The Alumnae Association consists of over 1200 members, spanning 80 years of College and Society experience. The alumnae maintain the House, provide annual gifts to the House, and respond to various special requests and needs of the undergraduate Society. They also sponsor several social occasions each year that serve to bring the Shakespeare Society family together. The strength of the Society's contribution to the life and history of the College is indicated by the prominence of its alumnae:

Ellen Fitz Pendleton 1886 was president of the Shakespeare Society when she was an undergraduate and went on to become Wellesley College's first alumna President from 1911-1936. Pendleton served the longest term of any Wellesley College President -- 25 years. She brought the College through the College Hall fire in 1914, and the rebuilding of the dormitory, classroom and office facilities lost in that disaster. Under her administration, there was a liberalization of the admission requirement and the curriculum. A program of honors in the major was begun. Under her stewardship, the College survived the Depression without cuts in staff or salaries.

Elizabeth Kaiser Davis 1932 who endowed the Davis Scholars program here at Wellesley, was a Shakespeare Society member. She also served on both the College's and the Society's boards and was awarded the Syrena Stackpole Award in 1997.

Jessie Munger 1886 was a member and a philanthropist who established various scholarships for women. She is also known for her generous gifts to the College -- she donated Munger Hall in memory of her mother, Gertrude C. Munger.

Mary Lefkowitz 1957 is a preeminent classical scholar. After graduating Wellesley Phi Beta Kappa she went on to earn her Ph.D. in Classical Philology at Radcliffe College. She taught at Wellesley from 1959 to 2004 and became the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities in 1979. She has written numerous books, and her numerous articles have appeared in many journals including the New York Times Book Review, the Times Literary Supplement, The New Republic, and the New York Review of Books..

Clare McCully 1981 Shakespeare Society Alumnae President is the Senior Manager, New England Region of Graham-Pelton Consulting, Inc. Responding to the need she saw, in 1999 she the founded Massachusetts Education Foundations Association. In 2002 she was awarded a National Philanthropy Day award.

If you are an alumna that is currently out of touch with the Shakespeare Society Alumnae Organization, please contact the webmistress whose e-mail address is posted at the bottom of this page, and she will be happy to put you in touch.

• Provider name - mdaley@wellesley.edu
• Created: October 1, 2004
• Last Modified: November 28, 2007