Honors Capstone
Poet's Corner
by Monica Barry
"John Savant."
Humanitas: Dominican College Of San Rafael Yearbook, 1976, p. 103.
Savant, John. "For Sister Nicholas: Wheeling." Humanitas: Dominican College Of San Rafael Yearbook, 1976, p. 107.
With a large stone cradling the engraving of former professor John Savant’s poem “Wheeling,” an elegy in dedication to Sister Nicholas, along with a long wooden bench engraved with the quote, “And gladly wolde she lerne, and gladly teche,” taken from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the life and legacy of Sister Nicholas remains an integral part of Dominican’s campus.
Professor and close friend within the English department, John Savant, wrote the poem “Wheeling” in her honor, detailing the vivid image of Sister Nicholas biking to class each morning. Professor Savant served as chair of the English department after Sister Nicholas and worked closely with her to further strengthen the department itself. Savant’s poem is engraved on a plaque that is mounted on a stone in Poet’s Corner. With beautiful lines such as, “The air goes by laughing / And dragging behind it a veil / And a quick benediction of sleeve.” Savant captured the image of Sister Nicholas flying through campus on her bike, ultimately sending a final farewell to a friend.
One vivid description of Sister Nicholas shared between students and faculty is that of her riding her bicycle to class each day. When Pennafort was first built, the Dominican sisters lived in the dorms serving as resident advisors for the university. Sister Nicholas lived in Pennafort and would ride her bicycle into the heart of campus. “At the time we had a full traditional habit. She would come down on her bicycle from Pennafort whizzing down the hill,” Sister Aaron describes. The mental image of Sister Nicholas on her bike is one that lives on through story, photography, and poem. Sister M. Nicholas Maltman passed away suddenly on November 17, 1986 after teaching a class on Chaucer in the morning. Her passing impacted the campus greatly, ultimately leading to the creation of Poet’s Corner.
"Sister Nicholas with Bicycle." Humanitas: Dominican College Of San Rafael Yearbook, 1976, p. 106.
The garden now known as Poet’s Corner was originally intended to be temporary. It was entered into the Marin Garden show in 1988 as “The Poem Garden,” one of the multiple entries from the college. Occurring over one year after her passing, the creation of the garden, designed by San Rafael landscape architect George Girvin, was decided to be an ideal fit for a long wooden bench dedicated to Sister Nicholas, acting as the focal point of the display. In addition, Savant’s poem’s engraving was also added to the garden, creating the now known and loved memorial. After the garden show was over, Philip F. Brown, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, “launched a campaign to raise the funds to preserve it as a permanent memorial to Sister Nicholas.” After raising the funds through various donors, Poet’s Corner officially became a permanent memorial to Sister Nicholas Maltman.
“Student on Bench” Dominican College Annual Report. 1st ed. San Rafael: Dominican College of San Rafael, 1987.