TERRE HAUTE — On Friday, when David G. Behrs was installed as the 15th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, he received a very special medallion — a medallion that combined the talents of many to convey the inauguration theme, Journey of Promise.
The SMWC presidential medallion was designed by Bill Wolfe, a part-time security guard on campus and an Indiana artist who has his studio in West Terre Haute. Wolfe, who is accomplished in mediums of both two- and three-dimensional art, wanted the design of the presidential medallion to represent the journey of the ages and the future.
He designed the medallion by taking a maple leaf from one of the campus trees and encasing it with clay to go under the college logo. He then spoke with Teresa Clark, the artist who designed the sculpture of St. Mother Theodore Guerin, and she agreed to create a rubber mold for the medallion. The design was then re-created in wax from the rubber mold and sent to the foundry to be cast in bronze using the lost wax method.
To represent the tradition of the college, Wolfe chose to incorporate an element from the St. Mary-of-the-Woods College ring. Internationally worn by SMWC graduates, the ring is visible evidence of the strong traditions of academic excellence and the strong sense of community, which are the roots of SMWC. The ring design includes the SMW insignia carved in black onyx to serve as a reminder that those who wear the gold and onyx are educated women guided by “virtus cum scientia.” For the presidential medallion, Wolfe took the black onyx ring top and placed it just above the SMWC logo.
Wolfe then spoke with the Sisters of Providence to see if they might have a few beads from a rosary to incorporate into the presidential medallion design. It was at that time that he learned that the Sisters of Providence brought coffee bean trees from Kentucky during the Civil War and planted them outside of Providence Hall. The coffee beans were then used to make their rosaries. The Sisters allowed Wolfe to remove two coffee beans from the rosary of the late Sister Joseph Patrice to use within the design of the presidential medallion.
The cord that connects the coffee beans, onyx ring top, and the bronze medallion was handwoven by college employee Kim Dispennett. Benicia Broeker of Beading Paradise in Terre Haute assembled all the pieces together to create the final product.
The case for the presidential medallion even has a connection to The Woods. Wolfe recruited the Sisters of Providence carpenter, Tony DuBois, who also made the casket for St. Mother Theodore Guerin, to create a display case using wood from the campus.
“The Woods has so many right here that have artistic skills, and I wanted to utilize those talents and use as many materials as possible from the campus for this special medallion,” Wolfe said.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Designer of Woods presidential medallion combines talents of many
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Rose, The Woods post weekend victories
Rose-Hulman relied on a balanced scoring attack and a strong defensive effort to earn a 55-44 women’s basketball victory Saturday over Mount St. Joseph.
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SMWC topples Rose-Hulman
After a sluggish first half for both teams, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College found enough offensive rhythm in the final 20 minutes to outlast host Rose-Hulman 51-41 in the 19th annual Clabber Girl Trophy women’s basketball showdown Tuesday night inside Hulbert Arena.
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METRO ROUNDUP: SMWC’s Runyon wins USCAA cross country title
Blinding snow and freezing temperatures couldn’t stop Saint Mary-of-the-Woods junior Stephanie Runyon, an education major from Noblesville, from becoming the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association women’s national champion in cross country Friday.
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Trimmed roster may benefit SMWC
“Less is more” is a statement with many, many meanings, attributed to many, many sources through the years.
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Dottie King becomes 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College
As the mother of six children, Dottie King learned early on the importance of setting priorities and achieving the right balance between family, education and work.
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Pomeroys battle to second at national championship
Eight times, St. Mary-of-the-Woods has captured some form of a national championship in softball.
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Shearing Time
You’ve probably never seen a haircut quite like this.
Alpacas, remarkably sweet-looking members of the camel family, were getting their annual shearing last week at the White Violet Center for Eco Justice at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. -
SMWC puts up fight in tourney
St. Mary-of-the-Woods downed Judson 6-2 Sunday morning in the semifinal round of the 2011 USCAA national softball championships, earning a trip to the best-of-three title series.
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BREAKING: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College names Dottie King as 16th president
Dottie L. King, Ph.D. has been appointed the 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, the board of trustees announced today.
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Ex-Wildcat finds new home at Woods
Many people find “the path of least resistance” as a preferable way to proceed in life. After all, less risk is involved with a sure thing.
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NEW: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announces academic changes
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announced today a refocus of its academic programs. An afternoon news conference is under way at SMWC, which posted a notice about the changes on its website, www.smwc.edu.
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Marian holds off Rose women’s second-half charge
Marian University relied on a strong defensive effort to hold off a second half Rose-Hulman charge and earn a 61-52 women’s basketball victory Saturday afternoon.
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Influx of new players has Pomeroys on rise
With a steady influx of “Killer B’s,” the fortunes of the St. Mary-of-the-Woods’ women’s basketball team are once again on the rise.
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Woods soccer goes 1-1, earns national honors
St. Mary-of-the-Woods returned from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association soccer finals with a 1-1 record and a host of national honors.
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Six St. Mary-of-the-Woods teams compete in national tournaments
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College athletics celebrates the end of a phenomenal year during the 2009-10 season as six teams competitively competed in national tournaments.
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Rosselli, other Valley talent leads Woods into national softball tourney
The St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball program is no stranger to national tournaments.
The Pomeroys claimed some form of a national championship in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, the last several sanctioned by the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). -
St. Mary-of-the-Woods plans Saturday commencement
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will celebrate its 169th commencement Saturday. Graduation activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the traditional baccalaureate mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
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Woods, Rose softball teams split doubleheader
Rose-Hulman and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College split a softball doubleheader that featured the longest athletic contest in history between the two schools on Friday night.
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Ring Day a much anticipated event at The Woods
Ring Day is a much anticipated and special day for most students, but for two St. Mary-of-the-Woods External Degree students in particular it was an especially great experience this year.
- Injury bug bites: St. Mary-of-the-Woods basketball trying to get and stay healthy A myriad of injuries have plagued the St. Mary-of-the-Woods women’s basketball team in recent seasons, forcing the Pomeroys to compete on numerous occasions with just seven, six and sometimes only five players able to play.
- The Woods appoints new vice president for development St. Mary-of-the-Woods College President David G. Behrs has announced the appointment of Serafina I. Spatola as vice president for development.
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods takes fourth in national tournament
- The Woods celebrates 168th commencement More than 140 students are expected to participate in St. Mary-of-the-Woods College’s 168th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday.
- Untold Stories: Film takes unique look ‘Inside Iraq’ At 7 p.m. Monday, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will present “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories,” which will include a film showing and discussion with the director of the film, Mike Shiley. The presentation, which will be in the Cecilian Auditorium of the SMWC Conservatory of Music building, is part of the College’s Four-Star series, and it is being co-sponsored by the SMWC Student Activities Committee. The presentation is free and open to the public.
- TH to promote ‘Crossroads of Higher Education’ at Statehouse Terre Haute may lie near Indiana’s western border, but business, education and government leaders want state lawmakers to know that the city that bills itself as the “Crossroads of America” is also the “Crossroads of Higher Education.”
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announces budget measures The downturn in the economy is taking a toll at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, where donations to its Annual Fund are down 40 percent, or about $250,000, over the same time last year, college President David Behrs said in a letter to faculty and staff.
- Women's Basketball Rivalry: Rose-Hulman continues recent momentum against Woods It took Rose-Hulman nine years and a day to finally wrest the Clabber Girl Trophy from the grasp of St. Mary-of-the-Woods — the latter school winning the first 11 games in this cross-town rivalry which began in December of 1995.
- Injury bug bites Pomeroys hard St. Mary-of-the-Woods coach Deanna Bradley had high expectations prior to this season, anticipating a welcome turnaround in the school’s struggling women’s basketball fortunes.
- Woods faculty, students, grads attend music therapy conference Tracy Richardson, associate professor and director of the Master of Arts in Music Therapy program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, and Sharon R. Boyle, associate professor of music therapy at SMWC, recently attended the American Music Therapy Association Annual Conference in St. Louis.
- Apply now for Top Ten on 10 St. Mary-of-the-Woods College is still accepting applications for the Top Ten on 10 Scholarship Competition.
- More Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Headlines
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