Celebrating 50 Years of Friendship

Many friendships have started on the third floor of Mary Benedict Hall, and that includes Jeanne (Sothmann) Van Hulle ’78 and Jennifer (Boyce) Clark ’78. This December, the two friends celebrated 50 years of friendship with a holiday trip to their alma mater. 

“I remember that first day, being so scared when my parents left,” Jennifer said. “It dawned on me that I was really going to be on my own. Luckily, I met Jeanne right next door, so I wasn’t on my own for long.” 

The two neighbors quickly became friends, thanks in part to their shared Education major.  

“We were inseparable. We went to class together and we’d cram for exams around the breakfast table. On the weekends we played football or made the long walk to Loras to ‘see the boys’ as you did back then,” Jeanne said. “I’ll never forget at graduation, another friend turned to me and said, ‘You all had that much fun and still graduated with honors!’ I really did have the time of my life.” 

After graduation, the friends may have moved to separate cities, but their lives stayed deeply intertwined. Jeanne returned to her hometown of Davenport, Iowa and taught special education and 2nd grade. Meanwhile, Jennifer taught 6th grade in the Chicago Catholic School System. Over the years, they shared the joys and challenges of teaching, as well as raising their respective families, running the Bix7 in Davenport, and even traveling nationally and internationally together. A few years ago, they added the tradition of a yearly shopping trip to Dubuque, including Clarke’s Whitlow Campus Store.  

“Jennifer’s birthday is in November and it’s the holiday season, so we like to get together,” Jeanne said. “A few years ago, we thought, ‘why not go back to where it all began?’” 

“It’s nice to see what has changed and what has stayed the same,” Jennifer added. “There isn’t a bar in the basement anymore and Sister Therese Mackin isn’t trying—and failing—to teach the girls to play Bridge, but there is still that same feel. Everyone is so kind. I hope that will always be a part of Clarke.”