Participation in St. Mary's unique research program set a career in medicine in motion for Meg Cornaghie, MD ’11. Now, Cornaghie is in her fourth year of orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.
Alumnae
Welcome
Young women of integrity, compassion, and confidence
That’s how the school viewbook describes the St. Mary’s girls of today, and these words ring true of alumnae as well.
It is encouraging to see St. Mary’s - the #1 girls' school in the Southeast region - continue its tradition of providing an outstanding education which enables each student to reach her potential and instills in girls a sense of responsibility to others and a belief that they can make the world better.
It is also delightful to be part of a community of capable, hard-working, and fun-loving women. St. Mary’s welcomes alumnae back to campus for our annual Alumnae Weekend and brings together alumnae for events throughout the year and across the country, including book clubs, alumnae chapel speakers, decades parties, and gatherings of alumnae in other cities.
The financial support of alumnae is vital to the school. More than half of our alumnae give to the Annual Fund, with gifts ranging from $50 to $50,000. All gifts are essential as we ensure that today’s girls receive an exemplary education in a supportive community, just as we did. Please know that we are grateful for every single gift, regardless of size, as we are grateful for you as a member of the
St. Mary's family.
Please contact us to learn more about upcoming events, to share an idea, or to get more involved in volunteering or leadership.
We hope to see you soon!
Anna Snyder Rojas '01
Alumnae Board President
Gigi Gould ’70
Alumnae Relations Manager
Alumnae Leadership
Alumnae Board 2022-2023
Anna Snyder Rojas ’01, President
Elizabeth Middlecoff Allen ’91
Elizabeth Simpson Alrutz ’82
Essie Arrindell-Williams ’98
Morgan Beckford ’06
Jenay Gipson Boggs ’06
Lynn Bledsoe Buhler ’67
McKenzie Aiken Crisp ’85
Madge Logan Deacon ’69
Elizabeth Cashman Dickinson ’86
Beth Brown Dunn ’79
Courtney Ellis Felts ’96
Whitney Baer Foster ’00
Hayley Bower Gerber ’01
Grayce Gordon ’10
Gigi Gould ’70
Celeste Bailey Herburger ’91
Angie King Keesee ’72
Kristen Thompson Keegan ’90
Sharlene Sidhu Keithley ”96
Emma Less ’13
Bethany Mays Owen ’93
Polly Klyce Pennoyer ’02
Lida Kruchten Ewald ’13
Corinne Friese McLaughlin ’76
Patti Person Ray ’65
Lisa Breazeale Roberts ’85
Amy Reinhardt Robinson ’00
Jordan Upton Schieffler ’12
Courtney Shove ’96
Kate Metcalf Sullivan ’01
Abby Yandell Talbot ’03
Falconer Robbins Warren ’05
Jan Valentine Wiygul ’76
Class Secretaries
If you have news to share with your classmates, simply contact your class secretary. Names are included in the information below.
1957-1979
1963 - Jenny Emison Ewing
1964 - Phyllis Wills
1965 - Julia Malone
1966 - Diane Taylor Newton
1967 - Bette West Bush
1968 - Jan Cone Davis
1969 - Pam McNeely Williams
1970 - Cristina Brescia Michta
1971 - Carolyn Cockroft
1972 - Christine Mayer Todd
1973 - Olivia Montgomery
1974 - Ruth Gordon White
1975 - Laurie Walpole
1976 - Allison Brown Coates
1977 - Janey Butler Newton
1978 - Tracy DeBacco Balton
1979 - Elizabeth Brown Dunn
1980-1999
1980 - Margaret Stone Graham
1981 - Katherine Lucas Hall and Carey Stanton
1982 - Elizabeth Simpson Alrutz
1983 - Bonnie Bolton Lopez
1984 - Vanessa Allen Dobbins
1985 - Polly Piper Rickard
1986 - Jean Vaughan McGhee
1987 - Allison Tonkin
1988 - Anna McQuiston Holtzclaw
1989 - Mary Elizabeth Treadwell Pittman
1990 - Miriam Kriegel
1991 - Camellia Koleyni Sharma
1992 - Alison Roesler Coons
1993 - Kristen Mistretta Wilson
1994 - Kathryn Leigh DeRossitt
1995 - Carrie Sue Casey Hanback
1996 - Jaime Newsom
1997 - Hollye Ferguson Stigler
1998 - Laurin Maddux
1999 - Kelly Buckner Dallas
2000-2020
2000 - Whitney Baer
2001 - Lauren Anderson Stone
2002 - Polly Klyce Pennoyer
2003 - Alexandra Bicks and Laurence Goodwin
2004 - Victoria Luke Morich
2005 - Sarah Atkinson Ball and Lauren Wiygul Riley
2006 - Becky Bicks and Mamie Kostka
2007 - Caiti Clark and Caitlin Colcolough
2008 - Katelyn Ammons, Margaret Liddon, and Edie Miller
2009 - Bailey Bethell and Sylvia Brookoff
2010 - Erin Stuart
2011 - Meg Cornaghie and Allyson Patterson
2012 - Ellery Ammons and Chandler Roberts
2013 - Anna Stukenborg and Anna Utley
2014 - Lacy Chaum and Miles Schaeffer
2015 - Michelle Chu and Emma Farris
2016 - A'Doriann Bradley and Grace Ugwueke
2017- Rachel Chin, Jean Jackson, and Anar Parmar
2018- Olivia Nielsen, Keith Ellis Prest, and Julia Preston
2019 - Faith Bradley, Arabella McGowan
2020 - Gabriella Couloubaritsis '20, Sarah Bratton '20
Alumnae Weekend 2024
Awards
Outstanding Alumna Award
The Outstanding Alumna Award is given each year to an alumna who exhibits the qualities inherent in the St. Mary’s philosophy: integrity, spirituality, loyalty, and service.
Brandon Garrott Morrison ’83
The St. Mary's Alumnae Association is pleased to announce that Brandon Garrott Morrison ’83 will be honored as the 2023 Outstanding Alumna. Morrison will receive the award and deliver remarks during St. Mary’s Alumnae Weekend on Friday, March 31.
Morrison is the Family Office President of MBA Corporation, a member of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, and a former Chair of St. Mary’s Board of Trustees.
“I am grateful to the Lord for St. Mary’s, my family, and my peers who selected me for this honor,” said Morrison.
Each year, the Outstanding Alumna Award is given to an alumna who has distinguished herself through service, courage, compassion, and leadership. In the fall, alumnae are encouraged to nominate their peers for the award. The Alumnae Association Board then votes to select one deserving recipient to honor at Alumnae Weekend.
“St. Mary’s alumnae consistently make a positive impact on their communities, and Brandon is no exception,” shares Patti Person Ray ’65, Chair of the Outstanding Alumna Selection Committee.
As a student at St. Mary’s, Morrison was selected as May Day Queen and awarded the Gold Cross at graduation. She continued her service to the St. Mary’s community as a member of the Board of Trustees from 2003-2010. Morrison was Board Chair from 2008-2010.
After graduating from St. Mary’s, Morrison attended Vanderbilt University, earning a bachelor’s degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors and obtaining an MBA. Morrison was also a member of the Vanderbilt University Alumni Board.
Morrison has proudly served the Memphis community as a leader and board member of numerous community organizations, such as the Children’s Foundation, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Memphis Garden Club, Second Presbyterian Church, The Memphis Zoo, Baptist Memorial Hospital Community Advisory Board, Memphis 3.0, and the Chickasaw Council.
Morrison also serves on the Board of Directors and Audit & Executive Committee for Adams Keegan and previously served on the Board of Directors for Monogram Foods. As County Commissioner, Morrison currently serves on several standing committees and boards, including Land Use Planning, Transportation and Codes Enforcement as Chair, Workforce Development as Chair, Legislative Affairs as Vice-Chair, and the Public Records Commission. She previously served as Chair of Community Services, Vice-Chair of Education, and a member of the Pension Board and the Aging Commission. Additionally, Governor Bill Lee appointed Morrison to serve on Tennessee’s Joint Economic Development Community Board.
Morrison and her husband, Joe, are the proud parents of five children, three of whom are St. Mary’s graduates: Allie ’08, Ruthie ’09, and Jane ’15.
Please join us in congratulating Morrison, whose outstanding leadership brings light and life to everything she does.
Outstanding Alumna Award Recipients
- 2022: Kathy Buckman Gibson '80
- 2020: Kat Gordon '00
- 2019: Sarah Willmott Cowens '82
- 2018: Donna Osborne Bradley '74
- 2017: Gretchen Wollert McLennon ’93
- 2016: Andrea Martin Armani ’96
- 2015: Lisa Francis Turner '78
- 2014: Suzanne Hollis Apple '76
- 2013: Susan Roberts Colpitts '75
- 2012: Ashley Moore Remmers '72
- 2011: Marty Jones '71
- 2010: Musette Sprunt Morgan '72
- 2009: Lisa Moore Cook '82
- 2008: Crissy Garrett Haslam '76
- 2007: Watty Brooks Hall '75
- 2006: Mary Kavanagh Day '82
- 2005: Kempie Craddock Jenkins ’74
- 2004: Mary Catherine Lynn Hitchings ’47
- 2003: Sara Sorsby Dennis ’63
- 2002: Joy Brown Wiener ’47
- 2001: Janet Tucker Pryor '34
- 2000: Julia Sprunt Grumbles ’71
- 1999: Sarah Loaring-Clark Flowers ’47
- 1998: Nora Wingfield Tyson ’75
- 1997: Brooke Morrow ’74
- 1996: Gwen Awsumb ’32
- 1995: Jan Muirhead ’71
- 1994: Cristina Brescia Michta ’70
- 1993: Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner ’66
- 1992: Lee McGeorge Durrell ’67
Creative Teacher Award Recipients
2020: Carrie Ruhland
2019: Meagan Michael
2018: Sarah Trimm
2017: Kari Duncan
2016: Allison Warren
2015: Sally Mansberg Rosenberg '80
2014: Jeanine Akers
2013: Jessica Lancaster
2012: Shelley Kuykendall Herzke '90
2011: Caroline Goodman
2010: Middle School Robotics Team
2009: Jan Cone Davis '68
2008: Josie McNeely Walker '76
2007: Becky Jacks
2006: Lain Whitaker
2005: Leigh Mansberg
2004: Nancy Miller
2003: Jenny Madden
2002: Michael Volpe
2001: Jeanne Wilson
2000: Allyson Raymer
1999: Marsha Stemmler
1998: Ann Wright
1997: Mary Lou Entzminger
1996: Kathleen McElroy
1995: Eighth Grade ENSEMBLE Team
1994: Linda Goodwin
1993: Nanette Quinn
1992: Gwenice McLaughlin
1991: Kay Betts
1990: Rhendle Millen
1989: Laurel Eskridge
1988: Anne Reiners
1987: Kay Humphreys
1986: Sheila Patrick
1985: Laura Brewer
1984: Emily Townes
1983: Richard Tanner
1982: Lee McMahon
1981: Barbara Mansberg
Creative Teacher Award
The St. Mary’s Alumnae Association presents the Creative Teacher Award each year to a teacher who exemplifies the high ideals of the school and who embodies a spirit of wonder and imagination. The award rotates among divisions and is selected by the division head.
Carrie Ruhland
Creative Teacher 2020
Chapel Talks
Alumnae Trips
News
Read the latest news and updates on St. Mary's Alumnae. Click here to see what's happening on our vibrant campus.
Meet Sherronda Johnson ’82, Admission Coordinator and North Campus Registrar. Sherronda first came to St. Mary's as a student in 7th grade. After graduating in 1982, she obtained a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University.
Peggy Wilson Lawrence didn’t graduate from St. Mary’s, but you couldn’t tell that to Lawrence or any of her classmates from the class of 1973, who consider her a fellow alumna. Lawrence and her older sister spent their formative years at St. Mary’s. She remains grateful for her time at St. Mary’s and the friendships that began there.
When it was time to apply to college, Addie Heehs ’22 wanted an experience that extended beyond the classroom. The Haslam Scholars program at the University of Tennessee has exceeded all her expectations. The highly-competitive scholarship includes study abroad, a paid internship, a stipend scholarship, an intensive thesis project, and a full scholarship.
For Amina Dilawari ’95, there was no question where Noora ’36 and Nadiya ’34 would attend school. “We make a lot of difficult choices as parents; fortunately for us, choosing the right school for our girls was easy. It was always St. Mary’s,” Amina said.
The St. Mary's Alumnae Association is pleased to announce that Brandon Garrott Morrison ’83 will be honored as the 2023 Outstanding Alumna. Morrison will receive the award and deliver remarks during St. Mary’s Alumnae Weekend on Friday, March 31. Morrison is the Family Office President of MBA Corporation, a member of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, and a former chair of St. Mary’s Board of Trustees. Each year, the Outstanding Alumna Award is given to an alumna who has distinguished herself through service, courage, compassion, and leadership.
Joy Jackson ’19 was recently recognized for her innovative work to address a critical health disparity for patients of color who require electroencephalograms (EEGs). Jackson, a senior, Singer Scholar, and biomedical engineering major the University of Miami, led a team of undergraduates to design an electrode holder that improves EEG readings for people with textured hair.
Performing Arts Teacher Taylor Ragan '07 reflects on her experience in the theater department during her time at St. Mary's.