Happy Holidays!
I hope you and your families are safe and well during this holiday season.
I drove by campus this past week and all was quiet. The fall semester has ended. For many, the spring semester won’t begin until February 1st.
Have you gotten the first snowfall of winter? We have seen only a few flurries here in Winchester and I am waiting for that first big snowfall. That brisk cold air and sparkling snow always remind me of the fun we had sliding down Cardiac Hill on cafeteria trays. We used those trays to slide down any hill on campus! Cardiac Hill is the hill from Wilkins down to Armstrong and Gregory halls. Before the staircase that is now there, the only way down the hill was an asphalt path with an iron railing. Going down the hill was easy unless it was icy and snowy. Ice and snow usually involved sliding downhill while holding onto the railing. Going up the hill often involved hauling oneself along the iron railing and hoping one made it up the hill in one piece! One winter a classmate from Maine skied down the hill from Wilkins Student Center through the Armstrong courtyard and down the walk between the ponds!
One of my fondest memories is piling into my VW Bug and making the trek to the home of a dear classmate in Bedford, Pennsylvania. It was snowy and cold, but we had a marvelous time sledding on Terry’s family farm. We were cold and wet but had so much fun that day! What are your wintertime memories of your Shenandoah days?
My best wishes to all of you as we enter this holiday season. The pandemic may result in virtual celebrations for many of us. I hope you will all find joy and peace no matter what your celebration looks like.
Warmly,
Susan Helsley
President, SU Alumni Association