THE SIGNET SOCIETY
46 Dunster Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
May 24, 2011
Dear Signet Alumni,
Greetings from Cambridge, on the eve of Harvard’s 360th Commencement. In this letter, I want both to share news of recent events and undergraduate achievements, and to ask for your support.
We are still dusting off the glitter from the sold-out Signet Society's 120th Annual Dinner—this year in celebration of the 40thanniversary of the election of our first undergraduate women. On Friday evening, April 29th, author Anne Fadiman '74-'75 mused to a happy roomful about classifications and passions of book lovers. At the dinner itself on Saturday, producer and screenwriter Tina Rathborne '73 gracefully served as Toastmaster, introducing the hilarious New Yorker staff writer, Speaker Patricia Marx '75, glamorous Musician Nan Hughes '85, and captivating Poets Lucy Ives '02 and Jennifer Nelson '03. The incomparable Myra Mayman, founding Director of Office for the Arts at Harvard, and the first female President of the SignetAssociates, accepted the Signet Medal. On Sunday, Jillian Goodman '09 and Francesca Gilberti '10 stepped up to the Signet’s plates to serve a wonderful southern-style brunch. Please see http://www.signetsociety.org/photo-gallery/annual-dinner-weekend-2011-cambridge/ for photos from the weekend.
The core of the Signet Society remains its undergraduate members, and we doff our caps to them—especially our graduating seniors. Their names and myriad accomplishments are online as well, at http://www.signetsociety.org/class-of-2011/. We welcome the new undergraduate officers, led by President Charlotte Alter ‘12, an English concentrator, member of the Harvard Advocate, and director of multiple Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club productions. Among joint initiatives between the undergraduate and alumni community will be a mentorship program; stay tuned. In coming months, there will be Signet alumni gatherings in New York, Boston, Washington DC, and London. Watch for a notice.
Last, but surely never least, I ask you to consider your memories of and gratitude for our Society as you open your purse now to contribute generously to the Signet. ensuring its continuing financial security. Your gift will support the undergraduate experience, as well as the physical and virtual infrastructure required to sustain our community’s healthy and vital connections. Please send a check, or make a gift via our website at http://www.signetsociety.org/donate/. Do it today, please. The Signet’s fiscal year, like Harvard’s, ends on June 30.
Thank you!
With best wishes,
Thomas Forrest Kelly
Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music
P.S. For more information on alumni activities, you can email signet@post.harvard.edu.