Frances Kirven Morse ’68, senior picture

When Frances Kirven Morse ’68 arrived at Sweet Briar, the times they were a-changin’. That was fine with the young woman from Columbus, Ga., who was always singing along to Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez and Dylan.

“Something just felt right to me. [The lyrics] just resonated,” she says.

Changes, large and small, were taking place at Sweet Briar, too. Between Morse’s freshman and senior years, the requirement that “ALL blue-jean type pants must be COMPLETELY covered by a coat” disappeared from the handbook, and 3.2-percent beer was about to be allowed on campus. Students also welcomed the biggest change of all: desegregation of the College.

“Ours was the first class to break the will. It was a big deal,” Morse says, referring to the admission of her classmate Marshalyn “Penny” Yeargin in 1966, Sweet Briar’s first African-American student.

The action meant legally reinterpreting Indiana Fletcher Williams’ will. Despite the protracted and bitter court fight, Morse recalls that Yeargin simply arrived as a transfer student and settled in with little ado. She appreciated the lack of drama.

“I was always uncomfortable with segregation in the South and [Sweet Briar] was a good place for me to work through that,” she says.

Frances Morse and her Art of Yoga mentee at the San Francisco Bay-area premiere of “Yogawoman.” Her mentee appears in the documentary film.

She’d formed opinions contrary to those she heard around the dinner table and discovered at Sweet Briar an environment where she could “test” her theories. She wasn’t an activist then.

“Don’t think I was quite ready for that,” she says, adding that when segregation came up at home, “I pretty much remained silent.”

Staying silent would change, but first she had some living to do.

Morse kick-started a distinguished career at Sweet Briar, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and named the Emilie Watts McVea Scholar. She served as SGA president, played tennis and delighted in listing her tap club affiliation on her first resume.

“I was an Ass!” she says, noting that Aints ’n’ Asses was invariably a conversation starter.

She majored in math and beelined north after graduating magna cum laude. She and three roommates took an apartment in Cambridge, Mass., where she had a job as a programmer at MIT “when computers were as big as houses.” She remembers writing a $25 check to Sweet Briar that year.

Philanthropy was one lesson from home that stuck.

“First of all, it feels good,” she says of giving. “It was ingrained from dinner table conversations. If [Dad] had a connection to [an organization] and it had a mission he believed in strongly, he gave to it. And he believed you supported the school that supported you.”

Morse belongs to Sweet Briar’s Silver Rose Society for 25 years of giving. She says, half joking, that she likes being an annual Boxwood Circle donor because the tier is named for those impressive bushes. This year, to help the College reach its fundraising goals and support her Reunion class, she stepped her donation up to the Fountain Society.

Morse lived in the Boston area with her husband, John, a Vermonter, for more than 40 years. In the early 1980s, around the time the Apple II was taking off in secondary schools, she gave up writing code and became certified to teach. Seeing the potential of technology in education, she worked as a computer specialist in Brookline, Mass., for many years teaching seventh- and eighth-graders and developing curricula.

In the 1990s, Morse earned a master’s and doctorate in education at Harvard. She completed her dissertation on the gender gap in computer education and presented on the subject, having spent her teaching career making sure the girls in her classes appreciated what technology could offer them.

After teaching in several local college and university education programs, she left academia behind, but continued helping others use technology. As the director of computer education at Brookline Senior Center, she found her most enthusiastic and appreciative audience yet, Morse says.

Frances and John Morse with their grandchildren at the education center at Edgewood Park.

About 11 years ago, she and John moved to Redwood City, Calif., to be near their daughter. In 1993, as a student at Stanford, Tyler revealed to her parents that she is gay.

“We really struggled with the issue at first,” Morse recalls. “I discovered I wasn’t quite as liberal as I thought, but found PFLAG for support and education. I kind of turned into an accidental GLBT activist!”

Morse thinks of her activism as simply working for the underdog. It doesn’t begin or end with GLBT, or gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. She and John are active in the support group she spoke of, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, both in California and the Greater Boston PFLAG. In the 1970s, she backed the women’s movement, too.

“I grew up with three brothers and always realized — and resented — that they got to do so much more than I,” she says. “I made sure my daughter got a chance to do any activity she wanted.”

Morse worked briefly for the nonprofit Benetech after moving to Redwood City, but soon became a volunteer for The Art of Yoga Project. An intervention program for incarcerated teen girls in San Mateo County, it was just getting started in the early 2000s and needed a research director to seek grants, collect data and evaluate its effectiveness — all skills Morse acquired at Harvard.

Through yoga and creative art classes, the program teaches accountability, self-esteem, and tools to change behavior. Morse eventually assisted with yoga classes and developed a mentoring component, spending a year each with two mentees of her own.

“Most of the [girls] have multiple traumas in their lives,” Morse says. “[But] every one of them has a wonderful woman inside waiting to get out.”

Today, paid staff run The Art of Yoga Project and Morse and her husband focus on the Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve and its education center, which they worked and supported financially to build. She is a docent, educator, “resident skit writer” (all that Aints ’n’ Asses training, she says) and bluebird monitor. One of the preserve’s great advantages is providing activities they can share with their grandchildren.

Tyler and her partner married during the brief time it was legal in California and have two children, ages 9 and 6, and the Morses often spend time with them.

“We appreciate being able to enjoy them at a slower pace than when we were raising our daughter. We really love just stepping back and watching them grow and develop.”

When Morse reflects on her own story, she can a see a transformation from quiet observer to active participant. Her time in college was part of that change, she says. “Sweet Briar was a growth experience and one that I think shaped my character a lot.”

It’s another reason she gives back.

— Jennifer McManamay

Walker has practiced law in Birmingham, Ala., for 36 years. In that time, she has handled hundreds of cases and tried more than 85 to a verdict. While her practice now focuses on employment litigation defense, including whistle-blower actions defense, corporate and contractual litigation, Walker has handled a variety of cases in multiple jurisdictions.

She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th, 9th and 11th Circuits, and multiple district courts in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida and Alaska. Since 2004, Walker has been involved with e-discovery issues and policy concerns and written articles addressing some of these issues, as well as other matters arising from labor and employment litigation.

The Litigation Counsel of America is a trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of 1 percent of American lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only. Fellows are selected based on excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and for superior ethical reputation. The LCA is aggressively diverse in its composition. Established as a trial and appellate lawyer honorary society reflecting the American bar in the 21st century, the LCA represents the best in law among its membership.

Fisher & Phillips LLP represents employers nationally in labor, employment, civil rights, employee benefits and immigration matters. Founded in 1943, it is one of the largest U.S. law firms to concentrate its practice exclusively upon representation of employers in labor and employment matters.

SBA awards highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs and small business owners from all 50 states and U.S. territories during National Small Business Week (June 17- 21). Champion awards recognize those who promote small business, support their interests and advocate for the cause of small business in the legislative process.

“Small business owners are the lifeblood of our economy,” Gambel said. “I’m especially honored to be recognized with this award and applaud all the women business owners, especially in Region VI. I look forward to many more years growing not only my own business, but also supporting other women businesses and initiatives.”

The Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce nominated Gambel.

“Betsie Gambel stands out in a crowd. Her business acumen and her passion for economic growth make her the perfect recipient for this honor,” said Jefferson Parish Chamber president Todd Murphy. “Jefferson Parish is lucky to have her working here.”

Gambel is a 2012 graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program and was honored as one of New Orleans CityBusiness’ 2012 Women of the Year. Additionally she has been recognized as a Young Leadership Council and a YWCA role model, St. Elizabeth’s volunteer activist and Cancer Crusaders honoree. She is a former president of the Junior League of New Orleans.

Gambel is the founder of Gambel Communications, a public relations agency in Metairie, La.

She is one of 15 advancement professionals chosen from a large pool of candidates.

“This honor is a wonderful recognition for the successful efforts of Sweet Briar to build a culture of philanthropy involving alumnae, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends of the College,” McCrory said.

“It’s a reflection of the outstanding efforts of alumnae and development staff and volunteers … I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve the advancement profession — a profession that I am passionate about. It’s also a privilege to serve the CASE organization that has mentored me so well over my own career, and, through the commission, to interact with an extraordinary group of professionals, colleagues and friends.”

McCrory joined Sweet Briar College almost 13 years ago, holding a variety of development positions before becoming vice president in 2006. She previously worked in development at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and New England College. Beginning her career in advertising and public relations, McCrory earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Southern Methodist University and a master’s in English from UNC-Greensboro.

McCrory has volunteered for a number of organizations, including Girl Scouts of the USA, serving as a board chair, national delegate, cookie mom, fundraiser and speaker. In 2007, she received the Athena Award from the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce, recognizing her as a professional woman who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in her business profession, improves the quality of life for others in the community, and who helps other women realize their full leadership potential.

McCrory has been a speaker and workshop leader at various professional conferences, including the Virginia Community Colleges Chancellor’s Annual Planning Retreat, Virginia Senior Leadership Seminar for Women in Higher Education, CASE and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

— Janika Carey

Alyson Booth ’13 on her horse Dom, who spent three years at Sweet Briar. “I like to think he has earned his undergrad degree also,” says mom Debbie.

“Alyson has gained so much from her time at Sweet Briar, it feels right to give back and make sure that Sweet Briar can continue to provide students competitive programs and resources,” says Bill, who made a career in point-of-sales marketing and retired after working for Coinstar during its startup phase. “[She] has benefited from the generosity of those who came before her, so getting involved and contributing to the Annual Fund is our way of giving back.”

This month, Alyson is graduating with a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry. She’s already been accepted to the veterinary program at Ohio State University, where she’ll start in the fall.

Alyson’s journey began during her junior year in high school. As a participant in the College Bound riding program in Gainesville, Fla., she met Sweet Briar riding director Mimi Wroten, who told her everything about the College’s equestrian program. After a campus visit, Alyson was ready to disqualify all other colleges from her wish list.

“Alyson’s passion is horses,” Debbie says, adding that her daughter has been riding since she enrolled her in a spring break riding camp in elementary school.

“When it came time to choose a college, she wanted to attend a school that would provide her the opportunity to continue riding.”

Sweet Briar was the only school Alyson applied to — despite her initial aversion to the idea of attending a women’s college.

“I remember suggesting Sweet Briar to her when she was a sophomore in high school,” says Bill, who had visited the campus when he was a student at Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania.

Natalie (left), Bill, Alyson and Debbie Booth at Alyson’s high school graduation.

“I had a fraternity brother whose girlfriend attended Sweet Briar. They got in a fight and he convinced me to ride with him to visit her over a weekend. … If someone had said to me back then, ‘Someday, you will have a daughter and she will attend Sweet Briar with her horse,’ I would have told them they were crazy.”

While growing up just 30 miles apart in the Pittsburgh area, the Booths didn’t meet until they were both working for the same supermarket vendor, but in different cities. A corporate training program in California brought them together.

Two children and many years later, Debbie continues to work in marketing, now for the personalized digital media company Catalina, where she has been for 19 years. Last summer, Becca Davidson ’13 interned at Catalina and stayed with the Booths while Alyson was away with “Vets in the Wild” in South Africa.

“We had done this once before with a UVa student who was a friend of Aly’s sister Natalie, so we were totally open to doing it again when one of Aly’s friends expressed an interest in exploring a career in human resources,” Debbie says. “Aly suggested she reach out to me. After speaking with her, I encouraged her to send me her resume and I sponsored her candidacy for the Catalina Summer Internship Program. When she was accepted, we invited her to stay with us for the summer.”

Debbie hopes more parents will open their homes — and internship opportunities — to Sweet Briar students.

“Many parents may be able to offer a similar opportunity and just have not thought about it. It’s a rewarding experience for the student and for the host family.”

Alyson, in turn, has benefited from the generosity of many Sweet Briar parents in Virginia, who took her in during holidays when she couldn’t make it home.

To Debbie, “that says a lot about the SBC parent community.”

Through their involvement on the Parent Steering Committee, the Booths have connected with many other Sweet Briar families, and every time, they find a lot in common.

“In all my encounters, the parents have shared similar, positive SBC experiences and consistently place a deep value on the women’s college education and experience,” Debbie says.

Alyson during the “Vets in the Wild” program in South Africa last summer.

Both Bill and Debbie know that Sweet Briar was the right choice for Alyson.

“The family atmosphere, the collaboration and support of the professors and the support of alumnae are all examples of what makes Sweet Briar such a special place,” Debbie explains. “Aly was appropriately challenged and supported by professors [who] believed in her and provided her strong advice and guidance.”

They’re especially grateful for the many opportunities Alyson was offered in preparation for vet school. The summer between her freshman and sophomore years, she interned at a Sweet Briar alumna’s small animal practice in the Lynchburg area, and her pre-vet and senior research advisor, biology professor John Morrissey, encouraged her to participate in the “Vets in the Wild” program. Each opportunity has brought Alyson one step closer to fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian.

For as long as the Booths can remember, “Aly was bound and determined to get into vet school,” Debbie says. “She was accepted at five schools — three abroad and two in the U.S. … We are thrilled and truly blessed.”

But it’s not just about academics. Alyson has grown on a personal level, as well, something Bill is keenly aware of.

“Alyson has flourished. Her self-confidence has grown, she has a deeper understanding of who she is; she is more independent, she speaks up. She’s developed gumption. She has also has taken [the] initiative to try new things, such as participating in cross country. I have seen her become a leader rather than a follower.

“Last but not least, she has developed deep friendships that will last forever.”

Alyson, for her part, is glad she made the choice to attend Sweet Briar. That her parents have been there to support her every step of the way means a lot, she says.

“It was important to me because they got to be a part of my college experience in positive ways, other than just helping me pay for school.”

— Janika Carey

“I am proud to represent our state on the Republican National Committee and look forward to working with all of the members,” she said in a press release by the Maryland Republican Party.

“Thank you for the support and trust of the Maryland Republican State Central Committee. It is going to take the same energy and passion our members showed this election as we take on the Democrats for the 2014 elections. I plan to lead the efforts to improve our grassroots organization, raise money to support our candidates and communicate our vision directly with the voters.”

Waterman was elected to the Republican Central Committee of Queen Anne’s County in 2006 and re-elected in 2010, serving as a member, treasurer, vice chairman and chairman. She has also served on several committees for the Maryland Republican Party, including Credentials, Resolutions, Voter Registration, Chairman’s Ad Hoc Voting Committee and Bylaws.

Prior to her election as first vice chair of the Maryland Republican Party, Waterman served on the National Federation of Republican Women’s Membership Committee. She was elected first vice president of the Maryland Federation of Republican Women (MFRW), having served previously as a regional chair and club president for the federation. She remains active on the MFRW.

University of Alabama photo by Anne Edwards

The University of Alabama has honored a Sweet Briar alumna, Kate Ragsdale, who was a longtime employee of the university’s library. The Library School Association of the School of Library and Information Studies has created the Kate Webb Ragsdale Endowed Scholarship in her memory.

Ragsdale graduated from Sweet Briar in 1963 with a degree in religion and earned her Master of Library Science in 1986 at UA. The Sweet Briar community was saddened to learn of her death on Feb. 24, 2013.

More information is available here and here.

Dr. Mary Witt, SBC Class of 1974

A Sweet Briar alumna is the first woman to be named Outstanding Alumnus of the University of Virginia Medical Alumni Association. Dr. Mary Witt, Sweet Briar Class of 1974, was presented the 2012 award by the association and its financial arm, the UVa Medical School Foundation, at their 47th Annual Meeting in Williamsburg in February. The award recognizes leadership and loyalty to the alumni association and foundation.

Witt earned her bachelor’s in psychology at Sweet Briar College before entering medical school. She is a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist. She completed her residency and fellowship at UVa and Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to moving to Richmond in 1988, Witt was in private practice in Atlanta. She is a former medical director with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia and currently holds a position with United Health Care.

Witt also serves as the secretary-treasurer of the Richmond Pediatric Society. She is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society.

She resides in Richmond with her husband, Fritz Will, and volunteers as a clinician at Cross Over Ministry health center.

Witt represents the Class of 1978, and over the past decade, has provided tremendous service to the medical school’s alumni association and foundation. She was a member of the association’s board of directors from 2003-2012, serving as secretary from 2008-2009 and becoming the first female president in 2009. After her service to the Medical Alumni Association, she was appointed as a trustee to the Medical School Foundation.

Witt spoke about her career in the fall 2012 issue of Vitals magazine.

— From www.uvamedalum.org

Amanda Strickland ’09 at the U.S. Army Women’s Museum, where she is an archivist.

It’s only been four years since Amanda Strickland graduated from Sweet Briar — thanks in part to scholarships made possible by alumnae donations. Now, the Class of 2009 grad is doing her part to ensure future Sweet Briar women can enjoy the same opportunities.

“I give to SBC because if an alumna hadn’t given when she could, my experiences and degrees would not be possible,” says Strickland, who double-majored in archaeology and history with a minor in anthropology.

“My mother — being a single mom at the time — and I were so very thankful for the donations of alumnae, and I wanted to be able to give another deserving applicant a chance to learn at Sweet Briar.”

Born in Louisiana, Strickland grew up as a Navy “brat” in Virginia, Missouri, California and Italy, but lately, Virginia has become her home base. The Chester resident now works as an archivist at the U.S. Army Women’s Museum at Fort Lee, where she is in charge of 1.5 million primary documents pertaining to women in the military from World War I to the present.

“I complete research requests, accession new collections into the archives, participate in women’s history events, conserve documentation, and collect historical documentation as it is happening,” she says.

Amanda Strickland shows a visitor the museum’s archives during Black History Month.

“It is a great time to be in [this] field with the rescinding of the combat exclusion policy and all fields now being open to women in the Army.”

Museums have always fascinated Strickland, who worked at the Sweet Briar Museum for four years and completed an archaeology internship at Poplar Forest while at Sweet Briar.

“I graduated and immediately began volunteering at multiple historic homes and museums,” she remembers.

To gain experience, Strickland even took a job as a security guard in a museum and eventually became an Army contractor at the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe, where she worked as an assistant collections manager.

“When the museum’s holdings moved because the Army left, I found a new home at the U.S. Army Women’s Museum.”

Living in Virginia allows Strickland to keep in touch with alumnae in the region, and she returns to campus often.

“Whenever I am anywhere near the area I at least do a drive-by; my boyfriend even jokes about it,” she says. “My next planned drive-by is this spring when my friends and I do the brew trail.”

Strickland treasures many things about her time at Sweet Briar — from lunch picnics in the dell to all-nighters in Benedict lab to the joy she shares with fellow alumnae when they come back to campus. She also has fond memories of professors — especially of John Ashbrook and Kate Chavigny, who teach history at Sweet Briar.

“Professor Ashbrook taught me that I cannot write a paper,” she jokes. “But he always pushed his students to become better historians.”

Chavigny, she adds, “was a joy to learn from and the topics she taught fascinated me.”

While at Sweet Briar, Strickland was a member of Chung Mungs, Taps ‘n’ Toes and Sweet Tones and served as InterClub Council tap club chair. She also worked in the alumnae office all four years, a job that attuned her to the special ties many alumnae develop with their alma mater. Giving back is one way to strengthen that bond, says Strickland, who was a Bell Tower Society donor in 2011 and continues to give what she can.

“I try to tell [other alumnae] how important it is for the future of Sweet Briar,” she explains. “Also, it is reassuring at times like these to know that you can designate where you want your money to go and know that it is going to a good place.”

Still a young professional in her field, Strickland has big career plans.

“I would like to get into the government system at an Army museum, complete my master’s, and eventually become a director of a museum,” she says. “My dream since I was a little girl was to work for the Smithsonian.”

In the meantime, Strickland is taking baby steps: She continues to volunteer at the Casemate Museum and tries to visit every museum in the area.

“There are so many in Richmond, but I am slowly ticking them off my list,” she says. “I love learning new things about women’s history, too. Few know the history, so I am full of ‘fun facts’ for anyone who wants to listen.”

— Janika Carey

James W. Reid

Sweet Briar College will host a presentation by author and historian James W. Reid on “How Modern Art was First Created by Ancient Peruvian Women” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in the Wailes Lounge at the Florence Elston Inn & Conference Center. The event is sponsored by Sweet Briar College’s Lectures and Events Committee and will be followed by a reception.

Using slides, Reid will discuss his most recent book, “Pre-Columbian Peruvian Textiles: The First Modern Art” (2008). In it, he argues that textile artists of pre-Hispanic Peru, to a great extent women, were the first to create an iconography which constitutes — at the figurative, pictographic and abstract level — the world’s first “modern art.”

Reid is a graduate of Princeton University and former participant in Sweet Briar’s Junior Year in France program. A multilingual scholar, artist, explorer and decorated military officer, Reid has published 16 books, as well as numerous articles, and has lectured worldwide on art in general and Peruvian art and textiles in particular.

For more information, contact Margaret Scouten at (434) 381-6109 or mscouten@sbc.edu.