Lillian Parker Wallace came to Meredith College in 1921 as an instructor in History, retiring in 1962 as department chair. Described as an “educator, historian, author, lecturer, antiquarian, musician, watercolorist and linguist,” Dr. Wallace was also a mother, club sponsor, basketball fan, swimmer, tennis player and from 1924 to 1968, the White Rabbit in the faculty and staff’s production of Alice in Wonderland.
As the Class of 1971 approached graduation, class president Ann Bryan, having observed the development of the campus, wrote a letter to school officials, expressing an interest in promoting Meredith College’s academic growth. She and the Class of 1971 became interested in creating the first student-founded endowed fund.
Dr. Wallace had retired before the Class of 1971 had even entered Meredith, but she remained a well-known figure on campus, painting watercolor scenes on campus and continuing to guest lecture in Western Civilization classes. The Class of ’71 happily accepted the suggestion of honoring Dr. Wallace in planning their gift to Meredith College and with the help of Dean Allen Burris, the Class initiated the fund. Their gift, with support from their “little sister” Class of 1973, underwrites the Lillian Parker Wallace Lecture.
Speakers for the lecture series have been:
1978 Sir Harold Wilson
Former Prime Minister of Great Britain (1974-1976) "The Transatlantic Connection from Winston Churchill to Today"
1986 Jimmy Carter
Former President of the United States (1977-1981) "America: A Champion of Peace"
1991 Sandra Day O’Connor
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (1981-2006) "Women and the Law in the 21st Century"
2003 Elie Wiesel
1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Author, Professor, Political Activist "Against Indifference: The Urgency of Hope"
2006 Shirin Ebadi
2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Iranian human rights attorney "The Status of Women: Our Future, Our Responsibility"
2009 Wangari Maathai
2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Kenyan human rights & environmental conservation activist "Sustainable Development, Democracy and Peace: A Critical Link"
2013 Jody Williams
1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
Political Activist "My Name is Jody Williams: A Vermont Girl's Winding Path to the Nobel Peace Prize"
2019 Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (1993-2020) "Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Conversation with Suzanne Reynolds"
Wallace stands at the far right in this staff photo from the 1924 Oak Leaves. The group is posed on the steps of East Building on the original, downtown campus.
At right is Dr. Wallace's 1924 faculty portrait.
Wallace was the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland in every campus production from 1924 to 1968. Here she poses with the 1935 cast.
Wallace taught at Meredith from 1921 to 1962. After retirement, she continued as a guest lecturer in Western Civilization classes.
The dedication page of the 1950 Oak Leaves yearbook honored Dr. Wallace.
As president of the Class of 1971, Anne Bryan was instrumental in the creation of the Lillian Parker Wallace Lecture.
Dr. Walllace in the amphitheater when the creation of the Lilliam Parker Wallace Lecture was announced.
The first Lillian Parker Wallace Lecture was in 1978. The speaker, as announced in the September 14th Twig, was former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Sir Harold Wilson.
For the 2019 lecture, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke with Meredith College alumna Suzanne Reynolds, ’71, herself the first woman to serve as dean of the Wake Forest University School of Law and a national expert on family law. The event took place at Meymandi Concert Hall,
President Jo Allen, ’80, introduced Ginsburg and presented her with the “Woman of Achievement” award. In her introduction, President Allen noted that Meredith alumnae and friends of the College were watching via livestream. Viewers took in the event from as close by as St. Mary’s School, where a group of high school women gathered to watch, and as far away as Dubai, UAE, and Sansepolcro, Italy. Approximately 9,600 individual viewers logged on to watch the historic event.
Carlyle Campbell Library
Meredith College
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