wellesley college honors thesis

There are several other requirements for eligibility in addition to GPA. A student must have completed at least three Psychology courses above Grade I (including Statistics and a Research Methods course). At least two of the three courses must have been taken at Wellesley.

Interested students should consult the Honors theses of former psychology students (copies are on reserve in the Science Library) and the list of faculty research interests posted outside the department office (copies are available in the department office). Individual faculty members and the Chair of the Department are available for advice about selecting an Honors faculty advisor.

Departmental Procedures

Spring Semester of Junior Year Students interested in doing a senior honors thesis should send a written statement of interest to the Director of the Honors Program, Maggie Keane, no later than the end of March. Department faculty will meet to review the list of applicants and their eligibility. Students who meet the requirements will be invited by the department to try to find a faculty sponsor to supervise their thesis research.

Qualified students who wish to be considered for the Honors Program should consult a faculty member for advice in developing a topic into a promising proposal. After consulting with the faculty member, the student must submit a written statement of no more than 250 words describing the proposed research project. This statement must be signed by a faculty member with whom the student discussed her project. Statements describing proposed honors projects are due by an announced date in late April.

The Department meets in early May to complete the final selection of Honors students and to assign faculty advisors. Students are advised to register for four regular courses so that they are assured a full course load should they not be invited by the Department. Every student will receive written notification of the status of her project from the Director of the Honors program.

Students who are invited to do their Honors project start by meet with their advisors before leaving for the summer to map out a tentative timetable, get reading lists for the summer, etc.

Fall Semester of Senior Year Special Honors forms must be filled out by the student at the Dean's office. Students who have not already done so should add Psychology 360 to their schedule and have the card signed by their advisor.

The Director of the Honors Program, with assistance from other faculty, will conduct an informal seminar for all honors students to review procedures and provide a format for support and the exchange of ideas among the honors candidates. Meeting dates and more detailed information will be disseminated via email to the students concerned.

The department encourages students to consider using their honors research to produce posters for display at the annual Science Center Poster Session as well as at other appropriate conferences. Some students may also wish to consider submitting their work for publication. The possibilities and opportunities for publication and/or presentation can be discussed with the advisor.

October : Preliminary budget request for Honors research is submitted to the Department.

November : A comprehensive research proposal is to be submitted to the Department after consultation with the advisor. Goals, scope of study, and methodology should be clearly defined. A bibliography should be included. Three copies of the proposal are to be provided; one for the faculty advisor and two for additional faculty readers. Faculty readers will make recommendations to the advisor about the proposal. Revisions may be requested.

December : If revisions are requested, they must be submitted by the first week of December. Readers complete the review of the revised proposal by mid-December. At that time, the student, in consultation with her advisor, should decide whether her Honors work thus far, written or otherwise, justifies the continuation of her project into the second semester: it happens sometimes that a topic turns out to be less interesting or fruitful than originally anticipated. In that case, credit will be given for one unit of 360 if sufficient work has been done. If sufficient work has not been completed, the student may be advised to convert her 360 to 350 (Independent Study). If the submitted proposal appears promising, work on the 360 project should continue in consultation with the advisor. Students continuing their Honors work will register for Psychology 370 for Spring semester.

Spring Semester of Senior Year List of Honors Candidates to Curriculum Committee of College: Before the end of the tenth week of classes the Director of the Honors program sends a report to the Curriculum Committee of the College (with a copy to the Chair of the Department) listing which students registered for 370s are candidates for honors.

Oral Presentation : The final thesis is due in the Dean's Office on or before the last day of classes in the second semester at a date specified by the College. An oral presentation of the completed Honors work is scheduled in May. The Oral Committee is comprised of the faculty advisor, two Department faculty, and a visitor designated by the Curriculum Committee of the College.

If the thesis and oral presentation are judged of honors quality, the student is awarded honors in the major field. If the thesis is completed, but if it or the honors exam is not of honors quality, honors are not awarded: 370 remains on the transcript as Senior Thesis with an appropriate grade. Upon the completion of the oral presentation, the student should submit an unbound copy of the thesis to the Department. This copy may include revisions suggested by the Orals Committee.

Why Women's Colleges?: Reassessing the Benefits of Single-Sex Higher Education for Women

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In the United States today, young women have access to virtually all of the country's best colleges and universities. However, research suggests that single-sex education may still be beneficial to women in ways that co-education is not. Women's colleges encourage students to pursue non-traditional career paths, offer more female role models and mentoring opportunities, provide more leadership experiences on campus, and cultivate generally supportive campus environments in which students develop social and academic self-confidence. In this study, I examine the experiences of female students at two women's colleges and two co-educational colleges and find that women's college students differ from their peers as prospective students in that they are more likely to be seeking academically challenging environments. After arriving on campus, they are more likely to report positive social experiences and interactions with diversity during their first year, though this difference is eliminated in subsequent years. They are also more likely to hold leadership positions and somewhat more likely to switch to and persist in STEM fields. I suggest that women's colleges still offer real benefits to their students, and that co-educational colleges should look to them as effective models of how to support both male and female students on their campuses.

Digitized materials in this repository are provided for educational purposes only, and may be protected by copyright. The permission of the copyright holder may be required for reuse, and it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the rights status for reproduction. Please see the  Wellesley College Copyright Policy  for more information.

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Create opportunities for your future with your Honors Thesis.

All honors students end their program with an honors thesis: a sustained, independent research project in a student’s field of study. the thesis is an opportunity to work on unique research under the guidance of a faculty advisor. it often provides a writing sample for graduate school, and is also something you can share with employers to show what kind of work you can do. , what is an honors thesis.

Most of your work in college involves learning information and ideas generated by other people. When you write a thesis, you are engaging with previous work, but also adding new knowledge to your field. That means you have to know what's already been done--what counts as established knowledge; what's the current state of research; what methods and kinds of evidence are acceptable; what debates are going on. (Usually, you'll recount that knowledge in a review of the literature.) Then, you need to form a research question  that you can answer given your available skills, resources, and time  (so, not "What is love?" but "How are ideas about love different between college freshmen and seniors?"). With your advisor, you'll plan the method you will use to answer it, which might involve lab work, field work, surveys, interviews, secondary research, textual analysis, or something else--it will depend upon your question and your field. Once your research is carried out, you'll write a substantial paper (usually 20-50 pages) according to the standards of your field. Your thesis must count for at least 4 credits (some majors require that the thesis be completed over 2 semesters, and some require more than 4 credits).

What do theses look like?

The exact structure will vary by discipline, and your thesis advisor should provide you with an outline. As a rough guideline, we would expect to see something like the following:

1. Introduction 2. Review of the literature 3. Methods 4. Results 5. Analysis 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography or works cited

In 2012, we began digitally archiving Honors theses. Students are encouraged to peruse the Honors Thesis Repository to see what past students' work has looked like. Use the link below and type your major in the search field on the left to find relevant examples. Older Honors theses are available in the Special Collections & Archives department at Dimond Library. 

Browse Previous Theses

Will my thesis count as my capstone?

Most majors accept an Honors Thesis as fulfilling the Capstone requirement. However, there are exceptions. In some majors, the thesis counts as a major elective, and in a few, it is an elective that does not fulfill major requirements. Your major advisor and your Honors advisor can help you figure out how your thesis will count. Please note that while in many majors the thesis counts as the capstone, the converse does not necessarily apply. There are many capstone experiences that do not take the form of an Honors thesis. 

Can I do a poster and presentation for my thesis?

No. While you do need to present your thesis (see below), a poster and presentation are not a thesis. 

How do I choose my thesis advisor?

The best thesis advisor is an experienced researcher, familiar with disciplinary standards for research and writing, with expertise in your area of interest. You might connect with a thesis advisor during Honors coursework, but   Honors advisors can assist students who are having trouble identifying an advisor. You should approach and confirm your thesis advisor before the semester in which your research will begin.

What if I need funds for my research?

The  Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research  offers research grants, including summer support. During the academic year, students registered in credit-bearing thesis courses may apply for an  Undergraduate Research Award  for up to $600 in research expenses (no stipend).  Students who are not otherwise registered in a credit-bearing course for their thesis research may enroll in  INCO 790: Advanced Research Experience,  which offers up to $200 for research expenses.

What if I need research materials for a lengthy period?

No problem! Honors Students can access Extended Time borrowing privileges at Dimond Library, which are otherwise reserved for faculty and graduate students. Email [email protected] with note requesting "extended borrowing privileges" and we'll work with the Library to extend your privileges.

Can I get support to stay on track?

Absolutely! Thesis-writers have an opportunity to join a support group during the challenging and sometimes isolating period of writing a thesis. Learn more about thesis support  here .

When should I complete my thesis?

Register for a Senior Honors Thesis course (often numbered 799) in the spring and/or fall of your Senior year.

This “course” is an independent study, overseen by your Thesis Advisor. Your advisor sets the standards, due dates, and grades for your project. You must earn at least a B to qualify for Honors.

What happens with my completed thesis?

Present your thesis.

All students must publicly present their research prior to graduation. Many present at the  Undergraduate Research Conference  in April; other departmentally-approved public events are also acceptable.

Publish your thesis:

Honors students are asked to make their thesis papers available on  scholars.unh.edu/honors/ . This creates a resource for future students and other researchers, and also helps students professionalize their online personas.

These theses are publicly available online. If a student or their advisor prefers not to make the work available, they may upload an abstract and/or excerpts from the work instead.

Students may also publish research in  Inquiry , UNH's undergraduate research journal.

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• 2013 Stories
• November 2013
• Craig Murphy Explores Significance of Kathryn Davis Dissertation

In 'The Soviets in Geneva after 80 Years: Kathryn W. Davis ’28 as a Feminist Pioneer in the Study of Global Governance'

On Wednesday, November 20, M. Margaret Ball Professor of International Relations and Professor of Political Science Craig Murphy presents a lecture entitled The Soviets in Geneva After 80 Years: Kathryn W. Davis ’28 as a Feminist Pioneer in the Study of Global Governance, on the doctoral thesis of one of Wellesley’s most beloved alumnae.

Davis (1907-2013) was an extraordinarily gifted and generous woman with a passion for international affairs. Born in Germantown, Pa., she came to Wellesley in 1924 to study English. It was a subsequent trip to Russia in 1929, however, that inspired her fascination with that country and moved her to earn a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University and then a Ph.D. from the Geneva Institute. In her doctoral dissertation, The Soviets at Geneva, Davis predicted that the Soviets would eventually join the League of Nations, a highly controversial opinion that proved to be correct. The Soviets at Geneva is the subject of today’s talk by Murphy, who will examine Davis’ book, its context, and her role as a pioneering American female scholar of international relations. The talk begins at 12 p.m. in Pendleton West 212.

Murphy's lecture is one of several occasions the College will present throughout this academic year to honor and celebrate the life of Kathryn Davis .

Davis went on to become a world-renowned philanthropist and agent for peace. At Wellesley, her generosity can be seen daily through institutions, programs, and opportunities that bear her name, like the Davis Museum and Cultural Center and the Davis Projects for Peace. Throughout her life, Davis continued to be passionately invested in creating a more peaceful global future.

For Russian scholars following Davis' footsteps, or anyone else interested in the current state of the former Soviet Union, the Russian Area Studies Program is hosting a panel discussion later on Wednesday entitled Putin: President, Personage, Potentate. Speaking on the panel are distinguished guests Ivan Kurilla from Volgograd State University and Maria Lipman from the Carnegie Moscow Center. The discussion will begin at 8 p.m. in the Library Lecture Room.

Thoughts and ideas from Wellesley President H. Kim Bottomly

Reflections on Kathryn Davis ’28

I was saddened to learn that Kathryn Wasserman Davis ’28 passed away this morning. When I first met Kathryn, I was immediately struck by her quick wit, her charm, and her undying devotion for Wellesley. Like so many, I was inspired by her vim and vigor—and this was when she was 102 years old! Our world has been forever changed because of Kathryn.

Kathryn was the quintessential Wellesley woman—she approached life with selflessness and grace, zest and zeal. She had an insatiable appetite for learning that extended well past her 90s. At age 91, she took up kayaking and paddled her way through the Hudson River and the coast of Maine and nearby lakes. At age 96, only after a hip fracture prevented her from playing tennis, she began painting. Not only did she learn the art, she mastered it. Dozens of her paintings filled her home in Hobe Sound, Florida, and she exhibited her lovely work over the last 10 years.

There are so many stories that exemplify her marvelous personality—and her love of Wellesley. In this blog, I will share some of those stories. I hope that the Wellesley community also will share their own memories and stories of Kathryn with one another, and through the comments section on this blog.

When I first met Kathryn, I was struck by her charm and graciousness. The second time I saw Kathryn, I understood how impressive she truly was. In 2008, at the dinner celebrating my inauguration as president of Wellesley, Kathryn gave a speech and delighted the audience with her kind and welcoming words. But it turned out that she wasn’t a scheduled speaker. Surprising me and all those who had organized the event, she got up to the podium and spoke extemporaneously and quite eloquently.

Kathryn loved Wellesley with all of her heart. “Wellesley to me was heaven on earth,” she often said of her time as a student here. Wellesley was already a part of Kathryn even before she entered as a first year student in 1924. Her aunt Cora graduated in 1895, her mother, Edith, in 1897, her sister Margaret in 1922, and her cousin Agnes in 1924.

At 106 years old, she was our oldest known living alumna, and she was also one of our most loyal. For nearly 85 years, Kathryn was committed to higher education and service to her community. A Trustee Emerita (she served on the Wellesley College Board of Trustees from 1984 to 2002), she was a longtime volunteer for our Office for Resources and was actively involved in the Alumnae Association for many years. While living in Switzerland in the early 1970s, Kathryn started the Wellesley Club of Switzerland and hosted an annual luncheon for Wellesley students and alumnae in the area. At her most recent reunion, her 80th in 2008, she received the Alumnae Association’s Syrena Stackpole Award to honor her longstanding devotion to her alma mater. I know she very much looked forward to attending her 85th reunion this June, having solidified many months ago her plans to attend.

Through her philanthropy, Kathryn had a lasting impact on Wellesley, having contributed more than $50 million to the College over her lifetime. Her incredible generosity, and that of her late husband, Shelby Cullom Davis, established the Davis Museum and Cultural Center in 1993. Her philanthropy also supported many other pursuits in which she believed, including financial aid for students, global education initiatives, professorships in Asian Studies and Slavic Studies, and restoring the campus landscape. Specifically, her vision enabled Wellesley to return Alumnae Valley—which was a parking lot at the time—to its original beauty, with the creation of the Davis Parking Facility in 2005.

My visits with Kathryn—in Maine, in Florida, and in New York—were always memorable. The first time I went to her house for dinner she had invited another scientist so I “would have someone to talk to.” She hoped I wouldn’t mind. The “other” scientist was Jim Watson (of Watson and Crick). I didn’t mind.

The last time she came to campus, this past September, she insisted on taking a boat ride on Lake Waban. I will forever hold in my mind the image of Kathryn—a beautiful 105-year-old woman—enjoying a glorious fall day on Lake Waban. Last summer, I had the pleasure of having lunch with her at her home in Maine. She regaled me with stories of her classes and her beloved Claflin Hall. She told the most wonderful stories—from her time at Wellesley and her experiences and travels around the world—each complete with incredible detail and color.

Indeed, Kathryn’s life was filled with interesting experiences around the world, beginning at a young age. In her New Year’s letter to me, she commented that 2012 was perhaps the first time in 100 years that she did not travel internationally. Kathryn’s love of travel is attributable to her mother. As Kathryn explained in 1988 in an interview to document her oral history for the College, “My father always wanted to buy a summer home where the family would settle for the summer. Mother said, ‘Oh, no. We have to travel every summer and show the children the world.’” After World War I, the family began traveling to Europe in the summers.

Kathryn subsequently spent the vast majority of her life traveling abroad. In 1929, she took her first trip to Russia, traveling through the Caucasus Mountains on horseback with a group including her sister that was led by an anthropology professor—an adventure in which their food and horses were stolen by bandits. “We ate wild berries for breakfast and spit-roasted mountain goat for dinner,” she told The Moscow Times in 2002. “And I couldn’t have been happier.” Kathryn subsequently returned to Russia more than 30 times, including a trip in 1997 with Marshall Goldman, the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Professor Emeritus, who led a group from Beijing to Moscow, by way of Mongolia and Siberia via train.

That first trip to Russia in 1929 had a profound influence on Kathryn, broadening her view of life and the world, she said. After that trip, Kathryn, an English major at Wellesley, subsequently earned a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of Geneva. Her PhD thesis was on The Soviets at Geneva , in which she correctly predicted—although controversially at the time—that the Soviet Union would join the League of Nations.

Kathryn was a self-described pacifist, as evidenced by the 100 Projects for Peace that she established on the occasion of her 100th birthday in 2007. (The Projects for Peace initiative, open to students around the country, funds creative student initiatives throughout the world focused on building peace in the 21st century. Every year since 2007, Wellesley students have been awarded funding for their peace projects.) In 2007, when she received the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, Kathryn spoke about the need to build peace around the world: “My many years have taught me that there will always be conflict. It’s part of human nature. But I’ll remind you that love, kindness, and support are also part of human nature,” she said. “My challenge to you is to bring about a mindset of preparing for peace, instead of preparing for war. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, and therefore let us take advantage of today to be as useful as possible.”

Kathryn’s commitment to peace, justice, and art can be seen in her most recent gift to the College. This spring, a “Davis Peace Project” banner will be installed on an exterior wall of the Davis Museum portraying a dove and an olive branch. That banner will complement Charming , an indoor installation of origami hummingbirds—symbolizing creatures who make change through tenacity and persistence, little by little—that now hangs in the Davis. It is a most fitting gift from Wellesley’s own hummingbird, as Kathryn referred to herself.

Ever the graceful Wellesley woman, Kathryn always kept an open mind about people. Even when she disagreed with someone, she had the ability—and the willingness—to see and appreciate their point of view, always maintaining an air of dignity and respect. That openness translated to Kathryn’s personal philosophy. As she would say: keep listening, keep learning, keep loving, keep laughing, and keep making new friends.

Through her diplomacy, her charm, her philanthropy, and her commitment to the causes in which she believed, Kathryn made this world a better place. Wellesley, and the world, has lost a friend, a model citizen, and a champion for peace.

We should all be so fortunate to live a life as full as Kathryn’s.

23 thoughts on “Reflections on Kathryn Davis ’28”

Dear President Bottomly,

Your kind and thoughtful reflections of Kathryn Wasserman had me choking back tears. She seems to have been a most wonderful woman and a true Wellesley woman. Her spirit and zest for life are a true inspiration. In your descriptions of meetings and dinners with her, she sounds as though she had a lot of spunk, well into her 100’s. Image that. You were blessed to have met and known such a woman. As a first year Wellesley Davis Scholar, hearing the stories of her life, inspire me.

My sympathies go out to you, her family, her friends, and those who have been touched by her life.

Linda Kosinski Davis Scholar

Dear President Bottomly, Although I never knew Kathryn well, I have always been grateful to have known her at all. She was one in a million. Every year when there would be something about her in Wellesley magazine, or in the newspapers, I felt delighted to see that she was still the incredible lady I had been fortunate enough to have known many years ago. My deepest sympathy to her family. She will be greatly missed by countless people all over the world. Sincerely, Pat Colagiuri ’55

What a beautiful tribute to this remarkable woman! I hope I have the good fortune to be a 105-year old alumna insisting on a boat ride on Lake Waban.

I envy you your friendship with Kathryn. Last year one of my Newman students, a Russian major, told me about Kathryn and the translation work she was doing with Ms. Davis. I was captivated. Thank you for recapturing the allure! Nancy Corcoran, csj

As a student, I was a direct beneficiary of Mrs. Davis’s generosity, traveling to Siberia to do fresh water ecology experiments and meet with stakeholders of Lake Baikal on the inaugural Baikal trip, Summer 2001. Sending a sociology major on such a trip can only be described as a quintessential liberal arts experience, and I have many fond memories form our nearly 3 weeks in Russia, which happened to be my first time traveling out of the country.

I’ll miss seeing Mrs. Davis at reunion this year, but will always remember her generosity to the college–and to me– fondly!

What a remarkable woman and what an incredible legacy she has left behind. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends around the world.

Thank you, Kathryn Davis, for being such a wonderful role model for so many of us. We will always remember and treasure you.

Grace Y. Toh Wellesley Class of 1983

I am so sadden to hear about the passing of Ms Davis. I am a member of the Wellesley College Club of the palm Beaches and had the pleasure of dining next to her at some of the functions in years past. She was such a beautiful and kind person. She was so full of life and so generous as I also was one of the blessed students in the Davis Scholar program. I did get the chance to thank her for that personally and I will never forget how proud and happy she was to help students like me continue their education. I was thrilled when she came to any of the events and just be in her presence.

She beamed with such light and sweetness. She will be missed by all who were blessed enough to be touched in some way by her presence on this earth. My heartfelt thoughts go out to her family and friends and all those who knew her.

Blessings, Paula Cobb Davis Scholar 94

What a lovely reflection on Kathryn Davis’ life and contribution to Wellesley. Thank you for sharing these stories – very inspiring and moving. My sympathies to her family and friends. The Wellesley community has been so fortunate to count her among us.

Deana Smythe Healy ’90

What a beautiful tribute to an amazing Wellesley Woman! I so appreciate learning about the life of Kathryn Wasserman Davis, and give thanks for having been a 1976 graduate of the then “new” Continuing Education Program which bears her name.

My condolences to her family and friends are coupled with the recognition that her lasting presence among us has impacted all of our lives in such a meaningful way. Through her example, may we all seek peace. Thank you Kathryn Wasserman Davis.

With respect and in appreciation, Laura Hauer Milmoe, C.E. Davis, Class of 1976

I’m sorry to hear about Kathryn Davis’ passing. She sounds like she was an incredibly brilliant, dynamic, and engaging woman. Her legacy lives on at Wellesley in numerous ways. I admire people who “keep listening, keep learning, keep loving, keep laughing, and keep making new friends” throughout their lives. Your tribute to her was beautifully written and brought her passion, creativity, and personality to life. While reading it, I felt like I knew her, even though I didn’t. Although I’m sad that Wellesley’s oldest living alumna is now gone, the indelible mark she made on the College and people’s lives remains. Thank you for painting such a beautiful portrait of her life and your encounters with her.

Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts about this remarkable lady. As a student representative to the Board of Trustees in the mid ‘90s, I vividly remember Kathryn Wasserman Davis – as well as the wonderful Elizabeth Kaiser Davis – and thought that if I wanted to be a Wellesley College Trustee in the future, I might as well change my name to last Davis! — or do something extraordinary with my life. Kathryn obviously accomplished both and I’m proud to have been given the opportunity to interact with her.

Wellesley College provides us all with the tools to build whatever we desire, and when I was a student looking at a distinguished alumna like Kathryn, it seemed like a given that we would all become her. But as the years have ticked on since my graduation, I understand much more intimately that the path to serve, not to be served, requires a lot of hard work, self-belief, and perseverance. To think that Kathryn kept up her gusto and challenged herself for eighty-five years following her graduation is an inspiration and clear call to us other alumnae to keep learning and keep giving.

Kathryn would have been 90 when I had lunch with her. I told her how significant the then new Davis Museum had been for me as an older, busy, and stressed Davis scholar. When I discovered the work of Agnes Martin her light-filled inspiring quietly mottled grid-like canvas became my sanctuary there in the main exhibit space. I spoke of what I knew about Martin’s influence as the oldest and last surviving one of the NY abstract-expressionists, how she had returned to painting after many years and after moving to New Mexico. She assumed I was an art major and I rued in that moment that I had instead come to Wellesley, home of the Stone Center, to study Gestalt psychology, my passionate way to build peace in the world! She welcomed this news and inquired more. I’m now struck by how little I asked about her exciting life. Still, so thrilled to have benefited so greatly from her philanthropy and the pleasure of her company!

I am deeply saddened by the death of Kathryn Wasserman Davis. I had the pleasure of visiting her in her home and the great pleasure of being with her many times. Her daughter, Diana Davis Spencer, is a close friend of mine. For the College’s celebration of Kathryn Davis’ 90th birthday, I re-wrote the Alma Mater (“To Kathryn Davis, Wellesley’s daughter, all together join and sing…etc.”) and sang it at the Alumnae Association’s party for her. I went to D.C. for Di’s birthday a couple of years ago, and had the pleasure of sitting next to Kathryn Davis at lunch. She, as many of you know, had a marvelous, dry sense of humor. And she was as sharp as could be! The College has lost a good friend and supporter, but her legacy will go on forever.

Back somewhere in the ’80s, when Kathryn Wasserman Davis was “only” in HER late 80’s, she was one of our fellow travelers on a Wellesley cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg. It was her umpteenth trip to Russia, and she was as enthusiastic about it as if it were the first. Her vivacious young companion, who always kept a loving and teasing eye on her, called her Kathryn the Greatest. Indeed she was. A great lady, in the old-fashioned sense of the word, with immense dignity combined with a sense of fun and adventure, an irresistible combination. Wellesley is blessed to have numbered her among its daughters.

Thank you for sharing your remembrances of Kathryn Wasserman Davis in this beautiful tribute. You’ve captured so well her zest for life, the scope of her interests and her creative generosity. I hope the work supported through her 100 Projects for Peace initiative is being well documented; it would be wonderful to review all that continues to be accomplished because of her vision. And shouldn’t all alums who reach their 105th birthday now be offered a boat ride on Lake Waban in her honor?

I had the pleasure of serving on the Wellesley Board of Trustees with Kathryn in 1992-1995. I was the Young Alumna Trustee and she was the grande dame. Always a joy to visit with and always sharp as a tack, she was kind and generous and oh, so devoted to Wellesley. I’ve always been grateful that our time on the Board overlapped and have been astounded these past 18 years to continue reading about her travels and adventures!

One of my favorite stories to tell to Wellesley friends who know my love of Texas was about Kathryn teasing me about having a “gin and tonic” at a Board meeting. It must have been a winter meeting because she turned her head and quipped, “Now, Jill, that is a summer drink”. And I answered, “Well, Kathryn, it’s always summer in Texas”! Of course, she was delighted with my response and once again, oh, so gracious.

Wellesley has lost a great friend and incredible leader. I will be toasting her tonight with my cocktail.

I had the pleasure of experiencing Katheryn Davis’ love of Wellesley and generous hospitality when I was a younger woman, new to living in Lausanne, Switzerland from 1972 – 1976, I had been fairly active in Pittsburgh and national Wellesley volunteer work and was working at settling my family in a place with a new language, schools, few volunteer oportunities and no Wellesley presence. I received a letter from the Alumnae Office asking me if I would “start a Wellesley Club of Switzerland”! Katheryn Davis’ husband Shelby was the US Ambassador to Switzerland at the time and they lived in a beautiful residence in Bern. I went to work with the telephone and a rudimentary data base, and Katheryn hosted our first meeting ever, a lovely luncheon in her home. We were some twelve or so Wellesley women who came together by car, train, and bus; thus began new friendships and the initial get together of the brand new Wellesley Club of Switzerland. Katheryn was in her element, justifiably proud of her part in creating a new outpost of her beloved college. I have always remembered her enthusiasm and generosity – a true Wellesley woman!

One of the things that we at College often take for granted about Dr Davis is just that — she had a doctoral degree. In fact, she was one of the very first women in world to receive one in the field of international relations. Her 1934 thesis and book, on the Soviet Union’s interaction with the League of Nations from 1919-1933, remains a classic and — due to its pioneering combination of documentary analysis and direct observation — is still the first place scholars go if they are interested in the topic. It also made an important contribution to theory because the USSR (like the United States and like Germany) remained outside the League for most (or all, in the US case) of its history, yet, nevertheless, all three countries played an absolutely central role in the technical cooperation supported by the League from the very beginning, something for which many “mainstream” theories of the day simply could not account.

I first met Kathryn Davis when she came to my 200-level class on International Organization shortly after I began teaching at the College in the early 1980s. I remember wondering if this (seemingly) middle-aged, incredibly engaged woman could possibly the same woman who wrote that first-hand book on the complex technical cooperation at the League some 50 years before. Of course, she not only was, she remained very ahead of me and many of her other younger colleagues in the field for many years afterward, especially in her thinking about how international cooperation was likely to evolve.

We remained professional colleagues, never becoming close friends, but my wife, JoAnne Yates, and I were always happy to see her in Wellesley and on Mount Desert Island at events for the College of the Atlantic, for which she was also the most generous of supporters.

JoAnne and I are now working together on a history of private international regulatory standard setting since the 1890s. A few weeks ago, I was in Geneva in the archives of the International Electrotechnical Commission and JoAnne was in one of the libraries at Stanford reading the minutes of the meetings on avoiding radio interference from the 1930s through the 1960s. On a Skype call, JoAnne remarked at how astonishing the US-Soviet cooperation in the Sputnik-era had been on this issue, which was seemingly one of the highest politics. Then we remembered that many of the characters involved then had been cooperating since the 1930s, and that Davis had already explained why that cooperation had been possible!

The field of International Relations has lost an important pioneer.

A question for Eleanor Holcombe Friedman: Is there still a Wellesley Club in Switzerland? I am Swiss by blood and high school education (Zürich), American by birth, and travel to Switzerland and Germany once a year. I would be interested in such a group, if it still meets.

Grace Miller Dingee, Welleslely ’54

What an astonishing woman!!

President Bottomly’s reflections provide a wonderful picture of Kathryn Wasserman Davis. Thank you, President Bottomly, and everyone else who has been adding comments, for deepening my appreciation of someone who truly added joy to the world.

Dear President Bottomly, I was moved by your recollections of a fascinating woman. Back in the ’70s, probably in the Spring of ’77, she was at the College and met with a group of “international” students in Slater. I recall her references to my country’s involvement in the League of Nations story and during the Paris Treaty Convention, by way of meeting a student from Greece. She had a country specific story to tell to other colleagues ranging from Turkey to India. Needless to say, it was the first time I had heard anything on the matter and I don’t think I was the only one taken by surprise. She talked a lot about women’s education and heavily on what we now think of low level international policy. Her words on how people from various cultures get to know each other and how that helps in rethinking each one’s stories still echo in my ears. So many Wellesley experiences need a stimulus to become recollections. No matter how saddened, pride for the woman she has been, for all she accomplished and the meaningful ways she was able to share has made my evening. Thank you, thank you!

Kathryn Davis was the reason I went to Wellesley College. When I was 15, I had the opportunity to talk with her over the course of several evenings at my aunt’s house in Zurich. The topic of US Colleges was on my mind and naturally, she suggested I consider Wellesley.

Various heated dinner discussions showed Kathryn Davis to be smart, funny, always curious, perceptive and deeply knowledgeable about international relations. She didn’t take herself too seriously, could make her point and get others to change their minds while retaining her femininity and a twinkle in her eye.

It occurred to me that College must be a bit like a factory; to see how good the factory is one should carefully examine the end product. I figured that if I were to turn out half as well as she had by the time I reached her age, then I could feel pleased with my education. So I chose to go to Wellesley.

Kathryn Davis changed the course of my life for the better and I am saddened by the news of her death.

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