Avenues Summer 2024
This issue of Avenues, the Saint Mary's College alumnae magazine, is full of memories and celebrations. You'll read about the enduring SMC legacy in one family as a granddaughter from the Class of 2001 reflects on the life of her grandmother from the Class of 1947. There's a story on an impactful writing program at Saint Mary's that is celebrating its 50th anniversary. You'll also witness the joy from Commencement and Reunion, and you will read about the extraordinary mind of Fran Craig, a trailblazer in the field of computer technology. All this and more!
Feature Articles
Shattering the Glass Ceiling with Bits and Bytes
When Frances Bardello Craig graduated in 1964 with her degree in mathematics from Saint Mary’s College, she was confident and ready to take on the fledgling field of computer technology. It was after all, the mid-20th century, the time when the counterculture revolution was taking hold in the US and challenging the norms under which Craig was raised. In those critical young-adult years, Saint Mary’s had taught her that success and community could be found when people shared values and a common goal.
Oh! It's On!
To kick off the summer, the class years ending in four and nine came home to Saint Mary’s for Reunion 2024. More than 700 Belles from the classes of 1954 to 2019 wheeled their suitcases onto campus as excitement grew.
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Caring Beyond the Cure September 25, 2024 The summer before my first semester of nursing clinicals, I had visions of pouring my heart into each patient I encountered. I was eager to make a positive impact on every individual, empowering them to regain their health and make a full recovery. But on the first day of my chronic med-surg course, we were plunged into the deep end of reality with our lecture on hospice and palliative care. I laughed to myself: What a way to kick off the semester, starting with “the end.”
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Commencement 2024: Being Bold, Thinking Big August 23, 2024 On May 18, under the warm sun and with a slight breeze, the Class of 2024 celebrations began for the 330 graduates at the 177th Commencement. Families and friends gathered on Le Mans Green. In her remarks to the class, President Katie Conboy invited graduates to “be bold, think big, raise your voices… and keep the faith.”
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Passing the ‘W’: Excellence in Writing Lasts a Lifetime August 23, 2024 The letter W traces its origins through Old English to a rune for “joy.” It often stands alone to represent a day of the week, a dimensional measurement, or a win in sports.
At Saint Mary’s College, when first-year students attain their “W” it means only one thing: they have succeeded in achieving their Basic Writing Proficiency—a joy and a win in itself.
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In the Spotlight: Vanessa Hilliard Young August 23, 2024 Dr. Vanessa Hilliard Young shares her experiences teaching biology at Saint Mary’s College, from engaging students in research on squirrels and locomotor structures to promoting diversity in field-based sciences. She highlights memorable student projects, her current research on yellow-footed tortoises in Ecuador, and her commitment to creating inclusive learning environments both in the classroom and in the field.
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Spirit of ’47 — A Saint Mary’s Woman Remembered August 23, 2024 She did the New York Times crossword puzzle in pen, and she watched Jeopardy every night. She was a Cleveland sports fan,
and she loved a bright red lipstick even with nowhere to go. She was hard to keep on the phone for very long, and she never embraced email or smartphones, but she loved a written letter, and she would talk with us all night around her kitchen table when we visited. Lenore Sroub Bracken ’47 passed away peacefully on January 6, 2023, at the age of 97 years. She was the devoted wife of Paul; the loving mother of my dear mom, my aunt, and my uncle; the grandmother of nine; and the great-grandmother of 14.