Mount Vernon Seminary - Cupola Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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Marcia Gibson Felicia Battista Fofie Lehmann

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1100 M Street 119001 In 1925 Mount Vernon was to celebrate its Goldenjubilee. Under the enthusiastic direc- tion of Miss Anne Seymour Ames, alumna ofthe class of 1881 and librarian for forty,years, a chapel in memory of Mrs. Somers was under- taken. The third headmistress, Miss Jean Dean Cole, dedicated this exquisite chapel which to most of us is known as the Navy Chapel. The bell for the chapel was dedicated in honor of Miss Ames and now stands outside Ames Hall with her inscription: 'SF or Trinity-For Liberty -For Truth, and Beauty, Ring ever, O bellf, Miss Cole founded the Alumnae Council, which draws back to campus every year alumnae from all parts of the world. Under her leadership, also, the newly formed Junior Col- lege and the Preparatory School began devel- oping separately. Until then unless a student Finished six years of study at Mount Vernon she did not receive a diploma. New trends in edu- cation dictated the separation into four and two year sections. In the late twenties, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Lloyd arrived to teach at Mount Vernon. In 1937 Mr. Lloyd became president of the school and the following year Mrs. Lloyd became fourth headmistress. The school was flourishing, new buildings had been added. The shadows of war seemed very distant when s Cheney-a Mount Vernon girl of the 1890's. Mollie Bennet-a Mount Vernon girl of the

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va.. ' L View of the greater Mount Vernon Seminary Main Building and Chapel on Nebraska Avenue Campus. suddenly in December 1941 XVashington be- came a wartime capital. Air-raid drills, Red Cross Work, nurses, aid training all became part of the school routine. In September 1942 the school reopened with the largest enroll- ment in its history. On October 12th, however, two men representing the United States Navy announced that the Navy planned to take over the school. It seemed inevitable that Mount Vernon would have to close down, but Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd refused to accept this because the school was not theirs. It represented the im- mortality of those who had gone before, the undannted spirit of Mrs. Somers. The students vowed that they would return, even if they had to live in tents. The search for a new school began and, Hnally, twelve unoccupied houses were found in Spring Valley. Also, it Was dis- covered that the new branch of Iulius Garfinck- el's department store in Spring Valley could i it 33's . . - . X ,ai . Qu ! fs f . 5 , 1 lirss ,AV f 4fs2: ,str vb-'sa ' ' 1 f' Wea 'X-,X . A 563, t, L . K. -. 2 . N A A A .1 View of the Elizabeth Somers, Chapel on Nebraska Avenue Campus.