Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

COMMUNITY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMUNI T Y

endowment which we Old Girls have received and which we pass on to those who follow. That “endowment” was an essential item in the Strategic Plan 1994–99: “The Old Girls will be key supporters of Havergal, involved in multiple dimensions of school life and among the best ambassadors of the College.” In the year following the centennial, it was clear from Dunster Borden’s update in the Chronicle that the Old Girls were reinventing their association with those words in mind: [1994] has been a watershed year for the Havergal Old Girls’ Association … As a Directorate, we looked at how we can best serve the needs of Old Girls as we move into our second century. We learned that there was a need to: be flexible in order to involve Old Girls at all stages of their lives; create more opportunities for Old Girls to be involved; establish short-term and long-term goals. As a result of those identified needs, HOGA re-examined its current structure and decided to develop a committee system, which will involve many more Old Girls …

Given her abiding interest, it is not surprising that as early as 1896 she had discovered a way to keep in regular contact with at least those who lived in Toronto: the establishment of the Coverley Club, a literary society that met once each month. It was a continuing education program ahead of its time, and there were no SparkNotes for the demanding texts that were chosen. Created to strengthen alumnae bonds, the club, by the start of the First World War, had turned its attention to the welfare of the larger community. In addition to other notable acts of philanthropy, of kindness and generosity, in 1915 the club engaged the services of the “Coverley Nurse,” who, according to the 1920 Ludemus , “daily goes about the city caring for the sick poor, and distributing, where necessary, the dainty garments provided for her at the ‘Nurses Meeting’ in November.” The Ludemus article goes on to reveal of members’ donations that “the amount contributed is $300.00, and this provides the nurse with uniforms, aprons and summer and winter coats. It also includes her laundry and her keep and a small monthly allowance.” By 1920, the Coverley Club had become the Havergal Old Girls Association (HOGA), with a clearer and stronger mandate. In its first 70 years, HOGA drew on the many talents and skills of its members to support the school and the wider community, and in 1994, it celebrated Havergal’s centennial with justifiable pride in its efforts. As Susan Dunster Borden 1965, president of the Old Girls Directorate, wrote in that year’s edition of the Chronicle : Havergal’s Centennial! One hundred graduating classes of Old Girls. Each class has made a unique contribution; each class has changed and shaped Havergal and helped it grow strong. Each class has benefited from the strong spiritual, moral and intellectual education which they have received. These are our roots. I know that as Havergal prepares young women for life in the 21st century it will never outgrow these ideals. This is the

“Without question, our Old Girls send the strongest message about the strength of our school. You are the most globally capable group of women I have ever known, and you are all part of the proud continuum that is Havergal.”

—SUE GROESBECK, CHRONICLE , 2010

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