Anne Mackay '49

Sent May 9th, 2012

To our friends in the Vassar LGBTQ community,

As we know some of you already have heard, Anne MacKay '49, author of the seminal book Wolf Girls at Vassar and many other short works and poems, died last week after several months in hospice care. 

Anne was an important, indeed a pivotal, figure in Vassar's LGBTQ history. In addition to writing Wolf Girls, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, she wrote and edited many LAGAVC newsletters, and made extraordinary contributions to the library at Blegen House, now located in the LGBTQ Center in Main Building. Her significance to her alma mater was publicly acknowledged last year when an excerpt from Wolf Girls was included in all performances of the Sesquicentennial play Vassar Voices, and she was feted on campus at a program leading up to the Smashing History conference. Anne was elated by this recognition, and we are so glad that she lived to be so honored by the college she loved.

Anne also was a beloved figure to her Class of 1949 and the closely associated Class of 1948. She worked tirelessly for her class and in particular on their reunion showcases, which featured occasionally bawdy original songs!

We do not yet have details about an official memorial service, but we understand that something is in the works and that we'll receive more information about it over the summer. We certainly will keep you informed. We also are discussing the possibility of a memorial to Anne during this June's LGTBQ Reception at Reunion.
Anne was a remarkable woman. We feel privileged to have known and worked with her over the past two decades. We are sorry to have to share this news with you – particularly via email – but felt it was important to get the word out. 

We'll be in touch as soon as we know more.

Sincerely,

Willa McCarthy ’92
Senior Director, Alumnae/i Affairs and Vassar’s Annual Fund

Lance Ringel
author, Vassar Voices

From the obituary in the Suffolk Times
http://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2012/05/31849/orients-anne-mackay-was-a-force-of-nature/

Out in the Workplace - Sunday, February 26th, 3:30 - 5:30 - on campus

"Salary is no object; I want only enough to keep body and soul apart."

Dorothy Parker (The New Yorker, 2/4/1928)

Out in the Workplace

 An interactive session on LGBTQ issues after college

Sunday, February 26th, 3:30 – 5:30 pm with optional networking to follow

Vassar College, College Center, Multi-Purpose Room (2nd Floor)

A distinguished panel of Vassar alumnae/i invite you to discuss how to take care of both body and soul, at all stages of your career. This facilitated discussion will give LGBTQ students a chance to give voice to their, questions and concerns, and to explore these topics in small groups with alumnae/i, faculty, staff and “straight” allies.

To RSVP, please email the Career Development Office at cdo@vassar.edu 

Allies are welcome to attend.

Panelists scheduled to attend include:

Mark Burstein ’84, Executive Vice President at Princeton University, Vassar Trustee

Melissa Silberman ‘94, Deputy Executive Director,

Office of Postsecondary Readiness, NYC Department of Education

Keith St. John ‘81, Deputy Counsel to the Minority, New York State Senate,

first black, openly gay elected official in the U.S.

Christianna Wood ‘81, Chair, Board of Governors of

the International Corporate Governance Network, Vassar Trustee

Jason Wu ‘07, Attorney, Legal Aid Society of New York,

Housing Development Unit of the Harlem Community Law Office

Facilitated by Scott Mendelsohn ’93,
Freelance consultant and writer

Sponsored by the LGBTQ Alumnae/i of Vassar College,

Office of Alumnae/i Affairs and Development, Office of Career Development, 

Office of Campus Life and Diversity / LGBTQ Center

Upcoming Events

January 2012 - Winter Gatherings - click below to RSVP

During Vassar’s winter break, LGBTQ Alumnae/i are opening their homes to alumnae/i, students, and other members of the Vassar community.Come share a little of the Vassar spirit over the break – wherever we find ourselves.

Los Angeles, CA – Saturday, January 7th, 2 - 5 pm

2800 Vineyard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90016
Hosted by Sam Morales ’94 with Jon Andersen-Miller ’84 and Kiana Moore '02

Washington, DC – Sunday, January 8th, 2 - 5 pm

227 Park Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Hosted in by Daniel Aibel ’80 and David Pittman ’78 with Shannon Wyss '95
(3 blocks from the District line, and 5 blocks from the Metro)

New York, NY - Tuesday, January 10th, 6:30 - 9 pm - after work
            People Lounge, 163 Allen St. New York, NY
            Hosted by Jason Fleetwood-Boldt '01, Jeff Goodman '82, Gianna McArthur '08, Scott Mendelsohn '93, Ann Northrop '70


Boston, MA – Saturday, January 14th, 4 - 6:30 pm

504 Columbus Avenue $2, Boston, MA 02118
Hosted by Micah Buis ’02 and Meg Stone ’95

February 26th, 2012, 3:30 pm - Out in the Workplace (On campus)

"Salary is no object; I want only enough to keep body and soul apart."

Dorothy Parker (The New Yorker, 2/4/1928)

Work often asks us to leave important parts of ourselves at the door - especially LGBTQ people. Vassar Trustee Mark Burstein '84 is assembling a diverse panel of alumnae/i to discuss ways to take both body and soul to work, at all stages of your career.

Newsletter - State of LAGAVC / Wolf Girls / LGBTQ Alumnae/i of Vassar College

Summary of this newsletter:

1 - MAY KICK-START EVENT - Our kick-start event, featuring Vassar Devils, happened in May at a lounge in Chelsea, Manhattan. More than 75 people attended!

2 - INFRASTRUCTURE - Basic organizational/operational tools we are using.
    2A - OAAD Database for official college affairs communication
    2B - Steering Committee - Online Discussion GroupFacebook Group for informal announcement-style networking
    2C - Facebook Group for informal announcement-style networking
    2D - LinkedIn Group for professional networking

3 - BRAINSTORMED - What we brainstormed at our July meeting

4 - "SMASHING HISTORY" CONFERENCE - Women's Studies Department-organized conference on campus November 5th.

5 - NEXT STEPS



1) MAY KICK-START EVENT - We had a fabulous kick-start event on May 6th at Chelsea Manor (in, unsurprisingly, Chelsea Manhattan). Over 75 people turned out and enjoyed specially prepared Vassar Devils!

To see some photos from the event, click here.




2) COMMUNICATION

AAVC - OFFICE OF ALMUNAE/I AFFAIRS DATABASE - Anyone interested in receiving information about Vassar LGBT alumnae/i organizing should sign up with the “LAGAVC” list by e-mailing Susan Quade, Associate Director of Alumnae/i Affairs at suquade@vassar.edu.  This will ensure you receive general announcements about LGBTQ Alumnae/i events from the OAA office.

STEERING COMMITTEE - ONLINE DISCUSSION GROUP      http://groups.google.com/group/vc-lgbtq-alums-planning

Those of us at the meeting were universally concerned that we broaden and open up this process as much as possible to as wide a community of Vassar alum as possible.  To this end, we have established an open discussion group for the steering committee.


If you would like to participate in this group, 1) Click here to enter your address, and a password. 2) Once you've done that, you can click here to actually sign into the mailing list.

This does not require you to have a Google e-mail address - you can choose whichever address you prefer.

FACEBOOK GROUP        http://www.facebook.com/groups/wolfgirlsvassar

Anyone can post announcements on the Facebook group, and we encourage announcements to facilitate alumnae/i networking and promotion of various kinds, like performances, shows, museum exhibitions, etc. Posts can be LGBTQ or non-LGBTQ; they can be Vassar-related or non-Vassar related, but we ask when you post you generally respect the need for announcement-style messages that you believe would be of interest to the members of the group.

LINKEDIN GROUP  (a subgroup of Vassar College Alumnae/i)    www.LinkedIn.com

This group is available for those looking for a venue for professional networking.  To find us, select “Groups,” and search for “LGBTQ Vassar.”



3) BRAINSTORMED - Here's a list of the things we brainstormed as possible long-term activities such a group could do.

1) The LGBTQ Alumnae/i universe: who we interact with

• Each other (internal relations within the LGBTQ alumnae/i group)
• AAVC (including Staff and the Board, other Affiliate Groups and unaffiliated alumnae/i)
• Other schools - Vassar representation in the BTGALA Alumni consortium hosted by Princeton
• The College itself - students, faculty, administration including Alumnae/i Affairs, Development, the Board of Trustees, etc.

2) Brainstorming

General Themes and Principles

• Mission statement – revise LAGA-VC, come up with a new one?  What does our group want to do?
• Keeping Vassar weird/special/unique
• Communications platform (online boards, etc – make the group national, inclusive)
• Encouraging service, alongside socializing
• Cultivating student and alumnae/i leadership development
• Encouraging local autonomy and organizing
• Using regional meetings across the country to engage alumnae/i in the group.
• Participate in consortium of BTGALA alumni organizations, coordinated by Princeton
• Create rituals, annual awards, tournaments – a regular schedule that ties the group together and sustains a sense of community
• Fall Sesquicentennial Conference – “Smashing History” - invite alums to provide a picture / object for an exhibit?
• Remembering the whole community
• Building a relationship with trustees

 Relations with the Campus Community and Vassar’s image

• Recognition of Vassar as a place that produces iconoclasts, individuals, being a breed apart
• Eliminate "Vassar's too gay" attitude – encourage idea that Vassar’s fame as a “gay” school is worthy of promotion
• Relationship with the College President
• Build relationships with other Affiliate Groups (our members span them all)

Events or Program Possibilities

• 2012 Reunion-style conference
• Regional alumnae/student exchange (over holiday breaks?)
• Alumnae/i volunteer projects (civil rights work, community work)
• A book project to follow-up Wolf Girls at Vassar
• Co-sponsorship of BTGALA consortium events
• Student/alumnae/i lecture event (annually or biannually)
• Big event or gathering every 3-4 years
• Professional networking opportunities
• Trans alumnae/i homecoming event
• AIDS education
• Gift to support “weirdness” on campus

4) "SMASHING HISTORY: 150 Years of LGBTQA at Vassar" Faculty Conference

Faculty and students are planning a campus conference as part of the Sesquicentennial events, sponsored by the Women's Studies program.  It is scheduled for November 4th and 5th - stay tuned for schedule and registration information as it becomes available.

5) NEXT STEPS 

   
Finally, please take a day to digest this information. Should you feel you want to be involved over email immediately, please join the Google group to address the steering committee directly.



Signed,



Vassar LGBTQ Alum Planners