It is time to announce the retirement of a most beloved member of our school community. Mrs. Jane Cannon, Alumni Director, will be retiring from the Academy at the end of 2015.
Mrs. Cannon’s years at ASH have included a wide variety and breadth of duties. A Maryville College graduate, her affiliation with the school began in 1968 when she and her husband, Dr. Richard Cannon, enrolled their three daughters, Angie, Cindy and Carol. The following year, Headmistress Sister Patricia Steppe hired her to teach 6th and 7th Class English. A brief hiatus and one daughter later, Mrs. Cannon returned in the fall of 1975 to enroll Erin in kindergarten and to begin a full-time slate of duties as Lower School Coordinator for Girls, 8th Class Latin teacher, 5th Class English teacher, and kindergarten French teacher. When a capital campaign was launched in 1978, someone who was familiar with the school and its constituencies was needed to solicit funds for the construction of the North Wing (Stuart Center). With less time in the classroom and more spent in private conversations with each school family, these necessary funds became an annual commitment of Academy families.
This same role as Development Director and Parent Coordinator continued under a new Headmistress, Sister Margaret Caire. With increasing numbers of visitors to St. Charles following the canonization of St. Philippine Duchesne in 1988, Mrs. Cannon transitioned to roles of hospitality and work with alumni. Her endeavors with parents, volunteers, alumni and guests for four decades has endeared her to hundreds of Academy loyalists! A third Head of School, Sister Glavin, who has benefited from Mrs. Cannon’s work on so many fronts, is happy that she’s vowed to transition once again, this time to the role of volunteer. A final, high-profile project she’s undertaken is the book she is writing for the Academy’s bicentennial in 2018.
SAVE THE DATE! A liturgy and reception is being planned to honor this singular Academy employee on Saturday, January 16, 2016. Invitation to follow.
