History

History of the Alumni Association

The Alumni Association met for the first time after Commencement exercises for the College's first graduating class on June 18, 1919. "In spite of waiting parents and unfinished packing, we had a picnic down by the river," reported Class President Marenda Prentis.

At this meeting, the new alumnae initiated the process of writing a constitution and by-laws for the Association. According to class historian Julia Warner, this was the first, last and only time that the Alumnae Association had 100 percent attendance.

Since those early beginnings, the Association has greatly increased in numbers and programs. The first Reunion was held in 1924. Publication of the Alumnae Annual also began that year. It became a quarterly alumni magazine in 1926.

Julia Warner wrote in the 1925 Annual, "Few, if any, women's colleges could boast a broader representation of activities in their first five classes. Here you will find proof of the recognition of woman's wider scope; not only the classic spheres of the homemaker and the teacher but also of the social service worker, the journalist, the traveler, the poet, the artist. … C.C. already has her first Ph.D. (Elizabeth Nagy '20), her first osteopath, Ruth Anderson '19, and her first dentist, Helen Gough '19."

Today the College boasts 25,160 alumni.

Read the mission of the Alumni Association.

Last Modified: Monday, January 14, 2008 14:46