Smith College Class of 1977

Thanks to everyone who made gifts to Smith during our June challenge for the second half of Smith’s fiscal year! Although we fell a little short of our goal of 77 new FY24-25 donors, we are proud to claim a partial victory because 22 of your classmates who hadn’t given in the last two years or more came through with gifts, beating our goal of 15! And thanks especially to the classmates who offered the challenge: they gave $7500 in response to the class-wide results.  More good news: our participation for the entire fiscal year was about 11% higher than the previous fiscal year. The Class of 1977 ranked second among all classes in number of donors during the College’s June campaign, and we ranked first in donations designated for the Creative and Performing Arts! Well done!

Did you know that four of our classmates have appeared on the cover of the Smith Quarterly (formerly Smith Alumnae Quarterly)? Additionally, another classmate created the cover art and title at least twice! Christine McCarthy, Dolores “Tot” Kunda, Florence Quinn, and honorary classmate/President Emerita Kathleen McCartney have been the subjects of cover articles. Jane Lancaster Patterson applied her typesetting and calligraphy skills to issues shortly after our graduation. You may browse all issues of the Smith Quarterly here.

A few of our Class of ’77 classmates  issued a second-half fiscal year-end challenge: collectively they would donate $7,700 if 77 classmates who had not already given in fiscal year 24-25 made a gift by 6/30/2025.  Additionally, if 15 of these 77  donors were classmates who had not given in the past two years or more, the challengers would contribute an additional $2300. This amounted to a $10,000 challenge! This challenge aimed to support the continuing goal of increasing our participation percentage leading up to the 50th Reunion. Although we fell a little short of the primary goal, the challenge was a partial success in that we secured 22 donors who had not given in two years or more. Thermometers updated 07/01/2025.

In case you missed the big news, Smith has ditched the “Pioneers” name for its athletic teams in favor of the “Bears.” The renaming follows months of polling of students, alumnae, and staff. Informally referred to as “Senda the Bear,” the new name not only conjures images of an animal both fierce yet sometimes playful, it also honors Smith’s acclaimed faculty legend, Senda Berenson, who is credited with starting the sport of women’s basketball while she was teaching at Smith.  Read more about the new name here.

Smith’s 150th birthday provides a special reason to explore and enjoy some of its historical tidbits. Classmate and retired librarian Nan Smith Stifel has been digging through the Smith Archives and old issues of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly for interesting items. For instance, did you know Smith had a booth at the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago? Learn how the booth, designed by a Smith senior, came together at this page, also accessible from the Fun Stuff/Learn section. Classmates who lived in Franklin King House will get a kick out of the article!

This year marks the 150th year of Smith’s existence as a woman’s college! In 1875, the first fourteen students enrolled in the new college. This milestone event, along with other historical firsts, will be highlighted throughout the year. You can explore the College’s current and planned sesquicentennial celebrations at a special page on the college’s website. Don’t miss the interactive timeline, which includes the hiring of Jill Conway as the first woman president while we were students. As you scroll down that page, you can learn how you can write a love letter to Smith! Click the special logo on the left or go to https://smith.edu/150 to learn more.

posted 01/15/2025 by Nan Smith Stifel ’77

We are excited to inform you that 135 classmates made gifts to Smith by 12/31/2024, the halfway point in the college’s fiscal year. We exceeded our goal by 35%! That means a small group is kicking in an additional $5,000! The purpose of this challenge was to increase our participation percentage as we approach our 50th Reunion; several new donors rose to the challenge, as well as long-time givers.

Would you like to go ahead and make a Smith Fund gift for calendar year 2025? If so, CLICK HERE. You can learn about gift designations on our main Smith Fund page.

updated 01/28/2025. Thermometer: Getty Images.

We are excited to inform you that several of our Class of ’77 classmates have issued a year-end challenge: collectively they will donate a total of $5,000 if we have 100 donors by December 31, 2024, the halfway point of fiscal giving year ’24-’25. This challenge seeks to support the continuing goal of increasing our participation percentage leading up to the 50th Reunion. In December, 2023, we had 93 donors, hence the goal of 100 for December, 2024. The thermometer will track our progress. Can we count on you to make this challenge a success? If so, just CLICK HERE or on the blue graphic. You can learn about gift designations on our main Smith Fund page.  Thermometer updated 12/29/2024.

A longtime attraction of the Smith Botanic Garden, the Fall Mum Show, bids farewell this year. The annual November show, popular with the local community and alumnae, is making its last appearance. The show will be replaced with different exhibits the Botanic Garden will plan and implement as it redevelops its offerings in a “profound new direction.” You may learn more about the rationale behind the decision to end the Mum Show here.  Fortunately, two of our classmates were able to attend the Mum Show’s final fling, and shared the photos that appear in this post. 

Our honorary classmate and President Emerita, Kathleen McCartney, was back on campus in mid-October for the unveiling of her official portrait. The portrait, by artist Ying-He Liu, will hang in the Browsing Room in Neilson Library with the portraits of her 10 predecessors. President McCartney started college (Tufts) in the fall of 1973 — when most of us began our Smith journeys. She was elected honorary member of our class at our Class Meeting at our 40th Reunion. For more information about the portrait, see this article on the college website.   — Nan Smith Stifel