A Tribute to Nuestra Señora

SFS Community creates an endowed chair in honor of Guillermina Medrano de Supervia!

Sidwell Friends alumni, friends, and students of Señora Supervia have come together to create The Señora Guillermina Medrano de Supervia Endowed Chair for Spanish and Latin American Studies, a permanent endowed faculty position to honor the extraordinary life and teaching of Señora Supervia. Alan Bernstein ’59 pledged the original $300,000 and challenged Sidwell Friends alumni and friends to join him. An additional $300,000 was contributed from the Supervia Spanish Program Endowed Fund. Alumni, parents and friends helped to raise the remaining $600,000 needed to establish the chair. “Honoring Señora is honoring the best in secondary school teaching,” said Alan. “My brothers (Daniel Bernstein ’55 and George Bernstein ’64) and I simply wished to create a permanent honor for the very best in high school teaching, in a way that benefits Sidwell Friends School students for years to come.”

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Larry Posner ’55, Hon. Chair*
Alan Bernstein ’59, Chair
Antonio Casas Gonzalez ’50 
Joan Barbeau de Calvo ’58* 
Mary Rosen Salkever ’59 
Stephen Arent ’60 
Margery Arent Safir 
Carol Carpenter Esteban ’61 
Leland Dobbs ’61 
Michael Gonnerman ’61 
Bruce Bush ’66
Deborah Fosberg Nelson ’66

*deceased

Contact

Tara Arras

Señora Supervia had a profound effect on a generation of students during her long tenure at the School, from her arrival in 1945 until her retirement in 1978. Recognized as one of the country’s finest teachers, she received Harvard University’s Distinguished Secondary Teaching Award in 1965.

The alumni committee hopes to keep Señora Supervia’s life story alive in a powerful way that benefits future Sidwell Friends students.

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