9 -16

may

2005

wellesley alumna leaves record bequest of $27 million

Leonie Faroll, an alumna who skillfully managed her investments for decades and maintained a frugal lifestyle, has left Wellesley more than $27 million. The bequest is the largest in the college’s history and is the largest bequest ever to a women’s college.

Faroll, a member of the Class of 1949, died in September 2003 at the age of 75.

“This huge bequest comes both as a stunning surprise and as the most natural extension of Leonie’s lifetime of generous and thoughtful attention to Wellesley’s basic needs,” said President Diana Chapman Walsh in announcing the gift.

Faroll was fascinated with how things work and recognized the importance and cost of infrastructure, whether it was the boiler in her New York City apartment building or Wellesley’s innovative cogeneration power plant.

For many years, she had made annual anonymous donations to Wellesley, initially unrestricted gifts and later in support of the power plant. Whenever she came to campus, she made it a point to visit her “power house buddies,” even arriving early for her 45th Reunion in 1994 so she could visit “the troops,” as she called them.

In keeping with Faroll’s clearly stated intentions in her will, the funds will be used for capital improvements to the power plant and for infrastructure improvements, structural renovations and equipment purchases in the Science Center.

“To have these very substantial funds is a tremendous boost as we near the end of the campaign,” noted Walsh.

fledgling softball team has outstanding spring

The Wellesley College softball team celebrated the end of its inaugural season with an impressive 22-13 overall record, and The Blue finished 9-7 in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).

Wellesley began the season with a spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla., where the team won four straight. The Blue finished out the trip with a 6-2 record, falling by no more than two runs in both losses. Wellesley then kicked off the conference schedule, splitting with Coast Guard in the team’s first doubleheader.

The Blue played eight non-conference games this season, ending with a 6-2 record. Wellesley had big wins over conference opponents Wheaton, Babson and Coast Guard, earning a fifth place spot in the 2005 NEWMAC softball tournament.

Wellesley first traveled to take on third ranked Coast Guard at home and upset them 4-2. The rest of the tournament would be played at top-ranked Smith College where The Blue fell to Smith 8-0 in five innings. Wellesley then played Wheaton College to earn the right to continue in the double elimination tournament, but a strong Wheaton team produced nine hits and RBIs to beat The Blue 10-2 in six innings.

– Report by Beth Usewicz, sports information director

hooprolling winner

Esther Handy ’05, a psychology and Latin American Studies major, is the winner of the 110th annual hooprolling contest. In keeping with tradition, she was promptly carried by classmates to Lake Waban and tossed into the water. Traditionally, the winner of the contest, which began in 1895, was said to be the first in her class to marry. Today, victory is said to foretell early success.

Handy and her friends practiced rolling hoops the night before and arrived at the starting line an hour before the race began. A member of the tennis team for four years (playing a match later that day), she has served as president of Beebe Hall. Nearly 200 seniors made the 1/8 mile dash, rolling wooden hoops to the finish line.

book talk on summering with the literary crowd

Imagine a popular summer salon where the hostess invites an erudite literary circle to her family resort. Author Norma Mandell ’55 has recreated a 19th-century idyll in her book Beyond the Garden Gate: The Life of Celia Laighton Thaxter. Mandell will talk about her book on Sunday, May 15, at 3 pm in Collins Cinema. A reception begins at 2:30 pm.
Thaxter (1835-1894) was an author, painter, gardener and poet of the late 19th century. Raised on the Isles of Shoals off the New Hampshire coast, she invited friends to her family resort on Appledore Island. These friends included the literary circle of Annie and James Fields, publishers of authors such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The talk is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Friends of Horticulture. For more information, call x3504.

art exhibit explores efforts to put down roots

An exhibit by artist Helen Meyrowitz is on display at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Center through May 15.

Meyrowitz shares a fresh botanical vision. Even her name for the exhibit, Up-Rooted, foreshadows botany with strong attitudes.

“I invite you to see the ostensible subject of my drawings, bulbs and plants as a stepping off point for a further range of personal experiences, emotions and memories,” Meyrowitz said. “Up-Rooted addresses my state of mind as a suddenly transplanted native New Yorker. The subsequent drawings of bulbs reaching, striving to plant roots so that they can grow—eventually flower—can be seen as a metaphor for my efforts to put down new roots in a different soil.”

The visitor center and greenhouses are open daily from 8 am-4 pm. For more information, contact the Friends of Horticulture at x3094 or e-mail horticulture@wellesley.edu.

looking back at wellesley of 50 years ago

The Warsaw Pact was signed. Argentina ousted Perón. Rosa Parks refused to sit at the back of the bus. The year was 1955. So just what was happening at Wellesley?

From June to August, outside the Archives on the fourth floor of Clapp Library, stop by to take a look at a new exhibit titled “The Class of 1955 Celebrates Its 50th Reunion.”

“This exhibit will include photographs, clippings, publications and other archival materials to highlight the college years of the Class of 1955, which is celebrating its 50th Reunion in June 2005,” notes Jean Berry, archives. For more information, call x2127.

colleagues in the news

patricia berman, art, has been cited for her research on 19th-century art in Denmark in “The Undiscovered Country,” an article in The Journal News of White Plains, N.Y., about a new exhibit at the Bruce Museum of Arts and Sciences in Greenwich, Conn. Berman wrote the introductory essay for the catalog for the exhibit, Danish Paintings of the 19th Century from the Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.

eleanor delorme, art history, has presented a lecture at the Newport Symposium on “Tastemakers and Masterpieces,” where she also signed copies of her latest book.

bunny harvey, art, has been featured on a segment titled “Prize Professors” on the award-winning locally produced program “Chronicle,” seen on WCVB-TV weeknights at 7:30 pm. “Chronicle” promoted the story on its Web pages by asking, “Did you ever have a teacher who turned the classroom into an experience that was both entertaining and educational? Greater Boston is blessed with many academic All-Stars who make learning interactive and engaging, in subjects as different as organic chemistry and documentary filmmaking.”

At the 5th Annual Officer Stewart Savage Memorial 5K Road Race, held May 1 from Babson College, the Wellesley College Police Running Club received first place in the law enforcement team competition, based on average times of the top three runners from the team. Team members who ran are lisa barbin, karen berube, bill bowman, tim brown, william burke, sam caruso, phil di blasi, bobby marrigan, eustace patterson, jorge torres, frank urbani jr., joanne white and bruce whitney. tim brown received the 2005 Top Cop award, finishing in first place among law enforcement entries.

calendar

monday may 9

italian table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Tower Court private dining room. Info: x2616.

lecture. “Women, Power, and Politics in Latin America.” Speaker: Milagros Ortiz Bosch, former vice president, Dominican Republic. 5:30-7 pm, Jewett Auditorium. Reception: 5 pm. Sponsor: SOFC and CLCE. Info: x7045.

meeting. College Government Senate. 6 pm, Academic Council Room. Info: x1181.

esl tutoring. 6-8 pm, PLTC small conference room. Info: x2480.

meditation. 7-8:15 pm, meditation room, lower chapel. Sponsor: Buddhist Community. Info: x2793.

apt workshop. “Take a Break from Studying!” 9 pm, Freeman. Info: x2641.

tuesday may 10

sharing circle. 7-8 pm, Little Chapel. Sponsor: Unitarian Universalists. Info: x3484.

german table. 7:30-8:30 pm, Schneider loft. Info: x2584.

wednesday may 11

last day of classes.

cws workshop. “Job Search Strategies and Networking.” 12:30 pm, GRH 428. Info: x2352.

meditation. 12:30-1 pm, meditation room, lower chapel. Sponsor: Buddhist Community. Info: x2793.

french table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Bates private dining hall. Info: x2403.

disability discussion. Speaker: Jim Wice, disability services. 12:30-1:30 pm, FND 305. Info: x2434.

spanish table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Tower Court dining hall. Info: x3571.

arabic table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Tower Court small dining hall. Info: x2916.

academic council meeting. 12:30-2 pm, Academic Council Room.

russian table. 1-2 pm, FND 416. Info: x3584.

meeting. Good Book Club. 6:30 pm, BIL 202. Sponsor: Protestant Christian Chaplaincy. Info: x2655.

performance. “Solo Diva Showcase.” 8-9:30 pm, Schneider. Sponsor: Solo. Info: solomail@wellesley.edu.

thursday may 12

meditation. 12:30-1 pm, meditation room, lower chapel. Sponsor: Buddhist Community. Info: x2793.

president’s open office hour. 12:30-1:30 pm, GRH 350.

friday may 13

prayer/discussion. Muslim communal (Jummah). 12:45-1:30 pm, lower chapel. Info: x2025.

saturday may 14

audition. For Wellesley Summer Theatre children’s production of The Enchanted Sleeping Beauty. 1-6 pm, Alumnae Hall Auditorium. Sponsor: Theatre Studies. Info: akennedy@wellesley.edu.

sunday may 15

buddha’s birthday. Buddhist tradition.

worship service. 11:15 am, Houghton Chapel. Sponsor: Protestant Christian Chaplaincy. Info: x2655.

audition. For Wellesley Summer Theatre children’s production of The Enchanted Sleeping Beauty. 1-6 pm, Alumnae Hall Auditorium. Sponsor: Theatre Studies. Info: akennedy@wellesley.edu.

lecture. “Beyond the Garden Gate: The Life of Celia Laighton Thaxter.” Speaker: Norma H. Mandel ’55, author. Reception: 2:30 pm; lecture: 3 pm, Collins Cinema. (See story) Sponsor: FOL and FOH. Info: x3504.

catholic mass. 4 pm, Houghton Chapel. Sponsor: Newman Catholic Ministry. Info: x2688.

meeting. Darshana. 5 pm, meditation room, lower chapel. Sponsor: Hindu Community. Info: x2794.

monday may 16

italian table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Tower Court private dining room. Info: x2616.

meditation. 7-8:15 pm, meditation room, lower chapel. Sponsor: Buddhist Community. Info: x2793.

ongoing

exhibit. Art from China, Japan and Korea. Through June 2006. DMCC. Info: x2051.

exhibit. Modernist Art. Through June 2006. DMCC. Info: x2051.

exhibit. Haugti-Cultural. Drawings by Helen Meyrowitz. Botanic Gardens Visitor Center, through May 15. Info: x3094.

exhibit. Imagining the 20th Century. Part of Boston Cyberarts Festival 2005. Jewett Arts Center, through May 4. Info: x3775.

exhibits. The Reign of Terror. The “Master Prints” of Hendrick Goltzius and Mannerist Art. The Observed and Envisioned: 16th to 19th Century Indian Miniature Paintings of Mughal and Rajput Women. Through June 19, DMCC. Info: x2051.

don't miss...spring shows at the davis museum

The Davis Museum and Cultural Center has three exhibitions, new this spring, that will run through June 19. Come in to see the following intriguing shows before they leave campus:

- The “Master Prints” of Hendrick Goltzius and Mannerist Art. Celebrating the recent acquisition of virtuoso Dutch engraver Hendrick Goltzius’s Life of the Virgin series, this exhibition frames his work within the history of Mannerist Art – from its origins in late Renaissance Italy to the early 17th-century Netherlands.

- The Observed and Envisioned: 16th- to 19th- Century Indian Miniature Paintings of Mughal and Rajput. This exhibition explores the realistic, earthly depictions of women in Mughal art with the more idealized, ‘otherworldly’ qualities of Rajput works. During this very exciting period in the history of India, the stylistic and ideological depictions of women and their identities is a compelling study in contrasting viewpoints.

- The Reign of Terror. For her site-specific work in the museum’s lobby, Cairo-born artist Ghada Amer has designed wallpaper and tableware focusing on definitions of “terror” and “terrorism” derived from 18th- through 21st- century American, English, French and Arabic dictionaries. For more information, contact the DMCC at x2034.

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