The American School of Classical Studies at Athens has named a faculty apartment in honor of Mabel Louise Lang, a long-time professor of Greek at Bryn Mawr who died in 2010. The naming was made in appreciation of a gift by former Bryn Mawr President Mary (Pat) Patterson McPherson and friends in support of the school's new Student Center in Athens.
As a Fellow of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Lang excavated at the Acropolis and the Agora; this led to the publication of the first guide to the Agora, four Agora picture books, and three scholarly volumes in the esteemed Agora series. She also served as chair of its managing committee from 1975 to 1980, the first woman to hold this position.
From the announcement:
"Upon undertaking this initiative, Pat McPherson highlighted Lang’s enormous contributions to Bryn Mawr and the American School. McPherson remarked, “Mabel Lang spent more than 70 years at Bryn Mawr, where she was loved by generations of students and admired by scholars here and abroad. I enjoyed a friendship with Mabel of 45 years, beginning with our joint service in the Dean’s Office at the college in the mid-sixties. I much admired Mabel’s commitment to Bryn Mawr and the American School and knew how much she enjoyed her work at both institutions. Bryn Mawr has had a very close relationship with the School for many years. I became a great supporter knowing how valuable the School experience has been for so many of our students and faculty members. Then, as a member of the board of the School myself, I became an even greater fan. Therefore, it seemed appropriate for several of Mabel’s friends to support the relationship between the institutions by funding one of the new Student Center faculty apartments in honor of Mabel Lang’s own long involvement with the School.”
Read more, including a quote from Richard Hamilton, Paul Shorey Professor Emeritus of Greek, on the American School of Classical Studies at Athens website.
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is the oldest and largest U.S. overseas research center. A consortium of nearly 200 affiliated North American colleges and universities, the School provides graduate students and scholars a base for the advanced study of all aspects of Greek culture, from antiquity to the present day.