“I always thought of her as a bright light,” said Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College alumna Carmen Piasecki ’70, attorney at Nickle & Piasecki Law Firm in South Bend, Indiana, of emerita president Barbara Doherty, SP, ’53, Ph.D., who passed away Monday, Aug. 17, 2020.
Sister Barbara served faithfully as the thirteenth president of the College from 1984-1998, and as chancellor of the College following her retirement until her death.
“She had such a sense of spontaneity about her. She really brought things to life,” said Piasecki as she fondly recounted a memory of Sister Barbara being an animated and passionate instructor, who would often look for ways to bring her teaching to life. “I remember she was teaching us on a difficult concept. She stood first on a chair and then on the desk, and then promptly put her foot in the waste basket.”
“She’s been a part of my life for a long time. She was dynamic and a unique individual, who was easy to talk to,” added Piasecki, whose connections to The Woods and Sister Barbara were as student and trustee. Piasecki served the College as chair of the board of trustees from 1997 to 2000.
Sister Barbara, known for making an impact – in the lives of many alumni and in the community – was an author, leader, lecturer, scholar, servant, teacher and theologian, however she may be best remembered for her gregarious personality and as a fierce mentor and friend.
“In the late 1980s, when I worked for S. Barbara (or SBD as we referred to her!), we launched a $15 million fundraising campaign in conjunction with the College’s Sesquicentennial. Sister Barbara had promoted me into the position of Vice President of Institutional Advancement at a young age and took a chance on me,” shared alumna Angela White ’86, senior consultant and CEO of Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates in Indianapolis, Ind. “Together, we visited donors, seized opportunities and faced challenges in order to successfully achieve our campaign goal. What I remember most about Sister Barbara is her leadership style – she demanded perfection, but in the right way: she mentored you, guided you, and always gave you a smile and an encouraging word or phrase.”
White added, “And, she always called me ‘kid’ – and did so until the last time I saw her in February 2020 when I last visited The Woods. I know that my career path and my personal path in life have been shaped by Sister Barbara. I am forever grateful for that chance that she took on me! To use one of her frequent phrases, ‘You are SWELL!’ May she rest in peace.”
Dottie King, Ph.D., president, shared that Sister Barbara as a faculty member and as president, was an inclusive and strong leader. “I have come to know, through the recollections of so many alumni, that she was beloved by the students of the College. She made classes in theology relevant and interesting, and she took the time to know the students well.”
“I knew her during her retirement years and found her to be kind and sensitive. She held on to a wonderful sense of humor even in the midst of health challenges,” said King. “I counted her as a real friend!”
According to alumna and SMWC trustee Beth Herzog Michel ’94 and ’09 MLD, Sister Barbara was a gracious, kind presence on campus, who was always encouraging and provided a calming presence. “I have never forgotten that it was she who blessed our Woods rings. As I wear mine proudly, now with a tinge of bittersweet emotion, I am fully aware that my life’s path was forever enriched to have found The Woods during the time of her leadership and vision for the College.”
“As a student, I remember thinking that it was so cool that our president was out and about and active in everything on campus,” said Michel, data analyst for patient safety and risk solutions at MedPro Group in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Sister Barbara’s own words are as true today as when she said them years ago: “Please let yourself know as you view your life in retrospect – with whatever distance of years lies behind you – that the reason you are here today, in the place you are in your head and heart – the reason you have not been swallowed up in your own pain and struggle – is because the purposes of God are riding on your existence, the power and the Providence of God are riding on your existence. With this knowledge, you cannot fail.”
Her many accomplishments as president of the College include establishing a residential student mothers’ program, a women’s small business development center, an exchange program with Providence University in Taiwan and founding the Mari Hulman George School of Equine Studies.
Among these accomplishments was one that would lay a foundation for future growth of athletics at The Woods. In 1994, Sister Barbara established the first scholarship athletics program in the history of the institution. Although SMWC had a long history that included a variety of sports teams such as golf, archery, riding and basketball prior to this time, a scholarship athletics program was a huge transition and would be a key enrollment strategy, creating a pathway for recruitment and growth for more formalized athletics programming commensurate with other private and public institutions throughout the nation. In 1994, the only other sports teams were in the equestrian program.
Alumna Angie Keith ’98, controller at PMC Regional Hospital in New Albany, Indiana, remembered the excitement Sister Barbara had for the players on the new basketball team.
“She made us feel that each person on the team had such a significant impact that we were completely valued as a Woodsie and team member,” recounted Keith. “She attended our home games and even invited us to her home for dinner. The fact that she knew each of us by name and never forgot anything was amazing. The impact that she had on the teams that were just starting is absolutely one of the reasons that I continued my education and played basketball at SMWC. I have no doubt that the way she supported us and led the staff at SMWC is why our sports programs are so successful and have the backing that they do today.”
Keith added, “I still think of those memories and how her support created the way for the many teams today at SMWC. She never lost faith in our sports, education or in us as people – that is why she will live forever in our hearts. “
The Woods now boasts 13 women’s and men’s athletic teams and will add men’s basketball in fall 2021.
She was honored by the College with the Mother Theodore Guerin Medallion in 1992, as a Distinguished Alumna in 2015 and as an inaugural member of the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. She was awarded honorary doctor of letters degrees from Indiana State University and Dominican University.
Her passion to help people has always been her central motivation. During the 1950s, Doherty worked with the Friendship House and on Chicago’s Skid Row. These experiences of such selfless work honed her character with the polish of reflection and prayer. She worked with the formation of new sisters in her congregation, and in 1964 she was named Mistress of Postulants. In this role, she helped guide the congregation through the transition required for women religious by the Second Vatican Council. In 1982, she was on the steering committee that founded the Women of Providence in Collaboration, an association of religious congregations related to Providence.
Doherty studied and lectured in Europe, Asia, Central America, South America and Polynesia and on various non-Christian religions including Hinduism and Buddhism. She was a leader who sought collaborations on behalf of higher education locally and nationally as director of the Institute of Religious Formation at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, president of the Indiana Conference of Higher Education, and through her service on national boards including the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Women’s College Coalition.
Doherty attended Providence High School in Chicago, where she met the Sisters of Providence. After graduation, she entered the Sisters of Providence novitiate in 1951. She held a bachelor’s degree in Latin, English and history from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, a master’s degree in Sacred Doctrine from Saint Mary’s College and a doctorate in Theology from Fordham University.
The Sisters of Providence will host a virtual wake on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 10:30 a.m. from the Church of the Immaculate Conception followed by a Funeral Outside Mass at 11 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Barbara Doherty SP ’53 Endowed Scholarship online at giving.smwc.edu or by calling the College at 812-535-5270.