2001 Class Doll
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Meredith College Class of 2001
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2001 Class Doll
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The Meredith College class doll tradition started in 1936 and has become an important symbol of the college's history. Each year, seniors give a doll to the Meredith College Alumnae Association on Class Day. The idea for the class doll came from Elizabeth Briggs Pittman, a dedicated supporter of the college, though she was not an alumna. At first, the dolls were bought from Raleigh department stores and dressed in styles that matched the graduating class’ fashion. The first person to take care of the dolls was Margaret Bright (Class of 1907), followed by Dorothy Loftin Goodwin (Class of 1947) in 1972. Beginning in 1960, the dolls mostly have been dressed each year to reflect current fashion trends.
In 2001, a significant change took place when a doll named Cynthia Jo Hanner was created in memory of Akie Segawa, a student who had passed away. This was the first time the doll represented someone who had died, and it was also the first to represent a person of color. The doll's name honored Dr. Jo Gulielmi, the class adviser, and Dr. Sandra Hanner, a professor who passed away from cancer in 2001. After 2001, six more dolls have been made to represent students of color.
While the 2001 doll was intended to honor Akie Segawa, it also sparked debate about whether it made a racial statement or was simply a tribute to a student. The tradition, however, continues, showing both the changing fashions and the evolving history of Meredith College and its growing diversity.
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The doll is made of tan plastic with coarse hair. Her face features rounded shapes, including strong eyebrows, and large, round brown eyes. The Margaret Bright Doll Collection is exhibited on the third floor of Johnson Hall.
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We are excited that our class is the first class to embrace the growing diversity on Meredith College's campus and incorporate it into our class doll. We are pleased to present the Class Doll of 2001, Cynthia Jo Hanner. Cynthia is taken from centennial, with our class being the 100th graduating class from Meredith College. Her middle name, Jo, is used to show our appreciation to our outstanding class advisor, Dr. Jo Guglielmi, who has been with us these past four years. Hanner was chosen as the last name to honor a beloved professor of business, Dr. Sandra Hanner, whom we lost to cancer in the spring of 2001. There have been many trends throughout our time at Meredith. Cynthia is wearing one of the biggest comeback trends, black Capri pants. Her red cardigan set comes in handy for all of those Wolfpack games. Animal print has been incorporated in many ways. We chose zebra print for her matching purse and belt. Perhaps most important are her black flip-flops, which complement any Meredith outfit. Most importantly, Cynthia is wearing her Meredith ring in white gold. She is also wearing the MC charm necklace, which she acquired her sophomore year. To offset her Meredith jewelry, she is wearing a silver watch and silver bracelet. Other comeback trends we have seen are silver hoop earrings and colored lens glasses. Included in her zebra purse are a few reminders of the memories we have shared here at Meredith College over the past four years. Cynthia would never forget her whistle, needed for those late Cornhuskin' nights. In fact, because of all of our 2001 whistles, we won the spirit stick. Another stick in her bag is the crook, which has a black ribbon tied on it to represent our success in finding the crook. The daisy chain is wrapped around Cynthia's purse and symbolizes the special bond we share with our little sister class. Cynthia did not leave for class without her green clover, worn in support for our dear classmate, Lacy Ross, and the white ribbon pinned on her cardigan is in remembrance of beloved Akie Segawa. The pink ribbon tied around her purse is in memory of Dr. Hanner. Class doll co-chairs were Julianna Hacskaylo Abernethy, Angela Michelle Cummings, and Kathryn Marley Finch. Special thanks to 2001 Executive Board, Dr. Jo Guglielmi, Becky Woodard, and the Class of 2001.
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Class doll co-chairs were Abernethy, Julianna Hacskaylo; Cummings, Angela Michelle; and Finch, Kathryn Marley
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May 12, 2001
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The Class of 2001
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