Fred Chappell’s poetic salutation

A Salutation to the Alma Mater in this Her Birth Year

spoken by the community of all students, past, present, and future

We gather to express all gratitude

For those enduring gifts that we received

   From the faithful nurturing Motherhood

   Of our University beloved.

This bright threshold of opportunity

Opened promiseful new worlds unknown

   To an eager community

   Whose pilgrimage had now begun.

We learned to study varied aspects of Nature,

To examine every thought as it occurs,

   To bear us each as a friendly creature

   On watchful terms with the universe.

Here we discovered the persons that we were,

And glimpsed the persons that we might become,

   Striding a measured thoroughfare

   Or marching to a different drum.

To grasp the blessings of liberty we turned

The pages of our Nation’s storied past,

   Finding that all the freedoms earned

   Arose from questions, first and last.

Founded to uphold the Women’s cause,

The College enabled us to elevate

   Those motives of imperfect laws

   That would abridge their true estate.

With Commerce, Science, Literature, and Art

Our College became our University,

   Stepping forward to embrace its part

   In our Nation’s history.

    Alma Mater, you we hail;

   Forever may your spirit thrive,

And may your valiant years strongly prevail

Long past your young One Hundred Twenty-five.

– Fred Chappell, professor emeritus