A Lasting Legacy for a Memorable Teacher

With the construction of the Janet Udall Schaefer ’52 Center for Health Sciences well underway at Colby-Sawyer, we are excited to share our plans to recognize former long-time faculty member Becky Irving ’42 M.T. with a named space in the state-of-the-art facility. The new center for health sciences sits on the site of the former Reichhold Science Center, and we are certain that Becky would be pleased to see the college planning to meet the needs of the growing number of students in health science fields with such an important resource.

Becky was first and foremost a teacher, and she was committed to ensuring that every student at Colby-Sawyer graduated with a strong fundamental grounding in the liberal arts. She was a fierce advocate for her students and made sure they had opportunities to finish their degree requirements at hospitals with the best medical technology training programs. Naming a learning space in the new Janet Udall Schaefer ’52 Center for Health Sciences for Becky will honor that legacy and expand on her shared commitment with the college to provide rigorous professional preparation to students.

As people who knew Becky well — Ellie was her close friend, and JoAnn was her student, mentee and friend — we recognize that she may have protested having a room with her name on it in the new building, but it is important to us that she be remembered. During her years at Colby-Sawyer, Becky touched the lives of students in every academic program. By dedicating a place within the college’s newest academic facility in her honor, we will ensure that future generations of students will understand her legacy and the impact that she had on so many of us.

To truly honor Becky, we have chosen to name a shared space where students and faculty will meet to collaborate and to develop ideas for new projects in the building’s labs and classrooms. We hope that students will talk with each other about “meeting in Irving” and share ideas as they work together and that the space will thus preserve the name and memory of one of Colby-Sawyer’s finest teachers.