Infinite Horizon Campaign Newsletter - Spring 2023

INFINITE HORIZON

Emma Willard School has received an investment of $3 million from Sally Klingenstein Martell ’85 toward a state-of-the-art concert hall and community space, which will be named in honor of Sally and the Klingenstein family. The Klingenstein Concert Hall will be the centerpiece of the new Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts, fulfilling a key priority in Emma Willard’s plan to advance the arts through the school’s strategic plan.

The arts certainly played a key role in Sally’s educational experience at Emma.

“I took this amazing class taught by Russell Locke called Arts in the Renaissance, exposing us

CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE

CO-CHAIRS

Linda Gill Anderson ’77

Wendy S. Graham ’85

HONORARY CO-CHAIRS

Susie Hunter ’68

Vicky Thompson Winterer ’61

An Elevated Space

Sally Klingenstein Martell ’85 makes a landmark gift to the arts at Emma

to incredible music from that era. Taking a deep dive into an academic subject through the lens of the arts was just transformative for me.”

Sally later went on to become an art history major at Tulane, working in galleries during her early career, and later completed a master's in fine arts before writing her first novel. She hopes that future generations of Emma students will find inspiration in the arts.

“This is a real investment in our students—it only elevates one’s performance to be in a space like this. In creating this space, we are saying to them, ‘We believe you’re worthy of this.’”

JoAnne Als, MD ’78

Kalisse Anderson, JD ’97

Kathie Berry ’53 P’76 ’81

Julie Massry Knox ’98

Lisa LeFort ’72

Sally Klingenstein Martell ’85

Diane Wynne Mercer ’61

Betts Howes Murray ’73

Megan Toohey Scremin ’00

Rev. Cyndi Skripak ’78

EMPLOYEES

Ann Dejnozka

Evangeline Delgado

Meg McClellan

Luke Meyers

Jenny Rao

A MESSAGE FROM INFINITE HORIZON CO-CHAIRS LINDA GILL ANDERSON

’77 AND WENDY GRAHAM ’85

Dear alumnae, parents, and friends,

In May of 2022, we launched Infinite Horizon: The Campaign for Emma Willard School and announced a goal of $175 million, the largest campaign for a girls’ school in American history. Securing an inspiring future for Emma Willard has captured the hearts and minds of the extended school community in powerful and affirming ways. Sharing the early stories of our campaign success through this newsletter brings us great joy, and we’ve had a breathtaking response of support from our community. The impact of these remarkable gifts of philanthropy will strengthen our school for generations of Emma Willard students and faculty to come and will help ensure the future of girls’ education. We hope you will feel as proud as we do about the progress that is taking place on Mount Ida thanks to inspirational gifts of philanthropy from those— like you—who care deeply about our school.

More work must be done to align support and fund the aspirations of our strategic vision for our school. We hope you will join us in ways that you can, helping to accomplish all the inspirational initiatives of our campaign. Your support—in ways that are comfortable and meaningful to each of you—will make a difference.

Linda Gill Anderson ’77

Wendy Graham ’85

Infinite Horizon Campaign Co-Chairs

Signs of ProgRess

At the October groundbreaking event for the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts, the project’s lead architect Ann Beha told the students and staff assembled, “There will be much disruption in the months ahead—in architecture, we call that progress!” The visual cues on campus of this particular type of progress are many: an “Emma red” construction fence has gone up encircling the chapel and the soon-to-be annex, site work has been completed in partnership with local officials and inspectors, 46 pews from the chapel were claimed by Emma alums in preparation for the interior renovation, and the construction crew from Consigli Construction—a locally owned and operated firm—are now regular visitors to Mount Ida. In October, we began the site excavation of the center, making the first step toward a community gathering space and new home for the arts at the heart of Emma’s campus!

top left: Popping confetti at the May campaign kickoff event (pictured L–R: Linda Gill Anderson ’77, Lisa LeFort ’72, and Jenny Rao). top right: Ann Beha, founder and principal of Ann Beha Architects, now Annum Architects, speaks to the Emma Willard community at the October groundbreaking ceremony.

middle: School leaders break ground at the site of the new Wallace Center for the Performing Arts (pictured L–R: Wendy Graham ’85, Sally Martell ’85, Julie Massry Knox ’98, Jenny Rao, Lisa LeFort ’72).

bottom: An aerial view of the Center for the Performing Arts construction site in January, featuring early excavation work for the below-grade annex.

Part of Something BiggeR

Musician Ruth McKay ’80 on her gift to preserve Emma Willard’s historic pipe organ

A professional harpsichord musician, Ruth McKay ’80 has fond memories of Emma Willard’s majestic pipe organ. “I loved that instrument; it was a big part of my choir experience. It was amazing to hear how the entire chapel became part of the sound—you almost have to build a room around a pipe organ.”

Ruth’s generous gift to the Infinite Horizon campaign has supported the preservation, fine craftsmanship, and voicing of Emma Willard’s pipe organ for the

new Center for the Performing Arts. The organ’s pipes have been packed in situ to withstand building renovations, and the three-keyboard console was carefully diagrammed using digital surveying equipment before dismantling and safe storage.

“It’s really important for me to give back to the next generation of Emma musicians,” Ruth says. “I often wish that everyone could have the wonderful experience I had, so I want to do anything that

gives access, opportunity, and inspiration to all future students.”

Pipe organ expert Peter O’Hearn, who has tuned the instrument since 1969, will be reinstalling the organ in 2024. Ruth can’t wait to go back and hear it. “I’m so excited for the updated performance center,” says Ruth. “Hearing music in a well-made space makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger. It makes you feel elevated.”

BEAUTY IN EXCELLENCE

Erica Ling ’75 an architect and an Honorary Trustee—talks about reinvigorating a cherished space

Q: You gave a loge box—named in honor of your parents—as part of Infinite Horizon. What inspired you to make that gift?

A: The Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts speaks deeply to me as an architect and as someone whose family has deep roots in the

arts and education. Alice Dodge Wallace’s gift—its ambition and its generosity—was also an inspiration to me.

Q: How does the Center for the Performing Arts speak to you as an architect?

A: I seek beauty in design

AN ESSENTIAL PART OF LIFE

Linda and May Van Norman ’98 talk about the wonder of music

Q: Your family helped to fund a new music rehearsal space for Infinite Horizon. What inspired you to make this gift?

May: I wouldn’t be who I am without Emma Willard. I received so much support and direction when I was a student there. So I think it’s important to give back to a place that gave me so much.

Linda: Our family believes that the arts are an essential part of life. Too often people fall into thinking that life is just about money—but it’s about more than that. Culture and beauty are necessary to become a well-rounded individual. With our gift to the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts, we want to help enrich the lives of every Emma Willard student.

excellence—and in other forms of excellence: academic, athletic, scientific, artistic. I’m thrilled to see the chapel re-imagined and reinvigorated. The Center for the Performing Arts gives us an inspiring space that can embrace every member of the Emma community.

Q: What do you see ahead for Emma Willard?

A: Emma Willard widened my world. Our alma mater speaks of ‘friendship’s alchemy.’ I want new generations of students to broaden their horizons, to experience that alchemy in this singular place.

Q: What are you excited to see your gift accomplish?

Linda: I’m excited to see updated, professional facilities. I think they will allow for world-class performances and collaboration between arts disciplines.

May: At Emma Willard, students are encouraged to pursue their individual interests, including music. So we are really excited to contribute to a future Emma Willard with an even stronger performing arts tradition.

Q: What does music mean to you?

Linda: Music evokes so many memories and feelings. Beauty, love, joy, sadness. In a way, music is everything.

May: Yes, there’s nothing more powerful. Music is a universal language that connects us all.

$143,286,811

$142,925,288$143,286,811

A HEARTFELT NOTE OF THANKS TO REVEREND CYNDI SKRIPAK ’78

A current member of the Infinite Horizon campaign steering committee, Cyndi has a unique vantage point given both her status as an active Emma alumna and a former employee of the school, having served in the Development Office and later as Director of Independent Studies. Cyndi retired last year after 28 years of ministry as a United Methodist pastor and, since then, volunteered several days of her time digging through the Emma archives to uncover the history of the Alumnae Chapel. Cyndi

says, “Emma instilled in me a sense of my own potential, so when I found my calling, I didn’t hesitate to follow it. And, I must say, high expectations from my teachers and learning to write well certainly helped with weekly sermon deadlines, too!” Cyndi and her husband, Dr. David Breen, live in Philadelphia, where they raised two sons, now 27 and 23. Read more about Cyndi’s involvement with the campaign and her archival research about the chapel in the Fall 2022 issue of Signature magazine!

We are thrilled to announce that, based on the outpouring of support from alumnae, parents, faculty, staff, and friends, our Infinite Horizon campaign total is now

Infinite Horizon: The Campaign for Emma Willard School

FROM

THE HEART CAROL GILHAM ’51

A longtime supporter of Emma Willard School, Carol has made a planned gift to support the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts in memory of her parents, who gave her the opportunity to enjoy the formative education that Emma Willard provided her. An Emma Willard day student since she was in third grade, Carol feels strongly that her girls’ school education contributed to her sense of confidence and independence. The cross-disciplinary design of the Emma Willard curriculum nurtured her love for history, art, and music and prepared her for future studies in art history at Wellesley. With a successful career as an art curator, which began in Boston at Harvard, Carol retired as curator emerita from the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With her long history on a variety of boards, Carol traces her leadership skills to her early start at Emma. She believes that a single-sex education helps girls find their voice, learn to speak up, and be heard.

Preserving Our Future

The Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts is a striking example of environmental sustainability

In October, we broke ground on the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts project, beginning the modernization and revitalization of our historic Alumnae Chapel. With the help of the team at Annum Architects, we’ll create an exciting new space for the Emma Willard community—and fulfill our commitment to sustainable growth.

With an eye toward a cleaner and brighter future, this ambitious project uses a range of environmentally friendly practices. First, we’re strategically reusing an existing building, reducing landfill-bound construction waste and saving embodied energy. We’re installing modern lighting control systems— including LED lights—and making envelope improvements, which will increase energy efficiency. We’ll reduce water use with electronic control fixtures and low-flow plumbing, and our landscape design will manage and filter rainfall.

That’s not all. We’ll also cultivate a cleaner learning environment, installing an Energy Recovery Wheel and Demand Control Ventilation, which varies the amount of outside air delivered to the interior based on current CO2 levels. And with student health and wellness as long-standing priorities, we have carefully chosen a selection of low VOC construction materials.

The future of Emma is here—in the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts. It’s a future we can all believe in: innovative and ethical, beautiful and sustainable.

To make a gift to the Infinite Horizon campaign, please contact:

Ann M. Dejnozka

Head of Advancement

Emma Willard School

285 Pawling Avenue Troy, NY 12180

adejnozka@emmawillard.org

518.833.1779

Infinite HoRIzon On the Road

This fall saw the beginning of a year-long lineup of campaign and connection events, bringing alumnae, parents, and friends together to hear stories of student impact and details of the plans for Emma Willard School’s future. After years of travel restrictions and concerns over gathering in groups, the Infinite Horizon campaign has given us a celebratory occasion to reconnect. East Coast gatherings in the Capital District and Washington, DC were followed by a string of events on the West Coast in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The final event of the fall brought us back to Boston. In New York City in January, we welcomed more than 70 alumnae, parents and friends to hear more about our plans. We have events planned this spring in various locations in Florida, and in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Denver.

Head of School Jenny Rao shared greetings from Mount Ida, giving those gathered a glimpse into the challenges and joys of educating a new generation of learners and leaders. “Now more than ever, our world needs to hear strong, self-confident, and outspoken voices of young women to help shape the future into something we can all be proud of and believe in,” she shared. “We know it is our special responsibility and privilege to be a place where

students may find their voice and use it with confidence. We have a vision for excellence that includes a place for all who feel they will be served and supported by our girls’ school mission.”

Ms. Rao was joined by Campaign Co-Chairs Linda Gill Anderson ’77 and Wendy Graham ’85, as well as Alumnae Association Council President Valerie Gonyea ’82, Board Trustee Kate Berry ’76, Head of Advancement Ann Dejnozka, and Director of Alumnae Relations Margaret Clark ’98, in welcoming guests and sharing a wonderful overview of the Alice Dodge Wallace '38 Center for the Performing Arts. They also shared progress toward meeting the goals of the Leading with Purpose strategic plan and gave insights into how the Infinite Horizon campaign would fund these priorities. Some highlights from our West Coast events include: the brunch in Portland was the first in recent history in that area, with laughter, mimosas, and new connections filling the space. Mary Alice Pomputius ’82 and her husband Walter Smith were gracious hosts, opening their beautiful historic home in Seattle to the Emma community. Over 300 alumnae, parents, and friends have come out to rekindle connections and engage anew with the Emma Willard School mission.

TOP: Head of School Jenny Rao addresses the crowd at the Washington, DC campaign kick-off event ceremony.

MIDDLE: Jamila Best ’06 and her friend Dominique Jones connect with Estella Jones ’76 in DC.

BOTTOM: Margaret Clark ’98, Caitlin Jones McLane ’04, Lisa Goldthwait Tourangeau ’82, Anne Wright ’84, Jenny Rao, Sue Gilbert ’67, Mary-Alice Pomputius ’82 making connections in Seattle.