The family of Shirley OrlowitzGross ’46 dedicated a bench and tree at Arcadia University’s Easton Pond on March 9. Her husband, Bernie Gross, said the serene water feature was the perfect location to memorialize Shirley, who passed away April 5, 2011.

While attending Arcadia University during World War II, Shirley was a Jeep driver, transporting officials to and from local War Bond drives. As a young woman the same age as today’s undergraduates, Shirley felt the call to action and served the only way possible.

“She was always optimistic, would take you in any state or condition you were,” Jim Gross, Shirley’s son, said. “This bench is a personification of her persona, where you can sit and relax, feel warm, and come out of it feeling better.”