Get With The Program
President’s Note: Mary Ann Miya, N’66, serves TFoNC as the Vice President of Programming. Programming? What does that mean to you? Do you have to sit and listen to some lecture? Take notes? Is there going to be a test? All good questions to ask! I can feel the tension level rising as you read! Relax. And smile. I think we will find the answers very quickly as together we read Mary Ann’s article below.
Mary Ann is continuing our conversation that Cheree started in the last DaisyChain. She is asking us to not only enjoy being one of The “IT” Sisters, but also to tell her how we see ourselves moving forward. What we tell Mary Ann will form the basis for TFoNC’s planning for next year. Our conversations with Mary Ann will help create the ideas for our projects and programs. What we discover about The “IT” Sisters will determine how we build this new place for Newcomb College alumnae. This will be where we meet to catch up, talk, dream, learn, teach, and enjoy one another’s company.
So, grab a pencil and jot down your ideas as you read. Zip off an email to Mary Ann at ideas@newcomblives.com, start a list, draw some diagrams, circle some keywords – whatever it is that you do to get your thoughts in order. Call a friend, forward this DaisyChain, visit the TFoNC website www.newcomblives.com or send us a handwritten note. Just be sure that you make your ideas heard. And just be sure that you are here with the rest of your “IT” Sisters!
Remember, it is here that “Newcomb Lives!”
Karen
************************
“’It’s over.’ Not yet. That’s the best news of all. We are so not over. But we are moving on.”
(from “The ‘IT’ Sisters” by Cheree Cleghorn in The DaisyChain, October 17, 2011)
Gail Collins begins her wonderful book, American Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines by saying: “When I look back through all of American history, the one moment that stays with me is the image of women standing on the deck of the Mayflower, staring out at a whole continent of dense forest.” Surely, this was an “IT” moment. Consider all that happened after.
They had no idea.
And, here we are – so not over, but we are moving on. You might think that this is not an apt comparison. Yet I venture that those women just wanted to find a place to live, wash their hair, change to clean clothes and get on with their lives. Who knew where it would lead?
We, too, are standing on the verge – verge of what – who knows? But we are moving on.
As The Future of Newcomb College goes forth, we want to include every one of you to the extent that you wish to be known and a part of the vision. What ideas do you have that might enrich yourself and each other, enliven our conversations, enlarge our vistas, broaden our knowledge of each other and the world in which each of us lives. I ask you to consider the following as if there were no restraints and let me know what you think:
What is your wish for TFoNC?
What is your wish for yourself as a participant in TFoNC?
Is there a particular direction that you see TFoNC might follow? Or not follow?
Are there concerns that you may have about our undertaking?
Do you have stories that you would like to tell? Our stories are sacred and sharing them is an act of community creation.
Do you have a talent, skill or resource that you would like to share? Do you know someone else who might?
Are you interested in taking part in conversations using online forums? Blogs? Social networking? Interactive website?
Would you be interested in joining a local group in a shared program or undertaking? And/or attending an occasional annual event located in a different venue each year?
Are there questions you would like to ask of your fellow DaisyChain readers? Or the TFoNC Board?
Is there something you wish that I would have asked, but didn’t?
I will compile and analyze your responses regarding your hopes, wishes, ideas and comments to find themes, trends, collective and individual ideas to help usto create a program that will support and inform the emerging vision of our new world. I wish to serve as a clearinghouse for your thoughts about our joint undertaking. We know that our readers include Newcomb alumnae from the 1930′s through the 2000′s. This is an incredibly broad generational expanse. Each of us has something to offer. Please tell us more about yourselves and your wishes.
Already, I sense an excitement about our continuing existence even among people who are not directly involved. How can we build upon this excitement?
Like the women on the Mayflower, who knows what lies ahead?
I can be reached through ideas@newcomblives.com. I promise that I will read your messages thoughtfully and respond to them as promptly as I am able. Please send anything and everything.
Newcomb Lives!
Mary Ann Miya, Newcomb ‘66
Vice President for Programming
**************************
WATCH THIS SPACE
“Mama said there’ll be days like this. There’ll be days like this my Mama said.”
And I know some of you are singing this while you dance across the floor. And why not? Mama did say such things. And lots more. Amen.
The times may have changed since the Shirelles put those words out on the airwaves. Our circumstances have surely changed. But other things haven’t and never will. And we all know that Mamas don’t change.
And so, no matter who your Mama is or was, you are going to feel like you are right back at home next month. Just wait – you’ll recognize that voice, those words. Oh yes, you will. She’s back! And guess what! She’s been right all along.
“Mama said there’ll be days like this….”
Watch this space for more about Mama in Cheree Cleghorn’s next column.
*********************************************
HELP WANTED
Desperately Seeking 1938 Newcomb College Class Ring
A 1938 alumna writes that she could not afford a class ring during the Depression but that she always wanted one.
In reply to our offer to join her in her search, she writes, “Thank you so much for your kind response to my plea. I have literally been searching for years without success, and your note gives me new hope that after all this time something good may happen.”
She has longed for that class ring for 73 years.
She has looked everywhere. Adler’s. Balfour. Yes, they did have them, but no, they did not keep the forms. Her class ring can’t be replicated.
Any clues, any suggestions? Do you have one you could part with? Know someone who may?
Please help if you can.
Send suggestions, leads, or other replies to news@newcomblives.com.
*******************************************
NOT TOO LATE FOR “HOMECOMING” CONTRIBUTIONS:
In our excitement about new programs like those described by Mary Ann Miya and all the new things that are planned for the DaisyChain and our website
(http://www.newcomblives.com), we must not forget that TFoNC still has an outstanding obligation. We absolutely must retire our legal debt.
Before we begin to dedicate major funds to future plans, we must focus all our efforts on raising the necessary funds to accomplish this. The TFoNC Board, aswell as alumnae and friends who see this obligation as a priority, realize that we must do so in as short a period as possible.
It is customary for colleges to ask for support during Homecoming season. This month, which would have included Newcomb College’s Homecoming Week, TFoNC asks you to honor Newcomb College and the stand that TFoNC took in its defense. This especially is the time for each of us to commit to doing our necessary part.
Please be a donor to our Debt Retirement Campaign and help us finish this one last task. Be with us as we plan for our future and celebrate our past. Remember that “Through Us, Newcomb Lives!”
You may contribute by sending a check to:
TFoNC
c/o Brenda Leder
P.O. Box 1947
Decatur, GA 30031
You can also use a credit card at our website, www.newcomblives.com. Please
include your name and address, a “Debt Retirement Campaign” notation, any
dedication you wish to make, and an indication that you would like to be
recognized among our donors on our website.
The Website of The Future of Newcomb College