Puget Sound Club Celebrates 100 Years

When Margaret McDowell Smith ’49 discovered the minutes from the MHC Club of Puget Sound’s first meeting, she was thrilled. Dated December 11, 1911, the document indicated that the club was more than a century old. Club members realized that a birthday party was in order and enlisted the help of the MHC Archives and Special Collections to verify the club’s origins.

They discovered that the Club of Puget Sound was originally part of the Northwest Club, which included the cities of Chicago, Seattle, and Portland, and was founded in 1874. “So it really turned into a celebration of so many things,” says Lisa Tompkins ’82, president of the Puget Sound Club. “We celebrated the 175th anniversary of the College, the 138th anniversary of the Northwest Club, and the 100th anniversary of the Club of Puget Sound.”

The festivities took place on September 29, 2012, at the Women’s University Club in Seattle. “One hundred years in a place like Seattle is really special,” says Tompkins, “so we wanted to do something big to inspire all ages to keep propelling the club forward.”

The event drew more than 160 guests, which included alumnae representing every decade from the 1940s to the present, prospective students, and the families of current students. Also attending were special guests President Lynn Pasquerella ’80, President of the Board of Trustees Mary Graham Davis ’65, and Trustee David Wilson.

The night was a whirlwind gala. The Odyssey Bookshop made a generous donation toward the silent auction, which raised approximately $1,100 for a scholarship fund; Ann Reynolds ’77 played jazz music for the social hour; artisan Kathryn Wineman Van Wagenen ’69 created sterling silver pendants as thank-you gifts; and wine was brought in from the family vineyards of Edie Swanson Middleton ’54. Tompkins hopes that the event’s success will give the club the momentum it needs to keep going for another 100 years.

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