Lasting Impressions

In the fall of 1942, Helen D. Gawron traveled more than 400 miles from Chicopee, Massachusetts, to begin her education on the Mary Washington campus in Fredericksburg, Virginia. As was common during those war years, she quickly joined the cry to support our troops, pitching in with students from Betty Lewis and Frances Willard dormitories to sell war stamps in the Victory Booth.

Archived issues of The Bulletfrom that time period feature articles about students selling Red Cross buttons, vying for the title of Mary Washington's Bond Queen, and giving up luxuries, including "expensive weekend trips, cigarettes, cokes, candy, and chewing gum," as recommended by President Combs.

While Helen enjoyed her studies and made many friends at Mary Washington, she transferred to the University of New Hampshire for her junior and senior years. In 1946, she graduated from UNH with a bachelor's degree and began a successful career in communications with New England Telephone. She held numerous management positions and eventually became the first female business office manager at the company that is now part of Verizon Corporation. She also served as a director of the local Better Business Bureau and was a member of numerous clubs and organizations, including Zonta International, which supports the empowerment, equality, and education of women and girls.

Regardless of where she lived or worked, Helen stayed in touch with Mary Washington. For more than seven decades, she made regular gifts in support of UMW students - consistently increasing her support from $10, to $100, to $1,000 a year - until her ultimate gift at the time of her passing in 2018. A longtime member of the UMW Heritage Society, Helen made arrangements for a gift of more than $1 million to create scholarships for UMW students from states other than Virginia.

Even though Helen did not receive her college degree from Mary Washington, she wanted to ensure that future generations of UMW students have access to the education and experiences that made such a lasting impression on her life.

For information about estate planning or creating a scholarship, contact the Office of Gift Planning at [email protected] or 540-654-2064.

Article by Donna Harter, Office of University Advancement