Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine | Vol. 76, No. 2 | Winter 2005

ALUMNAE MAGAZINE

Volume 76 Number 2 Winter 2005

A Message from the President of the Alumnae Association

Dear Friends: As I write this, Autumn is upon us and the countryside around Sweet Briar is aglow with brilliant hues. The Fall Term is in full swing, the campus buzzing with activities.

Alumnae have been very much on our minds this year. In September, more than 200 alumnae and friends came to campus to participate in Alumnae Council, which took as its theme, “A Passion for the Subject: Celebrating the Arts at Sweet Briar College.” During the weekend, the Alumnae Association Board, the Friends of Art Board, and the Visiting Committee on Riding met. Two workshops sponsored by the Development Office were held to help class officers learn how to raise money effectively and to plan for Reunion.

Founders’ Day Convocation included a wonderful lecture entitled “ ‘The first statuary in the world’: Houdon and Thomas Jefferson,” delivered by the 2004 Distinguished Alumna Award recipient, Anne Litle Poulet ’64, Director of The Frick Collection. And Dr. Christopher L.C.E. Witcombe gave the Alumnae College lecture entitled “Da Vinci’s Code.”

So many of our alumnae have given generously to the College, and this was a weekend to celebrate their support with no less than seven festive dedications! (Look for these with photos in the Spring magazine.) Williams Associates and Silver Rose Society Members were honored at a special luncheon, where faculty and current students presented a panel discussion detailing some of the opportunities afforded women majoring in the arts at Sweet Briar.

As with any weekend at Sweet Briar, food and entertainment abounded. Dean Jonathan Green conducted the Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra, and the Alumnae Association sponsored a Founders’ Day Dell Party. Rebecca Massie Lane, Director of the Arts Management Program, hosted a dessert reception commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Anne Gary Pannell Center Gallery.

Perhaps the thing that most energized alumnae, though, was our annual meeting, featuring the unveiling of the new Admissions material. I hope everyone has had a chance to view the new, bold look of the publications; three pieces were included in a special issue of the Fall Alumnae Magazine, which was focused on the Admissions Program.

If you were not able to come back for Council this year, please plan now to make it next year, September 22-24, 2005. It is not necessary to be a class officer or a board member to take advantage of this exciting homecoming weekend. As an alumna, you are very important to the continued success of the College. The gates are always open: visit campus soon to see your vibrant college community at work!

The Spring issue of the Alumnae Magazine will cover the yearlong celebration of the arts at Sweet Briar, launched at Council. In the meantime, I hope that you will enjoy this issue, which focuses on the accomplishments of our faculty.

Sincerely,

contents Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine Policy One of the objectives of the magazine is to present interesting, thought-provoking material.

Publication of material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine, the Alumnae Association, or Sweet Briar College. The Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine reserves the right to edit and, when necessary, revise all material that it accepts for publication.

Contact us any time!

Boxwood Alumnae House, Box E, Sweet Briar, VA 24595; (434) 381-6131; FAX 434-381-6132; E-Mail: 1) (Office) alumnae@sbc.edu; 2) (Magazine) sbcmagazine@sbc.edu Alumnae Association website address: http: //www.alumnae.sbc.edu Sweet Briar website address: www.sbc.edu The Alumnae Office Staff Louise Swiecki Zingaro ’80, Director, Alumnae Association, Managing Editor, Alumnae Magazine Ann MacDonald Carter ’97, Associate Director, Director, Alumnae College Programs Melissa Coffey ’98, Assistant Director, Tour Coordinator Melissa Gentry Witherow ’80, Assistant Director Sandra Maddox AH ’59, Assistant to the Director Nancy Godwin Baldwin ’57, Editor, Alumnae Magazine Noreen Parker, Assistant Director, Assistant Editor & Class Notes Editor, Alumnae Magazine, Tour Coordinator Bonnie Seitz ’01, Assistant Director/ Alumnae Computer Services Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine Production Graphic design by Nancy Blackwell Marion ’74, The Design Group, Lynchburg, VA Printed by Seckman Printing, Forest, VA

Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine Winter 2005 Vol. 76, No. 2 INSIDE FRONT COVER: A Message From The President of the Alumnae Association 2

Focus On Faculty

10

Focus On Dean Green

11

The Shape Of The Future: Next Step

14

Letter To The Editor

15

Commencement

19

Outstanding Alumna Award

22

Reunion

26

A Special Mini Reunion

28

Spotlight

35

Transitions: New Members of the Board of Directors

36

New Members Of The Alumnae Association Board

37

On-Campus Transitions

39

In Memoriam

41

Recent Deaths

41

Letters And E-mails

43

Class Notes

INSIDE BACK COVER: “In The Sweet Briar Tradition” BACK COVER: Sweet Briar Alumnae Travel COVER: New entrance to Sweet Briar House At its 82nd Annual Meeting, May 2002, The Garden Club of Virginia (GCV) voted to assist Sweet Briar College by providing a conceptual plan for the renovation of Sweet Briar House grounds often used for special College events. Newly designed and completed is the front arrival court area including the entrance walk from the new parking area; also completed: the addition of 10 varieties of trees to the original early 20th -century arboretum. Funds for these portions of the plan come from The GCV’s annual Historic Garden Week tours. Next, Sweet Briar hopes to implement a garden pavilion in the west garden; a pergola; grading of the slope at the rear of the house; a series of terraces; additional plantings.

Photo by Nancy Marion, The Design Group

FOCUS ON FACULTY

By Jonathan D. Green Dean of the College; Vice President for Academic Affairs

A For the past two years, Sweet Briar graduates have placed into graduate programs and the workplace at a rate more than 30% above our peers (maybe we’ve outgrown our peer group).

Two standouts at Commencement 2004, both from the Math and Physics Departments, are Cynthia Beller and Katie Kirkwood. Each graduated in three years. Cynthia is now on a fellowship at Harvard pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Statistics. Katie (daughter of SBC Professors of Mathematical Sciences Jim and Bessie Kirkwood) is studying engineering on a fellowship at Yale.

Photo: L-r: Cynthia Beller, Katie Kirkwood Photo by Charles Grubbs

2 • Winter 2005

cademic and intellectual life at Sweet Briar has never been more vital. One hallmark of our educational program is centered upon guided independent research. Student scholars, working alongside their faculty mentors, learn the methods and rigor of truly original academic work.

This is where concepts, theories, and processes learned in the classroom are applied and come to life. The majority of our students are engaging in original research as part of their upperlevel curricula. Many present the results of their work in formal symposia and conferences including Sweet Briar’s own MARCUS (Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference of Undergraduate Scholarship), an annual event in which 200 students from more than 20 colleges and universities present their scholarship.

A highlight of our independent research programs is the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows program. Each year, students apply for one of nine fellowships that allow them to work one-on-one for eight weeks with a faculty sponsor on a research project compatible, and in many cases, constituent to, the sponsor’s current scholarly agenda. The fellowships provide a stipend so that students can afford to be away from summer jobs and dedicated fully to their academic work.

In some cases—like the cancer-drug research led by Dr. Rob Granger, or the natural-products chemistry seeking enhancements to antibiotics, led by Dr. John Beck—student researchers develop and run tests on the effectiveness of specific compounds in potentially fighting disease. In other cases, like student Carrie Cann building and using her own pinhole cameras while Professor Paige Critcher worked out methods for transferring digital images to traditional developing methods, mentor and apprentice work side-by-side on different, but complementary projects. Throughout each summer session, this small community of scholars meets for weekly luncheon seminars, giving formal presentations of their research over sandwiches and brownies.

The following examples highlight the work completed during this year’s Summer Honors Research Program and a cross section of current faculty endeavors. This is the shape of our future. Sweet Briar’s faculty know that to remain current in their respective disciplines, they must continually engage in scholarship and creative activity. They must do what they teach, and they teach by doing, modeling for their students the very best of the life of the mind.

I know that you will be proud, as am I, of the importance and high quality of the work of our faculty and students.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Summer Honors Research 2004 Suzanne Harvey, ’06 n Department of Chemistry n Bioactivity Analysis of Plant Extracts from Samples Collected in the U.S. Virgin Islands n Associate Professor John Beck, sponsor Melinda Wolfrom, ’05 n Department of Psychology n An Investigation of Factors That Influence Moral Reasoning Among Adults n Associate Professor Tim Loboschefski, sponsor Ana Ciric, ’05 n Department of Chemistry n Study of CO2 Reduction Catalyst n Associate Professor Robert Granger, sponsor Stephanie Gleason, ’04 n Department of Psychology n Contextual Conditioning in Ring Neck Doves n Assistant Professor Brian Cusato, sponsor Farzana Sekander, ’07 n Department of Chemistry n Testing Medicinal Herbs for Bioactivity Using the Synergy Testing Method n Associate Professor John Beck, sponsor Charlotte Formichella, ’06 n Department of Music n Historical and Theoretical Analysis of the Works of Early Twentieth Century American Composer John Powell n Visiting Assistant Professor Nicholas Ross, sponsor Sasha Levine, ’05 n Department of Anthropology/ Archaeology n Study of Funerary Practices and Attitudes Toward Death in the Christian Aid Cemetery in Amherst, Virginia n Professor Claudia Chang and Visiting Assistant Professor Lynn Rainville, sponsors Erica Kennedy, ’07 n Department of Chemistry n DNA Binding Properties of Novel Platinum and Palladium Anti-Cancer Drugs n Associate Professor Robert Granger, sponsor Carrie Cann, ’05 n Department of Studio Art n A Photographic Study of Dream Imagery Using Handmade Pinhole Cameras and the Alternative Photographic Process of Handcoating Paper with Liquid Light n Visiting Assistant Professor Paige Critcher, sponsor Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 3

Faculty Grants

Total Since 1 May = $1,192,334

Brennan Foundation n $4,100 n Lynn Rainville, Anthropology n To perform laboratory analyses on artifacts from the dig at Ziyaret Tepe, an ancient Assyrian site in Turkey Commonwealth Health Research Board n $152,551 n John Beck, Chemistry n For a two-year research grant to investigate natural-product enhancements for antibiotics Jeffress Memorial Trust n $10,000 n John Beck, Chemistry n To fund a third and final year of his research on natural-product enhancements for antibiotics Jeffress Memorial Trust n $10,000 n Brian Cusato, Psychology n To fund a second year of his research on the Pavlovian Sexual Conditioning of Japanese Quail Jeffress Memorial Trust n $10,000 n Scott Hyman, Physics n To fund a third and final year of his research on a galatic radiomonitoring program Jeffress Memorial Trust n $30,000 n Jeff Janovetz, Biology n To fund the first year of a three-year research project investigating the feeding mechanisms of piranhas National Endowment for the Humanities n $100,000 to the University of Akron n Lynn Rainville, Anthropology, is co-director of this dig and lead author of the proposal n To fund two years of fieldwork at Ziyaret Tepe, an ancient Assyrian site in Turkey National Science Foundation n $50,000 n Rob Granger, Chemistry n To fund a planning grant to establish a seven-college Undergraduate Research Center in Chemistry, based at Sweet Briar College

4 • Winter 2005

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

National Science Foundation n $351,004 n Lincoln Brower and Linda Fink, Biology n For a three-year research grant to investigate the overwintering and habitat selection of the Monarch butterfly in Mexico National Science Foundation n $73,057 n Rebecca Ambers, Environmental Science n To purchase an X-Ray Diffraction System to use in her research and in Environmental Science courses National Science Foundation n $35,974 n Bessie Kirkwood, Mathematics n To develop a new course in Biostatistics National Science Foundation n $201,250 n The College (Steve Wassell, Mathematics, Project Director) n To provide scholarships to students majoring in Math, Computer Science, and Engineering State Council for Higher Education in Virginia/ No Child Left Behind n $122,324 n Jill Granger, Chemistry n To fund outreach programs to help local schoolteachers learn how to teach science and math by the inquiry method Virginia Commission for the Arts n $4,500 n Rebecca Massie Lane, Arts Management n To help mount an exhibition on 20th-century women artists from the Sweet Briar collection as part of the celebrations of the Pannell Gallery’s 20th anniversary Virginia Commission for the Arts n $800 n For a touring assistance grant for the Shenandoah Shakespeare performance of “She Stoops to Conquer” Virginia Commission for the Arts n $800 n For a touring assistance grant for the upcoming performance by Robert Jospe

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 5

Faculty Activities Associate Professor, Environmental Studies/Economics/ Business Management Robert Alexander n Co-authored “Using Land as a Control Variable in DensityDependent Bio-economic Models,” and “Single Species Versus Multiple Species Models: The Economic Implications,” Ecological Modelling. n CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) held a workshop in Geneva, Switzerland on Economic Incentives in Trade Policy and used a paper from his web site on “The Role of Economics in Wildlife Conservation” as an introduction to the topic for the delegates. This workshop was attended by some of the world’s leading conservation biologists.

Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Rebecca Ambers n Along with Associate Professor David Orvos took four environmental science students to the Northeastern/Southeastern Section of the Geological Society of America meeting in Tysons Corner, Virginia, March 25-27, 2004 Professors, Modern Languages/Literatures Rosalia Ascari and Marie-Therese Killiam n Co-authored book America in Our World, submitted to Éditions Balland, Paris.

Associate Professor, Chemistry John Beck n “Synthesis of Benzylidenephthalide Derivatives,” was accepted for the Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research. The authors of the paper are: Molly C. Everngam, Nausheena Baig, Jaime L. Heimbegner, Michelle L. Poore, and John J. Beck Associate Professor, Government/International Affairs Steve Bragaw n Authored “Unenumerated Rights.” Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court. Edited by David Schultz. New York: Facts on File, Inc. n “Civic Education and Technology” Panel Chair and discussant, International Conference of Civic Education Research, New Orleans Assistant Professor, Education Kay Brimijoin n Co-authored the forthcoming book: One School’s Journey in Differentiating Instruction: Lessons Learned with ASCD (Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development).

Assistant Professor, Classics/Philosophy/Religion Matt Calarco n Books to appear in print in 2004: n Levinas (Wadsworth; June 2004) n Levinas and Buber: Dialogue and Difference (Duquesne UP; coedited with Maurice Friedman and Peter Atterton; July 2004) n Animal Philosophy (Continuum Publishing; co-edited with Peter Atterton, foreword by Peter Singer; June 2004)

6 • Winter 2005

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Professor, Anthropology Claudia Chang n Lectured on the Kazakh-American Talgar Archaeological Project as part of the Archaeological Institute of America Annual Lectures series at University of British Columbia, Stanford University, and University of California-Berkeley. n Lectured at the Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institute, “Digging the Eurasian Steppe: The Kazakh-American Archaeological Expedition 1994 to 2003” Assistant Professor, Economics/Business Eugene Gotwalt n Presented the paper, “The Relationship Between Tenure and Instructor Classroom Performance,” at the Eastern Economic Association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. Visiting Assistant Professor, Education Holly Gould n Differentiating Instruction: Low Prep Strategies, K-12.

Granville, Ohio. n Instructional Strategies: Tiered Assignments. University of Virginia’s Summer Institute on Academic Diversity, Charlottesville. n Differentiating for Cultural, Ethnic, and Gender Diversity.

Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development Conference, Chicago.

Professor, Classics/Philosophy/Religion John Goulde n Presented: “The Ummah in History: A Unity or a Diversity?” for the Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies Teachers, University of Florida, Gainesville. n “Korean Modern Art at the End of the 20th Century,” at the Korean Studies Conference, University of South Carolina Associate Professor, Chemistry Jill Granger n “Introducing spectrophotometry in Grades 6-12 using a collegebased spectrophotometer loan program,” in Spectroscopy Letters. n Hands-on teacher development workshops on inquiry-based teaching in science education at the Lynchburg City Public Schools.

Associate Professor, Chemistry Robert Granger n “Synthesis of Pt(dpk)Cl4 and the Reversible Hydration to Pt(dpk-O-OH)Cl3.H-phenCl; X-Ray, Spectroscopic, and Electrochemical Characterization” Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. n Presentations: n “A Viable Homogeneous Carbon Dioxide Reduction Catalyst: The Formation of Complex Molecules Using CO2 as the Carbon Source,” with Ana Ciric, Nicole Crowder, and Emma Kate Payne. South East Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society Atlanta Georgia. n “Analysis of the Micronutrients Copper and Zinc in a Commercial Orchard and Vineyard by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy,” with Katherine Wilson. South East Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Atlanta, Georgia.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 7

Faculty Activities (continued) Professor of German/Cameron Fellow Ron Horwege n Recipient of FLAVA Award for Excellence in Teaching n Recipient of AATG-Goethe-Institut of America Certificate of Merit Professor of Music Allen Huszti n Conducted the Canticum Novum Youth Choir in Lynchburg. n Served as interim organist and choir director at First Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg. n Substitute accompanist for the glee club and chapel organist at Virginia Episcopal School.

Director of Arts Management Program/College Museum, Galleries Rebecca Massie Lane n Will serve as a grant reviewer for the Museums for America program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, D.C. Assistant Professor, Government Sarah Lischer n Panelist on “Security in Humanitarian Crises,” Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs. n Catalysts of Conflict: Refugees, Rebels, and Humanitarian Aid, has been accepted for publication in the Security Affairs Series of Cornell University Press.

Professor of Dance Ella Magruder n Presented “Respond, Respect, and Understand the Reality: Three R’s for Teaching Dance in a Multicultural Society” at dance and the Child international (daCi) conference in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

The paper was published in the proceedings, Dialogos Possiveis.

Professor of Dance Mark Magruder n Taught a series of master classes at the Virginia School for the Arts. n Presented a master class in advanced modern dance at the MidAtlantic Regional American College Dance Festival Association conference. n Performed a solo at the National Dance Educators Organization conference at the University of New Mexico Associate Professor/Bibliographic Instructor/Reference Librarian Joe Malloy n Coordinated the Third Annual State Fair of Virginia Fiddle and Banjo Contests at the State Fair’s Heritage Village in Richmond, Virginia n Co-hosted the third “VIVA Interlibrary Loan Forum” at UVA

8 • Winter 2005

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Professor of English Cheryl Mares n Presented “Woolf and the American Imaginary” at the 13th International Virginia Woolf Conference at Smith College, which was selected for inclusion in the refereed electronic publication Woolf in the Real World: Selected Papers from the Thirteenth International Conference on Virginia Woolf, ed.

Karen Kukil (Bakersfield: California State University, 2004) Carter Glass Professor of Government/Director of Center for Civic Renewal Barbara Perry n “William H. Rehnquist and the Conservative Counterrevolution,” in Leaders of the Pack: Polls and Case Studies of Great Supreme Court Justices. n “The Media and Civil Rights and Liberties,” in Media Power, Media Politics. n With Henry J. Abraham n “Franklin Roosevelt and the Supreme Court: A New Deal and A New Image,” Franklin Roosevelt and the Transformation of the Supreme Court. n “J. Harvie Wilkinson III,” Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia. n Freedom and the Court: Civil Rights and Liberties in the United States, 8th ed.

Visiting Assistant Professor, Anthropology Lynn Rainville n Has been appointed Assistant Director of the Ziyaret Tepe Archaeological Project.

Assistant Professor, Mathematical Sciences Raina Robeva n Co-authored “On the Sharp Markov Property for Gaussian Random Fields and Spectral Synthesis in Spaces of Bessel Potentials,” The Annals of Probability.

Visiting Assistant Professor, Music Nicholas Ross n Soloist Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1, Sweet Briar n Recitals and Recording at Whaling Station in Corolla, NC

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 9

FOCUS ON DEAN GREEN

By Johanna Calfee

D

r. Jonathan Green is an average-looking man. He’s not particularly tall or notably short. His small glasses sit squarely upon a standard-sized nose; brown-framed spheres a glass door to blue eyes.

A curly mop of blonde hair fades into threads of a burgundy mane. In fact, the only untraditional feature about Green is his flashy tie, glowing green and pink in ’80s-inspired neon.

But stepping inside Green’s world paints his personal picture in a different color. In his expansive office at Sweet Briar College, where he serves as Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs, two Georgian-style windows span the height of one wall, spilling light onto an oversized desk. Bookcases border the room. Diplomas litter the walls and papers pile the desk.

A leftover student art project too large to take home, but too unique to throw out invites questions with its multi-hued chiropractic diagram, etched out of a single wooden door. And suddenly it becomes as obvious as his electric tie…Dr. Green isn’t average at all. To understand the eclectic essence that becomes him so well, you must start with Green’s extensive resume. Between the clutter of teaching jobs, extensive educational achievements and numerous published works, lie clues to a mind ripe for music. At least two pages alone of his seven(!) page resume are devoted to the large montage of recordings, published musical pieces, and compositions he’s fashioned over the years. He’s an accomplished orchestra conductor. Two hundred pages of his fifth book on conducting lie finished, awaiting the second half. He has a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degree…all in music.

Green is an authority on the musical realm, the type MSNBC would like to have on their roster of “on-call experts” should Weapons of Mass Destruction ever surface inside the New York City Opera. Yes, Green is also a trained opera singer.

It’s obvious his charted course was music…yet strangely he ended up in education. In administration, no less.

How did he make the transition from the musical spotlight to the administrative hot seat? He says he always kind of planned it that way. Call it genetic destiny, as his “fantastic” parents were both teachers. And as he puts it, “detailed, organized musicians can make that transition pretty easily.”

When he was hired at Sweet Briar eight years ago, he started as the conductor of the college’s choir and chamber orchestra. But his obvious intelligence and natural charisma quickly began him on a climb up the collegiate ladder. “I just took on more and more responsibility over the years,” Green says. And his responsibility didn’t just mount at work. He’s continued to write books on conducting, a project he says he fell into because of scholarship he began while he was still in school. He refers to his first book, A Conductor’s Guide to Choral-Orchestra Works, a “spiffed up dissertation.” But that 10 • Winter 2005

Photo by Isaac Harrell, courtesy of Lynchburg Living magazine

Courtesy of Lynchburg Living magazine, September/October 2004 issue

book quickly became a series…leading to topics on conducting various styles of music. To keep his skills sharp, he still manages to squeeze in time to play piano, compose music and of course, conduct.

There’s no mistaking Green for a lazy man. He remains in constant motion, yet he’s always ready to take on the next challenge. His challenge du jour? Painting watercolors. “I spent about 2 hours on Sunday sitting out in the woods painting with a kit my wife got me. I had a blast…I mean, it came out just awful…but I had a great time doing it,” Green laughs, in true optimistic style.

As with any man who can find the courage to laugh at his shortcomings, Green’s character is chalked full of common sense…and a dash of humor. He says others would probably describe him as “perennially cheerful”, the kind of person whose laughter rings loud above the noise in a crowded room.

And why not, he adds. “There’s a lot to be optimistic about.”

One thing Green definitely has to be optimistic about is the future. He and his musician wife of 16 years (“my greatest personal accomplishment”) moved into one of the regal brick homes on the college’s campus in February. Though they’re knee-deep in kitchen renovations, Green says after six years of commuting from Greensboro, North Carolina, he’s enjoying the experience of living close enough to walk to work. And it seems that’s a walk he will be making for years to come, if he so chooses.

Green’s personality fits the open-minded attitude of Sweet Briar; the out-of-the box inspired brand of thought you can find in each small classroom. He even admits his pet peeve is “people who aren’t willing to try new ideas.” It’s a creed he takes seriously in his own life, from ordering the mystery platter on the menu to, well…watercolors. And for now, it seems that in Sweet Briar’s palette, they’ve found just the right shade of Green.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

THE SHAPE OF THE FUTURE: NEXT STEPS

by Elisabeth S. Muhlenfeld

O

n May 26, 2004, Sweet Briar’s Board of Directors accepted the recommendations of the Shape of the Future (SOF) Committee, a yearlong strategic planning committee appointed to look at Sweet Briar’s long-range viability.

The SOF Committee had been charged with developing strategies to insure that Sweet Briar would move into the future as a vibrant, healthy, and academically excellent institution, with a somewhat larger student body and a

strong financial position. The following week, I sent you a President’s Letter in which I asserted that the Board’s acceptance of the SOF recommendations was “a pivotal moment” that “set Sweet Briar on a new course toward which the College has been moving steadily over the last six years, and which will do no less than reinvent the traditional women’s college.” A bold assertion for a bold new approach.

What is the Shape of the Future?

In its simplest terms, Sweet Briar’s revitalized mission places the focus of our educational program on students’ professional and personal achievement beyond Sweet Briar. This approach is not just “student-centered” but “outcomescentered.” We want to help students achieve their goals—not simply by offering encouragement, but by insuring that we offer every student (1) A top-notch liberal education, (2) Tools to craft for herself the best possible individualized educational experience, (3) Assistance she needs to plan her future effectively, (4) Professional skills to excel once she graduates.

To achieve this, both our curriculum and the experiences students have outside the classroom must reflect our mission. In the process, faculty and staff will extend their engagement with students, to help each one develop a unique vision for her future that integrates all of her learning experiences at Sweet Briar and beyond.

This is a tall order. To succeed, we need to foster and recognize learning in all its forms. Beyond the classroom, students learn in the library, the lab, in internships and leadership experiences, and in research, independent study and volunteer activities. We have always encouraged these activities, but must find ways to recognize them officially, on our transcript or through an individual electronic portfolio. Employers and top graduate schools tell us that these experiences are even more important to them than courses taken or grades received—setting our students apart from the crowd.

Clearly, we are busy reconceptualizing the connection between curricular and co-curricular life. To achieve what we intend to achieve, traditional academic advising must become only one aspect of an advisory system that assists students in crafting their educational program and planning their future.

To make the point that Sweet Briar College regards experiences such as internships, international study, and leadership opportunities as essential to today’s liberal education for women, we wish to establish a set of commitments or guarantees that will apply to every student who enrolls. These guarantees will assure students that the College’s actions match our educational mission and philosophy, and that students will be able to customize their SBC experience.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Mission Statement

as adopted by the Board of Directors, May 26, 2004: Sweet Briar College prepares women (and at the graduate level, men as well) to be productive, responsible members of a world community. It focuses on personal and professional achievement through a customized educational program that combines the liberal arts, preparation for careers, and individual development.

The faculty and staff guide students to become active learners, to reason clearly, to speak and write persuasively, and to lead with integrity. They do so by creating an educational environment that is both intense and supportive and where learning occurs in many different venues, including the classroom, the community and the world.

Winter 2005 • 11

Implementing the plan: The College-wide plan for implementation of the SOF recommendations began to take shape at last summer’s Senior Staff retreat. Our focus was two-pronged: (1) communication, and (2) implementation of SOF programmatic elements.

The plan is an evolving one. This academic year (2004-2005) is Year 1, devoted to planning by several task forces and early implementation steps. As the task forces complete their work, we will extend our focus to Years 2 and 3 (2005-2006; 20062007), building in assessment mechanisms to help us determine if the new approach and focus make a real difference in our students’ success after Sweet Briar. At present, we are concentrating on those matters clearly delineated in the Board’s May mandate, but the Planning Committee, working through the market research done last year by George Dehne Associates, and other suggestions that emerged last year, will almost certainly add elements to this overall approach.

Communication Communicating the SOF approach involves not only communication to various constituencies of the College, but also how the College is incorporating the concepts and language of this approach into materials for prospective students, alumnae, and other external constituencies.

General: Within a day of the Board’s special meeting in May, I sent a letter to SBC students, faculty, and alumnae.

The following week, I sent a longer President’s Letter to all students, faculty, alumnae, parents, friends of the College. Both of these initial communications are posted on the Web. Those of you reading this are taking yet another step in our general communication plan.

Alumnae and Development: The new direction is being discussed at all alumnae events, including Campaign events.

The day after the May Board meeting in Washington, I had breakfast with Lynchburg alumnae, who were the first to hear the news. Since June, we have visited groups in Charlottesville, the Tidewater area, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Charlotte, and Washington. Our September Alumnae Council featured a number of sessions looking at the outcome of our strategic planning; we will provide detailed updates at Reunions as well.

In January 2005, we will embark on an 18-month schedule of visits to geographic areas identified by the Development, Admissions, and Alumnae Offices as important to recruitment and to our capital campaign. These events will enable us to bring the SOF approach to some of our less-often-visited areas of the country. Where feasible we will include area Guidance Counselor Breakfasts.

Certainly the Campaign is one area of the College profoundly impacted by the Shape of the Future discussions. Very unusual, perhaps even unique for an institution in the middle of a campaign, Sweet Briar’s strategic planning questioned the very premise on which the Campaign was based—the strengthening of the institution as a provider of an excellent education for women. It is a great tribute to our alumnae and parent volunteers that the Campaign effort did not falter but reached an unprecedented level of private support for Sweet Briar last year.

The SOF decision in May provides a positive environment for carrying out the original Campaign goal.

Students: Students were enormously important to our deliberations and planning last year. We worked at making sure that they were not only informed, but involved in the process.

When our First-Year students arrived this Fall, we welcomed them into our new initiatives from the start. The Shape of the Future was also a focus at Opening Convocation. Early each 12 • Winter 2005

Fall, I talk with the Student Government Association; this year, I briefed them fully on the SOF Committee’s recommendations, the Board’s decision, and implications for the future. Students are especially supportive of this direction; they understand better than any of us how much their vision of their future impacts their Sweet Briar years.

Ongoing discussions throughout the year with myself, Dean Jonathan Green and his staff, and Dean Valdrie Walker and the Co-Curricular Life staff will provide opportunities for further discussion and understanding. At the February meeting of the Board of Directors, we will hold roundtable discussions with students, faculty and members of the Board.

Faculty and Staff: To launch the initiative, and to bring the entire campus community up to date, we invited all staff and faculty to lunch two days before classes began, and held a Shape of the Future Rollout Discussion to present the outcome of the SOF Committee’s work. As far as we know, this was the first meeting the College has ever held where the entire Sweet Briar community was invited, from the grounds crew and housekeeping staff to deans and distinguished professors.

Everyone got a look at the new direction, and pronounced the meeting a huge success. We will repeat this each year prior to the opening of the Fall Term.

More detailed discussions have occurred at faculty meetings, meetings of the president and dean with the Faculty Senate, and at the first meetings of the Instruction Committee, the General Education Committee, the Chair’s Council, and the Planning Committee. The task forces I discuss below have met several times, and open meetings for faculty and staff have been held relative to advising. The dean has called a first “Professional Day” January 19, 2005 for faculty and professional staff to create a forum for discussion of community-wide issues. We plan to hold such a day at the beginning of each semester throughout the development of the SOF initiatives for implementation, assessment, and continuous strategic planning.

Finally, I have met separately with the Co-Curricular Life staff and Development staff, and will continue throughout the year to meet in open discussion with staff from other offices throughout the College.

Marketing: We have begun incorporating the language of the SOF approach, and particularly the “look” of the new Admissions materials into our publications. Three of these were sent in lieu of a Fall Alumnae Magazine to all alumnae and friends of the College.

Far more challenging is the task of redesigning our Web materials and embedding the new language into our website, which is massive (more than ten thousand pages). Our College Relations Office is developing a plan to prioritize work on our Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

website, beginning with the Admissions site (redesigned using the new graphic identity and marketing research key words and focus), the calendar, and the development of a virtual tour.

An Integrated Marketing Communication Task Force has been formed, to meet throughout the next two years to disseminate the new marketing focus throughout the campus community. It is working as well to identify the cultural changes on campus that will be necessary to work in an integrated fashion. College Relations is focusing on four geographic areas identified this summer in consultation with Admissions, to improve visibility and name recognition for the College in those areas, through billboards and other strategies incorporating our new graphic identity and language.

Recruitment: During the SOF planning process, Admissions commissioned a new family of materials. Information developed by the Shape of the Future Committee was shared with the marketing firm doing the materials, so that our new brochures use the key language identified as essential to the SOF approach. In addition, Admissions will now use a questionnaire with prospective students designed to model Sweet Briar’s educational approach to them. This will help students begin thinking about planning their educational program, connecting it with their goals for the future. In the process, students can see how important Sweet Briar’s commitments to leadership, internships, and international study really are.

Educational Programs Dean Jonathan Green has formed three task forces and Dean Valdrie Walker has formed a fourth. All are hard at work at various stages of completing their tasks, have developed detailed time lines, and are exploring funding implications.

Advising Task Force: This task force has met a number of times, and has held open meetings for wider discussion in the community. A subcommittee focused on the Electronic Portfolio has been appointed and will submit a report to the Advising Task Force later this fall. The Advising Task Force has developed the following proposed outcomes.

Proposed outcomes: Reconfigure academic advising around the use of faculty-staff advising teams Provide technology-training workshops for preprofessional skills Encourage campus-wide utilization of student portfolios as a companion to the transcript Expand networking skills through the Career Center and networking opportunities in conjunction with the Alumnae Association Maintain a broad and deep Liberal Arts curriculum Expand experiential learning opportunities to be included in the transcript Formally encourage and document leadership experiences Internship Task Force: This task force is working to insure that Sweet Briar can guarantee that every eligible student who wishes to do so can complete a meaningful internship relevant to her professional goals. This project has financial implications for the College; it will explore funding as well as operational issues.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Proposed outcomes: Making more and more-appropriate internships available Standardizing rules and procedures across campus Investigating zero-credit internships Establishing transcript documentation of experiential learning activities Increasing international internship options Using the Career Center as an administrative hub for all internships Expanding experiential learning across our curriculum Study Abroad Task Force: This task force will spend the year looking at ways to insure that every SBC student who is qualified and wishes to do so can have an international experience (not necessarily a traditional study abroad program).

Clearly, to guarantee this would have very significant financial implications. This task force will take more than a year to complete its work, and will report its recommendations in time for the administration to present to the Board of Directors in Fall 2005.

Proposed outcomes: Guarantee an international experience to all students who meet appropriate requirements Establish criteria for the guarantee Explore short-term international experiences Increase availability of international internships Examine the possibility of short-term language institutes through JYF and JYS Expand the breadth of international opportunities and program articulation agreements Leadership Task Force: This task force is engaged in developing a Leadership Development Certificate, available to any interested student. The program will build on our model leadership development program run by Co-Curricular Life.

The certificate would be granted to students who complete a prescribed series of activities, experiences, workshops and courses. The Leadership Task Force has just begun its work, but intends to have a final draft proposal for review early in the Spring Term, to be in place for First-Year Students (Class of 2009) and interested upperclasswomen in August 2005.

The Challenge As indicated in my June President’s Letter, our concept of an ideal education for 21st century women has been forming for several years. Our Natural Bridge vision of the late-1990s developed into the strategic focus we called NEXUS: the integration of academics with the development of professional skills and intentional experiences designed to connect our students with the world beyond Sweet Briar’s gates.

Thus the new direction upon which we embark this year feels familiar to us. But the comprehensive nature of this approach will constitute a paradigm shift, and will take the collective energy and intelligence of the entire college community. We have our work cut out for us, but it is exciting and important work. The new Sweet Briar that is emerging will, we believe, set the standard for women’s education for decades to come.

Winter 2005 • 13

To the Editor:

I

read with interest the letters sent to this magazine regarding Sweet Briar’s Shape of the Future Committee, and was pleased to note that many alumnae appreciated the substance and volume of thought and work undertaken in that effort.

As I write this letter now (having procrastinated in my resolution to send it earlier), the decision has been made that Sweet Briar should continue to be an exceptional college for young women who want a strong grounding in the liberal arts, and should expand its horizons to commit to being a college for women who expect to live lives of consequence in the 21st century.

While I applaud that decision, I also know its consequences, and hope that every alumna, parent, and friend of the College will consider this bold step in light of what this decision means for Sweet Briar.

The business model for Sweet Briar, and all colleges like it, does not work. It never has, and it never will. It doesn’t work at Harvard, Smith, or Wellesley and it doesn’t work at Johns Hopkins, Williams, Vassar, or Washington and Lee. It isn’t supposed to work – that’s why they call them not-forprofits. These institutions can’t just make more widgets. Their financial models rely on tuition, for sure, but only as one component of revenue. Earned income from other sources, earnings from endowment, and strong annual giving from former students, parents, and friends make it possible for every good college and university to offer the very best to its students.

Making more widgets doesn’t make for a more valuable degree. Gifts that provide the financial flexibility to make good decisions about academic programs and student selectivity make every Sweet Briar degree, whenever earned, more valuable.

I have the pleasure of working in the business of consulting with colleges and universities in this country and abroad as they work to enhance their philanthropic initiatives. As good fortune would have it, Sweet Briar is one of my clients. For the past few years I have taken off my “alumna” hat and observed Sweet Briar as 14 • Winter 2005

an objective outsider, hoping to add value to its philanthropic efforts.

In my regular visits to Sweet Briar as its consultant, I’ve occasionally had the chance to meet and talk with today’s students. They are a most impressive group, and if you haven’t talked to some of them recently, you owe yourself that chance. I meet a lot of students around this country, particularly here in Boston, and those at Sweet Briar are as special and as talented as any.

In the early 1990s, I was serving as Vice President for Development at Vassar College. Vassar’s president, herself a Wellesley graduate, once turned to me during our travels and said, “You have ruined all the images I had about Sweet Briar alumnae.” I asked her if she meant that she had been a northeast Wellesley snob about Sweet Briar and she said yes. I told her I was delighted to have changed that perception, because I was a very typical Sweet Briar alumna, and proud to say so.

Any one of us can say that we loved our time at Sweet Briar; any one of us can elect to care about the students and faculty who are at the College today, and any one of us can do something to ensure that the value of the degree we earned continues to grow stronger every day. We can do that by putting money in the hands of the College so that it can grow and prosper. Now is the time to “vote” for Sweet Briar with our income and our assets.

I am proud of my Sweet Briar education and know that it would only be stronger if I attended the College today. I am also proud to be a donor to the College. I choose to vote for Sweet Briar because I want the students today to have the very best, and, selfishly, I want my degree to be valuable.

Our institutions are what we say they are, and what we make them. I say that Sweet Briar is the college of choice for young women who want an outstanding education with strong student-faculty interaction, who want to explore a variety of avenues for their careers and lives, who want to experiment with positions of leadership in and out of the classroom, who want to be part of a group

of alumnae who form lifelong friendships and networks, and who want all of that in a splendid setting of land and campus that is itself a natural classroom.

Sweet Briar students and faculty members deserve alumnae who make gifts that are appropriate to their circumstances, who even make Sweet Briar their philanthropic priority, and who demonstrate that they are proud that they went to Sweet Briar by giving of their own resources. I want more Sweet Briar alumnae to start being women when it comes to giving to their college; I want Sweet Briar women to be “visionary philanthropists” who serve as models to current students about the power of their voice through philanthropy. And I want Sweet Briar alumnae to be women who enjoy making gifts to their college—not because they have to give, but because they get joy from making a difference at an important institution.

The financial model doesn’t work unless we alumnae do better than we have in the past. Giving “just a little something” isn’t good enough for Sweet Briar if you are fortunate enough to have the resources to give more. At the same time, giving a gift of any amount gives you a voice; it makes you a stakeholder in the College’s future.

By putting our money where our values are, we prove that our Sweet Briar education made us thoughtful, caring, and dedicated individuals. And that’s the value of that degree, now and forever.

Remember, the model doesn’t work without gifts. Alumnae can’t count on someone else doing it in their place and then complain when they don’t agree with something at the College. You can be proud of Sweet Briar if you vote for it with your financial resources. You can be proud of yourself for knowing that investing in the College’s future is the investment with the greatest return for future generations of thinkers and leaders.

Kathleen A. Kavanagh ’74 Senior Executive Vice President and Managing Director Grenzebach Glier & Associates, Inc.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

2004

The Class of 2004 gathers for Commencement.

The Class of Celebrates Success and a New Tradition!

Saturday, May 1, 2004 marked Sweet Briar’s 95th Commencement Ceremony; 132 seniors from 27 states and Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, and Panama received degrees.

Charismatic Commencement speaker Naomi Wolf was the fourth recipient of Sweet Briar’s Honorary Degree, conferred at Commencement. Author and a founder of the Woodhull Institute

for Ethical Leadership, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to training young women in ethical leadership for the 21st century, she offered graduates “Tool Kits,” the first listing seven major virtues for ethical leaders, the second an “Empowerment Tool Kit.” Her parting advice: “Dream the biggest possible dreams that you can dream.”

Friday, April 30, a new tradition was born around the Class of ’53 Sweet Briar Gates, relocated and dedicated at Reunion 2003, 1953’s 50th. As a prologue to

Baccalaureate, robed seniors met at the Deanery, lining up two by two, each bearing a long-stemmed rose in keeping with the motto, Rosam Quae Meruit Ferat. They walked along Faculty Row and, reaching the closed gates draped in the class colors, met the class officers to enact a brief ceremony, asserting that as graduating seniors, they sought entrance to the Courtyard, the heart of the College. The gates opened, the class marched through and processed to the Chapel, each senior placing her rose in a basket which became part of the offering for the Baccalaureate service. Witness the beginning of what surely will become a longstanding tradition!

Photos by Charles Grubbs, except where noted.

Seniors walk to Sweet Briar gates.

Photos by Pat Richeson, SBC Chaplain’s Office

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 15

Commencement Honors The Emilie Watts McVea Scholar The highest-ranking member of the Class of 2003.

Jennifer Allison Warde, South Portland, ME The Presidential Medalist The Presidential Medal recognizes seniors who have a range of accomplishments comparable to those associated with candidates for Rhodes, Marshall, or Truman Scholarships.

Awardees must have demonstrated exemplary intellectual achievement.

Briana Beth Beckham, Nashville, TN The Penelope Lane Czarra Award This award honors the senior who best combines scholastic achievement, student leadership, and effective contributions to the quality of life at the College.

Autum Aster Matysek-Snyder, Afton, VA The Connie M. Guion Award This is given to a senior for her excellence as a human being and as a member of the College.

Mary Browse Davis, Charles Town, WV Michelle Poore, Pulaski, VA

The Walker Family Award This award honors a senior with high scholastic standing who has a cheerful, positive disposition and shows warmth, generosity, and humility.

Caroline Reed Ogilvie, Dundas, Ontario, Canada The Judith Molinar Elkins Prize The family of the late Professor Judith Elkins established a prize to recognize the outstanding achievements of a senior majoring in the mathematical, physical, or biological sciences, actively participating in the College community, and demonstrating the ideals and dedication to learning exemplified by the life of Professor Elkins.

Kelly Lynn Robinson, Gig Harbor, WA The Lawrence G. Nelson Award for Excellence in English Leia Alexandra Manuel, Prince George, VA The Leigh Woolverton Prize for Excellence in the Visual Arts Meredith Renee Rucker, Amherst, VA The James Lewis Howe Award in Chemistry Michelle Poore, Pulaski, VA The Pauline Roberts Otis Award in French Kimberly Hart Sandver, Columbus, OH The Marcia Capron Award for Excellence in French Lauren Patricia Byrne, Haymarket, VA The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Outstanding Scholar Education Award Tonya Reinheimer Smith, Madison Heights, VA L’Alliance Française de Lynchburg Misty Amanda Vandergriff, Knoxville, TN

16 • Winter 2005

Author Naomi Wolf delivers address.

The W. H. Overly Award in Spanish Jennifer Allison Warde, South Portland, ME The Juliet Halliburton Davis Environmental Studies Award Rachael L. Chilton, Coos Bay, OR The Lucile Barrow Turner Award Kristin Diana Trayer, Springfield, VA The Jean Besselievre Boley Award Brienna Ardath McLaughlin, Charlottesville, VA The German Embassy Book Prize Award for an excellent academic record and significant contributions to the German program at Sweet Briar Kathryn Elizabeth Lawson, Chanhassen, MN The Goethe-Institut Buchpreis Award to the outstanding student majoring in German or German Studies Megan Elizabeth Sinner, Shenandoah Junction, WV The Mathematical Sciences Award Cynthia Anne Beller, Richland, WA

The Alpha Lambda Delta Award Jennifer Allison Warde, South Portland, ME

The Jean Taylor Meyer Memorial Poetry Prize Leia Alexandra Manuel, Prince George, VA

The Jessica Steinbrenner Molloy Award in Theatre Erin Hayden-Coleman, Columbia, MD

The Anne Gary Pannell Taylor Award in History Lisa Marie Estes. Mission Viejo, CA

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Phi Beta Kappa 2004 Briana Beckham, Nashville, TN Cynthia Anne Beller, Richland, WA Rachael Lee Chilton, Coos Bay, OR Lisa Marie Estes, Mission Viejo, CA Katherine Anne Kirkwood, Sweet Briar, VA Kathryn Elizabeth Lawson, Chanhassen, MN Leia Alexandra Manuel, Prince George, VA Brienna Ardath McLaughlin, Charlottesville, VA Caroline Reed Ogilvie, Dundas, Ontario, Canada Laura Elizabeth Pearson, Spanish Fort, AL Michelle Lynn Poore, Pulaski, VA Kimberly Hart Sandver, Columbus, OH Catherine Lepay Scheer, Highlands Ranch, CO Elsbet Carroll Smith, Hammond, LA Misty Amanda Vandergriff, Knoxville, TN Jennifer Allison Warde, South Portland, ME Caitlin Patricia Webber, Bristow, VA

Cum Laude Mary Danielle Burton, Lovingston, VA Lauren Patricia Byrne, Haymarket, VA Leslie Caperton Chase, Amherst, VA Erin Elizabeth Coleman, Columbia, MD Elissa A. K. Davis, Middleburg, FL Khadine Anna-Kay Fisher, Kingston, Jamaica Jaime Lee Heimbegner, Richmond, VA Maria Lacy Kitchin, Virginia Beach, VA Emilie Janay Malone, Nashville, TN Anne Mary Mohana, Bourg, LA Kristin McPhatter Ogden, Madison Heights, VA Stephanie Michelle O’Sullivan, Lewisburg, WV Megan Louise Owens, Scottsdale, AZ Virginia Louise Patterson, Yorktown, VA Stacy Lynn Patteson, Narrows, VA Kelly Lynn Robinson, Gig Harbor, WA

Meredith Renee Rucker, Amherst, VA Catherine Lepay Scheer, Highlands Ranch, CO Ebony Tara Scurry, Silver Spring, MD Mary Gordon Seay, Richmond, VA Camille Moira Simmons, Smiths, Bermuda Morgan Jane Swan, East Lansing, MI Leila Williams, Waterford, VA

Magna Cum Laude Elise Lola Arnold, Palmer, TX Nausheena Baig, Columbia, MD Ashlee Lauren Bartleson, Powhatan, VA Briana Beckham, Nashville, TN Anne Traynor Biasiolli, Charlottesville, VA Jessica Anne Carter, Oklahoma City, OK Rachael Lee Chilton, Coos Bay, OR Chasity Janet Clarke, Ashland, VA Sarah Wilkinson Collins, Shipman, VA Stephanie Lynn Margaret Gleason, Virginia Beach, VA Sara Kathryn Gredler, Culpepper, VA Medora Marie Hackler, Bolton, MA Brandy Flare Harman, Mechanicsville, VA Kristen Maria Hylton, Newark, CA Katherine Anne Kirkwood, Sweet Briar, VA Kathryn Elizabeth Lawson, Chanhassen, MN Autum Aster Matysek-Snyder, Afton, VA Christy Larre Michaels, Reklaw, TX Anna Marie Nicolaisen, Fairfax, VA Caroline Reed Ogilvie, Dundas, Ontario, Canada Michelle Lynn Poore, Pulaski, VA Victoria Brenda Rangel, Riverside, CA Megan Elizabeth Sinner, Shenandoah Junction, WV Tonya Reinheimer Smith, Madison Heights, VA Jozanne Suzette Summerville, Stafford, VA Amanda Jean Switzenberg, Stockbridge, MI Kristin Diana Trayer, Springfield, VA Misty Amanda Vandergriff, Knoxville, TN

A jubilant Carolyn Brazill, Coordinator of Campus Student Employment (Career Services) was honored with the Shirley P. Reid Excellence in Service Award from the Student Government Association, presented

by SGA President Kelli Bergmann ’04.

Summa Cum Laude Cynthia Anne Beller, Richland, WA Margaret Lindsay Drake, Travelers Rest, SC Lisa Marie Estes, Mission Viejo, CA Leia Alexandra Manuel, Prince George, VA Brienna Ardath McLaughlin, Charlottesville, VA Georgeanne Lee Oakes, Danville, VA Laura Elizabeth Pearson, Spanish Fort, AL Kimberly Hart Sandver, Columbus, OH Elsbet Carroll Smith, Hammond, LA Shannon Ross Smith, Kaiserslautern, Germany Jennifer Allison Warde, South Portland, ME Caitlin Patricia Webber, Bristow, VA

The Honors Program, Class of 2004 High Honors in Chemistry Nausheena Baig, Columbia, MD Jaime Lee Heimbegner, Richmond, VA High Honors in Psychology Mary Gordon Seay, Richmond, VA Honors Degree with Highest Honors in Studio Art Brienna Ardath McLaughlin, Charlottesville, VA Honors Degree with Highest Honors in Spanish Jennifer Allison Warde, South Portland, ME Honors Degree with Honors in Spanish Heather Dorothy Shumaker, Harrisburg, PA

Assistant Professor of Classics, Philosophy and Religion Matthew Calarco was the 2004 recipient of the Connie Burwell White Excellence in Teaching Award, presented by Catherine Scheer ’04, chair of the SBC Academic Affairs Committee.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Honors Degree with High Honors in Government Caitlin Patricia Webber, Bristow, VA

Winter 2005 • 17

Alumnae Relatives

Mother Katharine Barnhardt Chase ’67, Leslie Chase, Father SBC Professor of Mathematical Sciences Robert Chase

Sister Elizabeth Farnsworth ’05, Grace Farnsworth

Mother Sally Old Kitchin ’76, Maria Kitchin Mother Cynthia Hardy McCabe ’74, Tiffany McCabe

Turning Point Graduates, l-r: Nina Harris, former Sweet Briar staff member; Kris Ogden, Program Coordinator for the SBC Center for Civic Renewal; Olga Rigg, wife of Sweet Briar’s Director of Computer Services David Rigg

Caroline Ogilvie, Sister Megan Ogilvie ’02

Sister Jane Rangel ’06, Victoria Rangel, Mother Helena Papis Rangel ’65 (Not pictured: Sister Christine Rangel ’01, in graduate school, St. Andrews University)

Meredith Shaw, Sister Allison Shaw ’07 18 • Winter 2005

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Betsy with her family: Front, l-r granddaughters Bess Dickens, Kate Willingham, Amelia Willingham, Betsy Black.

Back, Betsy, husband Bill, daughters Elizabeth Dickens, Margaret Black, Katie Willingham.

Photos © David Abrams

2004 Outstanding Alumna Award To

Elizabeth Smith White ’59 Introduction of Honoree at Reunion Convocation, May 15, 2004

By Alumnae Association President Diane Dalton ’67 It is a very great pleasure for me to present the Outstanding Alumna Award, which recognizes alumnae who have given outstanding service to the College in a volunteer capacity. This year’s recipient is Elizabeth (Betsy) Smith White, Class of 1959, who has shown her devotion to Sweet Briar in countless ways, from the smallest tasks to the Vice Chairmanship of the College Board of Directors. In her volunteer work for Sweet Briar, Betsy has focused, with her characteristic forthrightness, on two main things: the excellence of the academic aspect of the College, and the raising of funds to support it. In carrying out a multitude of tasks with great efficiency but with unfailing charm and graciousness, Betsy exemplifies the qualities that Sweet Briar strives to impart to its students. She is a most worthy recipient of this award, one of the highest honors that Sweet Briar College can bestow.

We are delighted that Betsy’s husband, William A. White, Jr., who has given her strong support in her volunteer work for Sweet Briar, and all the White girls (Betsy and Bill’s three daughters, Elizabeth W. Dickens, Margaret W. Black, and Katie W. Willingham, and granddaughters Bess Dickens, Kate Willingham, Amelia Willingham and Betsy Black) are here to help celebrate.

Few alumnae have served the College in a greater variety of ways than Betsy. Her broad interests and talents were evident

even as a student: she was Junior Class Treasurer, Social Committee Treasurer, Briar Patch Engravings Editor, May Day Committee Head, and a member of the Student Development Fund Committee, the Altar Committee, the Church and Chapel Committee, Chung Mungs and May Court.

Upon earning her Sweet Briar degree in American History, she obtained a teacher’s certificate from Queens College in Charlotte and taught 7th grade for a year. Betsy’s qualities would make her successful in any endeavor she undertakes. She chose to devote most of her time to raising a family and to an impressive career of volunteerism.

Let me point out some of her achievements because you would never hear of them from Betsy herself. She is quick to give credit to others, treating everyone with the utmost consideration and courtesy. She is a true Southern lady, in the very best sense of the word.

Betsy and her husband have shown extraordinary personal generosity toward Sweet Briar. They established the Elizabeth Smith White and William A. White, Jr. Fund for Faculty Development and Program Support. Betsy is a member of the Williams Associates, having named the College in her will, and of the Silver Rose Society.

She has been an indefatigable fund-raiser, a leader within her class and throughout the alumnae body, bolstering esprit de corps and inspiring others to recognize the importance of contributing to the College. Some of

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

her achievements in the difficult field of fund-raising are listed in a resolution to be presented with her award.

In her local alumnae club in Charlotte, Betsy has held just about every position, from spearheading events to hosting them in her home, and offering warm hospitality to Sweet Briar presidents and other guests from the College. Her involvement with students is remarkable, from always including them on her invitation list to throwing back-to-school parties, to contributing to the 2003 Senior Class Campaign.

In her community, Betsy has held a number of positions in the Junior League, including president, and was president of the Charlotte Debutante Club. She has been a member of the Social Planning Council of United Community Services and a trustee of Charlotte Country Day School and chairman of its board. She has served on the Board of Visitors at Davidson College, alma mater of her husband and all three daughters, and at Warren Wilson College. She served on the boards of the Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center, Sharon Towers Presbyterian Home, and the Crisis Assistance Ministry. She is an elder at Myers Park Presbyterian Church.

In recognition of Betsy’s unremitting dedication and hard work on behalf of Sweet Briar College, I am deeply honored to present the 2004 Outstanding Alumna Award.

Winter 2005 • 19

2004

outstanding alumna award

Betsy White ’59 Accepts the 2004 Outstanding Alumna Award

Of all the mysteries in life, surely the most delightful one for me is WHY an institution would honor someone for something she absolutely loves doing!

Being asked to serve on the Board of Sweet Briar College was a gift to me!

You know how they have to be so correct about boards…and they just needed someone from North Carolina, about mid-50ish, 10 years ago. And what a wonderful experience that turned out to be!

I don’t need to tell you why and how much I love Sweet Briar. We ALL love this beautiful place, we ALL cherish the friendships made here which have nourished us through the years, we ALL are deeply grateful for the good education we received here…one that taught us how to keep learning and growing for the rest of our lives… and we ALL relish the Sweet Briar connections found wherever we travel and move all over the world.

But I do want to tell you from nine years of very recent experience that our Sweet Briar has never been in better shape! Yes, it has changed over the years, but all for the better.

The young women who come here are more intentional than we ever were about getting a good education and preparing themselves for their place in today’s world.

The faculty is excellent and brilliantly responsive to all of the demands placed on them. The administration, led by our special Betsy, is the best ever, the most visionary, the boldest and the most thorough, leaving no stone unturned, as they search for the best possible ways to meet the challenges of a women’s college out in the Virginia countryside. The Alumnae Association is in the extremely capable hands of Diane Dalton ’67 and the Board is chaired by an extraordinary young leader, Michela English ’71.

It is a hardworking, very committed board and I am so confident that whatever decision today’s leaders of Sweet Briar College make about “the shape of the future”…it will be the right decision. It will be excellent,

Sweet Briar will thrive and it will remain the place we hold most dear in our hearts.

20 • Winter 2005

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Recipients of the Outstanding Alumna Award

Resolution BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of the Sweet Briar College Alumnae Association, assembled on April 18, 2004, acknowledges with gratitude the many years of devoted service given to Sweet Briar College by Betsy Smith White, Class of 1959, recipient of the 2004 Outstanding Alumna Award. Betsy served on the Sweet Briar College Board of Directors for nine years, for the last three as Vice Chairman. She was a member of the Alumnae Association Board for 10 years, four of which were concurrent with the College Board. All of her board service has been marked by her integrity, her thoughtfulness, her signature clearheadedness, and her rare combination of the practical with the visionary.

In addition to her personal generosity, Betsy is very effective in the difficult field of fund-raising. She is Co-chair of the Reunion Gifts Committee for this, her 45th Reunion, and filled that same vital role for the class’s 25th, 35th and 40th Reunions.

For almost 20 years she has been her class fund agent. She was a member of the Development Committee of the College’s Board of Directors, and on the Alumnae Board she has held the top fund-raising positions of Scholarship Chairman, Financial Aid Chairman, Boxwood Circle Co-Chairman and Annual Fund Chairman. She served on President Muhlenfeld’s Campaign Planning Committee and on the Development Leadership Committee. During the Campaign for Sweet Briar College in the early 1990s, she was Co-Chair of the Charlotte Community Campaign. In addition to taking on national positions of the highest responsibility, she has remained willing and eager to help with smaller jobs, and is a mainstay of the alumnae club in her hometown of Charlotte. Sweet Briar is also proud of Betsy’s leadership in many civic organizations and educational institutions, in particular Davidson College, Warren Wilson College, and the Charlotte Country Day School.

The Board of the Alumnae Association wishes to express its deepest appreciation to Betsy for the depth of her commitment to her alma mater. They do so by way of this Resolution to be recorded in the official Minutes and to be transmitted to her.

Diane B. Dalton’67 President, Sweet Briar College Alumnae Association Louise Swiecki Zingaro’80 Director, Sweet Briar College Alumnae Association

1968 SBC’s first graduates, Class of 1910: Anne Cumnock Miller*; Eugenia Griffin Burnett*; Louise Hooper Ewell*; Frances Murrell Rickards*; Annie Powell Hodges* 1969 Edna Lee Gilchrist ’26* 1970 Gladys Wester Horton ’30 1971 Mary Huntington Harrison ’30* 1972 Phoebe Rowe Peters ’31* 1973 Edith Durrell Marshall ’21* 1974 Florence Freeman Fowler ’19* and Helen H. McMahon ’23* 1975 Elizabeth Prescott Balch ’28* 1976 Juliet Halliburton Burnett Davis ’35 1977 Martha von Briesen ’31* and Jacquelyn Strickland Dwelle ’35* 1978 Dorothy Nicholson Tate ’38* 1979 Martha Lou Lemmon Stohlman ’34 1980 Dale Hutter Harris ’53 1981 Ann Marshall Whitley ’47 1982 Preston Hodges Hill ’49 1983 Mary Elizabeth Doucett Neill ’41 1984 Nancy Dowd Burton ’46* and Jane Roseberry Ewald Tolleson ’52 1985 Julia Sadler de Coligny ’34* 1986 Adelaide Boze Glascock ’40 and Sarah Adams Bush ’43* 1987 Julia Gray Saunders Michaux ’39 1988 Evelyn Dillard Grones ’45* 1989 Anne Noyes Awtrey Lewis ’43 and Catharine Fitzgerald Booker’47* 1990 Margaret Sheffield Martin ’48 1991 Sara Shallenberger Brown ’32 1992 Catherine Barnett Brown ’49 1993 Ann Samford Upchurch ’48* 1994 Clare Newman Blanchard ’60 and Mildred Newman Thayer ’61 1995 Helen Murchison Lane ’46 and Adeline Jones Voorhees ’46 1996 Alice Cary Farmer Brown ’59 1997 Julia Mills Jacobsen ’45 1998 Elizabeth Trueheart Harris ’49 1999 Allison Stemmons Simon ’63 2000 Sara Finnegan Lycett ’61 2001 Nannette McBurney Crowdus ’57 2002 Elizabeth Bond Wood ’34* and Ann Morrison Reams ’42 2003 Ethel Ogden Burwell ’58 2004 Elizabeth Smith White ’59 *Deceased

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 21

Reunion

SCRAPBOOK

Reunion 2004: a happy weekend shared by many in the regular Reunion classes and others who came in non-Reunion years (a growing trend for Mini-Reunions). Besides reconnecting with SBC buddies, there was much to see and do: open houses; Alumnae Colleges; Reunion Convocation/update on the College; art and authors exhibits; bus tours of the campus, VCCA and Riding Center; snacks at the Book Shop Café or Le Bistro; a Duo Piano Recital with Professor of Music Rebecca McNutt and Sarah Anderson Stanton ’89; or just relaxing on our beautiful campus.

Sara Callison Jamison ’29 delighted everyone by returning for her 75th Reunion, and at Saturday’s Cocktail Loyal every-year-attendees Natalie Roberts Buffet, “dancing the night away!”

Ross ’31 and husband William came for Class of 1929 RG: $1,650; TG: the 73rd. $1,675

Plan now to “Come Back to the Patch” for Reunion 2005, May 27th –29th !

Margaret Ross Ellice ’34 and granddaughter Aubrey Adams Barr ’89 celebrated Margaret’s 70th , Aubrey’s 15th. Class of 1934’s RG: $2,510; TG: $19,010.

Ann Marshall Whitley ’47 turned out with esprit for her 57th Photos © David Abrams Note: All names read l-r.

Abbreviations: CP=Class President RGC=Reunion Gifts Chair Sec=Class Secretary Lynne Gardner Detmer ’68, National Reunion Giving Chair, expressed great pleasure in announcing the grand total for 2004 RGs to the Annual Fund of $448,821 (Part. 31.4%) and the 2004 TGs to all funds from classes of 1929-1999 of $4,244,107.

22 • Winter 2005

Sarah Belk Gambrell and Class President Yvonne Leggett Sanford enjoyed the Class of 1939’s 65th. RG: $12,845; TG: $40,145.

Each class made three announcements at Convocation: Reunion Gift to the Annual Fund (RG) Class Participation: (Part) Total Giving (to all funds) for the year (TG)

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

R E U N I O N

1944 came on strong for a festive 60th : 21 alumnae, 11 husbands. CG: $15,608; Part: 45.1%; TG: $321,204.

1949: For the 55th ,“The 49-ers,” wearing miner’s helmets, enlivened Convocation with their trademark enthusiasm; 18 alumnae, 3 husbands (1 of the 3 was honorary class member, H’49 Walter Brown, husband of Catherine “Bunny” Barnett Brown). CG: $41,297; Part: 58%; TG: $665,098. Due to a data reporting error, the figures announced at Reunion for the Class of ’49 were incorrect. Correct figures shown here

The Class of 1954 took the stage with aplomb, reminding us that they created the original Sweet Tones (Vaughan Inge Morrissette wore a banner “Sweet Tone wanna-be” (they wouldn’t let her be!); that they were the first class to have cars on campus senior year, and first allowed to wear “tasteful slacks or shorts.” They sang a ’50s-vintage Sweet Tones song, “How could Red Riding Hood/ Have been so very good/ And still kept the wolf from her door?”

1954 won the Participation Award for classes celebrating 25th-50th Reunions (78.3%). Accepting: Ruth Frye Deaton, CP; Bruce Watts Krucke, Sec; Vaughan Inge Morrisette, RGC. CG: $105,460; TG: $420,595.

Here’s To The Fiftieth! A crowd: 39 alumnae, 18 husbands and Thomas P. Hughes, former SBC faculty, had a marvelous time.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 23

R E U N I O N

1959: 26 alumnae, 2 husbands. In jubilant celebration of the 45th and of classmate Betsy Smith White (2004 Outstanding Alumna Award recipient), they noted that they came to SBC 10 months after hurricane Hazel and came back 7 months after hurricane Isabel. Is this a pattern? CG: $58,442; Part: 55.4%; TG: $1,138,728.

1964 outdid itself for the 40th , winning the Nancy Dowd Burton Award (for the 2nd time—they also won in 1999) for the largest RG ($135,580) and the Centennial Award: TG to all funds ($1,322,030). Were they ecstatic? YES! Attending: 29 alumnae, 7 husbands/significant others. Part: 56.1%.

1964 class Officers: Back, Co-RGC “V.M.” Del Greco Galgano; Co-CP Claire Hughes Knapp. Front, Co-CP Nancy Gillies; Co-RGC “Ginny ” deBuys.

Well-known for hilarious skits, ’64 presented “Hot Flash, Deux” this time.

1969 drew a smaller but lively group for its 35th : here to have fun, 13 alumnae, 2 husbands. RG: $39,162; Part: 39.0%; TG: $149,277.

1974’s joie de vivre was unquenchable at their 30th ; 35 alumnae, 7 husbands roamed the campus, enjoyed, participated. CG: $57,050; Part: 20.4%; TG: $58,900.

24 • Winter 2005

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

R E U N I O N

1979—The Milestone 25th ! They said, “Don’t we look good?” They did; 28 alumnae, 9 husbands/significant others, 7 children. Class statistics at 25th: 5 sets of twins (!); 100% corrected vision; 64 jobs held; 11 children in college; cumulative weight gain 312 lbs; married 290 years; 11,000 miles/42 hours total to attend Reunion. RG: $26,155; Part: 29.4%; TG: $26,555.

1989: The 15th brought 13 alumnae, 3 husbands, 7 children, including the youngest Reunion attendee, 2-month-old Kyle Sellman, daughter of Sandra Compton Sellman. RG: $4,370; Part: 6.5%; TG: $4,495.

1984: Vitality + at the 20th: 19 alumnae, 4 husbands, 6 children proved that 20 years = “just yesterday.” They drew applause with an RG of $13,134, “$1,150 of which was raised last night!” Part: 19.1%; TG: $14,453.

1994 had a terrific 10th—they won the Participation Award for classes celebrating 5th-20th Reunions (20.3%). 16 alumnae, 10 husbands, 9 children tuned into each other and all campus events. RG: $2,510; TG: $2,750.

1999, The New Kids on the Block, made their 5th a memory to keep. 34 alumnae, 12 husbands, 1 child enjoyed “just being here with each other.” RG: $6,958; Part: 16.7%; TG: $7,048.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 25

A Special Mini-Reunion:

Fit and Fun at

50

Class of ’76 at Hart and Hind Ranch

By Sally Old Kitchin ’76

“F

it and Fun at 50” is printed on the back of the bright pink shirts that Meg Shields Duke gave us as we gathered for a September weekend at our classmate Kit Newman Detering’s Hart and Hind Fitness Ranch to celebrate?! our 50th birthdays. Dede Ryan Ale, Ann Stryker Busch, Terese DeGrandi Busch, Ookie Hays Cooper, Ann Kiley Crenshaw, Kit Newman Detering (SBC Board of Directors), Meg Shields Duke (former Alumnae Association Board), Sally Mott Freeman, Sally Old Kitchin (SBC Board of Directors), Caroline Bickel McLoughlin, Lisa Nelson Robertson, Cathy Slatinshek, Treacy Markey Shaw, and Dixie Torbert represented the Class of 1976.

Kit founded Hart and Hind: A Fitness Ranch featuring Star Cuisine in Rio Frio, Texas on the family’s 5,250-acre ranch about 90 miles northwest of San Antonio.

The Hill Country of Texas is similar to Sweet Briar’s campus with rolling hills, rivers and streams, and an abundance of wildlife including deer, antelope, goats and our favorite, the armadillo. Kit’s son maintains a herd of Red Angus Cattle on the Detering Ranch.

Determined to demonstrate our fitness, we participated in long hikes 26 • Winter 2005

Left to right: Three in front: Sally Mott Freeman, Kit Newman Detering, Treacy Markey Shaw.

Back: Sally Old Kitchin, Terese DeGrandi Busch, Ookie (Martha) Hays Cooper, Cathy Slatinshek, Ann Stryker Busch, Randy Kaiser (Fitness Director of Hart and Hind), Dixie Torbert, Meg Shields Duke, Ann Kiley Crenshaw, Lisa Nelson Robertson, Caroline Bickel McLoughlin, Dede (Margaret) Ryan Ale.

up and down hills along with Randy, the fitness director, who also led us in stretching and exercise classes.

We enjoyed horseback riding and swimming in a deep green, spring-fed pool. Kit offered us a self-defense class by an instructor from Houston and we all received a massage and a fitness evaluation. Guessing each other’s body fat percentage became quite a challenge!

Healthy and DELICIOUS meals were provided by cowgirl chef Paula, and wonderful breads and pizza were created

by David in the outside wood-burning oven. We were treated to a campfire breakfast, lunch at the pool with our own Texas lunch boxes, and s’mores around the campfire after dinner each night.

Many of us have returned to Sweet Briar often for Alumnae Council and Reunions; however, some classmates we had not seen since graduation. But, we all came together because of Meg’s organization, Kit’s gracious hospitality, and because of the memories from our time together at Sweet Briar and our love for the College. Sitting together on the terrace of the Lodge one afternoon, we had a lively discussion on the Shape of the Future process and the exciting plans for the future of the College.

We were a group reflective and

representative of all Sweet Briar alumnae. We included the founder and owner of the ranch business, two lawyers, a medical doctor, an executive director of a top U.S. government agency, the wife of a U.S. Congressman, dedicated wives and mothers, and accomplished community leaders. We are all thankful for our education and the leadership opportunities and skills we received at Sweet Briar.

How wonderful and how remarkable that 14 classmates could come together, 28 years after graduation, to celebrate each other and Sweet Briar. We remain Fit and Forever Fun. And, of course, we adorned ourselves—and Kit’s yellow male lab, Tex—with pink shirts, pearls, and pink and green scarves as we enjoyed some wine, some partying, some singing and some dancing—other fine skills developed while at Sweet Briar…

It’s A Girl Thing!

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

rest, relax, reune.

The Florence Elston Inn at Sweet Briar College is everything a bed and breakfast should be… secluded, tasteful, and elegant.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

•

38 spacious comfortable rooms furnished with...

52 channel remote color cable TV in-room coffeemaker, hairdryer, iron and ironing board telephone with voice mail internet dial-up connections smoking and non-smoking rooms available private baths individual heating and air conditioning

• • • •

Complimentary continental breakfast

• • • • • • •

Many rooms have balconies or patios Two comfortably furnished lounges A wrap-around deck on which perhaps to watch the deer as you enjoy your morning coffee

•

Group rates available for conferences, weddings, reunions, receptions and other meetings or gatherings

•

Enjoy our new Stay and Play Golf packages with the adjacent Poplar Grove Golf Course for as little as $115 per night!!!

Florence Elston Inn 450 Sweet Briar Drive, Sweet Briar, VA 24595 434.381.6207 or toll free 866.388.6207 www.sbc.edu/elstoninn

Winter 2005 • 27

S p o t l i g h t Alison M. Jones ’71, Photographer, Author, Lecturer, Addresses Alumnae Club of New Jersey Alison Jones gave a presentation to the Sweet Briar Alumnae Club of New Jersey at Kent Place School, Summit, NJ, on Friday April 16, 2004. Twentyfive people attended the exciting event which was on the topic, “Where There are Women, There is Magic; East African Women: Intimate Portraits.”

“I so enjoy giving that presentation and was thrilled there was so much interest and so many thoughtful questions following,” said Alison. “I would enjoy doing this (or other topics) for other alumnae groups—I am always traveling and might easily be able to build talks in other regions into my travel schedule.”

As a photographer and conservationist, Alison has traveled throughout Africa, Europe and the Americas documenting disappearing cultures, wildlife, and ecosystems. Her photographs capture the struggle of indigenous people and rural villages, wildlife behavior, and habitats, the environment, and diverse lifestyles and community esprit across the globe.

Alison counts nature conservancies and nonprofits/NGOs, such as Save the Children and Americares, among her clients. Her photographs document the efforts of organizations that seek solutions to third-world poverty, endangered species, and threatened ecosystems. Her work offers fascinating glimpses of the world and the people and wildlife that inhabit it. Photo assignments have taken Alison from Kenya, Rwanda and Mozambique to Guatemala, Nicaragua and Argentina, and other locations throughout Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States.

When not in the field, Alison offers lectures and exhibits that allow listeners and viewers to share her adventures, view the world through her camera lens, and learn about endangered peoples, animals and environments. She has

28 • Winter 2005

Alison Jones ’71 with New Jersey Alumnae Club President Deborah Price Bowman’82

exhibited at galleries from coast to coast, in Connecticut, New Jersey, California and elsewhere. Her work has appeared in magazines such as O (Oprah), Esquire, Victoria, Marie Claire, Photographer’s Forum and others, as well as in calendars, newspapers, annual reports and in TV programming.

Currently, Alison’s photographic connection is being considered as the subject of a full-length documentary film, and she is in the process of writing a companion book to this film.

For more information, visit her website at alisonjonesphoto.com

Amy Leigh Campbell ’97: Women’s Rights Activist and CEO What do you get when you combine a CEO, a published author, and a community activist? There’s no punch line. That’s what you get in one of Sweet Briar’s graduates, Amy Leigh Campbell, Class of 1997. Amy has founded her own company, Bloom Consulting LLC (website: www.youcanbloom.com) which works with clients in the field of human services, mostly for women; and published a book, Raising the Bar: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the ACLU Women’s

Rights Project (April 2004, Xlibris, a division of Random House Inc.). “When he made me Chief Justice of the mock Supreme Court in his class, I wonder if Professor Stephen Bragaw ever thought I’d publish my first book about a Supreme Court Justice!” laughed Amy. “We don’t focus exclusively on women’s issues, but we are pro-woman, in the sense that we take on projects that improve the quality of life for women and their families, respect reproductive autonomy, and fight harassment and violence,” said Amy, explaining Bloom Consulting’s philosophy. The company’s clients include groups like Rebuilding Together, which modifies houses for older people who need things like wheelchair ramps and bathroom bars so that they can stay in their own houses and not have to move to nursing homes.

Another example is HIPS, which works with prostitutes in DC to reduce the AIDS risk and sexual violence that occurs.

In addition to running Bloom, Amy recently became the publisher of “The Little Black Book for every Busy Woman” for Arlington/Alexandria, a resource guide for women in the community. “The Little Black Book” is currently published in seven cities. This “word of mouth” guide gives women a

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

S P O T L I G H T

list of service providers and businesses referred by women in their communities.

Amy gave a talk about it at a September 2004 meeting of the Washington D.C. Sweet Briar Alumnae Club. “Women are a powerful economic force, with more disposable income than ever before,” Amy reminds us. “We want top-notch service. We want realtors and mortgage brokers who understand single women as the head of their households, and car dealerships that take us seriously. It sounds like the worst of stereotypes, but it still exists. When a financial advisor advised me to only project my savings goals out a few years because things could change when I get married, I decided to take action.”

Amy has been active ever since she came to Sweet Briar, where she was very involved: she participated in the Freshmen Leadership Program and Tau Phi, was Treasurer and Class Secretary of the Senior Class, and a member of the Senior Steering Committee, the Volunteer Rescue Squad, and Residence Life Staff. “I am so grateful for the Sweet Briar education,” she says. “I learned to think, to write, and to speak persuasively. I easily double majored in Biology and Government, two very different disciplines, because of professors like Barbara Perry and Steve Bragaw who pushed me and supported me, too. I didn’t just attend four years of college—I was invited to immerse myself in a whole new worldview, and I eagerly accepted.”

After Amy received her B.S. from Sweet Briar College, she went to work on her M.A. in Government at the University of Virginia. Literally. “After President Muhlenfeld handed me the diploma, I walked to the Meta Glass parking lot and got in a U-Haul bound for Charlottesville.” Three weeks after her graduate program began, she was elected to the UVA Student Council when a seat became vacant. It was her first of three successful campaigns for office at the University. “I loved it! With 18,000 people, the University itself is like a small town. I have no plans to run for office in the “real world,” but that experience gave me a glimpse into that life, forcing me to really think through the issues, debate them and fight for the changes I wanted, like contraceptive coverage under the school health plan.

That drive is part of me now, whether I have a title or not.” During Amy’s graduate studies at UVA, Justice Ginsberg selected her, out of over 100 applicants, to chronicle her work as head of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project; that research led to Amy’s recent book on the Justice. Amy was also Director of Programs for the Women’s Center of UVA. After receiving her M.A., she accepted a position with a management consulting firm in Washington, D.C., working to build their nonprofit practice. A year later, she was recruited to NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) Pro-Choice America to help strengthen their 26 state chapters. Still freelancing for her former consulting clients on special projects, she eventually built a client base and started her company.

Almost two years into life as an entrepreneur, how is she?

“I’m having the time of my life,” she says. “If you had told me when I graduated that I would be CEO before turning 30, I would have laughed my head off. But Sweet Briar taught me to do it big or stay in bed, and I Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy want to see more SBC women Leigh Campbell ’97 Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

taking risks and joining me at the head table.”

In her free time, Amy is active in her community and serves as a founding member of the Virginia Network of Nonprofit Organizations (VANNO) Board of Directors. In 2002, Governor Warner appointed her to the Governor’s Commission on Community and National Service, where she serves on the Executive Committee. Her passions include her family, her work, her garden, and the many books she is trying to find time to read.

As more and more Sweet Briar women cross boundaries and mix disciplines to craft interesting careers, Amy is an example of the value of thinking outside the “what’s your major?” box.

Anne Butler ’65 Publishes New Edition of Audubon Plantation Country Cookbook Anne Butler, author of a dozen books, has recently re-published Audubon Plantation Country Cookbook. Named Best New Cookbook of the Year by Louisiana Life magazine, the big hardback contains delicious food recipes from Audubon plantation country of Louisiana and Mississippi—the region where artistnaturalist John James Audubon painted a large percentage of his Birds of America studies in the 1820s.

Winter 2005 • 29

S P O T L I G H T

Carriage House Hot Crabmeat and Shrimp Dip 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1 stick butter 2 tbsp. flour 1 pt. half & half 1 lb. white lump crabmeat 1 lb. boiled shrimp, chopped 8 oz. Swiss cheese, grated Salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste Sauté celery and onions in butter until soft. Add flour and mix well.

Add half & half to make a cream sauce. Add crabmeat, shrimp, and cheese. Mix lightly. Simmer on top of stove approximately 10 minutes. Add seasonings. Remove from stove and put in chafing dish to keep warm. Serve with melba rounds. If too thick, add a little more cream.

Recipes for Floating Island and Bourbon Pie from the grand plantation houses are included in the book; so are Turtle Soups from the steamboat dining rooms, fabulous Fried Chicken from the black church suppers and BlackIron Pot Pigtails from the quarterhorse races, Oriental recipes brought home from China by the wife of a former Marine Corps Commandant, Cream Puffs accompanying tea from the samovars of Russian Jewish immigrants, plenty of seafood Etouffees and easy contemporary lighter fare. (For a sample recipe, see sidebar.)

A native of Louisiana, Anne graduated from SBC with the class of 1965, though she actually finished her course work the previous summer, and moved to Washington, D.C., to write tour guides for AAA for three years. She then married and moved to California, working for a magazine on the Monterey Peninsula. After earning an M.A. in English from Humboldt State, she worked as a journalist, writer and editor on both coasts. She has had articles published in newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco

30 • Winter 2005

Chronicle and Baton Rouge Advocate, as well as in magazines (Louisiana Life, Mississippi Magazine, Country Woman, New Orleans Magazine and Country Roads). Her books include awardwinning children’s books, travel books, cookbooks and three books of nonfiction hair-raising crime stories (Angola, Dying To Tell and Weep For The Living).

Her most recent book is the story of three generations of a German Jewish immigrant family’s impact on life in Louisiana, Colorado and California from the mid-1800s. She is currently working on a humorous book with California mystery writer Abigail Padgett.

Anne lives on her 1790s family plantation, Butler Greenwood Plantation near the picturesque little Mississippi River town of St. Francisville, Louisiana, where she conducts historic tours and runs one of Louisiana’s most interesting Bed & Breakfasts (www.butlergreenwo od.com).

Pelican Publishing in New Orleans has re-issued Audubon Plantation Country Cookbook. The book is available from the Sweet Briar Book Shop (Tel: 800-381-6106; e-mail: bookshop@sbc.edu).

New Book by Professor Barbara Perry: Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady of the New Frontier The following review by the University Press of Kansas is reprinted with permission.

In a mere one thousand days, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy created an entrancing public persona that has remained intact for nearly forty years. Even now, a decade after her death, she remains a

figure of enduring—and endearing— interest. Yet, while innumerable books have focused on the legends and gossip surrounding this charismatic figure, Barbara Perry’s is the first to focus largely on Kennedy’s White House years, portraying a First Lady far more complex and enigmatic than previously perceived.

Noting how Jackie’s celebrity and devotion to privacy have for years precluded a more serious treatment, Perry’s engaging and well-crafted story illuminates Kennedy’s immeasurable impact on the institution of the First Lady. Perry vividly illustrates the complexities of Jacqueline Bouvier’s marriage to John F. Kennedy, and shows how she transformed herself from a reluctant political wife to an effective, confident presidential partner. Perry is especially illuminating in tracing the First Lady’s mastery of political symbolism and imagery, along with her use of television and state entertainment to disseminate her work to a global audience.

By offering the White House as a stage for the arts, Jackie also bolstered the president’s Cold War efforts to portray the United States as the epitome of a free society. From redecorating the White House to championing Lafayette Square’s preservation to lending her name to fund-raising for the National

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

S P O T L I G H T Cultural Center, she had a profound impact on the nation’s psyche and cultural life. Meanwhile, her fashionable clothes and glamorous hairdos stood in stark contrast to the dowdiness of her predecessors and the drab appearances of Communist leaders’ spouses.

Never before or since has a First Lady (and her husband) sparkled with so much hope and vigor on the stage of American public life. Perry’s deft narrative captures all of that and more, even as it also insightfully depicts Jackie’s struggles to preserve her own identity amid the pressures of an institution she changed forever.

Grounded on the author’s painstaking research into previously overlooked or unavailable archives, at the Kennedy Library and elsewhere, as well as interviews with Jacqueline Kennedy’s close associates, Perry’s work expands and enriches our understanding of a remarkable American woman.

“Free from Camelot idolatry and untainted by revisionist sensationalism, Perry delivers a nuanced and insightful profile of Jacqueline Kennedy’s fascinating life, from debutante to First Lady to custodian of her husband’s legacy.

More clearly than ever, we can now appreciate how much she changed the institution of First Lady and, also, how much it changed her.”—Douglas Brinkley, author of Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War. “Perry has done a superb job, looking beyond the multitude of myths surrounding one of our most enigmatic First Ladies to reveal not just what she did but how her inner circle worked…An important contribution.”—Betty Boyd Caroli, author of First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Laura Bush.

Barbara A. Perry’s lifelong interest in the Kennedys dates to 1960, when, as a child, she was taken to see JFK at a campaign rally. A former judicial fellow at the U.S. Supreme Court, she is now Carter Glass Professor of Government at Sweet Briar College in Virginia.

Her other books include The Priestly Tribe: The Supreme Court’s Image in the American Mind and, with Henry J. Abraham, Freedom and the Court: Civil Rights and Liberties in the United States.

Carrie Brown’s Confinement Explores Complex Post-World War II Emotions NEA awards novelist $20,000 literature grant

By Shannon Wells, Sweet Briar Staff Writer The art of the written word is alive and well within the Sweet Briar College community, and if a well-received novel and a national grant award are any indication, 2004 has been a particularly creative and encouraging year for Carrie Brown.

Brown, SBC visiting associate professor, started off the year by receiving a 2004 Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and her latest novel, Confinement, was published by Algonquin Books to glowing reviews in the spring.

The prolific novelist was one of 42 writers the NEA chose out of 1,422

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

applicants for the $20,000 award.

According to NEA guidelines, the grants represent the organization’s “most direct investment in American creativity, encouraging the production of new work and allowing writers the time and means to write.”

When an NEA representative called to inform Brown of her selection, she was thrilled—if not a little dumbfounded.

“You apply so far in advance that you forget about it,” she said of the application filed months earlier. “I was very pleased, of course. There’s nothing like having your work affirmed, particularly at a level of such stature.

It’s a significant award for a writer. NEA recognition is substantive, important support.”

To get her name in the organization’s rather sizable hat, Brown simply sent in a short story and put her name in the top right-hand corner. Her submission was read and judged by a pool of fellow writers the NEA chooses each year.

As many writers depend on grants to carry them through to their next project, Brown says she is fortunate to also have a role at Sweet Briar under circumstances that allow her to pursue her muse. Still, the grant money has palpable benefits for the mother of three.

“I felt a certain weight fall off me,” she said. “It’s a wonderful thing to have your talent affirmed in a way that’s financially meaningful enough to make a difference.”

The author of four novels and a collection of short stories, The House on Belle Isle, Brown is no stranger to literary accolades. Her first novel, Rose’s Garden, won the Barnes & Noble Discover Award in 1998. In 2001, The Hatbox Baby earned her the Great Lakes Book Award, the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for best work of fiction by a woman, and the Library of Virginia Award. The “Belle Isle” collection was a finalist for the Library of Virginia Book Award in 2002.

“Wings,” a story published by The Georgia Review in 2002, was one of the works cited by the American Society of Magazine Editors in naming the Review a 2002 National Magazine Award finalist in the fiction category. And Lamb

Winter 2005 • 31

S P O T L I G H T

in Love, Brown’s second novel, has recently been optioned for film.

Brown’s latest novel, Confinement, paints a detailed, moving portrait of Arthur Henning, a tortured-soul refugee from Nazi Austria who moves to America with his son, Toby, to start a new life as a chauffeur at the country estate of the Duvall family. Toby grows up with the Duvalls’ daughter, Aggie, who becomes pregnant and is ordered by her father to a home for unwed mothers.

Arthur’s sympathy toward Aggie grows into love and attraction and he finds himself deeply conflicted by his feelings and Toby’s desire for him to start a life independent of the Duvalls. As he struggles to find a present and future he can live with, Arthur is tormented by the past and the fates that befell his family and peers.

People magazine called Confinement a “beautiful novel,” and Sandra Scofield of the Chicago Tribune commented, “In Carrie Brown’s capable hands, flashbacks are the stuff of poetry, history and love.”

To research the work, Brown traveled to Vienna to soak up the region’s rich culture and troubled history. A highlight of her quest was meeting with a museum curator, who showed her a photo album of pre-war Vienna in the early 1900s.

“It was really useful in terms of helping me imagine daily lives of people in Vienna at that time,” she said, noting that the pictures tended to clarify and complement her own perceptions from “smelling the air and eating the food” in the modern-day city.

A frequent book reviewer for The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, as well as an occasional essayist and lecturer, Brown started working over the summer on a novel based on the lives of 19th century brother-andsister astronomers William and Caroline Herschel.

Brown is married to novelist John Gregory Brown, Julia Jackson Nichols Professor of English at Sweet Briar, where he directs the creative writing program and coordinates the International Writers Series. Their children are Olivia (19), Molly (13), and Walker (10).

32 • Winter 2005

Jessica Bemis Ward ’63 Writes and Nancy Blackwell Marion ’74 Designs Book about Funeral Foods Jessica Bemis Ward and Nancy Blackwell Marion share a spotlight. They serve together on the Advisory Board for Lynchburg’s Old City Cemetery and have combined talents to produce a book of Funeral Foods. Dubbed Food to Die For, the volume offers recipes for the portable, comforting, and familiar foods that people deliver to a bereaved household. (For a sample recipe, see sidebar.) In addition there is practical advice for offering assistance to those who have suffered a loss.

There are tips for writing obituaries and condolence notes. There are suggestions for lending helpful, conventional and unconventional support to friends.

Even non-cooks enjoy reading Food to Die For. The suggestions are practical, but the tone is lighthearted and chatty. One section is devoted to phrases applied to funeral activities. Do you know what a Funeral Tsar is? Are you in Dying Order? These and other important questions and dilemmas are addressed in Food to Die For.

Jessica supplied the text and compiled the recipes; Nancy is responsible for the sophisticated, arresting look of the book.

Throughout the book are remarkable photographs of Lynchburg’s unique Old City Cemetery, which has undergone transforming renovation in the last decade. Suffice it to say that the cover is black with a see-through tombstone cutout on the front.

Nancy, owner of The Design Group in Lynchburg, has been in the graphic design field for many years, and teaches a graphic design class at Sweet Briar.

Her many interests include a weekly poker game. She serves on a number of historic preservation boards and has compiled an astounding collection of old photographs. In addition to her own historic house in the old part of Lynchburg, she recently bought a retired fire station; of the four artists’ studios on the top floor, two are already occupied but two are still available for rent and Nancy is open to suggestions for uses for the main floor.

Jessica served as Chairman of SBC’s Friends of Art in the early 1980s and has dabbled in a number of other volunteer activities during the last 40 years. For a ten-year period she worked at The Book Store in Lynchburg. She laments that her bookstore career ended when Barnes and Noble came “and we went.” She married

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

S P O T L I G H T

into a large and aging Lynchburg family that has equipped her for writing about funeral food and behavior.

In a review of the book for the magazine, Lynch’s Ferry, Mary Molyneux Abrams ’86 wrote: “Despite amazing advances in medical science and technology, the mortality rate for human beings stands at a whopping 100%. It’s a fact: all of us are going to die someday. Yet in the face of this statistical reality, death still manages to come as a shock, leaving rattled relatives, friends and co-workers wondering what to say and do in response. At such awkward moments, it would be nice to have a handbook, a “Funerals 101,” that people could count on for advice and direction. And now we do…Jessica has compiled a witty, empathetic, and practical funeral-goers guide. Food to Die For is a book about how, in the face of impossible odds, we help each other carry on.”

Proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Cemetery. The book is available from The Old City Cemetery, 401 Taylor St., Lynchburg, VA 24501 (Tel: 434-847-1465).

Ham and Noodle Casserole This retro dish is simple and delicious. It is a casserole served a number of years ago at a Sweet Briar Alumnae luncheon. You can buy thick sliced ham at the deli and cube it for a quick meal.

3 Cups Cooked Ham, cubed 8 Ounces Flat Noodles 1⁄2 Cup Onion, finely chopped 2 Cups Sour Cream 3⁄4 Cup Buttered Bread Crumbs Salt and Pepper to taste Parmesan Cheese Grease a two-quart casserole. Cook noodles and set aside. Mix ham, onion, sour cream, salt and pepper.

Place layer of noodles in casserole followed by a layer of ham mixture.

Repeat. Top with buttered crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until thoroughly heated.

Serves 8.

SBC Riding Director Shelby French Creates Dynamic Learning Resource for Equestrians

By Angelica Guarino ’06 and Shannon Wells, Sweet Briar Staff Writer With her new instructional DVD series, Shelby French makes at-home learning possible for equestrians who want to improve their skills.

French, director of the Sweet Briar College Riding Program, conceived “The American System of Forward Riding: Life Lessons Learned with Horses” as a way for riders to develop techniques without an instructor on hand.

“We’re trying to give all riders a process that will produce quality in their work with every horse,” she said of the four-DVD set.

“If you don’t have access to an instructor, you can work with these materials at home.

They give you a visual picture of what you’re trying to accomplish and exercises to accomplish it.”

Working with nationally-known show judge R. Scot Evans, French presents a system that teaches riders to develop a sense of connection and communication with their horse. The system builds on classic concepts originally developed in the 1950s by equestrian trainer Vladimir Littauer.

The set, which French both wrote and co-produced, also allows equestrians to train for Affiliated National Riding Commission certification levels without having to find an approved riding center.

Accompanied by two workbooks,

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

the DVDs guide riders through the system. Students can earn ratings in the certification program by videotaping their performance of a series of tasks and sending the tape to an ANRC instructor for evaluation and feedback.

French was inspired to develop the materials by the observations of Sarah Babcock ’71, who evaluates and trains dogs for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Richmond. Babcock conveyed her concerns about tension she observed between horses and riders in training.

The two further discussed the issue, and French set about planning a presentation for the forward riding system that had been the foundation of her instructional and coaching approach for the previous two decades.

In an effort to make the training accessible to non-competitive riders, French consulted with Evans, whom she calls “one of the best teachers of this system that I have known. He is very well known in the horse show world and his partnership added a great deal of credibility and clout to the project.”

A major focus of this system is to help the horse understand what is being asked of him. But the rider must first learn to think from the horse’s perspective and how to develop control of his or her body, as this is the primary communication between horse and rider.

This allows the horse to enjoy the work and makes a better overall experience for both parties.

“The main goal is to promote riding that is empathetic to the horse and creates quality in all riding disciplines,” French said. “Riding is in many ways like visiting a foreign country. If you know the language you can be much more relaxed and enjoy the experience, but if you don’t understand anything that is going on around you then it can become very frustrating.

“The rider must learn to communicate with the horse in a way he can understand, in order to develop a true working partnership.”

Using the Sweet Briar campus as a setting for footage and writing much of the video script and workbook text,

Winter 2005 • 33

S P O T L I G H T

French managed to create a striking, dynamic learning resource for the riding community at large.

“Scot and I are excited about the results of our two years of work,” she said. “Our goal now is to get it in the hands of the grassroots hunter and jumper riders. They were our primary motivation and the horses provided the inspiration.”

The series is available at www.anrc.org or www.smartpakequine.com, at various tack shops, and in the SBC Book Shop (Tel: 800-381-6106; email: bookshop@sbc.edu) Ed’s note: Associate Professor of Riding Shelby B. French came to Sweet Briar from St. Andrews College, Laurinburg, NC, where she was Director of Equestrian Programs and Adjunct Professor of Exercise Science and Sport for 16 years. She is both an ANRC National Judge and No. 1 rated rider and has coached collegiate riders to multiple individual and team championships at the National Finals of the ANRC and the IHSA Collegiate Championships. Also an American Horse Show Senior Judge, she coaches and trains in the hunters, jumpers, and equitation divisions on the “A” circuit throughout the Southeast. Her students have qualified for the Marshall and Sterling and National Adult Jumper Finals, and in the hunter and equitation divisions for the Fall indoor shows.

Many students she has mentored are now active young professionals in the equine industry.

34 • Winter 2005

Missy Ackerman Buys Lacrosse and Field Hockey Camp

By Cameron Adams, Sweet Briar Sports Information Coordinator Missy Ackerman ’87, assistant field hockey and head lacrosse coach at Sweet Briar, is just waiting for the ink to dry on her purchase of the Merestead Sports Camps, the oldest sports camp for girls in the United States. Her purchase should be official in November.

The Merestead Program offers field hockey and lacrosse camps for players of all levels every summer. Camps have historically been held at three locations in the Northeast and offer four days of instruction and competition to overnight and day campers.

As camp director, Ackerman is responsible for finding site directors and about 40 staff members for each location, as well as organizing camper registration and housing. She will also oversee the marketing and advertising of the camp.

“It’s a natural progression,” says Ackerman about becoming director of the camp. “Any athletic program needs athletic camps.” As a college coach,

Ackerman knows that summer camps help attract high school students to colleges.

Ackerman hopes that is exactly what will happen as she joins the Merestead and Sweet Briar names. In June, she will bring Merestead to Sweet Briar for the first time. Through advertising and the camp’s reputation, Ackerman expects to bring more than 200 athletes from Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and Florida to campus.

“It’s like Schwinn bikes, everyone in lacrosse and field hockey knows of it,” says Ackerman about Merestead.

The camp’s web address is: www.merestead.com.

Merestead won’t be the first athletic camp held at Sweet Briar. Van der Meer Tennis Camps have been held on campus since 1973. Soccer and lacrosse camps have also been held on campus.

“We need an indoor facility,” explains Ackerman about holding more camps on campus. There is currently room for watching video and a pool for recreation, but not enough space to continue instruction if it rains. “When people pay $300-400 per week you need somewhere to go, or people will go elsewhere.”

Ackerman, a history major at Sweet Briar, was an All-America in both field hockey and lacrosse. In 1987, she became the first SBC athlete to be named as the ODAC Player of the Year in both sports.

Ackerman returned to her alma mater in the fall of 2002 to coach field hockey and lacrosse. Just last spring, she was named ODAC Lacrosse Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 7-8 record.

Before coaching at Sweet Briar, Ackerman served as head lacrosse coach at Randolph-Macon College for seven years. There she led the lacrosse team to two ODAC titles. She received Coach of the Year honors twice while at R-MC and compiled a career record of 73-40 (646).

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

T R A N S I T I O N S

THE SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bergmann

Broomall

Detering

DeVogt

Kitchin

Martin

Self

Wyatt

New Members Kelli Bergmann ’04, A.B., Virginia Beach, VA Sweet Briar College, A.B. 2004 Paralegal Lawrence W. Broomall, Ed.D., Lexington, VA Rowan University, B.S. Ed (Math), 1964 Rowan University, M.A. Ed., 1973 Virginia Tech, Ed.D. in Ed. Administration, 1977 Retired VP of Finance & Treasurer, SBC Catherine “Kit” Newman Detering ’76, A.B., Houston, TX Sweet Briar College, A.B. 1976 Owner and Founder, Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch Linda DeVogt ’86, A.B., Roanoke, VA Sweet Briar College, A.B. 1986 Senior Account Representative, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Rachel Flynn, M.P.A., Lynchburg, VA Catholic University, B.Sc. (Architecture), 1982 Catholic University, Master of Engineering in Construction Management, 1983 Harvard University, M.P.A., 1997 Director of Community Planning & Development, City of Lynchburg, VA

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Sally Old Kitchin ’76, A.B., Virginia Beach, VA Sweet Briar College, A.B. 1976 Currie Allen Martin, Jr., D.M.D., Mobile, AL University of Alabama, B.S. 1962 University of Alabama, D.M.D. 1966 LSU-Chanity Hospital, New Orleans, LA, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residency, 1966-69 Oral surgeon, Martin, Zieman, Pfeffle D.M.D. P.C. Anne Darden Self ’80, B.A., Fort Worth, TX Sweet Briar College 1976-1978 University of Texas in Austin, B.A., History, 1980 Vice President of Human Resources, Quicksilver Resources

Flynn

Retired from the Sweet Briar College Board of Directors, June 30, 2004: Deborah Price Bowman ’82, Short Hills, NJ Leah Solivan Busque ’01, Charlestown, MA Elizabeth “Betty” Stanly Cates ’63, Vero Beach, FL Diane Dalton ’67, Milwaukee, WI Tom Jividen, Lynchburg, VA Mary Lee “Missie” McGinnis McClain ’54, Charleston, SC C. Gregg Petersmeyer, Bethesda, MD Mary Fleming “Rab” Willis Thompson ’66, The Plains, VA

Elizabeth H.S. Wyatt ’69, M.B.A., Summit, NJ Sweet Briar College, A.B. 1969 Boston University, M.Ed., 1972 Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, M.B.A., 1977 Retired Pharmaceutical Executive (Merck)

Winter 2005 • 35

T R A N S I T I O N S

THE SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION BOARD

Callaghan

Detering

Heller

Lindsey

Piper

Porter

Rangel

Yauger

Retired from the Alumnae Association Board, June 30, 2004:

New Members of the Sweet Briar Alumnae Association Board, July 1, 2004 Rushton Haskell Callaghan ’86 Executive Director, Mark Brunell Foundation Ponte Vedra Beach, FL National Reunion Giving Chair, ex officio Catherine “Kit” Newman Detering ’76 Owner & Founder, Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch Houston, TX Alumnae-Nominated Member to the Board of Directors Robin Rodger Heller ’76 Executive Director, LocalMotion Grosse Pointe Farms, MI Boxwood Circle Giving Chair, ex officio Elizabeth Lindsey ’86 Freelance Writer/Editor Nashville, TN Region VI Chair Anne Robling Percival ’88 Print Producer/Art Buyer, Work Advertising Richmond, VA Region III Chair

36 • Winter 2005

Percival

Nancy Mortensen Piper ’74 Retired Senior Professional Staff/ Chief Clerk for the Committee on Small Business U.S. House of Representatives Alexandria, VA Second Vice President, Chair of Reunion and Council Planning Ann Bruce Faircloth Porter ’86 Loan Processor, Foundation Mortgage Group Birmingham, AL Region VIII Chair

Lynne Gardner Detmer ’68, Williamsburg, VA Heather Colson Ewing ’90, Decatur, GA Beryl Bergquist Farris ’71, Atlanta, GA Amy Ghiz ’92, Barboursville, WV Rhoda J. Harris ’82, Short Hills, NJ Cecilia Moore ’88, Dayton, OH Sandra Taylor ’74, Hiram, GA Margaret Brooks “Brook” Tucker ’02, Raleigh, NC

Victoria B. Rangel ’04 Public Relations Assistant, Young Homes Riverside, CA Student Relations Chair/Member-atLarge Ann Hill Yauger ’78 CEO, The Yauger Group, International Protocol and Event Specialists, and sterling silver sales for Beverly Bremer.com Atlanta, GA Region V Chair

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Tr a n s i t i o n s

Glover

Ike

Laura G. Glover ’86 Director of Annual Giving for Reunion and Parent Programs lglover@sbc.edu 434-381-6268 Laura Glover joined the Annual Fund staff as both an alumna and a parent of a 2003 alumna. She has a lifetime’s worth of great memories from Sweet Briar, but her favorites are late nights in Babcock, Junior Banquet, and two-hour dinners in Prothro.

After SBC, Laura did graduate work in philosophy, graduated from law school, clerked for a federal judge, raised a family, and spent the last ten years working as a volunteer and serving on numerous arts and public service boards. She is thrilled to be back at Sweet Briar and to be able to bring her time and talents to serve the College she loves. She says the best parts of her job are working with Sweet Briar’s great alumnae and parents and getting to look out her office window on the spectacular campus each day.

Who could ask for more?

Laura is responsible for the coordination of the Annual Fund with particular responsibility over Reunion Giving, Boxwood Circle, Annual Fund Committees, and Parent Giving.

Cohen

Beth Ike ’96 Director of Donor Relations and Development Operations

eike@sbc.edu 434-381-6163 Beth Ike joined the Office of Development as the new Director of Donor Relations and Development Operations.

Sweet Briar has remained close to her heart after she made such amazing friends here, at the same time getting a great education—being a philosophy major was the best decision she ever made in school. She also says that the greatest lesson she took from SBC grew out of that philosophical learning – that if you put your mind to it, you can do whatever you want – that life is just waiting for you to make it happen! After Sweet Briar, Beth built an extensive background in communications, marketing, and sales before moving into development. She came to us from UVA, where she was a Senior Donor Relations Coordinator, responsible for creating, implementing, and managing a strategic cultivation, recognition, and stewardship plan dedicated to the realization of the University’s $3 billion comprehensive campaign. Beth says that the aspect of her job that she is enjoying the most are the events that take her around the country to meet with fellow alumnae and friends of the College; she looks forward to getting to know more and more of them!

Beth oversees stewardship activities (including gift processing, acknowledgment, and other methods of recognition), endowment reporting, The Honor Roll of Donors, events, and database management.

Chris Cohen Webmaster in College Relations Office The Office of College Relations welcomed Chris Cohen as webmaster in January 2004.

Chris had served as interim webmaster for several weeks and brings almost 10 years of experience in Web design and development to Sweet Briar.

Chris has been active in a variety of Web-related and graphics design projects in recent years, developing cutting-edge sites for Stanford University, University of California at San Francisco, and the UC System California Digital Library. He was head UI (user interface) designer/ information architect on projects for entities including AOL, SGI, Bank of America, Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, E*Offering, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and K-mart, among many others.

“I’ve been doing Web design for as long as there has been such a thing,” Chris said. “In that time I’ve learned valuable lessons about the purposes and power of the Internet, as well as its shortcomings.”

A graduate of Yale University in 1993 with a B.A. degree in painting/printmaking, Chris is a native of Montana. He and his wife Amy and their three young children—two boys, Spencer and Leo, and baby girl Helen—live in Lynchburg. When not working with the Web, Chris enjoys playing guitar and is a member of the Lynchburg Art Club.

“We’re thrilled to have someone as creative, technically knowledgeable, and personable as Chris on our new College Relations team,” said Dr. Linda Shank, who oversees the Office of College Relations.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Winter 2005 • 37

T R A N S I T I O N S

Lucy

Witherow

Joan Lucy Assistant Director, Career Services Center Joan Lucy has a new position as Assistant Director of the Career Services Center, which is part of the Division of CoCurricular Life. Joan moved to Career Services after four years in the Alumnae Office where, as Assistant Director, she worked collaboratively with Sweet Briar alumnae, students, faculty, CoCurricular Life and College administrators. In her new position, Joan works with the staff and campus community to develop the Career Services internship program and share responsibilities for career counseling and planning Career Services events.

A 1988 graduate of UVA with a B.A. degree in anthropology, Joan received her M.Ed. in School Counseling from the University of Virginia in 1993 and her National Counselor Certification in 1994.

She brings to Career Services a wealth of professional and extensive community experiences.

Before coming to Sweet Briar, she worked in a variety of positions in education and the nonprofit sector: director of Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, a local nonprofit group working with children of all ages and backgrounds in an outdoor environment, where she still volunteers and is instructor of the Ropes and Challenge Course; elementary school counselor; director of several creative learning summer and after-school enrichment programs for elementary schoolchildren; and at the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center where she designed and implemented a therapeutic play program for outpatients and families. All of Joan’s activities are enhanced by her love of animals and 38 • Winter 2005

Davies enthusiasm for the outdoors.

Joan and husband Tony live in Madison Heights with their two dogs, Barkley and Digger and Cecil the cat. Joan’s stepson (Tony’s son) Wil, 25, lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

Melissa “Missy” Gentry Witherow ’80 Assistant Director of the Alumnae Association Missy Gentry Witherow ’80 joined the staff of the Alumnae Office as Assistant Director on September 1, 2004.

She replaced Joan Lucy when Joan accepted a position in Career Services.

A longstanding member of the Sweet Briar community, Missy had previously served on the Sweet Briar Alumnae Association Board in the positions of Nominating Chair, National Reunion Giving Chair and Region Chair. She was also a member of the College’s Centennial Commission, and following her graduation, fulfilled a two-year term on the College Board of Directors.

Missy’s broad-based background spans event planning, marketing, fundraising, relationship building and team/ community leadership. She has worked as a Legal Assistant; served as Vice Mayor and Member of the Town Council and Planning Commission in Madison, VA; and has been an active volunteer with the Junior League, General Federation of Woman’s Clubs and Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Missy graduated from SBC with an A.B., majoring in International Affairs. She also studied Art History/French Studies on the Hollins College Abroad Program in Paris.

Missy and her husband, Lee, have two daughters, Somer, 10 and Wallace, 8.

Paul T. Davies Vice President for Finance and Administration Paul Davies joined SBC as Vice President for Finance and Administration, July 1, 2004.

Paul came from Duke University, where he was on the staff in various capacities since 1987, most recently as Director of Finance for Auxiliary Services, having previously worked for the Department of Medicine and the Internal Audit Department. Prior to Duke, he spent four years in public accounting and two years at Blue Cross of Texas. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Paul is a Certified Public Accountant. Although he has spent most of his professional life in finance, in his position in Auxiliary Services at Duke he had the opportunity to work with everything from dining services, stores, housekeeping, housing and parking to information systems.

Accustomed to overseeing budgets of $100 million, he has nevertheless distinguished himself as entrepreneurial in the best sense of the word: he developed approaches to auxiliary services that yielded very significant savings to Duke, and earned the respect of students, faculty, and staff as well as outside contractors.

Paul and his wife Karen live in Lynchburg with their three children: Brian (age 9, fourth grade), Shelby (12, in middle school), and Robyn (14, a freshman in high school). When not around Sweet Briar, Paul and Karen can be found following their children on the soccer field or hiking in the Lynchburg area with their dog Sunny.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

In Memoriam the 1967 Sears Roebuck Foundation I remember so well her taking me under Alumni Administration Award and the her wing as a recent graduate, letting me AAC’s Alumni Administration Award for work in the development and alumnae Excellence. offices, and taking me with her to “As vice president, she successfully conferences (where I did notice, at least carried Sweet Briar’s $10 million 75th in the south, that she seemed to be the Anniversary Capital Campaign to a only woman in the room when all the total of $11.2 million, achieved in large “important” VP boys gathered to gab). It part by a record-breaking 64 percent was just at the time when the American participation rate among Sweet Briar’s Alumni Council and the organization alumnae.” of public relations professionals were After retirement, she was an abiding coming together (often not in the best volunteer for Sweet Briar for more than of moods) to form what is now CASE 20 years, putting her considerable talents [Council for Advancement and Support to work on the College’s behalf. She of Education]. served as a member of the Centennial She was a moving force behind Commission, planning for the College’s the effort that led to the establishment Centennial Celebration in 2001. During of CASE, an organization that has the Campaign for Sweet Briar College provided conferences and professional in the early ’90s, she served on the development to thousands of president’s Campaign Advisory Council development, alumni, and public and was co-chair of the Lynchburg relations officers for almost 30 years.

Community Campaign. A tireless class She was a legend to us all during her fund agent, she also founded, together time at Sweet Briar, and a splendid with the late Nancy Dowd Burton ’46 mentor and friend. and Gladys Wester Horton ’30, the Boxwood Circle and initiated its Sweet Briar Boxwood Circle Committee. She coCollege Dean chaired the Reunion Gifts Committee Emerita Catherine for 1934’s 55th Reunion. She was a Strateman Sims member of the Williams Associates Boman and strong supporter of Friends of the With sorrow we Library. report the death Always thinking of the future, she of Dean Emerita gave to her alma mater a lifetime of Catherine Sims both practical, material support and Boman, Dean personal devotion, approaching each and Professor undertaking with grace, wit, and good of History and humor. We are grateful for her careful Catherine Sims Boman Political Science stewardship. at Sweet Briar from 1965-1974.

(See Ed’s note: In addition to her Alumnae Magazine Centennial Issue daughters and son, Elizabeth Wood is 2001, p. 115, “A Very Good Time: Dean survived by seven grandchildren and Sims Remembers 1965-1974.”) seven great-grandchildren.

Following are excerpts from the obituary carried in the September 20, Kathleen Kavanagh ’74 Remembers 2004 Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Elizabeth Wood: Mrs. John Harris Boman, Jr. (Dr. “A legend to us all and a splendid Catherine Sims Boman) died September mentor and friend.”

15, 2004. Born in White Plains, New York, she was the daughter of Mr. and I was so sorry to hear about Jackie’s Mrs. Emil Strateman. She married Roff death. She was the first person to hire Sims, Jr. of Atlanta in 1939. Mr. Sims, me and one of the reasons why it never an Atlanta banker, died in 1988. In 1997 occurred to me that women didn’t ask she married John Harris Boman, Jr., an for gifts and didn’t turn out to be Vice Atlanta attorney who died in 2001.

Presidents for Development.

A graduate of Barnard College,

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

Photo: Catherine Sims Boman, 1967 Briar Patch

Elizabeth Bond Wood ’34 Sadly, Sweet Briar has lost a longtime, devoted family member.

Elizabeth “Jackie” Bond Wood died August 21, 2004 Elizabeth Bond Wood at age 90. Wellknown and loved by countless alumnae and friends of the College through her long association with SBC’s Alumnae and Development Offices, her nurturing interest and enduring dedication will be sorely missed but gratefully remembered.

An English major at Sweet Briar, she earned honors at graduation. After some years working in investments and, with her late husband Ernest, raising their two daughters, Elizabeth Wood Hancock ’63, Katherine Wood Clarke ’65, and son, Ernest Merton Wood III, she began working for Sweet Briar in 1955 as executive secretary (a position now titled director) of the Alumnae Association and editor of the Alumnae Magazine.

She retired in 1979 as vice president for development and public relations.

Upon her retirement, the national Council for Development and Support of Education (CASE) presented her with the “Distinguished Service to Education” award. The following quote from the letter nominating her for that award chronicles some of her many noteworthy achievements: “…Mrs. Wood has risen to a level in her profession achieved by very few women of her generation.

“As a longtime member of the American Alumni Council (AAC) and later of CASE, a member of the board of directors of the AAC, a founder and member of the board of directors of Editorial Projects for Education, she was one of the pioneers in the emerging field of institutional relations. “…she developed an outstanding alumnae giving program that five times won the AAC/US Steel Alumni Giving Incentive Award, with one first place for sustained performance among women’s colleges. Among other awards were

Winter 2005 • 39

40 • Winter 2005

in the 1950s, and as Vice Chairman of the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars, also under the Fulbright program, in the 1970s. She was a member of the Atlanta Historical Society, the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta Symphony and the Atlanta Branch-English-Speaking Union, and a communicant of The Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta.

Dorothy J. Sales, 1924-2004 It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Mrs. Dorothy J. Sales on Tuesday, November 9, 2004.

Dorothy was employed by the College for 48 years, working in the Book Shop every one of those years, from 1945-1994. She outlasted four managers and, according to many, was the driving force behind the Book Shop.

Dorothy was made an honorary member of the graduating class of 1994, the year she retired from the College. The Virginia College Store Association also recognized her in 1988 as its Employee of the Year. “She could carry on conversations with all professors, staff, and students, delighting them with her wisdom and warm sense of humor,” said Rebecca Page Baker’94, a co-worker and Turning Point alumna. Roscoe Fitts, manager of the Book Shop from 1973 to 2002, noted, “Returning alumnae would always ask for Dorothy.”

She was born on the campus, in the old slave quarters, now called The Sweet Briar Tool Museum. Her father helped fire the bricks and build the first buildings on the new campus. The Centennial Issue of the Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine stated, “Dorothy’s long-standing connection to the College is rivaled perhaps only by that of the founding family.” She was one of 22 Centennial Award honorees.

Photo © David Abrams

she received the Ph.D. in History from Columbia University and the Honorary Litt. D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. After her graduation from Barnard, she enrolled at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. She made extensive use of books and manuscripts in the collections of the British Museum.

She was a member of several scholarly and professional societies and the author of two books and a number of published articles in the field of British parliamentary history.

Formerly a member of the teaching faculties of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro and Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, she served as Vice President and Dean of the American College for Girls in Istanbul, Turkey; Dean of Sweet Briar College; and Interim Dean of Agnes Scott College.

For 18 years she was a member of the Senate of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and was President of the Society in 1982-1985.

As a longtime writer, she used the names of Catherine Strateman and Catherine S. Sims. After her retirement as an institutional educator and administrator, she continued as a frequent lecturer for interested groups of men and women on current, international, and historical subjects. She served on the governing boards of the Atlanta YWCA, the Legal Aid Society, the Visiting Nurse Association, and the Metropolitan Atlanta United Way, acting as Chairman of the Budget Committee of the United Way in 1958-9. She was twice named an Atlanta Woman of the Year, in Education in 1946 and in Civic Service in 1958. Interested in international affairs, she served as Chairman of the Selection Committee for Fulbright student grants to the United Kingdom

Dorothy J. Sales

The Education Department, Honors Center, and Computer Services building was named after her just one year ago, in November 2003. At the dedication of “The Dorothy J. Sales Building,” Sweet Briar President Elisabeth Muhlenfeld remarked, “Dorothy was an icon to faculty, students, staff and alumnae…Naming this building for her immortalizes a woman who came to Sweet Briar with little more than a strong work ethic and left 48 years later with the love and admiration of so many individuals whose lives she touched.

She embodies the values inculcated in the Education and Honors Programs and personifies the customer service priority of Computer Services. Every function that now occurs in the building can relate to one or more of the positive attributes remembered fondly and associated with Dorothy J. Sales.

Dorothy is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two sisters; one brother; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu

In the Sweet Briar Tradition The Rare and Special Role of the

Boxwood Circle Giving Program Sweet Briar College is distinguished in her history, her traditions, the quality of her liberal arts education for women, the unparalleled beauty of her campus, and for her remarkable alumnae. Maintaining and enhancing this special combination of attributes has required unparalleled generosity from our most devoted friends.

Leadership giving is vital to the College, and for generations the Boxwood Circle Giving Program, which concentrates on raising unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund, has answered this call.

In the 1959-1960 academic year, Gladys Wester Horton ’30, Elizabeth Bond Wood ’34, and Nancy Dowd Burton ’46 together decided they wanted to raise alumnae giving to a new level. Elizabeth looked out at the splendid circle of boxwoods in front of Sweet Briar House and counted 31 magnificent giants.

Elizabeth, Gladys, and Nancy made it their goal that year to find 31 alumnae who would each contribute $1,000 or more to Sweet Briar College. As expected, they met their goal.

Over the next 42 years, the Boxwood Circle giving society grew to include levels of $5,000 and $10,000, now the Fountain Society and Column Society, respectively.

Thanks to the leadership of those such as Gladys, Elizabeth, and Nancy, the Boxwood Circle flourished. Many other dedicated alumnae leaders have supported leadership giving at Sweet Briar, including Betty Doucett Neill ’41, who guided the Boxwood Circle for 16 years.

To keep up with inflation and the increasing costs of education, the Boxwood Circle was restructured in 2003 and now honors donors who give $2,500 or more to the College in a fiscal year. These gifts may be cumulative and include gifts to Friends funds and corporate matching gifts.

In the 2004-2005 academic year, the Boxwood Circle leadership is in the capable hands of Robin Rodger Heller ’76, who is the Boxwood Circle Giving Chair. Just as Elizabeth, Gladys, and Nancy aspired to secure the commitment of 31 supporters, Robin is excited by the challenge of expanding the Boxwood Circle to 350 members. With your help, we will meet this goal.

In addition, the Boxwood Circle will be enhanced this year by new initiatives and programs designed to forge an even stronger connection between Boxwood Circle members and the College and to demonstrate Sweet Briar’s deep appreciation for alumnae supporting the College through leadership giving. Through these new initiatives, Boxwood Circle members will receive periodic updates on news and events at Sweet Briar and will also receive invitations to events on campus scheduled exclusively for Boxwood Circle members.

Giving to Sweet Briar at a leadership level is very rewarding. Nothing is greater than the joy that comes from giving and knowing that your gift will benefit a place that you love and programs that you know will leave a positive and lasting legacy throughout generations.

Remember also that Annual Fund gifts count toward the $102 million goal of Our Campaign For Her World. This ambitious campaign has been highly successful and has already raised more than $83 million in support of the College; however, your help is needed to reach our goal within the next twelve months.

“I give to Sweet Briar because I am thankful for the quality of the education and the strength of the relationships my time at Sweet Briar gave me. I give to Sweet Briar because I am proud of the quality of the current students and the excellence of the programs at Sweet Briar today. And I give to Sweet Briar because I am excited to be a part of the dynamic future that Sweet Briar is charting,” says Heller.

This is an exciting time in the life of the College and leadership giving provides a wonderful opportunity to be a part of maintaining Sweet Briar well into its second century and beyond. By joining the Boxwood Circle you will be ensuring an everevolving, vibrant, and excellent seat of higher learning for women today.

“I give to Sweet Briar because I am thankful for the quality of the education and the strength of the relationships my time at Sweet Briar gave me. I give to Sweet Briar because I am proud of the quality of the current students and the excellence of the programs at Sweet Briar today. And I give to Sweet Briar because I am excited to be a part of the dynamic future that Sweet Briar is charting.”

—Robin Rodger Heller ’76 Boxwood Circle Giving Chair

Leadership from Boxwood Circle Committee members is equally vital to the success of the Boxwood Circle Giving program in supporting Sweet Briar College.

Boxwood Circle Committee: Robin Rodger Heller ’76, Chair Mary Fran Brown Ballard ’49 Ethel Ogden Burwell ’58 Shannon Wood Bush ’87 Ann Arnspiger Canipe ’69 Nannette McBurney Crowdus ’57 Lynne Gardner Detmer ’68 Shapleigh Donnelly LaPointe ’86 Beryl Bergquist Farris ’71 M. Carter Frackelton ’72 Rhoda Harris ’82 Martha Holland ’72 Sally Old Kitchin ’76 Ann Stuart McKie Kling ’74 Jo Ann Soderquist Kramer ’64 Lisa Wray Longino ’78 Kathy Garcia Pegues ’71 Sandra Stingily Simpson ’57 Jane Fitzgerald Treherne-Thomas ’57 Florence Barclay Winston ’57

S W E E T

B R I A R

A L U M N A E

T R A V E L January 18-29, 2005 President’s Trip: Gardens of the Caribbean Aboard Sea Cloud II February 26-March 7, 2005 Alumni College in Sicily during the Cultural Season Sold out.

June 22-30, 2005 Alumni College in Krakow November 29-December 7, 2005 Germany’s Legendary Holiday Markets Canadian Rockies

Flo Barclay Winston’57 and family members on Sweet Briar’s tour, “The Canadian Rockies: A Family Learning Adventure,” July 18-25, 2004: Left to right: Flo Barclay Winston ’57, Tracy Winston, Miller Winston, Watts Winston, Tracy Winston, Bob Winston, Spencer Winston, Charles Winston, Marion Winston.

Paris

On the Sweet Briar tour, “Paris: In the Footsteps of the Founding Fathers,” May 19-27, 2004: At the Chateau de Rochambeau, left to right: Guest lecturer SB Professor Stephen Bragaw, Elsie Landram Layton’50, Margaret Towers Talman’49, Patricia Lodewick’57, Anthony and Joan Churchill (parents of Elizabeth’05), Comte de Rochambeau, James Shoemaker, Comtesse de Rochambeau, Elisabeth Sartor Harden’68, Polly Plummer Mackie’49, Carla de Creny Freed’51, Polly Sloan Shoemaker’53.

Sweet Briar College Box E Sweet Briar, VA 24595.

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Tuscany

On the Sweet Briar tour to Tuscany, August 4-12, 2004, the group is pictured at the winery in Montalcino.

Left to right: Jean Lindsay de Streel ’58, Judith Jones, Scott Fegan, Mary Jo Winokur, Karen Cassard JYF ’48-’49, Tanya Nichols, Suzanne Stryker Ullrich ’78 (back row), Catherine Kozody, Rick Ullrich, Barbara Fegan, Melinda Koester Pendino ’69, Susan Williams ’68, Jack Cantile, Ginny deBuys ’64, Anne Cantile, Jane Warner Williams ’47, John Aiken, Margaret Redfern ’47, Mary Frances Oakey Aiken ’71, Melissa Coffey ’98.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Sweet Briar College