Celebrating the “grace and grit” of Nita M. Lowey ’59

The life and groundbreaking legislative career of Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey '59, the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee, were celebrated in December at a memorial service held at Mount Holyoke College. 

The event was organized by the Weissman Center for Leadership and the College’s Office of the President and served as a testament to this political trailblazer, whose impact over 32 years ranged from education and women's rights to federal spending and global health initiatives. The memorial service featured warm remembrances from alums, political leaders and College faculty and administrators. Lowey passed away from complications from metastatic breast cancer in March. 

“The responsibility to act”

The evening kicked off with a panel featuring Amy E. Martin, director of the Weissman Center and professor of English on the Emma B. Kennedy Foundation; Michele Sumilas ’94, the national engagement director for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition; Trisha Tanner ’00, executive director of the Alum Association; and student Alexandra Mihailophol ’26. The panel was moderated by Lydia Malone FP’13, director of leadership and public service and the assistant director of the Weissman Center. 

The panelists agreed that Mount Holyoke College is a unique incubator for leadership. Martin credited both the classroom and career experiences at the College. 

“We have a lot of students who do majors, double majors, Nexus programs, minors and certificate programs, so you have that rigorous liberal arts college education, but we also provide students with purposeful experiential learning, so we encourage them to think about how to take that liberal arts excellence out into the world,” she said. “And I think that when you combine those two elements of education, it's really a way to prepare students to be bold, and we see that through all of the incredible things that our alums have done, including Congresswoman Lowey and alums who are here today and all over the world.” 

Mihailophol, an international student from Galați, Romania, traced her journey from being a shy first-year student to becoming a confident campus leader who participated in the MHC Semester in D.C. program and won a grant to teach Romanian women about financial management. She said that the College community was key to her leadership development. 

“I have always been encouraged to try new things. I have always been supported and pushed to speak, to have an opinion, to raise my hand, to be part of the conversation and to chase my dreams,” she said. “And no matter how hard it was, there was always someone next to me who encouraged me to do this.”

Tanner said that MHC prepares students to make change wherever it’s needed. 

“I loved reading that [Congresswoman Lowey’s early leadership] really started with her local Parent Teacher Association,” she said. “She saw some things that she didn't like at the school level, and she got involved. That responsibility to act, as well as the understanding of the spheres of influence — whether it's your family, your community or out in the world — Mount Holyoke shows you how to define that and how to reach out.”

Sumilas worked with Congresswoman Lowey on the House Appropriations Subcommittee from 2007 to 2011 and has been a mentor for the MHC Semester in D.C. program. She spoke about an often-overlooked leadership quality that Lowey embodied. 

“I think everyone should cultivate how to be kind. I think that it is an undervalued quality in this world,” she said. “This is something that Mrs. Lowey did. She was always asking about children, about family. She was always very attentive to what was happening around her, while she was also very focused on those things that were important to her. 

“Building coalitions around those issues with people who maybe are slightly different than you … you can find common cause and move things forward,” she continued.

“Grace and grit”

The gathering then moved to a dinner reception, which featured tributes and remarks reflecting on Congresswoman Lowey’s long, notable and impactful career. A display table featured photos of Lowey with luminaries such as Jon Stewart, Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Legend, as well as a framed letter from former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

Barbara Zeckhausen ’59 reminisced about studying philosophy with Lowey when they were both students. “We lived in Rockefeller Hall, and when the lights went out, we’d go into the bathroom and sit on the floor and talk about Plato and Aristotle.” 

Harriet Weissman ’58 said that two words came to mind when describing Lowey: “Grace and grit.” 

President Danielle R. Holley praised Lowey’s activism and accomplishments. “[Lowey] started her change-making right here on campus, as so many of our students do, through student activism,” she said. “A daughter of Mount Holyoke, [Lowey] carried the mission of the College — to educate students for purpose and leadership — directly into the halls of Congress for service.”

President Holley shared two video tributes sent by congressional leaders, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In his remarks, Schumer dubbed Lowey “the bubbe of the Hudson Valley.” He said, “Everyone who knew [Lowey] knew she had this amazing combination so rare these days: raw talent, fierce intellect, a relentless desire to win and a genuine compassion for people who needed help. [Lowey] always kept her finger on the pulse of the biggest challenges facing New York and American families and worked harder than anyone I know to fix them.”

Pelosi also gave tribute to her longtime colleague and friend. 

“In the Congress, [Lowey] sought common ground where she could and stood her ground where she had to. She won respect across the aisle because she understood public service as a mission rooted in dignity, empathy and opportunity,” she said. “I had the privilege of traveling the world with [Lowey] for many years; I saw firsthand the esteem in which she was held by not only heads of state but [also] by poor women and girls who knew her mission was their education and empowerment.”

Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey Scholarship Fund

The final event for the evening was a talk by Shalanda Young, the first Black woman to lead the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, serving as director from 2021 to 2025. In this role, she served as a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, the National Security Council and the core economic team. She managed the federal government’s annual $7 trillion budget, covering expenditures ranging from Medicare to national security. 

Before the talk, Mount Holyoke College announced that it will continue to celebrate Lowey’s life and legacy with a new scholarship fund. Thanks to the Lowey family’s generous endowment, the Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey Scholarship Fund will assist MHC students studying politics and public policy. 

“Our hope as a family, by endowing the Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey Scholarship Fund at Mount Holyoke, is to continue her legacy of empowering students through education to become leaders and pursue positive change in the world,” said Stephen Lowey on behalf of the Lowey family. 

Those wishing to contribute to the Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey Scholarship Fund may do so by either emailing giving@mtholyoke.edu, calling 1-800-642-4483 (1-800-MHC-GIVE) or visiting mtholyoke.edu/mhcgive. On this webpage, under “I would like my gift to support,” please select “other” and write “Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey Scholarship Fund” in the comments section.