Bookends

It brings to mind the symmetry of bookends that two sisters—Blanche Ferry Hooker, class of 1894, and Queene Ferry Coonley, class of 1896—gifted funds to build Alumnae House. Now, a century after its dedication, two other sisters have made a significant gift to renovate all 13 private rooms at the House, ensuring it will remain a comfortable, attractive, and welcoming home for alums and other guests to come.

Sally Dayton Clement ’71, P’09, a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst based in New York City and Millbrook, NY, and Ellen “Elly” Dayton Grace P’03, a multidisciplinary artist who resides in Minneapolis, MN, come from a long line of generous citizens invested in supporting their communities.

Their mother, Mary Lee Lowe Dayton ’46, had been active in civic affairs and the feminist movement and worked to support such women’s organizations as Planned Parenthood. She established a fund now known as the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, which focuses on community-based programs that “ensure safety, opportunity, and pathways to economic security for women, girls, gender-expansive people, and families across Minnesota.”

Their father, Wallace C. Dayton, had been keenly interested in environmental conservation; he led and supported such organizations as The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society.

Vassar had made an indelible impression on Mary Lee, and she gave back in many ways, including serving as a trustee from 1993–1997. Alumnae House also had a special place in her heart. She, along with 35 other students, lived in there as first-year students due to a housing shortage on campus during WWII.

In the early 2000s, Sally, then a new Vassar Trustee, told Mary Lee the College had raised most of the money to renovate Alumnae House, but was still looking for funds to install air conditioning. Mary Lee asked, “Why aren’t they asking us for money?” She thought those who had adopted Alumnae House as their dorm for one “cozy” year would be happy to support the renovation of the building. She certainly stepped up, donating the funds to make the house a comfortable place to stay year-round.

In a tribute published in VQ after Mary Lee’s death, her Alumnae House roommate, Katherine Winton Evans ’46, noted that Mary Lee—whom the Minneapolis Star Tribune had dubbed “a civic lioness”—had also funded a renovation of the Wimpfheimer Nursery School, where she’d spent a good deal of time as a child study major (Mary Lee later worked as a kindergarten teacher). But Katherine noted that Alumnae House would remain one of Mary Lee’s “favorite cubs.”

The tradition of giving continues with the sisters. When asked what their mother would say if she were alive, Sally says, “She would be very happy to see that Elly and I are giving a gift to a place as meaningful to her as Alumnae House. The philanthropic tradition really inspires me, and I’m sure Elly, also. Our parents had a model for being involved in organizations they cared about both in terms of money and time.”

In addition to her joint gift, Sally has spent plenty of hours in volunteer roles at the College—she served an unusual 12 years as a trustee, after having served three years as a “Young Trustee,” a short-lived designation in the 1970s. (Her son Winston Clement ’09, following in her footsteps, now serves as a trustee.) Sally is currently Co-Chair of the Pyramid Society, a group of former trustees that continues to support the College and each other in innumerable ways. Those experiences have definitely kept her more connected and engaged with Vassar, she says.

It doesn’t hurt that she owes a debt of gratitude to Vassar for helping her meet her husband, Stephen. “My classmate Margot [Clement Clark] invited me home to Buffalo Easter weekend freshman year because she felt sorry for me. I had no place to go that long holiday weekend,” says Sally, who hails from Minnesota. “It was then I met her big brother.”

For her part, Elly says, “It’s kind of sweet that I get to combine this gift with my sister.” Though she is not an alum, she has seen how Vassar has benefited her daughter Katy Sturgis ’03. “My daughter has so many good memories of Vassar. She still has very close ties to the friends she made there, strong connections,” she says. “So it definitely inspires me to support the school.”

As Vassar’s new Inn is constructed down the hill, a stone’s throw from the House, Sally is convinced that the venerable building will remain relevant for those who call Vassar their alma mater. “Alumnae House is a reflection of Vassar’s history and longevity. It’s an old-fashioned building that is beautiful and charming,” she says. “That reflects the College’s roots. And the two buildings side-by-side really show Vassar is anchored in the present, too.”