The GMA (Penny) Podcast
About the GMA (Penny) Podcast
The GMA (Penny) Podcast is a bilingual (French-English) oral history project dedicated to recording the memories and reflections of Dr. Grace (Penny) Morgan Armstrong. The project also includes oral history interviews with several of Penny’s colleagues and former students with whom she worked in her 50+ years of service at Bryn Mawr College. Executed by Lia Wong-Fodor ‘26 and Rachael Finke ‘26, the podcast aims to honor Penny’s dedication to women’s education, language study, and above all, the institutions she served and the students she mentored. The conversations with Penny, other professors, and alumnae provide valuable insight into the world of higher education, the value and opportunities gained through language study, and the profound impact one professor can have on the lives of many.
Below you can find the link to the podcast, which is published on Spotify, as well as photos sent in by some of the alumnae who were interviewed.
This project was funded by a Bryn Mawr College Digital Grant. Many thanks to Prof. Julien Suaudeau for his guidance as the project advisor, and to Bryn Mawr College LITS, Special Collections, and Communications & Marketing for their support in throughout this project.
Listen to the Podcast
You can listen to the GMA (Penny) Podcast on Spotify using the link below.
Interviews were conducted between February 5, 2025 and May 11, 2026. Most of the conversations with Penny were done in French, while most of the interviews with her colleagues and alumnae were done in English, creating a bilingual oral history that reflects Penny's lifelong commitment to uplifting language learning and intercultural communication.
Over the Years: Penny and her students
Interview Soundscape: Penny's Rings
The background sounds heard in our interviews create a soundscape reflecting the location in which the interviews were conducted, whether it be a classroom, a professor's office, or a Zoom meeting. While every interview with a professor or alum took place in a different location, all of our interviews with Penny took place in the same space — her office of over fifty years in Old Library. In our interviews, you can often hear people walking through the hallway outside her door or using the nearby water fountain. There is also a more distinctive sound that can sometimes be heard — the sharp knocking sound made by her rings when she taps the desk with her hand to emphasize her point. We were curious to know more about these rings (seen in the image), so we asked Penny. She explained that in addition to her wedding band and engagement ring, she also wears a ring gifted to her by her husband, Mario Maurin, which had previously belonged to his mother, Jeanne Maurin. The ring was made for Jeanne by her father, who was a jeweler, after he moved from Ukraine to Paris. We hope this gives you some insight into the soundscapes of the interviews as you listen!
A Glimpse into the Interview Process
Penny's Office & Workspace
Penny's workspace in her Old Library office, where we conducted all of our interviews with her. In some of our conversations, she would turn to her computer to find a document or a photo she wanted to show us, helping us better understand whatever she was trying to explain at the time.
Surprise! Penny's Dissertation is Online!
This picture is Penny's (real-life and real-time) reaction when Rachael showed her that she had found a copy of her PhD dissertation online! Penny had thought her dissertation was lost to time, and was shocked and excited to find out that it was still out there.
Looking Through the Avignon Archives
For our conversation on her experience at the Institut d'Avignon, Penny was able to dig through the Institut d'Avignon archives to find documents from when she was a student there. In the photo, she is looking at an old report card (she was top of the class) and surrounded by photos, news article clippings, and brochures from the program.
Comments or Questions?
Contact the GMA (Penny) Podcast Creators
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact the podcast creators. We would love to hear from you!
Lia Wong-Fodor '26
Rachael Finke '26
Contact Us
Department of French and Francophone Studies
Old Library 103
Bryn Mawr College
101 N. Merion Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899
Phone: 610-526-5198; Fax: 610-526-7479
Rudy Le Menthéour, Chair
Phone: 610-526-5674
rlementheo@brynmawr.edu
Katherine (Katie) Pidot, Academic Administrative Assistant
Phone: (610) 526-5198
kpidot@brynmawr.edu