Class of 2001: Common Struggles, Collective Memories The class of 2001 celebrated our various successes, common struggles, and collective memories during a rowdy weekend in June. We toasted margaritas to new loves, crazy exes, and new jobs, lost jobs, grad-school acceptances, and law-school rejections. While our lives have taken us to all corners of the world, time and distance seemed to evaporate while watching Junior Show, dancing under the fog machine, inhaling Atkins donuts, and waving our pompoms. With the dorm decked out in green, we were reminded of how our Mount Holyoke experience is still rooted in the deep connections and friendships that began in its halls and continues today.—Annemarie Farrell ’01 Class of 2004: Spreading the Love Though we graduated two short years ago, the class of 2004 is now spread out across the globe. About 170 classmates returned, from South Hadley to Malaysia. Most of us had not seen each other in two years, but we reconnected as if it had been a day. Friday night was spent laughing and reminiscing as we worked to create memorable laurel parade signs. Reconnecting with place and friends made me realize how my life has been enriched by the Mount Holyoke experience. I think it was best stated in the class of 1900’s time capsule: “We hope you love our school.” The remarkable support and actions of the class of 2004 and all of our alums show that we do, indeed, love our school.—Alexandra Polly ’04
Top: Ben Barnhart; bottom: Ed Gray
The Class of 1996: MHC Shaped Future Expectations “I can’t believe I’m not going to see you tomorrow,” I told old friends Sunday morning. There are so many things that I appreciated about this ten-year reunion weekend. Sharing meals with my MHC friends, laughing longer and harder than I can remember, and hanging out in our rooms talking about family and life decisions. The absence of our classmates who did not attend reunion was palpable. What was fascinating for me was my desire to want to do things that I never did at MHC, like walking around Upper Lake or going to a Japanese tea ceremony. Then there were the things that felt so MHC, like Leslie Ito catching a piece of bread on fire in the toaster oven. What surprised me the most was how natural it was to be in the company of my MHC friends, some of whom I haven’t seen since graduation ten years ago. How easily we spoke about our lives—the good and hard parts.
What I realized is that my current expectations of women, friendships, and community were shaped by my residential experience at MHC.—Kristine Woolery ’96
Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly |Summer 2006
[ alumnae matters ]
Class of 1991: Unpacking Memories Upon arrival Thursday, I unpacked my “MHC box,” which had been hastily removed from my attic and tossed into my car an hour before. Unpacking it with classmates brought back a flood of memories and laughter—from the old dorm T-shirts to papers, notes, flyers, and even all my old day-planners! Emotions were genuine and sometimes unexpected, like when I walked my sophomore roommate to her room. As soon as we got away from our classmates, we looked at each other and started crying! At the annual meeting, seeing all the magnificent women who came before and after us at MHC, my fellow class officers and I were moved not only by their speeches but also by the very presence of these uncommon women. I am proud to be among them.—Robyn Scott ’91
At the Alumnae Association annual meeting, W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83, association executive director, (left) lauds Susie Beers Betzer ’65 for her three years of work as association president.
Betzer Completes A Satisfying Term Susan Beers Betzer ’65 came into her position as president of the Alumnae Association in 2003 with four goals: to help increase pride, visibility, communication, and collaboration within the Association and among all of its constituents. She left office at the end of her three-year term this summer feeling satisfied that those goals had been met, and more. “I think my number one accomplishment has been supporting and nurturing W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83 [Alumnae Association executive director] as she rebuilt a staff and connections across the college.” The creation of a strategic plan that now informs the work of the association every day was another highlight, she says, as it reemphasized the association’s mission of serving alumnae worldwide. Satisfying, too, was changing the group’s logo and the new look of the vastly expanded Web site. Making solid connections with undergraduates and becoming a strong presence on campus was particularly exciting for Betzer, as well as the clear financial processes that were put in place and resulted in solid, fiscal responsibility with room for flexibility when it was merited. “We’re out there and we’re thinking of ways to do things together,” she notes of the association’s refashioned mission. “It has been an amazing experience.”
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