Those at Wabash College who knew Virginia "Ginny" Hays best knew that she was an important figure not only for the city of Crawfordsville but for the college as well.
"We have a Pioneer Chapel and I think of Ginny as a true pioneer - she was elegant and gracious but also very tough, very strong," said Wabash College President Pat White. "She was always full of insight and wisdom."
White said he often sat right in front of Hays, who passed away Saturday, at home basketball games and he noted that "even on these hard benches we have, she sat erect and tall at all these games."
She knew what her presence meant to the students and the college, White said.
"She was always very perceptive about what we should or could be doing at the college. She was always a very gracious and generous person. She will be sorely missed by everyone - at the college and the community," he said.
Athletic Director Thomas Bambrey said Hays was a longtime staunch supporter of the college, most notably in athletics.
"I've known Ginny for a long time and there is nobody else - who wasn't an alum - that cared about the college more," he said.
Hays never missed a home football or basketball game, Bambrey said.
"She was special for the dedication and enthusiasm she showed in all things athletic here at the college. She was in the stands for every game," he said.
Bambrey is a Wabash alumnus who returned to the college as a staff member in 1997, moving into a home across the street.
"We'd known each other for years but it's really been in the last 12 years that we became good friends. It's a tremendous loss for the college and for me personally," he said.
Public Information Director Jim Amidon said Hays was "a true Little Giant in spirit and in action."
"She was a staunch supporter of the college and worked tirelessly to make it and the community a better place," he said.
The best illustration of her dedication and support for Wabash was her unfailing attendance at the games, Amidon said.
"She literally attended every single home football and basketball game for as long as I can remember. That has to go back at least 25 years," he said.
Hays would put out her stadium blanket in the same place for every game - usually several hours before the game was to start - so the students could see that she was there, Amidon said.
He said the title of honorary alumnae was bestowed upon Hays, one of very few women to receive that honor.
"Besides her support for the college, she had been active on the school board, she helped found the community foundation and did so much more. She was just a real terrific lady," he said.
Friends of Virginia "Ginny" Hays were still in shock Monday at the news that she had passed away on Saturday.
"That's a huge loss to this community, there's no doubt about that," said Crawfordsville Mayor Charlie Coons. "I just saw her at the Kiwanis Spaghetti Day."
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Pioneer Chapel at Wabash College.
Coons recalled once telling Hays that he had received a letter in his youth from her husband, the late Will Hays, former mayor of Crawfordsville. Coons said he received the letter many years ago when he was playing Legion baseball.
"I told her I've still got that letter and I keep it in a case to this day. That was really something for me, getting a letter from the mayor like that," he said.
On the personal level, Coons said he'll miss Hays' habit of "checking up" on him, too.
"She'd known me since I was a kid so she was always checking up on me, asking 'Charles, are you still being a good boy?" he said.
As for what she meant to the city of Crawfordsville as a whole, it's hard to measure, Coons said.
"As far as representing the city, she was the first lady of Crawfordsville. She's going to be sorely missed for years to come by this whole town," he said.
Her good friend Marcheta Dixon agrees.
"She was a pillar of this community," Dixon said.
Dixon, a member of the Red Cross board of directors, said Hays was a selfless and energetic volunteer.
"I admire how she was always giving of herself. I admire anyone who donates their time and energy like that," she said.
Dixon said she and Hays became good friends for many reasons but one was that they had "a special connection" - their two sons both attended Wabash College.
"I always remember her as someone who could light up a room. She was a beautiful lady. The mere mention of her name had an effect," Dixon said.
Hays had led an exciting life, Dixon said.
"Beyond all the credentials, she'd led a glamorous life, having lived in Hollywood and things like that," she said.
Dixon said people from elsewhere ask about what is Crawfordsville, many of them knowing little more than the Lew Wallace connection.
"Crawfordsville is more than Lew Wallace. We had Will and Ginny Hays, too. The Hays' were Crawfordsville," she said.
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