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WCAA Inc. Western College Alumnae Association Inc.
Ways We Connect with You.. Fall Bulletin Annual Fund Reunion Weekend Spring Bulletin Digital Newsletters
SEND YOUR NEWS TO Debbie Baker wcaa@miamioh.edu
Is Virtual Still Here? Are we really back to the sane world of shopping, traveling, eating at restaurants…without wearing a mask? We certainly are planning on it. Like everyone else, we have all learned to ‘adapt’. Zoom and Facetime have become part of our vocabulary even if we don’t like it. BUT…Stay strong…stay safe…stay healthy. We are planning our Reunion 2022 in person and we want you to join us again on campus. Please save the dates for the weekend of June 10th!
Connect with Alumnae… Alumnae/i Weekend June 10-12, 2022
Join us on campus!
Visited our Facebook Page? Have you ever visited the WCAA Facebook page? Reconnect with alums, see pictures from classmates when they were at Western, chat with Helen Peabody. https://www.facebook.com/groups/39 8273031832/
WCAA INC. NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2021-22
Training for Freedom Documentary to be Released A Western exclusive premiere of the documentary, Training for Freedom: How Ordinary People In An Unusual Time & Unlikely Place Made Extraordinary History, was held on campus during Alumnae Weekend 2019. We are happy to report that soon, the entire world will have the opportunity to view the film! Directed by former Miami faculty member Kathy Conkwright and produced by the Miami department of media, journalism & film, this new documentary tells the story of the students and civil rights workers who trained at the Western College for Women during the summer of 1964. The film features footage and photos of the training in 1964. The recent interviews were conducted on the Western campus and include Janet Smith Dickerson Stephens ’65. The documentary will premiere first on the Western Reserve PBS station in the Cleveland area, February 14. Following the premiere, the documentary will be available through streaming to anyone with internet access at: https://www.pbswesternreserve.org/. We will keep you apprised of future release dates in other markets or nationally. Image above: June 1964, M351 Herbert Randall Freedom Summer Photographs, Historical Manuscripts, The University of Southern Mississippi.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Honoring the Legacy Virtual Event held January 17
View the program featuring Miami faculty, staff, and students; Oxford community members, and Training for Freedom documentary trailer presented by Richard Campbell and Jacky Johnson. Sponsored by: Office of the President, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion in collaboration with the City of Oxford and NAACP Oxford Chapter. 2
WCAA INC. NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2021-22
2022 Western Alumnae/i Weekend June 10-12 – on the Western Campus Whether you attended Western College for one, two, or all four years, the experience is eternally imprinted on your psyche. You are “forever Western.” Our love for this college continues through our Alumnae Association even though the school no longer exists. We are unique. With that in mind, you are invited to Celebrate the Uniqueness of Western College: Stories Through the Decades with your classmates and fellow Westerners on campus in June 2022. Classes ending in 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7! We have some catching up to do! Come celebrate your special anniversaries, on campus! Let’s see which class wins the Peabody Cup Challenge by having the most members on campus. You can do it! All — and we mean all — other classes are encouraged to come and enjoy the festivities simply because you can. For the 2022 reunion we are also extending a special invitation to a unique group: the “Unfinished Classes” of ’75, ’76, and ’77. If you entered the college in the fall of 1971, 1972, or 1973, we especially want to welcome you. Your abbreviated time here was enough to infuse you with the Spirit of Western. We look forward to embracing you at this reunion and hearing your unique stories. We are excited to have this actual gathering on our beautiful campus once again and hope many of you will welcome an excuse to reunite at Western. For those who cannot be here, we will offer some activities for your participation on Zoom. Mark your calendars — we are ba-a-ack! Join us on campus, June 10-12. Watch for more details coming soon.
Western campus residence hall to be renamed in honor of
Dr. Herrick B. Young GREAT NEWS! The Miami University Board of Trustees has accepted the recommendation of the university Naming Committee to rename the Beechwoods Residence Hall on the Western Campus in honor of Dr. Herrick B. Young! Your Board of Trustees could not be prouder to share this news with you. A dedication program with special guests will be held during Alumnae Weekend on Saturday, June 11. Details to follow…
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WCAA INC. NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2021-22
Western College Legacy Seminars We are thrilled to announce the inaugural Western College Legacy Seminar to be held on March 8. The series will connect members of the campus and community with external experts to explore humanity’s most pressing challenges. Thank you for your continued support of this endowment fund which honors the inspirational legacy of Western. With your support, we are nearing our goal, but we still have work to do. To make a gift, visit our secure giving page.
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WCAA INC. NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2021-22
WCAA Scholarship Recipients
Zackary Shaffer ’22
Chloe Thach ’22
During my time at Miami, I have come to realize the value of community service and the importance it can have on others’ lives. After my mother had passed in 2018 from cancer, I wanted to help those who are going through the same pain I had to face. This is what drove me to join Colleges Against Cancer so I can make some difference in this world. Being a senior, and preparing for graduation in May, I have come to develop a deeper appreciation for my efforts in my studies at Miami and have been much more appreciative of what the Western Program has offered to me. I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. Besides my older sister, I am the only person in my family that has graduated from college. Paying for my education has been a struggle, but because of what you have provided me, my education has been more attainable. For that, I am truly thankful!
I am the oldest of four daughters and the first in my family to go to college right out of high school. I am trying to pay for school tuition independently in order to take some of the financial load off of my parents. That being said, I am very grateful for any financial assistance that comes my way. However, I am particularly honored to receive the Western Marguerite Smith Scholarship … as it is in conjunction with the Western College. I feel very proud to have received the award among such a diverse group of students with unique interests. My ultimate goal is to serve in the medical field by contributing research and specifically aid people who have addictive disorders. In order to achieve my goals, I am majoring in biology and neuroscience to gain scientific background for research. I am also majoring in public health so I can gain insight to the policy and epidemiology work that goes into the medical field. Finally, I am majoring in Individualized Studies so that I can pull all my ideas together to help realize my dream career.
Miami’s Virtual Winter College Save the date: February 25-26 Western alumnae/i have enjoyed participating in Winter College at various locations for many years! Now, ALL Westerners can participate in the virtual Winter College, anywhere - all you need is a laptop, tablet, or phone. With thought-provoking courses and unique educational experiences, Winter College has lots to offer. Watch for the 2022 course schedule or view some of the 2021 presentations here. 5
WCAA INC NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2021-22
We Value Your Input! Your WCAA Board of Directors has been working on behalf of all graduates of Western College, the Western College Program, and Western 2. We remain faithful to our roots and want our legacy to continue on as we meld into Miami University in June 2024.
A recent inquiry from Ann Ferguson Zeigler ’59 led us on a quest to locate a digital version of the Life Magazine article regarding the muumuu craze at Western. We found it! See page 117.
Fall Issue email from Mieke Van Waveren Smit ’54: “I just loved the Fall pictures of the campus and I must say, that first fall in 1951 is still alive and well in my memories. Also, my first Thanksgiving in Canton, Ohio. I communicated with a friend who took me home with her and how her family adopted me. We are still good close friends after 70 years. I had to laugh at the Dutch cookies recipe. It’s been a long time since I made those. Enjoy the weeks ahead and have a wonderful holiday season.
[Thanks for sharing…we love hearing from all. Please send your comments.]
Western College Alumnae Association, Inc.
Your WCAA Board Fran Hoffman, ’65, President Ann Walton, ’66, 1st VP Hazel Williams Drew, ’66, 2nd VP Susan Blake, ’68, Secretary Sylvia Stanfield, ’65, Nominating Chair Addison, Sharry Patterson, ’61 Albukerk, Lynne Drucker, ’64 Coates, Pamela Watts, ’70 Cowden, Christine, ’75 Dickerson Stephens, Janet Smith ’65
325 S. Patterson Avenue • Oxford, OH 45056
We are strong. We are gifted. We are giving. Cheers to your current Board of Trustees! Harrison, Elizabeth Jacobs, ’65 Henderson, Judith Dudman, ’62 May, Suzanne Lutz, ’66 Moranda, Christine, ’74 Pagano, Ann ’74 Peabody, Cecelia, ’68 Ryder, Loretta, ’63 Weissenborn, Anne Adkins, ’61 Wentz, Barbara Williamson, ’68 Wilkinson, Pheetta ’76