March 27, 1992

The Alumnae House Inn and Restaurant stopped serving the public after losing more than $500,000 in 1991. The college planned to continue serving faculty members and alumni at the 68-year-old facility, donated to the college in 1919 by Blanche Ferry Hooker ’94 and her sister Queene Ferry Coonley ’96, and the inn would be opened for reunions, commencement, and parents weekend. “We cannot justify subsidizing businesses that divert resources from Vassar’s primary mission—providing an excellent education to our students,” said acting president Nancy Dye ’69, explaining the decision that cost 50 employees their jobs.

“I never thought this could happen,” laid-off Alumnae House worker Debbie Walsh commented. “We basically have three weeks to relocate our lives.”

—The Poughkeepsie Journal