Alumni Association
by Barbara Stephens Foster

In March the National Board received its annual invitation to dine with President Robert Bruininks, spouse Susan Hagstrom, and members of the Board of Regents. These occasions are an opportunity to share ideas in an informal, relaxed atmosphere. Each of the past three years I have found myself seated next to a different regent. And each year, I have taken the opportunity to give the regent an insider’s view of General College. I have found them to be attentive to my remarks, although I must admit that in some years the conversation turned to the exploits on the football field and Rose Bowl games of my brother, the late Sandy Stephens. Nevertheless, there was a chance to be heard.

My dinner companion at the March meeting probably heard more information about General College programs than he anticipated when he questioned me, but I felt it was important to impress him with the message that for 74 years GC students were exposed to cutting-edge, groundbreaking educational practices and student services models in the context of a community. The community to which I referred has substance and form: it has life. The University’s best interests will be served well by broadening the scope of the practices, services, and sense of community established for General College students to reach all University students. My listener nodded his understanding and I believe he was sincere. Many of us will be working toward and watching to see how best practices, services, and communities evolve in the new University structure.

The interests of General College current and future alumni were also kept in mind as I worked with the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Alumni Society’s constitution and bylaws subcommittee to merge into one organization and develop an operational document for the new CEHD Alumni Society to include the current CEHD group, as well as alumni from General College and from the College of Human Ecology’s Family Social Science department and School of Social Work. An important addition to the new standing committee structure is a General College Legacy Committee, as described on the following page by Raleigh Kaminsky, CEHD alumni relations director. I believe the best way for us to stay informed about the University is to remain committed to it and to work within the alumni structure to build on the legacy we have been entrusted to uphold.

I hope I have represented you well and can continue to serve as an ambassador for the college as we embrace the future.

As I close, I am reminded of an early TV show called “I Remember Mama.” It was always one of my favorites because it centered on family and working together. When I look back over the past 40 years and my General College family, I remember so many names, faces, events, dramatic incidents, and changes it would take the entire publication to relate them all. In my first By Barbara Stephens Foster Access column I told how connected my family is to the General College. It seems appropriate to include some of their memories in my final Access column.

I remember:

Sitting outside of 106 Nicholson Hall (the Dean’s Office) in 1965 waiting for my sister Joyce (now Joyce A. Stephens Bell, A.A., B.S., M.Ed., Ed.D.) to register for her freshman classes. She credits her academic success to the late Valerie A. Liston—the GC adviser who helped her to believe in her academic capabilities; the late Miss Dorothy L. Sheldon—the GC professor who hired her as a T.A., mentored and befriended her; and Dr. David V. Taylor—the GC dean who shepherded her through the rigors of a doctoral program.

I remember:

Arriving at 106 Nicholson Hall to interview with the late Miss Katherine A. Reik for an account clerk position. I had recently arrived in Minnesota, never worked in an educational environment, never taken a bookkeeping course, but I said “yes” every time she asked me if I could perform a task. Little did I realize that I was just like the typical General College student—without some of the tools in my background to make me the best candidate—but I was intelligent, eager to learn, and committed to performing well. Katherine saw my potential and happily, I lived up to her high expectations.

I remember:

Working as the receptionist in 106 Nicholson Hall and interacting with my brother Ray (Raymond B. Stephens, A.A.) and several Gopher football and basketball team members who needed to talk with the late Dewain O. Long to be guided through the cumbersome advising and registration procedures. Ray remembers the help he received from David (Dave) Ekstrand, math teacher extraordinaire, and Theodore (Ted) Harris, a professor who was truly a devoted Gopher fan.

I remember:

Entrusting my children, Lee and Sharla, to the halls of Nicholson and Appleby. Seeing my daughter, Sharla, blossom from a struggling academic bud into a proud member of the GC Dean’s List and graduate of the College of Education. And hiring Yolande Bruce, who would become my daughter-friend.

And I remember:

Spending time with the extraordinary people who made/make up the General College support staff. They have maintained the highest standards of service in one of the University’s acknowledged “Best Places To Work.” Those who left the college represent some of the University’s best and brightest employees. Thank you for teaching me how to knit, including me as a colleague and friend, and honoring me by naming the Barbara R. S. Foster Civil Service Lounge upon my retirement.

We remember and honor with gratitude and thanks all those who passed through the halls of the buildings that housed General College. We pledge to keep your legacy alive.

Thanks for the memories!
Barbara Rose Stephens Foster (A.A., B.G.S.)

“Our nettlesome task is to discover how to organize our strength into compelling power.””

— Martin Luther King, Jr.