President's Message

 

 

 

 

 

Spring 2022

Dear Classmates,

 

Spring is finally in the air here in Wellesley even if the wind has a way of insisting on winter breezes. My first comment is an urgent one:

 

The College is in the process of switching entirely to electronic communications and will be sending all Reunion information and registrations for our 60th Reunion in June 2023 via email. If you do not have email or a computer, you will need to call the Alumnae Association during Reunion season at (781)-283-2331.

 

IF YOU HAVE NOT LET THE COLLEGE KNOW YOU ARE WILLING TO RECEIVE CLASS LETTERS AND REUNION INFORMATION VIA EMAIL, PLEASE DO SO ASAP.  To request changes to your contact record with the College, please email recordupdates@wellesley.edu or call (781)-283-2225.

 

And on to news:

 

Denise Bienfang (denbien@aol.com) and I hosted a Boston area Zoom in early March. About twenty classmates attended and suggested another Zoom in early summer. We agreed that anyone not in the Boston area who would like to take part should let Denise know so that your email can be added to the list announcing the date and link. 

 

As next year is our 60th Reunion, Denise is discussing the option of trying a Fall Zoom for our entire Class with the Alum Office. A date and link would be sent from the College to everyone on the Class email list. Those interested could simply join, no RSVP needed. We would have a backup plan for break out rooms if the Zoom turns out to be very large.

                                                           ***

Nancy Benjamin, (NancyBenj@hotmail.com) Class Secretary writes:

 

I want to send a big THANK YOU to classmates who have written their news to me.  I love hearing from you whether you've gone to see the polar bears in the Yukon or your grandchild across town, read a good book you'd like to recommend, or are contemplating a move somewhere.  Please keep writing!  It's all good, as our granddaughter says.

                                                           ***

 

Betty Iwan (bettyiwan@frontiernet.net) Web Officer adds:

 

The easiest way to access the 1963 Wellesley Class website is to use the link below:

https://1963.alum.wellesley.edu

 

(If you do not have login information, check with the Help Desk at

781-283-7777 or send an email to helpdesk@wellesley.edu)

 

Nancy and I have been discussing some updates to the 1963 website and will report on those conversations in the Fall Newsletter. Don’t forget to visit the website to find contact info for classmates and other tidbits about class members.

                                                            ***

 

Barb Whittum Schroeder (bschroeder23@hotmail.com) Annual Fund Chair writes:

 

Wellesley relies on the generosity of alumnae, families, and friends to support the College’s mission to provide an excellent liberal arts education to women who will make a difference in the world. Gifts to The Wellesley Fund go to work immediately to improve all aspects of campus life, increase need-based financial aid packages, support innovative teaching and research, update state-of-the-art learning environments, and keep Wellesley’s 500-acre campus beautiful.

 

Many thanks to those of you who have already made a gift earlier in the fiscal year. If you haven’t, please make a gift today to The Wellesley Fund at Wellesley.edu/give. Your gift will make an immediate impact on students, providing them with the resources to succeed and thrive.

                                                                   ***

Marg Light Edwards (margedwards@verizon.net) Durant Giving Chair writes:

 

The College is so pleased with the number of 1963 Durant level gifts that have already been received since July 1, 2021.  Fourteen individual Classmates have already made Durant gifts! (At the end of last fiscal year, we had a total of 17.) Durant gifts are those that total $2500 or more during a fiscal year.

 

Go 1963!

 

I encourage each member of our wonderful class of 1963 to consider stretching her gift, if at all possible, during these challenging times.

 

                                                              ***

Laura E. McLeod (lemcl@aol.com) Gift Planning Chair writes:

 

The Office of Gift Planning wished to remind you of another way that you can contribute to Wellesley and celebrate our upcoming 60th reunion. 

 

If you have included Wellesley in your estate plan or are planning on updating your estate plan in the next year and wish to include our alma mater, the amount of your bequest will count toward your individual gift total, add to our reunion class gift total, and qualify you for the Durant Society for a year.

 

While documenting your intentions for the College reflects where you stand now, your bequest intention is revocable and not legally binding, so you can change your mind at any time. 

 

If your bequest intention is for $10,000 or more, all you need to do is request the Bequest Intention Form from the Office of Gift Planning (781-283-2235 or giftplanning@wellesley.edu), make a copy of the section of your legal document that names Wellesley as a beneficiary, and mail both to the college. If the amount is expressed as a percentage or remainder, Wellesley will accept your statement on the Bequest Intention Form offering your best estimate of the current amount. The office will be glad to answer any questions, so feel free to call them. 

 

The Office of Gift Planning offers other ways that you may help Wellesley and benefit yourself and your family. You will find this information at the website mentioned above. A bequest intention does not count toward class participation, so please don’t forget to make a gift, no matter how small, to boost our class participation. 

 

                                                                  ***

As spring moves forward, I hope everyone is not only looking forward to the changing season, but to gathering renewed energy for whatever lies ahead.

 

Best,

 

Susan

 

Susan McGee Bailey

Class President  

 

Fall 2021 Newsletter

 

October 2021

Dear Classmates,

     I am writing this on Marathon Monday, Indigenous People’s Day here in Wellesley, rather than the traditional Patriot’s Day run in April. Another sign of the disruptions of Covid but also a sign of a partial return to some pandemic celebrations! As I write, the news of Delta is mixed and it is hard to know if we are in for another hard winter. The campus is a bit more lively than last year, but masks and testing twice a week are still the order of the day.  As I am sure many of you read in communiques from the College, alums are now able to walk on the campus, but cannot enter buildings without prior approval. Let’s hope the more optimistic predictions for a lessening of the spread of Covid are more the order of the day and more such steps can follow soon.  
     My daughter Amy is still at home with me with no day program or new living arrangements in sight, but the fact that Wellesley students can work off campus this year has made things a bit easier. I am luckier than most parents and trying, in my limited time, to do what I can to help more people understand the many ramifications of the crisis in care confronting the nation—a seemingly endless feminist struggle.

 

Nancy Benjamin, Class Secretary, writes: 

      I have been very happy and fortunate to receive so many letters from classmates to include in Class Notes. There's always been a variety of good material, and I usually have more than I can use, so those letters get saved for the next issue.  A wonderful problem to have. It's like having some starter dough in making sour dough bread--a message or two left over leads me into creating the next column.  Thank you to all who take the time to write. Please keep it up!
     I also want to comment on the Alumnae Association Book Club that I have been enjoying and appreciating ever since it began. I have read at least four of the books, sometimes falling behind the suggested schedules but always learning and enjoying the selections. Of the four or five books I have read, I especially appreciated Caste by Isabel Wilkinson, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, and The Leavers by Lisa Ko. If you want to sign up, access the link here. Then, order a book or borrow from your local library and you will be included in mailings about the suggested reading schedule and invited to share your comments by email about each section of the readings. I don't always have time to think about my response to the forum’s questions, but that's OK. I enjoy reading what others have sent in—anything from a sentence to a long paragraph about what you like or dislike, etc. I highly recommend trying this. The Alumnae Association created this as an opportunity to include alumnae in college life. You are also invited to a Zoom by the authors if they speak at Wellesley. Let me (and thus the class) know what you think! NancyBenj@hotmail.com.

 

Betty Belden Iwan, Class Web Manager, reports on web work:

     Have you discovered the useful information and links on our class web site? I use it to reference the directory of our classmates.  I also go to it for book suggestions. Here are tabs and links that you too may find useful. 

ABOUT  –      President’s Messages

Officer List (1963 Class Officers: 2018-2023)

NEWS –        In Memoriam (2018 – 2021)

Submit Your News: Links to Current and previous issues of Wellesley

                      Latest News: Book Suggestion List

MINI-REUNIONS – Photo Albums                             

1963 DIRECTORY – Search options include First and Last Names, City, State/Province, Country, Occupation, Industry

   

The easiest way to access the web site for the Class of 1963 is to use the following link:  https://1963.alum.wellesley.edu/. If you do not have login information, call the Help Desk at 781-283-777 or send an email to helpdesk@wellesley.edu.
        
    To help make our web site even more interesting than it is now, please send photos to me in .JPG format and book suggestions to our Class Secretary, Nancy Walker Benjamin.

 

Betty
Bettyiwan@gmail.com

 
Denise Repetto Bienfang, Class Vice President, reports on mini reunions:       

     Susan Bailey and I had lunch with her daughter Amy recently and decided our next Boston area Class of 1963 Zoom chat would be in January 2022, more precise information will be sent after the holidays. We hope others across the country and the world will try to have mini reunions when you can. Zoom works well and many classmates here in Boston seem to enjoy the chance to hear about others. The College can help with the technical end of Zooms and of course, as Covid conditions permit, in person gatherings are fine, too! denbien@aol.com 

Barb Whittum Schroeder, Class Fund Representative, urges participation:

    The Wellesley Fund provides critical and flexible funds that can be used to address urgent needs and seize unique opportunities. Gifts to The Wellesley Fund go to work immediately to improve all aspects of campus life, increase need-based financial aid packages, support innovative teaching and research, update state-of-the-art learning environments, and keep Wellesley’s 500-acre campus beautiful. 

    Many thanks to those of you who have already made a gift to Wellesley early in the fiscal year. If you haven’t, please make a gift today to the Wellesley Fund at:  http://Wellesley.edu/give. Your gift will make an immediate impact on students, providing them with the resources for them to succeed and thrive.
Bschroeder23@hotmail.com  
  

A Final Plea from the College:

 If you are still receiving this letter via snail mail, PLEASE consider updating your mail preferences to receive Class of 1963 communiques via email. All it takes is a simple email to recordupdates@wellesley.edu.
 

I hope the coming holidays are good ones for all of us, even if more reliant on Zooms than we might have hoped a year ago. 

With all best wishes for the year ahead,

 

Susan

 

Susan McGee Bailey
sbailey@wellesley.edu 

1963 Class President
she/her/hers

 

Now for other updates:

(If you do not have login information, check with the Help Desk at
781-283-7777 or send an email to helpdesk@wellesley.edu)

            ABOUT -    President’s Message (Current and previous letters from class President)

Officer List (1963 Class Officers: 2018-2023)

NEWS –      In Memoriam (2018 – 2020)

 Links to Current and previous issues of Wellesley Magazine under “Submit Your News”)

                         Book Suggestion List (under “Latest News”)

            MINI-REUNIONS – Photo Albums (Please send me more photos!)    

            1963 DIRECTORY – Search options include First and Last Names, City,  State/Province,  County,                                                      Occupation, Industry

                                   

October 2020 Dear Classmates, I hope everyone is surviving this unprecedented pandemic as well as possible. The combination of tropical storms, out of control fires, and a political season uglier than any in our lifetimes, have made 2020 a year to remember, but not with any particular pleasure—at least from my standpoint.  I do have lots of news to share, both from class officers and from the College—much of it good, especially given the conditions created by Covid-19. This week Wellesley Alumnae Weekend was a virtual event spread over two days---Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon. Alums on college email lists were notified of the sections open to all alums. All volunteers from Class, Club, SIG, and Development roles were invited to take part in the training sessions. The virtual format allowed a much larger and more efficient outreach, but the in-person, on campus experience was, of course, not possible. (Reminder: PLEASE UPDATE your email and preferences with the Alum Office if you are not receiving Class Letters and College updates by email!) President Johnson and Dean Shennan spoke on the issues Paula covered in her October 7th email to all alumnae, and I will highlight a few of those points here: The four sessions of seven weeks each designed for this year are going well with the first session about to conclude. All students on campus (first years, sophomores, a few international students and juniors and seniors with a particular project requiring them to be on campus this semester) have single rooms. All students are tested twice a week and to date only two positive test results have been reported. Both Zoom and in person classes are available to students on campus. Those off campus are doing this semester virtually. Andy Shennan noted that both faculty and students are working hard to adapt to the new schedules and formats and that many report high levels of enthusiasm. Some faculty mention that students rarely cut classes and often stay well beyond the class time. The Admissions Department reported that for the first time, this year test scores will be optional and that they are working to ensure all students interested in Wellesley have the help they may need to complete the application process now that so many are not in school on a regular basis. There are currently 800 requests for interviews compared to 400 at this time a year ago. Alum volunteers willing to do interviews (virtually) are needed.                                          From Our Class Officers CLASS WEBSITE BETTY IWAN bettyiwan@frontiernet.net All went as planned, and we now have a new web platform for the Wellesley College Alumnae Association (WCAA) groups.  The look of our class web page has not changed.  Our logon process has stayed the same. The easiest way to access our class page is to use https://1963.alum.wellesley.edu/.  If you do not have logon information, check with the Help Desk at 781-283-7777 or helpdesk@wellesley.edu. Below, I have listed the tabs that are on the 1963 home page and currently have information of interest. In summary, you will find Susan Bailey’s President’s Messages from 2019 and 2020, list of class officers, links to Wellesley Magazines, photos, and our 1963 Class Directory. I seek your photos (old and new) and news from your in- person or virtual mini-reunions. ABOUT President’s Message (Current and previous class president Letters) Officer List (1963 Class Officers: 2018-2023) NEWS Book Suggestions from Classmates (Under the tab ‘Latest News’) Nancy Walker Benjamin has already started to collect your book recommendations. (As these will be on the website and in Class Notes, they will no longer be listed in the Class Letter.) Please send all book recommendations to NancyBenj@hotmail.com. MINI-REUNIONS Photo Albums (Current photo albums include 55th Reunion, Our Alma Mater, Remember Tree Day 1961? These albums may also be found at the bottom of the Home page.) 1963 DIRECTORY Search options include: First and Last Names, City, State/Province, Country, Occupation, Industry MINI REUNIONS DENISE BIENFANG denbien@aol.com Are you tired as I am of the over use of 'abundance of caution'? But I am not tired of 'staying connected.' At times, I feel isolated and alone and truly welcome an unexpected email from someone I haven't heard from in years. I am learning that 'Zooming' is better than nothing although I still prefer an in-person meeting. But, for the time being 'Zooming' is it. Toward that end I recommend Zooming with classmates, including those who might live in your area or beyond. It is surprisingly easy to do with the help of Janet McKeeney, our liaison at the Wellesley Alumnae Office (jmckeene@wellesley.edu). She is willing and able to help us Zoom, set up meetings, get us started and generally coach us through the process. Call her! You may already be Zooming with old friends from College but reaching out to someone you didn't know back then is one way we can 'stay connected.’ Suzy and I have scheduled a Zoom gathering for the Boston area in late October and we may do it again in late winter. Let me know when you decide to try a classmate Zoom meeting.                                   GIVING TO WELLESLEY The Annual Fund BARB WHITTUM SCHROEDER bschroeder23@hotmail.com These are challenging times and with challenging times come challenging costs. Wellesley is committed to providing the same world-class education and unique experiences to all of its students, wherever they may be in the world. For example, classrooms have been updated with new technology so that students everywhere can fully participate in their courses. Faculty have adjusted their curricula to better serve remote and in-person students in a new semester format made up of two seven-week terms. Adirondack chairs and picnic tables have been placed across the campus to allow students to connect while remaining physically distant.  Many thanks to those of you who have already made a gift to Wellesley early in the fiscal year. If you haven’t, please make a gift today to The Wellesley Fund at Wellesley.edu/give. Your gift will make an immediate impact on students, providing them with the resources for them to succeed, while keeping them safe. Durant Giving MARG LIGHT EDWARDS margedwards@verizon.net   If there ever were a year when we need to try to increase our gift to Wellesley, this is it! The Wellesley Fund is supporting extraordinary expenses and needs our help; and needs it as soon as we are able to give.  Please consider a gift at the Durant level if you have never done so before. And if you are a Durant donor, please consider increasing the size of your gift. Several of you have done so and the entire Wellesley community is most grateful. Thanks to each and every one of you for your unfailing generosity to Wellesley.                                           CLASS NOTES  NANCY BENJAMIN NancyBenj@hotmail.com A big THANK YOU to those of you who have been writing me for Class Notes!  I know everyone likes to keep up with faraway roommates and friends, and other than Facebook, etc.  what better way than Class Notes?  You don’t have to travel to exotic places or achieve great things to write. Whoever you are, we want to hear from you!  We love to hear from others like ourselves who are struggling with the same issues we are (our age, Covid, Global Warming) and hear what they are finding interesting or satisfying to do. I have gotten some great ideas so far from your letters. Please keep those messages coming!! With thanks to all for your support for our Class and Wellesley—and with best and healthiest wishes for the months ahead, Susan Susan McGee Bailey 1963 Class President

Late March 2020

Dear Classmates,

I hope you are all well and surviving the current health crisis. Who knows how things will be a month from now, but I fear the virus will still be with us.  Here in the Boston area Denise and I made the decision to cancel a mini-reunion we had planned for March 22^nd. It was sad to do so as so many of us had been looking forward to seeing each other. But, while the risk to individuals is low (although we are all in the age-danger zone), the greater risk is a societal one, and given that COVID-19 can be spread by those with no symptoms, it seemed the only sensible decision to make. So, no mini-reunion news to share in this letter.  

But Denise sends these thoughts: denbien@aol.com

“What a weird time! I have been trying to figure out how to cope, what to do, and how to overcome my resistance to change. This morning I asked Don (my husband) to think up some things we could do together that we would both enjoy. He came up with learning to play dominoes. Anyone know how?  I also have been learning to use ZOOM. Maybe that is something we all could use by setting up a ZOOM meeting and checking in. It is not a 'mini' reunion but we could call it that anyway. I am so sorry that we had to cancel our mini gathering here last Sunday. We had twenty-three people ready to show up for brunch. However, we could gather online in a ZOOM meeting. What do you think? And, how about sending an email, or calling, a classmate just to check in?” 

And a final reminder from me (Susan): 

Please send updates on mini-reunions, Zoom, or whatever, to Nancy Benjamin as part of Class Notes messages. Nancy forwards them to Denise for her records, and if there is a photo, Nancy sends it on to the Magazine. NancyBenj@hotmail.com  

I do have happier news to share. Although I assume some of you have seen the articles I’m linking here,I suspect many have not. These are taken from an email sent every month to class officers and club volunteers. Each is a story about the Class of 2020 and their wonderful, creative efforts to celebrate their final student days at Wellesley far earlier than they ever imagined. Enjoy!

New York Times

Washington Post

Last week's New Yorker essay by faculty member Dan Chiasson

This week's New Yorker essay by faculty member Dan Chiasson 

 

Betty Iwan has an update on our website: bettyiwan@frontiernet.net

 If all goes as planned—and that is a large IF at this point given the new realities—starting the first full week in April 2020, the college will have a new web platform for its Wellesley College Alumnae Association (WCAA) groups. At this point, we do not know how that will change the look of our class web page.  We are told that all our data and photos will be present on our new website. There is no indication from the recent communication we have received that our logon process will change. Class officers and website coordinators will have access to training videos and webinars with WCAA staff in early April. We look forward to seeing what the new host vendor has in store for all of us.

Thanks to a suggestion made by Nancy Walker Benjamin, Class ’63 Secretary, we plan to share a list of books on the class web page that you and your classmates recommend to Nancy. Send her the Title and Author of a book or books you have read recently and recommend to your classmates. Sometime after the new web platform has been installed, I will add the first list of titles to our web page.  I will continue to add books as I collect them from Nancy who receives them from you. We trust you will find this addition to our web page worthwhile.  

Remember, the easiest way to access our class page is to use https://1963.alum.wellesley.edu. If you do not have logon information, check with the Help Desk at 781-283-777 or helpdesk@wellesley.edu .

 

And here is the first list of books Nancy Benjamin has compiled:

BOOKS TO NOTE:  From Class Notes columns and Wellesley Magazine’s “Freshink” Fall 2018 –- Winter 2020. 

Authored by Classmates:

Margaret Locke Newhouse, Legacies of the Heart

Nancy Walker Benjamin, In My Dreams

Constance Whitman Baher, The Case of the Kickass Retirement

Barbara Bloom, Ephemeral Blooms
Diana Loercher Pazicky, Or Else

Order of Imagination:  The Photographs of Olivia Parker, Peabody Essex Museum
Nancy Stoller, Southern White Girl Seeks Social Change
Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, Traces of J.B. Jackson: The Man Who Taught Us to See Everyday America

 

Recommended by Classmates: 

From Rona Hirsch Mendelsohn:  The Soul of America:  The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham

From Martha Leich Fox:  The Pioneers by David McCullough

 

Fundraising news from our Wellesley Fund Rep, Barb Whittum Schroeder:  Bschroeder23@hotmail.com

I want to thank the many classmates who have already made a gift to The Wellesley Fund this fiscal year. Also, many thanks to those of you who have designated a portion or all of your gift to specific areas at Wellesley about which you particularly care. As of March 1, our class participation rate was 40%. Our class has a history of reaching or surpassing the 50% mark. A gift of any size will help us to reach the goal of 55%. If you have not yet made a gift, we need your help!

These are challenging times, and with challenging times come extra costs. Many alums generously supported the Emergency Student Relief Fund, but challenges remain. If you have already made a gift this fiscal year, please consider an additional gift. If you have not yet made a gift to the College this year, please do so as you are able. As President Johnson wrote in her recent letter to alumnae, gifts to The Wellesley Fund, give the College the greatest flexibility in addressing the needs of students, faculty, staff and administration. (Click the link provided to give). 

You can also send a check payable to Wellesley College and mail to Wellesley College Development Office, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481. Be sure to include your full name and your class year.  

If you have any questions, please contact Barb, e-mail above.

Marg Light Edwards reports that our class has 13 Durant Gifts for the 2019-20 fiscal year, received through January 2020. She will have more updated information for our next letter when the new computer system has kinks worked out. The college and the class are very appreciative of these most generous gifts. Marg can be reached at:
margedwards@verizon.net

I hope that the next months will bring good weather, perhaps a slowing of the virus spread, and thus good news and better times for all of us! Stay healthy, stay in touch, and check the website as it evolves.

With best wishes to all,                                                           

Susan                                                                                             

sbailey@wellesley.edu  

Fall 2019

Dear Classmates,                                                                             

It’s difficult to get my head around the reality that it is time for another edition of 1963 Class Newsletter. I hope the past six months have been good ones for all of you! 

Class notes and Mini Reunions

For me—and perhaps for many of you — Class Notes is the first place I check in the Magazine and I love reading about all of you. Nancy Benjamin reports that many of you have sent information to her and says she is happy to receive photos that she forwards to the Magazine, but reminds us to remember to make them large enough to publish. (If taking the photo with an iPhone, choose the largest size to send.  If they are too small, they can be impossible to forward.)   And she urges everyone to keep her as informed as possible. “The more people I hear from, the better the column!”  

Denise Bienfang asks us to think about more Minis, in her words: 

“Have you like me thought it would be nice to catch up with old friends and classmates? Have you like me thought that time is more or less running out? Perhaps you have and perhaps you will gather some old friends and share a mini-reunion with the rest of us. We would love to see your photos and hear your news. Nancy and Suzy have kept me up-to-date on how many of you have already had mini reunions (remember three or more counts) and I hope you will continue to share these with us.  Our next reunion seems so far off. I remember watching the parade of classes at our twentieth and twenty-fifth reunions and thinking how remarkable it was to see the vibrancy of older alumnae. I couldn't imagine myself or any of us at that age. Somehow we have arrived nearer to the end of that parade, much to my surprise and I bet yours, too.” 

Our class Website!

Betty Belden Iwan, our Website Coordinator, has been working all summer on updating our site. I hope everyone will take a look and be motivated to send Betty new material she can post. (bettyiwan@frontiernet.net)

“The Class of 1963 Website HOME tab now includes a new photo album that contains photos from our 1961 Tree Day Ceremony. (Since I have not received any current photos from classmates, I thought it might be fun to see some old ones that my husband scanned from my Wellesley slide collection.  Can you find yourself in any of the photos?  If you have old (or new) photos you would like to share, please e-mail them to me. You can also find the Class Survey Results from 2018 along with a comparison of Class Survey Results from 1998 to 2018 all compiled by Sally Roe.
     Do you know that on the Directory tab you can easily find information about a classmate?  Likewise, did you know that the 1963 class notes columns, written for the Wellesley magazine, by our class secretary, Nancy Walker Benjamin are available on the News (Submit Your News) tab.  I also updated the Home (News) tab and the other News (In Memoriam) tab.  Check them out. Enjoy!” 

    On behalf of all of us I’m sending a big round of applause to Betty!

Giving to Wellesley

I have two reports on fundraising to share. One from Barb Whittum Schroeder,1963 Wellesley Fund Rep, and one from Marg Light Edwards,1963 Durant Chair. Our next reunion (our 60th!?) is a ways away, but all gifts given between the 55th and the end of June 2023 will count in our final five year total for the 60th.

From Barb:

“I am pleased to report that 55.2% of the Class of 1963 made a charitable gift to Wellesley in Fiscal Year 2019. This was short of our goal of 60%, but well above the 50% mark for which colleges aim. Every gift, regardless of size, increases Wellesley’s alumnae participation rate. A higher rating means better rankings, stronger financial rankings and greater appeal to prospective students. For Fiscal Year 2020, let us aim to move closer to the goal of 60%.

Wellesley is always fiscally stretched and continually has to weigh the costs and benefits of its spending, assessing priorities and how to best allocate resources. Dormitories continue to need upgrading, faculty requires nurturing, and students need social, educational and financial support. It takes amazing dedication for a small liberal arts college with only women alumnae to ensure that the $270,000 price tag for 4 years at Wellesley will be supported so that no graduate leaves with more than $15,000 in debt! 

A gift to Wellesley of any size helps to put the college on sound financial footing. A gift to Wellesley of any size shows you believe in women. It helps educate women, empower women and launch them into the world prepared and primed to make a difference. 

You can make a gift by responding to one of the appeals sent out by the college. You can also make a gift online by going to Wellesley.edu/give. A gift to The Wellesley Fund is unrestricted and supports the most pressing needs of the college. Many of you choose to support a specific program or department. You may also split your gift between two or more departments or programs including The Wellesley Fund. These gifts still count toward the participation goal. 

Thank you in advance for your support for Wellesley College.”

From Marg:

“I want to thank the 17 class members who gave at the Durant level and above last fiscal year. Durant Class gifts totaled $246,894 in fiscal year 2018-19.

If you haven't been able to support Wellesley before at that level, but feel you can now, please know what a difference your gift would make. 

Don't hesitate to contact me (margedwards@verizon.net)or the Development Office (800.358.3543 giving@wellesley.edu ) if you would like more information or if you have questions.”

And one final reminder to any of you who still receive this Class Newsletter via snail mail: 

If you can possibly deal with receiving it via email, please be sure to update your email AND let the Alum Office know that even though you may have opted out of other College email, you are willing to receive the 1963 Class Newsletter electronically by emailing recordupdates@wellesley.edu or calling the toll-free record updates number at 1.800.339.5233.  To update your email preferences you may need to email kgallag2@wellesley.edu directly.

I appreciate all of you who have done so and I hope this letter will reach each of you in the manner you desire. Be sure to let me know if it does not.  Sbailey@wellesley.edu

With warmest wishes for the remainder of the fall and the holiday season,

Susan

Susan Bailey ‘63

March 13, 2019

Dear Classmates,

I hope spring is showing signs of appearing where you are—which is to say that here in New England it is still deep winter! 

Nancy Benjamin reports that she is receiving all kinds of news from our class and thanks everyone for sending her updates. But Denise Bienfang asked me to remind you to PLEASE take pictures of your mini reunions (any gathering of 3 or more classmates.)  The old cliché holds—A picture is worth a thousand words—and in this case, takes up less space! Photos should be sent directly to Nancy:       nancybenj@hotmail.com  

Betty Iwan is revamping the Class Web Page and asks that we all send photos, news, personal stories, creative writing, poetry or any other pieces that are too long for the magazine Class Notes but that you would like to share on the ’63 Class Web Page. These contributions can be found on the ’63 Web Page under the tab “Submit Your News”.

If you do not have login information, check with the Wellesley College Help Desk at 781.283.7777 or email:   helpdesk@wellesley.edu 

Giving to Wellesley

I am including below a report from Barb Whittum Schroeder on our class annual giving and a brief update from Marg Light Edwards on Durant gifts. I add my thanks to theirs!

I want to thank the many classmates who have already made a gift to The Wellesley Fund and those of you who have designated a portion or all of your gift to specific areas at Wellesley about which you particularly care. As I wrote in the Fall newsletter, the giving rate of participation by alumnae is so important because this metric has an impact on college rankings. A higher participation rate means higher rankings, stronger financial ratings and greater appeal to prospective students. As of February 28, our class participation rate was 35.3% with $231,214 raised. Our participation goal for the current fiscal year is 60 %, so we have a way to go. If you have not yet made a gift, we need your help to meet our goal. A gift of any size counts!

If you need or want to be inspired by what is going at Wellesley, I urge you to Google “Our New Science Center/Wellesley College” and look at some of the videos about the transformation of Science Hill. If you have the time, do scroll down and watch the hour-long video, “Investing in the Next Generation of Women Scientists: Wellesley’s New Science Center.” I was blown away by what will be available to Wellesley students when the project is completed.

If you have not yet made a gift to Wellesley this fiscal year (ends on June 30), you can do so by going to where you will find information on the many ways to support Wellesley. There will also be several fundraising appeals sent out directly from the college. With your support, Wellesley can continue to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students and can undertake significant projects like the renovation of Science Hill.

………..And from Marg :

I encourage each of you to consider giving at the Durant level of $2500 or greater if at all possible. To date, we have 12 Classmates contributing at the Durant level, and that is wonderful!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me: margedwards@verizon.net

The year has flown by for me as I suspect is the case for most of you. My daughter, Amy, who has her own sense of time, overheard me on the phone while she was helping me fix supper last night, and asked, “Mom, how can you say the time flies? Only birds fly!” When I tried to explain that time just seems to go by very fast sometimes her response was, “Well, not now when I am so starving! Please hurry up the rice.”

So in the spirit of hurrying things up, I will close with good wishes to everyone for the coming summer—and hopes that it will hurry up and arrive wherever this letter reaches you.

Warmly,
Susan
Sbailey@wellesley.edu

November 12, 2018
 
Dear 1963 Classmates,
 
This is my first letter as Class President and there is a great deal of news to report—from the College and
the Class. I start with our 55th Reunion. For those who were unable to attend, here is a quick summary
of two key votes taken at our class meeting, along with emails or links to further information.
 
Class Officers 2018-2023 (including direct email addresses)
 
President, Susan McGee Bailey sbailey@wellesley.edu
VP, Denise Repetto Bienfang denbien@aol.com
Secretary, Nancy Walker Benjamin NancyBenj@hotmail.com
Treasurer, Christi Bauer Willamson christibw@verizon.net
Class Fund Rep, Barb Whittum Schroeder bschroeder23@hotmail.com
Planned Giving, Laura McLeod lemcl@aol.com
Durant Gifts, Marg Light Edwards margedwards@verizon.net
Web Manager, Betty Belden Iwan bettyiwan@frontiernet.net  
 
Class Gifts (including links to info on each program)
 
$4,000 to Wellesley Fund—unrestricted https://www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/give/annualgiving
$2,000 to Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs
https://www.wellesley.edu/albright/about
$2,000 to Wellesley Centers for Women https://www.wcwonline.org/About-us-Extra-
Information/about-us
$2,000 to Wellesley Students' Aid Society https://www.wellesley.edu/studentsaid
 
Wellesley BLUEprint 2018: Preparing Today's Alumnae Ambassadors October 12-14 2018
 
Barb Schroeder, Denis Repetto, and I attended the launch of a new, comprehensive training approach,
Wellesley BLUEprint the weekend formerly known Alumnae Leadership Council (ALC). The goal of
BLUEprint is to provide volunteers in leadership roles with Clubs, Classes, and the Development Office
with the resources needed to maximize the strength of the wider WCAA community. In addition to the
on-campus event, BLUEprint includes online BLUEprints for volunteer roles, a framework of
responsibilities, tools for success, webinars, and conference calls. The weekend was a great opportunity
to catch up on programs for students, financial issues confronting the college, and other ongoing
challenges. It was also a chance to see friends from other classes and to realize, once again, what a
special place Wellesley is!
 
Wellesley BLUEprint focuses on Web-based communications and in- person connections via mini
reunions. Class officers were urged to hold two Board meetings a year and to develop an annual
communication plan.  Our first meeting was held via conference call on October 30. We agreed
unanimously that as the College will disseminate all Class letters via email following a template provided
by the Alum Office and actively encourages electronic communications that: the President would be
responsible for writing to the Class twice a year (November and March), and mailing the Newsletter
(with the class picking up the postage) only to those without an email on file with the Alum Office (approximately 50 letters).
Please update your information with the Alum Office if you receive a snailmail newsletter!
 
The Newsletter will also be posted on our class website and will include brief reports from each Class
officer once a year. The remainder of this letter is a joint effort, as we scramble to adapt to the
BLUEprint and to update you on various aspects of class events and communications going forward.
Because I have preference for in person connections whenever possible and am a bit of technophobe,
I’m beginning with a note from Denise and moving on to Betty’s detailed information on the Website
and how to access it.
 
Mini Reunions: Thoughts from Denise Bienfang Denbien@aol.com
 
When the Wellesley Magazine arrives I invariably turn to the 1963 Class Notes hoping to read about
classmates I knew long ago or met more recently at Reunions. It is likely that you do the same thing.
Sometimes there are pictures from mini- Reunions—some happened accidentally when classmates
found themselves on the same vacation trip, while others were planned in advance. I was delighted to
learn that a mini-Reunion could be as small as three classmates! Now that it is so easy to take and send
a photo from your phone (send to 1963notes@alum.Wellesley.edu) you can do just that any time there
are three or more classmates together. We all would love to see you, hear what you are doing, and
'just three' is so easy! Send your photos and let us know what you are up to!
 
An Update on the Class 1963 Web Page from Betty Belden Iwan (bettyiwan@frontiernetnet)  
 
I hope that The Wellesley Class 1963 web page will be a useful vehicle for keeping in touch with
classmates and for learning about happenings on campus of interest to us. In the next few months, I will
be updating photos and information especially on the tabs labeled HOME, ABOUT, NEWS and MINI-
REUNIONS. The new class officers are already on the Officer List on the ABOUT tab. This President’s
Newsletter will be there too.  
 
I seek your help in keeping the information on the class web page current. Please e-mail me 
photos from our 55th reunion (no more than 5 at a time), 
photos you would like others to see in the “Photo Album” (no more than 5 at a time), 
Date, time, location and description of a mini-reunion you will attend and/or have attended. Please send
this information to our class Vice President, Denise Repetto Bienfang, too. (Denbien@aol.com)  
Your news that is too long to include in the class notes column in the Wellesley magazine but that you
would like to share your suggestions on what you would find useful and interesting on the web page.  
 
If you have never been to the Class of 1963 web page or you do not remember how to get onto it, you
can follow the instructions listed below. There is more than one way to access the page. I normally use
the first way since I have book-marked the address.  
https://1963.alum.wellesley.edu/  
www.wellesley.edu  
 
 a. Click on the tab for ‘Alumnae’  (far right on the top menu bar)
 b. In the Alumnae drop down menu, click on Classes, Clubs & Groups. 
 c. In the menu on the far left of the page, click on  Classes .   
 d. Under the title "Wellesley Class Pages", find ‘1963’ in the chart.
 e. Click on ‘1963’ . That should bring up our class web page for you.
 f. Log In (far left on the top menu bar) with your Wellesley Log On
 
Please log on to the web page from time to time and get back to me with your feedback.
 
Insights on Giving to the Annual Fund from Barb Schroeder bschroeder23@hotmail.com