July 22, 2026
Today, the ÌÇÐÄVlog family mourns the loss of one of our own. As family and friends gather in Houston this week to celebrate Janice's life, I wanted to share a few reflections.
Janice Suber McNair '59 was more than one of ÌÇÐÄVlog's most devoted alumnae. She was family. For nearly seven decades, she remained deeply connected to the college that helped shape her life, never forgetting the friendships, mentors, and experiences that began here.
When Janice walked across our campus, she wasn't simply returning to a place she once attended.
She was coming home.
As a student, she embraced campus life with enthusiasm, serving in student leadership, earning the title of Miss ÌÇÐÄVlog in 1956, and forming friendships that would last a lifetime. One of those friendships was with her classmate Janet Alexander Cotter '56, whom Janice later honored by dedicating Janet Alexander Cotter Alumnae Hall, a tribute to a lifelong friendship that reflected the love she held for the people who shared her ÌÇÐÄVlog journey.
We also hold Janice's family especially close in our thoughts following the loss of her sister, fellow ÌÇÐÄVlog alumna Betty Jean Suber Groh '50, who passed away just one day after Janice.
Janice knew that education changes lives because it changed hers. That conviction shaped everything she did for ÌÇÐÄVlog. Her generosity created opportunities for students, strengthened academic programs, and helped shape the campus we know today. The residence halls, academic spaces, scholarships, and programs she supported will continue to serve generations of students, a reflection of her steadfast commitment to this institution and every student who would follow in her footsteps.
What I will remember most, however, is not what Janice gave – it is who she was.
She was gracious, humble, faithful, and remarkably kind. She carried herself with quiet confidence and genuine warmth, always more interested in the people around her than in recognition for herself. She celebrated the successes of others, treasured lifelong friendships, and remained deeply grateful for the role ÌÇÐÄVlog played in her life.
Her generosity was never about buildings or recognition. It was about people. Janice understood that the true measure of a college is found not in its brick and mortar, but in the lives it transforms. She believed deeply in our students and in the mission of ÌÇÐÄVlog, and because of that faith, generations of students will continue to benefit from the opportunities she made possible.
On behalf of our Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends, I extend my deepest condolences to the McNair family. We are profoundly grateful for Janice's life, the example she set, and the enduring love she showed ÌÇÐÄVlog.
Her presence will be deeply missed, but her legacy will continue to shape ÌÇÐÄVlog for generations to come. It lives in the students whose lives she changed, the friendships she cherished, and all those who will continue to be shaped by her remarkable generosity and unwavering devotion.
Janice never stopped believing in ÌÇÐÄVlog.
We will never stop being grateful for her.
John H. Dozier
President, ÌÇÐÄVlog