The College’s 2008 Annual Report is now available online in Adobe PDF format. You must be registered with the Stephens Alumnae Community in order to view it. If you haven’t set up an account, please register now. The process only takes a few minutes.

This fall on the Stephens campus, a new generation of voters is learning from the campaigns

College students are voting in record numbers. Their enthusiasm is injecting new life into the political season and their habits are changing the ways in which candidates communicate—anything, from rally invitations to vice presidential announcements, can now be delivered in the form of a text message or broadcast via a YouTube video.

In this, Stephens’ 175th anniversary year, faculty and students are finding ways to engage the election season. Some are taking this opportunity to reflect on ways the world of politics has changed for women since the College was founded. This fall, for example, in her Introduction to Women’s Studies class, liberal arts faculty member Margaret Campbell will focus on the women’s suffrage movement. She plans to show the documentary “One Woman One Vote” and introduce students to members of the Columbia chapter of the non-partisan League of Women Voters.

Also in the fall, in her public relations class, Assistant Professor of Business and MBA Program Director Susan Bartel plans to focus more on current issues. Students will choose a news source and evaluate coverage of the candidates, and they also will track the public relations and media efforts of the campaigns.  

“Political campaigning is typically centered on traditional forms of advertising,” says Bartel. “In this campaign, however, the candidates are using technology and social media to deliver their message.” Bartel explains that candidates have taken to using YouTube to discuss issues, email to announce fundraisers or Facebook to respond to opponents’ criticism—all of this as a way to connect with the so-called “Millennial Generation,” which includes people born, roughly, between 1980 and 1994.

“These new tools have generated interest in the candidates by younger voters who are familiar and comfortable with these forms of content delivery and communication, increasing the likelihood of younger voters going to the polls,” Bartel explains.

On the Stephens campus, faculty and students are making wide use of those tools. Last spring, Liberal Arts Instructor Sarah Caitlin-Dupuy discussed media representations of Hillary Clinton in her Women Leaders around the World class. She appreciated being able to use the Internet, especially YouTube, to bring up portions of her speeches for analysis.

While the campaigns’ innovative use of technology mirrors the communication preferences of the Millennial Generation, this group’s attitudes about politics are yet to be fully understood. Experts speak of Millennials as socially aware and deeply passionate about “making a difference.” Stephens had a chance to experience firsthand the effects of those qualities last spring, as student-led recycling and energy-saving efforts resulted in a significant increase in recycling and decrease in energy consumption. Yet, skepticism about politics remains high among young audiences, as the popularity of mock television news programs, such as “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” or “The Colbert Report,” seems to indicate.

Is a new class of socially aware young voters—who are driven more by specific causes than by political affiliations—emerging? Katharine Nicholson ’10 seems to think so. Nicholson, a legal studies and creative writing double major from Chesterfield, Mo., heads a student political party group. “Once we, as young people, find a cause, we really do put our heart and soul into it,” she says.

In response to what some might perceive as skepticism on the part of young voters, Nicholson says, “maybe it’s not so much that we don’t care about politics or the specific positions of each candidate, but maybe young people don’t fully understand how politics and the government relate to what they feel passionately for, and how they affect their everyday lives.”

Miranda Arens ’09, of LaSalle, Colo., who is majoring in Marketing: Public Relations and Advertising sees a connection between politics and nonprofits. While generally disillusioned with political coverage that emphasizes conflict and scandal, she recognizes that the issues she cares about have a strong political component. As current president of the American Humanics Student Association, a student group focusing on social entrepreneurship, she has had the chance to work with Not For Sale, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating human trafficking. “You need to have a group of people in a nonprofit such as Not For Sale who are able to speak with politicians, get laws made or changed, and know the system through and through to make big strides in helping the cause,” she says.

Silissa Uriarte-Smith ’98 from San Pedro, Calif., came to a similar conclusion during her time at Stephens. Although not a “Millennial” herself, Uriarte-Smith says she became active in politics because of her commitment to social justice. “I care deeply about ending poverty, ensuring that all women and girls have equal access, opportunities and rights, being inclusive of all people and ending all forms of discrimination,” she says. Uriarte-Smith, who graduated with a political science degree and is now a member of the Stephens College Alumnae Association Board, is particularly grateful to a former member of the Stephens faculty, Dr. Donald Scruggs, for his example of political involvement and his guidance during her time in Columbia.

As candidates continue to work their way into the complex social networks young voters have created either online or around specific issues, they might also find a way to illustrate more vividly the many ways in which policies translate into social realities. After all, it is making this connection that leads young people into political involvement and action. In the meantime, the Stephens campus will continue to be a place where the links between policy and reality—and, more generally, between theory and practice—are identified and analyzed, and also the place where the interests of new generations of women are recognized, fostered and enriched with new perspectives.

The year was 1968, and it was Jonnell Jacobson’s ’69 first trip to Washington, D.C. It was the Stephens Spring Trip, the same trip Mary Josie Cain Blanchard ’67, former president of the Alumnae Association Board, had participated in the year before, as Jacobson recalls.

“We arrived the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was shot,” she says. “We stayed at the famous Willard Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, two blocks from the White House; there were Marine guards in bunkers on every corner. Washington’s city center was burning, with the edge of the fire just one block away from our hotel.”

Jacobson, a Nebraska native, learned during that trip that she had been selected to be a Senate intern, which meant she would return to Washington, D.C., that summer. This was a crucial time in the history of the country, and she would have a front-row seat.

Between the Spring Trip and the summer internship with Nebraska Senator Roman Hruska, Jacobson got to witness in very personal ways some of the most important political events of the day. It was during a private audience for the Stephens student group that Ramsey Clark, U.S. Attorney General at the time, received a call from Congress informing him that the Civil Rights Bill had just passed. It was that summer, while she was working as a Senate intern, that Resurrection City was built on the Washington Mall by the “Poor People’s Campaign.” It was that summer, too, that Robert Kennedy was assassinated.

After earning her associate degree from Stephens, Jacobson transferred to The American University, in Washington, D.C., where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international business. Shortly thereafter, she was appointed to the White House Domestic Council staff, and later to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, where she led seminar trade missions and served as marketing director for the White House Office for Textiles.

Her career later took her to New England and New York City, but since 1996 she has been back in the nation’s capital, where she heads her own marketing group, representing start-up companies, international organizations and large and small nonprofits.

Today, Jacobson and Blanchard, both Stephens Women and fellow Spring Trip travelers, live about four blocks away from each other. Blanchard serves as the deputy director in the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance. And today, still, Jacobson says that the 1968 Stephens Spring Trip—and the bird’s eye view of politics it provided—changed her life.

Jonnell Jacobson ’69 is the director of Corporate Business Development Solutions, a management consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.

As part of New Student Orientation, Stephens freshmen and transfer students took to the streets of Columbia to volunteer their time and service in several schools, public housing areas and other locations. The semester officially began two days later on Aug. 25, with 755 undergraduate students (280 of whom are new students) attending classes.

The day of service, called “Stephens Goes to the Streets,” was a required component of the “Stephens Success” class, which assists new students in the transition from high school to college. Approximately 215 students rolled up their sleeves for a couple of hours to clean hallways, organize bookshelves, put up bulletin boards and tend to recreation areas and a community garden.

“The help was greatly appreciated and allowed us to get many of the tasks done that take us days and weeks to accomplish during the school day with the many disruptions,” said Dr. Kim Presko, principal of Oakland Junior High School.

The student volunteers also benefited from traveling to their work sites by Columbia Transit, the city’s public transportation system. Students became educated about the ins-and-outs of navigating the bus system and also toured a portion of Columbia—their new home-away-from-home—during their bus rides.

“It was a great experience for students who don’t have cars or want to be environmentally conscious,” said Amanda Purchase Roberts, student services coordinator at Stephens, who organized the service projects.

New faculty join Stephens
Stephens College announces 14 new full-time faculty members for the 2008–09 academic year: Darla Branda, RHIA, director of the Health Information Administration program; Carol Estey, chair of the Department of Dance in the School of Performing Arts; Kate Gray, Graphic Design; Elizabeth Hartwell, Dance; Dr. Kate Berneking Kogut, English/Creative Writing; Polina Malikin, Digital Filmmaking and Mass Media; Tina Marks, Design and Fashion; Dianna Rankin, Equestrian Studies; Stephens graduate Dan Schultz, Theatre; Kris Somerville, English/Creative Writing; Annastacia Storrie, Theatre; Chase Thompson, Digital Filmmaking; Dr. Mark Thompson, Sara Jane Johnson Professor, Liberal Arts; and Jonna Wiseman ’91, station manager of KWWC-FM, Mass Media.

The College also recently welcomed Dr. Mary Hassinger as the new vice president for academic affairs. She replaces Dr. Rex Stevens who retired after serving the College for four years. Hassinger, who began work on July 1, previously served as the dean of the School of Letters and Sciences and professor of chemistry at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

Stephens taps six trustees
During the May Stephens College Board of Trustees meeting, the board elected six new members:
• Jane Cunningham Bensussen ’65 of Santa Monica, Calif., retired hospital administrator and chairwoman of the RAND Corporation Global Affiliates.
• John Blakemore of Columbia, Mo., Stephens Mass Media professor emeritus and longtime advertising executive. He is the husband of Priscilla “Patti” Ball Blakemore ’65 and father of Courtney Blakemore ’93.
• Jeannene Thompson Booher ’56 of New York, retired fashion designer and co-chair of the Smart, Strong, Savvy . . . Stephens comprehensive campaign.
• Raymond “Scott” Hembree of Fort Smith, Ark., chairman of Trans-American Tire. He is the father of Sara Hembree ’10, a business major, and Katelyn Hembree ’12, an interior design major; and son of Sarah Janelle Young Hembree ’52.
• Elizabeth Taylor Reid ’71 of Columbia, Mo., former employee in the Stephens Alumnae office and former member of the Alumnae Association Board.
• Mary Bray Sharp ’65 of Orlando, Fla., an interior designer/public relations consultant and former member of the Alumnae Association Board.

Donations make impact
Donors have been making a positive impact on the Stephens campus with their generous gifts to the Smart, Strong, Savvy . . . Stephens comprehensive campaign. Monetary support has assisted in the beautification of campus as well as allowed for the purchase of necessary technological updates.

Roblee Hall lobby

Margaret “Maggie” Sewall Barbour ’60 of Laguna Niguel, Calif., has pledged $1.5 million, including a personal gift of a $500,000 endowed scholarship. Barbour donated the remaining
$1 million in unrestricted funds through the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, founded by her mother. A portion of her gift is funding PowerCampus digital software, which will improve campus services and administrative efficiency, and support data-driven decision making. The remaining funds will go toward the College’s greatest needs.

Through a recent bequest after her death in February 2008, Jean Howe Fahnestock ’50 of Chicago gave an unrestricted gift of approximately $900,000 used for student scholarships and the refurbishing of the College’s residence hall lobbies. Stephens students are enjoying the newly decorated lobbies that boast new furniture, flat screen televisions, carpeting and paint. In addition, Janelle Young Hembree ’52 of Colorado Springs, Colo., donated $75,000 for new lighting on the Historic Quadrangle and library parking lot to help increase student safety.

Editor’s Note: Margaret “Maggie” Sewall Barbour ‘60 of Laguna Niguel, Calif., has made a personal gift of a $500,000 toward an endowed scholarship. The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, founded by Mrs. Barbour’s mother, donated $1 million in unrestricted funds. A portion of this gift will be used to fund PowerCampus digital software, which will improve campus services and administrative efficiency, and support data-driven decision making. The remaining funds will go toward the College’s greatest needs.

Walking program promotes active lifestyle
This summer, Stephens College faculty and staff embarked on “Start!”, a walking program designed by the American Heart Association. Participants, who were on the honor system, wore pedometers for four weeks and reported their mileage via email once a week.

Jacqueline Hubbard, a graduate assistant working in the Office of Human Resources and coordinator of the walking program, said Start! was successful; she heard many stories about people losing weight and employees motivating their spouses to become more physically active as a result of the program.
Participants who walked at least 10 miles each week were rewarded with a day off, but in order to further feed motivation, walkers were divided into five sections, each of which had a winner. The section winners were: Janel Tibbits, custodian; Doug Lange, vice president for operations and facilities; Damen Turley, mail room assistant; Sheryl Brady, accounts receivable coordinator; and Kim Ritten, director of development and community relations.

Each of the winners walked more than 100 miles (two walked more than 200!). The program also recognized the participant who walked the most miles (298.53):Dennis Hunt, custodial crew leader. The combined mileage from all participants was 7,282 miles, which is the same distance a very avid walker would have covered by traveling from Columbia, Mo., to Los Angeles and back—twice.

Two graduations make history
On May 10, Stephens held an unprecedented two graduation ceremonies to accommodate the friends and families of graduates, who gathered with College community members to celebrate the accomplishments of 152 students. Graduates of the College’s Graduate & Continuing Studies programs received their diplomas in a morning ceremony, with the traditional undergraduate ceremony taking place at 1:30 p.m. in the John and Mary Silverthorne Arena.

During the afternoon ceremony, Stephens honored Jo Luck, president and CEO of Heifer International, with a Doctor of Humanities honorary degree and Stephens alumna Patricia White Barry with a Doctor of Fine Arts honorary degree. Since 1992, Jo Luck has led Heifer, an organization that aids impoverished families worldwide, growing it from a $7-million organization to a $100-million organization. Barry, a longtime actress, has received five Emmy nominations for her many roles in motion pictures and television. She has served as president of Women in Film and board chair of the Women in Film Foundation. She is a trustee emerita of the Stephens Board of Trustees.

Two retiring Stephens faculty members also were recognized for their nearly 60 years of service to the College. For more than 25 years, Professor Brett Prentiss served as director of the on-campus Summer Theatre Institute for students enrolled in the three-year, two-summer B.F.A. theatre program. Prentiss, who joined the Stephens faculty in 1968, also chaired the Theatre department for four years. Michele Smith, an equine professional for more than 40 years, taught at Stephens for 17 years, serving seven years as chair of the Equestrian Studies department.

Pictured L-to-R: President Libby, Patricia Barry and Commence-ment speaker Jo Luck.

Visit
www.stephens.edu/news/commencement for commencement speeches, speaker biographies, a photo slideshow and more.

Time to party
The Stephens Alumnae Association Board (AAB) invites alumnae to hold a birthday party in honor of the College’s 175th anniversary. The goal is to hold at least 175 birthday parties around the country during Stephens’ historic anniversary year (now through December 2008). A party provides a perfect opportunity to reconnect with the College, network with alumnae in your area and inspire the next generation of Stephens women.

Contact Amanda Lytz Hellman ’94, alytz@rice.edu or (713) 348-6181; Cara Stratman Knox ’97, info@caraknox.com or (314) 345-3485; or the Stephens Alumnae Office at (573) 876-7110, by Oct. 1 to request a free Birthday Box to help get your party started. The box contains items such as a DVD of Stephens’ 175th birthday party (plus excerpts from Reunion 2008 and commencement), a CD containing templates for a party invitation and table topper, and more!

We’d love to hear how your celebration goes with fellow alumnae! Following your party, please send a brief event description and/or pictures to Sara Fernández Cendón at sfcendon@stephens.edu or Stephens College, 1200 E. Broadway, Campus Box 2051, Columbia, MO 65215. Party highlights will be featured on the College’s 175th Web site (www.stephens.edu/175) and in the next issue of Ideal Connection.

Talk back online

The online version of The Ideal Connection (www.stephens.edu/alumnae/magazine/wp) recently became a more engaging portion of the Stephens Web site. Alumnae may post comments about an article, forward a story to a friend, and even offer suggestions on the types of stories they’d like to read in future issues of Ideal Connection. Other Web features include a Gift Shop and a Class Notes online form, where alumnae may share news about their career and families. All past issues of Ideal Connection also are available online.

During the annual alumnae awards ceremony at Reunion, Stephens College recognized several alumnae for their service and dedication to the College:

2008 Alumnae Achievement Award: Doris Painter Littrell ’58 of Columbia, Mo., received this award, the College’s highest honor bestowed on our alumnae. Littrell, the former director of MU Direct—a continuing and distance education program associated with the University of Missouri—has spent her career enhancing adult higher education programs and participating in community development projects.

2008 Alumnae Service Award: Rachel Gross ’93 of New York; Donna Ensign Marshall ’58 of New York; and Kathlyn Stolte Sherrod ’71 of Dallas were honored for, among other things, their promotion of Stephens College locally and nationally, and service as leaders of the College.

Black Alumnae Association Recognition Award: Silissa Uriate-Smith ’98 of Long Beach, Calif., for being a dedicated and effective advocate for women and minorities.

In addition, Karith Foster ’96, a comedienne/performer who is featured on the national Don Imus radio show, gave the first talk as part of the College’s Woman of Distinction Lecture Series.

Nominations are accepted throughout the year for the Stephens Alumnae Achievement and Service awards. If you’d like to nominate a fellow alumna, please visit www.stephens.edu/alumnae/aab/alumnaeawards.htm or contact the Office of Alumnae Relations at alumnae@stephens.edu or (573) 876-7110.

Retiring AAB Members

The following board members retired following the April 2008 meeting on campus. We thank them for their service to Stephens and the Alumnae Association!

Carol Mehmert Davidson ’90, Jefferson City, Mo.

Marge Phillippe-Kelley ’52, St. Peters, Mo.

Pam Pochel ’99, Columbia, Mo.

Angela Cremeens Quinn ’86, O’Fallon, Mo.

Jennifer Kelley Wilder ’94, Japan

New AAB Members

Christiane (C. J.) Joneson Chambers ’94, Houston

Carolyn Jacob Crawford ’63, Concord, Calif.

Rebecca Earp ’86, Kansas City, Mo.

Shatenita Horton ’06, Columbia, Mo.

Michelle Todman ’83, Parsippany, N.J.

The Greater New York Area Alumnae Club held a SoupRSupper on June 12 at The Irish Rogue for Stephens alumnae and current fashion students completing summer internships in New York City. Student attendees who worked with alumnae during their internships included Katie Dillman ’09 of Republic, Mo.; Danielle Pfeiffer ’09 of Chesterfield, Mo.; and Rikki-Takeyama-’09 of-Kansas-City,-Mo. The event provided an opportunity-for-students to mix with professionals. The alumnae in attendance included Heather-Jackson-’07, Heather-Hay-’93, Kelly-Summers-’06 and-Allyson-Spellman Rodriguez ’93.

The club also held a spring party, hosted by Lizann LaGrange ’84, on March 27 at Fratelli Rossetti. In addition to several Stephens alumnae, those in attendance included Stephens fashion and theatre students; Ron Sherga, a Stephens Board of Trustees member and father of Stephanie Sherga ’03; fashion professors Monica Phillippe McMurry ’82, dean of the School of Design and Fashion, and Kirsty Buchanan ’83; and theatre professors Beth Leonard, dean of the School of Performing Arts, and Lamby Hedge.

On May 13, more than 20 alumnae and guests in the Greater Washington Club gathered at the home of Dianne Maffia ’71 for a “Happy 175th Birthday!” champagne toast to Stephens. Friendships were made and rekindled at this potluck dinner in northwest Washington, and new board members were selected for the upcoming year. Funds were raised for the Club’s scholarship fund through a raffle. Several alumnae expressed interest in the new Stephens umbrella, designed by trustee and Smart, Strong, Savvy . . . Stephens campaign chair Jeannene Thompson Booher ’56 of Otis, Mass. Alumnae may purchase the umbrella at the online Gift Shop(www.stephens.edu/alumnae/extras/giftshop/); all proceeds benefit the Stephens College 175th Scholarship Fund.

The Stephens Seattle Alumnae Chapter hosted its first spring luncheon on May 17. The event, hosted at the Seattle Yacht Club, drew more than 30 alumnae, representing graduating classes from the 1940s to the present, and their guests. Co-presidents Merritt Horton Gray ’97 and Danielle Stanley Zack ’99 introduced Liz Ray ’08 and current graduate students Jennifer Edwards ’07 and Jaclyn Cook ’08, who spoke about living at Stephens and fielded questions from attendees. A great dialogue was held among the various classes, comparing life at Stephens throughout the decades. The discussion touched on topics such as dorm life, sororities, sports, favorite professors, theatre productions, fashion shows and the current social scene

We hear it over and over again, from recent and not-so-recent graduates alike—one of Stephens’ greatest assets is a strong network of amazing alumnae who lead productive and inspiring lives throughout the nation and around the world. What better occasion than Stephens’ 175th anniversary to showcase some of these amazing women who have made—and continue to make—the College the great institution that she is? Through a year-long “Amazing Women Since 1833” awareness campaign in local media, we’ve introduced Columbia to a sample of our amazing alumnae and have even asked community members to nominate the amazing women in their own lives.  

Karith Foster ’ 96
New York, New York

It’s been completely surreal. What an opportunity to be a positive role model, not just for African-Americans and not just for women, but especially African-American women.”
(In regard to her controversial decision to join the national “Imus in the Morning” show; Karith spoke as a “Woman of Distinction” lecturer during Alumnae Reunion 2008 at Stephens.)

Comedy and Controversy. Karith has never shied away from either. Using her quick wit and her ability to get anyone to laugh at themselves, Karith has built an enviable career in comedy that has led her from stand-out student at Stephens College to performances in New York and LA’s major comedy clubs to the honor of being the youngest member of the New York Friars Club to her high profile position on “Imus in the Morning.” This, after Don Imus’ racially charged remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team landed him at the edge of losing his show forever.

The self-described Jewish African-American princess isn’t afraid to grab the microphone and say what needs to be said—with a big dose of humor, of course. Says former professor John Blakemore: “You just knew that she was going to be on stage. She had that personality.”

Wally Funk ’58
Roanoke, Texas

“We were ahead of our time by 30 years. Sally Ride went up 20 years later, and Eileen Collins went up 30 years later.”
(On her fellow Mercury 13 members, after NASA canceled the Women in Space Program in 1961.)

At age 5, she attempted flight for the first time . . . off the roof of her father’s barn dressed like Superman.

At 16, she enrolled in the Stephens College Aviation Program after breaking her back in a skiing accident, which ended her chances at the Olympics. She was a “Flying Susie” at the top of her class and received her private pilot’s license in 1958. In 1961, Wally became the youngest member of Mercury 13, the “Women in Space” astronaut-testing program, beating U.S. astronaut John Glenn in many of the same tests he underwent as part of Mercury 7. Wally’s dream of space flight was abruptly halted when NASA canceled the program later that year.

Today, Wally still teaches teenagers how to fly and trains them in airplane safety while keeping her eyes firmly set on the stars. Not too long ago, at the helm of Solaris X, she participated in a competition for private funding for space travel. Her shuttle was defeated, but her dream remains intact.

“I’ll take the first outfit up into space, whatever it is,” she says. “I’ll sell my house to get to go.”

Elizabeth Mitchell
Los Angeles, California
At Stephens, you needed to learn to do absolutely everything. And I think that gave me a huge amount of discipline for the work that I do now.”
(As told to Pete Bland, of the Columbia Daily Tribune)

Years before starring on ABC’s “Lost,” actress Elizabeth Mitchell found herself at Stephens.

Elizabeth made her theatrical debut as a 7-yearold at the Dallas Theater Center, but she says it was at Stephens College that she figured out what she was all about.

She immersed herself in Stephens theatre—on stage and behind it—and afterward, with her BFA in hand, she headed off to the British American Drama Academy in London. Her list of credits includes a performance alongside Angelina Jolie in the HBO film “Gia,” the role of Mrs. Claus in the “Santa Clause” movies, and several appearances on “ER.” Two years ago she landed on the set of “Lost” as enigmatic doctor Juliet Burke. As they impatiently await the beginning of the hit TV series’ fifth season, “Lost” fans suspect mysterious Juliet has a few aces up her sleeve. But Elizabeth Mitchell has already proven she has some of her own.

Sara Jane Johnson ’56
Orcas, Wash.

“I was looking for a change . . . An awakening.”

She hadn’t been camping since she was a little girl in Riverside, California, so it came as a bit of a surprise when the 42-year-old, newly divorced mother of three signed up to trek through the mountains with a 40-lb. pack for 30 days with a group of total strangers. But this tiny, quiet woman has no shortage of what most people call courage.

Studying a tribe of Northwest coast Native Americans, while in a boat off the coast of Queen Charlotte’s Island, a terrible storm began to rage and the boat sank. Huddled in lifeboats in the pounding rain, they waited hours for rescue. In spite of it all, the very next year she was back. She has spent her life fearlessly advocating for the environment, for affordable housing and for education.

Sara Jane also spends her time serving as co-chair of the Smart, Strong, Savvy. . . Stephens campaign with longtime friend Jeannene Thompson Booher ’56. The former Stephens roommates have maintained their friendship through the decades, even traveling together to such locations as India, Portugal and Mexico.

Visit www.stephens.edu/175/Amazing/amazing_women.php to read more Amazing Women profiles. Nominees are eligible to win a scholarship to a Graduate & Continuing Studies program at Stephens. Please see the Web site for further details.

This summer, Okoboji Summer Theatre in Spirit Lake, Iowa—owned and operated by Stephens College—celebrated the completion of three projects made possible with gifts totaling more than $650,000, in celebration of the theatre’s 50th anniversary last year. A donor recognition party and dedication ceremonies were held on July 25 with 130 guests in attendance. Stephens President Wendy B. Libby presented the donors plaques in recognition of their generous donations.

“Sometimes dreams come true . . . and sometimes what you are given surpasses what you could have ever imagined. That is the case with these renovations, which make our lives and our art so much easier,” said Artistic Director Beth Leonard, dean of the School of Performing Arts at Stephens College. “Everyone who has ever worked at this summer theatre owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to our supporters.”

Anne Thorne Weaver (pictured below, top row on left), a longtime resident of Okoboji and Omaha, gave $85,000 for a much-needed upgrade to the Theatre’s front patio, which bears her name. Upgrades include a new exterior front on the theatre (reminiscent of the original building, an airplane hangar); a new concessions stand; and planter boxes that double as seating for patrons. Renovations to the Frances Shloss Green Room, used by actors to rehearse during the day and relax when not on stage, were made possible by Frances Shloss of Okoboji and Beverly Hills, Calif. (pictured below, middle row on left, center). Her father was one of the original 10 businessmen who purchased the airplane hangar decades ago to convert it into a summer theatre. To view photos chronicling the renovation process, visit www.stephens.edu/okoboji.

A newly built Joan Bing Kirke ’63 Rehearsal Hall was funded by a $500,000 donation from Kirke (pictured bottom) and her husband, Gary, who live in Des Moines. The hall is a welcome addition for ’Boji’s professional actors and students. (It also doubles as a storm shelter, which came in handy this summer!)