Club History

The Vanderbilt Woman’s Club was founded in 1893. In celebration of its many contributions to Vanderbilt University, the Club created an award to be presented to a member of the rising junior or senior class in good standing with the University, with demonstrated financial need and outstanding citizenship on campus. That award was named in honor of Ada Bell Stapleton, who came to Vanderbilt in 1925 to be the first Dean of Women, and made many contributions to the University and its culture of education. The Ada Bell Stapleton Scholarship Fund was begun in 1958 with $200.

Blanche Henry Weaver (PhD History, Vanderbilt) served as Dean of Women and Assistant Professor of History, and later, Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching Program and Assistant Dean of the Graduate School. Dr. Weaver was also President of the Vanderbilt Woman's Club from 1952-4. In 1993, our centennial year, the Vanderbilt Woman’s Club officially renamed the Ada Bell Stapleton Scholarship Fund the Ada Bell Stapleton/Blanche Henry Weaver Award. The funding of this Scholarship has been a major endeavor of the Club ever since.

At the Annual Meeting in January 2015 the Club voted to award $5,000 to an incoming freshman, with a commitment of a four-year scholarship, or a total of $20,000 per recipient. The endowed scholarship was renamed the Vanderbilt Woman’s Club Stapleton/Weaver Scholarship.

With the money collected from our signature ScholarSips/Songs event, from donations made by the Club’s membership, and from the generosity and kindness of the community, the Vanderbilt Woman’s Club is contributing to Vanderbilt’s incredible goal of replacing all need-based undergraduate student loans with scholarship and grant assistance. Vanderbilt is at the forefront of helping students afford first class education. We are proud to be a part of this effort to assist students in the attainment of their dreams.