| |
With unfailing enthusiasm, generosity and pride,
you have served Smith College for more than 50 years, leaving virtually no corner
of our campus, no aspect of our programs, untouched by your energy and commitment
to your alma mater.
From your days as an art major and as a student receptionist at the Tryon Gallery – a
job for which you earned 50 cents an hour – you have been a supporter and champion
of the Smith College Museum of Art and its collections, serving for at least two
decades in leadership roles on the Museum’s Visiting Committee and as a member
of the Tryon Associates. Your commitment to the study of art has included support
for the renowned Smith College Print Workshops – for which you have not only
suggested artists but found welcome homes for the prints they produce at Smith. You
are recognized as “the heart and soul” of contemporary works on paper
at the Museum, championing their acquisition and stewardship in the college’s
collections. The Oresman Gallery in the Brown Fine Arts Center is a vital resource
for students, faculty, staff and the local community, presenting important works
by visiting artists.
An independent art adviser and curator, you have shaped
the art collections of a number of major corporations, including Amerada Hess, Chemical
Bank, Lehman Brothers and Champion Paper, and have organized numerous museum and
gallery exhibitions across the country. You speak and write for diverse audiences
on the role and value of art in the workplace and on the purpose of collecting. You
are president of the board of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American
Art; a board member of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, which administers
the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards; and a past board chair of the International
Print Center of New York.
In addition to your support of the museum, libraries
and botanic gardens, your service to Smith has encompassed leadership on almost every
level: president of your class, chair of the Grécourt Society and membership on the board of trustees from
1992 to 2002. Never one to leave friends behind, you have co-founded an association
of former board members to help them remain connected to each other and loyal to
the college. Perhaps most importantly, you served as a member of the search committee
that selected Smith’s tenth president, Carol T. Christ.
Jan, the depth of your
commitment to Smith College is a rare gift, as is the friendship you and Roger have
shown to so many generations of Smith alumnae and trustees. It is with deep gratitude
that the Board of Trustees presents to you the John M. Greene Award for distinguished
service to Smith College.
Mary Patterson McPherson ’57,
Chair, Board of Trustees
October 18, 2007
|
|
Mission
of Smith
College
Sophia
Smith: Smith College's Founder
Smith
College
Presidents
Honorary
Degrees
Smith
College
Medalists
John
M. Greene
Awards
Sophia
Smith
Awards
Commencement
Speakers
Some
Special
Traditions
Notable
Alumnae |
 |
