THE LONG LEGACY OF EDUCATING WOMEN & HONORING GU WOMEN IN SPORTS
A View of GU – JANUARY 2026
“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” – Proverbs 31:31
In the December issue of “A View of GU,” I wrote about getting “dressed up” for the holidays at Tidball Alumni House, as we prepared expectantly to host a variety of alumni events during the Christmas season.
The Bible talks about being “dressed up”—prepared and ready—for however God may call us to show up … armed for battle (Ephesians 6:13–17), robed for priestly service (Exodus 28, ), consecrated in servants clothing (Luke 12:35–36), or bedazzled and adorned for eternity (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 19:6b–8).
When I think of bedazzling and adorning ourselves, there’s an easy thruway to framing the unique contributions of women who ready themselves for God’s calling on their lives and the myriad of careers in which He positions women to serve. At Greenville University, a Christian liberal arts institution of higher education birthed out Almira College for Women, we hold a unique calling to carry on the legacy of preparing and readying women (and men 😊) for meaningful and purposeful service in the world.
It’s also easy, at least for me, to allow the Almira College legacy to get lost in the Greenville University story without giving it its due honor. I graduated from—and now work at—a school that carries the name of our beautiful city, not the name of the woman who “gave all she had” to contribute to the establishment of an educational institution focused on equipping women with a rigorous, Christ-centered higher education equal to that of men.
I love that more recent GU initiatives, including the flourishing Amira Leadership Scholarship program and the winsome way in which female student leaders facilitate community via a very “pink” series of “Almira Scholars” events throughout the year, advance the good work of educating women for lives of character and service. (VIEW more on the Almira Scholars Instagram channel > @almirascholars.) We also celebrated “National Women in Sports Day,” February 4, across our athletic programs, honoring past, present and future women who have contributed to the rich legacy of woman’s sports at GU. (READ more on our Legacy of Women in Sports Wall and contribute your story in the article below!)
This past fall at Homecoming & Family Weekend 2025, we recognized the inaugural Winslow Leadership Alumni Award recipient, Ruth (Smith ’62) Winslow, honoring her life of faith-filled inspiration, Christ-centered vocational influence, and Spirit-empowered meaningful impact on others. A cross-cultural nurse for 45 years in China and Taiwan, Winslow trained nurses, coordinated mobile eye care units, and founded Hands of Hope sewing ministry employing and empowering marginalized women. Her memoir, Love Found a Way, recounts her remarkable story and invites current students to follow God into their own unique and callings and careers. (READ more about Ruth’s work and book > greenville.edu/news-media/news/2022/01/13/god-had-a-wonderful-plan-an-alum-shares-about-her-time-as-a-nurse-serving-in-china-and-taiwan)
Almira Scholars activities, the Legacy of Women in Sports wall, and Winslow Leadership award recipients—as well as the 2024 NetVUE grant-funded "History of Women in Leadership" project retelling the stories of our founding GU women leaders (VIEW greenville.edu/inside-gu/netvue-history-of-women-in-leadership/overview)—remind us of the rich soil on which this flourishing, ivy-linked GU community was founded, grounded in the education of women at Almira College. 🧡🐾🌿
----------
LEGACY OF WOMEN IN SPORTS WALL NEED YOUR STORY
Since its dedication at Homecoming Weekend 2024, the “Legacy of Women in Sports Wall,” located in the lobby of in H.J. Long Gymnasium, “packs an inspirational and historical punch” for students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and visitors with its stories about the notable contributions of Greenville students to the growth of intercollegiate women sports.
The Wall, birthed out of a vision of GU Trustee Valerie Gin ’82 and her one-time college roommate, Tena Krause ’80, to honor six great Panther coaches—June Strahl, Marilyn Starr, Sharon Alger ’61, Phyllis Holmes ’61, Lynn Adams ’69, and Pam Craig ’77. Since graduating from GU, Gin and Kruse have since amassed an impressive 55+ years of combined coaching experience at the collegiate level and recognize the life-changing impact of women’s athletics. The project grew to include stories of athletes and coaches, athletic directors, sports educators, sports managers, and more.
“The display does more than herald a single individual,” states a GU news release. “It celebrates the development of women’s athletics nurtured by strong leaders and relationships forged among teammates in the crucible of competition.” These stories of character and service reveal the deep and wide work God does in our GU studies through their connection to GU, both as students and as alumni, to contribute to flourishing in the parts of the world where God positions us. (READ MORE about the dedication of the “Legacy of Women in Sports Wall” > greenville.edu/news-media/news/2024/11/07/legacy-of-women-in-sports-wall-the-story-behind-gus-newly-installed-display.)
----------
👟 YOUR NEXT STEPS: View & Submit Your Stories for the “Legacy of Women in Sports Wall.” Help us continue to capture the stories of character and service forged in the unique setting of athletic competition.
👟 SAVE THE DATE: Homecoming & Family Weekend 2026, October 15–18 😇 featuring the 50-year Reunion Class of 1976, 40-year Reunion Class of 1986, 25-year Reunion Class of 2001, and the 10-year Reunion Class of 2016. 🧡🐾🌿 Senior class officers from these reunion classes, watch your inbox for invitations to initiate planning for your reunion! 🙂)
----------
Until we meet again … keep praying. Keep watching. And keep thanking God with us for the good work He continues to do on campus in the lives of GU students, faculty and staff and in you, our GU alumni and friends. 🧡🐾🌿
VIEW "FOR THE RECORD - JANUARY 2026” ENEWS
