“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

That quotation from Thoreau is what Joan Rollins Tropp chose for her yearbook page. Thirty years later, she was helping to build foundations for Shipley’s castles. Literally. During her time on the board, from 1988 to 1996, she was active in the fundraising for the West Middle School.

The mother of Gib Frazier ’89 and Ramsey Frazier ’93, Mrs. Tropp became involved as a parent, as well as an alumna. At various times she chaired the Alumni Annual Giving Committee and Shipley Shops and served on the Leadership Council and Alumni Campaign Committees.

Her volunteer spirit was evident at school. A member of the Service Club, she was, as one teacher noted, “completely reliable.” Spending countless hours volunteering at Bryn Mawr Hospital set her on the road to pursuing her Registered Nurse Certificate at the University of Pennsylvania. She followed that up with a BA in counseling and a Masters in administration at Antioch College. In her professional career, Mrs. Tropp was Director of Hospice Programs at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Vivacious, unimaginable as a wallflower, her classmates wrote of her. Those qualities, combined with determination, have been evident in all her work, not only in her nursing career, but also at Shipley.

It is for those qualities and her contributions to the school that we give her the Alumni Service Award for 2011.

There is an inherent irony about getting an award for doing something you love. Anyone who has performed volunteer work knows that volunteerism often comes from a place of deliberate and unapologetic self-interest. Our own lives are improved by being involved, learning new ideas, meeting new people.

It was certainly the case when I did my volunteer work at Shipley.  Even though I went here as a student, it was because of my children, Gib and Ramsey, that I got involved. I wanted to be an active participant in my children’s school life, so I signed up for whatever needed to be done.

Sure, Shipley benefited from my eagerness; my time on The Board gave me the opportunity to meet and network with wonderful people; I learned how to help organize a complex operation through my experience with Shipley Shops; by raising money to build the West Building I learned how to ask people for money, which is an invaluable skill that you cannot learn in the classroom. I got to know more of the students and the teachers than I would have otherwise. And by having a more intimate relationship with Shipley, it enhanced my understanding of my children’s day to day life. Connecting us in a unique and special way.

They say, “to the victor, goes the spoils.” I consider myself immeasurably fortunate.  I gave to Shipley and it improved my life, and in so doing, we all benefitted.  Those are spoils worth taking.

So get out there. Get involved. Give of yourself.  And reap the many benefits!

Thank you.

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

That quotation from Thoreau is what Joan Rollins Tropp chose for her yearbook page. Thirty years later, she was helping to build foundations for Shipley’s castles. Literally. During her time on the board, from 1988 to 1996, she was active in the fundraising for the West Middle School.

The mother of Gib Frazier ’89 and Ramsey Frazier ’93, Mrs. Tropp became involved as a parent, as well as an alumna. At various times she chaired the Alumni Annual Giving Committee and Shipley Shops and served on the Leadership Council and Alumni Campaign Committees.

Her volunteer spirit was evident at school. A member of the Service Club, she was, as one teacher noted, “completely reliable.” Spending countless hours volunteering at Bryn Mawr Hospital set her on the road to pursuing her Registered Nurse Certificate at the University of Pennsylvania. She followed that up with a BA in counseling and a Masters in administration at Antioch College. In her professional career, Mrs. Tropp was Director of Hospice Programs at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Vivacious, unimaginable as a wallflower, her classmates wrote of her. Those qualities, combined with determination, have been evident in all her work, not only in her nursing career, but also at Shipley.

It is for those qualities and her contributions to the school that we give her the Alumni Service Award for 2011.

There is an inherent irony about getting an award for doing something you love. Anyone who has performed volunteer work knows that volunteerism often comes from a place of deliberate and unapologetic self-interest. Our own lives are improved by being involved, learning new ideas, meeting new people.

It was certainly the case when I did my volunteer work at Shipley.  Even though I went here as a student, it was because of my children, Gib and Ramsey, that I got involved. I wanted to be an active participant in my children’s school life, so I signed up for whatever needed to be done.

Sure, Shipley benefited from my eagerness; my time on The Board gave me the opportunity to meet and network with wonderful people; I learned how to help organize a complex operation through my experience with Shipley Shops; by raising money to build the West Building I learned how to ask people for money, which is an invaluable skill that you cannot learn in the classroom. I got to know more of the students and the teachers than I would have otherwise. And by having a more intimate relationship with Shipley, it enhanced my understanding of my children’s day to day life. Connecting us in a unique and special way.

They say, “to the victor, goes the spoils.” I consider myself immeasurably fortunate.  I gave to Shipley and it improved my life, and in so doing, we all benefitted.  Those are spoils worth taking.

So get out there. Get involved. Give of yourself.  And reap the many benefits!

Thank you.