Worcester State University - Oak Leaf Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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A special dedication to Miss Marguerite C. Mc- Kelligett, A.M., First Dean of Women of State College at Worcester. 10

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President Sullivan’s Message Most written words are discarded shortly after they are read, such as articles in newspapers and magazines. Most books other than the classics be- come obsolete within a few years. However, words and pictures contained in college year books are retained, and referred to usually over several genera- tions. A message from the President of a college to current graduates should be as applicable fifty years after being printed as it is on the day of Commence- ment. Thus, not only do I wish the Class of 1963 success but I wish continued success to each member of the class for his span of life. I suggest certain ideas which will guide you on the road to success. There should be no compromise with truth. As time passes and changes take place, truth remains always constant. Sometimes a statement may seem true but be false. However, this does not constitute a rebuttal of truth, which is defined as conformity between the mind and the object. The truth was there but was not apparent. When truth is dis- covered, it must be recognized as truth and adhered to even if it is contrary to popular belief. A teacher should have the quality of being able to adapt himself to changing conditions. He should not obstruct progress because of intellectual inertia. New theories and new processes should be investigat- ed thoroughly and if found to be true, they must be accepted. Relation between cause and effect should be recognized and understood. Certain actions and de- cisions will produce certain future effects. It is nec- essary to make wise decisions to obtain good future results. An active, sensible imagination is necessary to envision good positive results for the future. A teacher should cultivate an active imagination. Ability to know the truth, adaptability, recogni- tion of good causes, and an active imagination are some of the intangibles that can spell the difference between success and failure in the educational world.

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MARGUERITE C. McKELLIGETT, AM. Dean of Women And gladly would (she) learn and gladly teach.” These words, paraphrased from Chaucer, describe the first Dean of Women at Worcester State College, Dean Mar- guerite McKelligett. It is fitting to note that Chaucer ' s teacher was a traveler, a pilgrim en route to Canterbury. Dean Me Kelligett, too, is a traveler. Eight times she has crossed the Atlantic. While abroad, she has been Wor- cester State College’s ambassador of good will and friend- ship. Her gentle manner and linguistic talents in French and German have won her many friendships abroad. Dean McKelligett not only tells Europeans of life in the United States, but can even describe to them what life is like in the Western Hemisphere. She has toured Canada many times, as well as motored through Mexico and visited Cuba. An active life is a full life. Busy people accomplish all that is demanded and expected of them. Dean McKel- ligett has always filled her daily schedule with many varied activities. After graduating valedictorian of her class at Warren High School, she filled her program at New York State University College at Albany with many extra activ- ities — basketball player, figure skater, tennis player, and violinist in the college orchestra. She was graduated as a member of Signum Laudis. Dean McKelligett, ' 7wc etndi- ante ” at heart, continued her education at Middlebury Col- elge, where she received a Master of Arts degree. She has used her sabbatical leaves soley for enrichment, and has spent them in France at the Sorbonne and at the Institut de Phonetique.” Dean McKelligett has been a student all her life. She feels that one should never relax in acquiring an education; that one should constantly keep abreast of latest advance- ments in one’s field. One should never fail a fellow man by failing to share knowledge with him. Warren, Miss McKelligett’s home town, has for thirty - two years given our dean a vote of confidence by having her serve as a member of the school committee. Many of us would consider such a position more than a fulfillment of our duties as a citizen. Miss McKelligett, however, along with her obligations as head of the French department at the college, a supervisor of practice teaching, and a school committeewoman, also was a home-front veteran of World War II. She served at home on committees on air raids for the City of Worcester, and as a driver for the Red Cross. Many of you know Dean McKelligett only as the Dean of Women. Some of us have come to know her through our interest in the French language and culture. She is responsible for the establishment of and the continuing pro- gram in French at Worcester State College. She has served as faculty advisor to FeCercle Francais.” She has willingly shared with us her French war orphan, a girl our age, Ann Meriadec. We have traveled through France with her by way of her Kodachrome movies of her many travels. Our lives have been enriched by the air of culture that envelops her in the classroom, and the refined atmosphere that per- meates her office. At Christmas we gather with her around her creche and her santons. We all have a part of her books, her travel folders, as well as her costume dolls that represent the provinces of France. She has wisely directed our attention to books and articles that would benefit us which we might be inclined to overlook. Marguerite McKelligett has brought honor to our school by her presence and her respected scholarship. She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma. She has served well those of her native Warren. She has enriched the cultural level of Worcester and Worcester County by serving as president of such organizations as ”F’ Alliance Francaise,” and also as a lecturer on her hobbies, her travels, her in- terest in horticulture and in reading. She has served us as Dean of Women at the college. She has served her French students as teacher, friend, and as a source of in- formation. However, she serves best as a spirit of inspira- tion in our daily life as college students and future teachers. Dean McKelligett has taught us never to forget the individual worth of any child who comes into our sphere of influence. According to her, Teachers must always be sure that they appreciate the responsibility which is theirs in their relationships with children, for a teacher’s influence continues in t he lives of her pupils long after they have gone from her classroom.” French classes and social functions at Worcester State College will have a little less eclat, a little less savoir-faire without the gracious presence of Dean McKelligett. We cannot say goodbye to Dean McKelligett as a faculty mem- ber, we can only say adieu to une grande dame. Over the years many students have passed under Dean McKelligett’s watchful eyes in the classroom, and finally crossed that graduation platform. She has smiled at all of us at all times, and shared with us our sorrows and joys. Once, when speaking of an artist, she said, . . . and it came to pass that after a while the name of the artist was for- gotten, but the work lived . . .” We, of Worcester State College, will always remember you, Dean McKelligett, for your inspiration, you scholarliness, and your many thought- ful words and deeds. As long as your pupils live, so will you.