. . . Workmen  who  gathered  around  a  water  tower  on  the  roof  to  watch Mrs. Quinn’s ascent today, had no doubts about her femininity. She appeared chic, even in aluminum colored gloves and a pair of steel climbing shoes that resembled enormous magnets. It took 25 minutes for her to reach the top. Once there she went to work with a surgeon’s dispatch . . .

For most of her adult life, Mary Ann Quinn has been making history. She never talked about it, she just went out and did it. Now at the age of 68, the Los Gatos resident is ready to sit down and write it all down . . .

. . .“Like almost anything else, you can get used to the height,” the lady steeplejack shouted Friday as she dangled from a yardarm near the top of a 48-foot flagpole. “It’s just that people can’t get used to seeing a woman up here” . . .

. . . The Mission High student glanced at the slim figure preparing to shinny up the flagpole. Then he did a fast double take and asked: “What’s a nice lady like you doing in a job like this?” Mary Ann Quinn brushed back her long wavy hair, snapped another lock on her climbing saddle and laughed. “I’m a steeplejill,” she said, “And I get this same question across the country”. . .