Sunday, April 17, 2011

The Oldest & Best



Source: Personal Photo

"Hail Wesleyan, thou emblem of all that is grand" -Alma Mater

Georgia Female College was founded in 1836, and is the world’s oldest college to grant degrees to women. 90 women were enrolled, and Catherine Brewer Benson was the first graduate in 1840. A liberal arts school from the beginning, an early course of study included natural philosophy, mental and moral philosophy, astronomy, botany, chemistry, physiology, geology, history, and ancient and modern languages. In 1970 the name Wesleyan College was adopted, and the school continues to be affiliated with the Methodist Church.


Source: Georgia Archives

In July 1860, during commencement week, the first annual reunion was held for former students creating the world's oldest alumnae association. This weekend, Wesleyan celebrated 175 years of educating women! The oldest reunion class represented was the class of 1946, and one of the highlights of the weekend was hearing internationally renowned opera singer Caroline Thomas, class of 1981, sing several amazing selections. The weekend was full of class parties, luncheons, entertainment, and many other fun events!

Source: Personal Photo

'First for Women' isn't just an empty tag line! Wesleyan boasts many firsts including the first sororities Phi Mu and Alpha Delta Pi, the first woman to argue a case before the Georgia Supreme Court, the first woman in Georgia to be issued a commercial pilot's license in Georgia, the first Chinese women educated in America, the first woman chair of the Press Institute of the Georgia Press Association, Georgia's first and only Miss America, the first woman to be appointed poet laureate of the state of North Carolina, the first woman to be ordained Bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Conference, and the first woman President of the Florida Senate.






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