Mary Hobbs Hall Alumnae

Fundraising for Mary Hobbs Hall !

2010-08-25T13:36:49-04:00

we are looking for your donations!

Hobbs Committee Members

2009-06-17T12:42:46-04:00

Every month, for over a year, these women met to plan the April 2009 Mary Hobbs Celebration Weekend. Their commitment to the reunion made a huge difference in the lives of everyone who attended the event. We would like to thank them for their dedication and hard work, without which the entire event would not have been possible.

Many Thanks to...

Betty McFarland Atwell '61, Elizabeth Lasley '47, Jane Ott Ballus '55, Shirley Haworth '57, Martha Wellons Dentiste '56, Miriam Leiva '61, Carole Hunter '63, Martha Chilton Neas '67, Linda Mercer, Terry Hammond '81, Carolyn Howes '96, Hannah Passmore Hobson '99, Karrie Manson '83, Gwen Erickson, Elizabeth Cook, Jo Anne Jennings

Photographs on Flickr.com

2009-06-11T12:54:38-04:00

We have loaded pictures from the beginning of Hobbs to this years reunion. There is a 'badge' (with pictures that slowly morph and change) on the left hand side of this blog that will take you to the site. There are many folders of picture to look through so make sure you go to the 'photo stream' on the main page. If this is all a little overwhelming or confusing, just click right here!

We hope you will let us know if you have some photos from the 2009 reunion or any time at Hobbs. You can email or snail mail them to the Alumni house and we will load them on the website! You can also order prints from Flickr easily and email them to friends. We hope you enjoy the shared memories!

Coming Home to Hobbs

2009-05-10T15:49:35-04:00

My first memory of Mary Hobbs will always be the brass doorknobs. Like the wooden banister leading to the second floor, or the thick stone steps that lift you into the arms of the front porch, the doorknobs were hand polished with years of girls passing through these doors.

I would imagine each girls touch as they opened or closed the door. Tender touch: thankful to come in after the rain, Rushed touch: coming back to find that book before you’re late for class, Lingering touch: after meeting your sweetheart under the kissing tree, Firm touch: after fighting with your sweetheart or a good friend, or All consuming: like your palm is hugging the door after months in a foreign country and you’re just so grateful to be home.

I was obsessed with these doorknobs. They were on every door and I got to thinking that there might be an extra laying around somewhere, so I called around the offices on campus trying to buy one. No luck. The second best to having one to instal in my own future home was to photograph them. I walked around to every door and tried to find the doorknobs that were worn most beautiful by time. All this led to my interest with the brass name plaques that were only on certain doors. My door, to room four on the first floor left wing, was one of them. It read Rhoda Macy Worth and to me she seemed like a combination of Harriet Tubman and Audrey Hepburn.

But there were more plaques too. Who were these women? Were they all dead? Past residents? Financial contributors? Quakers? Professors? Could I have my name beautifully inscribed on a plaque in Hobbs Hall one day? These questions are what led me to call the Alumni house and poke around for an answer.

A year later, after graduation in 2007, I was asked to come to Guilford and help organize the Hobbs Reunion. It was a year away at the time and even while I was working hard and buying tickets around the world (Greece, Hawaii, the Bahamas) I knew no matter where I was I had to come back and be part of this project. Because Hobbs was my Guilford experience, it was my home, my heart, my saving grace, and when I got that call it felt like I was being called home.

Grace Boyle, '07

Mary Hobbs Hall Reunion 2009

2009-05-09T22:35:43-04:00

On the weekend of April 17-18, 2009, over 170 alumnae returned to their alma mater to celebrate 100 years of Mary Hobbs Hall, and the legacy of Mary Mendenhall Hobbs. The weekend started with a well-attended reception in Founders Hall, where alumnae and friends were surrounded by pictures and memorabilia from Hobbs Hall history, graciously collected and displayed by our own Terry Hammond '81, curator of the Hege Art Gallery and a Hobbs alumna. That evening, alumni gathered to hear readings from Mary Mendenhall Hobbs. This program was choreographed by Gwen Gosney Erickson, Friends Historical Collection and archival librarian. On Saturday the celebration continued with a panel discussion of Hobbs life through the decades, moderated by "chief bell ringer," Martha Wellons Dentiste '56! Following was a presentation of a possible renovation project by Jon Varnell, Associate VP of Facilities and Operations, John Garland, President of Spectrum Design. Keynote speaker, Miriam Amalguer Leiva '61 was the highlight of the alumnae luncheon in the Library. Afterwards, alumni toured Hobbs Hall and met with current residents and students on the porch and lawn. The celebration concluded Saturday evening with a dinner at the Greensboro Downtown Marriott and was MC'd by Linder Mercer '69 - who was also responsible for creating the Hobbs alumnae book of profiles.

Many thanks to the alumnae committee for their diligent work for over a year to make this weekend such an enjoyable success:

Martha Wellons Dentiste, Martha Chilton Neas, Betty McFarland Atwell, Linda Mercer, Jane Coltrane Norwood, Becki Blackwell Jones, Carole Hunter, Jane Ott Ballus, Shirley Haworth, Carolyn Howes, Hanna Passmore Hobson, Gwyneth Cliver, Terry Hammond, Elizabeth Lasley, Grace Boyle

Karrie Jo Manson '82

Associate Director of Alumni Relations

Guilford College

5800 W. Friendly Avenue

Greensboro, NC 27410

336-316-2148 office

336-908-0665 mobile