Made possible by donations from Western alumnae, the memorial spells out a distinguished past that traces back to Western Female Seminary, chartered in 1853. It tells of the inclusion of international students in the early 1900s, the planting of victory gardens during World War II, and its hosting of Freedom Summer volunteers who traveled south in 1964 to register African-American voters. Western’s story is of an advanced, diverse, and multi-disciplined university ahead of its time.