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Stmaryscbu^ Lounge of the Campus LIZ BARBER WALKER, Center During Reunion of Maryland Weekend, June 8-10

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Stmaryscbu^ Lounge of the Campus LIZ BARBER WALKER, Center During Reunion of Maryland Weekend, June 8-10 SPRING 2001 www.smcm.edu Cover photo of the Garden SEGREGATION AT GUADALAJARA of Remembrance taken by ENCOUNTERS Paul Matthai, '74. Look for J l» IwiftRI <•**•) Paul's work in the Aldom AN INTERVIEW WITH PG. 22 StMarysCbU^ Lounge of the Campus LIZ BARBER WALKER, Center during Reunion of Maryland Weekend, June 8-10. PG. to at Historic St. Marys City By Dirk Griffith;79 The College is pleased to announce the Lucy F. Spedden Scholarship, named for the alumna whose gift of nearly a million dollars makes it possible. The gift, established through a bequest, is expected to generate $50,000 a year in new scholarships. Born February 5, 1898 in Fishing Creek, near Cambridge on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Lucy Spedden lived to see her 100th birthday. Better known as "Miss Lucy," she hailed from the Class of 1916. She did not graduate from St. Mary's Female Seminary, leaving school instead to care for an ailing, widowed mother. Diploma or no, she couldn't have been a more loyal alumna. It has been said that Miss Lucy never married because she was manied to St. Mary's. Her personal dedication, leadership, and hard work inspired generations of alumnae. She planned her vacations to coincide with Reunion Weekend and came back to St. Mary's to recruit new members to the fledgling Alumni Association. When alumni records were destroyed in the 1924 Calvert Hall fire, Miss Lucy reconstructed many of them by hand. For many, many years she was an active member of the Washington, D.C. alumni chapter. Recognizing this lifetime of service, the College honored her in 1990 with the Order of the Ark and Dove. For much of her life she played a lead­ ing role in the growth of the St. Mary's Alumni Association. For that alone, she'd be guaranteed a special place in the College's history. With this gift, and the countless students it will help, her legacy continues to be written. Many knew her in the last century as a leader and an advocate. Untold more will know her in the new one as a benefactor! con SPRING 2001 2 Editor's Remarks 3 President's Letter 4 College News 7 Our Contributors 8 Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose... Laraine Glidden, professor of psychology, associate provost for faculty affairs 10 She Got Through: Liz Barber's St. Mary's Experience Patricia Riley Dunlap, acting director of college publications 14 A Poet for Our Time Michael Glaser, professor of English 18 Life Changers 22 Guadalajara Encounters Patty Feeney '98 24 The Alumni Connection 30 Ben Weiner 32 The Last Page •'.-I• I "3 By St. Mary's College of Maryland Magazine The Mulberry Tree Spring 2001, Vol. XXII, No. 2 mams Mulberryliee Communications — a word that spells success or failure in life for individu­ Editor Lee Capristo als and institutions. As a liberal arts, academic community, communications Managing Editor Paula Mitchell is at the heart of the matter in our daily lives and interactions. At St. Mary's, Alumni Editor Emily Jackson we have chosen to place a stronger emphasis on how the College commu­ Design Robert Rytter 6k Associates nicates and presents itself to the community. You have seen the new word- Poetry Consultant Michael Glaser mark and logo, proudly stating our character as 'The Public Honors College Editorial Committee Carolina Calonje '01 Colleen Carpinelli ... at Historic St. Mary's City." There are intentional messages here that Patricia Riley Dunlap capture the essence of our place in the world of higher education. Nell Hampton Bjorn Krondorfer Anne Henderson Marum '62 My recent appointment as vice president for communications and new Torre Meringolo Paula Mitchell initiatives is another such intentional action. It will be my responsibility to Dennis Poremski develop the full presentation of the institution through its publications, its Lisa Scheer media relations, its Web site, and the many partnerships and community Bud Stringer '61 Julie Switzer outreach programs. I welcome the challenge and am grateful for the Publisher Office of Communications and opportunity. We will accomplish this mission in many ways over the coming New Initiatives months and years. One new initiative, of which you may already be aware, St. Mary's College of Maryland 18952 E. Fisher Dr. is the creation of The River Gazette. This newspaper, published 10 months St. Mary's City, MD 20686 of the year, features news, events, and stories of interest to the College Vice President Larry Vote community, local community, alumni, and friends of the institution. It for Communications and New Initiatives attempts to be a vibrant vehicle for conveying the life and momentum of Director of Anne Henderson Marum '62 the College. It is distributed with The Enterprise and sent to students, staff, Alumni Relations alumni, and friends. We hope you will share with us your response to The River Gazette so that we may better serve you through this medium. The Mulberry Tree is published fry St. Mary's College of Maryland, Maryland's public honors college for the liberal arts, his produced for alumni, faculty, staff, parents, graduating seniors, and friends of the College. The Mulberry Tree is another beloved publication of the College. Beginning with this issue, we begin to transition the magazine into one that clearly Tde magazine is named for the famous mulberry tree under which the addresses the interests of the alumni. Look for this change in the current Calvert colonists signed a treaty of friendship with the Yaocomico people edition with most of the articles reflecting an alumni interest or point of view. and on the trunk of which public notices were posted in the mid-1600s. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Lee Capristo as editor of The The tree endured long into the 19th century and was once a popular Mulberry Tree. A superb writer and editor, she will guide the shaping of the meeting spot for St. Mary's students. magazine and solicit your opinions on what you would like to see in future issues. Lee will also serve as lead editor on our new Annual Report of the College, to be published each summer. With The River Gazette published 10 times a year, The Mulberry Tree published in May and December, Copyright 2001 by the Office of Communications and New Initiatives, and the Annual Report of the College coming in the summer, we will Calvert Hall, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD 20686. be in contact with you every month of the year. We think that is what The opinions expressed in The Mulberry Tree are those of the indi­ communication is all about. vidual authors and not necessarily those of the College. The editor reserves the right to select and edit all material. Manuscripts and let­ ters to the editor are encouraged and may be addressed to Editor, Larry E. Vote The Mulberry Tree, SMCM Office of Communications and New Initiatives, 18952 E. Fisher Dr., St. Mary's City, MD 20686. Vice President for Communications and New Initiatives Photographs and illustrations: Front cover, Paul Matthai '74, Holly A. Giesen and family, Kirk Saunders, Doan Nguyen, Keith Harvey, Doug Barber, Joanne Goldwater, The Point News photographers, Meghan John, Patricia Riley Dunlap, Richard Poorman, Robert C. Lautman, Eric Heisler '00, and unnamed family members of contributing alumni and students. Photographs and illustrations may not be reproduced without the express written consent of St. Mary's College of Maryland. I erter Spring 2001 the president '•;-. Dear Friends: It is almost exactly a year since the opening of the new Campus Center, and our return on this long-awaited investment continues to soar. In every way, the Campus Center has become more important than ever before. Students gather in the Great Room for dining and connection to each other, joined frequently by faculty and staff. Cole Cinema One is frequently packed to capacity for both the weekend film series and Robin Bates' Monday-and-Wednesday-evening genre film class, which gives classics like The Awful Truth and Letter from an Unknown Woman the screening and artists' interpretation they deserve. Saturday afternoon at the Franzen Campus Store is no longer a quiet reverie as students are joined by parents, prospective students, and local citizens who drop by for a cup of coffee or a T-shirt, or to browse through Ron Stone's newest book displays. The benefits of the new Campus Center go beyond good dining, good movies, and good books. Students set up with their guitars in the cafe terrace and play for friends and passersby. They host tables to announce raffles, club sign-ups, and programs. The information desk at the crossroads between the mailboxes and the main terrace entrance is a hot spot for conversations. And the Aldom and Yeager lounges provide casual landing pads for active students who use them to study an hour between classes, to meet with friends, or just to snooze. Twice this year we have gathered at the Campus Center for rallies, both times to express our concern and disappointment over individual incidents of hate crimes on our campus. We have gathered to remind ourselves that ours is America's oldest community of tolerance. We have come to reiterate our high standards for ourselves and for each other. And both times we collectively dispelled the sense of shame and discouragement that comes over a community victimized by cowardly acts of disrespect. The Campus Center is a magnet for all of us. At the annual Possum Bowl in December, I watched as several alumni sailors took in the grandeur of the Great Room for their first time.
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