Frances Folsom Cleveland, one of the most popular first ladies in American history, graduated from Wells in 1885, shortly before her marriage to President Grover Cleveland. Not only was Frances the youngest first lady, she was the first to be married in the White House, the first to earn a college degree, and the first to remarry. Among her many contributions to popular culture, she is given credit for eliminating the bustle from women's fashion, the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after her daughter, and five American towns are named Folsom in her honor. Frances was born in 1864, and grew up in Buffalo, New York. A friend of her father's, Grover encouraged Frances to attend Wells, and at some point during her college years, their relationship took a romantic turn. After graduating from Wells, the couple was married in the Blue Room of the White House on June 2, 1886. Despite her youth and inexperience, Frances proved to be a good role model for the nation and was very popular, even with her husband's critics. Grover's loss in 1888 to Benjamin Harrison was a disappointment; Frances was first lady for only three years. It is reported that as they moved out of the White House she said, "I'll be back," and four years later, she was. In fact, many credit her with partial responsibility for Grover's re-election and more successful second term.
 

Margaret Pericak-Vance '73 
A pioneer in genetics research

Margaret Pericak-Vance, Ph.D., is director of the Miami Institute for Human Genomics and Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Professor of Human Genomics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Margaret majored in biology at Wells, and went on to receive her Ph.D. in medical genetics from Indiana University. She is a founding fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and a board-certified medical geneticist.  

Margaret, or Peggy as she’s known at Wells, pioneered the use of novel disease gene mapping methods that led to the identification of apolipoprotein E as the major susceptibility gene for Alzheimer Disease.  In 1997, Newsweek magazine named her to the Century Club: 100 People to Watch as We Move to the Next Millennium.

She received the prestigious “Louis D” Foundation Scientific Award from the Institut de France for her research on the genetics of Alzheimer Disease in 2001 and was named the Hauptman-Woodward Pioneer of Science for her innovative work in 2004. She was named a member of the prominent Institute of Medicine in 2004. 

With Dr. Jeffery M. Vance, she leads the Guilford Genomic Medicine Initiative, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense that seeks to introduce genomic medicine services into primary care practices and to become a model for the implementation of genomic medicine worldwide. 
 

Pam Lewis '80
A force behind country music's hottest stars

Pam Lewis, who earned her bachelor's degree from Wells with a major in economics and French, began her career in public relations and marketing with an internship at Ms. magazine and then became national media director at Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment, where she was part of the original publicity team that brought Music Television (MTV) to the world. RCA records eventually lured her to Nashville, to head their Media/Artist Development Department. Her introduction to country music found her working with top country artists such as Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, The Judds, and Alabama. In 1985, she formed her own company, PLA Media. Her public relations successes include the double-platinum duo Brooks & Dunn and the multi-platinum band Diamond Rio. Her client roster has included many music luminaries such as Mickey Gilley and rock legend Steve Winwood. Although PLA media was a success, Pam always dreamed of managing entertainers. In 1988, she formed Doyle/Lewis Management. The first client Pam agreed to represent was an unknown Oklahoma crooner named Garth Brooks. After experiencing a string of rejections, she obtained a contract for Brooks with Nashville-based Capitol Records, now known as Liberty Records. In April of 1993 she helped bring to television a two-hour CBS prime-time tribute to the women of country music starring Tammy Wynette, Trisha Yearwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and others. From MTV to Garth Brooks and beyond, Pam Lewis is having a profound impact on American music and popular culture.

Tracy Hope Davis '86 
A rising star in the Justice Department

In 1997, Tracy Hope Davis was honored with an award from the Association of Outstanding Women in America and attributes her rapid advancement in the legal profession to her liberal arts education. At Wells, she majored in international government and minored in German. She was awarded the college's Government and History Prize and the Presidential Leadership Award. Following graduation, she worked as a paralegal in a New York City law firm and in 1989, Tracy entered Rutgers Law School in New Jersey, where she was elected executive editor of the law school's Women's Rights Law Reporter. After receiving her Juris Doctor in 1992, she worked for two years as a law clerk to the Honorable Cornelius Blackshear, United States Bankruptcy Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. In 1994, Tracy became an associate in the New York office of McDermott, Will and Emery, where she practiced in the corporate department. Thereafter, she joined Marcus Montgomery law firm as an attorney. Currently she practices in the Office of the United States Trustee, which is the Bankruptcy Division of the Justice Department. She is a member of the New York Chapter of the Association of Black Women Attorneys, the New York County Lawyers, and the International Bar Association. She is currently serving on the Race and Gender Committees of the Second Circuit Task Force on Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and Fairness in the Bankruptcy Courts of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.