| Interviews
 |
In
addition to reading and analyzing poetry, short stories, essays,
and newspaper articles, students attempted to contact the writers
to find out how their writing experience influenced their careers
and life. Some of them corresponded by email, others talked
by phone, and in a few cases students met with the writers. |
|
".
. . . in fact, an argument could be made that the poems written
by Ursuline students epitomized the establishment. I was more
curious to understand this different Ursuline generation,
which my first inclination was to dismiss as completely outdated.
Therefore it became very important to speak with one of the
authors so that they might help me to open my mind and find
a connection to bridge the generation gap."
~
Sarah Winter
|
|
Alison
Cox, who reviewed the school newspaper, the Ursuline Quill
(1938-1948), and the literary journal, The Review (1946-48)
talked to Grace Santora Urban, a 1948 graduate who later earned
an M.A. in education from Case Western Reserve University. |
Grace Santora as she appeared in the
1948 yearbook |
|
"Mrs.
Urban told me that the writings she did at Ursuline
inspired self-expression throughout her life, from publications
at graduate school to writing advertising copy, to creative
lesson development in the classroom."
~
Alison Cox
|
|
|
Two
students talked to Kathleen A McIntyre, the former Sr. Ann Maureen,
who majored in English and graduated in 1968. |
|
"Sr.
Ann Maureen told us that the Ursuline experience made
her a critical thinker. Her life experiences were expanded
as a result of her English courses. She stated that
she took great pride in her work. 'The whole writing
process took time- some research, some reflection, several
rewrites, and finally, a paper that I could proudly
present to an instructor for criticism.'"
~
Eileen Macon and Maureen Carey
|
|
The former Sr. Ann Maureen as she appeared
in the 1968 yearbook |
|
Julie
Kalista and Sr. Nisrine interviewed Marilyn whose short story,
“Lucy . . . With Love”, was written for a Creative
Writing Class taught by a favorite teacher, Sr. Michael Francis.
When they discovered that Sr. Michael Francis lived in the Ursuline
Motherhouse they eagerly interviewed her! Summarizing Marilyn’s
comments Julie and Sr. Nisrine wrote: |
| "Sr.
Michael Francis gave Marilyn an appreciation for the written
word as well as she made writing come alive and the students
could see the beauty of writing. Sr. Michael Francis also
opened Marilyn to poetry, something she would have not discovered
on her own. 'Sr. Michael Francis loved what she taught and
she made us love it too. It was a contagious disease.'”
| ~
Sr. Nisrine El-Najjar |
 |
|
|
Sister
Michael Francis Hearon,O.S.U., graduated from St. John College
in 1933. She was on the Ursuline College faculty from 1954 to
1987 and served as Dean of Students of the College. She also
shared her teaching experiences with the students. |
 |
| "[Sr.
Michael Francis] explained how she tried to be an example
for her students by letting them know that reading has a great
influence on their lives. What we read exemplifies moral values
and principles. 'I tried to help the girls admire goodness,
beauty, and truth and to emphasize beauty of creation and
not just physical beauty.' Sr. Michael Francis told her students
that the best things in life are free and tried to help them
reflect on that."
| ~
Julie Kalista |
 |
|
|
Mary
Ondercin contacted Esther Goldberg, a 1975 graduate who majored
in English and went on to earn an M.A. in counseling. Currently
a resident of Florida, Esther contributed to the 1970, 1972
and 1973 issues of Inscape. |
|
"As
Esther explained in her e-mail to the Alumnae Office, her
writing skills were useful when she had to write certain kinds
of papers to graduate. Recently, she has put her writing skills
to use in a different way - by working on a self-help book."
| ~
Mary Ondercin |
 |
|
|
Sarah
A. Winter contacted Doris Gibson Simonis, a former editor of
The Quill and an Ursuline graduate who earned her B.S.
in Chemistry. Doris went on to become a professor of Science
Education at Kent State University. Sarah received the following
response: |
Doris Gibson Simonis as she appeared
in the April 16, 1952 issue of The Quill |
|
"I
dashed off, with Mother’s urging, the light verse
your read in the Quill and actually won a cedar
chest, a flimsy green lace nightgown, a garlic press,
and an electric coffeepot. This was handsome payment
for a few quick words. The cedar chest is still in use,
too. . . Most of my professional writing has been in
the area of science education. Nevertheless, the ability
to generate good analogies and metaphors that can illustrate
abstract concepts has been a very useful skill"
~
Doris Gibson Simonis, Class of 1952
|
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| Sleep, My Child |
|
It is evening and the day has gone
As quietly as the morning dawn,
Like some half remembered cradle song
Whose melody is softly dimmed.
Hours move with every second's run;
Already is the night begun
With dreams fantastic that the sun
Can never darken with her shadows. |
It is the evening come
on tip-toe
To call the sleeping hours; but low
She rings her curfews, for the slow
The half-forgotten melody,
A gently muted lullaby,
Has made my dreams to stir and cry,
Has charmed them all to life. |
| --Doris Gibson The Ursuline Quill,
Vol. 27, No. 4, February 6, 1952 |
| "Through
our correspondence it became apparent that she [Doris Gibson]
has really applied the writing skills she acquired at Ursuline
in her life beyond college."
~
Sarah A. Winter |
|
Applying
this to her own writing experiences, Sarah learned that understanding
how and in what context something is written is critical. As
a result of her interaction with an alumnae, Sarah noted:
|
| "I’ve
always thought that in my own writing I would like to send
along a little tag that gives the history of the piece to
aid in the understanding of it, but that’s not how things
are done and why it’s worthwhile to study authors as
well as their work."
~
Sarah A. Winter |
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