Mary Rippon was a bona fide pioneer who became a ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ icon, but ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ almost did not become her home. When ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ’s first president, Joseph Sewall, invited Rippon to teach at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ, which had just opened its doors in September 1877, Rippon initially declined.