At first, Molly Dobson was hesitant to accept an honorary degree from Washtenaw Community College.
“But I just finished reading ‘Lean In,’ by Sheryl Sandberg, and I decided if I wanted to be an inspiration to other women I needed to accept it,” said the spry 92-year-old, who is the first woman to receive an honorary degree in community service from WCC.
WCC President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca presented the award to Dobson during the college’s May 16 commencement ceremony. “We are truly honored to recognize Molly Dobson with an honorary degree in community service,” said Dr. Bellanca. “We are going to celebrate WCC’s 50th anniversary this year, and Molly has been so integral in developing the college into the wonderful place it is today. She’s an important part of the rich history of WCC and why it has such a bright future. We are incredibly grateful to her for the years of service she has given to developing the college and her continued interest in our success.”
Dobson joined Congressman John Dingell, Governor Rick Snyder’s Senior Advisor Michael A. Finney and former Speaker of the Michigan House Gary M. Owen in accepting the honor.
Dobson does not like to boast about her accomplishments, though they are many. Since she moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor in 1936, she has contributed countless hours and dollars to dozens of local organizations. She has lived a life committed to serving her community—and WCC has benefited greatly from her service.
WCC fills a valued need
“I think Ann Arbor is known for the University of Michigan, but we are also surrounded by other remarkable institutions of learning, and WCC ranks up there with the best,” Dobson said. “WCC offers an alternate curriculum, but it’s no less important in terms of rounding out people’s lives and enhancing their skills. We need it.”
Dobson first became involved with the college as a member of the Board of Trustees of the WCC Foundation, just one year after its founding. She served for six years, and she thoroughly enjoyed playing a role providing scholarships to deserving students and distinguished faculty members.
“I loved getting acquainted with the other Board members and staff,” she said, “and it was always very inspiring to hear the scholars make testimonials at our meetings.”
Molly and Bill Dobson WCC Children’s Center scholarship
When Dobson and her husband Bill celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, they about talked an appropriate gift that would make them both happy. “We knew we’d lived a wonderful life, and there was nothing we needed, so why not give to WCC?” she said.
They decided to establish a scholarship in Bill’s name, and he also made a gift in her name to the WCC Children’s Center.
In addition to serving on the board of the Foundation, Dobson served on the Foundation’s Executive Committee and the Women’s Council. She also lobbied for a successful WCC millage increase and participated in numerous capital campaigns.
For Dobson, who, it should be noted, served in the Navy as a communications officer in 1944 following graduation from U-M, community service has always been a way of life. “This is a wonderful community, and each of us has an obligation to keep it that way—even to make it better,” she said. Dobson has been heavily involved with many area organizations, including the Ann Arbor City Club, the United Way of Washtenaw County, the Neutral Zone, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the First Presbyterian Church, U-M’s Center for the Education of Women, the Michigan Difference Campaign and many, many more.
WCC was the answer to a prayer
WCC holds a special place in Dobson’s heart, not only because education is one of her two top philanthropic priorities—she refers to education and gender equity as “problem solvers”—but also because of a class she took after she lost her 21-year-old son Peter to an auto accident in 1972. “I desperately needed a support group but there weren’t any at the time,” she said. “More than a year later, I discovered WCC was offering a special class focusing on grief, death and dying. I enrolled and the class, taught by a chaplain from University Hospital, was for me the answer to a prayer. It was exactly what I needed. It helped me put my life back together again and I will be forever indebted to WCC for mending my broken heart.”
Dobson finds tremendous joy in seeing how the college has grown since she first set foot on campus in the 1960s. “Whenever I visit campus, it is always a treat,” she said.
“I love the well-cared-for grounds, the variety of students, the energy of the Student Center building, the provocative quotes painted on the walls, the bakery shop, the bookstore, the restaurant and the Marching In’ during Mardi Gras fundraisers, which the Foundation still holds every year.