Cottey College turns 125 years old this year! On September 8, 1884, Virginia Alice Cottey held her first day of classes in what was then called Vernon Seminary. Started with $3,000 saved by her and her sisters, the modest one-building school opened with Miss Cottey reading the following statement to the first students:

“Fully realizing, we trust, the great fact that God has called woman to a high and holy destiny in that He has commissioned her to be a co-laborer with himself in the great work of enlightening and saving the world, we desire to open a school that shall have for its prime object the adjustment of woman to this her natural and God-given relation.”

During 2009, Cottey will celebrate its quasquicentennial with the theme "One Vision~125 Years" to note that the vision of Virginia Alice Cottey, the goal of educating women, has not changed over the long and distinguished history of this institution.

A 125th Anniversary Committee has planned several events on campus to celebrate this special anniversary. In February, the committee hosted a fun Sunday evening event, The College of Cottey Knowledge Bowl, pitting a team of faculty and staff against a team of students to see who knew their Cottey history better. On March 28, a special exhibit of the art work of the late Harry Chew, Cottey art professor, will open with a reception from 3-5 p.m. Dodie and Pam Chew are expected to attend this gala opening. The Library is doing a special oral history project for Women’s History Month to record memories alumnae have of Cottey. Special events for the fall will be announced in a later issue of the Viewpoint.

The special quasquicentennial logo shown on this page was designed by graphic designer and Cottey alumna Sarah Roulston ‘04. Nancy Delahanty Kerbs ‘79, Cottey’s coordinator of institutional research, has been running a series of Cottey history notes in both weekly newsletters for students and employees. Below is one of the historical notes featured recently.

"Did Virginia Alice Cottey have a Valentine? According to The Cottey Sisters of Missouri, she had many male admirers as a young woman. She did not marry either of the two most serious suitors because her vision for the school would not be possible. On March 6, 1890, she married the genial Sam Stockard in the Main Hall Parlor. She consented to marriage only after telling him that her school would always come first, as it had from the beginning."

Have a special historical note to share? Send it to the Viewpoint! We’d love to share some of the best of your Cottey memories during this special anniversary year.