HB Magazine - Spring 2023

Family and Leadership

Clara Taplin Rankin ’34 and Helen Rankin Butler ’87

In 2006, Helen Rankin Butler ’87 learned her next door neighbor was moving. She didn’t hesitate in quickly picking up the phone to call her grandmother, Clara Taplin Rankin ’34. “Would you be interested in moving next door?” she asked. “I’m ready,” Clara confidently responded. It had been several years since her husband, the late Alfred M. Rankin Sr., passed away and Clara was happy to move on from a home that required a lot of maintenance. Better yet, it would be closer to Helen with whom she shares a special bond. “Oh my goodness, I couldn’t do without her!” Clara says warmly.

The warmth and affection between the two women is quickly evident when they are together. “We’re a team,” Helen explains. “We’ve had a lot of adventures together.” Helen remembers fondly the sleepovers she had with her grandmother as a little girl, Clara teaching her how to drive, and even taking her on college visits. Through the years, they have always exchanged ideas and asked questions of each other. “She’s a thought partner,” says Helen. Clara chimes in, “It’s a very easy relationship. I’m lucky. We’ve got a big family and we’re all close and easy together.”

Helen Rankin Butler ’87 shares a special friendship with her grandmother, Clara Taplin Rankin ’34.

Helen and Clara share numerous interests, one being their love of Hathaway Brown where both were lifers. They are part of a long line of women in their family to be part of the great HB tradition, including Beth Oldenburg Rankin ’68 , Alison Albert Rankin ’80 , Clara Rankin Williams ’89 , Chloe Rankin Seelbach ’95 , Julie Rankin Kuipers ’01 , Farnham Rankin ’09 , Marshall Rankin ’14 , Clara Butler ’16 , Taplin Seelbach ’23 and Isabelle Seelbach ’26. Even Clara’s five sons attended HB through kindergarten and all had the same beloved teacher, Charlotte Van Houten. (In later years, Helen was also a student of Ms. Van Houten to whom she honored with her first gift to The Fund for Hathaway Brown!)

Clara Rankin was a “lifer” at HB and graduated with the class of 1934.

A Lifetime of Love for HB

When it comes to her beloved alma mater, 105 year old Clara is full of memories and knowledge about HB and clearly remembers many of the teachers who impacted her. She recalls science with Miss Reeve where students grew bacteria on a gelatin pad and dissected a cow’s eye, challenging Latin classes with Miss Blake, and English with Miss Raymond who inspired young Clara’s lifelong interest and love of words. She laughs when remembering a funny reminder from Primary School teacher Miss Wheeler who told students, “No, you cannot borrow the ink because you cannot give it back. You may have some, but you cannot borrow some.”

“There’s no question that my teachers provided guidance and support,” says Clara. “They inspired us and showed us how to think, ask questions, and be curious. I’m deeply grateful for having been able to grow up at HB.”

Along with HB, Clara’s parents and brothers also encouraged her independence with forward-looking opportunities that planted seeds of curiosity, nurtured a passion for music, and gave her an awareness about the importance of helping others. She believes those opportunities gave her valuable experience to take forward as class president at Smith and with her numerous leadership roles at institutions such as the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Cleveland Orchestra. Later in life, at the age of 70, Clara founded Hopewell, a therapeutic community for adults with serious mental illness.

Through the years, Clara has also had a tremendous impact on Hathaway Brown. She served 25 years on the board of trustees (1948-1973), and she was founding president of the alumnae council. In 1999, Clara received Hathaway Brown’s Alumna of the Year Award, and in 2013, the Clara Taplin Rankin Chair for the Center for Global Citizenship was established to honor her commitment to education and teaching excellence, which make profound differences in the lives of HB students. In 2016, she was honored with the Head’s Award for Exemplary Service. “It’s been a life full of variety stabilized by the clear guidance Hathaway Brown gave me in those early years,” she shared.

Members of the Rankin family - which totals 43 in all - gathered together over the holidays in December 2022, with four generations of HB women represented.

Inspiring Future Generations

No doubt Clara’s passion and commitment to HB has passed down to members of her family. Helen’s many years of service have included leading the search for the school’s 14th head of school, chairing the Student and Faculty Life committee, and, most recently, serving as president of the board of trustees. As president, she led the most ambitious capital campaign in school history to renovate and modernize the campus for generations to come. She has also represented HB on the national stage speaking at events hosted by the National Association for Independent Schools and the International Coalition of Girls Schools. Her time as board president will conclude in summer 2023 when Peggy Roberts assumes those duties.

“Helen, who also serves on the boards of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation, is an amazing leader,” says Head of School Dr. Fran Bisselle. “She inspires excellence in all we do and creates a trusting sense of community where all are welcome to exchange ideas, challenge norms, and dream about what’s next for our school.”

Helen has always taken inspiration from Clara. “I’ve always watched my grandmother seek more knowledge, seek out other thought leaders, and have friends in multiple generations,” she shares. “She has always guided me to keep learning and have high standards.”

A lifetime of love and leadership has planted seeds throughout Hathaway Brown and Northeast Ohio that will continue to grow and bloom for generations to come. As Clara shared in her remarks after receiving the Alumna of the Year award, “My wish for you is that each one of you knows that you can surely make a difference for good and that it radiates out from you in circles, like a pebble dropped in a pool of water. Just keep on dropping a pebble. It can be as quiet as a smile and touch everyone around you.”