ALUMNAE MAGAZINE ~w~ ajhf 9 ,1 I L I _ ! » f . Starting Line. A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT JO ELLEN PARKER ON STRATEGIC PLANNING In introducing the current strategic planning process, I used the metaphor of the "starting line." A starting line, of course, suggests that a race is about to begin. There were several reasons I liked the metaphor of a race for this particular strategic planning process. A race has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has a clear goal and a clear pathway toward that goal. A race involves an awareness of competition— even if only against one's own previous best— and success depends on training, preparation and attitude. And, of course, a race involves moving quickly! The "Starting Line White Paper" (available in its entirety on the strategic planning blog at strategicplan.blog.sbc.edu) laid out my charge to the community; in a way, it charted out our racecourse for us. The rest of this message summarizes its key points. Continued on page 24. FOLLOW ALONG ONLINE AT: strategicplan .blog . sbc . edu , Ki«' // I t»-E, j,.-. in 1 p o D p.* Hank Yochum, Director of the Margaret Jones Wyllie '45 Engineering Program SWEET BRIAR ALUMNAE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2010 VOL. 81, NO. 1 INSIDE FRONT COVER: Message from the President on Strategic Planning 2 Engineering Inspiration: 1945 Graduate Endows $3 Million Fund to Support Engineering Program 4 Engineering Inspiration: 2009 Engineering Graduates 8 1 01 st Commencement Links Class of 201 to SBC's 1 0th President 10 Going Places in the Foreign Service 1 2 All in a Life's Work: Elinor Stebbins '00 Receives the Congressional Gold Medal 1 4 Worlds Within Worlds: 201 Senior Art Show SWEET BRIAR ALUMNAE MAGAZINE POLICY One of (he objectives of ihe magazine is to 1 8 Sweet Briar Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Boxwood Circle present interesting, thought-provoking material Publication of material does not indicate 20 Advanced Fiction with Carrie Brown endorsement of the author's viewpoint by the magazine, the Alumnae Association, or Sweet Briar College. The Sweet Brior Alumnae 22 Homecoming 2010: Go Somewhere You Love this Fall Magazine reserves the right to edit and, when necessary, revise all material that it accepts for publication. Contact us any time! 24 Strategic Planning Continued 25 Just Say Yes! Colleen Karaffa Murray '06, editor 434 381.6317 cmurray@sbc edu Mini Reunions 26 ETBRIAft Media, Marketing and Communications PO Box 1056, Sweet Briar, VA 24595 27 Alumnae Weddings 434.381.6262 28 Bulletin Board Boxwood Alumnae House PO Box 1055, Sweet Briar, VA 24595 800381.6131 29 Recent Deaths [email protected] Office of Development 30 In Memoriam PO Box 1057, Sweet Brior, VA 24595 434.381.6161 32 Transitions Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine Production Graphic design by The Design Group, 33 Class Notes Lynchburg, VA. Printed by Progress Printing Company. INSIDE BACK COVER: In the Sweet Briar Tradition: Anne Walden Dewey Guerin '41 Cover Image: Juniors Sarah Lightbody (left) and Lauren Perhala work on one of the Mixed Sources >0° engineering department's ongoing projects to design and build a low-cost, functional prosthetic hand. The students are contributing to the project through the Honors Summer Research Program, which awards competitive fellowships to work one-on-one with faculty sponsors. PHOTO BY NANCY BIACKWEIL MARION '74 Engineering wf 1 3R / ft H 1945 Graduate Endows $3 Million Fund to Support Engineering Program JENNIFER MCMANAMAY, STAFF WRITER Margaret "Peggy" Jones Wyllie always wanted to be an engineer, but when she entered college in 1941 pursuing that dream, was nearly impossible. In those days, universities with engineering programs rarely admitted women and no women's college in the country offered the degree. So in 1945, Wyllie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Sweet Briar College. 2 •Summer 2010 Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu inspiration Sixty-five years later. Sweet Briar is one of only two sending women engineers into today's marketplace U.S. women's colleges to offer an engineering degree. prepared to use their skills responsibly, sustainably and The program's success has permitted Wyllie to revisit thoughtfully." her childhood dream while expanding opportunities SBC engineering director Hank Yochum also noted for Sweet Briar's aspiring engineers of today. She and that the Wyllie s gift validates what the College has her husband, Jesse Wyllie, have given $3 million to done to develop a high-quality program. Sweet Briar to create an endowment in support of the "This endowment speaks to the success of program. Shortly after the gift was announced, Jesse the program and to our commitment to creating Wyllie passed away. opportunities for women to become engineers that In recognition of the gift, SBC Engineering will make a difference in the world," Yochum said. henceforth be known as the Margaret Jones Wyllie '45 "The gift will help us provide even more The Wyllies Program. It is the first named academic opportunities for our students, including funds Engineering appreciate the program in the College's 109-year history. for additional state-of-the-art lab equipment and Sweet Briar's engineering curriculum was built scholarships. It will also support community-based importance over several years beginning in 2002, largely with $1.5 design courses, like last year's collaboration with million in grants from the National Science Foundation. disabled workers at Lynchburg Sheltered Industries. of sending The first class of degree candidates was enrolled in That project resulted in a national workplace innovation women 2005 and graduated last year. award for design." The College offers a B.S. in engineering science Peggy Wyllie lives on her cattle farm in Troy, Va. engineers and a B.A. in engineering management. The She and Jesse retired there in 1982 after his career as into today's curriculum emphasizes experiential learning, design a research scientist and executive with Gulf Oil Corp. as a fundamental element of engineering, and creating They moved around, living in the United Kingdom, the marketplace solutions to human problems. engineering science Middle East, Texas. California Pennsylvania. The and and prepared degree track is multidisciplinary, rooted in mechanical While her husband, a Rhodes Scholar from South engineering and engineering design, with an emphasis Africa, climbed the ranks at Gulf to serve as president to use on electrical and mechanical systems. and chairman of the company, Peggy raised three The B.A. option responds to the high demand children and pursued her own interests, including riding their skills among today's technical companies for graduates with horses. In a recent interview with Virginia Business, responsibly, strong educational backgrounds in both management Wyllie said she rode competitively at Sweet Briar and and technology. Fundamental science, math and didn't stop riding until age 75. sustainably engineering courses, combined with an emphasis on There also was a time in the 1950s when she and developing management skills and interconnections satisfied her need for speed as a race car driver on between the disciplines, are the core of the program. the Sports Car Clubs of America circuit. What the thoughtfully." The Wyllies, who met at The Johns Hopkins somewhat diminutive Wyllie lacked in stature she made University where Peggy earned her master's in up in nerve, sometimes pushing the Jaguars she drove —JO ELLEN PARKER chemistry, were early and generous supporters to 1 1 miles an hour. of engineering at Sweet Briar. They contributed substantially for laboratory renovations and equipment, computers and software from 2005 to 2007. Earlier this winter. President Jo Ellen Parker invited the couple to campus to attend a lecture, tour the department's labs and machine shops, and meet with students, faculty and administrators. "Peggy and Jesse Wyllie were impressed by the quality of Sweet Briar's engineering students and faculty, by the mission of the program and by the innovative curriculum," Parker said. "They appreciated the careful stewardship, which made effective and thoughtful use of their previous gifts and of National Science Foundation grants. But Left to right: President Jo Ellen Parker with Jesse Wyllie, Peggie Wyllie '45 and Hank mostly, I think, they appreciate the importance of Yochum. Sweet Briar College Alumnae Magazine • www.alumnae.sbc.edu Summer 2010 • 3 Engineering Inspiration 2009 Engi neering Graduates In May 2009, Sweet Briar graduated its first full class of engineers — four women who helped pave the way for future engi- neering students. Recently, we learned that these new alumnae have begun promising careers or gone on to further study. From conducting research in nanotechnology to working with a government intelligence agency, these engineers are doing work that proves the program's success. During interviews with the four graduates, each was asked about Sarah Smiley stands in front of Tuck School of Business where she attends many of her classes at Dartmouth. Smiley's intended degree integrates both engineering sci- her most memorable experience at Sweet Briar. Three, who ence and business. attended the spring 2007 Technology and Society course, said Sarah Smiley the same thing. As part of the class, they planned and executed Helping others in practical ways has always been important to Sarah Smiley, and engineering has a trip to Guatemala, where they helped build a clean-water sup- provided her with the tools to do just that. She chose Sweet Briar's engineering program for its focus on ply system for a rural boarding school. They also built a pump mechanical and electrical engineering, small class connected to the storage tank that could be operated by hand sizes and varied course offerings. Having graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a double or electrically.