Connect. Contemplate. Celebrate.

At Reunion 2010: June 4 - 6!

Close to 450 alumnae and friends came home to Hollins to reminisce with old friends, explore Hollins today, and celebrate the connections that we all share.

 

Highlights

• Attendees - 446 alumnae and friends, from the classes of 1945 to 2013!
• NEW: Online Photo Store - remember, a complimentary class photo will be mailed to each alumna who attended.
• Photo Gallery
• Award Winners - Distinguished Alumnae, Rath Award, Bain Award
• Class Giving Awards - Record breakers!
• Special Events
• Largest class in attendance: 1960 and 1985 tied with 48 attendees each
• 25th Reunion remarks given by Michelle DeRussy Dodenhoff '85
• 50th Reunion remarks given by Buffy Seydel Morgan '60
• Get in touch with your "inner old lady" (or inner 21-year-old) - Honor Guard luncheon remarks by Betsy Forsythe Hailey '60
• Mother and daughter: Bette Lynn Corns Yancey '60 and daughter Beth Yancey '85 celebrated their 50th and 25th Reunions!
• Juergen Fleck, professor of economics, celebrated HIS 25th Reunion at Hollins. Professor Fleck has not missed a SINGLE alumnae reunion since he began working at Hollins in 1984!
• Carillon concert: alumnae enjoyed the harmonious chimes of the chapel bells, including "The Green and the Gold," as played by Ryan Hebert, Director of Choral Activities at Longwood University.
• "Please Hold the Microbes in My Soda Fountain Drink!" Renee Godard, professor of biology and director of environmental studies, discussed the research done by biology faculty and students into bacterial contamination from soda fountain machines, which has received widespread coverage from broadcast and Web-based media throughout the U.S. and internationally.

 

Alumnae & Faculty Author Fair and Readings

For more than 50 years Hollins has been a powerhouse in turning out successful, accomplished authors. Reunion 2010 celebrated the golden anniversary of this hallmark program with a creative writing workshop led by Thorpe Moeckel, assistant professor of English, followed by an alumnae and faculty author fair and an open mike reading by alumnae/i. Professor of English Cathy Hankla ’80, MA ’82 led the open mike session.

 

Celebrating Eleanor "Siddy" Wilson's Gifts to Hollins and its Museum

Eleanor Delaney "Siddy" Wilson '30 graduated from Hollins in 1930 with a degree in chemistry, and went on to become a Tony-nominated actress and a widely exhibited abstract painter. Siddy's two great loves, Hollins and art, came together in 2004 with the opening of the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center and Eleanor D. Wilson Museum.

To honor Siddy in her 80th reunion year, the Wilson Museum is showcasing an extensive archive of her documents, photographs, journals, writings, and artwork - some that were given and others loaned to the Museum in 2008 by the executors of her estate. A lecture by Amy Moorefield, director of the museum, and Bill White, professor of art, explored Siddy's transformative contributions to Hollins.

 

Bill White: Painter of Color and Light

Since he joined the Hollins community in 1971, Professor of Art Bill White has inspired generations of Hollins women to see painting as an act of discovery. He has been called a painter who understands "the expressive potential of oil paint." White is a recipient of Hollins' Herta Freitag Faculty Award and the Distinguished Service Award for his dedication to his students, colleagues, and profession. He was instrumental in the planning and creation of the Wetherill Visual Arts Center, working with Siddy Wilson for over a decade.

Upon his retirement this year, Reunion 2010 celebrated White’s many accomplishments. In addition, Hollins is pleased to announce a new fund with a goal of $50,000 to endow the William G. White Endowed Fund for Studio Art. This endowment seeks to honor White's legacy by creating a fund to bring regional and national artists to Hollins for short periods of time to present lectures, conduct workshops, and meet with students.

 

Hollins Women Making History: Alumnae Panel

Distinguished alumnae from a variety of backgrounds discussed how their Hollins experience enabled them to reach for their dreams. The panel was moderated by Anna Logan Lawson ('65, M.A. '70 Hollins; Ph.D. UVA), former chair of the Hollins Board of Trustees, who is a trustee and immediate past chair of the Virginia chapter of the Nature Conservancy and a board member of the Virginia Historical Society and the Virginia Environmental Endowment.

Panelists: Flo Neher Traywick '45, Caroline Arnold Davis '60, Shannon Ravenel '60, Anna Logan Lawson '65, Carol Semple Thompson '70, and Elizabeth Brownlee Kolmstetter '85.

 

Distinguished Alumnae Award

Betsy McSpadden Bennett '65, Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey '60, Elizabeth Brownlee Kolmstetter '85, Carol Semple Thompson '70

The Distinguished Alumnae Award honors individual alumnae who have brought distinction to themselves and to Hollins through broad and inspiring personal or career achievements; local, national or international volunteer service; or significant contributions to society.

• Previous winners

 

Distinguished Young Alumna Award

Allison Connolly '00

Established in 2009 by the Board of Trustees, the Distinguished Young Alumna Award recognizes a member of the 5th, 10th, or 15th Reunion Class whose accomplishments since graduation have been extraordinary.

• Previous winner

 

Pat Thomas Bain ’49 Award

Class of 2010 Senior Legacy Committee

This year's Pat Thomas Bain Award, which is given annually by the Alumnae Association to the individual or group whose effort has achieved a significant increase in Hollins Fund participation, was presented at Commencement Weekend to the Senior Legacy Committee of the graduating Class of 2010 for their class’s incredible record-smashing 85% participation, breaking the old record of 73% set by the Class of 1992. In addition, it was the Class of 1985 that began the Senior Legacy Program 25 years ago.

• Previous winners

 

 

The Rath Award

Sandra Kiely Kolb '70

The Rath Award is given annually to an alumna or alumnae whose participation in the life of Hollins has been extraordinary and whose personal investment of time and effort in the institution over the years represents the very best of the Hollins spirit.

• Previous winners

 

Class Giving Awards

• Class Gift Totals

	The Tinker Mountain Award: Class of 1960 with $391,418 Given to the class that raises the largest total gift for the Hollins Fund.
	The Catherine Orgill West '51 Award: Class of 1960 with 67% Honors the class with the highest participation in giving to the Hollins Fund.
	The Hollins Rock Award: Class of 2000 with 32% Awarded to the class among the ten most recent class years with the highest Hollins Fund participation.

 

Record Breaking Reunion Giving

This year's Reunion class giving to the Hollins Fund totals $1,080,901. This is the first time in history that Reunion giving to the Hollins Fund has surpassed ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Thank you for your generosity to Hollins and your class!

 

Two Reunion Giving Challenges

The Class of 1970 offered a challenge, pledging to match all new and increased gifts up to $10,000. The Class of 1990 also offered a challenge, pledging to match all gifts from classmates to the Hollins Fund since January 1, 2010.

We are grateful for the wonderful generosity of the two anonymous donors who inspired their classmates to stretch their support for Hollins. You know who you are, and we thank you!