Better Together – The Class of 1982 Funds Dreams

It started as an idea at their 15th class reunion in 1997. The Class of 1982 wanted to give back, to do something different.

 

In 1999, they launched the Class of 1982 Scholarship. The scholarship provides financial assistance to a deserving girl entering middle school (grades 6–8). To date, the scholarship has provided a portion of tuition for six girls.

 

This past fall, eight representatives of the class met on the Hutchison campus—Mary Tabor Engel, Beth Harbison Kakales, Jenne Prest Williams, Helen France Wade, Stephanie Fuss Hayes, Elizabeth Nickey Hvasta, Susan Springfield, and Becca Garner Howell. They talked with Dr. Kristen Ring, head of school, about the scholarship.

 

“Instead of just giving money or another type of gift, we wanted to give a girl the opportunity to have what we had,” said Helen France Wade. “Hutchison was so great to us.”

 

One of the things they hope to pass on is the confidence and determination instilled at Hutchison. “When you develop the skill and passion for leadership in a young girl,” Susan Springfield said, “it can change the trajectory of her life. She learns early on not to impose limits on herself. Because of my experiences at Hutchison, I’ve never shied away from taking on leadership positions because of my gender. That has been a real gift.”

 

Mary Tabor Engel added: “We want to find and nurture girls who will not only thrive at Hutchison but who can also lead and make meaningful contributions in their families, communities, workplaces, and beyond.”

 

Dr. Ring talked about the initiative to increase the school’s financial assistance endowment. “The best private schools have robust financial assistance programs because they want to reach more deserving students, generate additional revenue, and stabilize tuition. We’re thankful that the Class of 1982 has put so much passion and energy into funding their scholarship.”

 

In 2007, Class of 1982 alumna Kirby Dobbs Floyd wrote: “One thing I like so much about our Scholarship is that it invests in a person. How often in life do we get to do that and to see the course of a person’s life altered directly by something we have given?”

 

 

Hutchison is on a mission to build a $15 million Financial Assistance Endowment. An anonymous donor has issued a once-in-a-lifetime, $5 million challenge gift matching 50 cents for every dollar for any new gift this school year directed to Financial Assistance. A financial assistance endowment can have a lasting impact on Hutchison and its graduates for many generations to come. You can donate here.