The Passing of Two Legends

By David Fulk ’85, Director of Stewardship

Olive Thomas ’29

Virginia D. Rice ’28

The summer of 2003 marked the passing of two legendary faculty members—Virginia D. Rice ’28 and Olive Thomas ’29. Olive was 97, and Virginia was just a few months shy of her 97th birthday. These two alumnae graduates lived unique lives, yet spent more than 40 years together at their alma mater. They are representative of the liberal arts education that served them well throughout their lives. They arrived as students at Jewell in 1926—Virginia transferring from William Woods College and Olive entering college with her sister, Mary Belle. As women students were relatively new on the campus scene, they assumed pioneer roles in a newly co-educational college. Their Jewell experiences were quite different; however, each pursued majors in education.

Virginia had a flair for the dramatic. She sang in the women’s glee club, performed on the stage, and served as president of the J.P. Fruit Dramatic Club. She was active in Iota Pi sorority (ZTA) and was a 1927 Tatler queen. She put her English major to use on the staff of The Student campus newspaper.

Olive was less active in campus activities, focusing primarily on her biology studies. She participated in Beta Lambda, the women’s biology club. In her senior year, she was the first woman admitted to Beta Beta Beta, Jewell’s chapter of the national biology fraternity, and served as the biology assistant to Dr. C.J. Elmore. Upon leaving Jewell, both pursued master’s degrees in their respective disciplines. Within seven years, they were back on the Hill as members of the faculty. Virginia arrived in 1930 to teach English and dramatics. Olive returned in 1936 to teach biology and botany. Back at Jewell once more, the two women were again blazing a trail—this time as young faculty members on a nearly all-male faculty. For almost four decades they served together, working hard at teaching students the techniques and nuances of their individual disciplines. Olive’s nephew, Dave Loomis ’67, remembers his aunt as practical, abrupt and quick-witted, making for a most independent and strong-willed person. He says,“Olive used to say, ‘I don’t suffer fools well,’ and she didn’t.” She made her niche in the classrooms and labs of Marston Hall, teaching every course in the biology curriculum and guiding students through thousands of experiments. Her office was nicknamed “Olive’s Pit.” Dr. Georgia Bowman ’34, emerita professor of communication and close personal friend, recalls that Olive “didn’t try to influence other people on the faculty because she was always focused on biology and her students.”

Virginia was an idealist who taught students how to portray themselves well to others. Her students recall her ability to teach them how to speak and demonstrate confidence in tense situations. While at Jewell she directed more than 150 productions, creating elaborate costumes out of leftover scraps of fabric. Among her most notable productions was the Centennial Pageant, which she wrote and produced in 1949 for the College anniversary. She was known as the “fast moving Virginia D.” Many marveled that she could walk from her home on South Jewell Street to her third floor office in Jewell Hall in less than three minutes. Others have memories of Virginia’s love of pink dresses and her hats. Oh, the hats—always worn with a tilt!

In their lifetimes, Olive Thomas and Virginia Rice saw Jewell evolve from an old-world institution into a modern one. They welcomed and taught the veterans who returned from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. They witnessed the civil rights struggles and social unrest of the 1960s. They served under four presidents and left Jewell with women making up nearly half the faculty. Olive retired in 1974 and Virginia in 1975. Each left the College having influenced hundreds, even thousands, of students.

Olive remained in her Liberty home on South Leonard Street throughout retirement. For 25 years, she was active in the Liberty Hospital Auxiliary, greeting visitors at the hospital’s information center. She was a member of the Liberty United Methodist Church and the Business Women’s Club. In the 1970s she showed standard poodles. Throughout her life, she loved to sew, cook, bake and can. While Olive did not return to the campus often, she celebrated her 70th class reunion in 1999 and attended some 50-year reunion dinners, to the delight of alumni. Olive passed away August 10, 2003, after a fall in her home. In the late 1970s, Virginia moved from Liberty to John Knox Village in Lee’s Summit, Mo., where she quickly organized the John Knox Players, a drama troupe comprised of residents. She also served as the facility’s fine arts activities director and was featured in John Knox television commercials. Virginia visited the campus often in her retirement.

She was a special guest at the opening of Peters Theater in Brown Hall in 1983. She returned to campus for commencements, alumni association meetings and class reunions. She attended her 75th consecutive commencement in 1999 as part of the College’s Sesquicentennial celebration. Virginia died July 7, 2003. Both Virginia and Olive shared a life-long passion for poetry, possibly instilled by their poetry professor at Jewell, J.P. “Daddy” Fruit. Family members recall Olive’s ability to recite long passages of poetry. Virginia’s love of poetry took the form of writing verses, some of which were published. Her favorite poem was “Barter” by Sara Teasdale. She recited it at the alumni luncheon celebrating her 70th class reunion in 1998.

Life has loveliness to sell, All beautiful and splendid things, Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings, And children’s faces looking up Holding wonder like a cup. Life has loveliness to sell, Music like a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain, Eyes that love you, arms that hold, And for your spirit’s still delight, Holy thoughts that star the night. Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost; For one white singing hour of peace Count many a year of strife well lost, And for a breath of ecstasy Give all you have been, or could be. This poem speaks to the lives of these two single women whose “children”were the hundreds of students they taught. Through devotion to their alma mater, their teaching disciplines and their students, they “sold loveliness” and never “counted the cost.” The result is an enduring legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

Endowed scholarships have been established in memory of Virginia and Olive. Gifts may be made to either or both through Jewell’s Office of Institutional Advancement, Campus Box 1032, 500 College Hill, Liberty,Missouri 64068.