Sallie Smith Bell: Loyola theatre students

In the midst of the Great Depression, Sallie Smith Bell (MUND '35) was a trailblazer. She helped to support her family as a fashion model for Marshall Field's fashion shows and acted in commercials on WGN Radio for the Aragon Ballroom, in an era where women didn't have careers.

Bell went on to make entertainment history after attending Mundelein College on a theatre scholarship. "At Mundelein, Sister Mary Leola encouraged my mother to become an actress," says Sallie's daughter, Elizabeth Riley. "Sister also mentored Mercedes McCambridge and was a long time friend of Helen Hayes."

Taking the skills that she honed at Mundelein, Sallie Smith Bell became a radio drama pioneer, performing in the first radio soap opera, "Painted Dreams," as well as "Backstage Wife" and "We Are Four." She also performed at NBC in "First Nighters," a play performance in front of a live audience. By 1937, Sallie was named State Street Queen, representing Marhall Field's in a contest that promoted the movie "The Golddiggers." That led to screen tests with MGM and Warner Brothers.

But, having met her husband-to-be, Joseph E. Bell, Sallie decided to stay in Chicago, concentrating on family and charity work. She passed away in 2007 and now the Sallie Smith Bell Memorial Fund will allow future thespians at Loyola's theatre department to follow in her footsteps.

"Mundelein played such a large role in my mother's life that it is fitting, as a memorial to her and all that she accomplished, to enable a needy student to have an opportunity," says Riley. She and her three sisters have pledged $50,000 to continue their mother's commitment to the theatre. "We hope that each recipient will share and nurture in others not only our mother's passion for the theater, but also her deep belief in Christian leadership, which took root during her years at Mundelein College and flowered throughout a lifetime of faith and service."

"Sallie was an amazing woman," says Melissa Obrock, director of development for the Gannon Center. "By funding a scholarship, Sallie's family is keeping the spirit of Mundelein's theatre program alive."