| SPRING 2010
Special Note to Our Readers:
How this story came about is a story in itself. Originally, we planned to write about several women who are members of Webster’s “Golden Circle” group—alums who graduated 50 or more years ago. While the story was in development, we learned that one of these women, Elizabeth Christman, had died on Feb. 4. She graduated from Webster in 1935 with a degree in English, then went on to become a successful literary agent in New York and, much later, a professor of writing at DePauw and Notre Dame universities.
The day after Miss Christman’s obituary appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, we came across a moving tribute to her in the online newspaper PoliticsDaily.com. It was penned by Editor-in-Chief Melinda Henneberger, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who was a student of Miss Christman’s at Notre Dame in the 1970s. She gave us her permission to reprint the tribute in Webster World, saying, “Thanks so much to your school for teaching my teacher!”
That’s when we decided to focus this story solely on Elizabeth Christman; we’ll feature the stories of other Golden Circle members in future issues of Webster World.
While in Washington, D.C., on business a few weeks later, Webster University President Beth Stroble had the opportunity to have dinner with Ms. Henneberger. Dr. Stroble mentioned her own friend and mentor, Mary Burtschi, another Webster alum who graduated in 1933 with a degree in English.
Like Elizabeth Christman, Mary Burtschi was a gifted writer and teacher who went on to chronicle the history of Vandalia, Ill., where Dr. Stroble had her first teaching job. In her master’s thesis, “Portrait of Mary Burtschi: Recollections of a Vandalia Historian,” Dr. Stroble wrote, “Her sphere of influence broadened from her town, and her classroom, to all those who read her volumes.”
Dr. Stroble and Ms. Henneberger concluded that their two mentors likely perfected their craft under the tutelage of the same Webster professor.
But who was that person?
After some digging through the archives, our best guess is either Sister Mary Louise Buetner or Sister Aloysia Marie Blincoe—or both—since they were the two English instructors who taught at Webster during the years that Elizabeth Christman and Mary Burtschi both studied here.
No matter who gets the credit for turning out these two masters of the written word, the important takeaway, we think, is that the lessons taught here at Webster some 75 years ago continue to influence great writers today. Just read Ms. Henneberger’s tribute to Elizabeth Christman and we’re sure you’ll agree.
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