It is with gratitude that Agnes Irwin dedicates the 2011-2012 Arts Season to Jean Wike Faust, Class of 1949.
In the 1949 yearbook, Jean Wike Faust is described as having "an unusual flair for dramatics and the Wike charm that makes people positive she is the most scintillating girl they've ever met." In the 62 years since she graduated from AIS, Mrs. Faust transformed her love of the theater into a legacy that has impacted the dramatic arts and every day life at Agnes Irwin for decades.
The West-Wike Theater was built in the early 1980’s with the generous support of Jean Wike Faust's family. It was the first theater on Agnes Irwin's campus and enabled girls to work the sound board and light system during productions. Since that time, in addition to the many plays, musicals and arts performances the theater has played host to, every Agnes Irwin girl who has graduated in the past thirty years has given her senior assembly on the stage of the West-Wike in one of the most enduring milestones of an Agnes Irwin education.
In 1991, Mrs. Faust and her husband, Dr. Herbert A. Faust, established the Jean Wike Faust One Act Plays Fund as a permanent legacy to her love of theater. In acknowledging Mrs. Faust's generosity, Penney Moss, 10th Head of School wrote, "I am touched that your own theatrical experiences at Irwin's meant so much to you. Through the establishment of this fund you are providing similar opportunities for today's budding thespians. I cannot imagine a more energizing and inspiring message from an alumna!"
In recent years, Dr. and Mrs. Faust continued their support of dramatic arts at Agnes Irwin by recognizing two students annually through the Jean Wike Faust ’49 Opportunity Fund, bestowing on each a grant to further her dramatic education. Supporting Bill Esher, Head of the Arts Department and Agnes Irwin's philosophy that "theater does not happen without an ensemble," the awards have been given to two members of the dramatic ensemble, one whose outstanding acting merits recognition and one whose technical expertise merits recognition. Bill Esher has said the opportunity fund the Fausts have established allowed several of our girls study opportunities which truly impact the entire program.
In 1991, Mrs. Faust commented that dramatic productions were the aspect of Agnes Irwin life in which she participated most fully. Her love of the theater models Agnes Irwin’s belief that the visual, musical and dramatic arts inspire our girls to explore, discover and create something new. Just as Mrs. Faust the student experienced in the 1940’s, girls today learn to move beyond their boundaries and employ their imaginations, senses and dreams to make a statement that is uniquely their own.
Mrs. Faust passed away on October 17, 2011. We are proud to celebrate her legacy, which is so integral to the success of the dramatic arts at Agnes Irwin.