Since 1936, the Meredith
senior class has presented the Meredith College Alumnae
Association with a doll on Class Day. Alumnae from classes
before 1936 prepared dolls to complete the chronology. Early
dolls were dressed in the styles of Class Day dresses, while
more recent dolls wear the day-to-day fashions of their
classes.
Beginning in 1937, the class dolls were displayed
in Johnson Hall during commencement weekend. Margaret Bright,
'07, was their first caretaker, returning every year until
her death in 1969 to prepare the dolls for display. Dorothy
Loftin Goodwin, '47, carries on Miss Bright's work with the
dolls.In 1972, the College dedicated the Margaret Bright Gallery
of Class Dolls, located on the third floor of Johnson Hall's
Bryan Rotunda. Dolls for each year from 1902 to the present
are permanently displayed in walnut and glass cases.
In 1991, to commemorate the centennial of the College's
charter, a doll in the style of 1891 was prepared to stand
beside the 1991 class doll.
Jo Ann Williford, '75, observed, "Each class adds
its own unique chapter to this visual history of Meredith
College."
Click here for a complete Year-by-year
doll listing with virtual reality doll images
-- page content by
Martha Fonville. |
