The stories and characterizations in this history are freely adapted from The History of Milwaukee-Downer College 1851-1951 by Grace Norton Kieckhefer, M-D '22. For more complete biographies the reader is referred to Kieckhefer. Downer College of Lawrence University has many predecessor schools. This work traces the genealogy from:

Milwaukee Female Seminary, 1848
Lucy Ann Parsons, Founder

Milwaukee Normal Institute and High School, 1851, Chartered by the State of Wisconsin under the Beecher Plan, Catharine Beecher, Author

Milwaukee Female College, 1852
Mary Mortimer, Head of Superintendency

Wisconsin Female College - Fox Lake, 1855
Downer College (renamed), 1889
Jason Downer, Benefactor
Ellen C. Sabin, President, 1890-1895

Milwaukee-Downer College, 1895-1964
Ellen C. Sabin, President 1895-1921
Lucia Russell Briggs, President 1921-1951
John B. Johnson, President 1951-1964

Downer College of Lawrence University,
     1964-present
Richard Warch, President 1979 - present

The Downer Tradition
Three Generations of Downer Women
Winifred Hamel King, M-D '38
Carolyn King Stephens, M-D '62
Judith King Peterson, M-D '63
Stephanie Caroline Stephens, L-D '91

Acknowledgments
Thanks to Dr. Frederick I. Olson and Virginia Palmer,
M-D '51, for historical perspectives and helpful edits. Thank you to Jan Daniels Quinlan, '74, and Cara Helmke, '00, of the Lawrence University Alumni Office for technical support, layout, and photography.