Sweet Briar College Magazine - Fall 2016

Florence Evans Semple
January 30, 2015
1956
Catherine Vest Duffey
November 15, 2008
LeRae Hehl Dwight
August 17, 2016
Dorothy “DeDe” Candler
Hamilton
September 7, 2016
Janet Caldwell Irwin
February 24, 2016
Mariann Wilson Lyon
March 15, 2016
Virginia Nelson Rainer
March 18, 2016
1957
Mary Stoll Cross
February 5, 2016
Marianna Hedlund
Didricksen
November 25, 2009
1958
Julia McCullough Shivers
May 28, 2016
1959
Priscilla Milburn
February 14, 2016
1960
Gaye Gardner Jacob
May 30, 2016
Dorothy Barnwell
Kerrison
April 3, 2016
Rebekah “Brownie” Lee
September 27, 2015
Marjorie “Marjie”
McGraw McDonald
February 13, 2016
1961
Jane “Tita” Hatcher
August 8, 2016
1962
Ann Meredith Hilgeman
August 2, 2014
1964
Laura Denman Cutick
Date unknown
Wendy Wilkens
August 22, 2016
1965
Dorothy Boettcher
Sullivan
December 6, 2015
1967
Carolyn “Lyn” Milton
Cooper
May 4, 2016
Elizabeth Steele
Date unknown
1970
Priscilla Hudson
May 22, 2016
Elizabeth Wilson
July 30, 2016
1971
Judith Shaner
November 14, 2011
Bliss “Candy” Gilmore
Warner
June 19, 2016
1975
Susan West Best
March 18, 2016
Lynn Norris Pfeiffer
July 10, 2016
1977
Sally Minetree
May 18, 2016
1978
Maria Rixey Gamper
March 24, 2016
1981
Alison Dwyer
October 14, 2015
1984
Patricia Ruggie Conley
July 16, 2015
1993
Mila Gaetano
Date unknown
1996
Mary Healy Ritzo
February 28, 2016
2008
Dawn Rene Martin
July 6, 2016
2015
Claire Shaw
August 13, 2016
Martha Lou Lemmon Stohlman ’34 passed away
in October 2015. She was 101 years old. After
graduating from Sweet Briar College magna
cum laude, she received her Ph.D. in psychology
from Cornell University, and then went on
to teach at Colorado College for nearly a decade. While abroad
with the Foreign Service, she met her late husband, W. Frederick
Stohlman, on leave from the Department of Art and Archaeology
at Princeton University. They are survived by two daughters,
Julie Stohlman and Suzanne Stohlman.
In 1954, the executive board of the Alumnae Association underwrote
a project to create a composite picture of the College’s
first 50 years. Martha Lou was finishing her term as chairwoman
of the Alumnae Fund, and “her loyalty to the College as well
as her ready wit and skill of expression had
been ably demonstrated,” according to Julia
Sadler de Coligny ’34. Approached by the
executive board in 1955, Martha Lou agreed
to write what would become The Story of
Sweet Briar College, postponing a trip to
Switzerland with her husband to work on
the project. Working with a committee who
acted in an advisory and critical capacity, the
initial manuscript was completed in August
1955, edited by the committee, and published
in 1956.
This important work not only tells the story
of Sweet Briar but serves as a continuing
example of Martha Lou’s love and dedication
to her alma mater. For this, the College and
its alumnae are eternally grateful.
From Martha Lou’s obituary, published in Town Topics, Princeton’s
weekly newspaper:
A woman of great talent and curiosity, she was always active. In
Princeton, she was one of the founders of the Princeton Study Center.
An elder and, for two years, director of Christian Education,
she was always involved in the life of Nassau Presbyterian Church.
Serving on the Environmental Commission of the Borough, she
was involved with studies on noise, traffic congestion, and excess
mail.
Martha Lou was an avid participant as an alumna of Sweet
Briar College, serving in many areas including the Board of
Overseers as well as receiving many awards for her efforts.
The Presbyterian Church commissioned her to write “John
Witherspoon: Parson, Politician, Patriot” on the occasion of the
nation’s bicentennial. The Lemmon Tree is her unpublished
memoir of growing up in the Ozarks. She
also wrote many articles for various publications.
An avid reader, she was never without
two or three books, covering a variety of subjects.
Beginning with a trip to South America
in 1937, her great sense of adventure took
her to many places in the world. Always active,
she loved the outdoors and visiting her
many friends. With a keen eye for art, she
made beautiful photographs and was an accomplished
pianist. Her final two decades
she lived at Pennswood Village in Newtown,
Pennsylvania. Martha Lou will be remembered
as a remarkable woman in all that she
did, with a keen intellect, a generous spirit,
and a quick wit.
40 SBC.EDU | SWEET BRIAR MAGAZINE