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For
more than 55 years, you have responded enthusiastically and
unhesitatingly to every need of Smith College. You served
as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Alumnae Trustee, President
of the Smith College Club of Seattle and, at present, Chair
of the Medal Committee. You are an unparalleled example of
dedicated service to Smith College.
Your career as a volunteer
began upon graduation from Smith, when the Class of 1946
needed a fund agent. You took the job simply because you
were asked to do it. Thus began a personal tradition of keeping
in touch with Smith graduates throughout their lives and
throughout the world.
Moving to Seattle in
1947 with your husband, Holt, you quickly became involved
with the Smith College Club of Seattle. Over the years -- while
you skied and sailed, cooked creative casseroles and drove
countless carpools for your three children -- you also
served as the elected president of this active Seattle Smith
Club. Deeply involved in your community in many capacities,
you were regarded as a dependable and decisive leader of
the local Smith alumnae.
In 1985, while serving as chair
of the Board of Regents of Washington State University,
you were elected as an Alumnae Trustee at Smith. Your first
Board meeting was also the first for the newly appointed
president, Mary Maples Dunn. Your judgment and experience
were invaluable as the College plotted its course for the
future. Having your granddaughter, Sarah, at Smith while
you were serving on the Board was fun for both of you and
provided lively insights into what was really happening on
campus, as well as another link to the college that both
your sister, Suzanne, and your daughter, Anne, attended.
Although your five-year term
as Alumnae Trustee ended, your work on the Board was so
outstanding that you were called back three years later
as Chair-Elect. Once again, you embarked on those pre-dawn
flights from the West Coast to the East for the myriad
meetings and strategy sessions. Your hearty laugh and the
twinkle in your dark eyes enhanced your leadership skills
as listener, evaluator and humanist concerned about all
members of the college community.
As Chair of the Board,
you exemplified skilled leadership while regularly facing
challenging issues, all the time keeping a sharp eye on
costs. You helped Smith find Ruth Simmons, its ninth president.
You became her partner and launched Smith into its next
brilliant chapter. With Ruth as president and you as Chair,
Smith embarked on a major institutional self-study that culminated
in ambitious objectives, including the engineering program,
the Praxis program and the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute. You
oversaw the Campus Center feasibility study and the decision
to renovate and expand the Fine Arts Center, building projects
that are now coming to fruition. You planted and nurtured
so many seeds from which the institution now reaps benefits.
Kate, the breadth and depth
of your commitment to Smith College are remarkable. It
is with deep gratitude that the Board of Trustees presents
to you the John M. Greene Award for distinguished service
to Smith College.
Rochelle Braff Lazarus ’68
Chair, Board of Trustees
February 20, 2003 |
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