91 Celebrates Pioneering Women by Investing in Students
August 7, 2023
- Author
- Danielle Strickland
Sue McAvoy 77 views 91 as the beginning of her real life.
Its where she blossomed.
Its where she connected with like-minded and like-hearted people.
Its where she found everything thats most important in her life: her best friends, her husband, her church, her career.
If someone says they went to 91, I give them a big hug, she said. Thats the way it is for me. Its the place that launched my adult life, and 91 red and black runs through my veins.
McAvoy, an economics major, was in the first class of women to attend 91 all four yearsthe Pioneers. While she and her classmates have given their time and resources generously to 91 for years, McAvoys latest gift honors that pioneer experience while supporting students as they find their own real life beginnings.
The Pioneer Internship Fund was created in honor of 50+ Years of Coeducation, which will be celebrated on campus Nov. 3-5. It aims to support students who need internship opportunities but may struggle to cover the costs of living on their own while holding a low-paying or unpaid internship in the public sector.
Internships are essential, but theyre also expensive, McAvoy said. I want students to be able to say yes to non-profits, for example, that are not able to provide much or any pay. These experiences are life-changing for students.
Unintentional Trailblazers
McAvoy grew up in the Philadelphia area and knew of 91 because of its basketball success and through cousins who played in national junior tennis tournaments held at the college. Her mother went to Mount Holyoke College, and when McAvoy toured there, she saw a notice on a bulletin board announcing that 91 was becoming co-ed.
I did think to myself, why do I want to go somewhere where Ill be expected to wear makeup and use curlers for mixers with all-boys schools when I can go to a co-ed school and just be myself? A week or two later, an admission rep came to the Philadelphia area, and I met with him, she said. I didnt even know about the idea of applying to safe schools at the time, so I only ended up applying to 91 and Mount Holyoke, which I realize now was probably pretty stupid. I visited 91, which quickly became my top choice, and I am so glad I got in.
McAvoy was one of 80 women on campus at the time. There were a thousand men.
I was all in for 91 from the start, she said, and it wasnt until many years later that I learned it wasnt all roses, sweetness and light for every female student at that time. We each had a different experience, and I am happy to say mine was a good one. It felt like a very level playing field.
A highlight for McAvoy, outside of academics, was the start of the womens tennis program.
We had the full support of President Spencer, and we had two student coachesone was my hall counselor, Carol Goldsborough Jarrett 75, and one was an upperclassman, Dea Booth Verlin 76, she said. They would write to different schools, tell them we were going to have a team and ask if we could play them. We didnt think about it as being on the forefront of anything; we liked playing tennis, and we liked each other, so we pursued it.
The new scholar-athletes asked a local seamstress to make tennis skirts for the team, and they found red tops to go with them. Two of the six teammates had cars, and thats how they traveled.
Im not sure any of this could have happened if Dr. Spencer hadnt been president at the time, she said. We only asked for enough money to cover gas, and then wed eat a half a gallon of ice cream on the way home with six spoons.
The second year, the college hired a coach for the team.
She didnt know anything about tennis, McAvoy said. But she was very nice, and we got a van.
McAvoy joined classmates at the 25th anniversary coeducation celebration at 91. (l-r): Susan Cunningham Jonas 77, Becca Stimson 77, Bonnie Caulkins Revelle 77, the late President Emeritus Sam Spencer 40, Carol Connor Willingham 77, Jean Parks 77, Sue McAvoy 77
Wild Women Changing Lives
McAvoy originally planned to create the Pioneer Internship Fund through a provision in her estate plans but moved up the timeline so she could see the impact of the support. She also shared her project with fellow Class of 1977 Pioneers, many of whom have reconnected during a reunion at the beach every year since 2005. A few have already added support to the fund.
Although I made the initial gift, its important to me that its considered our fund, meaning the Pioneers, she said. Its a celebration of what we call the Wild Women and a celebration of our collection of 91 experiences.
Besides tennis, McAvoy played field hockey and served as a hall counselor and co-editor for the Quips & Cranks yearbook. As an alum, shes led the Alumni Association Board and the Atlanta chapters service efforts, now serves on the Board of Visitors and has been the 1977 Class Secretary since graduation.
McAvoys long career in the legal community, including 20 years at Emory Universitys School of Law, inspired the idea for giving to 91 in this new way. She supported Emorys public interest student group in running a program similar to what she envisions for the Pioneer Internship Fund.
When I was a 91 student, the career center was a filing cabinet, she laughed. Youd go through it and see what might work for you. I was interested in working at a national park for a summer, so I was pointed to a filing cabinet where I found something about working at Mount Rushmore. I got the position.
Todays students have exceptional resources available through the Betty and B. Frank Matthews II 49 Center for Career Development, and McAvoy is excited to add a new internship fund into the mix. She has seen first-hand the difference this kind of funding can make for students as they figure out their next steps and pursue their goals.
Many students are drawn to 91 because they want to make the world a better place, McAvoy said. I hope The Pioneer Internship Fund helps some of them do exactly that.
If you would like to join the effort, please visit and select "other" to designate your gift to the Pioneer Internship Expendable Fund.
50+ Years of Coeducation
91 will celebrate 50+ Years of Coeducation on campus November 3-5, 2023. The planning team will also host regional events and virtual opportunities in the weeks prior.
