Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 1, Page 27 Fall 1993 Alumni Profile Steadfast classmates share a century Keep in touch!" How many University of Delaware graduates utter that phrase at Commencement, only to lose track of their friends as time goes on? Nine women from the Class of 1940 have kept their promise, meeting every month since graduation. That's 53 years and more than 600 meetings, and this College Club is still going strong. The "girls" of the College Club are Irene Morrison Anderson, Jean Motherall Clem, Margaret Kelso Gray, Elinor Moyer Holland, Sylvia Phelps Jones, Betty Hellen Pattison, Irene Alvarez Vandegrift, Mary G. White and Rebecca Abel Willey. Most met as freshmen at the Women's College of the University in September 1936, but Holland, Pattison and White have known each other since grade school. Mostly commuters, the women bonded over brown-bag lunches in the noisy basement of Science (now Robinson) Hall and shared out-of-class time in Boletus, a temporary building used as daytime housing for commuters. Pioneers in their time, since not many Depression-era women went to college, the members of the College Club worked hard to stay enrolled at the University, doing marketing surveys, working in Kent Dining Hall and assisting professors. "Sometimes," remembers Gray, "I wouldn't get finished until almost 9 o'clock at night." Nevertheless, the friends took the time to grow close. Toward the end of their senior year, Holland suggested that they meet regularly after graduation, a feasible suggestion since all lived in the general area. The meetings took place at night, at first because it was an ideal time for young, working women and, later, because the members could leave their young children with their husbands. In the early days, recalls Clem, their main activity was "darning our husbands' socks." (At one point, Jones suggested that the best name for the group might be "The Stitch and Chatter Club.") As the members grew older, the meeting times grew earlier so members could drive in daylight; and they eventually evolved into luncheon meetings. The club's recipes and topics of conversation may have changed since 1940, but the spirit of fellowship has not. Perhaps it's because of their consistency. The group has missed only a handful of meetings since their first gathering, usually due to severe weather. Originally 12 in number, the club has lost only three members: two to death, Mildred Bilderback Paterson and Mary Armor, and one to a transfer out of the area, Louanna Jane Hanby. The nine remaining still chat up a storm, pausing only briefly to sample the refreshments provided by the hostess of the month. Topics shoot in all directions at once, from local church events to a neighbor's operation to a child's wedding. As one member pauses for breath, another chimes in and keeps the table from falling silent. Every other sentence is punctuated by gales of laughter. After 53 years, the College Club has not run out of things to talk about. An unspoken group dynamic dictates that each woman contribute to whatever conversation comes her way. A few of the members no longer hear as well as they used to, and occasionally, a comment must be repeated, but otherwise, the fun moves at a rapid-fire pace. All the club's members entered the workplace full time during World War II, and, while most quit their jobs to have children, they also went back to work once those children were grown. They have worked for such diverse organizations as Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Head Start, the DuPont Co., RCA Victor and Delaware Technical and Community College. For example, Willey became the dean of Goldey Beacom College in Wilmington, Del., and White was given the keys to Wilmington for her social work. In addition to their meetings, the members seek adventures. Clem, Anderson, Holland, White and Pattison are currently enrolled in a "Stepping Out Smartly" dance class. Holland recently vacationed in Bermuda. And 10 years ago, Willey became a first-time bride. As a wedding gift, the club presented her with a commemorative chair, featuring a picture of Old College on its back. For several members, the University of Delaware tradition has been passed on to other generations. Holland's daughter teaches in the College of Nursing. Through these contacts, the women see the changes at the University and marvel at them. The size of the school particularly amazes them. In 1940, 121 students received their diplomas; in 1994, more than 3,000 will graduate. "At our commencement, someone stood up and predicted that one day thousands of graduates would be standing in our places," remembers Clem. "We didn't believe it." They also look back fondly on faculty members, including Anthony Loudis and Dean of Home Economics Amy Rextrew. All nine women consider themselves fortunate to have stayed together so long. Together, they have helped each other celebrate jobs, engagements, weddings and births. They have also helped each other mourn the loss of parents, husbands and friends. After more than half a century, the College Club is infinitely more than a mere social gathering. "We're not just meeting," explains Pattison. "We're sharing each other's lives." -Pam Miller, Delaware '94