Ms. Baldwin, originally from Philadelphia, was thirteen, when she came to Shipley. She remarks that she “had a roommate each year.” Her first roommate was Susan Calkins, her second, Sara Latz, and for the last two years of school, she roomed with Meg Biddle. “I name them because they deserve recognition for being willing to room with an African American—a question their parents were asked,” she explains. 

Ms. Baldwin explains that she chose to come to Shipley because of “the quality education and the opportunity to do something on behalf of my race that would benefit those who came after me.” She considers her experience at Shipley “life altering.” 

“It was a very painful time in my life,” she recalls, “but there was a rich, deep silver lining. To put it in context, I was excited and somewhat apprehensive about the unknown journey on which I was about to embark… I was honored and knew I was privileged to represent my race in a very important social experiment.” 

She knew that she would be confronted with many different obstacles in her time at Shipley. “It was a time when society at large was trying to redress some of the gross social inequities, especially with respect to education... Being one of the first to cross these particular lines, however, came with a great emotional price,” says Baldwin. 

Baldwin explains that she was able to get through some of the tough moments due to the support from her mother. “Her extraordinary parenting gave me the confidence, capacity, and courage to navigate the challenges and embrace the opportunity, which was in perfect sync with Shipley’s motto: ‘courage for the deed, grace for the doing.’ I am grateful for my mother’s vision that she had for me.” 

Shipley taught her many similar values to the ones her mother emphasized: “ 1) to always strive for excellence in one’s endeavors; 2) to be brave and deal with the cards you are dealt with grace, as exemplified in Shipley’s motto: ‘courage for the deed, grace for the doing’; 3) to have compassion for all who suffer; and 4) to have a strong moral compass.” These values have shaped Ms. Baldwin into the person she is today.

She graduated from Shipley in 1968 and is still close with four of her classmates. She now works as a television executive in Los Angeles, California after earning a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and receiving a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law in 1975. 

Dr. Vaughn was a part of the class of 1969. Her parents motivated her to come to Shipley and thought that it would provide a good basis for college and graduate school. At the time, Shipley wanted to integrate its student body with girls from different backgrounds, and Vaughn’s parents “leapt at the chance.” 

On her experience at Shipley, Dr. Vaughn answered, “In short, I loved it.” Dr. Vaughn is grateful that her parents encouraged her to do so because at Shipley, she learned to believe in herself, challenge herself, have integrity, and to be thorough in all that she takes on.

During her first year in the seventh grade, she was a day student and would commute from her house in West Philadelphia. In eighth grade, she started boarding, which she did until graduation. Dr. Vaughn loved living in a boarding school because it “gave me instant sisters.” She adds, “I loved growing up with other girls my age. We shared all of the ups and downs that adolescent girls usually experience. We supported each other... I remain bonded with some of those women with whom I grew up.” 

However, Dr. Vaughn remarks that she was faced with some challenges. “When I first arrived, the biggest challenge was the different type of teaching as opposed to what I had experienced in public school. I had been lucky enough to go to very good public schools that emphasized scholarship. At Shipley however, there was an emphasis on critical thought rather than rote memorization. It was also my first exposure to creative writing.” She explains that the writing skills she gained at Shipley helped her in college and still do to this day. 

After graduating, Dr. Vaughn went on to Oberlin College and then to Temple, where she obtained her medical degree to pursue her current profession as a gynecologist. She stated that she does still keep in touch with her friends from Shipley and they have occasional dinners together. 

Ms. Baldwin and Dr. Vaughn paved the way for a person like me to attend Shipley. They were brave in fighting for quality education despite being in an environment where they might not have been initially accepted.