HOLYNAMESHERITAGE CENTERCOMING TO LIFE
This summer, the Academy will break ground on the new Holy
Names Heritage Center, a gift of Melanie and Richard Gonzmart.
Renovations will begin in June immediately following Reunion
Weekend. The Center is expected to open by the Feast Day of
BlessedMarieRoseDurocher, October 6.While thedatemayseem
far off, a team of dedicated volunteers led by SharonWest is hard
atworkpreparing exhibits and collecting and cataloguing artifacts.
West hashadan interest inpreservinganddisplaying thehistoryof
theSistersand theschool formanyyears. Prior toher retirement in
2014, sheexpressed that interest toAcademyPresident ArtRaimo.
Not one tomiss out on a good opportunity, Raimo surprisedWest
by announcing she’d head up the project at her going-away party.
West spent 25 years as a faculty member at AHN, and her arts
background lends itself perfectly to an archivist role.
Her vision and goals for the Center are lofty, and West quickly
assembled a committee to help with the vast amount of work
needed to complete a museum-quality space. She called upon
those who share her love for the Academy and the Sisters—from
fellow current andpast facultymembers to alumni andSisters, the
group iswell-rounded andpassionate about itswork.
Last June,West and committeemember EmilySwiger spent four
days in Portland with some Sisters of the Holy Names learning
about the Portland Holy Names Heritage Center and how it is
run. From this trip, West took away that “the telling, retelling
and creation of new storieswill not only preserve andhonor the
SNJM legacy but will enrich and inspire future generations to
keep the SNJM charism central to anymission that bears the
name.”
Behind the scenes, the committee is operating on a two-pronged
approach: cataloguing the collection andpreparing for the opening
exhibition. According to West, most of the history comes from
writtenchronicles,yearbooksandnewspapers.Letters,photographs
andother artifacts support the stories.
“The Holy Names Heritage Center is essential to preserve the
history, tocarryon thecharismof theSisters, and toeducate future
generationsabout the tremendouscontributions theSistersmade,”
West said, “not justwithour school butwith variousother schools
and the community at large.”
For theCenter’s first exhibit, the committeehopes to tell the stories
about how the Sisters came to be in Tampa Bay and the history
of the schools they established. Each of the display rooms within
the center will focus on a particular school, showcasing both the
Sisters’ impact as educators and on the Tampa Bay community as
awhole.
Membersof thealcove teamAliceNewell,KrisKant,SharonWest,SharonBowmanandToni PelaezCampisi (A’68) in thecurrent archives room.
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SPRING 2016
Feature
STORY
