I am flying back to Memphis after work today for a very special celebration: my grandmother, Mary Donahue Jorgensen, is being inducted into the St. Agnes Academy Hall of Fame! Our family is so excited to come together and celebrate our wonderful, loving matriarch and all of her many accomplishments!
When I was finalizing Granny's nomination, there were some events in her life that I knew bits and pieces about, but which needed more detail and umph. My mom couldn't remember the facts either, so I called up Granny and told her a little white lie - that I was writing a blog post about each member of our family and that she was the first one up! She bought it hook, line, and sinker, and the rest is history...
My grandmother is an amazing woman, and going through this process has shown me how important it is to take a step back and reflect on the powerful things that those around you have accomplished, and to sing their praises from the mountaintops - they deserve it!
So, in honor of my grandmother and her beautiful, inspirational life, I present to you her nomination:
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Selfless. Loving. Devoted. Giving. Prayerful.
These are some of the many adjectives that
beautifully describe my grandmother, Mary Donahue Jorgensen, St. Agnes Academy
class of 1953. When I think of the women in my life who I should strive to
emulate, my grandmother is at the top of my list. I know that she will humbly disagree, but
there is no one more deserving to be inducted into the St. Agnes Academy Hall
of Fame.
My
grandmother, “Granny” to her 13 grandchildren, has exemplified the Dominican
pillars and the standards of St. Agnes from an early age. After her father’s
passing at the age of 14, she was so fortunately offered a scholarship to
attend St. Agnes and bravely juggled school, work, and taking care of her three
younger brothers. One of my favorite pictures is one that you can find in the
St. Agnes archives, and it depicts my grandmother at the blessing of the statue
of St. Agnes, which her senior class raised funds for and purchased from Italy
as their senior gift. My grandmother’s kindness towards her classmates even led
to her induction into the 1953 Hall of Fame, where she was voted “Sweetest.”
She was also awarded the “Babe Ruth Award” during her senior year at St. Agnes.
Prayer: After
high school, my Granny married my grandfather (“Paw Paw”), and the two of them
have served as a true example of a Godly couple for the past 57 years. She was
one of the charter members of St. Louis parish, helping to raise funds for the
church that has been such a blessing to them for so many years. She is
extremely devoted to her parish, participating in Bible studies and faithfully
volunteering each and every week in the St. Louis adoration chapel. My joining
the Catholic Church at the 2013 Easter Vigil was not only a testament to the
values and standards that I learned during my time at St. Agnes, but also to
the faith my grandmother has imparted to me through her steadfast devotion to
the Catholic faith. Though my grandmother could not travel from Memphis to
Atlanta to attend the Easter Vigil due to chemotherapy sessions that left her
tired and weak, I honored her by taking on the confirmation name “Louise,” her
middle name.
Community/Service: My
grandmother has been blessed by God with an amazing, unique gift, the ability
to weave, which she has shared with both the Memphis community and those in
need. She has served as the President of the Memphis Guild of Handloom Weavers two times and as the Vice President countless other times. Her biggest contribution
to the Memphis Guild of Handloom Weavers is by far and away her dedication to
their booth at the Pink Palace Crafts Fair. If you attend the annual Pink
Palace Crafts Fair, then you have probably come across my grandmother giving
weaving demonstrations on little looms to the children, passing down her love
to younger generations. You may have even picked up one of her bookmarks or dog
leashes that she sells out of year after year. In high school I would accompany
my grandmother to the St. Jude Target House, where she would selflessly
volunteer her time to conduct weaving activities with the residents. She would
weave potholders with the parents (and a sprinkling of children), listen to
their stories, offer a hug and a kind word, and provide the residents with a
fun activity that took their minds off of the more serious events occurring in
their lives. She also spends countless (wo)man-hours weaving beautiful baby
blankets, which she donates to Birthright International. A few years ago, my
grandmother wove 19 scarves for participants in the Memphis Teacher Residency,
a faith-based organization that supports college graduates interested in
teaching in low-income Memphis neighborhoods. I have seen firsthand how my
grandmother’s artistic talents have brought smiles to the recipients of her
wares who are deeply appreciative of the loving time and effort that she puts into
each and every piece.
Study: Given
the year that my grandmother graduated from St. Agnes, it was not very common
for females to attend college. She married my grandfather and raised six
wonderful children, but her intellectual curiosity was never put on the back
burner despite her full time job being that of a devoted wife and mother. In
the early 1990s she attended the Memphis College
of Art, taking classes on fiberarts to further her knowledge of weaving. She even
flew to England while in her mid-70s and took
classes pertaining to English quilt and tapestry making. You think St. Agnes is
an Apple-savvy school? You should meet my grandmother! She learned how to sync
her five-foot loom to her Apple computer, using software to help construct
weaving patterns and warp the loom so that she could get to work on her next
masterpiece. She had an iPhone THREE years before me, taking full advantage of
the Apple genius bar so that she could utilize everything that her iPhone had
to offer. Seriously, this is one hip Granny who does not let anything stand in
the way of her learning something new and bettering herself.
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Though
my grandmother lives in Memphis and I am now living in Atlanta, I have a piece
of her with me every single day: her St. Agnes Academy class ring from 1953.
This ring is my most prized possession, and it honestly should not even be here
today. My aunt Carole received this ring when she attended St. Agnes, and she
passed it along to me my sophomore year, a full year before my Ring Ceremony.
She had come across it in her jewelry box and brought it to me at our family
Easter celebration the following Sunday. A week after this celebration, my
aunt’s house burned to the ground and took everything with it. God had bigger
plans for this ring and knew that it needed to get to me. I wear this ring
every single day as a reminder of my grandmother and the love, faith, and servitude
that she has always shown to me, my family, her church, and her community,
which, I have no doubt, were instilled in her through her time at St. Agnes.
