Gallery • 3 Photos

Cam Hart

Lynn Hitchings Albano ('77) speaks in honor of her grandmother, Gilmore Lynn.

Students may have noticed the newest addition in the library: a mannequin decked out in the school uniform from 1961. She’s here to celebrate the latest addition to the school calendar.

St. Mary’s is more than 175 years old, but until this year, there has never been a day to celebrate the founding of the school. 

“Once we celebrated our 175th year, Mr. [Albert] Throckmorton decided we needed to start an event called Founder’s Day, so people understood the history of [St. Mary’s] a little bit better,” said Head of Upper School Ms. Lauren Rogers.

School historian and Founder’s Day organizer Dr. Patti Ray (‘65) aims to ensure that everyone has a firm understanding of the school’s history.

“[Founder’s Day is a] celebration of the legacy, perseverance and resilience of St. Mary’s Episcopal School,” said Dr. Ray. “We’re hoping that [Founder’s Day] will bring to light an awareness of the strength of the people who persevered to keep the school going.” 

Upper School English teacher Shari Ray thinks that Founder’s Day came right when St. Mary’s most needed it. 

“Now that we are out of the pandemic, to remember where we came from is a very important thing,” Ms. Ray said. 

Founder’s Day was honored in Chapel. This year, Dr. Ray and Head of School Mr. Albert Throckmorton recognized and celebrated Gilmore Lynn and the class of 1961. Lynn’s granddaughter, Lynn Hitchings Albano (‘77), spoke about her grandmother’s effort and dedication to starting St. Mary’s at its present location. 

The future of Founder’s Day is undefined, and the administration remains undecided on how often to celebrate Founder’s Day going forward. As for the new Founder’s Day mannequin in the library, she is here to stay. She celebrates the Class of ‘61 and their contributions to St. Mary’s. Name suggestions for the mannequin are welcome in the comments.