Northland College

Northland College
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • Admissions
  • Athletics
  • Centers
  • Sustainability
Search
  • Directory
  • Campus Map
  • Calendar
  • Alumni
  • Giving
  • News
  • COVID-19
More...
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate
    • Faculty
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
      • Internships
      • Undergraduate Research
      • Study Abroad
      • Off-campus Learning
      • Student Jobs
    • Graduate Success
    • Course Catalog
    • Transcript Request
    • Commencement
  • Campus Life
    • Dining
    • Housing
    • Outdoor Orientation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Indigenous Cultures Center
        • Native Student Offerings
        • Powwow & Awareness
        • Community Outreach
        • Native American Museum
    • Get Involved
    • Bicycles & Gear Rental
    • Fitness Center
    • Services
      • Counseling Services
      • Accommodations
      • Health Services
      • Safety & Security
  • Admissions
    • Visit Campus
    • Tuition
    • Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Loans
      • FAFSA
      • Veterans
    • Enroll
    • Meet Your Admissions Counselor
    • College Fairs
  • Athletics
    • Athletic Website
    • Athletic Facilities
    • Varsity Club Membership
    • Buy Team Gear
    • Hall of Fame
    • Annual Golf Classic
    • Camps, Leagues, Tournaments
      • 3on3 Basketball Tournament
      • Basketball Camps & Leagues
      • Youth Soccer Camp
      • Softball Camp
      • Volleyball Camps & Leagues
    • Give to Athletics
  • Centers
    • Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation
      • Our Work
      • Student Research Opportunities
      • Lab Services
      • Burke Center in the News
      • Water Summit
    • Center for Rural Communities
      • Rural Livelihood Initiatives
        • Quality of Life Database
        • Northwoods Community Survey
        • Opinion Polls
        • Local Food Systems
      • Human-Environment Connection
      • Publications
      • Data Visualizations
      • Student Opportunities
    • Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
      • LoonWatch
        • About Loons
        • Protect Loons
        • Get Involved
        • Loon Appreciation Week and Poster
      • Timber Wolf Alliance
        • Wolf Awareness Week & Poster
        • Learn About Wolves
        • TWA Speakers Bureau
        • Wolf Status Reports
        • Vision for Wolves
        • Great Lakes Wolf Symposium
      • Youth Outreach Programs
      • SONWA Book Awards
        • SONWA Press Kit
      • Sigurd Olson Legacy
      • Apostle Islands Stewardship Symposium
      • Intangible Magazine
      • Forest Lodge Educational Campus
        • Rental Information
    • Hulings Rice Food Center
      • Compost Center
      • Larson Food Lab
      • Campus Gardens
      • Student Opportunities
  • Sustainability
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Board
      • Alumni Awards
    • Get Involved
      • Ask Our Alumni Panels
    • Transcript Request
    • Update Your Information
    • Events
    • Give
  • Giving
    • Christopher T. Morgan Scholarship
    • Meet Our Team
  • About Northland
    • President Karl I. Solibakke
    • Northland College Magazine
    • Campus Sculpture Tour
    • Advocacy & Public Discourse
    • Consumer Information

My Northland Women

Three Generations of Penn Women

By Julie Penn Coy '78
April 20, 2017

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • email

The Penn familyNorthland College, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, was far ahead of its time in its commitment to educating and providing jobs for women. Founded in 1892, twenty-four years before women won the right to vote, the College wished to provide educational opportunities for residents in northern Wisconsin and provide an environment for learning that would promote sound moral and spiritual values.

Growing up in Ashland, my sister, Vina “Bunny,” and I attended musical events in the Alvord Theatre. I was a member of the Northland College band and the symphonette while in high school. I don’t think there was ever a question that Bunny and I would attend Northland College.

Northland is in my blood, in the blood of the women of my family. In fact, I was #38 and Bunny was #39 in our extended family to attend Northland College.

Grandma Elizabeth Hubbard was the first. She attended nurse’s training in the late 1920s and was required to take a science course at Northland— walking up the same steps to Wheeler Hall that I walked as a student in the 1970s.

My great-aunt Ada Solberg worked at the College, giving many years to Northland as an integral part of the support staff working as a secretary.

My aunt Eva Hubbard also attended Northland in the late 1920s eventually graduated 1931 and had a short career as a one-room schoolhouse teacher.

My mother Marian Penn, who received her music degree at Northland College in 1952, was such an advocate in my life— encouraging me to grow both academically and morally as a child. She taught music in public school for three years and has taught piano lessons to students through the years and continues to be active at Northland.

As a Northland College student, I played music and went to concerts, was active with the Business Club, Sig Tau Little Sisters, and I was even voted the Oktoberfest Queen when I was a sophomore.

I eventually met my LumberJack husband, Jack, and grew my Northland family. Bunny, Jack, and I were all very close. She too was active with music, her sorority, and other activities on campus. Bunny and I graduated together in 1978, and after graduation, she remained active on the alumni board.

The values that I learned from my genealogical family and Northland family alike, helped drive my passion for music, volunteering, and eventually creating a scholarship program at Northland.

Northland has played an important role in the lives of the many women in my Northland family. The College was particularly important to Bunny. So much so, that when she passed away, my family wanted to honor her by creating an endowed scholarship—the Vina “Bunny” Penn Endowed Scholarship—keeping her memory alive and giving others a chance to enjoy Northland as much as she did.

This spring we honor all mothers, those connected directly to Northland, and those who are not. This spring I am celebrating the Northland women in my life: Grandma Hubbard, Great-Aunt Ada, Aunt Eva, my mother Marian, my sister Bunny, and so many more. Who are your Northland women, and how are you going to honor them this spring?

Julie Penn Coy graduated from Northland in 1978 with a degree in business administration and a minor in music.  She worked in the real estate industry prior to attending law school at the University of Colorado, Boulder.  After receiving her Juris doctor, Julie practiced law in Greeley Colorado for five years. At that time she moved with her family to Gansevoort, New York, and joined State Farm Insurance Companies as a claim attorney.  In 1996, she and her husband, Jack, decided to move into an agency with State Farm. They moved to western New York and opened their agencies in January 1997. Julie and Jack have two children, grandchildren, and have been married more than forty years. 

  • Apostle Islands

    A Dream Career That Started Here

    Tim Carpenter ’74 led the way up the steep portage carrying a canoe on his shoulders. We were on a trip in 1972 through the…

    A Dream Career That Started Here
  • Wheeler Bridge

    Bridging a Passage

    Bridges hold an innate magic. Spanning spaces that would otherwise be difficult if not impossible to pass, bridges give access and invite connection. How many…

    Bridging a Passage
  • Northland College alum Scott Griffiths runs the SPARK program in Ashland, Wisconsin.

    Fanning the Flame

    You know that look someone has when they’re in love for the first time? The permanent half-smile like they’re recalling a joke from the night…

    Fanning the Flame
  • Portrait of April Stone, a Northland College alum

    A Deeper Weave

    “I knocked forty-six years off that tree,” April Stone ’95 says, pointing back to her house. She’s referring to the pale, bark-less core of a…

    A Deeper Weave
  • Visit
  • Info
  • Apply

News

  • A Conversation with Aja Gregg: Northland’s 2022 Commencement Speaker

    Each year, a graduating senior is selected to serve as the student…

  • From the Archives: Into the north land

    By the spring of 1973, the Sigurd Olson Institute of Environmental Studies…

  • Trespassing With Edward Abbey

    It was November 17, 1977, exactly two years and a week after…

  • In Gratitude and Recognition

    After decades of generous support, The DeWitt and Caroline Van Evera Foundation…

  • Northland College Participates in No Mow May

    Northland College is participating in “No Mow May,” an initiative aimed at…

  • From the Archives: Olson Delivers the First Johnson Lecture

    Sam Johnson was an early supporter of environmental studies at Northland College…

  • From the Archives: Assembling The First Advisory Board

    An essential component of Bob Matteson’s vision for the Sigurd Olson Environmental…

  • Fall Fest Returns September 21–24, 2022

    After two years without in-person reunions, Fall Festival is returning to campus…

  • Discovering the Northland Spirit

    Students from the Spiritual Life Center theme house first guided me through…

  • From the Archives: A Corner Office—in the Basement

    In its early days, what was then the Sigurd Olson Institute of…

News Archive »

1411 Ellis Avenue
Ashland, WI 54806
(715) 682-1699 | Map
  • About Northland
  • Consumer Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Take a Class
  • Employment
  • Campus Store

my.northland.edu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2022 Northland College. All rights reserved.

https://www.northland.edu/news/my-northland-women

Our website uses cookies for necessary functions and to enhance your browsing experience. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Accept & Continue