didst fit into she she won the becoming the first woman to represent Beaufort county in the legislature much to the Surprise of the White male in when she ran for she was winning the election was Only the first still naive in the ways of the political Power Keyserling first Days in the legislature were there have been women in the South Carolina House for but Keyserling said they Are often treated she said her constituents were wary of dealing with a woman at i dont think there was any antipathy toward but the attitude was not the they didst come calling on me for it took a while for them to do the things you do with your who said Public speaking is very difficult for began writing a column for the local i tried to present both sides of the and i told them where i stood and they could see Ive had More appreciation from that people Stop me on the Street and Tell me they appreciate my efforts and they see me in the role of making decisions and being up there representing she she feels More like her constituents than a member of the when i say we and them i mean we Back not we in the legis my Point of View is still closer to the people Back in not against the Power in just willing to stand on an Issue whether the Structure is against it or for i dont think i am a reformer because i want to throw out the old but because i want to change the Way things Are last she was appointed to the prestigious House judiciary committee its first she is proud of her work with the National conference of state where she is on the executive com she is working on a National panel on nuclear waste disposal one of her key her latest project through the Nusl is a National women a Way for women to learn and understand the political and legislative women need special to learn How to get to positions of Young women Are a different they Are coming out of but women in my generation dont even understand Power and position