University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
The Messenger
Vol. 5, No. 4/1996
Alumni open doors for scholarships

     A decade ago, the College of Human Resources Alumni
Association began holding area house tours to raise scholarship
money for UD students.
     Today, the tour is a bustling, busy half-day when
participants get a chance to step inside some of the area's most
special homes amd see the furnishings and decorating styles.
     What began as a one-woman effort by Henri Wright, Delaware
'48, has evolved into a highly organized event, with written
guidelines that spell out activities for various committee
chairpersons, who change from year to year. It's profitable, too.
This year's tour generated more than $3,700 in support of
scholarships. In all, $30,000 has been raised. Choosing houses
for the tour is a fun job, says Gladys Helm, Delaware '41, who
has anchored the project for several years. Committee members
look for homes that are outstanding in some way-through the
owners' collections, the structure's architecture or historic
value or the landscaping of the grounds.
     "We look for expression of lifestyle, creativity," Mimi
Haggarty, Delaware '64, one of the chairpersons of the 1997 tour,
says.
     A theme for each tour seems to naturally evolve as people
agree to have their homes shown. Sometimes, the theme is
historical; other times, it is a mixture of historical and
contemporary. Organizers try to find two or three houses in one
area for the convenience of tour-goers.
     Co-chairing this year's committee with Haggarty will be
Marge Cann, Delaware '54. Also active on the committee over the
years is Bette Todd, a retired faculty member from the College of
Human Resources.
                                              -Beth Thomas