Uncategorized

Merle Updike Davis ’44 was born and raised in Orlean, Virginia, on a 350-acre farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Warrenton, Virginia.  She graduated from Mary Washington College in 1944 with a bachelor’s degree in science. Her time on campus was colored by the events of World War II and the United States’ efforts to prevail victoriously.

She went on to earn a Master of Social Work from Columbia University in 1953. She later met and married Robert L. Davis, an environmental health specialist, and they settled in Berkeley, California.

Merle’s career extended over fifty years, many of those with a diversified private practice specializing in clinical work with children, the aging, families, and adults. After her retirement in 2000, and finding no published works about social workers and the profession, she wrote and published Ties Across Time: A Woman’s Life in Social Work. The book has been praised by many in the field and used in classrooms by students hoping to follow in her footsteps. In retirement, Merle enjoyed writing, watercolors, gardening, and her grandson Geoffrey and her granddaughter Heidi. Merle passed away in 2017.

Alumna creates scholarship to encourage study of Latin and Greek

Barbara Price Wallach ’68 remembers the 1960s as a period of confusion, tension, and change – yet she found comfort and sanctuary at Mary Washington. Bobbie, as her friends call her, immersed herself in campus life by playing the flute and piccolo, competing in basketball and lacrosse, and studying the classics.

“I made many friends and had a lot of fun at Mary Washington,” says Bobbie. “External life events made us tougher, but they also brought us closer together as women in the sixties were finally gaining respect for intellect.”

Bobbie majored in Latin and soon discovered a career opportunity in the study of the classics. “Latin ran in my family. Daddy studied it in preparation for the ministry and my mother taught music,” says Bobbie. “I had really great teachers in high school, and that continued at Mary Washington. Professor Laura Sumner was just brilliant, and she could really make you think. I also valued instruction from Professors Margaret Hargrove, Diane Hatch, and Dudley Sherwood.”

After graduation, Bobbie received a full-ride fellowship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. There, she completed a master’s degree in classics and a doctorate in classical philology. She also met and married Luitpold Wallach, a respected professor of classics and medieval studies at Illinois, a former rabbi, and a survivor of the Nazis’ notorious Dachau concentration camp.

In 1980, the couple relocated to the Show-Me state so Bobbie could join the faculty at the University of Missouri. Over the next 39 years, Bobbie taught thousands of students about Greek and Roman culture, rhetoric, and oratory; Latin; and other fine points of classical humanities. She led classes with intriguing titles, including “Murder and Mayhem: Images of Justice in Classical Antiquity” and “Foreigners and Dangerous Women in Greek and Latin Literature.” She published extensively, was a member of numerous professional organizations, and was listed as a “noteworthy Classicist, educator” by Marquis Who’s Who.

In 2019, Bobbie retired as Associate Professor Emerita of Classical Studies. She also began finalizing paperwork for gifts to support two institutions of higher education. She made a gift to the University of Illinois in honor of her late husband to support scholarships and an endowment for the UIUC Department of Classics.

As a member of the UMW Heritage Society, Bobbie then completed terms to create an endowed scholarship at Mary Washington in honor of her parents. The new Benjamin Thomas Price and Geneva Bittinger Price Scholarship in Classics, Philosophy, and Religion is being funded through a combination of Bobbie’s retirement savings and a charitable life insurance policy.

Joe Romero ’93, professor of classics and chair of the UMW Classics, Philosophy, and Religion Department, says he is absolutely thrilled by Bobbie’s kindness and generosity. “Dr. Barbara Price Wallach is a brilliant and accomplished classicist in her own right. Her name and the names of her parents will be remembered perpetually and deservedly in the students who benefit from her generosity,” he says. “To give the gift of knowledge, to develop hearts and minds—can there be a greater act of selflessness?”

Bobbie was involved in the process of setting criteria for the scholarship so that it is meaningful to her. “My parents started out very young and sacrificed a lot to serve others through religion, music, and education while also raising a family,” says Bobbie. “I think they would be happy that their named scholarship encourages and supports the continued study of Latin and Greek at Mary Washington.”

Despite living out of state most of her adult life, Bobbie remains engaged with her alma mater and her classmates. In 1990, she served as a guest lecturer on the topic of, “Crocodile Tears and ‘Righteous’ Indignation: The Orator Plays Upon His Audience.” She also has attended numerous class reunions and is looking forward to dancing and reminiscing with friends during the Class of 1968’s 55^th reunion in 2023.

---

Classics according to Dr. Joe Romero
At UMW, Classics is partnered with Philosophy and Religious Studies because we ask big questions—maybe the biggest questions, like “Why are we here? What are our responsibilities to ourselves? To others? What is beauty? How should we live?” and follow the evidence wherever it leads us.

Classics, Philosophy, and Religion is a partnership of three signature humanities disciplines who ask those questions from the perspectives of tradition (Classics), reason (Philosophy), and faith (Religious Studies). The world would be unrecognizable if you were to piece by piece remove the Classical World from our political systems, philosophy, art and architecture, literature, and social mores. Measuring the contribution of the past—both what it enables and, perhaps, restricts—is what a modern Classical Studies curriculum offers.

---

For more information about making gifts through your retirement savings or a life insurance policy, contact Jan Clarke at jclarke@umw.edu or 540-654-2064.

Article by Director of Research and Prospect Management Donna Harter

Members of the Simpson Circle gathered virtually on February 17, 2022, to participate in the induction of new Simpson Circle members. Current members of the Board of Visitors joined in from the Rappahannock Ballroom at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center.

Former Rector Dan Steen ’84 moderated the event; current Rector Heather Crislip ’95 paid tribute to the new inductees, and President Paino shared University updates. Senator Edd Houck explained the importance of legislative advocacy and how it relates to the approval of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s FY 2023 budget. Click below to view the recording:

The Simpson Circle was created in 2012 as a way to keep past members and rectors of the Board of Visitors engaged in the life of the University.

The “Simpson” name is in honor of Grellet C. Simpson, who served as Chancellor of Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia from 1956 through 1972. He officially became president after legislation separated Mary Washington from UVA and, at that time, also created a 12-member governing board known as the Rector and Visitors of Mary Washington College.  

We appreciate your continued loyalty and dedication to UMW students and programs.

Recently, Dr. Paino met with President’s Council members to share University updates and answer questions from attendees. Watch a recording of the virtual event below.

Contact the Office of Advancement at advance@umw.edu or 540-654-1024 with any questions or comments.