New & Notable

February declared "Mary Lyon Month"--Now Mary Lyon not only has her own college; she also has her own month. Governor William Weld has proclaimed February 1997 "Mary Lyon Month" throughout Massachusetts. The official proclamation, read at convocation by Massachusetts Representative Nancy Flavin, lauds Lyon for her pioneering work and concludes, "It is fitting for the citizens of Massachusetts to pay tribute to Mary Lyon's courage, convictions, and moral stamina, as well as her lasting contribution to women's education."

Gift horse--You have probably heard of alumnae offering helping hands, but 15.2 of them? Well, it's true. One of last year's unique gifts to the College was that of "Wenderful," a nine-year-old registered Hanoverian mare standing 15.2 hands high. Becky Minard '88 gave her beloved bay horse to MHC after finding that having two children under the age of two limited her time in the saddle. Of course she wanted a good home for Wenderful, so the Mount Holyoke equestrian center made perfect sense. Says C. J. Law, riding program director, "Wenderful is a wonderful addition to our jumping and dressage program."

Advice for advocates--Nancy Larson, senior administrative assistant in the dean of studies office, has written Helping Crime Victims: A Guide for Victim/Witness Advocates. According to Larson, "The booklet will assist advocates in their daily interaction with the survivors of murder and vehicular homicide victims, and provide a sensitive and compassionate approach to helping all victims of violent crime such as domestic violence, rape, armed robbery, and child and elder abuse."

The booklet should be printed during February, and will be distributed statewide. Larson is offering to give copies to MHC students who plan careers in advocacy. She is president of the Daniel A. Larson Foundation, Inc., which provides emotional support and financial assistance to the survivors of homicide victims. Debra O'Brien '99, who is Larson's student assistant, is herself anticipating a career as a victim/witness advocate.

Leaders of the pack--Student Leadership Awards were presented at convocation to: Christine Algozo '97, Yarrow Axford '97, Analisa L. Balares '98, Kristen L. Bub '97, Megan Clark '97, Carrianna Field '97, Analisa Ivins '98, Maryse Jayasuriya '97, Katherine Kelly '97, Vicki Kucia '97, Kristin McNamara '97, Elizabeth L. O'Donoghue '97, Lydia L. Okutoro '98, Maya Perkins '98, Carolyn Smiledge '98, Jessica A. Striebel '98, and Olivia Velez '98.

War was women's business too--Elizabeth Young, assistant professor of English, has received a National Endow- ment for the Humanities fellowship for 1997. Young will use the fellowship to complete work on her book, A Wound of One's Own: Women Writers and the American Civil War. The book examines a range of women's texts about the war, from famous novels like Little Women and Gone with the Wind to little-known stories of women who cross-dressed as soldiers.

Vulcan's Forge--Prolific science fiction author and alumna Susan Shwartz '72 was on campus last weekend to attend the annual Bellatrix convention, which drew about twenty people. And she brought a new honor to the MHC-based science fiction club. Shwartz and her collaborator Josepha Sherman will dedicate their forthcoming novel, Vulcan's Forge, to Bellatrix. The novel, which is part of the Star Trek series, will focus on the character Spock and his home-world of Vulcan. It will be issued in hardcover in August by Pocket Books. This will be the twentieth novel for Shwartz, who works by day as a financial writer and editor for Moody's Investors Service. She has also penned over 1,200 short stories and articles and has been nominated numerous times for such prestigious awards as the Nebula and the Hugo. Sherman is a fantasy writer and folklorist with an impressive array of titles, honors, and awards.

What's new with you?--Send news for "New & Notable" to Emily Weir, Office of Communications, or email eweir@mtholyoke.edu.