Claudia Jo Weber ’61 has been a steadfast supporter of the College, giving each year since 1978. A top student in her high school class, she was excited to attend Vassar, then an all-women’s college, to fully immerse herself in her studies.

“I was a scholarship student from a small town in Ohio,” she says. “I dreamed of a place as rigorous and magical as Vassar, but when I actually arrived on campus – well, I still can't believe it sometimes!”

At Vassar, Jo’s academic journey was diverse and engaging. She was an active member of the Vassar choir, took organ lessons, and majored in zoology. Her initial interest in the foreign service led her to study French, German, and Political Science.

However, she discovered her true passion in the sciences and graduated with a degree in Biology. This paved the way for her to become a Staff Research Associate at the University of California, Davis.

Jo met her wife Mary K. Morrison through their mutual ministry as episcopal church musicians. After Jo retired, she became an episcopal deacon. She and Mary now host and lead a weekly service via Zoom for Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento.

“I attended Vassar when it was still an all-women’s college,” she says. “Even though Vassar is a very different place from how it used to be, I still give because Vassar is as it needs to be right now: a place where students discover and nurture their ability to excel into adulthood, as I did.”

Over the past 46 years, Jo has given gifts supporting the College’s greatest needs, scholarships, faculty salaries and research, student life, residential life, sustainability, campus landscaping, the Alumnae House, the choir, and to mark Reunions.

POSTED: September 26, 2024