In September 2015 one of our stellar Classics majors, Margaret Helen Lowe, died tragically and unexpectedly at the beginning of her fourth year of study as a Greek Major. Already at that time, Margaret had enough credits in order to graduate. At the Final Exercises in 2016, she was awarded her BA degree posthumously, which was a signal and unusual honor rarely granted by the University.
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Margaret was both a brilliant student and dedicated to helping others through her activities with Camp Kesem, ADAPT (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team), and Bike and Build. Her caring, warm heart and dedication to service made a major impact on those surrounding her.
In memory of Margaret’s love for Classics her parents, Drs. Sandy and Whitson Lowe, endowed an annual Undergraduate Lecture in 2017, the Margaret Helen Lowe Memorial Lecture. This annual talk will forever remind us and our future Classics students of Margaret’s kind and generous spirit and her love for Classics.
The Annual Margaret Helen Lowe Undergraduate Lecture
2017: Erika Damer (University of Richmond): “The Limits of Vision: Duplicitous Bodies and Bad Faith in the Amores”
2018: Sarah Bond (University of Iowa): “Beyond the Wall: Outcasts, Civic Walls, and Architectural Metaphors from Antiquity to Game of Thrones”
2019: Andrew Becker (Virginia Tech): “Beyond Scansion: Reading the Rhythms of Latin Verse”
2021: Amy R. Cohen (Randolph College): “The Secrets Behind a Greek Mask”
2022: Rebecca Benefiel (Washington & Lee): “Ancient Writing and Reading: Culture and Communication among the Graffiti of Pompeii” 2023: Karen ni Mheallaigh (John’s Hopkins University): “The lunatic fringe? The ancient Greeks and life on the Moon”
2023: Bart Natoli (Randolf-Macon College): “Gender-based Censorship: Silencing Female Voices from Ancient Rome”
2024: Suzanne Lye (University of North Carolina): "Bringing Down the House: Women’s Anger and Magical Retaliation in the Ancient Greek World"