The Miscellany News

You may see the name Alice Hooker Davidson and think, “Where have I seen that name before…?” The answer is on benches all across Vassar College campus. Last year, I noticed that her name was everywhere, so I started counting all the times I saw a bench dedicated to her. My list currently has 14, and I know that it is far from exhaustive.

I have done some internet sleuthing to figure out who Alice was and what she was like. I do not have much information, and a lot of what I do have is pulled from her husband’s and her daughter’s obituaries. Nevertheless, here are the facts: Mary Alice Hooker was born in 1890. She attended Vassar College, graduating in 1912, and married Sidney Wetmore Davidson in 1916. Together, they had six kids, the last of which (also named Alice, who later attended Vassar College) was born in 1929. They lived together in Brooklyn Heights for decades where Sidney passed away in 1979. Alice passed away in 1984 at the age of 94.

I cannot find Alice Hooker Davidson’s obituary; maybe she was not deemed as worthy of one as her husband, perhaps as a result of her gender. Graduating in Vassar’s 44th class, Alice would enter the world as a college graduate but without a right to vote, equal employment opportunity, financial independence and many other freedoms women hold today. Though she may not have a five-paragraph snippet in The New York Times, her memory is kept alive here on campus. Maybe her name was not enough to make the papers, but it caught my eye while I ate a sandwich outside on a nice day in my freshman year. I like to think about how different my world is from the one she lived through, and how much has changed in the last century. I like to think about the hundreds, if not thousands, of souls who have passed through this college’s hallowed halls, and how many may have sat on a bench named after her—people supported, even if unaware, by her legacy.

My favorite Alice Hooker Davidson bench is near the cork tree on Ely Lawn between Ely Hall and Swift Hall. I am an earth science major, so I have a soft spot for Ely Hall and the Department of Earth Sciences and Geography. However, I mostly like this bench for people-watching. I get a great view of people entering and leaving the College Center and passing around the back of Main Building on the way to the Terrace Apartments, Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film, Sanders Classroom Building or wherever they may be going. I can see people crossing paths both literally and figuratively with warm smiles, regardless of the warmth, or lack thereof, outside. When the weather is nice, I will often come to this bench and read. I find it to be quite peaceful. It is best in the autumn when the trees change colors.

I remember sitting on this bench with my family one time when they visited. I remember sitting on this bench with someone I liked in the early days of a relationship. I remember sitting on this bench and calling my brother to talk about an essay I was anxious about. I remember sitting on this bench for five minutes between classes because I just needed to catch my breath. I remember sitting on this bench and having someone take photos of me. I remember sitting on this bench while crying on the phone and eating a Caesar salad from Street Eats. I remember sitting on this bench to watch the sunset and thinking about how many beautiful sunsets I never get to see. I remember sitting on this bench.

I often ask people what their favorite bench on campus is. Most of the time, they respond, “I don’t know,” and I struggle to comprehend that. This campus is smaller than it looks, and there are benches everywhere. Vassar is a rigorous school where students are constantly juggling academics, extracurriculars, social life and that great mysterious hellscape some call “life after graduation,” but I do not think any of us are too busy to sit on a bench for two minutes every once in a while. If you have not sat on a bench recently, you should. Take out your headphones, put away your phone and just be present in the world. Spend a few moments with Alice, listening to the birds. You will be surprised how much you get out of it.