Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-06-01
SIXTY YEARS LATER
AGraduate Returns
For Alumnae Honors
BY AMELIA YOUNG
star stan Writer

ny AMELIA 1OONu
star stan writer
Sixty years ago this month
six young women marched up
to accept their bachelors de-
grees from the late James
Cardinal Gibbons at a COM
mencement exercise in Bal
timore.
One Of the graduates was q
Miss Kilkoff--now Mrs. Dor
othy Kilkoff Butler Of WASH
ington.
Yesterday Mrs. Butler
marched onto the commence
ment stage again, this time to
accept alumnae honors and q
memorial medal from her
alma mater, the College Of
Notre Dame Of Maryland.
Notre Dame, the first Cath
ole college for women in the
United States, was founded as
an academy in 1863. In 1897
1t applied to the Maryland
Legislature for an amendment
to its charter and was granted
the right to confer bachelors
degrees. Mrs. Butler and her
i've classmates were the first
TO receive them.
The Washington woman.
who is almost 80. remembers
the occasion well. I'VE had
the usual commencement
march. / think there were
four organists and three pian-
lists, two harpists and a vio-
linist who played that day."
Napoleon's granddaughter.
Mr.. Charles Joseph Bona
parte. was the baccalaureate
speaker. A successful Balti-
more lawyer. he twas strik-
ingly like (Napoleon) but
taller" Mrs. Butler recalled
the other day. "We felt we
were particularly fortunate
to have him"
The Time Between
In the three generations
that have passed between
that ceremony and the COM
mencement exercises yester-
day, Mrs. Butler has observed
a good many changes in
college life for women.
by present standards. "
she said, "our life was fear
fully dull. We did not ex-
pect the diversions then that
girls have now"
"The curriculum was rather
general We were given a
good rounded education. but
we were not being prepared
for professional life, other
than teaching perhaps. COL
lege life today is more inten-
sive, the schedule is more
crowded-there are so many
interests. so many studies.
In addition to courses in
Languages. mathematics.
physics. chemistry. English
composition, music, elocution.
philosophy and theology the
school held classes in calls
themes. sewing, art and
singing. "If you had a voice.
all right. and If you didn't"
Mrs. Butler noted. you had
to sing anyway"
There were no real art
lists in the class, but we all
took pencil sketching. There
was a good bit Of erasing to
be done, Of course, and in
those days erasers were
scarce.
Saturday was always bak-
ing day at the college. We
would remove the inside Of
the freshly baked bread and
use 1t for erasers. I remem-
Der how we would sit in the
art class eating our crusts
and erasing vigorously with
the dough-"
For amusement, the stu
dents went boating or skating
on a nearby lake, or just sat
out on the steps of the ad-
ministration building talking.
They were occasionally per-
mitted to go into town on
Saturday-"only in the day
time"-and since there were
no movies. the young ladies'
primary target was the candy
shop. 1--WE would usually re-
turn with about IS pounds of
it," Mrs. Butler said.
Gentlemen callers were re-
ceived in the parlor Sunday
afternoon. And they brought
more candy.
Accomplished Musician
A high point in Mrs. But
ler's college term was a public