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Class of 1949

Fellow '49er in the News
Alumna leaves more than $27million to Wellesley College; gift is largest bequest to a women's college...[Click here to more details.]

Letters from the Officers: December 2004
President's Greetings
Dear Fellow '49ers,

This class newsletter is the first from your brand-new slate of class officers, elected at reunion in June. Personally, I'm privileged and honored to have been chosen by you to lead our class for the next five years. It's a challenge I welcome in my happily crammed life, an endeavor to supplement teaching online at New York's New School University, writing a ski column during the winter season, continuing to perform my duties as historian of the National Ski Patrol (no more toting toboggans, though Al and I still ski almost daily at Stowe), and serving on the boards of the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and the Vermont Humanities Council.

CLASS OFFICERS

Class President
Gretchen Rous Besser

Class Vice President
Jayjia Shih Hsia

Class Treasurer
Betty Arundell Stallings

Class Secretary
Corinne Katz Hoexter
1949notes@
alum.wellesley.edu

Annual Giving Rep
Jeanne Minor Walton


For security purposes, we do not post contact information on this page. Please use the "Directory" in the online Community to look up your class officers' personal address, phone, or email information.

Reunion was a wonderful opportunity to meet old friends and, even at our age, make new ones. I count it a singular pleasure to have grown to know and treasure Alice Walker Jones, my insuperable predecessor in the president's position. I'd like to take this opportunity publicly to thank Alice and her officers for the superb job they did for us between '99 and '04.

Reunion highlights included a smorgasbord of faculty lectures, an ecumenical service at the chapel, a beautiful '49 memorial service led by our own Reverend Vivienne Chapman, and speeches to our class in Beebe living room by Andrew Shennan, dean of the College, and Victor Kazanjian, dean of religious and spiritual life. Our reappointed class ethics chair, Jonathan Imber, addressed our class at dinner. Perhaps one of the most exciting—and crowded—events was the "Women in Government" panel, moderated by President Diana Chapman Walsh '66, with Madeleine Albright '59, Hillary Rodham Clinton '69, and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Susan Graber '69.

During Alumnae Leadership Council on the weekend of October 15–17, your officers and I had a chance to revisit the College, honor Alice Walker Jones for her service to the College, and receive our marching orders for the next half-decade. The new Wang Campus Center is no longer a dream or a blueprint but a startling work-in-progress standing near staid old Alumnae Hall. Other physical changes have crept up gradually over the years (to us, too).

We learned that the entering class of 2008 (dubbed "the class that shows up") numbers 615 students representing 43 states. In Wellesley's need-blind admission process, slightly more than half receive financial aid.

My "presidential" mission is twofold: to communicate with my classmates as frequently and expeditiously as possible and to nurture our youthful enthusiasm for the alma mater that helped make us the women we turned out to be. To that end, after discovering that the web page for the class of 1949 was a total blank, my first action as president was to get us wired! If you visit www.wellesley.edu/Alum/Classes/1949 on the web, you'll find a marvelous innovation. You can view a list of your class officers and our e-mail addresses, and by clicking on "Class E-Notes," you can read the most recent class notes, usually to be found in the alumnae magazine. To read and post e-notes, you will have to register for the Alumnae Connections Community. The process is easy—all you need is the ID# that appears on the envelope of this mailing. To post an e-note, simply click on the "Submit/Edit a Class Note" button in the upper right-hand corner. I urge all of you with computers to log on, update your bios, and add your thoughts to our class e-notes. In this way, we can take advantage of today's modern technology to achieve what I perceive as the rallying cry of my "administration": Stay Connected!

Holiday greetings to all my classmates,
Gretchen

Secretary's Greetings
After a long career as a journalist, both writing and editing, I am delighted to have the opportunity to report on the latest happenings in the lives of 1949. Women of our generation have faced daunting challenges in our families and in the wider world—ranging from the Second World War to the internet. Rising and falling hemlines and the weird music of our children and grandchildren have been the least of it!

Let me hear from you so we can share our experiences, revive old friendships, and discover new connections. Everyone has a story to tell, whether it's the everyday adventures of ourselves and our families or those special challenges and accomplishments. I look forward to telling those stories.

Corinne

Vice President's Greetings
The pros at Alumnae Leadership Council told us that the class VP's role is social—to develop stronger bonds among our diminishing numbers. To that end, your officers hope to arrange at least one regional mini-reunion each year before our next biggie at our 60th. At that time, the Alumnae Association picks up the tab for all festivities, so all we need to do is get a round-trip ticket in 2009.

Meanwhile, since California is home to the highest number of '49ers, we would like to hold our first mini-reunion there in spring 2005. I need to hear from all you California folk as to who (committee in charge?), what (a museum visit and lunch? teacup rides at Disneyland? a potluck picnic in a classmate's backyard?), when (April? May?), where (Bay Area? Southern CA?), and how (the Alumnae Office is willing to send e-invitations to CA '49ers, and I can keep track of e-RSVPs and fly out for the event).

Additionally, your officers plan to meet in New York City on or around November 30, 2005, so there's another mini-reunion opportunity. I still keep a widow's membership at the Harvard Club of NYC and could probably arrange a set lunch. We'll go dutch if that's the route NY-area classmates want to go. Send me your ideas for November, as well.

Please write and tell me your pleasure.
Jayjia

Annual Giving Rep's Greetings
Alumnae Council was wonderful. Every visit to the College reinvigorates my enthusiasm. Having agreed to be the class's annual giving rep, I was encouraged to hear that Wellesley isn't counting on continually larger annual donations from us, but on our sustained giving. Comparing how little we paid for our Wellesley education to the current students' commitment (nearly $40,000 per year!), I am eager to give what I can to maintain Wellesley's excellence and her accessibility to all students—and, of course, I am counting on you all to help me!

Jean

Treasurer's Greetings
It was indeed a treat to see so many of you at Wellesley last June. To update those I didn't talk to during reunion, I retired in 2003 after 35 years in the library of the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. I was responsible for the library's operation for the last 20 of those years, but I don't miss it at all. I am now happily enjoying travel and local leisure pursuits, while cleaning out my condo in preparation for a move in fall 2005 to a continuing-care retirement community in Richmond, where my future apartment is under construction.

In the aftermath of our richly rewarding 55th reunion, our class treasury is in satisfactory financial shape. Most of our class has already paid for life memberships, with that money safely invested for us by the College. The interest on these funds is credited to the class bank account annually and will be used for mailings, travel to Alumnae Leadership Council, and preparations for our next (60th!) reunion.

However, we are requesting a little help from all of you to augment the class
treasury for the coming five years. We would welcome your donations at this time in any amount. (If, by chance, you're not yet a life member, it's just $35, so seize the day!) Please note that all donations to the class are tax deductible, and send them, with the coupon below, to a warm welcome from your treasurer.


Class Dues and Donations

Please send your tax-deductible class dues ($35 for life membership) or class donation payable to Wellesley College Class of 1949.

Please include your student name, current name and current address with your payment and mail to:

Betty Stallings
8340 Greensboro Drive
#726
McLean, VA 22102


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