By Shirley Schou Bacot ’58

Although I’ve made a number of speeches, both here at Wells and on other occasions in my community, I never anticipated standing here before you and speaking to you today as one of the Alumnae Award recipients for Wells College. I am humbled by my inclusion in a long list of outstanding women who have contributed so much to society and this nation, including my fellow award recipient today, Karen Gottovi ’62, with whom I was privileged to work on the Wells board, and whose career and public service speaks for itself. I would like to thank Nell Mohn ’80 and her committee for presenting me with this honor.

Why Wells? I moved a number of times in my growing up years, including my senior year in high school. The high school I had attended for two years in Maryland was huge – 900 in my class – we even borrowed the county’s voting booths for our school elections! Academically it was superb, but socially I was like a tiny fish in a big ocean. Therefore when college search began I knew that I wanted a small college environment, with a liberal arts curriculum and preferably not in or near a city. During my senior year in Caldwell, New Jersey, I met Betsy Boveroux ’57, then a freshman at Wells. She spoke to me at length, in glowing terms, about Wells, and showed me many photographs. This was the clincher – I wanted to go to Wells! 

As I entered Wells in 1954, I found a place where you felt a sense of belonging from the very first day. The traditions helped foster this feeling – the beanies and signs for the first six weeks – the odd-even rivalry (I was on the basketball team and had to sit at training table for meals, which the Cornell men thought was the funniest thing they’d ever heard) – the initiations (we came back to our rooms in Main after dinner one night and were greeted by the most awful smell – the sophomores had smeared limburger cheese on most of the light bulbs and then turned them on!). The class bonding which was begun in those early weeks continued through “freshman banquet,” “junior stunt,” “senior play” and of course, graduation. Throughout my four years at Wells, I was a member of the choir and one of its soloists and also enjoyed my membership in our Madrigals group.

Why liberal arts? I believe that the United States is rather unique in its abundance of colleges offering liberal arts. Do most people know exactly what their specialized field of study in college will be? I think not. I came to Wells expecting to be a chemistry or math major but several things happened to change my mind. First of all, my esteemed professor who was teaching the Chemistry 101 course left in October to join her husband in Michigan. She was replaced by a young man who had just received his Ph.D. at Cornell, was terrified of women, and couldn’t bring himself to teach at the 101 level. The highest grade in the class for his first test was 55 (out of 100) and it went downhill from there. Needless to say, he had to grade on the curve (and he was replaced at the end of the year). Secondly, after taking courses in the social sciences, sociology and psychology in particular, I found a field that I absolutely loved! The Wells faculty members made you think for yourself and gave you the tools to do so. We had small classes and got to know our professors well. I fondly remember Dr. Jaffe who taught my philosophy and logic courses. You never knew what his personal opinion of any subject was because he could argue any side of an issue and taught us the cognitive skills needed to do the same. Carter Woods, who was chair of the sociology department and the father of my good friend, Barbara (Bardy) ’58, was instrumental in cementing my choice of sociology as a major. Evelyn Clinton honed our writing skills, so necessary for every course to follow. I often wish that my good friend Arthur Bellinzoni had been teaching during my time at Wells because I know that his religion courses would have been wonderful. 

After graduation from Wells in 1958, I needed a job. What I really wanted to do was to work in the adoption field at a private agency but that required a master’s degree which I didn’t have. At the time, I had been dating Carter [Bacot] for two years and didn’t know if we would be getting married soon. Having been advised by many people that the public welfare department in Baltimore was not where I should be working, I scouted out other opportunities. A neighbor suggested that I speak with a good friend of hers who was CEO of a large savings and loan to see if they had any openings. In my interview with him, he said that the only opening at the time was for the job of teller, for which I was overqualified. Having always liked finance and working with numbers, I decided to take the job. Was I making the best use of my Wells education? Probably not, but I enjoyed it. I went from that position to being a new accounts originator. I then moved to Washington with my parents and again worked in a savings and loan, as an accounts manager. However, when my boss learned that I was engaged and going to move to New York in five months, they sent me to work in the mail room (so as not to waste my training!) This was a real sociological study. One of my co-workers had a boyfriend who was a heroin addict just out of prison. I encouraged her to bring him in for me to talk with and she did just that – we had a couple of sessions and I believe we both learned a great deal from one another.

After Carter and I were married, we lived in New York City and, once again I found myself working at a savings and loan – this time as a personnel specialist. My boss, who was an executive vice president, and I were the entire personnel department (many of you would know that as “Human Resources” and I’ve often wondered if that term means the opposite of animal resources?). I did all the interviewing, testing, writing the letters and reports, managing employee benefits, etc. That was the last paying job I had and soon I began my volunteer career.

Volunteerism: Webster says that to volunteer is to “enter into or offer oneself for any service of one’s own free will without solicitation or compulsion.” When you Google the word you find “Volunteers make a difference by contributing their time, energy and talents to the causes they hold dear.” This is all true, but it doesn’t make mention of the satisfaction and joy which comes to the volunteer through this process.

My very first volunteer “job” was as a candy striper in a hospital at the age of 14, but the training I received as a member of the Junior League was what started me on a life-long journey through the ranks of volunteerism. Fundraising skills were honed and we had to be innovative. I was chairman of a number of committees over the years and attended national and regional conferences. As treasurer I was taught the basics of accounting and bookkeeping by a CPA. I’ll never forget the late nights spent trying to discover why my trial balance was off by 20 cents! Through the League, I also became part of a singing group called The Humdingers which to this day I’m still a member of. We perform a half-hour show for seniors in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and community and religious groups all over the county.

My primary areas of volunteerism have been:

• Education: primarily Wells, which has been an ongoing process beginning with my involvement with the Annual Fund, then various campaigns and the Board of Trustees. The people I’ve worked with over the years – presidents, staff, faculty members, other alums, board members, etc. - have confirmed my belief that the Wells community is unsurpassed in its quality and dedication. I have always loved the college and felt that it is my duty as well as pleasure to give something back to this great institution. I also was very active in the parent-teacher association of my daughters’ school.
• Community-based social agencies such as the Red Cross, whose board I was on for a number of years, and the United Way board where I served as treasurer.
• The elderly: In addition to The Humdingers, I have been on the board of a home for the aged since 1975 and have had the primary responsibility of paying all the bills and salaries and doing the bookkeeping. I also have been on the board of the Senior Care and Activities Center for many years and have served as treasurer, co-chair of a capital campaign and now as president. When established in 1977, it was an innovative concept – day-care for seniors who are frail or in need of supervision and stimulation, many of whom suffer from Alzheimer’s disease – and we had requests from all over the country to guide others in establishing a similar facility. We provide both social and medical day-care for our clients through a capable staff, including medical professionals, social workers, and recreational specialists. We successfully completed our $3.2 million capital campaign two years ago and now have a brand new state-of-the-art building, with a clientele that reaps the benefits of research into the best programs to enable caregivers to keep their loved ones home for a longer period of time.
• The Arts: The New York Philharmonic has been a focus for more than 25 years. As a member of the Volunteer Council I chaired a number of committees, particularly those which concerned fundraising. I was co-chair of two opening night galas and co-chair of the radio-thon. In addition, I was a vice president, overseeing a number of committees. I also produced, two separate times, the tour packets for the orchestra, which involved researching the points of interest in each city they were performing, informing them of specific restaurants, what to expect weather-wise, best modes of transportation, etc. It was during my early years of working at the NYP that I learned to use a computer (they were not “user friendly” in those days). I am now proud to be a member of the board of trustees of the Philharmonic and am enjoying working with old friends from Volunteer Council days and meeting many other very able and experienced board members. It is also enjoyable to host dinners or green room receptions and meet performing artists and conductors from various parts of the country and the world. Over the years I have also worked on fundraisers for the Montclair Art Museum and was co-producer of a catalog for our “Art in Bloom” spectacular and I also chaired a raffle for yet another fundraiser. In recent years I have been a member of the board of the Depot Theatre, a summer theater in Westport, New York and have co-chaired the gala there.

Wells had in 1954, and still has today, an outstanding faculty and a long line of presidents who were instrumental in guiding the college through sometimes rocky territory. I can’t begin to tell you how highly I value the leadership and friendship of our current president, Lisa Marsh Ryerson. She has led us successfully, never by intimidation but through a logical and forward-looking process, through some very tough times and we have come out on the other side – stronger and poised for future success. The decision of the board two years ago to become a coeducational institution was bold and absolutely right for the college. Our faculty members are imparting their wisdom and carrying out the mission of Wells College in the same way as before but to an expanded student population – one which now includes young men, who are just as eager to reap the benefits of a Wells education. 

Viva Wells College!
 

Delivered June 2, 2007 at Wells College.