GUILD HAPPENINGS

SAVE THE DATE!

GUILD GRAD CELEBRATION

AUGUST 5, 2025

2:00 pm

Ballroom of Alumni Hall

All Guild members are welcome to attend the Guild Grad Celebration, but special recognition is reserved for those who are entering the Guild or moving up a Guild level.  Patches and seals will be presented to all who have not yet received them.  New Miller and Vincent grads will receive a gift, honoring their high achievements.

 

The Chairperson of the Guild of Seven Seals is Catherine Whitcomb, PhD.  Cate was the Executive Secretary of the Alumni Association from 2017 - 2019. Cate has served as a Guild Mentor for a number of years, and also served as her class president from 2016 - 2024.   

At the conclusion of the 2022 season, longtime VP of the Guild of Seven Seals, Gary Doebler, retired.  The Alumni Association wishes to thank Gary for his years of dedicated service and support of the Alumni Association.  He is greatly missed!

In the summer of 2019, heeding the pleas of graduates who requested recognition beyond the first four levels of the Guild of Seven Seals, Parnassian, Olympian, and Centurion, two new graduate levels were formed.  Above the Centurion level, the Miller Echelon of the Exalted Order of the Chautauqua Founders was added.  The highest level was then named the Vincent Echelon of the Exalted Order of the Chautauqua Founders.  

The inaugural class of Millers included sixteen CLSC alumni.  They were:

*Catherine F. Backlund, '14

*Barbara Blanchard, '04

Katherine M. Blezard, '00

*Alice Cripe, '10

*Karen Douds, '11

Edward S. Goulding, '14

*Leslie Ann Holder, '12

*Jeff Innes, '03

Norman Karp, '93

*Patricia Killewald, '09

Sheila Marie Long, '05

*Jeffrey Miller, '97

Joseph D. Patton, '12

*M. Sue Richardson, '14

Barbara Vitkowsky, '92

*Janet Yauch, '09

Those with an asterisk by their names then went on to form the inaugural Vincent class in the summer of 2020.

The Covid pandemic brought about changes.  Traditionally, those alumni who apply to move up to the next Guild graduate level are recognized alongside the new graduates on Recognition Day at the service in the Hall of Philosophy.  This means that Guild graduates stand to be recognized by having their names read. 

In an effort to better recognize the achievements of the Guild Grads, a luncheon was held in their honor during Recognition Weeks 2021 and 2022.  Stephine Hunt, Manager of the CLSC Octagon, Richard Karslake, President of the Alumni Association, and Sony Ton-Aime, Director of Literary Arts gave speeches noting the Guild Grads' achievements.  Gary Doebler, Vice President of the Guild of Seven Seals was also on hand to congratulate the graduates.  For each graduate level, the Guild Grads were then called up by name, recognized by the dignitaries, and given their new patches and seals.  This ceremony was met with a great deal of enthusiasm by the Guild Grads. 

Beginning in 2023, a cake and punch reception has been offered for all new Guild Grads and their guests in the Ballroom of the Literary Arts Center at Alumni Hall.

Guild Grad Recognition Luncheon, August 5, 2021
(Left to Right:  Stephine Hunt - Manager of the CLSC Octagon, Gary Doebler - VP of the Guild

of Seven Seals, Sony Ton-Aime - Michael I Rudell Director of Literary Arts,
Dick Karslake - President of the AACLSC, and new Centurion, Sherra Babcock.