50 Women at Yale 150 is thrilled to announce the launch of the logo, website, and initial plans for the 2019-2020 celebration of women at Yale. We invite the community of Yale women and friends to explore the website and use it as a resource.  Information — and particularly the events calendar for 2019-2020 — will be regularly updated at celebratewomen.yale.edu.

In late winter 2017, President Salovey and Secretary Goff-Crews appointed Linda Koch Lorimer ’77 JD and Eve Rice ’73, to co-chair this University-wide celebration. During the last year, they have been coordinating plans across the University, meeting with deans, professors, and staff throughout Yale College and the Graduate & Professional Schools.  Along with Performances and Exhibitions Committee co-chairs Vera Wells ’71 and Amy Meyers ’85 PhD, they have met with representatives of Yale’s museums, libraries, collections, and musical and theatrical performance groups. Together, they have encouraged the development of programming at Yale during 2019-2020 featuring the history, accomplishments, and leadership of women. The Events Beyond New Haven Committee, co-chaired by Ellen McGinnis ’82 and Sheryl Carter Negash ’82 with Beverly Jurenko ’86 serving as deputy chair, will encourage alums to plan off-campus events that tie into the celebration.

I was honored to design the logo for 50 Women at Yale 150 with my colleague Rebecca Sylvers ’15. We used the Yale typeface and the new Mallory typeface, first designing concepts which we presented to Linda, Eve and the steering committee for feedback. We further refined the concepts based on feedback received from University Printer and Yale School of Art Senior Critic John Gambell ’81 MFA and from renowned type designer, type design teacher, and Yale School of Art Critic Tobias Frere-Jones. Rebecca and I finalized the logo, created a style guide for its use, and then worked with Campus Customs to create bags, hats, mugs, and tee-shirts. The tee-shirts and mugs both feature the less formal tagline "lux et femina" on the back and are available at Campus Customs.

During reunions we invited a wonderful group of emissaries to join us in publicizing and talking about the project. At each reunion, they gave away lanyards and buttons. Thank you to our marvelous emissaries: Eve Rice ’73, Maria Lopez Bresnahan ’78, Kyle Gibson ’78, Alix James ’83, Jennifer Ebisemiju Madar ’88, Ursula Burton ’88, Ilona Emmerth ’98, Jennifer Stout ’03, Erin Johnson ’08, and Jessica Ruck ’13.

Also during reunions this year, 50 Women at Yale 150 launched an oral history  project, led by Executive Producer Kyle Gibson ’78 and facilitated by Mindy A. Marks ’00, to interview the first undergraduate women at Yale. The first classes of women in Yale College –  ’71, ’72, and ’73 –  all arrived on campus together in September 1969. The 45th reunion weekend for the Class of ’73 presented a wonderful opportunity to film the first of these videos:  twenty ’73 women alums were interviewed by Carol Whitehead ‘72, Kyle Gibson, and Tina Babarovic, head of Video and Production at the Office of Public Affairs and Communications at Yale. Karin Shedd '16 ran one of the cameras and assisted with interviews.   Filming of women in the first three classes will continue throughout the coming year.

We look forward to reporting further news in this year leading up to the celebration in 2019-2020.

#50WomenatYale150

- Miko McGinty ’93, ’98 MFA