SHELBURNE FALLS — Mary Lyon, a pioneer in women’s education and founder of Mount Holyoke College, would have celebrated her 229th birthday last weekend.
Although she died in 1849, a group of Mount Holyoke alumnae and admirers of Lyon gathered at the Arms Library on Saturday to ensure her birthday would still be celebrated while also honoring her legacy in women’s education and the continued efforts to support students today through the Mary Lyon Foundation.
In a sense, Mary Lyon was also in attendance at the party, through the efforts of historical reenactor Katherine McKay.
“We rise from the grave every year, and it’s wonderful to celebrate Mary in this way,” said Zeph Stickney Helmreich, dressed as Lyon’s friend and colleague Eliza Wheaton.
Attendees reflected on their days at Mount Holyoke, and gave their thanks to Lyon for establishing the school they love.
Nan Fischlein graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2005 as a Frances Perkins scholar, a program offered by the college to encourage people over the age of 25 who may have started a college degree but never finished, to return to school. She said although she was a not a traditional student, Mount Holyoke was the right fit for her.
“I was ancient when I became a student, but Mount Holyoke, there’s nothing like it,” Fischlein said. “It was, from the get-go, just the feeling of something almost familiar.”
Elyse Moore studied at the University of Vermont and the University of Massachusetts, but eventually ended up at Mount Holyoke College. She joked that since she grew up in Buckland, the birthplace of Mary Lyon, she had to go to Mount Holyoke.
“I grew up in Buckland; where else was I going to go?” Moore said. “I actually grew up in a house that is next door to the place where Mary Lyon’s first schoolhouse was located, and there’s just a stone and plaque monument there now, but I remember sitting on that stone and reading when I was a girl.”
Other alumnae said they had wonderful experiences at the college, and similar sentiments were expressed by faculty member Karen Remmler, who teaches English and German.
“I lived vicariously through my students because I went to large universities,” she said. “I’ve always been really blown away by my students. That’s what made it such wonderful job.”
Sue Samoriski, founder of the Mary Lyon Foundation, organized the event. While she did not attend Mount Holyoke College, she has been amazed by the school ever since she visited her cousin who went there.
“The Mary Lyon Foundation is near and dear to my heart, as is Mount Holyoke. I wish had a degree from Mount Holyoke, but I have degrees from several other colleges,” Samoriski said. “I fell in love with Mount Holyoke when I was about 12 years old. … The doors opened and here comes my cousin Jane, descending the steps of whatever building it was, and I just worshipped my cousin.”
Kristen Tillona-Baker, CEO of the Mary Lyon Foundation, said the organization has been busy lately as “there’s a lot of need across the county.” The foundation works to provide fuel assistance, school supplies, clothing and groceries to people in need, and collaborates with other organizations to support students and families across Franklin County.
Tillona-Baker said Lyon’s birthday serves as a good reminder of what Mary Lyon stood for, and how the foundation should serve the community.
“Her vision reminds us that when communities invest in learning, they help students, families and educators thrive,” the foundation wrote in a Facebook post celebrating Lyon’s birthday. “We’re grateful to carry her legacy forward across our hilltown communities.”
