The Lasell Medallion
This tradition was established in June of 1968, by Lasell's fourth president, Dr. Vincent DeBaun. The Lasell Medallion was created to honor outstanding members of the College community. The bronze medallion award "may be made to any member of the Lasell family who, by virtue of distinguished service to the College or to society at large, has brought added honor to the name of Lasell."
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The Lasell Medallions are the gift of Mr. Chester H. Lasell, the grandson of Josiah Lasell, who was co-principal of the Lasell Seminary with his brother and College founder, Edward Lasell.
The 2008 Medallion recipient is:
Patti Beck Bishop '97
Patti Beck Bishop’s enthusiasm and love for Lasell always shine through whenever she speaks of her alma mater. She graduated from Lasell in 1997 and during her years at the College her unique abilities were recognized and she was awarded the Lasell Lamp, the Lasell Chair, and the Lasell Bowl.
A natural ambassador, Patti worked in the Admissions Office as a student and again after graduating. Recognizing her innate talents, Vice President for Enrollment Management Kate O’Connor asked her if she would be interested in joining the Alumni Board of Management and Trustee Nancy Curtis Grellier ’49 fervently backed the suggestion.
In 1998, Patti joined the Board and it didn’t take long for the group to recognize Patti’s special qualities, including her boundless energy and spirit. She was offered the Vice Presidency in 2001 and the Presidency in 2003. Under her leadership, the Board was revitalized. Patti is a breath of fresh air and she soon recruited new members, many of whom were recent graduates, and made changes to the by-laws.
Not satisfied by just being on the Board of Management, Patti was an integral part of Lasell’s Sesquicentennial planning committee and she certainly remembers the Founders’ Day celebration that kicked off the year-long celebration. A large war canoe was filled with ice cream and as Patti was lending a hand during clean up she slipped and fell into a bucket of chocolate. It was a sweet ending to the day.
The College did not want to lose her vitality and much valued input after she stepped down from the Presidency of the Board of Management. While still currently serving on the Board of Management as a Director, in October 2007 she was also elected to the Board of Overseers.
Patti is as dedicated to her “other” life as she is to Lasell and she has constantly risen to new challenges. After graduation she entered the executive training program at WantAd Publications and she is currently the Supervisor of Call Services there, putting her exceptional interpersonal skills to work.
“It all goes back to what I learned at Lasell,” she says and she certainly took away the College’s emphasis on the value of service. Her volunteer and fund-raising efforts include participating in the local American Cancer Society Relay for Life and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Walk.
For the long hours that Patti has given to the College and her unwavering zeal, she is the recipient of the Lasell Medallion.
The 2007 Medallion recipient is:
President Thomas E.J. de Witt
For 19 years the names Thomas E.J. de Witt and Lasell College have been synonymous and with Tom’s vision, drive, and tenacity the College has taken giant steps into the future. Moving from a small and fragile woman’s junior college to a thriving four year co-ed institution that also offers graduate degrees is quite a journey and one that most would not dare to undertake. But Tom saw the necessity and recognized that his mission was to create a perception of what Lasell could be and to drive the College forward.
Tom would be the first to say that he did not travel alone – that he was accompanied by a strong Board of Trustees, an accomplished faculty, a dedicated staff, supportive alumni, and a loving family. But he was the leader, he made things happen, and he had an incredible sense of timing.
A Ph.D. in history and an MBA is an unusual combination for a college president and it provided Tom with the ability to see both the financial and the academic necessities that lay ahead for Lasell. He took steps immediately after his arrival and within two years Lasell was granted four-year status and enrollment began to grow. In 1992, the College received an unqualified 10-year accreditation from NEASC and in1998, Lasell became co-educational, a defining moment.
Equally transforming was Tom’s dream of creating a retirement community on the campus. Making the vision a reality meant battling fierce opponents: the City of Newton, and the neighbors. It took Tom’s creativity to exploit a zoning loophole and bring to life an academic continuing care retirement community. Even with Tom’s tenacity, what was to be a four year project took 12, but the integration of the College and the Village has brought Lasell national, and international, recognition.
During Tom’s tenure, buildings sprang up not only at the Village, but also across campus. Five new dormitories have been built (including Rockwell, the largest and ready for occupancy this fall), an Athletic Center, a totally renovated Winslow Academic Center, and a Campus Center.
Much of this was made possible because of the successful capital campaigns that were run under his auspices. He has raised almost $40 million while also building the endowment and still having budget surpluses. Tom has created a community that is fervently supported by all those connected with it.
There is no way to express our gratitude for all that you have done for Lasell. It is impossible to envision where the College would be today if it were not for your leadership. The Lasell Medallion is for a member of the Lasell family who by virtue of distinguished service to the College has brought honor to the name of Lasell. There is no one more deserving.
The 2006 Medallion recipient is:
Jo-Ann Vojir Massey '51
Kind, thoughtful, and always positive, Jo-Ann Vojir Massey willingly supports the people and institutions she cares for, and Lasell is indeed fortunate to be one of them. Her concerns are always for others – not for herself. When she broke her leg badly last year, she laughed and said it was lucky it wasn’t her head. With her determination, she was better than new way ahead of schedule.
Her quiet ways mask her resolve. “She’s the reason I got through Lasell,” recalls Ann Van der Veer Bradley, her roommate of 55 years ago. “She told me I could do it. ‘If you study, you’ll learn,’ she said, and she was right. She had firmly decided that I was going to make it to graduation.”
Jo-Ann’s value of the importance of education is something that she shares with her husband, Dwight, and she has harnessed their energies and directed them in Lasell’s direction. Currently Jo-Ann is serving on the Board of Overseers and Dwight is on the Board of Trustees. They are members of the Heritage Society and because of their belief in the affordability of education, they have endowed the Jo-Ann Vojir/Anna Vojir scholarship.
Gracious hosts, they have always been willing to open their homes in New Jersey and Florida for alumni events. Jo-Ann’s warmth permeates these get-togethers and she has used her organizational talents to bring classmates together at informal reunions. She is a person who keeps in touch.
Jo-Ann has managed to give of her time while leading an extremely busy life that centers around her family, which includes a son, daughter, and five grandsons. She and Dwight lived in London for two and a half years and have friends from around the globe. This has made them ardent travelers but Jo-Ann has remained actively involved with her home church, the New Jersey YMCA, and she is a trustee on the Scholarship Trust Committee of the Woman’s Club of Ridgewood, New Jersey.
The College is proud to have the support of a woman who is so dedicated to her principles and it gives me great pleasure to present her with the Lasell medallion.
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The 2005 Medallion recipients are:
Susan Slocum Klingbeil ‘45
“Our family likens Sue to ‘The Queen of Hearts,’” says Susan Slocum Klingbeil’s husband Bill. “She’s a card, has the grace of royalty, and a heart as big as all outdoors.” In the many roles that she has played at Lasell, these qualities have come to the fore, as well as her unfailing energy and commitment.
Sue followed in her mother and her aunt’s footsteps when she came to Lasell. Her leadership role started immediately and she was both president of her senior class and president of Bragdon.
Always one to keep in touch with her classmates, Sue’s hand is quickly raised when there is an opportunity to host an alumni event and she has been instrumental in reconnecting Lasell alumni. She was appointed to the Board of Overseers in 1995 and elected as Trustee in 1996. She is currently acting Annual Fund Chairperson and Class of 1945 Reunion coordinator.
While raising her family of four children, Sue found time to establish and head a leisure time consulting firm that advised families on the selection of summer camps and educational trips and activities throughout the world.
Sue was particularly suited to this job, as she and Bill love to travel and their spirit of adventure has taken them far and wide: by motor home, by barge, by glass topped train, and by plane (including the 22,000 air miles that they covered in the Far East, Australia, and New Zealand).
It came as no surprise when Sue and Bill arrived in Immokalee, Florida to join nine Lasell students who were helping with Habitat for Humanity during this year’s service-learning March break. Donning hard hats, they were once again eager to participate in a College endeavor.
Elisse Allinson Share ‘65
Elisse’s activism and enthusiasm have raised the bar for alumni volunteers. Her excitement about Lasell is palpable and her devotion to the College and her contributions to the institution are considerable.
Always a “people-person,” Elisse was a member of Blue Key while at Lasell and enjoyed taking prospective students around campus. She lived in Conn House her senior year and became very close to the eight other residents, confirming her belief in the importance of the collegial environment of a smaller college. She also met her future husband, Neil, during this time and her mother contended that the reason Elisse made dean’s list was because she spent every Friday night studying with him at the Harvard library.
After Lasell, Elisse went on to Lesley College where she received a degree in education. She taught elementary school for several years and was soon involved with her daughter’s school parent organization – the beginning of her volunteerism.
In 1991, Jennifer Share enrolled at Lasell and Elisse became reacquainted with her alma mater. When she discovered there wasn’t an alumni association in New Jersey she took the reins and organized one. From then on there was no stopping her.
She joined the Board of Overseers in 1992 and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1994. But, when she took on the chairmanship of the Annual Fund she redoubled her time and commitment to the College. Her mission became getting the message out to alumni about Lasell’s unique academic opportunities and she remained as Chair for seven years, during which time both alumni participation and donations grew.
With her background in education, Elisse has always focused in on the College’s students. In 1998, she and her husband, Neil, endowed the Elisse Allinson Share ’65 and Jennifer A. Share ‘98 Scholarship to help deserving young scholars receive a Lasell education. Additionally, she became very involved with the Annual Fund’s student Phonathon Program, realizing the value of the long hours this group puts in to reach out to Lasell alumni and parents.
The 2004 Medallion recipient is:
Jean Campbell '44
It is with a large measure of pride that Lasell College can claim Jean Campbell ’44 as one of its own. She is one of those rare individuals whose life has touched so many through her quiet dedication to the principles in which she believes.
A native Vermonter, Jean attended Lasell during World War II. “Some people go to college to get lost in the experience. I went to be found,” she recalls. “I loved every minute of my time at Lasell – the people, the activities, the first class education.” While here, her athletic achievements were legendary, her musical abilities much appreciated, and her onion sandwiches renowned.
Jean was one of the few in her class to continue her education full-time. She went on to receive her B.A. from Pembroke, the women’s college at Brown University. She was then employed by the Girl Scouts, having been recruited by former Lasell Dean Ruth Rothenberger.
For 22 years, she lent her enthusiasm and leadership to the Girl Scouts in Connecticut and Massachusetts and had a wide variety of responsibilities. She was involved in planning, training, budgeting, making presentations to United Ways, and a myriad of other activities. Somehow, while keeping all these balls in the air, she found time to earn her M.Ed. from the University of Hartford.
Her considerable talents were recognized by the YWCA, and Jean left the Girl Scouts to assume the post of Executive Director of the New Bedford YWCA. There she organized programs that met the needs of women, girls, and families, writing grants for special programs. She championed the rights of senior citizens and, in 1971, participated in the White House Conference on Aging. In 1973, she testified at the Senate Labor Committee’s hearing in Washington, advocating for the need to fund senior job training.
In 1976, Jean started an investment club for women. It was a diverse group but the common goal they all shared was to learn the fundamentals of managing money and understanding personal finances. A great success, the women became savvy in the field and learned to choose stocks wisely.
Jean is a woman who looks outward at the whole world, remaining connected in various ways to multiple age constituencies. As an active community citizen, she has served as an officer of her church, library, hospital, historical society, and more.
She has never forgotten her alma mater, and was chair of her reunion class, has been on the Alumni Board of Management, and is currently a Corporator. Hers was one of the early gifts to the Kresge Challenge during the Lasell 150 Campaign and she dedicated the Campbell Classroom in Winslow in memory of her father Elwyn G. Campbell, a boyhood friend of President Guy Winslow.
Her far-reaching career has benefited the lives of many and it gives me great pleasure to present her with the Lasell medallion.
Past Lasell Medallion Recipients: In class year order
Maude Simes Harding ‘06
Helen Carter Johnson ‘07
Constance E. Blackstock '09
Josephine Woodward Rand ‘10
Ida Beane Rice ‘15
Madeline Farmer Ryder ‘15
Margaret Trice Gibbens ‘16
Marion Griffin Wolcott ‘16
Rose Baer Trexler ‘16
Helen M. Saunders ‘17
Mildred Strain Nutter ‘17
Marguerite Houser Hamlin ‘19
Mercie Nichols ‘19
Dorothy Burnham Eaton ‘20
Helen L. Beede ‘21
Ruth Rawlings Mott ‘21
Mary Shannon ‘21
Frances Angel Levenson ‘22
Harriette Case Bidwell ‘22
Elizabeth Madeira Campbell ‘22
Phyllis Rafferty Shoemaker ‘22
Ruth Hopkins Spooner ‘23
Antoinette Meritt Smith ‘23
Adele Bigham Nelson ‘24
Helen B. Perry ‘24
Dorothy Hagadorn Taylor ‘25
Rosalie Brightman Rosen ‘27
Esther T. Josselyn ‘27
Lillian G. Bethel ‘28
Gwendolyn McDonald Black ‘29
Alice Pratt Brown ‘29
Sylvia Morgan Williams ‘30
Mildred Bell Cole ‘31
Sarah Fletchall ‘31
Mary E. O’Connell ‘31
Julia C. Case ‘32
Marjorie A. MacClymon ‘32
Shirley Gould Chesebro ‘33
Virginia Ogden Hayes ‘33
Roberta Morrill Buchanan ‘35
Barbara Ordway Brewer ‘35
Priscilla A. Winslow ‘35
Marjorie Bassett MacMillan ‘36
Adelaide Shaffer Van Winkle ‘36/H'96
Janet Owens DeArment ‘37
Priscilla Parmenter Madden ‘37
Louise Tardivel Higgins ‘37
Marjorie Westgate Doran ‘37
M. Adele Brown Lett ‘38
Faye Wadhams Smith ‘38
Arlene Wishart Sylvester ‘38
Jean Michael Petersen ‘39
Dorothy F. Williams ‘39
Ruth Fulton Rardin ‘40
Marvine Weatherby ‘41
Dorothy Mosher Stone ‘42
Ruth Turner Crosby ‘42
Jean Campbell ‘44
Virginia Wolfe Perkins ‘44
Susan Slocum Klingbeil '44
Marilyn Blodgett Williamson ‘46
Bunny Quinn McKenna ‘46
Barbara Stickle Mode ‘47
Nancy Curtis Grellier ‘49
Nancy Lawson Donahue ‘49
Kathryn Poore Hamel ‘49
Jean Sargent Lee ‘49
Joan Weiler Arnow ‘49
Jacqueline Paulding Hauser ‘50
Jo-Ann Vojir Massey '51
Joan Howe Weber ‘51
Marie R. Kaden ‘53
Shirley Vara Gallerani ‘53
Lucinda Nolin Johnson ‘55/’77
Joy Stewart Rice ‘55
Margaret Schwingel Kraft ‘56
Nancye Van Deusen Connor ‘57
Linda Telfer ‘60
Barbara Cole French ‘61
Marcia Maden Heist ‘62
Kathleen Rebmann Royka ‘64
Elisse Allinson Share '65
Kathryn Morgan Lucey ‘67
Janet Sheffer Kerney ‘69
Jeanne A. Johnsen ‘72
Patti Beck Bishop '97
Non-Alumni recipients: in chronological order
Alice H. Corbin
Chester H. Lasell
Hildegarde Lasell Watson
Ruth Lindquist Brinton
Muriel R. McClelland
Margaret Tewksbury
R. Emerson Sylvester
Wilder N. Smith
June Babcock
Lucy J. Sypher
Beverly Hallam
Alfred C. Edwards
Anne Greene
Jeanne Budding Cousins
Jean Watt
Helen R. Wallstrom
Richard A. Winslow
Constance Milner
Ethel L. Guevin
Donald J. Winslow
Elaine Cavanaugh
John McCarthy
Arthur T. Gregorian
Jacqueline Saunders
Winston Robertson
Sylvia Goodman
Norma MacLeod
Barbara Long
George Lane
William Carolan
Charles Sinerate
Helena Bentz Hartnett
Kenneth C. Matheson
RoseMary B. Fuss
Thomas E.J. de Witt