Clara Nowlan Jefferson (’48)

For Clara Nowlan Jefferson (’48) Acadia is a family affair. Both of her parents, George (’20) and Miriam (Chisholm) Nowlan (’20), went to Acadia. Her aunt Clara, for whom she is named, worked in the bursar’s office. Her brother Pat Nowlan (’52), a former Nova Scotia MP, graduated from Acadia, as did her brothers, George (’45) and Mike (’55).  Her other brother, Charles, graduated from Horton Academy in 1945. “With those connections, it was natural for me to go to Acadia,” she says. Clara Jefferson is historian and also Life President for the Class of 1948.

“I was a student in the School of Home Economics. It was almost like a sorority in that we were a close-knit group, and shed many tears and much laughter as well. The Dean of Home Economics was Miss Elizabeth MacMillan and she really became a mentor for me. Marion Grant was another big influence. She was the Dean of Women and taught a course in psychology, which all freshman students had to take. She was a personal friend of my mother’s so I knew her long before I went to Acadia. She would often drop in and have a cup of tea with mother and I, as a little girl, would run around getting in the way. She was active in the Canadian Federation of University Women and became their national president. She was a very busy professional woman who cared about her students.

“Today, Acadia’s population is a microcosm of the whole hemisphere, the whole world. We have students from all nationalities and you see them on Main Street in Wolfville and on campus. The physical appearance of the campus – U-Hall and the buildings around that primary central complex – remains the same. It’s still strong, picturesque and noble. I’m sure I’m getting carried away with words, but there’s something that triggers your emotions when you walk up that path from Main Street to University Hall. These are some of the warm feelings and affections and loyalties that we in our generation certainly had.

“I think it’s true to say there is a certain ambiance about Acadia, a certain security that you feel that’s fostered by faculty and fellow classmates. I’m in love with Acadia. My husband (Raymond Jefferson, ’51) always used to say he never worried about me running off with another man because his biggest competition was Acadia. I have three nieces who are currently students there and they love the place, too.”