WESTRIDGE SCHOOL BAL CON Y
History DJ.indd 1
FRAN NORRIS SCOBLE
A C E N T E N N I A L H I S TO RY
Fran Norris Scoble Retired Head of School and Centennial Chair
SCOBLE
Eudora Welty once wrote, “One place understood helps us understand all places better.” This was from a woman who lived her entire life in Jackson, Mississippi, a place that served as inspiration for her best-known works. Her words help explain the meaning for me of this project: writing the 100-year history of Westridge. In the course of my research into the life of Mary Lowther Ranney and the unfolding growth and evolution of the school she founded, I came to new understandings of a place where I had already spent some of the best years of my adult life and that I thought I knew through and through. Understanding this particular place better has, as Miss Welty suggests, broadened my understanding of the organic, self-forming lives of all healthy organizations. When Mary Ranney opened the doors of Westridge on October 1, 1913, she could not have known what it would become. No matter. She brought to the project of starting the school a well-formed philosophy of what constitutes an excellent and useful education for young women; a pitchperfect sense of place as she chose the location at 324 Madeline Drive (an address that sings with its own music), and an architectural aesthetic that holds a magnetic power for all who have studied and worked at Westridge over 10 decades. Understanding deepens appreciation. I hope that reading this history will increase the reader’s understanding, deepen the reader’s appreciation, and inspire readers to value this singular, remarkable institution.
The Westridge Centennial is more than a milestone. Unlike a birthday marking the simple passage of time, the 100-year anniversary of an institution is a major accomplishment for countless people, rooted in a vibrant vision carried forward with passion and determination, decade after decade. Sir Isaac Newton, referencing a quote originally attributed to 12th century philosopher Bernard of Chartres, said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Westridge endures today, one century strong, because of those who came before us, each generation paving the way for the next—leaders carrying forward a purpose to educate girls as dynamic learners with conviction, drive, and creativity, who will continually redefine the roles of women in the world. The Westridge School flower—the Cecile Brunner climbing rose that is long-lasting and has an extensive root system—was presciently selected by our founder, Mary Lowther Ranney. The school is deeply grounded in her vision and ideals, and through the years has been nurtured to grow in ways that a woman in 1913 America would have never dreamed. As we climb, we strive to reach new heights of educational achievement, to explore innovative paradigms of teaching and learning, and ultimately to continue the work of educating young women who are committed to excellence and goodness in everything they do. I am humbled to be the head of Westridge School as we reflect on 100 years of history and change. It is an honor and a privilege to be part of the Westridge journey into the next century! Elizabeth J. McGregor Head of School
Westridge School A C E N T E N N I A L H I S TO RY
4/26/14 10:25 AM