Welcome to the St Joseph College Alumnae Association website at Mt St Mary’s University. In June 2025, 52 years after our college closed, the 542 active alumnae (of 1453 living alumnae), voted to dissolve the Association. As we transition to the Mt St Mary’s Alumnae Association, we continue to live out the educational values and skills learned in the Valley and to share our faith, nurtured as students, in communities worldwide
St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Maryland graduated its last class in May, 1973. Alumnae have enthusiastically retained their memories and friendships. Each year in the spring during reunion, the spirit, laughter and joy of being re-connected infused any atmosphere in which the alumnae are gathered.
St. Joseph College alumnae have impacted every walk of life: teaching, nursing, dietetics, social work, business, law, government service and the religious life. We have volunteered in numerous community, church and school organizations, nationally and internationally. Multiple generations of children have been nurtured and raised by us.
We celebrate both the experience we shared at St. Joseph College and the women we have become.
Mount St. Mary's Univesity Alumni Office
301-447-5362
alumni@msmary.edu
To make a DONATION TO THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND online!
THE SJCAA JOURNEY
By Claire Maurer ‘64
Sister Alumnae, Family and Friends:
Although this is a Final Reunion, it is also a celebration. We are celebrating not only the 128th Reunion of the SJC Alumnae Association but also the girls who lived and learned together on our beloved campus and became women of substance. It is a celebration of women who cherish that experience and have taken what was learned there to become educators, health care professionals, wives, partners, mothers, board members, entrepreneurs, holders of advanced degrees, volunteers, community activists and the list goes on.
What better time to reflect on the beginnings of the journey that we have been blessed to share. In reviewing the history of the Association, the threads of much that we have done in this century were present in the early years.
The Alumnae Association was born In 1897, 88 years after St. Joseph College began.
The founders, from the classes of 1865, 1868 and 1871 were ambitious. A simple Constitution was developed, graduates from previous years contacted and the Association came together. At the first meeting in June, 1898, “Miss Stella McBride”, learned the risk of volunteering. She was appointed Secretary for life! She served 25 years in that role. In the ensuing years, many board members and presidents would follow her example and serve multiple years as Board members.
Of course, an organization can’t exist long before it wants to collect money! So, right after the turn of the century, an Alumnae Building Fund Campaign was begun to build a “clubhouse “ where Alumnae could gather when visiting on campus. Although $3100 was raised ($113,000 in today’s dollars) by 1903, it wasn’t enough for the clubhouse. So what to do with the money? Deliberations and discussions ensued over several future annual meetings, with proponents to build a gymnasium, establish a scholarship or continue to save for the clubhouse. For 5 years there was no real progress on the matter. Then, in 1908, the SJCAA president announced that with the following year being the SJC Centennial, the amount on hand would be donated to the Sisters to establish an Alumnae Scholarship, to assist prospective students. It isn’t the one we support today although, certainly, we have continued the tradition.
In 1909, 88 alumnae attended the SJC Centennial, a celebration of the oldest Catholic college for women. As Sophia used to say on the Golden Girls, picture it! Emmitsburg in 1909: No telephones, email, or texts available to each class to help them organize who was coming; who would room with whom; what activities they would attend. Without those modern communication tools, we would not have 331 alumnae here tonight.
At the 1912 meeting, a suggestion to organize alumnae around the country in “sewing guilds” was made. The original 8 “sewing guilds” began in 1912 and eventually grew to 23 chapters around the country which enabled alumnae to gather in the area where they lived and not just at the Annual Meeting.
By 1920, the continued growth of the Association required a new constitution and the establishment of by-laws .And although the gymnasium idea lost out to the Alumnae Scholarship for the Centennial , it had not been forgotten. The first act of the new association was to present to the Sisters a proposal to erect a gymnasium and swimming pool for the SJC students along with $6000 in cash and Liberty Bonds for the Gym Fund. And if you thought that the Buy a Brick plan with which we are familiar was a modern fundraiser, think again. There was a “buy a brick” campaign to raise funds for the Gym in the early 1920s. Of course, these were bricks to actually build the building, not the commemorative ones that we have purchased. The construction was delayed during WW I but resumed thereafter and the gym was ready for use in September, 1923.
The Valley Echo magazine which we enjoy today had a rather interesting origin. In 1919, a newsletter was created to share chapter communications and news of graduates. To reduce costs of producing it, in 1922 the Senior Journalism class was charged with the alumnae news. Every week, a column entitled Valley Echoes appeared in the Emmitsburg Chronicle and later in both the Gettysburg Times and Frederick News. There must have been a news drought in those days in order for SJC Alumnae News to be published weekly in 3 newspapers! Perhaps this was the 1920s version of Social Media.
Over the years, the Newsletter became the Alumnae Quarterly which contained Class News. Today, of course, the Valley Echo, with photos and color, is a huge improvement over the 4-page newsletter begun in 1919.
In 1926, the song that has ever since linked us, All Together was written by a student, Dorothy Graham, while in music class. How pleased she would be to know that 99 years later the words she wrote still mean so much to so many.
As the organization grew, in order to encourage attendance at the Annual Reunion, the 1935 Alumnae President, May O’Brien Hassell, established the Hassel Cup awarded, as it will be tonight, to the class with the highest percentage of members in attendance.
In the late 1930’s, the Alumnae established a campaign for a Lecture Fund which evolved in the 1950s to be a Student Loan fund that provided $500 loans at 2 .5% percent By 1972, the fund had assisted 43 students in completing their education.
After the 50th Anniversary celebration in 1947, changes continued to come. In 1953, the idea of Class organization began with a class secretary now known as Class Agent, a newsletter and class news published in the Alumnae Quarterly.
Remember the phrase , “Show me the money?” In 1955, certainly phrased more delicately, such a request came again. In advance of the College’s Sesquicentennial in 1959, the current president of SJC, Sr. Hilda Gleason, approached the Alumnae to raise the funds for a Student Center, estimated to cost $150,000. Using a variety of fund-raising methods, the Alumnae raised $93,000 by the Sesqui toward the building of the Student Center. Continued contributions by Alumnae covered the entire cost of the Student Center and Rosary Dorm.
In 1956, a very different but significant effort was undertaken by the Alumnae: the cause of the Beatification and Canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton. Committees were formed across the country to distribute literature , pamphlets and prayer leaflets which raised awareness to the life of Mother Seton and the cause of her Beatification. Her beatification took place in Rome in March, 1963; many alumnae and students attended that ceremony. Elizabeth Bayley Seton was canonized in 1975.
Perhaps those of you who toured the Shrine yesterday saw the Last Candle in the Children’s Chapel in the Museum. It was donated by the Alumnae Association and installed during the Bicentennial celebration in 2009, to ensure that the memory of SJC would shine always, as near to the campus as possible. The inscription reads “This light honors all women and girls who were educated by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and her Daughters of Charity. “
After the Daughters decided they would be closing the wing of the Provincial House in which our office resided, it was clear that we needed a new plan.
In 2010, with the help of a professional management consultant who donated her time, the existing board members participated in a comprehensive planning exercise to help us define goals and how to achieve them. The result was a 15 year commitment to keep the organization going, manage Reunions, and produce Valley Echo until the last class could have its 50th Reunion in 2025. And, of course, this weekend is testimony to the fulfillment of that commitment. Another aspect of the plan was entering into a contract with Mount St. Mary’s to provide office facilities and alumnae liaison staff to manage our activities which they have done since 2011.
One of the constants throughout the life of the Alumnae Association has been the generosity of the members: to enable the campus to grow, to provide scholarships and to leave lasting imprints of SJC in the Valley.
Alumnae donations have built the gym and swimming pool, Student Center and Rosary Dorm; assisted others to complete their educations; and helped the Seton Center and Mother Seton School in serving their missions to the Emmitsburg community. Our impact on the Valley will also live on in the Mount students who benefit from the SJCAA Scholarship Fund and our history shared with those who enter the lobby of the Timothy E. Trainor College of Health Professions at the Mount.
From the first members who were on campus during the Civil War to those who were on campus when we learned that SJC was closing, tonight we celebrate all the alumnae of St. Joseph College, women of substance, whose friendship’s links will ne’er be broken.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, a widowed mother of five children, came from a prominent family in New York City. In the early 1800s, she was ostracized from her family and friends after converting to Catholicism.
Elizabeth moved to Baltimore, and under the protection of the Sulpician Fathers of St. Mary’s Seminary, she opened a school for the education of girls, a concept relatively unheard of at the time.
Shortly thereafter, with Bishop John Carroll’s approval, she and her small group of women took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. In 1809 Bishop Carroll, who had designated her “Mother” Seton of the little community of sisters, encouraged her to expand their efforts and to devote themselves to educating young girls in the arts, sciences and Christian living.
With a generous gift from Samuel Cooper, property was purchased in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809. That same year Elizabeth and her band of sisters moved to Emmitsburg and opened Saint Joseph’s Academy and Free School, which evolved into Saint Joseph College.
Elizabeth Ann Seton died on January 4, 1821. Her legacy included laying the foundation for Catholic school education in the United States; establishing a community of religious women, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph; and in 1975, being canonized as the first native-born saint for the United States.
As registration increased at the Academy, the curriculum expanded to meet the needs of the changing world. Professors from nearby Mount St. Mary’s and visiting instructors from Baltimore were added to the Sister faculty. In the prospectus of 1879-80, there is an announcement of a postgraduate department, especially designed for the graduates of the Academy or other institutions. It consisted of a thorough course in reading, belles’ letters or time devoted to the attainment of a greater skill and proficiency in art or music.
An amendment of the original charter was sought and obtained in 1902. This enabled “the Sisters of Charity, the faculty and teachers of said corporation, St. Joseph’s, to confer degrees, collegiate and academic.” The program offered by the school at this time was equivalent to that of a Junior College. The catalog issued in 1902-03 lists primary, preparatory, academic and postgraduate courses, noting that those who completed postgraduate work were entitled to a baccalaureate degree in arts or sciences. It was not until 1907-08 that a distinction was made between the collegiate and academic departments. In the collegiate course, two electives were required. Choices were Latin, Greek, Spanish or German. At the end of the third or junior year, a gold medal and certificate of graduation were offered to women who did not intend to take a degree, but those hardy students who persevered to complete the fourth year received a baccalaureate degree an uncommon and extraordinary event for a woman in the early part of the twentieth century.
Should the recipient of the degree wish to return to Saint Joseph’s for a fifth year of college work, she might do so, thus becoming eligible for a master’s degree in the arts. The certificate and gold medal, which culminated the three-year course, were discontinued in 1912, and the first class to complete a four-year program together and graduate as full-fledged “bachelors” was the Class of 1914.
Credit for the development of Saint Joseph’s from Academy to College belongs to Sister Francis Lawler. She had come to Saint Joseph’s in 1898 as “senior teacher” and was made Directress of the Academy in 1906. Keenly aware of the renaissance of education in the early twentieth century, Sister Francis worked tirelessly to develop the curriculum and to meet the requirements necessary to make Saint Joseph’s a first-class liberal arts college. When the separation of the collegiate and academic departments was completed in 1907, Sister Francis became “Dean of the College” as well as Directress of the Academy and Principle of the elementary school. She retired as Dean in 1929.
View the SJC wayside marker (.pdf).
For the first 90 years after the founding, many women associated with St. Joseph’s returned to the Valley to renew their friendships and visit their former home.
Sister Augustine Park, the fifth successor to Mother Seton as Directress of the Academy, thought it was time to form an association of graduates and students of the Academy to link them together in friendship for each other and for the school.
This all started the afternoon of June 16, 1897, when Sr. Augustine initiated the organization of the Alumnae Association with Mary Wade Kalbach, Class of 1871, Elizabeth Keenan White, Class of 1865 and M. Stella McBride, Class of 1897. Acting as co-founders, the three alumnae received the graduates of 1897 as charter members of the new Alumnae Association. A simple constitution was drawn up along with objectives of the Association. It was placed under the patronage of Mary Immaculate “to keep graduates and former students in close touch with their school and with each other.”
During the Association’s meeting on June 12, 1912, a suggestion was made by Clara Douglas Sheeran, Class of 1894, to form “sewing guilds” in various cities and localities where many alumnae lived. The object of the “guilds” was to keep members in touch with each other and current on news from the Academy. The guild would contribute articles made by alumnae to the sisters for use in their hospitals, asylums and homes for the poor. These guilds became chapters and a chairperson became the “regents” for the chapter. The original eight “sewing guilds begun in 1912-13, grew to 23 clubs spanning the United States.
For more 52 years after the closing of St. Joseph College, its Alumnae Association, comprised of 1453 living alumnae, was a strong, vibrant, philanthropic organization financially supported by 542 active members who contributed annually to the Association and its philanthropies.
The origin of the Alma Mater is described below:
“Any student who had a voice and could carry a note and had ‘an ear for music’ was encouraged to take Vocal. The musically ‘challenged’, who the Muse had passed by, were corralled into the study hall once a week, and Sister Francis Lawler would attempt to teach them singing. She used Saint Basil’s Hymnal and a nameless old songbook from which she played and sang for their entertainment, her favorite, ‘All Together’, encouraging the class … to join in the chorus. The result would have driven Saint Cecilia to suicide. This little cultural séance was the origin of the school song for which Dorothy Graham, Class of 1926 wrote the lyrics and set them to music learned in the ‘cultural’ singing class.”
The words of our Alma Mater never fail to remind us of the unbreakable bonds that were formed in our college years. In the fall of 2008, Sister Anne Higgins, D.C. ’70 arranged for a chorale at Mount St. Mary’s University to record our Alma Mater.
All together, all together still, still we meet. Hearts and voices light as ever, Alma Mater thus we greet.
Hail to St. Joseph School of all our faith and light. Hail to our college, school and home, forever right.
Friendship's links may ne'er be broken, bright still is its chain. Tho' the parting words be spoken, through the years we'll meet again.
Hail to St. Joseph School of all our faith and light. Hail to our college, school and home, forever right.
As the Saint Joseph College Alumnae Association brought its distinguished legacy to a close, the final group of SJC graduates and the Board of Trustees who guided the Association and sustained its tradition of annual reunions, were honored at the final Reunion in April, 2025. Each Board member named below received an award for their service and dedication.
As the SJCAA concluded it’s, the last group of SJC graduates honored to work together as the Board of Trustees, managed the Association and provided annual reunions. At the final Reunion in April, 2025 each Board member received an award for their service and dedication.
President - Karen Mattscheck, C'72
Vice President - Kathleen McNaney Younkin, C'70
Treasurer/Trustee - Claire Maurer, C'64
Alumnae Sister - Sr. Anne Higgins, DC C'70
Trustee - Trudie Mangiaracina Glazewski, C'74, Past President
Trustee - Christine Wiberley Goglia, C'73
Trustee - Mary Lou Ullrich Jones, C'64
Trustee - Mary Ann Wiberley Shattuck, C'70
Trustee - Susan Stay Valenti, C'70
Alumnae Liaison - Renee Hill-Goodson, Mount St. Mary's University
Special Committee Appointments
Leslie Henze Blackstock, C'70, Reunion Committee
Jean Givens Denney, C;69, Reunion Committee
Maureen Hinke Hahn, C'73, Website
Maryann Lesso, C'70, Managing Editor The Valley Echo, Reunion Committee
Florence DeLessio Marchetti, C'67, Reunion Committee
Christine Roos Mehl, C'70, Reunion Committee
Ellen Krieger Smelas C'63
Happy summer to all SJCAA!!!
This is hard to believe we have reached this point -- but this is our final SJCAA communication via email with you with a few association updates. We reached this point with your support -- and our time together as an association was celebrated by many many alumnae in a positive and joyful way at the April reunion in Gettysburg. Thank you for helping us end this association in a wonderful way!
The SJCAA office at the Mount closes at the end of June. The phone and email tied to our association will be forwarded to the Mount Alumni Office for a time, but you should start using new contact information. It is:
301-447-5362, email is alumni@msmary.edu.
The Mount will contact me if they have questions, we are here to help with the transition.
Also, we have some items in the archives at the Mount marked as SJC material. I know the archives at the Shrine have a lot of material already, if you have items you would like to donate, contact Jessica Boyer who is the Head of the Library at the Mount and heads up the Archives there. Her email is boyer@msmary.edu. Send her a photo and information on the item(s). She will let you know if they can use the items in the SJC archives. Those of you who volunteered articles to be used in the Shrine exhibit next year which are not being used might want to contact Jessica with the same information. Our office is donating the yearbooks to the archives, so she probably doesn't need them. Our reunion attendance awards will also go to the Mount after they are used in the Shrine Emmitsburg exhibit next year.
The Board will continue to work after the June cutoff to create Valley Echo, pay the remaining bills and perform any other tasks needed to close the Association. In addition, the team who awards the SJCAA scholarship at MSM will continue to choose the recipients yearly as long as they can. When that stops, MSM will select the recipients, we expect the awards to be given for many many years.
Next, thanks to all of you dues paying members who voted your proxies. As we told you earlier, there must be a special meeting to vote on the dissolution of the association. That meeting is scheduled via zoom on June 18 at 1 PM. I will be voting the proxies at that time, we have enough votes to approve the dissolution of the association.
All alumnae are welcome to attend the special meeting If you want to join the meeting, please contact Renee Hill-Goodson at 301-447-5769 or r.hill-goodson@msmary.edu by Monday, June 16, so she can send you the link to join the meeting.
On another note, Claire Maurer '64 gave a wonderful talk at the reunion banquet, giving the history of SJC and SJCAA. It is attached for you here, many requested a copy of it. Claire, thanks for the speech and all the work you did to create it!
Finally, on behalf of the Board, it has been an honor to serve you all these years. Your joy and devotion to SJC meant a lot to us and kept us going all these years. Seeing all those smiles and hearing all the laughter at reunion was heartwarming.
My best wishes to each and every one of you. I enjoyed all of our times together.
Karen Mattscheck '72
President, SJCAA
Spring 2025
Spring Greetings to SJC Alumnae!
We just finished our FINAL annual reunion, what can I say! The spirit and enthusiasm of the alumnae attending was heartwarming. It was an emotional tribute to all of our years at SJC and the Alumnae Association. Smiles abounded and friendships renewed or strengthened!! Alumnae stopped to talk to me, telling me how much this reunion meant and how great it was that we could celebrate one last time with 20 classes represented at reunion. All the spirit and energy touched my heart and made the weekend fly by! It was a bittersweet but happy time – enjoyed by all. Highlights included the celebration and the speech given by Pat Creel Baltzley ’75 commemorating her class which celebrated their 50th anniversary together. Claire Maurer ’64 also spoke at the banquet giving an outstanding history of SJCAA. Information on both of these speeches will be included in the final edition of Valley Echo coming out this fall.
We are taking dues ONE LAST TIME, we ask that you have them to us by the end of May– and anyone who is current with their dues in 2025 will get a FINAL copy of Valley Echo which will feature our last reunion together as SJCAA. Maryann Lesso is planning a very special edition for our final publication, it will be a ‘keeper’. And as I said earlier, talks given at reunion will be included, many of you asked to get a copy of them.
Our office closes on June 30, and all members will be switched over to the Mount alumni association. WE WILL SEND OUT AN EMAIL REMINDING YOU OF THIS AND GIVING YOU MSM CONTACT INFORMATION IN LATE JUNE.
For those of you who have already given dues, THANK YOU. No need to send in more dues. Anyone who is not current with dues has a dues envelope included with this letter. Any remaining monies in our treasury when we merge with the Mount Alumni Association and pay all our bills will be donated to Mother Seton School or the Seton Center.
And a note – thank you to all of you who voted on the dissolution of SJCAA at reunion. If you have paid your dues and were not at reunion, you will be getting documents explaining the process and asking for your vote. Please fill it out as soon as possible and return it in the prepaid envelope which you received. We need 2/3rds of our dues members to approve our dissolution.
It has been an honor to serve the alumnae through the years. On behalf of the board, I want to again say THANK YOU for all you have done to make our dream of ‘alive through 2025’ possible. I will miss our communications and seeing you at the SJCAA reunion – but it is time to ‘pass the torch’ to someone who can keep the alumnae ‘all together’ from now on.
God bless all of you.
Karen Mattscheck ‘72
SJCAA President
October 1, 2024
Dear SJC Alumna,
Greetings to the Alumnae of SJC!! I hope each and every one of you had a good summer and didn’t swelter too much in the heat many of us endured.
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your part in making 2024 another successful year for the Saint Joseph College Alumnae Association. Members continue to support the Association and the dues payment is vital to keeping the Association’s core activities -- Reunions, The Valley Echo, Philanthropy -- “alive” through 2025. Alumnae response has been outstanding! Every year we ask, and every year your support amazes all of us on the SJCAA Board. You have certainly made certain that we will be able to celebrate reunions through 2025 through your continued generosity every year. We have dipped into our reserves in the past couple of years, however, your dues payments have kept this to a minimum.
Speaking of Reunion 2025, the Board has spent quite a bit of time planning this event. There will be some changes to the structure of reunion, since so many classes will be there and since we expect a record crowd. The most notable are:
The rest of reunion is pretty much the same (Mass, social hour, banquet).
Now back to business --this is the LAST dues letter that will be sent out by SJCAA. Alumnae who pay their dues will help keep the Association going one more year until we finalize our dissolution in 2025. You will also get a final edition of Valley Echo, which will be different from other years – it will be a true keepsake as a memory of our time together as an Association.
So here I am again asking for you one last time to continue your support of SJCAA. Your dues payments payment in the past have helped us to maintain our level of activity at a time when we thought we would have to start cutting back. Please do so one more time, as we work towards closing down the Association. Any money left over after we cover expenses will be going to charities we have donated to in the past. This will be discussed at the Annual Meeting.
Payments by anyone who pays dues more than once in a year will also be put aside to cover expenses.
Please support the SJCAA by kindly returning the enclosed invoice with your 2025 tax-deductible dues. Any amount you can afford will designate you as an active member of the SJCAA.
Thank you so much! See you at Reunion 2025, I am looking forward to an unforgettable reunion.
Karen
Karen Mattscheck ‘72
President, SJCAA
The Valley Echo is a publication of St. Joseph College Alumnae Association, Inc. Its mission is to inform alumnae of the Association’s activities, programs and plans, and to provide class news. An electronic version of current and past issues is available on this website. A print version is mailed to all dues-paying alumnae. View the fall 2025 Valley Echo!
Return...reconnect...rewind...recharge...relax....remember...
Join us as we return to the Valley and are "ALL TOGETHER" again June 5-7, 2026 at Mount St. Mary's University.
Reunion 2025 Summary
How do I summarize our last Alumnae Reunion? It was the biggest and the best! There were 318 Joe’s Girls in attendance, one from the Class of ’54, two from ’55 and then representatives from every class from 1958 – 1975. We were “All Together” again.
The Board kept their promise to the Class of ’75 and gave them their 50th Reunion. Thirteen came to the Wyndham to celebrate. For a Class that knew they would never graduate from SJC they have become a united group.
Friday, we toured Campus with our wonderful guides from the National Fire Academy. Jody Wilt and her staff allowed us to reconnect and remember our time at Joe’s. We also toured the completed Timothy E. Trainor College of Health Professions and the Seton Shrine Archives.
At Saturday’s Breakfast and Board Meeting, Karen Mattscheck presented the Articles of Dissolution of our Alumnae Association to the members for a vote. With this we will transition into Mount Saint Mary’s University Alumnae Association. A Legacy Award was presented to all Board members and Ellen Smelas ’63 for their years of service keeping the Association alive till 2025.
Saturday Evening started with Mass at the Basilica. The Class of ’75 participated in the Rose Procession along with all members of the Board. The Candles were lit in Memory of our deceased Alumnae one last time.
At Saturday’s Banquet we listened to two different speeches. The first was delivered by Pat Creel Baltzley ‘75 summarizing a long history of her family and its association with St. Joseph College. The second, delivered by Claire Maurer Class of ’64 summarized the long history of Saint Joseph College Alumnae Association. It was a fitting ending for our Association.
Of course, our Reunion is not complete without the presentation of our traditional Reunion Awards at the Saturday Banquet. The Hassell Cup awarded to the highest percentage of members in attendance went to the Class of ’72. The Sister Mary Ellen Award went to the Class of ’70 who had the highest number of members in attendance. Were we surprised! The Class of ’52 Award, the Friends and Family Cup also went to the Class of ’72. Our final Hurrah!
With tears in my eyes, this is the last Reunion Summary I will write. My Committee and I thank you for all your kind words, your wonderful spirit and generous hearts.
Mary Ann Wiberley Shattuck
Class of ’70
Reunion Summary 2024
What an amazing Reunion this was. The Class of ’74 celebrated their 50th in grand style. For a class that didn’t get to graduate from St. Joseph’s College they came to Reunion 25 strong. As Pattie LaNeve Mullaney put it, “I am still HUNG OVER with HAPPINESS!! It was a special event to be “All Together”. Thank you everyone!”
The Class of ’69 celebrated their 55th and according to predictions was not going to have very many attendees. Well, those predictions proved wrong as 31 showed up ready to renew old friendships. The Class of ’64 not to be outdone had 27 Alumnae return to celebrate their 60th Anniversary. We also had 3 from the Class of ’54 and one from ’58 who had their children bring them. They got to see the special women our Alumnae are.
At Saturday’s Breakfast and Board Meeting Karen Mattscheck “72 presented the SJCAA Scholarship at Mount Saint Mary’s University to Rachel Warren and Colin Long. They each received $6,851.00. The 2024 Legacy Award was awarded to Trudie Mangiaracina Glazewski ’74. Trudie has been on the SJC Board for many years holding several jobs from Vice President, President, Communications Chair but most importantly Class agent for the Class of ’74. She has been the glue bringing her class together for many Reunions and especially their 50th celebration this year. Congratulations.
Our Saturday evening began with Mass at the Basilica. Always the highlight of our reunion, we came together to celebrate our time at St. Joseph’s and remember our classmates with the candle lighting ceremony. From there we went to our Banquet and celebrated with our Golden Jubilarians who regaled us with their remembrances of Joe’s. For the Class of ’74 who did not get to graduate from our college they still remarked “here we are, 50 years later to re-connect and celebrate and laugh again as we honor our small school in the middle of nowhere and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton who had the vision and courage to start it all.” The Class of ’74 generously donated $8,824.63 to Mother Seton Elementary School and $11,785.00 to the SJCAA Scholarship at MSMU.
The evening was not complete without the presentation of our Traditional Reunion Awards. The Hassell Cup awarded to the highest Percentage of members in attendance went to our Golden girls from the Class of ’74. The Sister Mary Ellen Award went to the Class of ’69 who had the highest Number of members in attendance. The Class of ’52 Award, the Friends and Family Cup went to the Class of ’54. It was a joyous moment.
As with past Reunions the Weekend was over too soon with our Sunday Buffet Breakfast. It was time to say goodbye to dear friends.
Our FINAL REUNION is next year April 3 – April 6, 2025. It will be our Last Hurrah as an Alumnae Association. Come One, Come “All Together” as we PARTY one last time.
Mary Ann Wiberley Shattuck ‘70
Reunion 2023 celebrated the Class of ’73 as our “Golden Girls”. They were the last four- year class to graduate from Joe’s and 36 of them came to party. The Presidential Suite was hopping but they all found they couldn’t last past 10:00 pm! Ellen Smelas and her Class of ’63 celebrated their 60th with 22 classmates. Eleven from the Class of ’68 who were celebrating their 55th joined with three from the Class of’58 celebrating their 65th, for their Friday night dinner.
There was one fly in the ointment! At 6:40 am on Saturday we were all startled by the fire alarm going off in the hotel. We found ourselves going downstairs in our pajamas to find it drizzling outside. The Fire Department came, inspected the hotel, then we all climbed back up the stairs. It was the topic of conversation at Saturday’s Breakfast and Annual Meeting. Karen Mattscheck ’72 presented the SJCAA Scholarship at Mount Saint Mary’s University to Angela Vodola ’23, a 2022-23 recipient and Rachel Warren ’24. Due to Alumnae generosity the Scholarship will be $6,800.00 for the coming academic year. The 2021 Legacy Award was finally presented in person to Kate Graham ’68 for her contributions on school publication – The Valley Echo and Allegra as photographer, writer and editor - which began during her first days in the Valley in 1964. The 2023 Legacy Award was presented to your humble servant Mary Ann Wiberley Shattuck ’70 for my years of service on the Board and running Reunion since 2015. It is an honor I will treasure.
The Saturday Night Banquet was full of fun visiting with our classmates. Martina Esther Sabo ’73 presented us with some wonderful words. She quoted from Luke, Chapter 8 verse 2 about “certain women”. “Consider these synonyms of the word certain: which includes: convinced, positive, confident, firm, definite, assured and dependable as they supported Jesus Christ in His Ministry. These descriptors speak of us to one degree or another and speak to our common heritage at St. Joseph’s College. We span decades with those attributes and we share a joint legacy of virtue and action…. May we declare as certain women that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. May we tightly hang on to Him and to one another in the years to come. “
The Hassel cup was awarded to the Class of ’63 for the highest percentage of members in attendance. The Sister Mary Ellen Award went to the Golden Class of ’73 for the highest number of members in attendance. Finally the Class of 1952 Award also known as the Husband’s Memorial Cup was awarded to the Class of ’68 for the highest percentage of husbands and other guests.
Sunday Buffet Breakfast came too soon. It was time to say goodbye to friends we have known since our first days at Joe’s. We have a special bond.
We have only two more Reunions. I encourage you to contact your classmates now and plan to attend Reunion 2024 - April 4 – 7.
Mary Ann Wiberley Shattuck ‘70
Reunion Chair
Reunion 2022 was one for the books. We had three class celebrating their 50th, the classes of 1970, 1971, 1972. It was a memorable weekend! We finally got to be “All Together” and everyone couldn’t stop talking. Well, I did, as I lost my voice!
The Class of ’70 had 29 Alumnae attend and we sure enjoyed the hospitality suite hosted by Alberta Johnson Baker, Helen Burke Rasmussen and Kathleen McNaney Younkin. We had a place to congregate and of course, cheer on North Carolina, loudly. At the Friday Night Class Dinner, Maryann Lesso gave a fantastic summary of our four years at Joe’s. Carol Ervin Sharkey gave a short synopsis at the Saturday Banquet, and Mary Ann Wiberley Shattuck presented our Class Gift to Barbara Rupert, a member of the Mother Seton School Board. Barbara Rupert informed us that our Gift helped 34 families.
The Class of ’71 had 28 alumnae attend and they had a great Class dinner together on Friday night. Their Class Gift of $6,000.00 was presented on Saturday night to Mother Seton School.
The Class of ’72 was out in force to celebrate their actual 50th, enjoying the Presidential Suite at the Wyndham. Their Friday Night Class Dinner was made even more special by the Video presented by Joe Doherty, MSMU C’70, the husband of Mary Mehl Doherty. Joe was officially inducted into the SJC C'72.
At our Saturday Breakfast and Annual Meeting, Karen Mattscheck awarded our SJCAA Scholarship at Mount St. Mary’s University to Margaret Widman, MSMU C’22 and Angela Vodola, MSMU C‘23.
Maryann Lesso, C'70 received the Legacy Award. Maryann has been a Worker Bee on the Alumnae Board running the “Store”, Reunion Chair and now Editor of the Valley Echo. She has been instrumental in upgrading the publication and using color photos on the cover and in the magazine.
The Saturday Night Banquet was a little different, as we had 3 classes celebrating their 50th. The Hassell Cup Award and Sr. Mary Kelley Award were won by the Class of ’72. There was a tie between the Class of ’51 and Class of ’55 for the Class of 1952 Award, also known as the Husbands’ Memorial Cup, awarded to the class with the highest percentage of husbands and other guests in attendance.
The highlight of Reunion was the Campus Tour. Merrill Sollenberg, our FEMA contact, recruited a team that truly made the tour special for us. Kathleen Robinson Moritis, Class of ’70 wrote that everyone was so welcoming. It really did feel like homecoming…like the people who bought your childhood home welcoming you back to look around and listen to your stories.
Only 3 Reunions left! Mark your calendars for April 13-16, 2023. The Class of ’73 will celebrate their 50th, but all are invited attend Reunion 2023.
- Mary Ann Wiberley Shattuck, ’70, Reunion Chair
As we await this year's reunion photos and next year's reunion, take a look at some photos from years past, where alumnae gathered to celebrate our beloved Alma Mater.
The SJCAA Memorial Brick Campaign is a tangible way for those associated with SJC to “Leave a Footprint” outside the former Campus Chapel. It is open to all who share in the history of St. Joseph College, St. Joseph College high School or St. Joseph Academy.
The SJCAA Plaza is part of the National Memorial Park Walk of Honor, located just outside the former Chapel of our beloved campus, now the home of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The Chapel, now the Fallen Firefighters Memorial Chapel, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Restored to circa 1908 by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, in cooperation with the Daughters of Charity, it was rededicated in August 2007. Currently, more than 350 bricks commemorate people associated with St Joseph College.
The Plaza also contains a bronze plaque with a brief history of the campus and a second plaque with an inscription reading:
“In memory of all who trod these holy grounds as students of St. Joseph Academy, High School and College, and those who educated, supported, served and cared for them. May their footsteps and those of St. Joseph’s founder, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, echo here for all time.”
Order your brick now and “Leave a Footprint” on our former campus.
Each engravable brick is $110 and the donation is fully tax-deductible. Formats for wording on the order form are only suggestions. The only limitation is 18 characters, including spaces, on each line. Up to three lines on each brick. Order your brick today!
You may use the search feature on the Walk of Honor page for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; enter SJCAA in the Search by Location field to find your brick. There is also a direct link to SJC bricks.
The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park is located on federal property, so changes in security levels may affect visiting hours. Please call 301-447-1000 for current information on access to the campus.
Directions to the Memorial and lodging near the Memorial are available.
"For those who have been faithful, O Lord, life is not ended, but merely changed...."
We mourn the passing of those with whom we shared so many memories. Please report the death of any Alumna through the SJCAA office, providing us with information from a published source, when possible.
As a memorial for an SJC Alumna, you may wish to purchase a memorial brick on campus through our "Leave a Footprint" Program or make a donation to Mount St. Mary's University.
