Distinguished Alumna Award: Virginia Newlin '38

 

In Creek Road Gang, an anthology of autobiographical writing and memoir along with stories, humor, poetry, reviews, and pictures, Ginnie Strong Newlin describes herself as follows:

 

“Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to publish some articles, fiction, biography, and poetry, but as far as that goes, I hit my peak when I was eight years old with several poems in Springside School’s Chestnut Burr.  Springside School is in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. My two sisters, my mother, and I all went there.”

 

At the celebration of her 70th reunion in 2008, Ginnie also shared that “going to Springside set me off on the right path. It taught me that I was as smart and capable as any boy. It taught me to reason, express my ideas, and to do so in front of even my father. Because of that, I was never afraid to speak up in a class, and with experience, in public. The Springside curriculum of my day encouraged a love of language and literature: English, French, Latin. I am still able (however inexpertly) to read some of the two latter, speak some French, and teach and work in English prose and poetry. Add to that, the expert instruction we got in math and science—and our training in sports, which taught us to use our bodies early in life. (I am still doing aerobic dance and playing tennis.) Springside prepared me to lead an active, thinking, committed life. What more could any girl want of her schooling?”

 

That Springside played such a role in her rather remarkable life makes her alma mater enormously proud. Why? Because Ginnie has led an active, thinking, committed life and we’d like to add the adjectives of bold, creative, fruitful, and fearless to describe the route she has taken to lead her back to Springside today to accept this award.

 

Here’s what you need to know about her:

 

Ginnie graduated from Springside and matriculated at Smith. The ever-hungry studentthen attended business school and took some writing courses at Penn. She married and lived in Paoli, riding her horses and raising five children. 

 

One of her sons said, “Mom, you are always studying. Why don’t you go to graduate school?” 

 

Without an undergraduate degree, she was accepted to St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. If she did well during that first summer, she could continue studying toward this degree. And she did! Ginnie received a master’s in liberal arts. She didn’t stop there. She did a year of continuing education at Bryn Mawr and then enrolled in London’s Antioch College where she received another master’s degree in creative writing.  

 

Ginnie then became a teacher; in fact, she became an accomplished teacher of writers and poets and amongst her students are professors at our area colleges! She taught in the English Department at Temple and she has been teaching at the Main Line Night School for many years.

 

Ginnie is also a talented writer and poet and is the official East Goshen, PA Poet Laureate. In this role, she has called upon local poets to create their own masterpieces and share them in summer poetry reading sessions in the park.

 

Fitness Enthusiast – Ginnie has always remained physically active as well enjoying yoga, aerobics (she taught aerobics, too), horseback riding, former competitive and active tennis and pickleball player. (For those who are unfamiliar with pickleball, it is a mixture of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong that is played both indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net with a paddle and a plastic ball.)

 

Additionally, she is a horticulturalist and involved with watershed restoration. And the following verse combines poetry with her love and care for nature:

 

“It’s fun for my feet, I learn about currents and wind from the fleet of sticks I’m sailing … Then rest in the shade a big tree has made ... It has lessons for me. This stream must flow free. We need to take care, that this water is clear, that shade trees are near ... And the newt and the snake and the bird because these are special things to be seen and special things to be heard.”

 

While Ginnie describes nature so beautifully through poetry, in the following words, Ginnie describes the nature of poetry:

 

“That’s often the way with poetry, you start out with a line and the poem takes off. You hang to its mane, so to speak, yelling whoa or digging in your heels, as needed. After the ride is over, you spend a bunch of time picking mud from the poem’s hoofs or pulling burrs from its tail.”

 

Ginnie, thank goodness you have been picking mud from your poem’s hoofs and pulling burrs from their tails, as we, and your extended community of students, friends, and family, are the recipients of your keen creativity. It is with revered delight that we present this Springside’s Distinguished Alumna Award to you for all you have accomplished in your active, thinking, and committed life!