In Memoriam: Jane Stephenson
Jane B. Stephenson, founder of the New Opportunity School for Women, alumna from the Class of 1957, and former trustee, passed away on Saturday, May 2.
Stephenson grew up in Banner Elk and saw many of the struggles women in the Southern Appalachian region faced first-hand. Pursuing an education and striving for career and personal success were emphasized in her home as a child, but she knew that the same was not true for all little girls like her.
Her belief in the power of education and opportunity influenced her to found the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW) in 1987. Originally housed at Berea College in Kentucky, Stephenson expanded the organization to Lees-McRae in 2005. NOSW serves low-income Appalachian women between the ages of 30 and 55, offering a three-week transformational experience that equips participants with the tools to improve their educational, financial, and personal circumstances.
Stephenson continued to expand the organization, eventually establishing a third outpost at Bluefield College in Bluefield, Virginia in 2013. Throughout its 40-year legacy, nearly 1,200 women have participated in NOSW across the three sites, investing in themselves and their future.
To tell the stories of the women who were impacted by her mission, Stephenson wrote multiple books, including, “Changing Lives in Appalachia: The New Opportunity School for Women,” which was published in 2012 and features the stories of 27 NOSW graduates.
“We have seen the results: lives changed, families who now believe education is vital, and improved family economic circumstances,” Stephenson wrote in the book’s introduction. “This book is not only about NOSW graduates who have changed their lives, but it is also about their children, friends, and other family members who have been inspired to make positive change in their lives as well.”
NOSW was not Stephenson’s only contribution to Lees-McRae. After graduating from the college in 1957, she was hired as the assistant to then president of the Edgar Tufts Memorial Association, Marshall S. Woodson. Through this position she met her husband, John B. Stephenson, for whom the college’s Stephenson Center for Appalachia and Comparative Highland Studies is named. She was also a member of the college’s Board of Trustees and was the first woman to serve as Chair.
Stephenson is survived by three children, Jennifer Stephenson McLamb (JP Cordray), Rebecca Stephenson (Barry Richardson), David Stephenson (Angie), and three grandchildren. A celebration of life service will be held at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, June 27. The service will be streamed through the Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church website.
