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History of Jeanne Vail Chapel

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Jeanne Vail Chapel is available for weddings, memorial services and funerals. In order to use the Jeanne Vail Chapel for an event, one of the people involved must be affiliated with Northwestern University. Affiliates are: students, faculty and staff of Northwestern, graduates of the university, or immediate family members of faculty, administrators or staff. Reservations are accepted no more than one year prior to the date of the wedding. Vail Chapel seats approximately 125.

To make a reservation contact the Chapel Office at 847-491-7256 or email spiritual.life@northwestern.edu.

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Daughter of Mrs. Foster McGaw, was born in Evanston on November 12, 1925.  During her school days in Evanston she was active with the Children's Theatre and the High School Choir.  Jeanne was a brilliant student and an accomplished pianist, and at Denison University, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. 

She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her Junior year and was graduated, cum laude, in 1946.Upon graduation she married Lewis Chamberlin, Jr., and to them a daughter, Nancy Carol, was born in 1949.  Three months later this lovely young mother died of polio.