Brescia University - Brescian Yearbook (Owensboro, KY)

Page 102 text:

NS-f ... Sister Joan Marie Lechner could be called a precedent- setting president. She is certainly one of the few college presidents who began her term of office as a window washer. Before Sr. Joan Marie, Brescia had never had a president and there was no job description, she was forced to improvise. No one had told her she was to deliver a welcoming speecn to the Freshman class and while the freshmen were waiting for the president to appear, she was out washing windows. That she was able to leave her brush and pail, deliver the address, and then finish washing windows is indicative of the persistence with which she has accomplished her other presidential duties. From washing windows Sr. Joan Marie turned to building dedications, fund raising, recruiting an expanded board of trustees, and directing the continued physical and spiritual growth of the Brescia College community. Her last fling comes this year when Brescia College presents an honorary degree to Eunice Shriver, the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Brescia College - an event which Sr. Joan Marie has long desired. Growth, faith, problems, humor, people - all these elements characterized the fourteen years of Sr. Joan Marie's presidency. Faith, humor and people are paramount in her memories. From the first years of her term, Sr. Joan Marie has always tried to maintain an open door policy toward all members of the campus community. She credited her ability to overcome difficulties and to achieve successes to God's goodness and the supportive people who have consistently been around her. 98