Alumni & Friends in Conversation

“The arts and humanities give us the tools of literacy and provide the preeminent vehicle for a dialogue between each of us and humanity’s collective past.” –Eleanor McKay ’67

Eleanor McKay is the CEO of Niermann Weeks Co., a manufacturer and distributor of high-end furniture. She earned a B.A. in history in 1967 from Maryland and two master’s degrees (in history and in information science) from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

“As far as I know, we are the only species that strives to make our world more beautiful and more bearable through the pursuit of the arts and humanities.”
–David M. Petrou ’71

David M. Petrou '71 is an award-winning expert in public affairs and reputation management whose clients have included British Airways, Black & Decker, the government of Canada, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Sprint PCS, and Warner Bros. He earned a B.A. in English in 1971 from Maryland and an M.A. from Georgetown University in 1973.

"Art is a wonderful outlet for relieving stress that is so prevalent in today’s world. It makes you a well-rounded human being and allows you to 'see' the beauty of the world around you in a deeper sense."
-Nancy Herfort Clarvit ’78

Nancy Herfort Clarvit ’78 worked full time in the graphic design field in New York City for 14 years before freelancing in the field and later adding interior design to her repertoire. Dedicated to growing as an artist, she says that each year she takes a course in a technique she hasn’t done before or hasn’t used in a while. “Art has no limits,” she says. “There is always something to learn and experience.”

“As a nation, we seem to have a remarkably limited knowledge of the rest of the world and little ability to handle other languages. Perhaps what we need is another National Defense Education Act, but this time to underwrite education in the humanities.”
–Don Ritchie ’69 & ’75, Associate Historian, U.S. Senate

As associate historian of the U.S. Senate, Don Ritchie ´69 & ´75 has had a bird's-eye view of Capitol Hill, past and present, for more than three decades. He studied American political history with Professor Horace Samuel Merrill and continues to employ the "Merrill Rules for Writing History" in his articles and books.