2023 Josephine Sitterle Failer Award

I lived in a house with 26 girls. We all slept in the third-floor dormer in 13 sets of bunk beds. We kept our belongings in a second-floor room, where I had half of a chest of drawers, half of a closet and a bookcase. We celebrated big moments in our roommates’ lives with a midnight candle lighting ceremony. Like current ASH residents, we had weekly chores to keep the house clean. We had a cook, but today the women cook their own meals. Students now have beds in their rooms, but life in an ASH house is still a cooperative living experience.

Every fall, we hold a welcome reception, and I love watching the new students as they listen to our alumnae talk about their days on campus and in the ASH houses. I also love to share stories about former residents who went on to create groundbreaking programs and become scholars in their fields, so students can see that their dreams are achievable.

I knew Jo Failer from her visits to the ASH house where I lived. She was a resource, someone who cared for us and wanted the best for us, and we appreciated her gracious support. She graduated in 1939 with a degree in pharmacy and was a great example of a successful, independent woman. She was ahead of her time.

Yes, seven of my eight siblings attended Ohio State. My brother Marvin has often said, “I didn’t know there was a choice other than Ohio State.”