Reflections Magazine Issue #61 - Spring 2004 | Page 8

Ensuring
the Adrian
Dominican
Legacy
Sister Therese Craig

Update on Endowed Scholarships:
New Scholarship Honors Sr. Therese Craig

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n response to the last issue of Reflections,
which reported on several new endowed
scholarships named in memory of some
of the legendary Adrian Dominican
Sisters who helped shape Siena Heights,
a new scholarship fund has been started to
honor the founder of Siena’s theater and
child drama programs: Sister Therese Craig
(formerly Sister Rose Terrance).
Lee Benish ’72 chose to establish the
scholarship as a way of honoring his Siena
mentor—and ensuring that future generations of theater and speech communication
students would know of Therese’s contributions to the University.

For further information:
To support the Sister Therese Craig Endowed
Scholarship, contribute to another existing
scholarship (see list), or endow a new
scholarship in honor or memory of YOUR
Siena Heights mentor, contact any member
of the Advancement Staff at 517-264-7140
or 800-693-0506.

“Siena and Sister Therese Craig have had a
monumental impact on my life,” Lee said
recently. “It is my hope that this scholarship
fund will be a living testament to the values
and traditions of Therese and Siena.”
Lee was a non-traditional student in the early
1970s, enrolling at Siena after four years in
the Air Force. He majored in speech and
theater, a decision he says has been critical
to his success in international business and
marketing. Today he is a vice president for
AMEC, an international engineering firm.
Sister Therese lives in Regina Hall of the
Dominican Life Center and currently ministers as a spiritual director. She taught theater
and speech at Siena for 10 years, establishing the Child Drama Program and mentoring Trudy McSorley who succeeded her as
director of that program. After leaving Siena
in 1975, she spent 17 years on the faculty
of the University of Alberta in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada.

During her years in Edmonton, Sister
Therese trained student teachers at the
university and trained lectors for the liturgy
at the Newman Center. (She also became a
huge fan of hockey great Wayne Gretzky
and the Edmonton Oilers!)
Lee Benish has committed enough funds to
endow the Sister Therese Craig scholarship
over several years. He also has committed
annual fund dollars to enable Siena Heights
to begin offering the scholarship immediately, beginning in the fall of 2004.
Ultimately, however, Lee points out that
“the larger the endowment, the more significant the scholarship it generates—and the
greater the impact of Sister Therese on current and future students.” To that end, Lee
invites other alumni to “recognize Therese’s
role in building our futures” by contributing
to the endowment.

Perpetuating the Memory of
Sisters Who Shaped Siena
Lee Benish has established a scholarship
in the name of Sister Therese Craig, who is
thrilled to be so honored. Gifts are welcome
to strengthen the endowment, or to enrich
any of these scholarships endowed in
memory of other Adrian Dominicans:
Sister Patricia Hogan, OP
Sister Jean Cecile Hunt, OP
Sister Jeannine Klemm, OP
Sister Denise Mainville, OP
Sister Rita Noeker, OP
Sister Helene O’Connor, OP
Sister Eileen Rice, OP
Sister Mary Philip Ryan, OP
Sister Miriam Michael Stimson, OP

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Reflections Spring ‘04 - Campaign News