No matter where I go or what I see, a W Girl I will always be.

After sewing the 'official' red dress for daughter Ariel to wear at Homecoming at the W,, she returned to campus and showed off my handiwork to the the other neophytes. Tuesday I got a text message asking if I could bring my sewing machine with me when I went down for the festivities. It seems there were a couple of young ladies that needed some alterations to their frocks.

My darling husband needed the white whale so he graciously drove me to Columbus. We arrived at the W bright and early Friday morning and unloaded my stuff and I set up my sewing machine in Ariel's dorm room. she already had some dresses for me to work on. I ripped out hems and re-hemmed them, shortened some and lengthened others. I had one wearing hers wrong side out so I could pin it on her to make it more tailored. One top hung like a potato sack. That one was almost a complete redo. I had a zipper to fix and a few hooks and eyes to sew on. All in all I was a sewing fool for a few hours while I visited with her Social Club sisters.

I was pleased with the results the next morning at the Homecoming convocation when all the Lockhearts marched in wearing their red dresses. While I fussed about that pattern, now that I have done it, I know I can do it again. I even told the girls that I would make the dresses for the next 3 years for each new class...for a price of course. And they have to be fitted because that is the only way that particular dress will look right on each girl.

I enjoyed visiting with all of my former classmates and fellow Alumnae. we are not really welcome on the campus since our Alumnae organization was disaffiliated. It's a sad sad day when a university administrator decides that the Alumnae are not important and takes umbrage with the very people that are the true supporters of the school. We can't even call ourselves MUW Alumnae without fear of getting a letter telling us to cease and desist. But we can proudly call ourselves Mississippi's FIRST Alumnae Association since 1889.

We have been called renegades and blued haired shills and accused of histrionics and hate mongering. people that don't know us or even know what all this brouhaha is all about think we are trying to live in the past which is so far from the truth. We are all progressively minded women and men that want our beloved Alma Mater to move forward and continue to be viable in this 21st century. We have good ideas and are quite capable of recruiting and helping the school in more ways than the administration can imagine. But for some strange reason they think they are the only ones that know what is best for the school.

The biggest bugaboo is the name. The W was established 125 years ago to give women a college education which was unheard of in that era. It has continued to have women's studies as its focus for years. Yes, it was in 1982 that the W was forced to make the change and accept male students for the first time. Many men have graduated from there and I suspect no one has laughed at their diplomas. But the mission of the school has always been to help women. Until the last 7 years that is.

The current administration is now pushing for another name change as if that will be the powerful cure all for what ever it is they think is ailing the W. The other Alums and I sat at an event that was supposed to be a celebration of the loyal daughters and sons that returned to their Alma Mater for class reunions and to visit with fellow alums. Instead we listened to a speech about how changing the name would double admissions and attract people that otherwise would never come to the school to which I now respond with a loud Bronx Cheer. The only name change that I see that needs to come about that will help the future of the W is to change the name of the administrators.

No matter where I go or what I see...A W girl I will always be!