In 1979 and 1980, she organized the Women’s Energy Education Project, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Energy. The project culminated in the publication of educational materials, including Women Tapping a New Resource for Energy, Women’s Energy Handbook, and Women’s Energy Toolkit. That same year, the Pratt Institute awarded Van Wagenen an honorary doctorate in recognition of her work with CAN.
After earning her PhD, Van Wagenen co-founded Clio Visualizing History, Inc. in 1995 with historian Jeanne Houck. The organization originally produced educational media for private clients before transitioning in 2003 to a nonprofit focused on creating documentary films and digital exhibits promoting awareness of American history.
Notable Clio projects include Lowell Thomas and Lawrence of Arabia: Making a Legend, Creating History, developed in collaboration with filmmaker Rick Moulton, and Click! The Ongoing Feminist Revolution, created with scholars Susan Ware, Melanie Gustafson, and Marilyn Blackwell. The latter features 46 film clips from 27 documentary films, interactive timelines, essays, and photographs, chronicling the feminist movement from the 1940s to the present.
Lola Van Wagenen was married to actor Robert Redford from 1958 until their divorce in 1985. Together, they had four children: Amy, James, and Shauna, as well as a son who died of sudden infant death syndrome. The couple had two wedding ceremonies: a private one in Las Vegas and a second, more public event in Utah.
In 2002, she married George Burrill, a PhD and the founder of the international development firm ARD. The couple relocated to Vermont and have remained together since. In 2011, following the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Burrill was serving as a U.S. delegate to the United States–New Zealand Partnership Forum, they organized a fundraiser for relief efforts. A year later, they established the New American Scholarship Fund at Champlain College.
Though not born into the digital age, Van Wagenen has embraced technology. She occasionally uses Facebook to connect with friends and share content related to her organization, Clio Visualizing History, which also maintains a Facebook presence to promote its educational mission.
Return to the previous page| Birth Date: | 30 Nov, 1938 |
| Age: | 81 yrs |
| Occupations: | Historian |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Provo |
| Gender: | Female |
| Description: | American historian |
| Spouse: | Robert Redford[1958-1985] |
