Remembering her Salem experience, Dominique shared with us how scared she felt as a freshman. In her words, “Over time, Salem became my home and I often reflect on when times were simpler and carefree.” 

She says, “My gratitude swells for the professors and Salem Sisters who sculpted my path and nurtured my growth. Salem is more than a place of learning; it was a haven where I discovered the power of sisterhood and the richness of women’s history.” 

Indeed these experiences are reflected in her personal life and the business she developed: Detroit’s Future is Female, an eco-friendly and unisex apparel and accessories brand that champions gender equality and kindness for all. Her company also partners with local Detroit organizations who have a mission to inspire and empower women and girls. Next steps for her business are to scale the company in different cities across the world.

Our recipient hopes one day to see her own daughter attend Salem College and create wonderful memories.

Winn embodies the very essence of Salem’s legacy, demonstrating unparalleled dedication, leadership, and service throughout her life.

As a proud sixth-generation member of her family to attend Salem College, Winn’s legacy and connection to her alma mater runs deep.  During her time at Salem, she served as a beacon of leadership and service, holding esteemed roles such as Chairman of April Arts and Chairman of “I Represent Salem.”  She was inducted into the Order of the Scorpions and selected for Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

Armed with a double major in Mathematics and Art, she began a career in technology when, as she says, ” mini computers were the size of a chest freezer!”

Along with her vocation, our recipient served her community of Roanoke, VA in many capacities: as a Board Member of the Bradley Free Clinic for over 40 years, on the Arts Council Board, spearheading transformative fund raising. As an artist, she’s fostered creativity and cultural enrichment through the Open Studios Roanoke and Best in Show art fundraisers that support local artists and charitable causes.

Today, with this award, we especially recognize her unwavering dedication to Salem, having given at least 20 years of service on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Visitors and Alumnae Board. She’s served on capital campaign cabinets, and has been a committed leader of the class since graduation. When Salem calls, this alumna never hesitates to say “How can I help?”

Having raised two daughters, Winn and her husband now enjoy being grandparents to five!

Liz grew up in Statesville, NC; as a prospective student, she was captivated by Salem’s rich history, esteemed alumnae and vibrant community.

Throughout her four years as a student she embraced every opportunity wholeheartedly: studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany and serving in various leadership roles and societies. Her commitment to excellence was unwavering.

After graduating in 1979 with a BA in History, her first career stop was as a Salem admissions counselor under the mentorship of esteemed colleagues such as Annie McLeod Jenkins C’70. Her dedication and passion for Salem were obvious  as she tirelessly worked to recruit the brightest minds to her beloved alma mater.

After six years in admissions, she ventured into new territories of radio advertising and human resources. Yet, Salem’s call led her back to Salem as the Alumnae Director.

In this role she fostered for Salem alumnae a sense of community and philanthropy. Her dedication to Salem’s legacy and her tireless efforts in planning reunions and fundraising initiatives are a testament to her unwavering commitment to Salem.

After her years as Alumnae Director, LIz and her late first husband raised their daughter in Morrisville. Happily married again, she and her husband enjoy a blended family with four grandchildren. In her little spare time, she volunteers for church, and makes time for yard work, music, camping  and traveling.

In her words, “All along the way, through life’s ups and downs, I have been encouraged, bolstered, and challenged by my close gang of Salem friends. What a daily blessing these women are to me!

Salem College has been the well-spring of so much that is good in my life! I cannot say thank you enough to the generations of women who paved the way for me to be here, to the faculty and staff who gave their time and energy tirelessly on my behalf, or to the wonderful friends I’ve made in my almost 50 year association with Salem College.”

Margaret found right from the start that Salem would guide and amplify her leadership capabilities. While here, she found a new love of service and leadership, holding several positions before serving as President of SGA in her senior year. When a leadership retreat for college student leaders was discontinued, she created her own, naming it SquareOne after our own Salem Square. Her passion for making opportunities happen benefitted 30 student leaders that year.

Whenever Salem called after graduation, our recipient gladly said “yes,” serving on admissions panels, referring prospective students, and chairing “An Evening for Salem.” 

She served on Salem’s Board of Visitors, then accepted the request from Salem’s Board of Trustees to become a Trustee. During her years on the Board, Margaret was steadfast in her commitment to Salem’s wellbeing and success, continually asking the difficult questions that others might have shied away from asking. With a razor-sharp intellect and wit, Margaret always works toward what is best for Salem.

In Winston-Salem, her community service has included Chair of the Kaleideum Board and president of Imprints Cares. She works with the Winston-Salem Police Chief’s Challenge, a community-wide wellness program, and she serves on the board of an independent school.

A 2003 law grad of Wake Forest, when she’s not volunteering, she’s working with a local law firm.

In addition to all this, our recipient, her husband and two daughters also have a side hustle: The Serendipity Bee Company, producing some of the best honey you’ll find in Winston-Salem.

In her own words, she has invested “time, talent, and treasure” to Salem but what she’s received in return is beyond measure: She’s received:

• The opportunity to test herself in leadership roles with a support system in place so that failures became learning opportunities, and from those mistakes, the celebration of successes
• The chance to be led by and work alongside so many amazing women, too many to name, but that include: Mary Davis Holt, Julianne Still Thrift, Liz Boyd Radar Lumadue, Katherine Knapp Watts, Annie Jenkins, Celia Weston, Caroline Wannamaker Sink, Annette Lynch, Lisa Bankoff, Liz Denton Baird, Joyce Poe, Mary Martha Beecy, Deana Bass Williams, Lucy Rose … and the list could go on.
• She says her  biggest gift from Salem has been the wonderful friendships and unbreakable bonds with classmates and fellow alums who have become family. Having only an older brother, she feels so unbelievably fortunate to call so many amazing people in this room and beyond, her sisters.

Mary Ann’s initiation to leadership began in the basement of Babcock Dorm in a freshman class meeting when she was elected Sophomore Class President.  Convinced only five classmates knew her name, she was stunned. It was then she realized Salem created leaders and instilled service. 

Combining these leadership skills and service, she graduated and promptly launched a successful teaching career. After 35 years in the public schools, she returned to Salem as Professor, Clinical Coordinator, and Director of Teacher Education. 

She has been honored as Teacher of the Year for Jefferson Elementary, a finalist for W-S Forsyth County Schools Teacher of the Year, she also won the Outstanding Elementary Mathematics Teacher twice and the title of Outstanding Teacher of the Gifted.

Our alumna balances her work and life with service to many organizations: Salem, her church, the Executive Board of the Junior League, Beta Mu, Delta Kappa Gamma, the Board of Deacons for Knollwood Baptist Church, the Executive Board of Crisis Control, and N.C. Baptist Retirement homes. She is a graduate of Leadership Winston-Salem, and a volunteer for the Arts Based School and her church’s Children’s and Music ministries. 

Our recipient was the youngest alumna ever to serve on Salem’s Board of Trustees, being asked just after her graduation. Since then, she has served the College Alumnae Board, the Board of Visitors and as her class president for countless years. She also has the distinct honor of receiving Salem’s H.A. Pfohl Award twice … once as a student, then as a faculty member.

In the words of one of her classmates: 

“It goes without saying that her involvement with Salem, our class, and her church are unmatched. But it’s her unwavering love and commitment to her family that is worthy to note. She has remained our Class President, even when life threw her one of its worst challenges, she is still one of the first to reach out, give a hand, congratulate a happy event, and offer a shoulder when needed.”   

As noted by her classmate, our recipient recently endured one of life’s hardest challenges when her daughter Chrissy died after a brief illness. Since then, Chrissy’s 3 daughters, and son Trey’s two daughters, provide our alumna numerous chances to help organize, coordinate, and spoil … not to mention 5 potential future legacy students for Salem!

Quoting our recipient, “I was blessed to be a Salem student, a Trustee, and a faculty member.  I never would have thought it possible that night in Babcock basement.  

Fifty years later, I’m here with women who prayed and encouraged me through the near-loss of my newborn granddaughter, Clara, thirteen years ago, and the sudden death of her mother, my daughter Chrissie, last June.  These women show up when you need them!  They have cared for me and supported me, and I’m so deeply grateful.”  

This honor has been bestowed only one other time in the history of the alumnae association. The Lifetime Service Award recognizes an alumna who has dedicated her entire life to Salem Academy and College and to the alumnae she has loved and served. We have no way of knowing exact numbers, but we estimate that even today, this former Alumnae Director (for both the Academy and the College at one point) probably writes more notes of thanks and sympathy and congratulations to Salem alumnae than the entire Development Office. This alumna can probably name 85% of Salem’s alumnae …and she remembers where they grew up, as well as where they live now. She knows every legacy student who has come through Salem College and the Academy as well.

Every alumna in this room knows  her name, and most every alumna can tell a story about our awardee … her travels through the years to alumnae events, the countless reunions she planned, the millions of phone calls she made for fundraising and friend-raising, each call beginning with her signature line: “Oh, hey, darling!”  Today, while she may call you, she also loves to text! 

Her commitment to Salem is boundless. While there is no photographic evidence, and we won’t tell where we heard the story, we understand that she once lost her key to the Alumnae House, so she crawled into her office through the window. That’s dedication, folks!

I don’t have to tell you about this phenomenal Salem alumna; you know all about her. On the occasion of her 70th Reunion, we honor the incomparable Doris Eller!