A book made from the book lab sits on a table and is stretched out like an accordion. Pages of black and white etchings are visible

Preserving memories

The finished Wellesley in 150 Words book.
Image credit: Nyna Cole ’28

Nyna Cole ’28 illustrated a selection of Wellesley in 150 stories from the sesquicentennial celebration

Author  Shannon O'Brien
Published on 
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As part of Wellesley’s 150th celebration, Communications and Public Affairs partnered with Julie Walsh, Whitehead Associate Professor of Critical Thought, associate professor of philosophy, and faculty co-director of the Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities, to highlight 150-word stories about the spirit of Wellesley from the College community. From those submissions, a group of judges that included faculty, students, and staff recently chose five stories to include in a limited-edition book to be printed in the Book Arts Lab with assistance from Katherine Ruffin, director of the Book Studies Program and senior lecturer in art. Walsh then selected Nyna Cole ’28, a studio art major, to illustrate and print the five pieces. Her work appears below. The books were made in limited edition and are not for sale. 

Black and white block print illustrating a snow covered hill with figures walking on it. A college building is in the background and the sky is filled with black and white swirls. The text on the opposite page reads "In my application to Wellesley, I wrote about the tradition of “traying” down Severance Hill. When the snowstorm finally hit campus, I was ready. Bundled in snow boots and zipped-up jackets, my friends and I ran down the Tower stairs and flung open the door to a world blanketed in snow. We made our way to Severance Hill with cardboard boxes, laughing as the cold air flushed our cheeks. Crawling up the steep slope, we took turns sitting on flattened boxes and sliding down the hill, our laughter echoing into the night. Breathless, we kept climbing back up. Eventually, we scurried back to Tower, leaving behind sled paths for the next group of Wellesley sibs. Huddled around the microwave, waiting for popcorn, we hoped for many more snow days together. Thank you, Wellesley, for giving me this tradition, this memory, and the best friends I could ask for.” By Caroline Min, class of 2027
Black and white block print illustrating Lake Waban with a spoon holder in the foreground and figures swimming in the background. There are trees framing each side and stars through the sky. The text next to it reads “Mistily, I remember from college, long afternoons in the library, the smell of musty books, winters with waist high snow and drifts blocking the doors, a magical sunrise after a thaw trees shimmering crystal branches, green lawns and tea time, swims in the lake, crew and canoeing, and rolling the hoops. And most clearly of all, I remember the intellectual challenge, the sense of the brain stretching, stretching to reach the stars.” By Anna Despoena Seraphimidou, class of 1961
Black and white block print illustrating Houghton Chapel with flowers and stems filling in the sides of the print. The text at right reads “My mother could not give birth to all of my sisters. Some of them were waiting to meet me at Wellesley. My favorite Wellesley tradition remains Flower Sunday. During my sophomore year, I felt anxious about the little sister selection process. Having been an older sister since I was two years old, I take that title seriously. All of my worrying was for nothing. Right before the deadline, two first year students asked me to be their sister. Being chosen affirmed the responsibility and belonging I had always taken seriously. I have lived in my current city for eleven years and worked intentionally to build community beyond any job or institution. Of all the connections that could have emerged, it was Wellesley alumnae who found me. I think back to the car ride when my father insisted I apply to Wellesley because of the sisterhood. He was right. That sisterhood did not end at graduation. It continues to find me.” By Salema Jenkins, class of 2004
Black and white block print illustrating the top of Cazenove Hall. The sky is made with squiggly lines and a line zags back and forth, connecting the two towers. Floral prints fill the space between the zagging lines. The text at right reads “Wellesley laughter amidst the muggy late-summer night. A sustainability-bin fan buzzing while August crickets chirp. We never identified when they sing their last song. It was ever so loud, then pure silence by snowfall. It’s 2017. Cazenove Hall. Top floor. The turret rooms. Our blocking group hit the housing lottery. This enclave becomes our senior year reprieve. Under the twinkle of Christmas string lights serving their last tour of duty in our freshly decorated senior dorms, the noise of youth filled every corner. It’s also our last tour. Remix (do we still go?!). Finally, all 300-levels, no more grade deflation (you youngins wouldn’t know). Anticipation. Excitement. Fear. What comes after this territory we just barely conquered? Now, 7 years out, the world isn’t scary. It’s exhilarating. Yet I am ever so nostalgic for those August nights when the crickets sang and the noise of youth felt like it’d last forever." By Natalie Jin ’18
Black and white block print illustrating a path that cuts beneath one of the College buildings with two bicyclists on the path. Trees and clouds fill up the rest of the space. The text at right reads "As undergraduates, we 1968-ers seesawed between tradition and turmoil. With red beanies blazing we helped form a human “W” on Severance Green; we joyfully waltzed with our dads on Sophomore Father’s Weekend; we stood ramrod-straight for posture photos; and we laughed at self-satirical skits the night before General Exams. But unfamiliar currents rippled the waters. A whiff of pot in Freeman’s corridor startled us; as war headlines screamed from Saigon, campus recruiters for “Students for a Democratic Society” (SDS) approached us; responding to student-activists, the college instituted pass-fail course options and scaled-back curfews; and senior year, friends urged us to flock to Harvard Square to celebrate LBJ’s stunning withdrawal from politics. Like the ancient Colossus of Rhodes whose legs bridged the harbor entrance, we of 1968 stood proudly tall while straddling the campus divide between convention and revolution. Sometimes even today, I’m not sure which foot to lean on." By Diane Speare Triant, class of 1968
At left is a black and white print showing a student in a room, working at a table. On the right is a block of text that reads: In the spirit of the celebration of Wellesley College's 150th anniversary, I drew heavily from the institution's rich archive for this project. I wanted to highlight the place and people that make Wellesley so special. The linoleum block carvings take you on a tour through the beautiful campus. The typeface used is Casion, one of Wellesley Book Arts Lab's house fonts. The back side is a riso-printed pattern made up of Wellesley Ws. This was a collaborative project with Professor Julie Walsh and the Communications and Public Affairs team, especially Shannon O'Brien. This book was designed, illustrated, letterpress printed, and bound by me, Nyna Cole, Class of 2028. This copy is [number to be filled in] of an edition of 12.