Current Exhibit: Mount Vernon Seminary Abroad
Mount Vernon Seminary Abroad: The Coronation Trip
May 28, 1953 - July 20, 1953
Selections from the scrapbook of Marian (Holbrook) Roberson, MVS 1954
In 1953, the Mount Vernon Seminary or was a bustling “Prep School” for women from some of the most fashionable families in Washington DC and around the country. Between the Seminary and the Mount Vernon Junior College, both housed on the newly built Foxhall campus, the school had over 300 students. Continuing the long-standing commitment to academic excellence, many Mount Vernon students took the College Entrance Exam after graduation and attended a wide range of outstanding colleges and universities. Mrs. Olwen Lloyd, a graduate of Cambridge University, served as Headmistress during this time.
Students of the Mount Vernon Seminary had always been expected to immerse themselves in the life of Washington DC. They were required to follow major political and cultural events of the city and the world as well as familiarize themselves with the resources available to them as citizens of their nation’s capital. Students in the 1950’s attended the lectures, events and performances throughout the city, including the inauguration of President Eisenhower and the Army-McCarthy hearings in the Senate. 
June of 1953 brought a rare opportunity for Mount Vernon students to participate in a major world event: the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London, England. Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952. The formal coronation ceremony was scheduled for 2 June 1953, to allow for the elaborate preparations and a proper mourning period for the late King.
Mount Vernon Seminary Abroad: The Coronation Trip features selections from the scrapbook of Marian (Holbrook) Roberson, Mount Vernon Seminary class of 1954. Mrs. Roberson donated her scrapbook from the trip to the Mount Vernon Archives housed at Eckles Memorial Library. Mrs. Roberson wrote of the trip:
We were 17 girls mostly from the Seminary and Mount Vernon College with 3 or 4 others. Four chaperones including Mrs. Lloyd accompanied us. After the coronation we toured a bit of England, then France, Switzerland and Italy. We had a wonderful time throughout. Some of us have maintained our friendships ever since.
Itinerary
Click on highlighted links to view photographs and ephemera from Marian (Holbrook) Roberson's scrapbook of the coronation trip.
May 28, 1953: Leave New York City via Pan American World Airways for London
May 29: Arrive in London
May 30 - June 4: At London (Coronation Day - June 2)
June 5: Leave London for Oxford
June 6: Driving tour through Cotswolds, Chastleton House, Broadway, Evesham ending at Stratford-on-Avon
June 7: At Stratford-on-Avon and then driving tour to Warwick Castle, Sulgrave Manor and back to Oxford
June 8: Driving Tour to High Wycombe, Beaconsfield, Eton College, Windsor Castle and Runnymeade
June 9: Leave London for Paris
June 10 - June 17: At Paris
June 17: Leave Paris for Geneva
June 18: At Geneva
June 19: Leave Geneva for Interlaken (via Montreux)
June 20: At Interlaken (Levae for Lucerne in the afternoon)
June 21: At Lucerne
June 22: Leave Lucern for Lugano
June 23: At Lugano
June 24: Leave Lugano for Cannes
June 25 & 26: At Cannes
June 27: Leave Cannes for Venice
June 28: At Venice
June 29: Leave Venice for Florence (via Paula and Bologna)
June 30 - July 1: At Florence
July 2: Leave Florence for Rome (via Perugia and Assisi)
July 3-July 5: At Rome
July 6: Leave Rome for Capri (via Cassion, Caserta and Naples)
July 7- At Capri
July 8: Leave Capri for Sorrento
July 9 - Leave Sorrento for Naples (via Amalfi and Pompei)
July 10 - At Naples
July 11- July 20: Sail back to New York City on the SS Independence
