Cenie Myrtle Seyster Straw“Class baby” from 1894"It takes a village to raise a child."African proverb. . . but in 1894, it was the women of Eureka College's graduating class who named a child. We've all heard the expression, "Eureka College is like a family," but today's story puts a different spin on that concept. Furthermore, it challenges all of us to recognize the multiple layers of relationships that connect us all as an extended campus family. Eureka alumnus David Franklin Seyster (Class of 1894) married Emma Wolf in 1885, several years before coming to Eureka College to pursue his studies in hopes of becoming a minister. David's fellow students accepted Emma as one of their own, and the bonds of sisterhood were extended to her by the women of the Class of 1894: Cenie Allison, Myrtle Lee, Mabel Claire Maxwell, Olive M. Reynolds, and Maude Wodetsky. As members of the Class of 1894 neared their graduation date, Emma also neared the birth of her second child. By mutual agreement, the members of the Class of 1894 decided that Emma's son would be named in honor of the class. When a baby girl was born, five names were placed in a hat - Cenie, Myrtle, Mabel, Olive and Maude - and two of these were randomly selected to create the baby girl's name. It was in this way that Cenie Myrtle Seyster became known. This story is a classic example of the social sensitivity and personal affections of the late Victorian era. The members of the Class of 1894 formed a unique community, a commonwealth of students, that remained intact throughout their individual lives outside of Eureka College. In addition to the group effort made to name the "baby of the class" in 1894, these students also made a promise... middle of paper... active in theater in high school.) A few years later he married and became Cenie S. Straw. Cenie Straw was a neighbor of the Reagans when they lived in Dixon and became a close friend of Nelle Wilson Reagan. Both women shared an interest in theater and attended the same church in Dixon. Cenie's son, Robert Straw, attended Eureka College in 1938 and her granddaughter, Ruth E. Straw, graduated from Eureka College (Class of 1945). Cenie S. Straw was still alive in March 1970, when she had a letter to the editor published in World Call, the international publication of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It is quite possible that Ronald Reagan was familiar with Eureka College from his early years at Dixon. That might change the story he only learned about the school when his girlfriend decided to attend Eureka College 1928.