The tall building of Corbly Hall is the home to many bright minds at Marshall University. Whether it is a student, a faculty member or a part of the Marshall staff, the building is filled with brilliance. Here’s a little glimpse into Corbly Hall: a glimpse of Hilary Brewster. And she is a busy bee.
Brewster was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but she left the state at around a year old and landed in upstate New York in the small town of Claverack where her mother was raised.
“I was born in ‘79. I was a kid of the ‘80s and a teen of the ‘90s,” Brewster said, “which as a cultural time period, like any cultural time period, is a very interesting time capsule.”
Though she is originally from Claverack, the Marshall professor has been all over the United States.
“I have a tattoo – not that we’re doing a video interview – but I have a tattoo of all the states that I’ve lived in with any seriousness on my arm,” Brewster said. “So, when people ask me where I’m from, I can literally point to a map.”
This level of charm just barely scratches the surface of her charisma and whimsy. She has not only had a fascinating life as an educator but also an incredible journey filled with many twists and turns. Here is one little story that had a little twist that she decided to share.
“I legally changed my name when I was 24. I dropped my given last name because it was my Dad’s. A part of changing your name, you have to get all your forms and ID changed,” Brewster said. “When I went to go get my social security card changed, they could not find me in the system because somebody once upon a time did not enter the “New” of New Mexico. The first 24 years of my life, and we didn’t know this, but the United States Government thought I was born in Mexico.”
The name Brewster, which was originally her middle name, comes from her mom’s side of the family. She mentioned that many of her relatives have the middle name and that the name comes from Reverend William Brewster — the minister on the Mayflower.
Brewster was a musical theatre kid and is still a musical theatre adult. She is a tap dancer and pianist, and she’s been performing in musicals since second grade. However, in her junior year of high school, she felt slighted by the thespian world. Her high school director stole a part of her confidence.
“I didn’t do theatre in college; I did dance. I was in the college choir. I was actually a founding member of my college’s female acapella group. My high school music teacher didn’t invest in me in a way that would give me the confidence to audition in college,” said Brewster. “A lot of people might read this article and say, ‘Well, you should’ve just done it anyway,’ but when you are 18 years old, and the person in charge of the thing you love does not see your value, most 18-year-olds are not going to see the value in themselves.”
Since then, Brewster has been in many shows as a supporting character or in the ensemble. Though it may not have been something world-shattering, it made an impact.
“It breaks my heart that for two decades that I walked away from this thing that I loved because this petty man, you know, really ruined my shot at something,” said Brewster.
This impact was not necessarily a negative one, if anything, Brewster wanted to change. To do better by her students.
“I hope that there is not a kid out there whose origin story starts with me,” said Brewster.
Soleil Woolard can be contacted at [email protected]