Our 50th Reunion in Northampton
has long since come and gone

Thanks go to every single person for either creating and working on something beforehand - or - for showing up with good memories and spirits to create a truly memorable celebration.
about our glorious "LICENSE TO CELEBRATE"

For slideshows of the 50th, click here

In May of 2004, we returned to Northampton with a “License to Celebrate.” And celebrate we did!

With over 200 classmates and about three dozen guests, we rejoiced to see old friends as well as make new ones, even at this stage. And we just plain enjoyed the fabulous program planned for Commencement Weekend.

A goodly number of us arrived on Thursday. After checking in at the Alumnae House, we made our way to the Class Headquarters in Hatfield to pick up our red bags, hats, and license-plate nametags. While at Headquarters, we were able to view Creative Works by our classmates, vowing to return the following day to give them more time. Then, on to our dorms in the Quad (Laura Scales, Franklin King, Gardiner, and Martha Wilson), where we became reacquainted with the less-than-luxurious beds and the trek down the hall to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

After cocktails outside Thursday night, we had a buffet dinner in the King/Scales dining room. When we were undergraduates, these were separate dining rooms with a divider that could be folded back. Today, it is one large dining room, but retains the old-time ambience. After dinner, many repaired to the Franklin King living room to rehearse music for the following night as well as for the Saturday memorial service.

Friday morning some went to an Alumnae College offering, while others wandered the campus and/or took in the tour of the renovated Lyman Plant House, which included a fascinating slide talk "A Garden for all Seasons" by Sydney Webber Eddison. After All Reunion lunch at Cutter Ziskind, many went to an inspiring talk on Smith’s Engineering program by Domenico Grasso, the Chair and Director of Engineering. This is the first year for Engineer graduates, 30 in all.

Cocktails in the garden of President Christ’s house preceded our festive dinner at Cutter Ziskind. The Cutter living room then offered the hilarious and melodious reprise of Rally Day.

Saturday, we crossed our fingers that the rain would hold off (yes!) and donned our all-white outfits, red ribbons, hats, and bags. The band started the parade off and we fell in line behind the 75th, 70th and 65th Reunions (we are getting closer to the front of the line!) and marched through the clapping of later classes and the seniors to our seats in the Quad. There, President Christ gave the State of the College Address.

Following the address, came the presentation of the Alumnae Association awards and Reunion Class gifts. What a delightful landslide for the Class of 1954! We took 6 of the 8 awards given (not eligible for the other two), including the record-setting 100% Participation Percentage (for one year). Only twice in the history of Smith's Alumnae giving has there been 100% participation; first in 1955 by the class of 1885 who were celebrating their 70th reunion, and most recently in 1960 when 1895 celebrated their 65th reunion. We also took the award for the class with the most consecutive donors for five or more years, as well at the one for the largest 5-year comprehensive gift to Smith – a whopping $13,652,514. We also had the highest number of class members attending reunion plus the greatest number attending reunion. We received six presentation awards, vases of beautiful flowers, a veritable garden!

After this celebration came a solemn time as we proceeded to the Helen Hills Hills Chapel for a service to remember the 107 classmates who are no longer living. Betsy Boyd Stevens conducted the poignant service that included the reading of all the names and a choral piece, "Never Gone", written especially for the service by Roo Herty Brown.

Afterwards, we crossed the street to the new Campus Center and had our box lunches in the upstairs Carroll Room, followed by our class meeting. We elected Elizabeth Bradley Hubbard, President; Anne Backus Wanzer, Vice President and Reunion Chair; Marcia Brown Stern, Co-chair of Reunion;Kathleen Compton Sherrerd,Secretary; Ada Kera Friedman, Treasurer; Barbee Lease Crutcher and Jan Crimmins Meagher, Special Gifts Co-Chairmen; Katharine Edgar Fleming and Consuelo Seidel, Class Fund Agents; Anne Hoerner Ribble, Memorial Chair; and Judith Schupper Hozore, Planned Giving.

The program, “The Past is Prelude: What Next?” was organized and mc’d by Gerry Friedenn Kraus and included Abby Evarts Meyer, Louise Giesey White, Natalie Stearns Wilson, and Gail Cameron Wescott who gave excellent talks about their careers and present day interests. Informal discussion groups, organized by Wendy McAneny Bradburn, followed. They were "Future Planning For Dependent Children" (Marcia Brown Stern), "Living Well Despite Chronic Pain", led by (Carol Raybin Sirot), and "The Good Ship Horace Mann: Keeping our Public Schools Afloat in the 21st Century" (Nancy McClelland Wilson and Barbara Olin Taylor).

Late afternoon saw many of us at the Museum of Art for a reception in memory of Dinny Silver Winslow and programs featuring alumnae from our class. Joan Lebold Cohen, in conjunction with the Department of Art, organized the program. Joan gave a gallery talk on "Enid ‘Dinny’ Silver Winslow and Photography at the Smith College Museum of Art". Celia Stone Gilbert then spoke on “Classical Women: The Walter and Celia Gilbert Collection of Classical Greek Sculpture.” In conclusion, Kristin Bengtson, museum educator for Asian art, talked about the scrolls, a gift from Lucien and Ann Hargett Case, in “The Legend of Hachiman: A Pair of 17th-century Japanese Scrolls from the Tosa School.”

During dinner that evening in the King/Scales dining room, we could see flashes of light outside that indicated that the rainstorm had finally arrived. It did not dampen the festive spirits of all inside as we listened to our honorary classmate, Mary Maples Dunn, give an inspiring and delightful talk on the history and challenges of women’s education and the changing role of education for women. Due to the storm, the campus festivities, including illumination, were cancelled.

Sunday morning saw the Alumnae Multifaith Service of Remembrance at the Helen Hills Hills chapel, followed by our concluding meal together for this Reunion – a brunch at the Alumnae House. While there, we enjoyed the wonderful exhibit in the Gallery of Helen Jones Lea's paintings of gardens and flowers that have been inspired by her travels abroad, and Joan Lebold Cohen’s color photographs, “Lotus Eyes”, also inspired by her many trips to China. All too soon, it seemed, it was time for good-byes, hugs, vows to really stay in touch, and off we all went, happy and content with knowing what a fantastic group we are–and have been all along.