Mary Ann Mooney Chaffee '60

The year Bernice Elsie Bombardier ’27 graduated with a degree in Home Economics, Vermont flooded.

By then she had already lived remarkable life: immigrating to the US from Canada at age 10, backpedaling into first grade material to push forward with her English, adapting to life on a Williamstown farm.

Bernice would soon find her way through and out of her one-room schoolhouse.

Read more about Bernice, as recounted by her daughter, Mary Ann Mooney Chaffee '60.

Roger Drury '91

We chatted with Roger to hear about his grandfather - Max Drury, Class of 1920. We learned about his family's long connection with UVM and their integral relationship to campus through brickmaking. 

Lois Burbank Lamson '27

Judith Lamson Blackmer '57 remembers her mother, Lois Burbank Lamson '27, as a quiet woman with a hidden artistic talent, someone who didn’t often speak about her days at the University of Vermont. But as Judith and her husband, John, recently began exploring an old portfolio of Lois’s artwork and memorabilia, they found themselves immersed in a side of her life they had never fully known.

Carolyn Hallock '65 on Her UVM Family

As for so many, the Great Depression pummeled the Johnsons and reshaped their path. Through it all, their connection to Vermont and the University remained strong. Carolyn Hallock '65 sits down with us and reflects on her Vermont roots -- including her mother, uncle, and aunt, all UVM students in the 1920s.

A Century of UVM Memories: Steve Eckerson '73 Reflects on His Grandfather’s Legacy

When Steve Eckerson '73 thinks of the University of Vermont, he envisions more than his own college years - he sees his grandfather, Maurice Irwin Gould '28, an adventurous chemistry student in the 1920s, donning a striped jacket, straw hat, and a smile that captured the charm of the era. Steve’s family has been intertwined with UVM for three generations, making the university a lasting legacy that has shaped their lives across time zones and decades.

Eloise Ballard Erit '28

Arlene Erit '60 remembers her mother, Eloise Ballard Erit '28, as a woman who valued hard work, duty, and family. Eloise rarely spoke about her college days at the University of Vermont, but as Arlene began revisiting old photographs and carefully preserved mementos, she found herself uncovering pieces of Eloise’s life at UVM in the 1920s—a story shaped by perseverance and quiet ambition.

Athletics and Prohibition: Jennie Talbot Reflects on Her Father Robert Thompson’s UVM Days

For Jennie Talbot '70, hearing stories about her father, Robert L. Thompson '26, paints a vivid picture of life at the University of Vermont during the 1920s. Robert, known for his athleticism and academic achievements, was a standout student and a proud Vermonter whose stories of college days have become cherished family history.

Meeting Floyd Sears '27's Descendants

To sit with Cathy Ball '78, granddaughter of Floyd Sears '27, and her family is to be reminded of how thoroughly, and beautifully, the lives of UVM families are interwoven into the broader landscape and life of the state of Vermont.