If you are an alumna/i who has attended Reunion, you’ve seen the little note in the margin of your information packet that reads “Alumnae/i Authors: Shelve Your Published Works!” There are many Mary Baldwin graduates who took notice, and their books round out the collection at Martha S. Grafton Library. Although we are not sure how many were specifically donated at Reunion, the library counts more than 150 books and hundreds of articles and shorter works by alumnae/i on its shelves.
Appearing in the collection is a book by Ethel Born ’91, the most recent graduate to have a volumes in the collection (By My SpiritandA Tangled Web), and Willie Walker Caldwell, Class of 1877, whose bookStonewall Jim: A Biography of James A. Walker, C.S.Awhich makes her most likely the earliest graduate to have a work in the library. Several local historical accounts in books and articles by Jane “Douglas” Summers Brown ’23
— recently interviewed as one of the college’s oldest living alumnae — also grace the collection. The shelves feature the poetry of Jan Bailey ’88, the recipe collection of Marion Hornsby Bowditch ’42, plays by Nancy Wallace Henderson ’36, books in foreign languages by Nichols Fox ’64 (Japanese) and Irma Salinas Rocha ’43 (Spanish), and health and wellness by Nancy Hull ’64, to name just a few.
This is a year for Reunion firsts (more below). Will it be the first year you consider donating your published work to Grafton Library, joining alumnae/i authors such as Ann Field Alexander ’66 and Julia Brooke Ballard ’25? Please mail your works or bring them with you to campus. Read on for more 2007 Reunion firsts, and visit the online Reunion site at go.marybaldwin.edu/reunion for more details, including a full schedule.
Reminder: Register for Reunion today! Register here
A Special Day to Kick Off the 50th Reunion
The Grafton Society was established years ago to give special recognition to the elite group of alumnae who graduated at least 50 years ago. Before they officially become members of the Grafton Society, members of the Class of 1957 are invited to several events just for them. On Thursday, March 29, participants can celebrate the last half-century at a luncheon at the President’s House and hear how the college’s vocal music tradition has been carried on in a concert featuring Madrigals, Anointed Voices of Praise, and Baldwin Charm. Then it’s off campus (just a little bit) to a Staunton landmark, The Dixie Theater, for a members-only showing ofWitness for the Prosecution, and back to Mary Baldwin for tea with student leaders.
Class Leadership Elections
You’ve become familiar with lining up and grinning for your class photo, and this year you’ll have even more time with classmates as you make Mary Baldwin University history by electing your alumnae/i class officers and taking care of other class business, which is included as part of Reunion for the first time. Class Leadership, introduced in 2006 as a new aspect of alumnae/i involvement, is primarily responsible for engaging and uniting the class through Reunion and mini-reunions. If you would like to play a role in this new venture, please contact Jennifer Brilhart Kibler ’91 by calling 800-763-7359 or e-mailing jbkibler@marybaldwin.edu.
Sarah Small Memorial and Scarf Project
The Class of 2002 will be missing one vibrant and dedicated member when it celebrates its five-year reunion this spring. First Lieutenant Sarah K. Small died while serving her country in Egypt in 2005, but her classmates have created a legacy in her name that will have a presence during Reunion weekend. More than 100 orders have already been taken for the Sarah Scarf Project, through which participants receive a one-of-a-kind scarf with Sarah’s signature and make a donation to a scholarship fund that will be established in her memory. Orders that have already been made will be ready for pick up at Reunion, and additional orders will be taken that weekend, said Meredith Carrington, vice president of 2002 reunion leadership and a friend of Sarah’s. The first printed scarf will be dedicated to Sarah’s parents during Reunion. For more information about the project or to request a scarf, please contact mbc2002reunion@marybaldwin.edu.
“I have received orders from very recent alumna to folks that graduated from the Class of 1951. Orders have come in from all over the country, as well as some foreign countries. Many supporters did not even know Sarah Small personally, but expressed their written support for this project when sending in their orders,” Carrington said.