SPRING 2008

Generous gift from Class of ’57 honors classmate

The day arrived when we spied the Daisies again – with a lessened degree of trauma – and we somehow arrived, with our tassels on the left, as The Chummie Alumnae of ’57!

The concluding words of the senior class history in the 1957 Argo describe an excited group of close friends looking back on their experiences at Shorter. Since the summer before their senior year, many class members have remained remarkably connected to each other through letters that announce their significant life events.

For their 50 th class reunion, which they celebrated during Homecoming Weekend 2007, the Class of ’57 raised funds toward an endowed scholarship in memory of classmate Barbara Mauney Gaines (’57), who passed away in 2002.

“We have always been a very active group, and this is the only scholarship that is directly connected to our class,” said Judy Frazer Brouillette (’57), their senior class president who helped lead the class’ support. “Because we have remained so close, we worked together to get involved with this as a way to celebrate our 50 th reunion.” “By establishing this scholarship, Class of 1957 members have honored Barbara and helped current Shorter students at the same time,” said Suzanne Widener Scott (’74), Shorter’s senior director of development. “This type of involvement allows alumni to engage with today’s students while honoring their own college memories.”

As a student, Barbara was a bright pupil and a talented vocalist; financial assistance opened the doors for her to earn a degree and pursue a career in music education. “Barbara was only able to attend college because of a number of scholarships that she received,” explained Barbara’s husband, William E. Gaines (’57). “My sons and I decided to initiate this scholarship because of the support that Barbara had received from Shorter.”

The donations in Barbara’s memory fund an annual music scholarship to help defray the expenses pertaining to studying at Shorter College.

ONLINE EXTRA!

Click here to see more photos from the Class of '57 Reunion celebration.