1932, with a board of literary scholars from around the world. With her radio class, Mary Louise Buetner SL directed a weekly broadcast in four languages, and Aloyse Ellington SL became the first Catholic Sister to publish original research in a scientific journal. Webster’s Silver Anniversary in 1940 included greetings from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who recognized the “all-around training of heart and mind, with due emphasis on spiritual values, which must be at the very foundation of all real education.” After World War II, novitiates and classrooms were overflowing. Webster College Summer School enrolled hundreds of Catholic Sisters in response to the Sister Formation Movement goal of a bachelor’s degree for every teaching Sister. In 1954, the Loretto House of Studies was established for young Sisters to study full time at Webster. By the 1960s, Francetta Barberis SL admitted male students, built the Loretto Hilton Theater, and established the first graduate program, a master of arts in teaching. In 1965, Sisters from Webster marched in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Further innovations followed with Jacqueline Grennan (Wexler) SL, who oversaw the transfer of ownership of Webster to a lay board in 1967. Today, Loretto values of justice and respect continue at Webster’s worldwide campuses, particularly in programs for global citizenship, human rights and environmental studies. Professors Ed Sakurai CoL, Kathy Sullivan SL and I continue teaching at Webster, looking forward to “being part of what’s next” in centennial celebrations and community service.
Centennial year kickoff
On Nov. 1, 2014, the first day of the centennial year, Webster celebrated the vision of her founders, women of faith and scholarship who set out to change the future, one student at a time, from the original five to the 20,000 today. The evening revolved around a progressive dinner theme with each course accompanied by video interviews done at the Loretto Motherhouse. Nine proud Webster women — Cecily Jones SL, Mary Fran Lottes SL, Carol Dunphy SL, Gabriel Mason SL, Mary Martha (Sister Carl Marie) Mueller SL, Kay DeMarea SL, Mary Swain SL, Billie Vandover SL, and Eleanor Craig SL — discuss their Webster stories, recall significant people and express hopes for Webster’s future. Complete interviews may be viewed online at www.webster.edu/centennial/media/videos.html. There’s more to come. The celebration of Webster’s centennial will continue throughout 2015. At the May commencement, Barbara Ann Barbato SL will receive an honorary Doctor of Pedagogy degree for her lifelong
Webster University Centennial Planning Committee spruced up the 100 years sculpture (lying flat) for the Centennial celebration kickoff at the Gateway Campus in downtown St. Louis.
work as a Webster educator; she is quick to note, “The honor really goes to all the Sisters who served at Webster throughout our history — teachers like Felicia Corrigan SL, who taught a generation of students to live Catholic social justice.” At the Loretto Assembly in July, Webster President Beth Stroble will be a dinner speaker. Last summer, she and her family spent a day at Motherhouse, Nerinx, Ky., in the Loretto Heritage Center reading letters from Louise Wise SL, who would become the first academic dean of Loretto College a century ago. On Nov. 1, 2015, to mark the historic occasion of the laying of the cornerstone of Webster Hall, Loretto invites everyone to an interfaith service of thanksgiving, which will include readings and music in the languages of Webster’s worldwide campuses on four continents. “The 70th anniversary of my 1945 graduation coincides with Webster’s centenary,” notes Cecily Jones SL. “I celebrate with great gratitude for the past and with deep trust in Webster’s future.” About the Author: Annie Stevens SL teaches at Webster University and Maryville University, both in St. Louis, and previously taught English in Nashville, Tenn. A Sister of Loretto since 2004, she serves on the Nerinx Hall Board of Directors and conducts research on Loretto history, which she has presented at professional meetings of the American Catholic Historical Association and Conference on the History of Women Religious. She is on the editorial committee of a forthcoming book researched by the late Joan Campbell SL, “Loretto: An Early American Congregation in the Antebellum South.” Spring 2015 • 7