Never Graduate from the Highest of Universities
May 30th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Recently I had the occasion to visit the “Ladies Library Association” building in my adopted hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Although I’ve visited this historic building before, I had never paid a whole lot of attention to history of one of the founders, Lucinda Hinsdale Stone.
Ms. Stone was a founding member of this association, which is still in existence today. It began as the first lending library in Kalamazoo in 1844, and preceded our local public library twenty years later. The building, a wonderful historic landmark, was completed in 1878 as the first in the nation to exclusively house a women’s organization.
What is important in all of this is the discovery of a true leader in Ms. Stone who exemplified “walking the talk”. She was an advocate for women’s causes, a mentor to young women and a model for women to become leaders in our community and throughout the state of Michigan. She fought for women to become educated, and more specifically, for the University of Michigan to open it’s doors to them. Everything she became involved in had the intent of educating women. I’m guessing that, because she was ahead of her time, she did all of the above at great personal cost.
In the words of Helen M. Henrotin, who wrote the introduction to the Lucinda Stone biography (“Lucinda Hinsdale Stone, Her Life Story and Reminiscences” ) and written by Belle McArthur Perry, “She (Lucinda Stone) never graduated from that highest of universities – Life.” I am convinced after reading this introduction by someone who had personally met Ms.Stone that she was a woman of integrity and continual learning. Ms.Stone’s actions reflected her values and convictions no matter the cost.
My initial interest in Ms.Stone was through her lasting effect on the community in which I live. She left a legacy, part of which includes the marvelous building pictured that still stands and houses an organization that has an active place in our community almost a century and a half later. However, my continued interest is in her leadership, at a time when women were not accepted as “leaders”, and the model Ms.Stone set for other leaders to walk the talk and to continually learn.
As a continual learner herself, Lucinda Hinsdale Stone “never graduated from the highest of universities – life”. The work she began in our community continued throughout her life and continues today, well over a hundred years later.
The leaders who leave a legacy such as hers are lifelong learners about the world around them. They reflect and consider their actions, and the effect of their actions on the people they lead. They believe in the people they mentor. As she did, they learn from their their triumphs and their mistakes. They follow through on their beliefs and values, often at great personal cost.
It was uplifting to read notes sent to Ms. Stone from a few of her students. One said, “Somehow you had the power of divining the best there was in us, and the tact to bring it out.” Another student said she had “divine faculty of seeing others at their best, and had unbounded charity for our faults.”
I rather suspect Lucinda Hinsdale Stone learned a lot from her students, too in the Highest of universities – Life!
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