Head of the class - Smith Alumnae Quarterly
Transcription
Head of the class - Smith Alumnae Quarterly
Smith unveils new academic centers Alumnae Quarterly spr i ng Alumnae educators–like Rachel Willis ’04– reflect on what motivates them to inspire their students every day Physician Laura Trice ’90 makes healthy ‘junk food’ Cubicle Chic blogger Meredith Duncan ’08 offers tips on looking good at work SHead of the class Celebrating teachers! SPRING 2011 30 40 44 50 Departments FREEDOM TO TEACH By Ileana Jiménez ’97 For teachers to be effective, they need the support of their school systems, respect from their communities, and time to learn on their own. What they don’t need are empty slogans. 2 Readers Write 3 Smith Mix Physician Laura Trice ’90 creates a line of ‘wholesome junk food’; Terrasa Ulm ’99 turns gaming into a college major; Meredith Duncan ’08 blogs about fashion for young professionals; Mika El-Baz ’85 promotes the best in the music business; Pilar Arosemena Aleman ’79 leads the creation of Panama’s Biodiversity Museum. SINGING LESSONS By Leslie Talmadge Early childhood educator Dorry Schalk Brown ’65 employs music and song to inspire children with speech and language disorders. 9 From the Banks of Paradise The centers for global studies, the environment, and community engagement open in Wright Hall; a greeting card collection fills a student’s walls; sex as a hot classroom topic; young teachers share lessons in urban education; first lady honors a first-year. TEACHERS OF TODAY Interviews by Christina Barber-Just Alumnae educators—Kathleen Phillipps Fulton ’67, Caltha Crowe ’68, Carrie Coleman Strasburger ’80, Rachel Willis ’04, and Marjorie Pashkow Kaplan ’62—talk about their visions for raising the bar. 18 President’s Perspective: Professors hone their teaching skills. 57 Alumnae Update TEACHERS OF TOMORROW Photographs by Webb Chappell They’re still students for a few more months, but a group of senior aspiring teachers show the kind of enthusiasm that is coming soon to a classroom near you. 95 Obituaries 100 Alumnae Exchange 102 Beyond the Grécourt Gates 104 Smith Seen: Winter white A MISSION TO TEACH By Jenny Hall AC ’04 Teach for America alumnae emerge from tough classroom experiences as passionate advocates for equality in education. 34 TEACHING WITH A MOM’S TOUCH By Jane Falla Alumnae who homeschool their children say the experience makes their children active participants in their education. 6 ASIA KEPKA 26 Features ADAM KRAUSE 22 Volume 97 Number 3 Smith travelers, including w former president Mary Maples Dunn, watched ALUMNAE.SMITH.EDU Egypt’s Tahrir Square uprisings from their hotel balcony in January. Read their accounts on the AASC Website, where you’ll also find links to alumnae blogs, campus news, and AASC program listings. ON THE COVER Rachel Willis ’04, photographed in her Atlanta classroom, by Christopher Martin. Managing Editor elise gibson Associate Director, Print and Electronic Media cheryl dellecese Assistant Editor jane falla Design Director ronn campisi Design Intern sarah litz Student Editorial Intern zoë gioja ’ Editorial Advisers susan goodall ’ linda kramer jenning ’ laura begley ’ judith glassman daniels ’ The Smith Alumnae Quarterly is published by the Alumnae Association of Smith College. The Quarterly exists to report on matters relating to the college and to provide a forum for alumnae comment. The contents of the Quarterly are the responsibility of the editors and the board of directors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Smith College. AASC OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS President lynn smith fox ’ Vice President lisa ilka abrams ’ Treasurer rehana farrell ’ Clerk peg merzbacher ’ Liaison, Smith Alumnae Quarterly susan goodall ’ Chair, NAAC fiona ward clapp ’ Chair, RCC leslie mark ’ Openingnotes i think most everyone can remember a favorite teacher, someone who brought a subject to life or perhaps encouraged a self-confidence you never knew you had. There was one teacher in particular who did that for me: Mrs. Duerden, my tenth-grade English teacher. Truth be told, she was tough. Behind her ear, without fail, was a sharpened pencil that she reached for anytime she wanted to stress something important, or to simply point menacingly in your face when she wanted to make it clear that you’d done or said something she didn’t like. She chewed gum in class (even though there were rules against it) and stalked the halls, her mantra always at the ready: “Move on, people! Move on!” Close to thirty years later, I don’t remember much about her daily lessons, but what has stuck with me are the feelings she instilled in me—the excitement about reading a great book, the appreciation for good, clear, accessible writing, and the confidence to face a blank page and just write. She made me love words, and because of her I joined my high school’s newspaper and eventually decided to study English and journalism in college. Good teachers inspire students every day, and in this special issue we talk to several alumnae whose passion for education touches the lives of young people in different ways, whether it’s by creating peaceful classrooms that make learning easier or doing policy work that improves the overall quality of education. Without a doubt, this is among my favorite issues of the Quarterly. In our country’s current push for education reform, it’s discouraging to see teachers receive the brunt of criticism for whatever disparities may exist in our school systems. I hope this issue encourages a discussion about the important work our teachers do and perhaps inspires you to remember your own Mrs. Duerden. Happy spring! ADAM MCCAULEY Editor john macmillan Chair, Nominating Committee steffanie garrett ’ Chair, ASIC sarah khurshid khan ’ Directors judith johnson campagnari ’ peggie ward koon ’ lisa lauterbach laskin ’ ann mitchell ’ sharmeen obaid-chinoy ’ erin alexander paisan ’ leslie brooks solomon ’ lois thompson ’ ALUMNAE TRUSTEES toni grotta wolfman ’ m. ann sanford ’ lisa ferrell ’ annie morita ’ ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION carrie cadwell brown, med ’ Smith Alumnae Quarterly is published quarterly in September, December, March, and June. Sent to all alumnae of Smith College. Offices: Alumnae House, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063. Copyright © 2011 by the Alumnae Association of Smith College, Inc. 2 Printed by The Lane Press, Burlington, VT 05402, using 10% recycled paper. Alumnae Association at your service The Alumnae Association of Smith College offers a lifetime of benefits designed to keep alumnae connected to Smith and to one another. Here are some of the things we can do for you. tion offers regional and national educational symposia on a variety of topics that draw on the talents and expertise of Smith faculty and alumnae. For information on various programs, e-mail [email protected]. SMITH ALUMNAE QUARTERLY Y Keep informed of campus events and alumnae accomplishments through this award-winning publication. Send letters, story ideas, or comments to [email protected]. CLUB CONNECTIONS Smith clubs exist in nearly 50 states, Europe, and Asia. For club information, call (800) 526-2023, option 4. To find a club in your area, visit alumnae.smith. edu and click on “Clubs and Affinity Groups.” SMITH TRAVEL The Smith Travel Program offers alumnae first-rate trips to exotic destinations, world-class accommodations, and expert hosts, including Smith faculty members. For information, call (800) 225-2029; [email protected]. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES The Alumnae Association values your input. If you have a particular area of expertise that would benefit your class or the Alumnae Association, there are plenty of ways to volunteer your time. For information, call (800) 526-2023, option 4. Or visit alumnae.smith.edu and click on “Volunteer Resources.” REUNIONS Fun abounds for two weekends every May when nearly 2,000 alumnae converge on campus to celebrate Reunion. Visit old haunts, learn something new at Alumnae College, or simply catch up with old friends. For information about Reunion, call (800) 526-2023, option 4. Or visit alumnae.smith. edu and click on “Reunions and Classes.” ALUMNAE EDUCATION Just because you’ve graduated doesn’t mean your Smith education won’t continue. The Alumnae Associa- CAREER SERVICES Working with the Career Development Office, the Alumnae Association helps keep your career on track. Benefits include career counseling, networking, and skill-building seminars. Contact the CDO at [email protected], or call (413) 585-2582. AFFINITY AND SPECIAL INTEREST PROGRAM The Alumnae Association offers multiple programs for alumnae to connect to Smith and each other in ways that address special interests and common bonds. The Affinity and Special Interest Program helps alumnae of shared interests to establish online and in-person communities. Currently, the AASC hosts three affinity groups: Black Alumnae of Smith College (BASC), Association of Latina Alumnae of Smith (ALAS), and Smith Asian Alumnae Alliance (SAAC). For more information, send an e-mail to [email protected]. ONLINE COMMUNITY The Alumnae Association offers a full-service Website—http:// alumnae.smith.edu—where you can, among other things, look up friends in a searchable alumnae directory, find alumnae blogs and Websites, and get the latest news about Smith and alumnae. Also visit the complete Smith Alumnae Quarterly online at www. saqonline.smith.edu. To update your address or submit a story idea directly to the magazine, send an e-mail to [email protected]. xFOR DETAILS on all of these benefits and services, visit http://alumnae.smith.edu, or call (800) 526-2023. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 1 READERS WRITE Cyclists in need of headgear having attended Smith College from 1946 through 1950, I was pleased to read “TwoWheeling for Fun and Idealism” [Winter 2010–2011]. In our undergraduate days, we rode our bikes everywhere—to classes, athletics, the Northampton library, to Howard Johnson’s, Look Park, Holyoke, Amherst, on Mountain Day and every day. Those were the days of no helmets, foot brakes, no dropped handlebars, no toe clips, and much less traffic than today. Times have changed! Still an avid cyclist and triathlon person, I was disappointed to notice that the Smithies pictured on bicycles, or with a bicycle, were NOT wearing helmets: Nowadays, students, faculty, competitors, non-competitors, and all those who bike are concerned about good health, as the article reports. All of them should wear bike helmets. Next time, please show us that Smith cyclists do wear helmets, always, while biking. tink murdock bolster ’ Princeton, NJ i was pleased to see the article about the resurgence of bicycling on the Smith Campus. When I attended Smith as an Ada (1994–97), my bicycle—with a bike seat for my young son—a stroller, and a sled were our only transportation. The photos of Smith students bicycling without helmets disappointed me. Last May, I had a bicycle accident while commuting on King Street, less than a mile from my home. I was unconscious for half an hour. I couldn’t remember my name, address, phone, or job. A car had not hit me; I just went over the handlebars in a split-second accident and landed on my head. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet. Not so luckily, my helmet was loose that day, from having worn a cap under it the day before. It took a month to get my memory, face, and energy back. I am happy and proud to be bicycling again these days, but I never ride without my helmet. Smithies, you’re smart and beautiful. For your sake, 2 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 GETTING AROUND TWO-WHEELING FOR FUN AND IDEALISM Students, faculty embrace cycling for its good exercise, zero emissions BIKES TO GO The Bicycle Kitchen, now 5 years old, has a rental fleet of fifty used bikes. The group is looking for donations of twenty more. To donate, write to bikes@ smith.edu. bicycles of every style and vintage regularly cram the bike rack outside of Ford Hall, and from one end of campus to the other, bikes are locked to fences, trees, and stair rails outside of academic buildings and houses. The student-run Bicycle “I’m depending on myself to get around, and that feels empowering.” Kitchen rented all fifty of its bikes in the first two weeks of school and had a waiting list of twenty. A new Cycling Club started up last spring. Bicycling may not have been this popular on campus since the fitness-induced surge of cycling in the 1970s. “I’ve seen a significant rise in biking at Smith,” said James Lowenthal, an astronomy professor and avid cyclist. “Nationally, biking is way up.” It’s not hard to imagine why bikes and students are made for each other. Bicycles are a perfect mode of transportation for those who are concerned about the environment, their health, or their pocketbook; in short, your average college student. “My interest in biking has grown tremendously in the last several years,” said Colby Singleton ’11J, a comanager of Bicycle Kitchen. “I feel great after riding, and not just physically. I’m depending on myself to get around, and that feels empowering.” Competitive racer and Cycling Club President Emily Curry ’12 concurs. “The tranquility and empowering nature of a bike ride is something that I would like to share with anyone who can ride on two wheels,” she said. Further, she hopes to spark 12 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Winter 2010-11 09-17.Smith_Winter11_07.indd 12 campus interest in competitive cycling. “I feel very strongly that women should have a strong presence in cycling events and would love to have Smith’s name on the back of a jersey.” Across the country, bicycling is enjoying the attention of a devoted cadre of advocates, who are pushing institutions to make cycling an easier, more attractive option for students, commuters, and recreational riders. At Smith, faculty members are smoothing the path in a number of ways. A few years ago, Nicholas Horton, associate professor of math and statistics, created a group, Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways, that is devoted to improving and promoting the local rail trails and bike paths. One of its projects is a detailed map of bike paths in the area and how they link to one another. The map incorporates GIS specialist Jon Caris’ expertise in satellite mapping technology, data collection by Hannah Kegley ’12, and the cartographic skills of Ella Hartenian ’11, a bike enthusiast and STRIDE scholar. The group has so Bicycle Kitchen co-manager Colby Singleton ’11J. Photographs by Jessica Scranton 11/23/10 3:35 PM protect what you’ve got. Wear a helmet every time you ride. mary cowhey ac ’ Northampton, MA Sylvia’s other rooms as a matter of fact Sylvia Plath ’55 had two other rooms [“The Poet’s Room,” Winter 2010–11], both of them in Haven House, for her first and sophomore years. I was fortunate enough to be her roommate that second year and a close friend until her death. A commemorative plaque never occurred to me. marcia brown stern ’ Concord, MA ‘A very special place’ wow. This issue [Fall 2010] blew me away. I was especially moved by the stories and accomplishments of Durreen Shahnaz ’89, Farah Pandith ’90, and Annie De Groot ’78. But also, I enjoyed reading about the women in the section called “The lives we lead,” a great format. From time to time I disagree with the way the college handles an issue. But even in those times, I am tremendously proud of my alma mater and the difference Smith makes. The entire college aa a community that attracts these remarkable women, and then helps them to gain whatever skills and knowledge they need to go out into the world and make a difference the way they do, year after year after year—Smith is one very special place. I feel so grateful and proud to be part of that community. kerry dolan ’, edm ’ Nashua, NH Fund honors playwright i write to tell you about an extraordinary Ada Comstock alumna— Leah Ryan AC ’93—and the fund established in her honor and in her memory. Leah came to Smith from Holyoke Community College, majored in theatre, and won the Denis Johnston prize for excellence in playwriting no less than three times. She continued her education, earning an artist diploma in playwriting at Juilliard and her MFA from the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, where she won the Distinguished Teaching Award and was twice chosen to take part in the annual Iowa Playwrights Festival. Her plays have been performed all over the United States, including at Smith College. I unapologetically refer to her as our Chekhov. Leah Ryan died of leukemia on June 12, 2008, in New York City. Her family and friends have established Leah Ryan’s Fund for Emerging Women Writers, offering an annual prize to encourage and support the work of women writers. “The purpose of the prize is to perpetuate the integrity, compassion and creativity that Leah herself possessed and inspired in others,” according to the Website, leahryansfeww.com. Please spread the word about the prize among writers and teachers you may know, and take pride in counting Leah Ryan among Smith’s Ada Comstock alumnae. lorna m. peterson Executive director, emerita Five Colleges, Incorporated m We welcome letters to the editor. Letters should be typed and no more than 200 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters reflect the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of the Quarterly, the AASC, or Smith College. Send letters to us via e-mail at [email protected], or by post to: Letters to the Editor, Alumnae House, Northampton, MA 01063; 800-526-2023. smith ➻ aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ALUMNAE ON OUR RADAR Ph Ph Phy hy ysicia an an La Lau L aur au ura ra Tr Tri T rriice ’90 0, pho ph p ho h otto og o graphed ed d in Venice in ce,, Ca C aliforniia a,, wiitth Laur wi urra’s ’s ’s Wh Who W hol ho oleessome Ju unk nk Foo Foo ood cookies an nd other treats. in my house that are OK to binge on.” Photographs by Amanda Friedman Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 3 Laura Trice ’90’s food philosophy One of physician Laura Trice ’90’s “aha” moments came when she was working as a set medic for the television show 7th Heaven. She noticed that cast and crew members who headed for the doughnuts in the morning often came to her with headaches later in the day. That reinforced what she had witnessed as a medical school student. “I saw so many illnesses that were hurting people that were preventable,” she says. She decided to focus on educating people about the connection between health and nutrition—and that healthy food can still taste great. The result has been a successful business: In 2001, Trice started Laura’s Wholesome Junk Food— cookies that are vegan, gluten-free, and contain no refined sugar—sold in major supermarket chains, like Whole Foods. And last year she published the successful The Wholesome Junk Food Cookbook (Running Press, 2010), which incorporates Trice’s nutritional expertise and her passion for cooking. BOOKS good vs. bad ingredients Much of the information out there is motivated by commercial interests. Look at sweeteners and carbs, for example. You have people eliminating fruit, which drives me nuts! A few simple cardinal rules: Skip the white flour, white sugar, and table salt. decoding ingredient lists Avoid anything that says partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated; instead, look for anything derived naturally, such as coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil. Also look for words that indicate sugar, such as dextrose, or anything that ends with “ose” and avoid high fructose corn syrup. snacking In my family, we never had food issues. We are what we call “grazers.” I’ll have a handful of almonds, some celery. When people complain that there’s nothing to eat, what they typically mean is that there’s nothing naughty to eat. I have lots of things on hand, like cherry tomatoes and fruit. I keep things in my house that are OK to binge on. cravings There are two versions of women—the well-rested version and the not-well-rested version. The times when you’re not rested are when you make your worst food choices. Making sure you have protein and fat, and not just sweets and carbs, will en- sure that you won’t crave more sweets and carbs. There are salty cravings, sweet and gooey, hot and cold. If I’m craving a sweet, I may have a spoonful of honey or maple sugar. I carry emergency chocolate in my purse. I have ice cream in my freezer sweetened with agave, and as for my salty cravings, I have sauerkraut and dill pickles. Trust in listening to yourself and be aware. Our emotional cravings are less severe when we’re taking good care of ourselves with sleep, exercise, hydration, and in our personal lives. global per spec tives I was fortunate enough to do my junior year abroad in France. The French are known for portion control, and they don’t fall into any of our trends in trying to replace real fat with fake fat. They pay attention to what’s natural, delicious, flavorful, and beautifully presented. At dinner with my French family, they would say, “Here, have some green beans, they’re good for your skin.” Every food came with a blessing or a suggestion for moderation. I spent a lot of time in Europe seeing that attention to quality of ingredients, and real attention to what people put in their bodies. During my time in Bali, we didn’t always have access to refined foods, so we made des- serts with palm sugar or fruit as a sweetener. This confirmed for me that you can make the most amazing foods naturally, and they taste delicious. kid approved Someone emailed me and said that she stopped buying junk food for her three kids. She told them they could pick one recipe each from my cookbook, she would buy the ingredients, and on Sundays they would make the desserts for the week. At first, the kids’ faces dropped. Her youngest, who is not a big vegetable eater, ended up picking the recipe for lemon kale chips because he liked potato chips, and proceeded to eat the whole batch. I really like the emphasis of getting some of the bad stuff out of the pantry. If you get rid of the junk food, kids will get hungry, and they’ll eat what’s there—and it will only take one to two weeks for their palates to adjust. gracious dining I was told by an old family friend who was in her 80s that it was important to never sit down to dinner without a flower and a lit candle. In Europe, for example, a meal can be two to three hours. When there is time to connect with people, things are savored. We can learn from traditions about dining versus eating. —JF y MORE lauraswholesomejunkfood.com Recent releases by Smith alumnae and faculty ASIAN STUDIES A Place in Public: Women’s Rights in Meiji Japan Marnie Anderson ’97 harvard university asia center, Anderson, a history professor at Smith, addresses how gender became a defining category in the political and social modernization of Japan during the early decades of the Meiji period (1868–1912). FICTION cepts a job as a nanny with a white family, despite her conflicting feelings about the position. Race, family, relationships, and being true to oneself are all explored. Leaving L.A. Kate Christie (Jenny VanderWeyden ’93) bella books, . The story of a passionate connection between two women looking for a home—one a retired movie star, the other her daughter’s kindergarten teacher. Substitute Me Lori Tharps ’94 atria, A well-educated African MEMOIRS American woman acTen Thousand Joys and 4 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Ten Thousand Sorrows: A Couple’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle ’59 tarcher/penguin . Hoblitzelle and her husband of nearly forty years practice the Buddhist methods of acceptance and letting go as he is diagnosed and eventually succumbs to Alzheimer’s disease. American Madonna: Crossing Borders with the Virgin Mary Deirdre Cornell ’89 orbis books, Cornell, a Maryknoll missionary in Mexico for three years, recounts Mexican narratives about Mary and stories that illustrate the Mexican people’s devotion to the Blessed Mother. WOMEN’S STUDIES Pens and Needles: Women’s Textualities in Early Modern England Susan Frye ’74 university of pennsylvania press, $65 An examination of the expressive arts of needlework, painting, and writing, and the insights they offer into women’s lives and literary texts of the time. on Game Terrasa Ulm ’99 creates a big-time gaming major at a small liberal arts college Photograph by Jessica Scranton Video games are big business. So big, in fact, that by 2014 PricewaterhouseCoopers expects the video-game industry, already valued at more than $50 billion worldwide, to close in on the $90 billion mark, leapfrogging both the music and movie industries. With increased demand for video-game designers and developers comes increased demand for schools offering game degrees, and at Becker College—a small liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts—Terrasa Ulm ’99 has stepped up in a big way. The game-design curriculum she created for Becker is currently ranked fourth in the nation and first in New England by the Princeton Review, besting the likes of MIT, and has the stated goal of becoming the preeminent undergraduate program of its kind in the country. Ulm studied computer science at Smith and received a master’s degree in interactive programming and design from the New School. In 2004, when she started as an adjunct professor at Becker, she learned that the college wanted to add a game major but didn’t have anyone to do it. Would Ulm be interested? She got to work writing up the proposed curriculum and taught the very first course, “Introduction to Game Design.” The interest from students was immediate, she says; they were “desperate to find an accredited, four-year, ‘normal’ college experience that allowed them not to simply concentrate on gaming but to actually major in it.” The new major was approved, and Ulm was hired as a full-time professor. Today, game design and game development are the fastest-growing academic programs at Becker. As far as Ulm is concerned, there’s little doubt as to why video games are poised to become the most profitable— and popular—arm of the entertainment industry. “I think most people like to sit back and relax sometimes, allowing the story to be told, but the other half of the time, we want to tell our story, and games allow us to do just that,” she says. “The ability to have interaction and expressive capabilities has made gaming very compelling for almost everyone.” —Christina Barber-Just y MORE: becker.edu Dressed for success meredith duncan ’ was busy building a new wardrobe for her first job as a paralegal at a Manhattan law firm when she met Lindsay Mueller, who, as another paralegal at the firm, was doing the very same thing. The two found themselves talking about fashion all the time. They realized there wasn’t much colorful, fun, creative content online about how to dress for work, so they did what any self-respecting modern Manhattanite would do: they started a blog. Cubicle Chic was launched in April 2010 with the mission of inspiring creativity in young professionals’ everyday corporate style. Here is Duncan’s checklist for assembling a business wardrobe you’ll love. —Christina Barber-Just y MORE: cubiclechicblog.com R Businesss w wardrobe checklist R Buy a good suit that fits your body—and your industry—perfectly. It won’t be the most exciting item in your wardrobe, but it will serve you well. R Once you have your basics, mix and match. You’ll be surprised how many combinations you can come up with. R The simplest way to accessorize? Jewelry. A statement necklace or earrings can take a button-down from simple to stunning. R Embrace scarves. They add color and dimension to an outfit, plus they keep you warm in the winter. R Incorporate affordable vintage items into your wardrobe. They are unique and add personality to your appearance. R Solids are nice, but prints can be a great way to add a little kick to your look. For instance, try adding a skinny leopard-print belt to your black trousers. R Within your office’s boundaries, don’t be afraid to express yourself through style. You will most likely inspire others and feel more confident yourself. R Dressing for work doesn’t have to be a drag. Draw inspiration from blogs, street style, and coworkers to have fun with your 9-to-5 look. 6 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Meredith Duncan ’08 blogs about sailing through your workday in style Photograph by Adam Krause 7 HOW SHE GOT THAT JOB Mika El-Baz ’85 promotes the best in the music business “If you don’t know how to build relationships, this job is not for you.” NAME Mika El-Baz ’85 SMITH MAJOR Art history CURRENT JOB Executive vice president, publicity, RCA Music Group. A unit of Sony Music Entertainment, RCA Music Group comprises four record labels and boasts a roster of recording artists that includes Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Rod Stewart, Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, Whitney Houston, Sarah McLachlan, and Jamie Foxx. WHAT SHE DOES El-Baz is based at RCA Music Group’s headquarters in New York City. She supervises the publicity department, overseeing a staff of seven publicists in Photograph by Joshua Paul New York and LA. Her main task is to promote the label group’s artists through press campaigns targeting television, digital, and print outlets. This could mean landing them on American Idol, Saturday Night Live, PerezHilton.com, People.com, the cover of Rolling Stone, or in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. She also helps the artists deal with the media—whether they need to address a personal issue publicly, get media training, or define their brand. CAREER PATH El-Baz spent her junior year in London and returned after graduation thinking she wanted to go into fashion. The fashion PR firm where she started out happened to share offices with a music PR firm. She took one look at the gold and platinum albums on the wall and knew she’d found her true calling. “I loved music but never in my wildest dreams thought it could be a career for me,” she says. She worked for two artistmanagement companies, one of which gave her the opportunity to promote Paul McCartney’s 1989-1990 world tour, before making the leap to a record label. She spent six years at Island Records and another six at Interscope-Geffen-A&M before joining RCA Music Group in 2004. WANT HER JOB? Get an internship! It’s the best way to see if you like the work, the atmosphere, and the nonstop hours. You don’t necessarily need to study public relations or get a communications degree (El-Baz didn’t). “You can have all the schooling in the world,” she says, “but if you’re not good on the phone with people, if you don’t know how to build relationships, this job is not for you.” —Christina Barber-Just y MORE: rcamusicgroup.com Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 7 Pilar Arosemena Aleman ’79 spearheads the creation of the BioMuseum A treasure in Panama Celebrating the diversity of our environment and promoting ways to protect it is the mission of Panama’s Biodiversity Museum—or BioMuseum. One of the key players who has worked to make it a reality is Pilar Arosemena Aleman ’79. “This has been the dream of my life,” she says. For the past decade Aleman has been working pro bono in a leadership role for the private foundation behind the major new museum. A Panama mover and shaker, Aleman headed what was once the largest corporate bank in Central America, chaired the Panamanian Stock Exchange, taught finance as a university professor, and, most recently, served as a diplomatic spouse (her husband just wrapped up a stint as Ambassador of Panama to the United States). Panama, on the isthmus linking North and South America, has a tropical climate and is home to a vast array of plant, animal, and bird species—some completely unique to Panama—making the country the ideal place to demonstrate biodiversity. The BioMuseum is the first building in Latin America designed by über- 8 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Pilar Arosemena Aleman ’79 on the construction site of the BioMuseum in Panama City. architect Frank Gehry. There have already been some high-profile visitors to the $90 million construction site (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Al Gore), and it is projected to attract half a million visitors annually when it opens next year. Aleman says it’s located in an “absolutely spectacular” spot in Panama City at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, where the colorful roofs of the museum’s pavilions will be visible to passing cruise ships. She expects that international visitors to the BioMuseum will boost Panama’s already booming economy, but she hopes that the museum will have the biggest influence on Panamanians themselves. “Everyone in Panama wants to be a businessman or a banker,” she says. Aleman feels the BioMuseum has the potential to realign priorities by increasing environmental consciousness and rekindling a love of the sciences. The museum will be a success, she says, when “every citizen of Panama is a custodian of their surroundings and the treasures in their environment.”—Christina BarberJust y MORE: biomuseopanama.org Photograph by Tito Herrera paradise ➻ from the banks of INNOVATIONS Centers of attention College g unveils its new academic clusters in Wright Hall When the college created the Smith Design for Learning, its ten-year strategic plan in 2008, it announced plans for academic centers that would pull together resources from across the college. “The college has powerful educational assets in such areas as global education and environmental studies, but they perform in relative isolation,” according to the Design for Learning. “By aligning disparate resources in the context of a center or institute, Smith can create a whole that is much larger than the sum of its parts.” Three years later, and well ahead of schedule, the college unveiled in January its three new centers in Wright Hall: the Global Studies Center, the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability, and the Center for Community Collaboration. “We put them right in the middle of campus to show how central they are,” said college Provost Marilyn Schuster. They join the Center for Work and Life, which opened last year in Clark Hall. Thanks to an economy favorable to building projects, the college pushed up its plans to transform Wright Hall, Schuster said. Wright Hall was vacated last May and faculty moved their offices to the Quad for the summer. Besides creating physical spaces for the three academic centers, the entire 1960s-era building got a makeover: Weinstein Auditorium got a new AV system; the computer-based Center for Foreign Language and Cultures, no longer needed because of changing technology, was closed; heating and airconditioning were updated; two seminar rooms were added; flooring was replaced; the foyer got a coffee bar and a seating area; and faculty offices were upgraded and repainted. Faculty moved back to Wright in August, while the centers were being completed. “To get all that work done in three months was nothing short of miraculous,” Schuster said. “It’s really transformed Wright Hall into a building to be proud of.” —EG y MORE: smith.edu/acad_centers.php Photographs by Jessica Stern Suleiman Mourad in the Global Studies Center. GLOBAL STUDIES CENTER GSC elizabeth mugar eveillard ’ director of the global studies center: Suleiman Mourad, professor of religion administrative coordinator: Lisa Morde mission: “The Global Studies Center is Smith’s connection to the world and the world’s connection to Smith,” Mourad says. “It builds on the distinction of the Smith academic tradition of studying the world (both on campus and via study abroad), as well as the strength of our faculty, most of whom have international expertise and collectively cover almost every imaginable global concern, be it language and literature, cultural, social, political, religious, historical, economic, philosophical, etc.” under one roof: The center brings together the Offices of International Study (including Rebecca Hovey, dean for inter- national study), International Students and Scholars (Hrayr Tamzarian, associate dean), and the American studies diploma program. what it offers: Informal events targeted to students (Global Salons, the Power of Smith in the World, and weekly noontime discussions about world events). “Such events are meant to provide less formal opportunities for students to meet and converse with global leaders,” Mourad says. “The student-led events will take the form of short presentations on study-away experiences, which can be very helpful for students who just had them to share with the Smith community, and for students who are preparing for study-away experiences. They will also feature collaborations between international and noninternational students in the hope that such encounters will provide follow-up opportunities for international students to smoothly integrate at Smith.” Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 9 more Wright Hall (continued) CENTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGICAL DESIGN, AND SUSTAINABILITY CEEDS faculty director: Andrew Guswa, associate professor of engineering mission: “To graduate women who excel at integrating knowledge across disciplines in support of environmental decisions and action,” Guswa says. “And, when we refer to the environment, we are using a broad definition: from Chapin Lawn to downtown Holyoke to the forests of Costa Rica.” outcomes: The goals, Guswa says, are to empower students to take on environmental projects inside and outside of the curriculum and to bring their liberal-arts learning to bear in pursuit of these projects, to make connections between seemingly disparate knowledge within the unifying context of the environment, and to create a space where students, faculty, staff, alumnae, employers, and community members can interact and share knowledge and experiences related to the environment. under one roof: Deirdre Manning, environmental sustainability director; Joanne Benkley, program coordinator for CEEDS and the Environmental Science and Policy Program; Reid Bertone-Johnson, lecturer in the landscape studies program and manager of the Ada and Archibald MacLeish Field Station; Paul Wetzel, environmental monitoring coordinator; and Guswa. using the center: “It will be the first stop for a student interested in the environment,” Guswa said. “We will have resources and answers related to curricular and co-curricular programs on- and off-campus, and we will help match students and their interests with opportunities. The center will provide informal gathering space for groups, such as the Green Team, Bike Kitchen, and Community Garden. It can also be used for informal presentations, Webinars, and working meetings.” collaborative projects: “Central to our mission is knowledge integration—that is, bringing together and synthesizing expertise from a range of disciplines,” Guswa says. “For example, this year, faculty from comparative literature, biology, economics, the study of women and gender, and other disciplines have come together to incorporate issues and learning from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill into their courses.” Lucy Mule, left, and Gail Scordilis Norskey ’81 in the Center for Community Collaboration. CENTER FOR COMMUNITY COLLABORATION CCC co-directors: Lucy Mule, associate professor of education and child study; Gail Scordilis Norskey ’81, director of educational outreach mission: “The center is the organizational hub that facilitates the collaborations of faculty, students, and community members on projects that provide opportunities for both significant real-life learning and engaged scholarship, while addressing community goals. The CCC aims to enhance Smith’s community engagement by providing more and better-coordinated support for faculty and students, and better access to the college for the community,” according to the co-directors. Andrew Guswa in the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, 10 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 and Sustainability. under one roof: “The CCC is a place for building relationships, where students, faculty, and community members will come to meet, talk about common interests and goals, and make plans for working together,” the directors write. “The main body of the center is a bright and welcoming room with three big sunny windows and a large meeting table. Surrounding this room are seven offices that house the center staff.” CCC staff includes the co-directors; Tiertza-Leah Schwartz, director of voluntary services for the Community Service Office; Allison Reid, assistant director for outreach and community partnership coordinator; Thomas Gralinski, science outreach coordinator and K-12 curriculum specialist; Carla Cooke AC ’01, administrative coordinator; and Sherry Wingfield, administrative assistant for the CSO.” a place to engage: “In the past, students, faculty, and community members had to travel to a number of different offices and academic departments across campus searching for ways to get involved in community-engaged work at Smith,” say the directors. “It’s our hope to simplify that process for everyone, making it clear as to where you can go to find out about this work and get support for doing it.” View of MY ROOM WALL OF MEMORIES For Maya Lewin-Berlin ’13, every picture tells a story Maya Lewin-Berlin ’13 turned to her collection of greeting cards, many from her childhood, to fill her walls with mini-artwork. What really sets the tone, though, is the vibrant grapefruit painting she created for her room in Cushing. Photographs by Bob O’Connor When Maya Lewin-Berlin ’13, a physics major from eastern Massachusetts, moved into her first single room in September, she realized that she had a lot of real estate to cover. “I didn’t realize how big my room would be, and I didn’t want to keep buying things,” she said. She found her design solution in a box full of cards and postcards from friends and family that she’d been saving since she was little. Now those treasured keepsakes bring her room in Cushing to life with childhood memories and important milestones in her life as they wend their way in a single unbroken line from wall to wall around the room. “I found photos from friends in fifth grade, and cards from my bat mitzvah,” she said. “It was really fun going through them.” To unify her space, she chose images that would harmonize with other prominent pieces in the room, namely the large, vibrant painting of a close-up grapefruit that she painted last summer. The deep violets and pinks of the painting inspired her color scheme, including her sheer blue and red curtains. As for the cards, many of those on the wall were given to her for graduation and her senior-year art show. In one corner hangs a card from her aunt, made of an old photo of Maya’s great-grandmother. Most of the cards, though, are from her mother. “She has the prettiest cards,” Lewin-Berlin said, “and she knows me best.” —ZG ’13 Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 11 OF COURSES EVERYTHING THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT SEX Class meets students’ need for frank info about sexual health nearly every seat in Stoddard Hall is taken on a Wednesday evening as instructor Emily Nagoski begins her PowerPoint presentation. Her new class on women’s sexuality was such an immediate hit when it was introduced last fall that its enrollment more than tripled in its first week. Nagoski describes the twocredit, interdepartmental course as “a sampling platter of sexuality.” Over the course of two hours every Wednesday night, 187 students discussed relationship dynamics, sexual orientation, and even orgasms. Despite the large class size, students didn’t shy away from frank questions. On this night, for example, students bom- “Students talk about sex a lot on this campus,” Emily Nagoski says. NO TABOOS Emily Nagoski, director of wellness education, created a twocredit course on women’s sexuality that became an instant hit when it debuted in the fall. barded her with questions about the precise differences between transsexual and transgender. They shared their knowledge of inter-sex babies, and asked critical questions about Nagoski’s use of statistical data. “This would only happen when teaching Smithies,” she said in amazement. Nagoski, whose primary role on campus is director of wellness education, had been giving talks about sex at house teas when she realized that students were starving for information about sexual health. That’s when she hit on the idea of creating a course. When classes began in September, sixty students were enrolled; the number spiked to 198 after the first week. The numbers may have been a surprise, but the Nagoski intends to offer a women’s sexuality class each spring. 12 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 intensity of student interest was not. “College students are always interested in sex,” she said. “Students talk about sex a lot on this campus.” The course covers everything from sexual anatomy and reproduction to how to have an orgasm, while the reading list ranges from books like Paul Joannides’ Guide to Getting it On! to the Boston Women’s Health Collective classic, Our Bodies, Ourselves. For evaluation, students take two exams and write four response papers. Students say they enjoy Nagoski’s down-to-earth approach to the subject matter. “I like how she’s just so real,” said Katherine Trudeau ’14. “There’s no sugarcoating it, she just tells you how it is.” Seneca Gray ’13 concurs. “It would be like any other health class, but she really loves the subject and it shows,” Gray said. Nagoski will teach the class again in spring 2012 and continue teaching it every spring. To facilitate classroom discussion, she intends to cap the class at 100. “I’ve taught this to 300 people before at state schools,” Nagoski explained, “but those students weren’t asking me what the evolutionary origin of the hymen was.” Her goal is for students to feel that they have ownership over their own bodies, to become smarter consumers of popular sexuality in the mainstream media, and to feel empowered to have conversations with medical professionals. “The most important outcomes can’t be measured in the classroom,” Nagoski said, “but will happen in their lives for the next ten years.”—ZG ’13 Photographs by Asia Kepka WEATHER What’s a snow day? CLASSES More one- and two-credit interdisciplinary courses are making their way into the course catalog, a change that is welcomed by both students and faculty, says Dean of the College Maureen Mahoney. The courses, some of which grew out of onecredit interterm courses, allow students to focus on a defined topic while making up any credit shortages they might incur. The shorter courses are easier to fit into their schedules. Faculty members find the format appropriate to the material they are teaching, Mahoney said. Since the courses are interdisciplinary, they often include lectures from multiple faculty members. “Thinking Through Race,” for example, introduces students to the history and social impact of race in the United States and is jointly taught by professors in English and economics. The two-credit course “Mapping the Renaissance” explores themes from several disciplinary perspectives and was taught last fall by professors in art and comparative literature. The new academic concentrations, which began with archives and museum studies, also offer onecredit “gateway” courses, such as “What I Found in the Archives” and “The History and Critical Issues of Museums.” The gateway courses are required for the concentration but are open to students from any discipline. you know it’s a rough winter when snow forces Smith to cancel classes, which it did for a day and a half in early February, while a blizzard wreaked havoc from Oklahoma to Maine. The weather may have been bad, but readers of the Smith College - Alumnae Facebook page let us know that we’re all winter wimps. When asked for their snow-day memories, they recall sledding and sliding and cold walks to class. But actual snow days? Not so much. Here are snowcovered memories from a few alumnae: “there was a storm in the late ’90s that dumped 26 inches of snow. The college did not close! Classes were cancelled ONLY if your professor could not get there!” “somehow I don’t recall the classes ever being closed during 1976 to 1980! I think we even dug out the campus during interterm one year. You realized how far away the Quad was from the main campus during winter; we would sometimes cross Paradise Pond if it was frozen. The Cushingettes also took the dinner trays to go sledding by Paradise Pond—I’d do it again in a minute if I was there!” ASIA KEPKA Gateway “we had afternoon classes cancelled for Hurricane Gloria (1985?). But snow days? No way! Not even in the Ice Storm of ’87, where the only way to get down the hills was to slide on your butt!” “i don’t recall having any snow days (1968–1972), even after the enormous snowstorm in February ’69 that dumped about two feet of snow on campus. I was at a friend’s apartment just off Green Street when it started, and I remember having to call my housemother to tell her I couldn’t make it back to the house because the snow was too deep.” “don’t remember ‘snow days’ from 1939 to 1943 and earlier. However, as a grandparent I look forward to them now!” “either that is some storm back there, or we were just tougher in the old days (1989–1993).” Lecture Circuit • From the panel, “Our Last, Best Hope: Making It Cool to be Smart,” on college access and success for underserved students, December 2, Neilson Browsing Room. “We have to refuse to blame the children for our inability to identify who has the potential; we have to believe there is treasure where other people think there’s not. We have to transmit hope where kids have been taught there isn’t any hope.” judith berry griffin, founder of Pathways to College, an after-school program to help high-potential students of color attain a college education. “This is a really exciting time for young people interested in educational reform— there’s the opportunity for you to do something bold and innovative that could affect practice as well as policy.” charlise lyles ’, cofounder of Catalyst magazine, which analyzes urban school improvement issues. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 13 Campus Notebook SMITH APP The online directory of faculty, staff, and students has become the college’s first mobile application available for free on the Apple App Store. SCDirectory allows smart-phone users to search the directory by name or department. As with the regular online directory, only users on the college network can view photographs. Biomathematical sciences, poetry, South Asian studies, and Buddhist studies are the latest topic areas to become formal concentrations, joining similar concentrations in museum studies and archives. These “intellectual clusters” combine related, multidisciplinary courses with hands-on or independent learning y MORE: experiences and a capsmith.edu/ stone experience. The poetry; smith. biomath concentraedu/biomath tion integrates math, statistics, computer science, and engineering with biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience. The poetry concentration combines academic and practical work and gives students the opportunity to explore professional practice through presses, journals, and other sites. U CONCENTRATED STUDY. U MEDAL WINNERS. Smith College medalists honored at Rally Day on February 23 were Alice Kahn Ladas ’43, MSS ’46, expert on women’s sexuality and author of The G Spot and Other Discoveries about Human Sexuality; Susan McWhinneyMorse ’55, a leader in creating new housing options for seniors; Sarah Franklin ’82, whose work explores the ethical dimensions of reproductive technologies; Shirley Sagawa ’83, who led the development of AmeriCorps; and Laurel Touby ’85, a journalist and entrepreneur, who pioneered social networking with Mediabistro, a career site. 14 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 From OUR PAGES 1920 SAQ @ 100 Essayist cites failure to support public schools An essay by Frank Spaulding, then the new chairman of the graduate department of education at Yale, comes to a provocative conclusion as he asks, “Do college women believe in education?” Spaulding accuses college women of “aristocratic educational selfishness” that ignores the vast and growing need for universal education, illustrated by a 25 percent illiteracy rate among military draftees. He continues, “[College women] are rather more prone than the noncollege woman of intelligence to seek advantages for their own children that are not accessible to all children; failing to secure these advantages in the public school in which their children belong, they are very likely, if they feel financially able, to provide private instruction for their own children. Thereafter, their belief in the public schools is almost sure to lapse to an academic state.” Beyond not sending their children to public schools, he suggests that college-educated women are not choosing to teach in public schools, either. “With rarest exception, the college woman accepts service in the public elementary schools only as a last resort,” he writes. In the February 1921 issue, Marguerite Wells 1885 rises to Spaulding’s challenge, noting “some college women do believe in universal education,” pointing to those who formed the Joint Congressional Committee of Women’s Organization to promote legislation for universal education, as well as to college-educated leaders of the League of Women Voters, which in itself promotes an educated electorate. She concludes with a “wish that there may be more discussion in the Quarterly. . . .” Ninety years later, the Quarterly continues the education conversation. FACULTYof Note songs of love: Late composer’s work given new life the new publication of a 1965 art song by distinguished composer and longtime Smith music professor John Duke (1899–1984) was celebrated with a recital last fall. The piece, “Four Chinese Love Lyrics” (Recital Publications, 2010), had been found in the Smith College Archives and was edited by Marlene Wong, head of Werner Josten Library, and composer and pianist Clifton Noble, Jr. Soprano Karen Smith-Emerson, who was coached by Duke and is the Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor of Music, performed the songs with Noble at the keyboard. John Duke taught at Smith from 1923 to 1967 and is renowned for his art songs in English. His papers are housed at the Smith College Archives, which serves as his manuscript trustee. The “Four Chinese Love Lyrics” were transcribed from the manuscript transparency in the John Duke Papers. Also consulted were Duke’s dated sketches, his working copy with penciled annotations, and a recording he made with Carole Bogard, soprano. Karen SmithEmerson, Clifton Noble, Jr., and Marlene Wong. OTELIA CROMWELL DAY LESSONS IN URBAN EDUCATION Alumnae educators share tips for new teachers in a panel made to order for aspiring teachers, Katie Colombero ’08 cautioned students that their first year of teaching would test their resolve. “You have got to build a support system, because you can’t do it alone,” she said, recalling her own first teaching assignment. “I would have a pretty regular Tuesday cry.” Last fall’s Otelia Cromwell Day panel, titled “Pathways to Urban Education,” gave an inside look into the challenges that face students, parents, and teachers in urban schools. “Despite all my amazing education classes at Smith, nothing prepares you for your first year of teaching,” said Maureen Yusuf-Morales ’04. Amy Christie ’01 encouraged first-time teachers to observe veteran teachers during free periods to learn the tricks of the trade. Christie, now a college counselor at the Bronx Lab School in New York, is particularly passionate about access to higher education. “When I got into Smith, I realized what a life-changing place it is,” Christie said. “I realized the life experiences I had as a result of going to a place like Smith, and realized that people in New York City didn’t always get those same opportunities.” While working at the Bronx Lab School, after completing Teach for America, she discovered that providing access to college is her life’s work. She proudly noted that one of the first students she taught at Bronx Lab is now a first-year student at Smith. Yusuf-Morales also focuses on improving college access. After her first year of teaching, she was hired by “Four Chinese Love Lyrics” are the first “new” Duke songs published since 2001, Wong said. They were initially performed by Lynn Clarke Meyers, soprano, with the composer at the keyboard, in 1965 in Sage Hall, and were offered to Walter Foster of Recital Publications in 1984. Only when Foster recently donated his correspondence with Duke to the John Duke Papers in the Smith College Archives did staff members there realize that Recital Publications had been interested in issuing this work. “John Duke really was a singer’s composer. He wrote exquisitely for the voice, both female and male,” said Noble, in remarks before the November recital. “These ‘Chinese Love Lyrics’ are but four gems in the crown jewels of his craft, well worthy of being brought to light and published after a quarter century’s well-guarded seasoning in the Smith archives.” TRADE SECRETS Alumnae educators, from left, Katie Colombero ’08, Amy Christie ’01, and Maureen Yusuf-Morales ’04 share advice for aspiring teachers during an Otelia Cromwell Day panel on urban education. Breakthrough New York to create preparatory programs for middle-school students. Working with a diverse student body, she often has to respectfully encourage a different set of ambitions than they might get at home. “We need to value the cultures that students come from while still teaching collegegoing culture,” she explained. Colombero, a Springfield, Massachusetts, teacher, countered the stereotype that parents in urban schools don’t get involved in their children’s schools. The secret to parental involvement, she said, is a strong outreach system. “The school needs to reach out to parents,” Colombero said, “then parents will reach back.”—ZG ’13 In its 2010 year-in-review Santiago, Chile, in Januissue, Aerospace America ary after being invited by cites the ongoing work of the United States Embassy there to teach a course Paul Voss, assistant proin American literature to fessor of engineering, to university and high school develop balloons for use in teachers in the city. The atmospheric research. The survey course is to encourcontrolled meteorological age the teaching of Ameriballoons, developed in colcan literature in laboration with the Norwegian Chile. Meteorological Institute, “carry In Wild Unrest: Charlotte Perkins sophisticated Gilman and the sensors, have Making of ‘The Yellong-duration Paul Voss flight capability, low Wall-Paper’ (Oxford University and can repeatedly change altitude on Press), Helen Lefkowitz command via satellite,” the Horowitz, professor article says. The technique, emerita of American studthe article goes on, “has ap- ies, offers a vivid portrait plications in air-pollution of Gilman in the 1880s, and atmospheric process drawing new connections studies and for tracking between the author’s life hazardous plumes in nearand work, and illuminating real time.” the predicament of women then and now. Gilman’s famous short story, y “The Richard Millington, profesYellow Wall-Paper” capsor of English language and tured a woman’s harrowing literature, spent a week in descent into madness and drew on the author’s intimate knowledge of mental illness. One reviewer called Horowitz’s book, “An erudite, accessible, and timely tale of an extraordinary woman, whose words and deeds, in Horowitz’s deft hands, lay bare the contours of passion, power, suffering, and medicine in a critical chapter of American life.” In his 2010 book Circling the Bases: Essays on the Challenges and Prospects of the Sports Industry (Temple University Press), sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics, continues his analyses of the business of sports. He considers topics such as ongoing gender inequity in college sports, the effects of the economic downturn, and the rapid escalation of coaches’ salaries. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 15 HONORS A MOMENT WITH THE FIRST LADY Student’s commitment to arts education brings White House invitation When Kirby Vasquez ’14 was 8 years old, a budget crisis killed the music program at her Rhode Island school. Fortunately, she found an afterschool music program, where she could take free cello lessons; at age 15 she began teaching cello to other students in the program. Last fall, she accompanied the founder of Community Music Works to the White House, where they accepted a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from first lady Michelle Obama. Community Music Works, founded by MacArthur fellow Sebastian Ruth, maintains its commitment to provide music education in urban neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island. The SAQ talked to Vasquez about CMW, the importance of the arts, and what it was like meeting the first lady. —ZG ’13 Back in Rhode Island during interterm, Kirby Vasquez ’14 plays with some young friends. on community music works’ impact: This program has changed my life. The people in this program have become a family for me and have always been there for me when I most needed them. It’s the greatest feeling to know that I can go away and still come back and play with them on a Saturday morning. on going to the white house: Meeting Michelle Obama was such a proud moment for me. While she was giving her welcome speech she mentioned Community Music Works. I remember looking at Sebastian with tears in my eyes because I couldn’t be more proud of this program. When I was up on stage receiving the award, I said to her, “It’s 16 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 “There were many days when no one understood me better than my cello.” an honor to meet you.” She said, “I’m proud of you. Keep up all the great work.” I left there feeling so accomplished with everything and wanting to keep striving for more. on arts in education: Thankfully I attended such an amazing program after school that in some ways I received so much more than my other friends did. There were many days when no one understood me better than my cello, and I am very fortunate to have this gift that no one will ever be able to take away from me. on music: Although I don’t want to become a professional musician, it’s so important to me to continue the cello because it’s such a beautiful way to express myself. I think there is nothing better then just taking out an instrument and jamming with people. I picked up the guitar this summer and my housemates and I love to sit and write music together. Music will always be another positive outlet for me. Photographs by Asia Kepka Robert Dorit, associate professor of biological sciences, will lecture on the wildlife of Botswana in November. PROFESSORS’ EXPERTISE ENRICH YOUR JOURNEY Whether you are seeing a Caravaggio masterpiece in Sicily through the eyes of Smith art professor Craig Felton; listening to Smith President Carol Christ share her passion for the literary works of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy in southwestern England; or attending a hands-on cooking SMITH TRAVEL Space is still available on these 2011 trips Sicily in the Spring March 22–April 1 Mediterranean Music Cruise: A Voyage from Venice to Seville May 3–16 Hidden Treasures of Southern France: Wine, Art, and Abbeys along the Great Pilgrimage Roads May 5–14 Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy’s England: A President’s Tour June 8–16 demonstration in Italy with Alfonso Procaccini, professor of Italian language and literature, you will find that our Uniquely Smith trips offer a stimulating and deeply rewarding travel experience. For a full brochure online please go to http://alumnae.smith.edu/travel or call Smith Travel at 800–225–2029. Amalfi: The Divine Coast August 31–September 8 Alaska’s Inside Passage July 1–8 Legendary Turkey and the Turquoise Coast (repeat trip due to popular demand) September 10–24 Voyage to the Lands of Gods and Heroes: A Family Learning Adventure in the Classical World July 26–August 6 Mediterranean Masterpieces: Rome to Nice Aboard Sea Cloud II September 12–20 Switzerland for Families August 8–16 Ecuadorian Amazon and Highlands September 24–October 3 Discovering Eastern Europe August 16–September 1 CONTACT SMITH TRAVEL FOR DETAILS PHONE: 800-225-2029 E-MAIL: [email protected] Botswana: Desert Sunset, Delta Dawn November 7–17 NOT YOUR AVERAGE ADVENTURES! Legendary Cultures: An Epic Journey by Private Jet September 17–October 7 Habitat for Humanity Mongolia September 2011 (exact dates to be determined) WEB: http://alumnae.smith.edu/travel Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 17 PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE By Carol Christ Honing the art of teaching in my first year at smith, I invited every member of the faculty to dinner, in groups of twenty, to hear about their aspirations for the college and for themselves. Every one of the conversations turned to teaching. I feel certain that a similar set of dinners at a research university would not have yielded the same result. In my years at Smith, I have been deeply impressed by the way in which serious focus on effective pedagogy permeates college culture. Faculty care deeply about teaching and learning, and devote much time, as individuals and as a community, to improving their craft. Indeed, teaching is both a craft and a discipline. Often people assume that excellent teaching is a matter of personality, character, or charisma. Although these are not irrelevant, as in any profession centering on human interaction, emphasis upon them leads to a mystique that obscures the systematic knowledge that has been developed about pedagogy. Three years ago, motivated by the desire to provide faculty a richer and more systematic set of opportunities to learn about the scholarship of teaching and learning and to incorporate that knowledge into their teaching, a group of faculty leaders proposed establishing a teaching and learning center at Smith (or TLC, as it was initially called). A generous bequest from Jay Sherrerd (who, with his wife, Kathleen Compton Sherrerd ’54, had earlier made a gift to fund Smith’s distinguished teaching prizes) enabled us to establish the center, now called the Sherrerd Center for Teaching and Learning. Through a program of “teaching arts lunches,” workshops, and seminars, the Sherrerd Center encourages a continuing conversation among faculty about how people learn and about our learning goals for our students. It offers support ranging from nuts-and-bolts assistance in teaching techniques to opportunities for learning about innovations in technology, about diversity in the classroom, and about the scholarship of teaching and learning. In the knowledge economy of the twenty-first century, such understanding is essential for our teachers, at every level. Smith is fortunate to have among its faculty a number of professors who have made the science of teaching and learning a focus of their research. It is the central enterprise of the Department of Education and Child Study, which has close connections not only to the Campus School but also to K–12 programs in Northampton and Springfield. But the scholarship of teaching at Smith extends far beyond the education department. This past fall, for the first time in its history, the Royal Statistics Society selected a paper on improving statistics education for presentation at its annual meeting; one of its authors, The scholarshipp off teachingg at Smith extends ffar beyond y the education department. Nicholas Horton, is a Smith professor (and a winner of the Sherrerd Teaching Prize). The Picker Engineering Program has attracted national attention for its innovations in pedagogy. In 2007 Professor Glenn Ellis, also a Sherrerd prize winner, was named U.S. Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Coun- /$6W\OH .HQ3ULFH$PHULFDQERUQ,QWHULRU6HULHV/L]DUG&XSFRORUVFUHHQSULQWRQ$UMRPDULSDSHU%HTXHVWRI,UHQH0HQQHQ+XQWHU,UHQH0HQQHQFODVVRI Produced by SCMA cil for the Advancement and Support of Education for his leadership in engineering education. Informed by the learning sciences, Ellis and his colleagues are developing and refining a curriculum that emphasizes deep and broad thinking, project-based learning, and the role of engineering in addressing human needs. They are committed to a “knowledgebuilding” approach, in which students not only acquire information but actively extend and transform what they know. This innovative vision of engineering pedagogy has many similarities to residential liberal arts education. At a time when the liberal arts are increasingly under attack for not providing vocational training, we should bear in mind the powerful way in which they develop students’ capacities for professional success and leadership. I would like to think Smith’s focus on teaching—which is not necessarily new but sustained and continually renewed— has inspired the many remarkable educators among our alumnae, whether or not they ever took a course with an explicit focus on pedagogy. Smith graduates from a range of majors have an outstanding acceptance rate to the highly competitive Teach for America program, which places teachers in under-resourced urban and rural schools. [See Page 44.] Among our alumnae honored recently with the Smith Medal are internationally recognized early childhood specialist Lella Gandini AC ’78; textbook innovator Joy Hakim ’51; visionary public school leader Roberta Schenker Kurlantzick ’65; adult education advocate Irene Cebula Baird ’45; and legendary mathematics professor and mentor T. Christine Stevens ’70. In the 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama reminded us that, after parents, “the biggest impact on a child’s success comes from the man or woman at the front of the classroom.” Whether at the elementary, secondary or postsecondary level, effective, transformative teachers are a scarce and vital resource. I am proud of the many ways in which Smith and its alumnae are stepping forward to meet this urgent need. r MAY 13 – SEPTEMBER 11, 2011 This exhibition is supported by the Louise Walker Blaney, class of 1939, Fund for Exhibitions. new! www.smith.edu/artmuseum Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 19 celebrating Smith Alumnae Quarterly They inspire, motivate, and guide students to be good citizens of the world. y on march –, the Alumnae Association is hosting a conference, “Smith Women in Education: Charting a Changing Education Landscape,” featuring a number of alumnae teachers, education policy experts, and scholars. In the coming weeks, check out the Alumnae Association’s Website, http://alumnae. smith.edu, for videos from the conference. Join the “Smith Women in Education” groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. On Twitter, follow the hashtag #smitheducators during and after the conference. 20 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 teachers the drive for education reform is more urgent than ever. Programs like Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind have become part of the lexicon of the movement to transform schools and elevate student performance. Unfortunately, in all the talk of improving the quality of education, teachers often get a bad rap. They’re the easy scapegoats when national student test scores don’t improve and they’re among the first to be blamed when local school districts are given failing grades for not meeting state or federal standards. Are there teachers in classrooms across the country who could benefit from better training, stronger support, and more time to prepare their lessons? Yes. But what seems to be forgotten amid the shouting and calls for change among politicians and policymakers is the fact that teachers are the ones who spend thousands of hours in the classroom working with real students. They continually inspire, motivate, and guide young people to be good, productive citizens of the world. It’s that work that should be celebrated. On the following pages we bring you inside the classrooms of alumnae who’ve dedicated their professional lives to teaching or supporting teachers. We give voice to those alumnae who are doing remarkable things in the classroom and turn to the teachers of tomorrow—the current Smith students who’ve chosen teaching as their life’s work—to get a glimpse at what the profession’s future may look like. At the heart of their stories is a deep desire to not only make a difference in the lives of young people but also create an environment that gives teachers the freedom to be innovative, leading to classrooms that are more equitable, schools that are more successful, and students that are more engaged with the world around them. Turn the page. Class is about to begin. 41 “There is nothing more stimulating, challenging, or rewarding than being a teacher. Nothing could be better than knowing that your work will have a direct impact on the future of the country.” SHAKWANA ETIENNE ’11 R“What makes a good teacher is being willing to pour yourself into the nurturing and development of another person.” CLAIRE DERRICK KENNEDY ’94 22 “i went into teaching because I wanted young people to learn that they have the power to make the world a better place.” “She helps you feel positive about the future for your children.” 51 26 do dorr or rr r ry y sc scha h llk ha k bro bro rown n ’ ileana jiménez ’ 32 “It’s important p for children to learn in a low-stress, highg rigor atmosphere.” CALTHA CROWE ’68 “Technology is a vehicle for really rethinking and changing the way we do education.” 30 KATHLEEN PHILLIPPS FULTON ’67 by ileana jiménez ’ For teachers to be effective, they need the space and time for thinking and learning on their own, the support of their school systems, and the respect of their communities. Unfortunately, says an awardwinning educator, many teachers find themselves adrift and beleaguered by the false promises of reform. ffreedom i went into teaching because I wanted young people to learn that they have the po ower to make the world a better place. I wanted to teach them that reading, writing, and activism can haave far-reaching effects on the way we live. As author, r, educator, and activist bell hooks writes in the bookk that inspired me early on in my career, Teaching too Transgress, education is about praxis and freedo om. For, as hooks writes, we are all “striving not just fo or k no wle d ge i n books, but knowledge about how to live in the world.” Unfortunately, today’s teachers aree so beleaguered with the empty language—and expecctations—of circus slogans like “Race to the Top” and “N No Child Left Behind” that it’s a miracle if we have any time to teach 22 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Pho Ph hotog tographs to rap aap phs hs by Bet Beth h Perkins erk er rkins ns Ilea Il ea ana na Jim mén neezz ’97 97 has ssp ha has pen e t tth he pa past sstt fourrte fo t en yeea arss as a f m fe miini ini nist sstt edu uca cato or,, mo ost st reccen entl tly at at the he Liittttlee Red L ed Schoo ch hoo ooll Hou Ho usse & El Elis i ab bet eth eth IIrr wi win Hi High gh Sch hoo o ol i New in ew York. ork.. or to teach our students how to live in the world. Support is minimal, opportunities for intellectual growth and professional development are limited, and the pressure to raise test scores is stifling. Yet, in the face of all these challenges and political chicanery by so-called education leaders who, in many cases, have never taught one day of school, teachers manage to do their jobs. In fact, increasingly we do more than teach; we find ourselves fighting the racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia that often burdens—and sometimes kills—our students. We’re not just teaching content, we’re also providing care. In some ways, this has always been the case, but the issues today are far more urgent. If educators are indeed in a race, it’s to save our students’ lives. We’re on the front lines when it comes to stopping the bullying of young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. We’re usually the first to know when students have tried cutting, attempted suicide, or abused drugs and alcohol. We read the stories they write about sexual abuse and rape. Whenever I read about queer youth suicides happening on college campuses or about intoxicated frat boys chanting misogynistic rallying cries, I think about all the work that we have yet to do in our schools. If we can teach our young people to take care of one another, then we can change the culture in which we live. I have spent the past fourteen years as a feminist educator. Smith sparked my mission to provide young women with a life-changing education, but achieving that goal hasn’t always been easy. During the early years of my career, I struggled to find a voice in privileged, largely conservative schools that didn’t think critically about race, class, gender, or sexuality. The students who often flocked to me were the girls of color and queer girls— and, at times, a combination of both. They felt estranged. To be honest, I, too, struggled as a closeted teacher of color who learned quickly that my politics didn’t always mesh with the schools in which I taught. With the fatigue of living a double life—that of teaching young women how to find themselves while hiding myself in the shadows—I learned that I needed to teach in a school that would allow me to bring my whole self to the classroom. What brought me to this realization was professional development. All teachers need spaces in which to find their voice and vision. Mine have been the annual National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference, which helps support independent school educators of color, and the Bard Institute for Writing and Thinking, which helps teachers develop inquirybased writing practices. I’ve also found a home in places such as the National Women’s Studies Association as well as the Women, Action, and the Media (WAM!) conference, which attracts like-minded progressive leaders and feminist bloggers. Spending time with the mentors, scholars, and activists I’ve met through these groups has allowed me to come out as a queer feminist teacher of color and has helped me develop as a visionary advocate for change in schools. I worry that we aren’t tak- 24 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 “If we can teach our young people to take care of one another, then we can change the culture in which we live.” ing care of our teachers as professionals, that we no longer provide opportunities for teachers to think, learn, and grow. Our expertise as educators has often become secondary to arbitrary standards that have nothing to do with bringing innovation to our classrooms. If our charge is to lead our students to become young scholars, then we, too, should be seen as scholars. We need to catapult teachers to a position where we are viewed as public intellectuals, contributing to the larger discourse about teaching and learning. To this end, schools need to provide teachers with the financial capital, cultural currency, and political cachet that will allow us to become thought leaders in our schools as well as in our communities. We need to create teacher-driven research centers within our schools where educators can gather to exchange ideas and share our practices with colleagues as well as with schools and colleges globally. The work we do should also be presented to parents and other community stakeholders who need to see that the important decisions we make are informed by our expertise. Like college professors, teachers need time to research, plan, and write. If we create this culture of scholarship within our schools themselves, instead of only at schools of education, we might just generate a revolution, one in which we declare our authority as educators and cultivate a presence as leaders in our field. I am currently on my own intellectual journey in Mexico on a Distinguished Fulbright Award in Teaching. A fairly new addition to the Fulbright award family, the Distinguished Fulbright provides experienced teachers with the funding to conduct research and lead professional-development workshops at local schools in a host country. As a guest researcher at Programa Universitario de Estudios de Género (PUEG), which is the gender-studies department at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), I have been interviewing high school girls on issues of gender and sexuality. I am also taking courses through PUEG as well as attending a plethora of lectures and events related to gender and education at the university and throughout Mexico City. I intend to bring what I discover back to my school in New York, the Little Red School House & Elisabeth Ir- win High School, which was founded by Smith alumna Elisabeth Irwin, class of 1903. When Irwin started the Little Red School House in 1921—and later, the high school in 1941—she envisioned school not as a place but as an experience. She wanted children to interact with one another and with the city around them rather than sit in rows. Today, this coed school still remains a leader in progressive education, upholding values such as social justice and human rights. Indeed, each year, the students in my high school course on feminism conduct an activist project supporting Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), which works to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children in New York. I feel honored to be carrying on Irwin’s vision of inviting young people to create change with one another and with their communities. Once I return from Mexico, my goal is to integrate my research into my feminism course as well as into my school’s conversation about diversity and equity, interdisciplinary studies, and global education. I also hope to write an article that will contribute to the larger conversation about gender and education. In the course of six months, I am fulfilling the dream I have for all educators: that of finding a room of one’s own for research and reflection that will lead to freedom in the classroom. But I’m one of the lucky ones. So few teachers get these kinds of opportunities to fill their intellectual wells, which is truly unfortunate because the benefits can be so profound. I know that by teaching with a feminist lens, I have made a difference in my students’ lives. A Latina former student of mine is now at Cornell, where she is studying both the hospitality industry and women’s studies because she wants to change the face of business as a feminist entrepreneur. A white male former student joined a reproductive-justice organization as a volunteer, and an Indian former student started her own organization, Resolve Network, which empowers women affected by conflict to create networks of peace. My classroom is both a space for learning and a space for action. What I have created has inspired my students to develop their own change-making visions. In my life as an educator-activist, I have reimagined what is possible in education no matter the struggle because I know that my students will take the next step. Of course, my students read and write, but they also act. Not all of my students will become activists, but they will become actors in their communities. All teachers should be given the autonomy to create a vision alongside their students that will change the world. I say enough with the criticism, enough with badmouthing the work teachers do, and enough with racing. Teachers need the time, funding, and space to create classrooms—indeed, schools—that transgress rote and tired expectations of both young people and themselves. It’s time to let teachers shape their practice and their field. It’s time to let teachers be free. r Ileana Jiménez ’97 is the founder and sole blogger at Feminist Teacher, feministteacher.com. In 2009, she was named one of the 40 Women of Stonewall by the Stonewall Foundation. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 25 SINGING LESSONS Early childhood educator Dorry Schalk Brown ’65 uses music and song to inspire children with speech and language disorders to raise their voices. by leslie talmadge | photographs by mark ostow 26 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 For more than thirty-five years, educator and early childhood specialist Dorry Schalk Brown ’65 has been running The Group Language Therapy Program for children with communication and social disorders. Using music— something Brown has loved since childhood—as a foundation, she leads children, who range in age from 2 to 5, through exercises, songs, and lessons that emphasize fun but also help bring out their language and social skills. To date, hundreds of children have gone through the program, and many parents credit Schalk with bringing out the best in their children. “It’s almost like unconditional love she has for these kids,” says one mother. dorry schalk brown ’, a wide-eyed, youthful grandmother, sits on the floor of a large, airy classroom at Boston’s Emerson College. She sings in her clear, alto voice: “Oh, five kids came to group today.” Around her, a group of toddlers squirm and clap their hands in unison. Then, as the song nears its finish, they shoot their arms into the air, wave them, and belt out “hip, hip, hooray!” You wouldn’t know it by watching them, but the children—who range in age from 2 to 5—in Brown’s program have communication and social disorders. Many are on the autism spectrum or have other neurological Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 27 Parents praise Dorry Schalk Brown ’65 for helping their children “find their words.” challenges that prevent them from easily engaging with their parents and peers. Encouraging these children to sing and participate in group activities helps them develop their language, communication, and social skills. It’s also the cornerstone of a unique program that Brown, an early childhood specialist, started thirty-five years ago. The Group Language Therapy Program, which was originally housed at Children’s Hospital Boston, aims to provide children with an intensive language-learning experience in a classroom setting. Each class is designed to help young children understand—and use—gestures, pictures, and words. Brown’s program is distinguished by its ratio of five children to six clinicians and by the fact that it accepts children as young as 2. This is crucial, because, as experts agree, children with autism and other developmental disorders benefit greatly from early intervention. As more and more children are diagnosed with autism the need for programs like Brown’s is growing. About 1 percent of children in the Unit- 28 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 ed States are on the autism spectrum, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association notes that nearly 1.5 million children receive services for speech and language disorders, and the National Institution on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that roughly 5 percent of children have noticeable speech disorders. Brown, a music major at Smith who played violin in the College Orchestra, performed with the Glee Club, and later sang with the New York Oratorio Society, spends more than a quarter of each class singing with her students. Children—and especially children with autism—respond to the melody, rhythm, and repetition of music, making it an effective way to engage them and teach them specific language and social skills, she says. While singing, she often holds up pictures to help her students better understand the meaning of the words. She also encourages her students to interact with one another while they’re singing, showing a picture of the song they’ve chosen to their peers, for example, or imitating one another’s actions, such as clapping. So far, Brown’s approach has helped hundreds of children. Parents praise her for “helping children find their words.” Melanie, whose 2-year-old son, Jake, attends Brown’s class and says Brown knows her son “as well as I do or better” and has an “innate ability” to engage kids. “She picks up on their quirks and strengths and works with them,” says Melanie, who like other mothers interviewed for this story requested that her last name not be used. Meaghen, whose daughter Gabriella also attends Brown’s program, says Brown has an “unbelievable ability to gain respect from 2-year-olds. It’s almost like unconditional love she has for these kids.” Brown, it seems, was destined to help the underdog. As a child growing up in Northampton, she had a picture in her bedroom that depicted a race among frogs riding on swans, some of which were about to cross the finish line. “I’d lie there looking at the picture and hoping the little one in the back was going to win,” she says. Later, at Smith, she was a self-described peacenik who, among other protests, marched against former Alabama Governor George Wallace’s visit to the campus in the 1960s. After graduating from college, she was unsure about what to do. An experienced camp coun- selor and babysitter who grew up in a family of teachers (her father, Marshall Schalk, was a well-loved geology professor at Smith, and her mother and grandfather taught art and piano, respectively), she decided to work for the national service program VISTA in 1965. For two years, she taught piano and Suzuki violin to children in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and then applied to graduate school at Tufts University, where she hoped to combine her two passions, music and working with children. After earning her degree in child development, she was hired by Children’s Hospital Boston to start a group program for children with communication problems. She also served on one of the hospital’s diagnostics teams, evaluating children with cognitive and social disorders. Thirty-six years and hundreds of preschoolers later, Brown is still singing Raffi, Pete Seeger, and her own made-up songs with the enthusiasm of a first-year teacher. Back in the classroom, Brown calls on “George,” a 2-year-old blond, to pick the first song. From a board with pictures of various songs, he chooses “Whoa, Back.” Brown takes out a circular rope and instructs the preschoolers to grab ahold. “Pretend you’re riding on a horse, and these are your reins,” she says. “Hold on tight.” Then, turning to George, she tells him to pick a sound. “Ba,” he says. Led by Brown, the children pretend they’re holding a horse while they sing to the tune of The Lone Rangerr theme song. Their voices blend into a chorus of “baa ba ba baa, ba ba baa, baa, baa. Ba ba baa, ba ba baa, ba ba baa, baa, baa.” Pulling back on the rope, the children yell, “WHOA, BACK! WHOA, BACK!” and collapse into giggles. The purpose of songs like this, Brown says, is to motivate children to produce simple sounds and interact with one another. Whether encouraging the children to sing, hold hands and dance, jump on a trampoline, or pretend to go fishing, Brown says her goal is to create a fun environment in which children can play with one another and develop their communication skills. Even snack time is used as an opportunity to practice skills such as requesting food and making eye contact. While her students are her highest priority, Brown also enjoys advising and coaching parents on how to best support their children. To that end, she lets parents observe the class from behind a one-way mirror—something that isn’t possible in most preschool settings. “As the parent of a preschooler who was not developing in the usual ways, I craved that kind of opportunity to observe and learn without disrupting the dynamic with my actual presence,” says Maureen, one mother whose child graduated from Brown’s program ten years ago. “Instead of focusing on the negative, [Brown] helps me see the positive and beautiful aspects of my daughter.” For many parents, the experience also provides a chance to bond with other parents whose children face similar challenges. “This program has meant so much to all of us,” says Melanie, Jake’s mother. “Most of the time when you’re out in the real world, you recognize the differences between your child and the so-called norm, and you feel like you stand out like a sore thumb. But not here. I never realized so many people are dealing with the same thing.” Through the years, Brown has received numerous honors for her leadership in the field, including the Margaret L. Bauman ’60, MD, Award for Excellence in Serving the Autism Community, given by the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Evaluation & Rehabilitation Services (LADDERS) program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Bauman, an autism expert who teaches at Harvard Medical School, says of Brown’s program, “I truly don’t know of any other model quite like this.” Brown’s most devoted fans, though, are her students. Notes, photographs, and hand-drawn pictures plaster Brown’s office walls. A letter from one of her former students, now 8, hangs on her door: “Dorry, I take karate. I have two stripes on my white belt. I know how to tie my shoes and I am in first grade. I miss you. Heart. Wilder.” Cole, a former student, “couldn’t get out of the car fast enough” to go to Brown’s program, according to his mother, Celeste. And 2-year-old Leah and her mother, Michelle, “say good night to Dorry Brown every night.” Long after they have left Brown’s program, students and parents remain in touch with her, inviting her to bar mitzvahs and high school graduation parties. With more than forty-five years in the classroom, Brown has no plans to retire. “I cannot get my head around what I would do,” she says. And that’s music to the ears of children and families in her program. To parents of children who may not outgrow their diagnoses, Brown offers lessons of acceptance and hope. “Instead of focusing on the negative, she helps me see the positive and beautiful aspects of my daughter,” one mother, Meaghen, says. “She helps you feel positive about the future for your children.” r Leslie Talmadge is a freelance writer in Cambridge. Her daughter attended Brown’s program for two years. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 29 TEACHERS of Today interviews by christina barber-just Technology can have a powerful impact on how teachers teach and students learn, says Kathleen Phillipps Fulton ’67. 30 The alumnae educators profiled here are following different career paths, but they share a common characteristic: Each is determined in her own arena to find solutions to nagging problems in the nation’s schools. For Carrie Coleman Strasburger ’80 it’s making math manageable for learning disabled youngsters. For Rachel Willis ’04 it’s insisting on high expectations for her third-grade students. Others, like Kathleen Phillipps Fulton ’67, whose job title is Director of Reinventing Schools for the 21st Century, are pushing for broad, systemic change. In such capable hands, can true reform be far behind? The innovator Building teams of teachers kathleen phillipps fulton ’ SMITH MAJOR English ADVANCED DEGREE Master’s in human development from the University of Maryland CURRENT JOB Director of Reinventing Schools for the 21st Century at the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), a nonprofit research advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. Fulton describes NCTAF as a “small organization working toward the next big thing in education.” THE PROBLEM According to a video produced by NCTAF, within the next decade the United States will lose more than half its veteran teachers to retirement and more than half its new teachers to attrition. Replacing the retirees isn’t a question of finding enough good teachers but of retaining them, Fulton says. New teachers feel unsupported and unable to make a difference. Left to sink or swim, most sink—and constant teacher turnover makes students suffer. Photograph by Chris Hartlove THE SOLUTION In a word: teamwork. Fulton and NCTAF believe in the power of changing the model of teaching from working alone to working in so-called learning teams of teachers. “In every profession teamwork is the path to high performance,” the NCTAF video says. So why do most US teachers still work solo? Most European and Asian teachers, on the other hand, now work in teams—and their students are outperforming ours. Fulton wants that to change, and says NCTAF’s plan has “huge implications” for the way teachers are prepared, schools are organized, and technology is used to support various pieces of education in the United States. GAME CHANGER “Technology is a vehicle for really rethinking and changing the way we do education,” Fulton says. It’s also a means of advancing NCTAF’s vision of collaborative teaching because it makes connections much more facile, she says; teachers can connect anytime, anywhere. Among other innovations in educational technology, Fulton and NCTAF envision online support networks linking novice teachers to experienced educators; Facebook-inspired professional networks for teachers; wikis, or interactive Websites, where teachers could do everything from compare calendars and post projects to have discussions and share resources; and widespread teacher use of handhelds and mobile devices. STICKY WICKET Technology can be used to do a better job of teaching, to engage students in different ways, and to bring new content into the classroom, Fulton says, but if used improperly, it can impede learning rather than support it. “Technology is definitely going to be a part of education,” she says. “Our challenge is to find the best ways to channel it.” y MORE: nctaf.org Teamwork is the path to high performance in the classroom. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 31 Caltha Crowe ’68, an author of two books on behavorial problems, says bullying can occur when children feel they’re not successful. The peacemaker Less stress, more learning caltha crowe ’ SMITH MAJOR Sociology ADVANCED DEGREES Master’s in early childhood education from Goddard College; master’s in educational leadership from the Bank Street College of Education CURRENT JOB Responsive Classroom certified consulting teacher; author of Solving Thorny Behavior Problems: How Teachers and Students Can Work Togetherr (2009), Sammy and His Behavior Problems: Stories and Strategies from a Teacher’s Yearr (2010), and a forthcoming book on bullying prevention PEACEFUL CLASSROOMS The Massachusetts-based Northeast Foundation for Children developed Responsive Classroom, which Crowe describes as an approach that helps schools create “safe and joyful learning environments” for Photograph by Joshua Paul “It’s important for children to learn in an atmosphere where there is low stress and high rigor.” children. It focuses on teaching children to be kind to one another, she says, and teaching the behavior necessary to fostering peaceful classrooms. Crowe, who retired from teaching in 2006 with thirty-nine years of experience under her belt, says Responsive Classroom changed her life as an educator: “It helped me figure out how to be the teacher I wanted to be.” PAIN OF BULLYING After writing two books on misbehavior, Crowe is turning her attention to bullying—a subject that came up a lot in her consulting even before the story of Phoebe Prince, a South Hadley, Massachusetts, high school student who was allegedly bullied to death, made international headlines, she says. Her new book will be an elementary school teachers’ guide to preventing bullying. “Bullying is of particular concern to elementary school teachers because they often miss it,” Crowe says. “It goes on under our radar as educators— on the playground, on the school bus, even in classrooms when the teacher turns his or her back.” Bullying at this age involves a lot of hitting, pinching, and poking, Crowe says, but exclusion (“I’m not going to be your friend”; “We won’t play with you”) is even more painful—and prevalent. academically if they feel safe in school, surrounded by other children and adults who care about them. “It’s important for children to learn in an atmosphere where there’s low stress and high rigor,” Crowe says—and she’s not talking just about bullying. Due to the current emphasis on high-stakes tests, not all of which may be developmentally appropriate, kids are under a lot of stress, and stress creates misbehavior. “Children misbehave when they feel like they’re not successful,” Crowe says, “but it’s hard to feel successful when you’re being drilled on skills you’re really not ready for.” STRESS TESTS Making elementary school a more pleasant place is reason enough to try to nip bullying in the bud, but evidence also points to the fact that children are more successful y MORE: responsiveclassroom.org Crowe’s books have been praised for providing teachers with proven and practical ways of handling tough problems in the classroom. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 33 The advocate c arrie coleman str asburger ’ SMITH MAJOR Education and child study ADVANCED DEGREE Master’s in special education, with a specialization in learning disabilities, from Teachers College, Columbia University CURRENT JOB Math consultant for the Bridge Academy, a private New Jersey school for students ages 8 to 18 with learning disabilities MAKING MATH MANAGEABLE As a former math department 34 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 head and teacher at the Bridge Academy, Strasburger noticed that while there were “good strategies for teaching reading and writing to kids with learning disabilities,” there were no such strategies for teaching math. So she created her own curriculum, calling it Bridging the Gap Mathematics. It advocates taking a multisensory, hands-on approach to the teaching of math, and it got such remarkable results at the Bridge Academy—students learning two or three years’ worth of material in a single year, for example— “As a society, we are allowing our kids to not be math literate. Why is that?” Carrie Coleman Strasburger ’80 says she never took a math class at Smith but as a teacher became intrigued by the idea of making math more accessible to students with learning disabilities. that the school decided to publish it. Strasburger is now writing the curriculum full-time in the form of a series of three books, the first of which, Symbolize Units, is already available from the school’s Website. Strasburger hopes the complete series will find a wide audience with educators of learning-disabled and mainstream math students alike. MATHAMORPHOSIS Strasburger says her career trajectory will probably surprise those who knew her in college: “I don’t even think I Photograph by Asia Kepka took a math course at Smith.” She did, however, take a class on learning disabilities. Among other things, it taught her that a language-based learning disability like dyslexia “affects one’s ability to do math a lot more than you would think,” since it involves a multitude of memory issues, attention issues, and processing issues. As a teacher, she got hooked on the challenge of making math accessible to learning-disabled students, who were clearly losing ground, and their “aha! moments” made her efforts worthwhile. The experience has changed Strasburger’s relationship to math. These days, she says, “I like math. I’m not math phobic, but I’m not a math geek either.” THE BIG QUESTION “As a society, we are allowing our kids to not be math literate,” Strasburger says. “It’s acceptable to say ‘I don’t do math’ at a cocktail party, but no one would dream of saying ‘I don’t read or write.’ Why is that?” y MORE: banj.org Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 35 The role model Inspiring students rachel willis ’ SMITH MAJOR Government, with a minor in theater ADVANCED DEGREES Certificate from Agnes Scott College’s Postbaccalaureate Early Childhood Preparation Program; master’s from Columbia University’s Teachers College Education Leadership Program CURRENT JOB Third- grade teacher at Morningside Elementary School in Atlanta. Willis decided to go into education after a two-year stint with Teach for America— the organization that pairs college grads with underserved schools— convinced her that “this is what I was supposed to be doing.” TOP OF THE CLASS Just one year after the Atlanta Public Schools named Willis its Elementary School Teacher of the Year, citing her “commitment to education” and “amazing leadership qualities,” she topped that honor by winning a prestigious Milken Educator Award on November 1, 2010. The award, which carries 36 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 a $25,000 no-stringsattached cash prize and has been called the “Oscars of teaching,” was established by Milken Family Foundation chairman and cofounder Lowell Milken to “celebrate, elevate, and activate exemplary K-12 educators.” It claims to be the country’s preeminent teacher-recognition program, having handed out more than $62 million to some 2,500 educators nationwide since its inception in 1987. POSITIVE CHANGE MAKER The Milken foundation says it selected Willis because she has “overseen firstrate improvements in student achievement and education reform” at Morningside Elementary School. “A product herself of Atlanta’s public school system, her return to implement positive change in education has come full circle as she inspires the next generation of students to be proactive about the issues and passions they hold dear.” “ Teaching is one of the most important careers you can have.” meaningful to her students by designing lessons that address their interests and learning styles. On any given day, she says, you can walk into her classroom and see students working together in small groups, acting as peer teachers, and playing games that support Georgia’s performance standards. She writes songs to help students learn the social-studies curriculum and uses technology to transport them to different places and times in history. She also knows learning can’t stop when the bell rings, so she keeps open lines of communication with parents to tell them how they can best encourage their children’s critical thinking and comprehension at home. “Though I am only a third-grade teacher,” Willis says, “I know that the work my students do today is one building block they need to prepare them for life as successful adults.” Award-winning teacher Rachel Willis ’04, shown in her classroom in Atlanta, has been praised for her commitment to education. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY Willis strives to make every day engaging and Photograph by Christopher T. Martin The reformer marjorie pashkow kaplan ’ Education’s odds-on favorite SMITH MAJOR Music ADVANCED DEGREES Master’s in education and doctorate in educational administration, both from Arizona State University CURRENT JOB Director of the Beat the Odds Institute. Established in 2007 by the nonprofit Center for the Future of Arizona, the institute provides services and training to principals in eighty-three schools with the goal of raising student achievement. KEYS TO SUCCESS In 2006 the Center for the Future of Arizona published the study Why Some Schools With Latino Children Beat the Odds … and Others Don’t. It was prompted by a single question: “What does it take to get great results in schools with mostly low-income, mostly Latino students?” Of the 300-plus Arizona schools with these demographics, researchers found twelve whose students’ reading and math scores were “beating the odds.” A close look at these schools revealed certain commonalities—so-called keys to success, such as ongoing assessment and collaborative solutions— that the Beat the Odds Institute is now working to put into practice at every school in Arizona. Photograph by Mark Peterman PROVEN LEADER A REFORM DONE RIGHT “strong and steady” principal is another hallmark of a Beat the Odds school, so it’s not surprising that the institute itself would choose a proven leader to be its first director. A twenty-four-year superintendent of schools who was once named one of the top 100 educators in the United States, Kaplan also has held the title of Arizona Superintendent of the Year. Among other responsibilities at Beat the Odds, she oversees the institute’s most important educational service: mentoring and training sessions for principals. “Leadership is connected to student achievement,” she says. “The idea is to train principals so they can provide appropriate leadership to their schools.” So far, the technique seems to be working; data show “statistically significant improvement” in math scores and “positive advancement” in reading scores for students in participating schools, Kaplan says. The number of Beat the Odds schools has already more than tripled, and the institute aims to keep expanding, but Kaplan favors a cautious approach—“nothing extreme”—in this and all things related to education reform. Raising test scores may be her goal, she says, “but the idea isn’t to do it in a sterile, uninteresting environment.” Students need to feel motivated and stimulated by exciting, thoughtful lessons, she says—not so bogged down by meeting requirements and taking tests that they neglect to develop higher-thinking skills. Simply put, Kaplan says, “testing 100 percent of the time is not right.” y MORE: beattheoddsinstitute.org Marjorie Pashkow Kaplan ’62 advocates training principals to be strong leaders, which leads to higher student achievement. Students need to feel motivated by exciting, thoughtful lessons. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 39 Teachers of STUDENTS NEED teachers who will challenge and support them, and I want to do that. Samantha Gonnelli ’11 R Major: American studies House: Friedman apartments; junior year at Oxford Hometown: Berkeley Heights, New Jersey Experience so far: Teaching literature as a student teacher, Northampton High School; tutoring “for me, teaching is the most effective way to bridge my love of literature and my enthusiasm to contribute to the lives of young people. As a teacher, I will be in a position where I can help teenagers refine and improve their reading and writing skills. Students need teachers who will challenge and support them, and I want to do that and do whatever I can to help close the achievement gap and inspire high school students to go on to college. “For me, teaching is one of the most rewarding lines of work because it is challenging and typically involves a good deal of autonomy. Working with kids and witnessing their progress over time is also fun and exciting.” “I want to do whatevver I can to help close thhe achievement gap.” 40 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 TOMORROW Grace Goodrich ’11 R Major: Education and child study House: Chapin Hometown: Glastonbury, Connecticut Experience so far: Student teaching sixth grade at the Campus School; teaching high school with Urban Education Initiative “i would like to create a classroom environment that welcomes open discussion and values communication— an environment in which my students will grow to respect the world, their peers, and themselves. I make a conscious effort to listen to each child’s strength—what is special about them and how can their individuality better our community? “My experiences as a twotime alumna of Smith’s Urban Education Initiative in both New York City and Chicago opened my eyes to the reality of our country’s achievement gap and taught me to be assertive and realistic in the classroom. “So, what’s my master plan? At this point, to have my own classroom next year and to embark on what I anticipate being a lifelong commitment to working with youth in a teaching capacity and striving for educational equality.” Photographs by Webb Chappell They’re still students themselves, but the seniors on these pages have already acquired solid classroom experience, as student teachers, as teaching assistants in Smith’s Urban Education Initiative, as camp counselors and tutors. Their experiences are feeding a passion for education that seems to run in their veins. “I dream my teaching every night,” says Ania White ’11. Another student teacher, bubbling over from a lesson in which she created a circulation system using hula hoops and tape, could hardly contain her enthusiasm. “My teacher said it was a rock-star lesson!” said Rachel Wells ’11. “I’m totally psyched about education.” I MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT to listen to each child’s strength— what is special about them. R Shakwana Etienne ’11 Major: French and education and child study House: Chase Hometown: West Orange, New Jersey; originally, Haiti Experience so far: Tutoring at the Campus School; teaching in Boston as part of Smith’s Urban Education Initiative; currently student teaching French at Easthampton High School NOTHING could be better than knowing that your work will have a direct impact on the future of the country. “there is nothing more stimulating, challenging, or rewarding than being a teacher. Nothing could be better than knowing that your work will have a direct impact on the future of the country. “My parents and some of my teachers from high school have been great influences in my choice to become a teacher. Both of my parents were professors when we lived in Haiti, and I’ve had some amazing teachers who made my high school experience really enjoyable and had a positive impact on my personal growth. “I hope to have the same effect on my own students. Nothing would be more satisfying than to have former students come back and tell me that I’ve helped them learn something, whether it’s a school lesson or a life lesson.” Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 41 I WANT TO SEE that spark in a child’s eye when he or she finally understands how division works. Rachel Wells ’11 R Major: Education and child study House: Lawrence; junior year in Denmark Hometown: suburban Philadelphia Experience so far: Teaching first grade in New York City with Smith’s Urban Education Initiative; teaching fourth grade as a student teacher at the Campus School “i have always been drawn to teaching. Even as a young child, I would play school with my sister for hours on end. I chose teaching as a profession because I want to see that spark in a child’s eye when he or she finally understands how division works. It’s those little moments of excitement and wonder that drive me forward every day. “I love to learn new things, and I believe that I bring a ‘learning-is-fun’ attitude to my students as well. I believe that learning can take place anywhere, whether it be in line waiting for recess or sitting in math class. “With budget cutbacks and No Child Left Behind standards demanding more accountability from teachers, I worry that the art of teaching is being lost. It is one of my most profound fears.” 42 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Phoebe Camilletti ’11 R Major: English language and literature House: Tyler Hometown: Foothill Ranch, California Experience so far: Smith’s Urban Education Initiative; intern, Shakespeare in Springfield; teaching fencing to Campus School students “i had my teaching epiphany in eighth grade, when I had an absolutely phenomenal English teacher. I had always loved reading and writing, but the enthusiasm and sense of humor—not to mention an entirely fresh perspective—he brought to the class were perfect. In his class, I was shown that a good teacher can engender really vast confidence in oneself. His passion and goodwill were absolutely infectious, and it is with similar zeal that I intend to teach. “I want to teach both English and theater in a high school setting. Both subjects have such gigantic potential to make students competent, literate individuals. “I will show my students, by way of their own success, that they have the ability to succeed in life in whatever way they choose to define their success, should they take advantage of that ability.” “I worry that the art of teaching is being lost.” I WAS SHOWN that a good teacher can engender really vast confidence in oneself. I LOVE TO SEE the curiosity and discovery that children experience as they grow. R Ania White ’11 Major: Education and child study House: Chase; junior year in Denmark Hometown: Norwich, Vermont Experience so far: Sixth-grade math teacher as part of Smith’s Urban Education Initiative; camp counselor “throughout my whole life, many teachers and educators inspired me to continue what they taught me—the value of education and work with children. I love to see the curiosity and discovery that children experience as they grow, and I thrive on helping them in their quests for learning and knowledge. “I believe that students benefit from a supportive social learning environment. I hope to become a teacher who inspires and cares for her students, and helps them grow into their greatest potential as learners and members of society.” Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 43 AFTER COMPLETING her two-year stint with Teach for America, Sarah R.S. Martin ’06 went on to become a TFA director in New York and Indianapolis. by jenny hall ac ’ teach for america alumnae emerge from tough classroom experiences as passionate advocates for equality in education. 44 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 a mission jennifer carter ’ remembers with startling clarity the first day of her stint with Teach for America. At 22, with a fresh new anthropology degree in hand, she had arrived on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the Badlands of South Dakota a few weeks before the start of classes. The fluorescent-green paint she had picked out brightened her classroom’s concrete walls, but she quickly realized that cosmetic changes would do little to address the challenges her eighth-grade students brought with them. One boy threatened to smash her head with a dumbbell if she didn’t get out of the way. “Would I buy it or would I call his bluff? I stared him down and refused to move, telling him calmly to go back to his seat,” she recalls. “He eventually followed my instructions and the rest of the class followed suit.” Another student rarely came to school, and when he did he’d scream at Carter. “I figured he wanted me to believe he was a thug kid, but I wasn’t buying it. It was a test. Somehow, Photograph by Joshua Paul to teach Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 45 46 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 KATYA LEVITAN-REINER ’02 says TFA is one piece of a much-needed solution to the many problems facing public schools in at-risk communities nationwide. I passed,” she says. Both boys committed suicide in the two years after Carter left, she says. Not every Teach for America corps member has such a dramatic story, but many do. Since TFA began in 1990, with a goal of enlisting a small army of idealistic young college graduates to eliminate educational inequality, Smith alumnae have eagerly accepted the challenge. Starting with five members of the class of 1990, the number of Smith grads joining TFA has grown steadily, according to Kaitlin Gastrock, director of communications at TFA’s Boston office. All told, some 130 Smith women have put in their two years as novice teachers in some of the nation’s most underperforming schools. Of those, about half have remained in the field of education, working in schools, districts, education nonprofits, and higher education, while others have gone on to pursue careers as varied as finance, law, and management. Despite the stress that can come with leading a classroom of students in some of the toughest schools in the nation, the alumnae interviewed for this story, including those who are critical of the program, have become passionate advocates for education equality. “TFA has a theory of change and a mission that is compelling to Smith students,” says Sam Intrator, professor of education and child study at Smith. “Educational disparity is, in a sense, the new civilrights issue of our day, and Smithies understand both systematically and on the ground how important it is to contribute to the solution, to be a part Photograph by Joshua Paul of restructuring underserved institutions.” Smith students typically learn about Teach for America from campus recruiters. For some, the pitch is effective enough to prompt a change in career plans. Rachel Willis ’04, for example, was a government major who had every intention of moving to Washington, DC, to work on Capitol Hill. An information session on TFA, led by a Smith alumna, changed all that. “At the end of the presentation they showed a video, and when the lights went up, I realized I was crying. Right then and there, I felt like I had found what I was supposed to be doing with my life.” Willis signed up for a two-year TFA stint in her native Atlanta, and has been there ever since. In 2009, she won a Teacher of the Year award for her work as a third-grade teacher at Morningside Elementary School in Atlanta, and in 2010, she won the prestigious Milken Educator Award, the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program. [See the story, Page 36.] Christi Smith ’99, a sociology major at Smith, taught at two schools in North Carolina as a TFA corps member and later volunteered as a recruiter, including at Smith. TFA recruiters look for qualities like leadership and a high GPA, she says, but they’re also gauging less tangible traits like creativity, resourcefulness, and independence. “TFA needs people who can walk into schools with a unique combination of confidence and humility,” Smith says. “Your demeanor should inspire respect in other teachers, parents, and students, but you also need to come into the community with a deep sense of humility and a willingness to learn.” Like Jennifer Carter, Smith discovered the aching need that TFA teachers can fill. “One of my biggest concerns going into TFA was that I would take away a position from a better qualified candidate. But what I found was that I was there to fill an empty classroom,” Smith says. “In one case, the students had—for as long as anyone could remember— a substitute teacher come in once a week. The other four days they spent watching movies while the teacher in the next room peeked in on them periodically.” Smith, currently in China on a fellowship and working on her dissertation for a PhD in sociology at Indiana University, says her TFA experience definitely influenced her career choice. “Before TFA, I was thinking more about law school than graduate school. Teaching gave me a better understanding of the systemic problems that need to be addressed,” she says. “I really felt that teaching in the schools wouldn’t really bring about long-term change. By the end of my time with TFA, I was thinking about all the gaps in research that need attention.” Karli Swift ’04, in her final year of law school at the “Teach for America needs people who can walk into schools with a unique combination of confidence and humility. Your demeanor should inspire respect and reflect a willingness to learn.” Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 47 JENNIFER CARTER ’04, outside the teachers’ quarters, on her first day as a Teach for America teacher at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 2004. She is now a graduate student in education. University of Georgia, says her TFA experience as a high school social studies teacher at a predominantly African American inner-city school in Baltimore from 2005 to 2007, has profoundly influenced her life. “The beauty of TFA is that it takes talented people who aren’t necessarily planning to become teachers and channels their talent and enthusiasm into a passion for public education,” she says. “I definitely expect to stay involved in education long term, whether that’s by using my law degree to affect policy, or by tutoring or mentoring.” For all of its successes, though, TFA draws criticism for some of its practices. Smith education professor Sam Intrator, for instance, questions its hiring of noneducation majors, who are given minimal training before they’re thrown into a difficult classroom situation, often with very little supervision. He also wonders if it focuses too heavily on shortterm solutions. “My quandary is that organizations like TFA are pipelines that move talented, idealistic people into underserved schools, and that’s great, but shouldn’t our real resources be focused not on how 48 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 many people we can get into the classroom, but on how we keep them there?” he asks. “All the research says that the single greatest factor of success in underachieving schools is the quality of the teaching. Teaching is an art, a science, a craft that must be honed, and getting good at anything demands practice, time on task.” Plus, he notes, the two-year commitment means that talented TFA recruits leave teaching before they develop the expertise needed in schools that serve poor children. Katya Levitan-Reiner ’02 recalls her first TFA position in a hastily assembled school for students who had been expelled by other schools in Oakland, California. “We literally had to climb a chain-link fence to get in before school started, and dust off the chairs,” she says. “Many students hadn’t attended school in a year, so we didn’t even know which class to place them in.” She taught pre-algebra to a group of middle-school students who ranged in age from 11 to 17. Although she had taken some education courses at Smith and rates the training she received at TFA’s summer institute as very good, she was, she says, completely overwhelmed and unprepared for the specific challenges of her classroom. TFA offered her another placement, but she ended up leaving the organization to teach at another public school in Oakland, an established school founded and staffed by veteran teachers. Today, as senior coordinator in the Office of Data and Assessment for the New Haven, Connecticut, public schools, Levitan-Reiner is a little more forgiving of her TFA experience. “Of course I wasn’t adequately prepared, but how could I have been?” she says. “I think it’s important to remember that TFA didn’t create the problems with the public school system in this country, and TFA doesn’t claim to be the solution. What it says is, there’s a problem, and we need solutions. TFA is one piece of a much-needed solution.” One TFA alumna also questions the organization’s “relentless pursuit of results,” to use the TFA Website’s language. Teachers are expected to raise their students’ achievement scores by one and a half or two grade levels over the course of a school year. As in all public schools, this is measured through testing, which raises the controversial subject of “teaching to the test,” a concept that generates passionate debate and divides the educational community. “When you measure kids’ progress using a five-step lesson plan with a test at the end of it, you lose out on so much,” says Megan Ambrus ’07, who taught fifth graders whose families were predominantly recent immigrants from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in New Haven, Connecticut. “What about art, music, culture?” Ambrus is currently working for a nonprofit and applying to grad programs in the sociology of education. She’s writing a novel based on her TFA experiences. Other TFA alums take a more pragmatic approach. “If I want my students to be college-bound, then there has to be both a qualitative and a quantitative way to measure their progress,” says Sarah R. S. Martin ’06, a former corps member in Hawaii and now a TFA director in New York City and Indianapolis. “I believe it can’t be an either/or situation. Test scores are important and must be considered as one indicator to measure progress, but it is also about building students’ confidence and love for learning.” Despite the challenges and shortcomings of the program, former corps members say TFA gave them a greater appreciation for the hard work of teachers and an unwavering commitment to improving schools. Elizabeth Marcell ’99 acknowledges that not everyone who goes through the program will become a teacher. “The goal,” she says, “is to build a group of alums in all walks of life who are going to fight educational inequality, whether that’s by influencing policy decisions, being a more informed voter or city council member, mentoring in an after-school program, or crafting legislation to address education reform.” Marcell herself applied to TFA in her senior year, fully intending to pursue an advanced degree in Italian literature when her two-year stint was up. But her plans changed after she was assigned a specialeducation class of thirteen students, whose disabilities ranged from Down syndrome to autism to blindness, in a small border town in Texas. The student body was largely Spanish-speaking, with 98 percent qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Marcell cobbled together her high school Spanish and college Italian to become fluent enough to converse with parents at teacherparent conferences. After her TFA experience, Marcell did spend a year in the Italian program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, but returned to TFA, this time on the program staff of the organization in New Orleans. “I just knew that whatever I could do professionally as an Italian professor—regardless of how much I loved the field—would never have the kind of direct impact on people’s lives that I would have in the public education reform movement,” she says. Today, after earning a doctorate in education from Harvard, she heads the specialeducation department at two newly designated charter schools in New Orleans as part of ReNEW Schools, an ambitious charter organization that is part of the Louisiana Recovery School District that works to turn around failing and underperforming schools. For Nahid Sorooshyari ’05, teaching for two years in a fifth-grade classroom in the Bronx for TFA was a way to give back to the community before going on to law school. The experience gave direction to her legal education at Washington University–St. Louis, where she’s a third-year student. “Teach for America opened my eyes to the failures of our education system and the ways we can work to make it better,” she says. “Before TFA, I never thought about working in education or even working with kids. Now, I plan on using my law degree to either work in educational policy or somehow work to represent low-income children facing legal difficulties.” Twenty years into its idealistic mission, Teach for America remains an attractive option for new graduates. Thirteen members of the Smith class of 2010 are midway through their first TFA teaching assignments. Judging from the experiences of their predecessors, they will learn, as Jennifer Carter did in South Dakota, hard lessons about the lasting effects of poverty and discrimination. “I know that my students became better writers because I was their teacher. But I also know that I did not change their circumstances,” says Carter, who recently began graduate studies in education at Lesley University. “I had students who were beaten up by gangs, who joined gangs, whose parents overdosed, who had to raise their siblings, who slept in cars, who became teen moms, who didn’t have a place to sleep.” But they may also learn about the value of pitching in and holding tight to high expectations. “My students would tell me, ‘You can’t expect us to do that, Ms. Carter. We’re Indians.’ Now, they write to me on Facebook and say, ‘I remember everything you taught us.’ A few of my students have gone on to college. That makes me really proud.” r “Teach for America opened my eyes to the failures of our education system and the ways we can work together to make it better.” Jenny Hall AC ’04, a former teacher, is a freelance writer in western Massachusetts. She has written numerous articles for the Smith Alumnae Quarterly. y Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 49 50 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 more families are choosing homeschooling as an alternative to traditional education. Their reasons may vary, but alumnae who have set up class at home say the experience strengthens family bonds and makes their children active participants in their own learning. by jane falla Teaching with a Mom’s Touch Illustration by Christopher Silas-Neal Linny Blumer AC ’89 and her family are avid world travelers. They’ve lived in Switzerland; currently have a home in Brazil, where they moved to nine years ago; and have traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. When her two oldest children were in elementary school in Switzerland, Blumer took them out of school for a six-month trek, and after returning home and having her children go back to school for a short while, she finally made the decision to teach them at home. Life itself, she had come to realize, was perhaps the best teacher for her kids, and the world at large was the best classroom. That’s not to say Blumer didn’t struggle with her decision. “Both my husband and I felt insecure because most of our friends and family told us we were crazy and irresponsible, and the kids were going to be misfits,” she says. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 51 ANNE STEVENS FROST ’98 combines structured learning activities with real-world experiences. Above, her daughters, Kai and Abigail, feed a bearcat at a zoo in the Philippines and study geography. Once she overcame her doubts, though, Blumer, who was briefly homeschooled as a child, took on her role as teacher with relish, and her children thrived. She loved being able to tailor her children’s studies to their interests and passions, taking advantage of others’ expertise, such as visiting biologists who invited the kids to do fieldwork, and going to museums and hiking in the mountains. By homeschooling, she says, “I taught my kids how to teach themselves.” For Blumer, and a growing number of families, combining the roles of mom and teacher makes perfect sense. Indeed, at a time when US public schools are struggling with budget cuts and, in many cases, poor performance, and teachers continue to get a bad rap, the ranks of homeschooling parents are growing. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that the number of homeschooled students in the United States rose from 1.7 percent of the student popu- lation in 1999 to 2.9 percent in 2007. The NCES cites three main reasons for homeschooling: concern about a school’s environment, the desire to provide religious or moral instruction, or dissatisfaction with the academic instruction available in their areas. “One of the primary reasons we decided to homeschool is we felt that we were responsible for our children’s education—academically, spiritually, and morally,” says Claire Derrick Kennedy ’94 of Alabama. Other alumnae who have chosen to teach at home cite a great deal of satisfaction in their choice and say the experience has deepened their family bonds and taught them a few lessons of their own. Anne Stevens Frost ’98, who now lives in the Philippines, began thinking about homeschooling five years ago while living in Arizona, before her oldest daughter, Kai, was ready to be enrolled in kindergarten. She believed that Kai’s advanced skills (she was reading by the time she was 4) and “quirky personality” might be stifled in a traditional classroom. “By the time she was old enough to start kindergarten, Kai was getting ready to start her second-grade curriculum,” Frost says. “She knew too many things to be in a kindergarten By homeschooling, “I taught my kids how to teach themselves.” 52 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 personalize and individualize education for each child,” she says. In becoming teacher to her five children, who now range in age from 12 to 25, Herbert discovered that “homeschooling opens up a whole realm of learning possibilities. You can also look at the bigger picture—not just at how someone acquires knowledge, but also at the character and qualities that you hope to see coming together to foster a good, productive adult life.” The experience has stretched and challenged Herbert in unexpected ways. Getting to learn about new topics—and relearn old ones in new ways—alongside her children has made her a more engaged teacher. “Sharing that enthusiasm with my kids has helped them to be more enthusiastic,” she says. What’s more, she’s discovered how natural learning really is for children. “It doesn’t have to be so controlled, restricted, and regulated,” she says. Though teaching children at home can offer potential benefits to individual children, critics wonder if those benefits come at the expense of the greater social good. Rosetta Marantz Cohen, classroom and stay interested, and she wasn’t socially mature enough for a second-grade classroom.” An experienced fourth-grade teacher, Frost approached homeschooling tentatively at first, hoping to see how Kai progressed. That was four years ago, and now she’s teaching her 6-year-old daughter, Abigail, as well. Describing her teaching style as “eclectic,” Frost says she combines structured methods of learning, like textbooks, with experimentation, observation, and discussion, and the girls are thriving academically. They do level-specific work in the morning, rotating math, grammar, reading, geography, religion, art appreciation, logic, and handwriting. After lunch, they work together on science, social studies, gym, and writing. The result, Frost says, is that her daughters have developed a closer relationship. “They will still play with other kids, but they are each other’s best friend,” she says. Part of what inspired Beth Donatelli Herbert ’82 of North Carolina to consider homeschooling nearly two decades ago was her own upbringing—she came from a family of teachers who instilled in her a great interest in education—and a deep desire to help shape what her children learned. “I was drawn to the idea of being able to ‘I was prepared to come to Smith’ When Kiersten Acker ’14 was ready to enter kindergarten, she was reading books like The Chronicles of Narnia while the local school was focusing on Dr. Seuss. At that point, her mom chose to homeschool. Acker is among thirty homeschooled students who have enrolled at Smith in the past five years. Within that time, sixty-three homeschooled students were admitted out of a pool of 138 applicants. Sabrina Marsh, associate director of admission, says Smith looks for the same intellectual curiosity and academic success in homeschooled students as it does in traditional applicants. Although the college doesn’t require standardized tests from domestic applicants, homeschooled students can report test scores to indicate ability. In addition, Smith assesses day-to-day learning and involvement with a peer group, such as community service, organized sports, or theater. They look for evidence that the student can regularly complete course assignments and participate in at least four classes per semester, says Marsh. For Kiersten, Smith has proven to be a great match. “Smith encourages self-direction and self-reliance, which is ideal for the homeschooled student,” she says. “I was really prepared to come to Smith, and I’m doing really well in all of my classes.” Acker says. She has the distinction of attending Smith at the same time as her mother, Robin Acker AC. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 53 “Parents who are good teachers understand that they are their child’s most influential teacher.” LINNY BLUMER AC ’89 and her husband built a community learning center on their land in Brazil. Below, local children learn how to use a microscope. professor of education and child study at Smith, admits to having conflicted feelings about homeschooling. “In general, I see the rise in homeschooling as another example of the dismantling of the founding principles of American public education,” she says. “Neighborhood or district schooling was developed as a cornerstone of the democratic system. Public schools were the place where children were supposed to get socialized for citizenship, where they learned tolerance and respect for diversity. Private schools, homeschooling, and charter schools all undermine that goal.” At the same time, Cohen is aware that some parents may wish to create a better learning environment for their children. “I understand a parent’s desire to escape a terrible public school, and homeschooling can be one inexpensive option for doing that,” she says. Concerns about homeschooling also stem from the fact that regulations and requirements vary from state to state, as do curricula and standards that homeschooling teachers must meet. Although homeschooling became technically legal in all fifty states as of 1993, some states require yearly testing of homeschooled children, while others require regular parent training, interviews with children, or review of curriculum. Homeschooling parents recognize these concerns and rely on a number of resources to provide guidance and help them improve their own skills. When Robin Acker AC began homeschooling her daughter Kiersten, who is now a first-year at Smith (see sidebar), she read The Well-Trained Mind d by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise and turned to the University of Wisconsin for ideas and resources. “It does take a village,” Acker says. Anne Frost says that she discovered a thriving online community to help her. “Luckily, there are a lot of Websites that provide activities, online games, worksheets, unit plans, and other tools for homeschooling parents and teachers alike,” she says. 54 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Beth Herbert went one step further. In 1996, she started a homeschool co-op with two friends that she incorporated in 2006 as the nonprofit Lighthouse Christian Homeschool Association. Today, the co-op serves more than 250 member families in the Wake Forest, Youngsville, North Raleigh area of North Carolina and fosters all kinds of interaction between kids and with other adults through athletic activities, spelling bees, field trips, and more. Parents also have the opportunity to share different ideas about teaching along with resources and other materials. Besides that, developing friendships with other parents helps ward off feelings of isolation, Herbert says. “When you have a group, you can start doing things and providing opportunities, and it makes it easier for other parents to step into homeschooling. I encourage people who don’t have this to start. It starts with a few parents who have a vision.” A key lesson these homeschooling moms—and according to the latest statistics, the majority of homeschooling teachers are mothers—have learned is what it takes to be a great teacher. They say that flexibility, curiosity, patience, humor, and love are key. “What makes a good teacher is being willing to pour yourself into the nurturing and development of another person,” says Claire Derrick Kennedy ’94, who teaches her four oldest children using a tutorial method, and by supplementing lessons with online courses and outside activities such as piano lessons, ballet classes, and Boy Scouts. For Acker, it’s all about being an effective role model. “Parents who are good teachers understand that—whether they home educate or send their child to private or public school—they are their child’s first and most influential teacher,” she says. “That responsibility does not change until their child reaches adulthood.” What makes the role of mom as teacher so gratifying, alumnae homeschoolers say, is watching their children develop their own passions and become motivated enough to want to pursue their own interests. Herbert, in particular, remembers when her daughter called home during her sophomore year in college. She was frustrated with one of her classes because many of the students in it weren’t self-directed. “She said, ‘Thank you for teaching me how to learn and not wait for someone to tell me how to do it,’” Herbert says. “Of course, that was honey for a mom’s heart.” r Jane Falla is assistant editor at the Smith Alumnae Quarterly. Join us Your support helps send athletes beyond New England to compete and train, expand the Libraries’ print and electronic resources, fund Museum exhibitions, add to the botanical collections, ensure educational programming, and provide state-of-the-art facilities. Friends Ad produced by SC FOS Smith Athletics Smith College Libraries Museum of Art As a Friend you stay connected all year long. Become a member of one or more groups online at www.smith.edu/friends or call 800-526-2023, option 5. Botanic Garden Join all four and save. Leaving their IRAs to Smith avoids heavy taxes and supports the arts Leading dance into the future Da a nc nce e ha hass al alwa ways ys b bee een n a co cons nsum umin ingg passion for Sharonjean Moser Leeds ’67. “When I was at Smith, there was no dance major, so my major was theater with a dance emphasis,” says Sharonjean, who has taught dance at the University of San Francisco for 39 years. She and her husband Richard are staunch supporters of “By leaving our Smith’s dance department. retirement Over the years, they have some of Sharonjean’s accounts to used inheritance and some of Smith, the their own savings to name money goes a dance studio and to straight to the create an endowed fund for college, Smith’s dance program. “It’s how much the untaxed.” incredible dance program has done Richard and with what seems like a very Sharonjean Moser modest amount of money,” Leeds ’67 Richard says. Not everyone can create an endowed fund during their lifetime, but the Leedses have done something e se that almost anyone can do to make el th hei eirr ch char arit itab able le d dre ream amss co come me tru true: e: T The heyy have na have named amed S Smi mith th aass be bene nefi fici ciar aryy of the their ir retirem ment accounts. “Byy leaving our retirement accounts to Smitth,” Richard explains, “the money goes straight to the college, untaxed.” An IRA, 40 01(k), or 403(b) can be the most heavilyy taxed asset in an estate. When family inherits a retirement account, it can be taxed twice: first by estate tax, then as ordinary income. In some cases, taxes may co onsume as much as eighty percent of retirrement savings designated to heirs. By desiignating these assets to Smith, every dollar goes to work for women’s education. “It’ss simple, because it doesn’t require a will or a lawyer,” Richard says. “You can jusst name Smith College on a simple beneficciary form. Nowadays you can often do it on nline.” The real payoff, Sharonjean says, is “suppo orting the arts and enhancing the dance p program at Smith.” The Grécourt Society: Your Legacy to Future Generations of Smith Women Office of Planned Gifts & Bequests • www.smith.edu/giving/planned.php • (800) 241-2056, option 5 alumnae update 1937 Sec., Nancy Merrick Gilbert, 3374 Meadow Ridge, Redding, CT 06896, [email protected] 1938 Sadly, we learned that BERTINE NILES died on Dec. 11, ’10. Prior to her death, Bertie shared that her son, Jack, and his family had moved in with her, and daughter Tina and son Tim visited frequently. We will greatly miss her contribution as class cosecretary, and especially her friendship. We send our condolences and sympathy to her family and friends. Please see her obituary in this issue. HARRIET EARLE O’DONNELL reports that she had a bad year, but is getting better. She welcomed her seventh great-grandchild in 2010. CLARA TAPLIN RANKIN continues to have many volunteer commitments with the Hopewell Benefit; Apollo’s Fire, a baroque music ensemble; and her local museum of art. MARY SHEARER PITKIN enjoyed a minireunion with classmates who spent their junior year abroad in France. It was held in Old Saybrook, CT, where SARAH (SAS) WALLIS STEVENS lives. Mary has a new address in Orchard Park, NY, and LOIS DALY WRIGHT lives nearby and visits frequently. SAS WALLIS STEVENS continues her snowbird schedule, spending summers in Old Saybrook, CT, and winters in Jensen Beach, FL. Five of her children live in the Northeast, so she is able to see them frequently. Sas enjoyed reuniting with JYA friends PEGGY FRANK CRAWFORD, MARJORY MITCHELL TONKS, and MARY SHEARER PITKIN. MARGERY MITCHELL TONKS also reports enjoying the meeting at Sas’ home. Last June, Margery and her daughter had a wonderful cruise on the Danube. They spent three days in Prague before the cruise, and three days in Budapest afterward. WILLIS MARGARET MARKHAM VAN NOSTRAND has five daughters and one son who keep in close touch with her. Peggy says, “I feel old, and maybe it’s because I am!” MARTHA KREMERS WHITMORE’s daughter, Marty, shares the sad news that Martha is ill and now has home hospice care. Thankfully, Marty says the care is from geriatric specialists who are excellent. LOIS DALY WRIGHT shares, “Life is good. I’m still driving (hallelujah) and doing all the things I love: theater, concerts, friends. I’m living in an apartment in a lovely spot that’s just five minutes from my daughter. I love it!” Sec., Natalie High Loomis, 110 Preston Terrace, Marshfield, MA 02050, [email protected] 1939 DELIA INGLEHART BRIGGS reports that she is recovering from leg surgery and is enjoying life in a retirement home, where she participates in all of the various activities offered. Duplicate bridge is one of her favorite pastimes, and she plays regularly with an attractive young man as her partner. She leads a busy, happy life, and shares it with LORETTA KRUSZYNA INGALLS, who is also a resident. MAGDALENE MACTARNAGHAN HETTLER spends a lot of time traveling. Last fall, she went to Sedona, AZ, and the Grand Canyon; in the spring she went to Florida, where she managed to play a few games of golf. Magdalene recently returned from a trip with her family, seeing the sights from Seattle to San Francisco. LORETTA KRUSZYNA INGALLS takes yoga classes and enjoys the numerous activities that take place at her retirement home. One of her close friends is a 102-year-old resident from Holland. Loretta was a German major and is finding pleasure in speaking German with her friend. Her friend is very alert, and they have discovered many mutual interests, including their philosophy of life, politics, the Red Sox, and special TV programs. Loretta’s son, Ed, his wife, Meg, and their daughter, Abigail, live and work in the Boston area, which was Loretta’s reason for moving to the Village at Duxbury (MA) retirement community in 1994. She is pleased that there are a good number of other Smithies there. Sadly, her husband passed away in 2007. ELIZABETH ERWIN JOHNSON likes her life in a retirement home in Florida, where she does a lot of reading and playing bridge. She enjoys spending time with her two daughters and granddaughters. JOAN GOODRICH LANG is recovering from three strokes. She reports that z YOUR CLASSMATES WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOU. To share your news, write to your class secretary; she must send her column to the Quarterly by February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. Members of classes without secretaries should send their news directly to the Quarterly, 33 Elm St., Northampton, MA 01063, or to [email protected]. she is doing fine except that she is no longer able to read. JANET TUNISON LEWIS is still living independently in her home of 60 years, but she finds that she is slowing down. She says handicrafts have become more difficult, but she enjoys reading. GRACE GOLUB COX is still cherishing the bachelor’s degree she got from Smith; she also went on to receive her master’s and doctorate. She lives in a retirement home in California and is able to keep up her exercise. MARION TAYLOR DRAPER is still driving and doing volunteer work in the thrift shop run by the Woman’s Board of Norwalk (CT) Hospital. She is also clerk of two Westport, CT, foundations that award scholarships to eligible students. She can’t imagine a better way to enjoy her years after 90. AMY AUSTIN LUKENS still takes trips with the help of her daughter, Betsy, who lives near her. Amy flew to California for the ceremonial scattering of her sister-in-law’s ashes in the harbor of Santa Cruz, and Betsy helped her up and down the ramps and in and out of planes. FRANCES BRACKETT QUACKENBUSH moved into an assisted-living complex after falling and breaking her wrist. It was very traumatic for her to leave her old farmhouse, where she had lived for 54 years. The day the cast was removed from her wrist, she fell and broke it again, as well as multiple ribs, and also got a bad concussion. After three months in the hospital, she says she still can’t keep her balance, even using a cane. She takes a mild exercise class, but what she does most is read. Her youngest daughter lives nearby. MARTHA ALLEN STIMSON is learning to ride a motorized scooter and went to two exhibits at the Cincinnati Art Museum. FRANCES BROWN TOWNES is retiring from several responsibilities, like working with damaged youths in Berkeley, CA, and “professing” at UC Berkeley. Her biggest challenge is handling pain from sciatica while participating in a support group in her church by reading. She has moved from her beach home to an apartment in Oakland, CA. ELIZABETH (CHIPS) SNYDER WALLACE is in good health and can keep on driving, sewing, reading, and raking leaves. Still in her home of 56 years, she is busy dictating her family history into a new laptop. HARRIET SMITH WILLIAMS attends musical events and church suppers, and goes to museums in Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and the Mystic Seaport in Connecticut with her son, who has moved in with her. He pushes her in a transport chair on their trips. Written by Mary Cary Rea, class president Quarterlyy Office, Northampton, MA 01063 1940 NAN BOSSON DUELL sent a postcard with a view of the odd Camel Rock in New Mexico. She was on a trip “enjoying perfect New Mexico weather, going to the annual wool festival.” With Nan was her daughter, Mary, “an expert and real participant in all things to do with fiber. I’m slowly learning.” That reminds me that my husband, Robert, and I learned about sheep over the course of 10 years, as the ones brought here to eat up young catbrier preferred flowers and vegetables and were expert at knocking down fences propped up over rocky ledges. But this column should be your news, not stuff I remember. So do write! If handling a pen bothers you, just dictate a note to a family member or a friend, and pop it in the mail. Along with her interesting note, LEE MIXER OLSON sent an article she wrote as part of her series in a local newspaper. Lee writes, “I thought you might like to see my latest article—probably my last one because I’d need something special to inspire me. Are the words or thoughts like yours where you live?” The article is titled, “My, Things Have Changed,” and recaps things we have always enjoyed doing, but aging changes the possibility of doing them. For example, Lee says, “At this time, bridge presents a special problem—who can we get to play?” Lee concludes, “After all, it’s all up to you! You can have a pretty positive attitude, treasure the friends who bring so much joy into your life, and take advantage of the opportunities to go places and do things you’re still able to do. So grab that crossword puzzle or that hobby you’ve had for so long, and be an acceptable human being Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 57 alumnae update worthy of the love and affection you so richly deserve.” Lee would love to hear from you about your reactions to changes in your lives. You can obtain her address by calling the Alumnae Association or by searching the online Alumnae Directory at http://alumnae. smith.edu/. In the Fall ’10 issue of the Quarterly is an interview with me as a representative of the class of 1940, with a page heading that quotes me as saying, “I worry about a generation that has been brought up on the Internet. Do they get to experience what it’s like to hold a brand-new book, to smell the ink?” HONOR HINGSTON-COX ’04 writes, “I just read your interview in the Quarterly and wanted to assuage your anxieties about the Internet generation. I teach elementary school, usually the primary grades, and always emphasize the smell of a new book, or perhaps even more bewitching: the crack of a fresh spine as a hardcover is opened for the first time. It’s an uphill battle against smart boards and video games, but many of us are out there fighting on, including me.” Thank you, Honor! NANCY THOMSON WALLER has written a charming book, My Nanking Home 1918–1937: A Very Personal Memoir, published in 2010. Intimate as it is, with details of Nancy’s life with her delightful and amazing family, we learn of their traumas as they are all terrorized in their home as they try to escape the horrors of besieged Nanking, China. Nancy lived through it all and went on to her Ginling and Smith years, and eventually to our 70th Reunion. She sent two thoughtful reviews of her book and writes, “I am receiving great responses to it. Such a surprise! It’s selling so well we’ll go for a second printing.” Smith is still a highlight in our lives. Your 1940 news, views, and thoughts interest us all, so please keep in touch! Sec., Lee Kingman Natti, 105 High Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, 978-283-5860 1941 lives in her own home on Cape Cod, MA, and her youngest daughter spent last year with her. She enjoys playing bridge. We are sorry to hear that TRUDY BROWN LYNCH of Hilton Head, SC, is losing her sight. She says she has aides to “butter her toothbrush.” Family visited her for Thanksgiving. PATRICIA HAMPSON WHEELER is getting more independent in her old age and is “too smart to degenerate.” HARRIETTE GOULD MYERSON does yoga, swims, and rides a bicycle. She recently had lunch with MARGARET BREED MARSH. BARBARA REID PAYNE lives in a retirement community where she volunteers in the library. She still enjoys the Baltimore Symphony. PRI RICHARDS PHENIX had a humMARJORIE JOHNSON JORDAN dinger 90th-birthday party. She sings in the choir and volunteers at her church. ANNE FREEMAN GIRAUD is on the library committee, and both she and her husband are “still vertical.” RUTH SMITH HENDRICKS is taking bridge lessons and improving. She enjoys exercising in the pool. PATRICIA DONOVAN PLYM has recovered from a setback two years ago. She enjoys books on tape and is “a happy old broad.” MARGERY SISSON RUNYAN says life is good. She is the class Fund agent. SUE BULFINCH RITGER also lives in her own home on Cape Cod, MA. CATHERINE GERDES MAHER is well and still on her feet. She recently heard two Smith graduates from the 1970s talk about their work in mediation. SALLY HITCHCOCK PULLMAN gave a talk at her church about her experience as a nurse in World War II. She is still mowing her lawn and trimming her raspberry bushes. JEAN YEREANCE ZAPPLE’s husband died nearly three years ago. She summers on Cape Cod, MA, with two daughters who live nearby, and winters in Naples, FL. Sec., Sidney Smith Walker, 105 Rivermead Road, Peterborough, NH 03458, 603-924-4241, [email protected] 1942 We will all be saddened to learn of the death of MARION INGERSOLL HOWELL, our senior-year class president. See her obituary in this issue for an account of her rich and busy life. FREDERICA WOODALL ANDERSON, our New York State skier, has made a super recovery since a snowboarder sliced into her and broke her ankle last winter. She kept fit over the summer with tennis, gym, and a pacemaker replacement. She says, “I should now be good for another 20 years! I am looking forward to our Reunion in 2012, and I’m trying to decide whether to carry skis or a tennis racquet in the Alumnae Parade.” RACHEL LOWE AUBREY has slowed down physically but keeps busy in her retirement community in Hanover, NH. She reports on medical and mental-health issues of interest to her fellow residents, and facilitates a discussion group on transition and loss. “I do a lot of writing, and NPR classical music is always on. My family is on the go: My son is in China helping to build a new museum, my daughter is in Cuba to study their health care, and one granddaughter is in Europe and another is at McGill University in Canada. My best wishes to everyone.” JANE KOCHMANN BROOKS traveled last June to Budapest to visit the George Soros-founded Central European University, to which Jane donated the professional library of her late husband, Samuel Beer, a professor at 58 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Harvard. CEU’s president is the son of the late RUTH MURPHY SHATTUCK, John Shattuck, who Jane has known since he was 3 years old. Jane’s letter describing the many details of the trip is too long to fit into this column, but she clearly had a wonderful and eventful time. JANET ADAMS BLOOD fell and fractured her pelvis, which caused her to move from her former Marblehead, MA, home to an assisted-living facility in Swampscott, the next town over. She writes, “I am still near friends, family, and all the things that matter to me. My best to all.” POLLY BENEDICT BOBROFF writes, “SUSANNA WILDER HEINZ and I are still enjoying life at Whitney Center in Hamden, CT, after seven years. We exercise in the swimming pool, attend performances at Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, and enjoy the company of other residents, including several Smithies from other classes.” BARBARA RAUSCH DEELY writes, “Last fall I went to Northampton on one of the excursions from my retirement home in Lenox, MA. I broke off from the group and hiked to Smith’s art museum. I made it to my 90th birthday last October. All five of my kids threw a party and visited from Boston, Colorado, Iowa, Malaysia, and Italy. Talk about the Mother of the Gracchi! The graying children made my heart thump. The count is now five children, 15 grandchildren, five greatgrandchildren, and four stepchildren.” CATHERINE WRIGHT GRANDIA carries on by herself in the Albuquerque, NM, house she and her late husband lived in for more than 50 years. She lost one of her sons last summer but has two adult grandchildren nearby. She says, “I’m still active in some 4-H affairs, mostly with three greatgrandchildren, and that’s enough to keep me busy.” PEGGY UNGER HENRYS is “still here and enjoying every bit of it. My Lake Wallenpaupack summer home in Pennsylvania gives me a break from the New Jersey heat and humidity. Hiking and swimming keep me active. Winter finds me playing bridge every week. My two aerobic classes keep me fit. A great-grandson was added to my family—a wonderful gift.” JINNY RAYNOLDS HUMPHREY writes, “I was given a huge 90th-birthday party in August on Madeline Island, WI, where I go every summer. Fortyfive relatives came for a scrumptious dinner and an evening of extensive songs, skits, and entertainment. I am still in my Minneapolis condo, going on 14 years. I love it; the people are stimulating and fun. I teach twice a week at a neighborhood school and play tennis every week. I belong to two book clubs, a poetry group, a church discussion group, and have season tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra and the theater. I love my life, except for losing friends and relatives. Of course, I often think of Smith and those four happy years, but now I don’t have anyone left to reminisce with. That is the only sad part about living so long.” ELIZABETH STOUGHTON KELLY writes, “No more choir (voice is shot), no more being a docent at the museum (stairs too steep), no more driving (better safe than sorry), no more Meals On Wheels (no wheels). But lots of time to read, hook rugs, and do a sit-down job at the local food pantry. Also, I have a new great-granddaughter, and more unknown fun things on the horizon.” MARGIE HELM LIGHT writes from Lansdowne, PA, “I had a book published! When Teaching Was Fun includes amusing anecdotes that I recalled from my 20-some years of teaching at Rye [NY] Country Day School and in public elementary schools. Copies are available online from Infinity Publishing or at Amazon. Fred and I are hanging in there at 96 and 90. We still drive, and live in the house Fred bought in the 1950s. I am ready for a retirement place, but he won’t hear of it.” LUCILLE (RONNIE) CHARRON RECORD has a granddaughter in the class of ’11 and looks forward to attending both her graduation and our Reunion. She loves the retirement community in Peterborough, NH, where she and her late husband moved 15 years ago. She writes, “Last summer, one of my daughters went to Russia for a couple of months, and soon after her return, my other daughter and I went to Sweden for two weeks to visit our AFS student of 1963 and to see her lovely daughter married. It was a wonderful trip. There are a few Smithies here, but PRISCILLA (SALLY) KINGSBURY MAYNARD and I are the only class of ’42ers. It’s nice to have an old friend here! Greetings to all my ’42 acquaintances.” Sec., Neal Gilkyson Thorpe, 109 Grace Street, Mont Clare, PA 19453, [email protected] 1943 Our class president, ISBELL (BAM) says she felt like she was running a hotel last summer, with guests constantly coming and going. ELIZABETH BROWN BAILEY had a wonderful three-week vacation in Maine last summer with her entire family (four generations). They enjoyed gorgeous weather, with 80-degree days and great swimming, and blankets at night. She says it is unlikely that she can get up to Smith, but she wishes she could. PAT BURWELL GILBERT is grateful to be in good health and to be keeping in touch with two Smith classmates. ANNE HALL HIGGINS is still living in her own home in North Haven, CT. She continues to drive to New Haven to work with a small city group that’s pushing to change prisons and drug AGER BEHRER, policy. They sponsored a forum last fall with two African Americans who were wrongly convicted prisoners, released after 16 years. “For me, a time for tears,” says Anne. She still misses Arthur after 63 years of marriage and three years without him, but she is busy with a small backyard vegetable garden, a Yale Divinity School alumni book group at her house, and her four kids and their kids. One daughter lives nearby (“a wonder and a blessing!”) and Anne has mostly telephone contact with her other children (she hates computers, but is trying to learn). “Upright and breathing—what more can we ask?” says NANCY (PEPPER) HERRON CHERRY. She is still going to her Canadian outpost and visiting SWAN MCLEAN GRANT and others in Connecticut. She considers herself an “unreconstructed Yankee.” She cannot believe her congressman is the “You Lie” guy, Joe Wilson. She refers to her living arrangements as the “geriatric Gulag,” which is not quite fair as she likes the place, the people (other “inmates”), and her apartment. Luckily for her, her youngest son lives nearby. He is good fun and company. KATHLEEN MCNULTY HOGERTON celebrated her 90th birthday with her great-grandchildren. She plays bridge often. Her sister, EILEEN MCNULTY DANA ’39, went to Arizona in February. Daughter Kate went to Vietnam for a cousin’s wedding. There was a Smith alumnae party in Quogue, NY, much appreciated by citizens in the doldrums due to real-estate distress. MADELINE MCWHINNEY DALE has not been doing much traveling this year, but she has been watching her grandson play ice hockey and manages to get in her daily walks. She still attends weekly concerts and remains active on several local committees. JUNE MOORHOUSE TURNER spent a lovely October week visiting SUZANNE RHOADS MILLAR in Kennett Square, PA. MARY LOU KANE FORSTER BARRY spent several days with them, since she lives nearby in Bryn Mawr. They all went to school together as well as college. June thinks the Fall ’10 issue of the Quarterly was fascinating: “Our college has certainly gone global!” BETTY PRINCE ALLEN BARNOUW is involved in several community activities (lots to do in a small town), piano playing, vegetable gardening, and a greenhouse. She still raises geraniums, which she brought to our 60th Reunion. Did anyone have luck with them? She has four stepchildren, near and far. She is having fun playing duplicate bridge. Sec., Ellie Del Mar Revill, 460 Old Main Street, Rocky Hill, CT 06067, [email protected] 1944 Hello to the class of ’44 from ANN KEYSER RAWLEY, your newest class secretary. First of all, my thanks go to JANE SNYDER HUBBELL for reprinting my rather lengthy biography in the Fall ’10 issue. That piece enabled you to learn all you may care to know about me. This column is the place to hear about you, so with my appreciation to those of you who responded to my appeals, here goes! It was great to hear from Park housemates. JANE CAHILL-BLUMENFELD moved from Albuquerque, NM, to Madison, WI, after her husband’s death to be near her daughter, who promised her a house with a view. Mission accomplished: an unobstructed view of Lake Monona! Despite her osteoporosis, Jane has remained active in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Odyssey Project, whose purpose is to provide education to economically deprived adults. During Jane’s years in Albuquerque, she devoted her energies to improving educational opportunities for special needs children. Jane is a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the University of New Mexico. FRANCES (BETTY) GEBHARD DE WITT writes from her home in a continuing-care facility in Oberlin, OH. She and Bill have been married for 66 years, are the proud parents of four sons, and the proud grandparents of 12 grandchildren and 12 greats. She says Oberlin offers a variety of cultural attractions. The De Witts have an unusual “home away from home”: a recently purchased 30-foot powerboat that they take out on Lake Erie. Lifetime boaters, they often stay overnight out on the water. Another housemate with whom I have been in touch over the years is our faithful treasurer, MARY JANE ENGLISH SCHMITZ. She and her retired surgeon husband look out over Chicago and Lake Michigan from their building’s 36th floor, a spectacular location by day and night. Millennium Park is right there, as is the Art Institute of Chicago, so innovative architecture and many attractions, art, and music performances are right across the street. Summer vacations are often enjoyed at resorts on the New Jersey Shore. I appreciated hearing from LOUISE BLAKESLEE RICH, who lives in Longboat Key, FL. She still plays tennis, heads up the altar flowers committee of her church, and volunteers at the local library. Louise and PEGGY RICE RIDER often travel together, most recently to Chautauqua, NY, for a talk on the Middle East. Like me, ANNE NEVINS LOFTIS has been a “faculty wife” for many years, married to a Stanford University professor. Interestingly, my University of Nebraska professor husband studied for his doctorate from Columbia under Anne’s father, Allan Nevins. Over the years, Anne worked on small newspapers and as a freelance journalist while raising three daughters. She has also written or co-authored four books, notably The Great Be- trayal: The Evacuation of the Japanese-Americans During World War II. Like so many of our classmates, the Loftises moved to a senior center; theirs is in Palo Alto, CA. JEAN DRAKE ALVORD and her husband, Gray, continue to live in Kittery Point, ME, which Jean describes as a great place for visits from vacationing family and friends. Jean is in her 48th year with the Portland (ME) Symphony Orchestra. She says performing with all those younger musicians is truly “wonderful for keeping all those little synapses in the brain awake.” Your class is proud of you, Jean! RUTH (TERRIE) SWEENY writes from Albuquerque, NM, where she lives in a wonderful retirement home. Along with the nice climate, Terrie loves being in the same city as a son and grandchildren, with another son in Colorado, as well as two other Smithies in her residence. Terrie is among the class of ’44’s current world travelers; she went to Japan last May and Costa Rica in June. Stateside, her third son is cause for regular jaunts to his home in Connecticut. By the time you read this, Terrie will have been to the Martha Wilson House mini-reunion at LOUISE (WEEZIE) WILD CLARK’s home. I hope to have their news in the next Quarterly. While on the subject of mini-reunions, PAM PERKINS TISZA A coordinated the arrangements for a New York-area luncheon in 2010. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend, as were BETSY JAMES (still needing a walker) and RUTH CHALMERS (now living in Cambridge, MA). Present at the gathering at MARYLIN BENDER ALTSCHUL’s home in New York City were DELIA HEMING CANTOR, ROSAMOND ROBERTS DEAN, BARBARA ROTHSCHILD FOGEL, BARBARA KLING GREENWALD, ANNA (LELA) WESTERGAARD HEINZERLING, DORIS SCHEIBER MERSON, BARBARA KRIEGER ORENTZEL, CATHY DUGAN RILEY, ELEANOR PIERPONT SUYDAM, and MILDRED WEAVER WEISSBART. Before closing, I send greetings from my predecessor, JANE SNYDER HUBBELL, who says she “survived” a fantastic family reunion. She and her husband had 181 Hubbell family members for a three-day weekend. They are obviously real pros at organizing games, sporting contests, and activities for large groups of all ages. In a triathlon, Jane was the biker, a daughter was the swimmer, and a daughter-in-law was the runner, and her 9-year-old little girl biked with Jane. This oneand-only female contingent won in its class. Just reporting on all of this leaves me breathless! From Saranac, NY, ALICE RIDENOUR WAREHAM writes about her involvement in an assortment of volunteer activities. Along with her work for the local 100-year-old Village Improvement Society, for which she wrote a seven-part article published in the local newspaper, Alice is also active in a voluntary health association that provides free nursing services, including dental nurses in the elementary schools; lends sickroom equipment; and recently branched out into a new program, awarding scholarships for nontraditional students who have indicated an interest in preparing for careers in medicine, as well as scholarships for high school seniors who then get to spend a year working in a variety of hospital departments. Do please keep your news coming. I go right to class notes when the magazine arrives, and I feel sure most of you do the same! My best to all. Sec., Ann Keyser Rawley, 3901 South 27th Street #20, Lincoln, NE 68502, 402-440-6923, [email protected] 1945 MADELEINE (MANDY) CLARK JOHNSON writes, “Bill and I had a lively summer visiting our summer home on Fire Island, NY, and sailing to Europe on the Queen Mary 2 to take an Elderhostel trip to study the D-Day invasion of France during World War II. Bill found himself the only veteran in our group (including the lecturers, who were very gracious when he made contributions or corrections).” MARIAN SINGER KESSLER writes, “After 65 years of marriage, my husband died in January of 2010. Richard frequently referred to himself as an honorary Smithie, as he escorted me so many times to the Spring Dance, the Charity Ball, and other frolics, and we were married at the end of junior year just before he went overseas. I’ve spent the year adjusting to singlehood (and not liking it), but am fortunate to live in a wonderful retirement community in the heart of vibrant Sarasota, FL, surrounded by stimulating, exhilarating companions and activities, so never a dull moment. Although I reluctantly gave up tennis a couple of years ago, I still enjoy swinging a golf club and have rediscovered bridge, which I had forsaken after the binge days and nights of sophomore year. One advantage of this glorious location is the many alumnae who have either moved or winter here, making for a constant infusion of old and new friends nearby. In fact, by chance, my book group originated from a cluster of like-minded ardent readers who turned out to be almost all Smith graduates. Mary Ellen Chase would be proud! On the downside, the nation seems to be in such crisis that I fear for our democracy and our young ones. Very dispiriting.” SYLVIA CORRIGAN DENNISON was sorry to miss the 65th Reunion, but loved seeing pictures of the 22 classmates who did return. She moved to a retirement home in Oct. ’09 and loves it. She still spends some of her summertime in Chatham, MA—last year with her daughter. She enjoys the symphony, plays, great company, and bridge in Chicago and Evanston, IL. Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 59 alumnae update KATHARINE (KATCHEN) SMITH COLEY is still an environmental activist trying to save open space in Connecticut. “I’m wondering if some think it’s time I should get out of the way,” she writes, “because last summer our county’s environmental foundation gave me their highest award! But I feel there are still too many crises.” Katchen has given our class archives (housed in the Neilson Library) all the letters she saved to and from the Dickinpoofs during 1941 to 1945, as well as her own letters during that time to her family. Together they paint a good picture of what we experienced during those war years, and should be useful to a writer wishing to document that time in Smith’s history. She hopes others will add their own memorabilia to the collection. Katchen also sent news of a number of our classmates: ALICE (BOO) BOOZER WEAVER spends half the year at her home in Naples, FL, and half at her home on beautiful Lake Leland in Michigan. Last summer she happily witnessed her granddaughter’s wedding there. ALICE (CITA) WHITECOTTON BARRY still lives with her retired navy captain, Jim, in La Jolla, CA, with occasional visits to their other house on Pebble Beach in Monterey, CA. SALLY BAKER ROSS and husband Ham are back in their St. Paul, MN, apartment after enjoying yet another summer at their home on Madeline Island, WI. FLORENCE FAAS MASTIN still lives by herself in an apartment and drives herself. Regular visits to a physical therapist enable her to attend church, visit with daughters and grandchildren, and carry on lively correspondences with her Smith friends. BETSY CONVERSE LEWIS lives with husband Kendall in a retirement community outside of Portland, ME, where she is kept busy in her capacity as an Episcopal deacon serving fellow community members. OLIVIA SWAIM LE FEAVER writes that she had a wonderful grandparentgrandchild trip last summer with her 12-year-old granddaughter, Ainsley. She says it was “a family learning adventure.” She lives in a lovely retirement home in San Rafael, CA, along with M. EDITH MCBRIDE KANE. They see each other daily, and they have also been visited fairly often by PRISCILLA CARRUTHERS MOORMAN from Pasadena, CA. Priscilla and Edie, along with Edie’s husband, Bob, were on a Panama Canal cruise together last spring. ANNE (BOOVER) HALE JOHNSON writes that she has been “absorbed in two potent forces—God and sex!—for many years.” Over the past 21 years she has served on the boards of numerous organizations connected with those two subjects, including the Union Theological Seminary in New York City, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, Interfaith Voices, Planned Parenthood, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, and the Republican Majority for Choice. And, last but not least, Emily’s List, which she has been involved with for the past eight years. MARJORIE FOULKROD RILEY sent me a compendium of her life in various decades with assessments and comments. Perhaps other classmates would like to follow her suggestion to share a short history about their own lives. From 1945 to 1955, life for her was an adventure, with stimulating work and marriage. The decade from 1955 to 1965 was nonstop, with babies and a growing travel business. From 1965 to 1975, she was “almost too busy to enjoy life because of an empty nest and travel.” She describes 1975 to 1985 as a period of travel and loss, becoming a widow with two children. During 1985 to 1995 she discovered new horizons and skills, including taking up ceramics. She enjoyed two lovely homes in England from 1995 to 2005: a garden flat in London and a cottage by the sea. Finally, from 2005 to the present her goal is “to enjoy the best of each day” and “offer backup appreciation of her grandchildren’s interests.” Sec., Betsey Blake Blake, 200 Waters Drive, Apt. A-310, Southern Pines, NC 28387, [email protected] 1946 JANE HOLTBY HILL sent Reunion news that should have appeared in the previous issue. We will be housed in Lamont, which has an elevator; transportation will be at our doorstep; and if you need a wheelchair it can be ordered. Our theme is “Age Improves With Wine.” The cost will be $135, no matter how many days you decide to stay, and there is no registration fee for us. The college is making all arrangements for our food, etc. From France comes news from ANTOINETTE (TONI) GUTMANN SCHWARTZ. She still finds life interesting and feels that she can still make small things move. Her husband, the first recipient of the Grawemeyer Award in Education from the University of Louisville in Kentucky, is 91. Toni is now retired but volunteers in France for La Cimade, which works with immigrants who have no papers to help them know their rights. Toni has four children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, all of them boys! She wishes us “good luck for our next Reunion and many good things to all ’46ers.” SYLVIA BREED GATES writes that the Alumnae Association’s projection for 65th Reunion attendees is 35! Sylvia has made every Reunion, including our first, in 1947, when KATHLEEN BRAND HILFINGER sang “Cleopatra,” complete with towel. Sylvia enjoys golf, church choir, and a flourishing Oregon Smith club. 60 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 KATE BELCHER WEBSTER, with her two daughters and MALVINA HITCHCOCK WILLIAMS’ daughter, spent three weeks last September on a trip to Bhutan and West Bengal in India. She says, “I have never climbed so many high stone steps in my life or stumbled up so many steep hills. It was a strenuous trip for an old lady, but interesting to learn about a new culture and to observe a whole new way of life.” Kate looks forward to seeing a great bunch of us at Reunion. “Here’s a voice from the past,” says MARY LOWE PRICE, who is still living in her home of 40 years, now with her Siberian husky. Her husband died 11 years ago, and she belongs to a group of women who call themselves the merry widows. One daughter and husband live nearby with two biological children and two adopted Vietnamese children. A literature course and great books keep her brain working, and tennis and dog walking keep her body mobile. JACQUELINE BRIMMER BOICE reports that “all is fine: My son is back here in Cheyenne [WY].” She had just returned from visiting her daughter MARY BOICE READ ’75, followed by a trip to Hawaii with her other daughter, Lynn. Her granddaughter is expected to graduate from Amherst College in May; a grandson graduated from there three years ago and works in Washington for Senator John Barrasso. JOAN SHARBOUGH GRAY moved to a retirement community called the Sequoias, which is 10 minutes from her home of 50 years, and is on 40 acres, with lovely gardens adjacent to an open-space preserve. Other Smithies there are JUDITHE DOUGLAS SPEIDEL ’45 and DOROTHY (KIP) LINKE POND ’44. “Another ‘Wilderite’ has a granddaughter at Smith,” writes MARY (DIMP) CARSWELL JOHNSON. KATIE JOHNSON ’14 is from Waterbury, VT, and is a member of the varsity soccer team. Dimp has 10 grandchildren. Eight of them are boys, so she is delighted that Katie is at Smith. Sadly, Dimp’s husband died last January, but she feels lucky to have a daughter-in-law next door, two daughters who come frequently to see her, and a son who comes to pick her up and take her to Vermont. Dimp closes with, “I am lucky to have had 60 years with a wonderful husband, and to have a very supportive family.” MARIE-LOUISE (M.L.) DE CORIOLIS GUSTIN writes that after not being able to play golf for a year due to various ailments, she got out of a golf cart, fell, and broke her hip. She spent the summer in rehab and then was back in her apartment undergoing therapy. She attends Boston Symphony concerts on Fridays and enjoys The Met: Live in HD at a local movie theater. She also goes to the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston. AUDREY WAITE ASHLEY says, “I have had a fantastic year for an old lady. I went to Vietnam and Cambodia with three Kendal [continuing-care community] friends in Jan. ’10. In June, I drove with my daughter, CHANDLER ASHLEY CLARKE ’79, to southern Illinois, where her daughter was graduating from prep school.” She saw six plays in three days at the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario in July, and her family gathered to celebrate her 85th birthday at a camp in the Adirondacks. After decades of volunteer activities in Cooperstown, NY, she vowed not to continue when she moved to Kendal in Ithaca, NY, but somehow she has found herself on four committees. Audrey has 22 grandchildren. “God willin’ and the crick don’t rise, I hope to be at Reunion in 2011,” she says. Congratulations to CANDACE MCKEE ASHMUN, who has had a 4,000-acre nature preserve in New Jersey named for her. Last October, family and friends gathered for the dedication of the Candace McKee Ashmun Preserve at Forked River Mountain. The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has a blog with a long tribute to Candy. On the blog, Environment Program Director Michelle Knapik writes, “Candy has spent 50 years criss-crossing this state to promote, write, guide, influence, research, advocate for and inspire sound environmental policy and land protection. . . . Candy has inspired several generations to answer this call for service. The Preserve will continue to be a source of inspiration for years to come.” MARY TIEDEMAN HOAGLAND’s daughter, ANN HOAGLAND SIMONDS ’85, has been made president of the Pillsbury division of General Mills. Mary also writes of the movie Secretariat, starring Diane Lane as HELEN (PENNY) CHENERY ’43. Mary and Penny have been friends since 1950. Mary may try to get to Reunion. Sec., Jeanne Caswell Clampitt, 25 Thornton Way #207, Brunswick, ME 04011, [email protected] 1947 A postcard from JOYCE NUTTING in South Carolina says it all! “Fettle fine, posture bent, hair sketchy, gait lippity, wrinkles abundant, curiosity rampant, routine nil, humor rules! June joy: four-generational house party at the beach.” Although her husband died in Aug. ’09, ROSEMARY (CHIPS) MILEHAM JORGENS sent a cheerful note about her life. Her grandson produced a second great-grandchild last May, the same month that the child’s mother got her master’s. A granddaughter is working on her PhD at UC Berkeley. Rosemary says that she is amazed at all those brains, and is just trying to keep useful, volunteering, staying slightly alert, reading, and trying to do crossword puzzles. She would hate GRAVES to have those youngsters prove her a dummy! CAROL HUNTER KELLEY moved to Laguna Beach, CA, in 2009, and last year happily attended a meeting of the Orange County Smith club at a dock party at Dana Point. JOAN SANDERSON BERNICK writes, “After my husband died I moved to smaller quarters in our same retirement community outside Richmond, VA, where we have been for 17 years. Our three daughters all live on the West Coast. I go to their houses or they come here with some regularity. Last summer we convened for a week on Nantucket, MA, and some of us remained on Cape Cod for another three days. That and other events have brought me to the Cape for the past three summers, and I have been able to have lunch with JACKIE HOPE O’LEARY each time. I am ‘exercising’ my brain with courses in two Lifelong Learning Institutes, editing our in-house residents’ publication, as well as singing in a fabulous church choir. Next year, I’ll progress to exercising my body!” PHYLLIS HAMILTON continues her spiritually upbeat life in San Francisco. She shares a poem: It’s clear/ the reason I’m still here/ is to participate/ in the end of “the end of times”/ and the Great Shift into/ the New Heaven and the New Faith/ of Revelations 21. After a long silence, JOANNE HIMMELL DANN writes that she continues to live in the Washington, DC, area and that she has two daughters who are published writers and a son who is a TV producer. She recently took an eight-day hiking trip on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, a repeat of one she had taken 15 years ago. She said that she couldn’t possibly keep up, so she spent part of the time just reading in cafes, taking pictures, and truly enjoying the gorgeous weather and scenery. SUE ELLITHORP HELLEBUSH is well, and reports that she still sees ANN CARPER LINDBERG and her husband in Sanibel, FL, every winter. JOANNE (BRANDY) BRANDVEIN LANGERKELLAS keeps in touch with many Smith classmates from her home in New York. Last June, her family had a big gathering at the home of her sister, SHIRLEY BRANDVEIN SCHWARTZ ’42, in New London, CT. Every August, Brandy spends 10 days on Cape Cod, MA, with her daughter, Sally, and granddaughter, Davie. CAROLYN BUHAI HAAS is still enjoying life at her senior residence in Santa Fe, NM. She is active and busy there with a food committee, art and exercise classes, music programs, and a writing group. She has no family nearby, but was planning a trip to California to visit two of her daughters there. Occasionally, she sees SHIRLEY REESER MCNALLY and HELEN COHEN GABRIEL ’48. I hope you all noted that our own VIOLA (VI) SPINELLI was featured on a planned-giving page in the Fall ’10 issue of the Quarterly. Vi has endowed 1941, including the rivalries and drama—both personal and political—of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, plus the saga of businessman Averell Harriman, broadcaster Edward Murrow, and US Ambassador John Gilbert Winant, three Americans who played a big part in saving the free world. Pick it up at your local public library. Keep those letters coming. We all enjoy hearing about your latest doings, large and small. Good health and cheers! Sec., Nancy Crawford Pierce, 259 Dogford Road, Etna, NH 03750, [email protected] Enjoying a multigenerational mini-reunion on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire are Barbara Tomb Lundberg ’47, Sue Casher ’75, Beverly Baynes Tomb ’75, Mary Donatelli Tonry ’77, and Lavina Chase Tomb ’46. Smith’s Spinelli Center for Quantitative Learning. It will offer tutoring in math to students in all majors in order to provide them with math skills for life. This is a wonderful gift for the young women who have not been exposed to math for many years, but realize that they may need those skills after graduation. Last September, I was thrilled to spend the week of my 85th birthday with my oldest daughter, KATE MULHERN JOHNSON ’72, and her husband, living in a small apartment in Paris. One of the bright spots of our visit was a brief and happy afternoon call on PAT MARCUS TROCME at her apartment across the Seine from Notre Dame Cathedral. Pat is the most joyful person I have seen in many a year; an old family friend of hers has become a new beau. She and the world-famous photojournalist and editor John Morris are the talk of all Paris. Last spring Pat wrote, “Today John is 93, and I am 84, and we are entering into one of the happiest phases of our long lives. Everyone around us is enchanted!” May their joy continue! Sec., Barbara Harrison Mulhern, PO Box 746, Cooperstown, NY 13326, [email protected] 1948 The first important bit of information: Please take a few minutes and e-mail MARIE (MICKEY) BRECKWOLDT BENT at [email protected]. It will be appreciated. E-mails are perfect for corresponding with the hard of hearing, which is Mickey’s problem. Thanks to those who have made contact with me these last months. How about others getting on this bandwagon and sharing with their old college pals what’s going on in their lives? We may be old, but life still goes on. Did you happen to read the Jan./Feb. ’10 issue of AARP: The Magazine with Clint Eastwood on the cover? Dig it out, or beg, borrow, or steal it! He’s 80 years old and still savoring life. That’s a challenge for us all. I’m giving it a whirl, even with five of my children already senior citizens—today we officially become seniors at 50. Some of our classmates don’t sit still for a minute. News from NANCY BARTON MOTT, who enjoys traveling: In 2009, she sailed down the Adriatic Sea along the Dalmatian Coast. She flew from Athens to Brussels, where she joined an art and architecture trip with Smith Travel to Belgium and Holland, which she describes as “mindblowing.” Last June, she visited England to look at libraries and landscapes, also with a Smith Travel group. In October, she visited Tuscany, going to tastings at vineyards and sampling at least 12 to 15 wines a day. “This last was fun,” she says. Over the years she has made three trips to Antarctica, and “loves those penguins.” When home, Nancy takes care of her orchids, is still involved in the American Daffodil Society, and goes to opera, ballet, and theater. She reports that POLLY GOODRICH JOHNSON has moved to Southampton, NY. JANE MEAD VON SALIS visited PHYLLIS ROONEY HOEHN and husband Tom last summer at their beautiful apartment in Feldmeilen, Switzerland, near Zurich. Jane says she also had a too-short visit to her beloved Engadine Valley in Switzerland. Jane and MOLLY POTTER SCHEU both enjoy living at the Kendal continuing-care community in Hanover, NH, which is nice for me. I live quite near, up in the hills of Etna. I had a glorious visit with SALLY THOMAS DEATLY in August on Squam Lake, where she visits with her family each year. I still spend time with Shirley Blanchard, from Smith’s athletic department, who took our Smith posture pictures in 1944. She is housebound, but very much “with it” and lots of fun. She had a 90thbirthday party last summer, which I attended, for her husband, Ted Krug. My book of the moment is Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour, by Lynne Olson. Read it to learn about the power struggles starting in 1949 JOAN JACOBER ALBERT recalls that she was called Joanie or Pony as a child and teenager, Jo by many of her Smith friends who spent junior year in Paris, and Dux by her husband, Larry. Now, she says she answers to almost anything. Joan also reports how devastated she is by the loss of PAGE CHAPMAN WEBB, who was thinking, with her husband, Watt, of moving to Kendal on Hudson, the beautiful continuingcare community overlooking the Hudson River and abutting a lovely wooded park, where Joan and Larry reside. Joan was so hoping they would be neighbors. ALICE (JINX) LUDLOW LAMBERT writes that she was sick of her previous nicknames, Al, Ally, or Lud, when she entered Smith. So, she simply introduced herself as Jinx, and the name stuck until she moved back to Branford, CT, where she’d summered since birth. Although everyone there calls her Alice, we still know her as Jinx. She also notes that she remains good friends with MARGERY QUITZAU FOX, NANCY NORE SADICK, ANN (NANCY) KEATING CHAMBERS, and ANN (ANDY) PODOLOFF LEHMAN. After years of reading Archaeology magazine, DOROTHEA JUNE BROWN finally decided to try their offer of travel to antiquity. Her two-week trip on the MV Aegean Odyssey took her to Athens and the glorious new museum on the way up to the Acropolis and the Parthenon, as well as to Mycenae and all the temples, cathedrals, and towns around Sicily, before landing back in Rome. She was particularly enthusiastic about the archaeologist guides and the small group of travelers, compared to cruises on “floatingcity” ships. Although she recognizes that travel may be becoming more difficult at our age, Dorothea recommends this trip to all. Following her honorary doctor of laws degree from Harvard in June ’10, RENEE FOX received an honorary doctor of social sciences degree from King’s College London the following November. JOAN MURDOCH BERNHARD and RHODA DORSEY Y made a brief but delightful trip to England last October to attend a special benefactors’ luncheon at Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 61 alumnae update Newnham College in Cambridge, an institution for which Rhoda has been a very active and successful fundraiser in the States. While in London, Rhoda met with an English pen pal she’s had since junior high school, and Joan had lunch with a favorite cousin who lives in Chorleywood. After remarking that only old friends call her Hennie anymore, HENRIETTA DUNN JOHNSON reports that she and her husband, Haynes, moved last July to the Edgewood retirement community in North Andover, MA, to be near two of their four sons. Their large, sunny apartment overlooks a woodsy area where she can walk their dogs. A vital part of Henrietta’s “good, interesting, and challenging” life now is participating in a church prayer team and leading classes in the School of Healing Prayer. JOAN RAWITSER STORMONT is thrilled and proud that her 52-year-old son, Jim Jr., a successful businessman, husband, and father of three from Atlanta, qualified for the annual US Senior Open golf tournament this past summer by winning the best score of the 90 pros and amateurs competing in Georgia. Joan and her husband traveled to Seattle to watch him play, follow his daily blog about the experience, and share the excitement of his practice sessions with golf pros Tom Watson and Jay Haas. Afterward, Joan and her husband took their younger son and his wife on a trip to Alaska. Joan turned that remarkable journey and the digital photographs she took into the 13th travelogue she has prepared for local libraries and clubs since her retirement. When SALLY MCCRILLIS ELDREDGE and her husband attend football weekends at his alma mater, Dartmouth, they are often joined by MARY ALICE KEAN RAYNOLDS and her husband, a fellow alumnus, who travel all the way from Wyoming. During the winter of 2009, ANN (NANCY) KEATING CHAMBERS had a chance to visit her dear friend MARGERY QUITZAU FOX in Florida, where Margery has a winter home. They keep in touch by phone the rest of the year. PENNY SPURR MARSHALL claims that life at 82 is largely uneventful, but she has attained an unexpectedly ripe old age for her ancestry, since neither her mother nor father or grandfather reached this marker. Penny attributes her longevity to giving up smoking an eon ago and never really learning to inhale. She says her health is basically good, despite niggly things like GERD, arthritis, recent anemia, and a fondness for butter, hollandaise sauce, cheese, and ice cream, which make her a bit more apple-shaped than desirable. Penny is thankful that she retains most of her “marbles” and is still improving her bridge game, although the locations of her address book and car keys are near-daily mysteries. Even though her children joke that she has a “loosey-goosey approach to housekeeping,” Penny enjoys being with her five kids, their three spouses, and her seven grandchildren, but she still misses her wonderful Howdy. Happily ensconced in Maine, she busies herself with reading lots of mysteries, writing the newsletter for her garden club, being an assistant secretary of her summer chapel, and serving as secretary for her class at the Dobbs School. Last May, she and BARBIE CONGDON VAN DUSEN were the oldest grads who returned to Dobbs for their 65th reunion. She spends several weeks every March with her daughter JULIA MARSHALL MARSHALL ’81, and family in Tarpon Springs, FL. She also shares a summer cottage in Muskoka, Ontario, with her sister. Penny says that being a part of the Smith class of ’49 has been an enduring source of joy and pride. JUDITH COHEN MAG touchingly recounts that the only nickname she ever had was given to her by her boyfriend when she was a senior in Capen Annex, and “it is the same one the dear man calls me to this day, more than 60 years later: Black Fox.” Sec., Adlyn (Paddy) Shannon Cook, 12654 English Orchard Court, Silver Spring, MD 20906, [email protected] Sec., Lois Leggett Hatch, 567 Kirby Hollow Road, Dorset, VT 05251, [email protected] 1950 Hello, everyone, and thanks so much to all who have sent me their news via snail mail, e-mail, and phone. To quote my small grandson, “I would like to have more, more, more!” There have been some suggestions of interesting books and films, which are always appreciated. Do those who use a Kindle like it or not? Make a cup of tea some afternoon and take advantage of a chat with all of your classmates via the Quarterly! The class sends sincerest condolences to the family of QUINN ELLIS DELANEY, who died in the early fall. Her obituary appears in this issue. Our sympathy goes to SHIRLEY LEFKOVICH HANDLER, who writes that her husband, Ed, died in Nov. ’09 at the age of 89. She regrets that her eldest grandson’s graduation from George Washington University kept her from our Reunion. She is trying to maintain her work as director of a graduate program for health teachers at Cambridge (MA) College, and is also taking a course in memoir writing. Last summer, she visited with ALEXANDRA WEINSTEIN GARCIA-BRYCE, who came up from Lima, Peru, for a mini-reunion in Cambridge. What fun to hear from VIRGINIA FORTE ALFANO, who says, “I have mixed feelings about getting myself fancied up (for a family wedding). Didn’t realize how! Will I trip in the long skirt or tip over in the one-inch heels? 62 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Otherwise, I have no complaints. I live happily in my small condo that overlooks a river and conservation land. My 24-member extended family lives within an hour’s drive from me. I get caught up in issues involving government. My health is good. I enjoy bridge, reading, a nice group of friends, and Aquasize at the local Y (not sexy, but great for the old folks). I routinely remind myself not to slow down. I keep in general touch with FRANNIE BEEKLEY HAVILAND, SHEILA SWEENEY EVANS, JEAN HUDSON PETERS, PEGGY MCCRACKEN STRAW, ANN FULLER FIELD COXE, and CHARLOTTE WOODBURY SPENCER.” And thanks so much to Virginia for keeping in touch with the rest of us! MARION MARQUARDT LAMPE , who transferred to Juilliard after two years at Smith, writes that she is a pianist and performs in chamber groups in the St. Louis area. How nice of you to get in touch, Marion! LOUISE BLOCH STERN answered my question, “How are you doing?” in a thoughtful letter: “Like everyone else who is reading this, I am hanging in. There are too many losses, too many sick friends, and news not to my liking on economic, political, and social fronts. And yet, there is so much that is still so fulfilling. Wonderful, accomplished, and affectionate grandchildren (aren’t everyone’s?). Concerned children who are loving, caring friends. Very special friends who still have lots of energy and are willing to drive at night. Lots of music, theater, and ballet, as well as travel, so there is always something to look forward to. Of course, it’s all accompanied by too much eating, so the battle of the bulge is eternal. I recognize that I am very blessed to have all of this in my life. I look at contemporaries who are not so lucky, plagued with ill health and other problems, and they keep plugging along. I hope that I shall have that kind of courage when my body starts giving way.” “Continuation” is the title that CONSTANCE ROHR REITER gives to her contribution. “I’m still teaching, but adults only. (I find an unbridgeable generation gap between the junior high and high school students that I used to teach and me!) I’m concerned for the generation of young adults now in their 20s and 30s, brought up in this fast-paced technology age. With information immediately available, otherwise bright and well-informed men and women do not seem to have the ability to think creatively, imaginatively, and/or critically. I remember one of our Smith presidents telling us that ‘the main purpose of a liberal arts education at Smith is not to learn a trade, but to learn how to think.’ I wonder and worry if technology might be the culprit. Still, I’m happy to be teaching, and hope my three classes don’t find out my age and wonder about me when I can’t think of a word or name during class.” Connie brings up a lot of food for thought. Any answers? A quick note from B.J. SMITH SMITH, who has been traveling around with NANCY WARD SMITH. Last August, they ended up in Maine, where they saw KALO WILCOX PARMELEE. B.J. says, “We managed three lobster dinners in 10 days (two spent on airplanes)—not bad, loved every minute.” Many classmates have received a letter from Bill Low, who says that HARRIET PORTER LOW ’14, his daughter and the granddaughter of his mother, the late FRANCES LARRABEE LOW, is now happily living in Chapin house and enjoying her first year at Smith. Welcome from all who remember Franna with love. Glad tidings from Seattle, where DOROTHY LOBRANO GUTH and husband Ray welcomed their first grandchild in August. He is the son of their daughter, Jeannie, and son-in-law, Eric, and is a beamish boy, according to all reports. Classmates hopefully read the note in the Winter ’10–’11 issue of the Quarterly regarding a memorial to the late FRANCES LARRABEE LOW to be established in the new reading room in the Neilson Library. If you have any questions, or did not get a letter with details about this project, please contact me (address at the end of the column), NANCY WARD SMITH, ANNE BEEDE JENCKS, MARTHA FARRAR, or DOROTHY LOBRANO GUTH. If you are sending a check, please note Franna’s name on the memo line. Sec., Betty Thomas Sweitzer, 34 Hillside Drive, Wayland, MA 01778, [email protected] 1951 If you carefully perused the Summer ’10 issue of the Quarterly, you would have seen two classmates honored as 2010 Alumnae Volunteer Award winners: VARNEY PORTER TRUSCOTT and ATHENA GIFTOS KIMBALL. The awards to both are well deserved. Congratulations from the rest of the class of ’51. Following the publication of many magazine articles, ALIDA CAREY is now working on a book about five French women who worked in the Resistance during World War II. Alida was in touch with all of them before they died and was very impressed. She continues to find life in New York interesting. MARJORIE BIGGS ZOLLNER has 42 piano students ranging in age from 4 to 81. (There is still hope for lots of us.) She is also president of the Grand Junction (CO) Music Teachers Association. A knee replacement last year has enabled her to have wonderful mobility. Regularly swimming half a mile, walking three miles, and playing tennis three times a week all helped RUTH (BOOTS) MATHEWS LEITER-CHURCHILL get into condition for a family vacation in Villars, Switzerland. She did not want to be left behind while the other 14 family members hiked and picnicked in the mountains. The local cows kept them company, ringing their family brass bells. When in the United States, Boots and her husband split their time between Woodstock, VT, and Shawnee Mission, KS, where she sees many Smith friends. ABIGAIL DITTMANN WISE traveled to Stockholm in Sweden, and to Paris, where her French flowed girlishly once again, bringing back many junior year memories. Abby continues to volunteer at Union Theological Seminary in New York City as well as being involved with international and church groups in New Canaan, CT. She is talking about the charms and adventures at Smith to her 6-year-old granddaughter, a possible member of the class of ’26. After 46 years, I finally got EDITH CLARKE WOLFF’s address in Bethesda, MD, correct. They have remodeled their home so that they might live on one floor in the future. She is still volunteering at the NIH, working in the garden, sailing, swimming, and traveling. Last spring, a trip took them to Yosemite National Park with a daughter and two granddaughters, who were very good hikers. Edith and SINCLAIR WINTON see each other for concerts. I received two communiqués in response to my “catch-up” request. NANCY RICHMOND WINSTEN wrote of the death of her husband in March ’10. They had moved from their home to a rented apartment while Joe was still reasonably well. She finds that reinventing herself as a single person is not easy. She takes courses at Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement and visits Boston often for concerts, museums, and some theater. Nancy has three grandchildren under 7 years old living in Vermont, and a daughter in Nevada City, CA. When she was working, she translated computer user manuals into English. Now her computer writing, editing, and program planning are as a volunteer for the senior group at her temple. Another report of a husband’s death came from GRACE EAMES HINRICHS. Stephen died in Rockport, ME, in Sept. ’10. He was a teacher of history, headmaster, and executive director of the New York State Association of Independent Schools. He and Grace were married in 1985, prompting her to be part of a panel at our 35th Reunion discussing changes in our lives. If you need help with buildings and grounds, MARY NOREM BINDNER may be able to assist. She is on her townhouse board of directors with that area of expertise in her portfolio. Otherwise, she continues to live in Colorado and says that her life remains the same. In my class list after JOYCE BERGER COWIN’s name it says “museum.” Besides being involved with the Metropolitan and American Folk Art mu- On a Smith Travel trip to Alaska are, back row, left to right, Colleen Getz ’79, Sue Mussey Huffman ’61, Jan Barbour Carhart ’75, and Louise Rapp Wall ’51. At the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge they met Dee Ann Budney ’87 (front row, left) and Mareth Griffith ’06 (front row, right). seums, she is a trustee of Teachers College, Columbia, through which she started a high school in Harlem, as well as an art-therapy program for disturbed adults. Recently, she traveled to Syria, Jordan, and Paris. Three children and six grandchildren round out her life. Regretfully, I record the deaths of two classmates: MARTHA RUSK SUTPHEN and SUSAN HIGGINSON MCVEIGH. In case you missed them, their obituaries were in the Fall ’10 issue of the magazine. Another loss is ALDEN ROBIN BRIGHAM MAYER, whose obituary appeared in the Winter ’10–’11 issue. Our sympathies go to the family members of all three women. A debut novelist at 79? NANCY KASLOW HAMMERSLOUGH, after years of working in the publishing field and having started her own company, has published her first novel, Almost Lost, Nearly Found: A Novel of Sisters and Secrets. Her first company handled archaeological teaching materials. Her new company, Brown Barn Books, looks for fiction for young adults. She and husband John are still in their converted barn in Connecticut, and their children are in California and Illinois. If you were kind enough to send me a note but your news is not in this column, bear with me. I had an unheard-of occurrence: too much news for this issue! You will show up next time. In the meantime, keep in touch. Thank you! Sec., Paula Secor Paterson, 1815 Millbrook Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84106, [email protected] 1952 News from WAYNE TALBOT HARBAUGH and MARLEIGH MORLAND BARATZ: They entertained 20 for lunch at Marleigh’s house in Keswick, VA. The Charlottesville Smith club will be asked to contribute “ideas for signs with clever sayings to carry in the Alumnae Parade for the class of ’52’s 60th Reunion in 2012.” The club will also hear from Marleigh’s visiting cousin, a graduate in music, who will give his audience a taste of some of the songs and stories of his Broadway store. Marleigh returned from a Baratz family reunion in Rhode Island, where she said she enjoyed seeing the beach with eyes that were stable for the first time in a year. MARGARET PERKINS SKALLERUP now lives in Washington, DC. “I sold my house on the banks of the Potomac River. I built the house in 1999, and I miss it a bit, as it had a stunning view, but am very happy in Georgetown, where I can walk to everything. I have six wonderful grandchildren; the oldest is 18 and at Tulane University. Two of my children live in Washington, and my daughter is in Santa Fe, NM. Last summer, I took 16 members of my family to Tunisia, where we lived for 10 years when I was married to a Tunisian. The trip was a great success. I have been a widow for quite a while, but fortunately I am in good shape.” AMY MORRISSEY KLEPPNER writes, “Last summer I finished doing something I had dreamed of doing since college: I paddled the entire length of the Connecticut River, from the Canadian border to the Long Island Sound. We did it in sections over the past two summers, with my sons, Bram and Caleb, providing paddling company on the river, and other family members joining us at various points. My husband, Adam, nobly served as the support team, dropping us off and picking us up. We had a large celebration when we finally reached the Sound after 373 miles and 26 days on the river.” ANNE (NAN) CARPENTER DILLON writes that she, too, “has reached the vasty age of 80, and am lucky to be feeling fine. To celebrate this, my sons treated me to a cruise to Alaska. Last year, I went to Iceland, and then to the Galapagos (a Smith Travel-Yale family trip). These were all absolutely wonderful and very different.” Answering the call for news, from Monaco HARRIETT BURNETT GROOTE writes, “The year 2010 has been a breeze compared to 2009, when my husband, Wilfred, survived a major infection following an emergency appendectomy and I came through relatively unscathed from doublebypass surgery! We enjoy our retirement apartment in Monaco, where everything is easily reached. I still play golf once or twice a week. In June, I attended a Smith-in-Europe week in Istanbul—a great treat, beautifully planned by two Smith alumnae and attended by President Carol Christ. I had a brief visit with BARBARA CROSBY DE LOES in Geneva. She and her husband have retired and turned their gallery over to their daughter, Diane.” HARRIET SIMONS WILLIAMS writes, “In anticipation of turning 80, I went off to London, rented a flat, and learned to use the wonderful Oyster cards to navigate the bus system. I traveled the hilltowns of Italy and returned to my beloved mountains of northern Georgia for the rest of the summer, and am now in Charleston [SC] for the winter. Much ringing of tower church bells and going to lectures—mostly navelgazing ones about South Carolina. It’s an interesting place to live, especially if one is a Democrat.” JANET DENITHORNE LINN writes, “Andy and I had a wonderful cruise to Greenland, Iceland, and Norway—all new lands to us, and we were fascinated. We enjoy life in our retirement community, going to museums, teaching, and taking courses. Two granddaughters are launched into careers (teaching and law) with the contagious enthusiasm we all had in our 20s. Long may it last!” PAT WYKER SILBERT volunteers teaching reading to first graders, which she has done for 20 years. She says, “I also do some landscaping design and installation, although less of it than I used to do, partly because of the economy.” She traveled with her family throughout most of Europe and the western part of the United States, and felt it was all educational and fun. “I am lucky that we have been able to do these things together.” Our class newsletter shared news from GINNA DE CONINGH FLEMING, and she adds a bit more. “A splendid visit in Paris with OLIVE GIBSON LORSIGNOL and LOIS GOLDBERG GRJEBINE, including seeing the show of a friend of Olive’s in Reid Hall [Columbia University Global Center]. Very nostalgic.” MARY MCKINLEY-HAAS says she enjoyed a visit from her son who lives in California. “Do wish he and Chris (in Texas) lived closer. Too long between visits!” JOY SLONIM GLASSMAN writes, “I am in a book club with five other Smith alumnae from a variety of classes. Reviewing Kafka, taking a course on Moby Dick, k and editing a biography of H. Joseph Gerber written by his son, David. It’s a wonderful story Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 63 alumnae update of a young boy’s immigration to the United States from Hitler’s Anschluss into Austria, and his self-education of English, scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founding of Gerber Scientific Instrument Co., and his invention, among others, of the machine still in use today that cuts patterns for the ready-to-wear apparel industry. I still volunteer at the Hartford (CT) Symphony library, archiving the conductor’s publicity. I work out on a gravity machine; I am lean and fit, feeling fine, and 80!” We were saddened to hear the news of the death of MARY CURTIS DAVEY on Oct. 2, ’10. Please look to the Summer ’11 issue for a full obituary. The class extends its sympathy to Mary’s family and friends. Sec., Marleigh Morland Baratz, 3396 Dunscroft Court, Keswick, VA 22947, [email protected] Sec., Robin Rauth Purcell, 106 Tantumorantum Road, Lyme, CT 06371, [email protected] 1953 Hi, class of ’53! Here’s the most recent news from your classmates. JOAN FORD was the honored guest at a luncheon planned by six of her former third-grade students from six states. One of the attendees was LAURIE POOLE CHESTER ’81. Connecting through a class picture on Facebook, the girls of Ms. Ford’s 1967–68 class agreed that their former teacher had a great impact on their lives. They decided to contact Joan and set up a reunion at a restaurant in Danvers, MA. The lunch conversation was lively, with reminiscences of Joan’s teaching philosophy (consistency and discipline), shared mementos of her travels, and Broadway show tunes. Joan said she never played favorites, as no one knew what a child’s life was like away from school and how it might have influenced his or her behavior. She had often wondered if her teachings had “struck fire” in her students’ imaginations, influenced them to be good citizens, and inspired them to “give back to others.” Apparently so, since most of the women work in education, true recipients of Joan’s inspiration. They had a wonderful time as they looked at scrapbooks, pictures, and report cards, and plan to make this an annual event, expecting an even larger turnout next time. ANN SAFFORD MANDEL is involved in organizing an Aging in Place initiative in her community in Darien, CT. Aging in Place is a national movement with a mission of “helping seniors live independently, comfortably, and with dignity in their own homes as long as possible.” They are getting started in Darien, but nationally many of these organizations have been active for a dozen years or more. Transportation, handyman services, information about other available services, and PAFFORD and her sister, Mary. Thanks for the updates. Keep the news coming, even when we don’t remind you! Sec., Vee Henry Achey, 4705 Town Ridge Drive, Greensboro, NC 27455, [email protected] Sec., Betty McCrary Newman, 2107 Balfour Court, San Diego, CA 92109, [email protected] 1954 YOLANDA (YO) ASTARITA PATTERSON Left to right, Ida Richards Chamberlin, Gail Cameron Wescott, Joan Schenck Leavitt, and Anne Millett Powell, all from the class of ’54, enjoy a rare get-together to reminisce about their year of sharing an apartment in Cambridge, MA, right after graduation. social activities are the prime needs. When BLOSSOM WILLINGER MILLER received your secretaries’ e-mail, she had just returned that day from a Smith Travel trip to Israel. “We were only 10 in number, nine women and one husband. I was by far the oldest in the group, but had no difficulty keeping up! We were accompanied by a young, vibrant professor of Judaic studies from the college. He gave us an overview of Israel from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian perspectives. We covered a lot of territory and did everything from climb the archaeological ruins to swim in the Dead Sea.” While on vacation last summer, GEORGIANA HOMER DASKAIS and Dick visited POLLY MYERS WHITE and Peter at their summer place on Lake Champlain in New York. They had a great time and “even swam in the lake!” On the same trip, they visited Georgiana’s sister, MARION HOMER PAINTER ’50, and her husband, Bill, on Cape Cod, MA. They ended their trip in Townshend, VT, “with about 37 dear relatives.” Georgie notes that she loves where she and Dick live in Ventura, CA, but is sorry that since she lives so far from friends from Smith and New York, she has lost touch with many. JUDITH LAGER RAYMO was invited to participate in a three-day conference at Bryn Mawr last September, celebrating that college’s 125th anniversary of educating women. She spoke on a panel on the topic “Leveling the Academic Playing Field: Strategies for Change That Work.” Judy says, “I was particularly impressed with the presidents of women’s colleges in the United States, including President Carol Christ, and the women from the developing worlds who are leading women’s universities. They each made a persuasive case for educating women in a global context (the conference theme).” Judy is still teaching at Teachers College, Columbia, most recently doing a workshop on gender and professional development. DIANE GILMORE ROSS reports on a 64 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 marvelous mini-reunion with former Albrighters on Orrs Island, ME, during “a September week of glorious weather.” Since they had so much in common, they had lots to share. Diane was exuberant because she “had emerged from eight months of recuperation from open-heart surgery and its awful aftermaths.” Fellow participants sharing in MARGY ALLYN SAMMONS’ hospitality in her charming bed-and-breakfast Victorian house were JOAN LONGBOTTOM CLEMONS, LAETITIA DEKANTER, VIRGINIA DAVIDSON MCNAUGHTON, ANN KELLY NEWTON, KITTY OCKENDEN, HOLLY BLANTON SCHROEDER, and JOANNE NELSON MOYLER. Diane comments, “We’ll never forget this!” CAROLYN CUSHMAN STRATTON’s big news is that her third book about art in Thailand, What’s What in a Wat, is out. It is a handbook that deals with the Thai Buddhist temples called wats, and she says it will be a useful tool for anyone touring Thailand. In November, Carolyn and her husband, Bob, returned to Chiang Mai, where they have gone for many winters, although Carolyn notes that probably was their last time. RUTH ALLEN HOPFENBECK reports the death of PAT DORN JAFFRAY. “Pat was a real and dedicated force in her community, and I am sure she is greatly missed.” Ruth and George’s major trip in 2010 was a cruise with daughter Ann and her husband and son. Leaving from Rome, the ship went as far east as Istanbul and back to Naples. “The basketball court on the ship was the driving force for the ship selection. All ages had plenty to do, and the port stops were fun and interesting.” During HOLLY STAIR GREER’s annual trip to Boulder, CO, Ruth, Holly, and ANABEL CAREY MCHUGH were able to have a catch-up lunch together. HARRIET SQUIRE LEONARD keeps busy in Chelsea in New York City, with her usual “artwork, gallery and museum visits, and all the riches that New York City offers.” Some time ago, she had a good dinner and visit with JANE COWEN writes that her husband, Guy, died last September “at 94 and seven months, not long after we celebrated our 49th anniversary.” Yo had hip-replacement surgery three weeks later, was conscientiously doing rehab and hoping to play tennis again. She had presided as longtime president at the Simone de Beauvoir Society’s 18th international conference in Cagliari, Sardinia, last June, and then taught for the 21st time in the group’s summer program in Paris. She’s grateful for ongoing support during the roller-coaster months that followed. MICHELLE (MIKE) MYERS FLORENCE recalls the flawless Tanzania safari for children and grandchildren she and husband David organized in 2008, and tells us about their three sons: David, at 46, had a marvelous reunion with his biological mother in 2009; Robert created an award-winning Hurricane Katrina play for the New York International Fringe Festival (with New York Times coverage); and Mason heads an organization in Bangkok to promote tourism in the Mekong Delta. She and husband David, who recently retired, play duplicate bridge, seeing MARY BAHR TURINO often. DEBORAH STODDARD HARPER says, “My focus is dogs. I have seven: five Pembroke Welsh corgis and two Swedish Vallhunds. The Vallhund is a very old breed only recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2007 after some effort. The world of purebred dogs has its own structure, a host of events/ activities, clubs, and even its own lingo. I’ve bred, trained, and shown these dogs since 1960.” Deborah has authored books and written articles in dog magazines, including an editorship of New England’s Mayflower Corgi Club publication, which she says has consistently won top honors in the national dog-writers’ competition. Although she is no longer a singer, Deborah says, “Classical music constantly surrounds me and enriches my life.” CAROL TRAYLOR HENDERSON writes that she and Bob bit the bullet in fall ’09 and sold their Boston apartment, moving to another “in a lovely continuing-care community in Westwood, MA, about 25 minutes outside of Boston and only 10 minutes from three of our four sons. . . . Most of the year, however, we are either in Vero Beach, FL (January to May), or in New London, NH (mid-June to mid-September). Our four sons and their families spend lots of time with us.” This includes the Hendersons’ 10 grandchildren, ranging in age from 10 to 18, including two sets of twins. JAN SALTER ROSENBERG writes, “Let me tell you how I located my roommate and best friend during our college days, SHIRLEY GERSUMKY ROBINSON.” Shirley’s husband had died in 2008, and Jan lost contact despite best efforts to locate her or her daughter. Resourceful Jan Googled the Hartland (VT) Four Corners church and its minister, who sent the telephone number for Shirley. Jan explains, “Shirley was spending the winter with her daughter, who had moved to New Hampshire. A long story! I am completely sold on Google.” JULIE GEMPEL LINDSTROM shared the news of NANCY TEED SHEARS’ retirement last June as a senior vice president of the First National Bank of Hutchinson, KS, after 33 years there. Julie had a congratulatory lunch with Nancy en route to Colorado. Julie had attended a Smith College Club of Chicago panel discussion in April: “Smith Worldwide: Voices in the Global Conversation,” moderated by President Carol Christ, and featuring a Smith drama professor, the art museum director, an orchestra conductor, and the director of the Richmond (VA) Ballet—all graduates of Smith. JANE NICHOLS FOGG writes to call attention to RUTH WOLFF BLOOM ’53’s book of nine full-length plays, Notable Women, and a Few Equally Notable Men. “The playwright and I have been friends since Sessions House days. My portrait of Ruth, done earlier on, is on the cover.” Broadway Play Publishing brought out the book last year to enthusiastic reviews. Good news from Cleveland: JANE GRAHAM CHAMP’s son, William, and his wife, Cynthia, welcomed baby Elise on June 12, ’10. Congratulations to all. MINERVA (MICHIE) HELLER NEIDITZ produced two poetry books last year. “Fluid Poetics was inspired by the mercury sculptor Ronald Mallory.” Michie wrote poems suggested by the images he sent her. The Mama Llama and Other Animal Tales includes sketches by Ethan Emery. From San Miguel de Allende, her half-year home, Michie writes, “I am relatively healthy, in spite of diabetes and a quadruple bypass five years ago; I am grateful for these years, and always to Smith.” “Quilting, both Hawaiian and traditional, has become my passion,” writes NANCY COOK DONIGAN from Waimea, HI. “I belong to three quilt groups on the Big Island and have made many friends through quilting.” The Donigans travel; son Peter, a neuroscience professor at Harvard, takes Nancy out for lobster when she visits “so he can watch me enjoy it. Polynesian lobsters don’t come close!” Daughter Sue, a pediatric nurse practitioner, lives in Dumfries, VA. Sue’s daughter is a sophomore at Virginia Tech. Nancy and Bob had one other jaunt last October to Evanston, IL, for the 60th reunion of the Evanston Township High School, where they had been classmates. A lot of us marked celebrations of “the great class of 1950.” JANE GRAHAM CHAMP attended her high school reunion at the Hathaway Brown School in Ohio (still her home). GOLDIE GENDLER SILVERMAN went to the October gathering of Central High School in Omaha, NE, and NANCY DICKSON NEWCOMB attended the Graham-Eckes High School reunion in Palm Beach, FL. JOAN STRONG BUELL organized a subset of her group from The Putney (VT) School, and OLGA (SUNNY) STURTEVANT TOULMIN attended her 60th reunion at the Holton-Arms School, now in Bethesda, MD. SALLY RAMSEY CHAPLINE headed back to Oklahoma City for her 60th at Classen High School: “It’s always a hoot!” Sec., Anne Hoerner Ribble, 6200 Willers Way, Houston, TX 77057, [email protected] 1955 The class of ’55 is still riding high! ANN-ELISA WETHERALD BLACK enjoys Vero Beach, FL, for three seasons and Michigan in the summer. CAY ANDERSON BARRES, in Mystic, CT, travels to quilt shows in New England and is active with the Smith College Club of Southeastern Connecticut. MARILYN SILVER BRAITERMAN moved from Baltimore to Manhattan and continues in her work as an antiquarian bookseller. LINDA FRANKEL CAHILL, after 20 years at the American Museum of Natural History, consults twice weekly. “The most exciting years were dedicated to the building of the new planetarium and the halls having to do with astrophysics. We are now a museum, research center, education innovator, graduate school, and center for biodiversity. After my 12 years of working for Mayor Koch, I did not think I would ever have such an exciting professional association. I have two wonderful children; my daughter is raising three future ski champions in Vermont, and my son, who has devoted his life to emergency medicine, is raising his three sons. I love living in New York, but will be wintering on Longboat Key, FL. After four joint replacements, the cold is not for me!” KAY BECKER FINNEY had a marvelous time in Georgetown, ME, in August, seeing most of her children and grandchildren and lots of friends. Fall brought more of the same, mixed with election activity and gorgeous walks through the suddenly full-colored woods. PAT REDIKER GOLDSTEIN is recovering from elaborate back surgery. (Healing wishes from us all, Pat!) Splitting time between Florida’s west coast and Rhode Island, LEE CAIRNS HAVENS reports on singing in a local chorus and at the Berkshire Music Festival, as well as enjoying children, grandchildren, friends, golf, exercise, bridge, and books. NANCY CORDINER JUDGE enjoys Vermont summers and visits from her four children and their spouses; each family has three offspring, with six in college. (“Zounds!” she exclaims.) In good health, she and Dick daily count their blessings. Also enjoying Vermont, as well as Franklin, MA, is BETTY DAVIS KUSHNER, who is busy with her business of designing semiprecious necklaces and belts and selling gift items made in the United States. She takes kundalini yoga, spiritual dance, tai chi, and piano. She has three children, six grandchildren, and two dogs. PATSY PETERSON MCCURDY is still working with her co-author, Robert Peck, on a 200-year history of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia for the institution’s anniversary in 2012. “We have a terrific photographer, Rosamond Purcell, who illustrated several books for Stephen Jay Gould and has taken fascinating pictures of numerous specimens from the academy’s collections.” Patsy sends best wishes to all. SANDY WEILLE MACCOBY describes the “terrific lot of fun” she has with five grandchildren. She says old age’s health challenges are like musical chairs in that you never know what’s coming next. “We are big Obama fans and believe he has saved the country. The history books will end up treating him better than the American public today. Frankly, I can’t think of any president in the last 50 years who has done as much in a mere 18 months.” BROOKE PAGE PACY hauled boats out of the water in preparation for a quiet coastal Maine winter. Since “Smith taught me perseverance,” she says, she continues to write and “send it out.” ANN DONEY ROEN was sorry to miss Reunion. She and George are settled on California’s central coast, halfway between their two daughters. Their son and his family live in Illinois. They spent six weeks riverboating and driving in Europe this past summer: Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, then to Provence, France, and back to Switzerland. ADRIAN AUSTIN SHELBY’s greatest joy is her first granddaughter’s selection of Smith out of more than seven excellent acceptances. “EMILY ANDERSON ’14 is now residing at Chapin House, is a member of the orchestra, is working with a STRIDE program, and is the fire chair of her house! She writes me to say that she is happy and having fun, but working hard, and knows that she made the right decision.” LINDA EKSTROM STANLEY is “staying in Cambridge [MA]. . . . Just returned from five weeks in Europe, including three weeks in Sweden, where my partner, Keith Brion, was conduct- ing and recording the Royal Swedish Navy Band for Naxos. Sweden included visits with my Swedish relatives on both sides, picking mushrooms, catching crayfish, and taking saunas with a wood fire and a cold dip in a mill stream.” JUDYTH EVANS THOMAS has moved to Maine and has a granddaughter at Smith, FRANCES LAZARE ’14, in Franklin King. She comes from Houston, and Judyth helped her settle in last fall, enjoying the campus and experiencing the 59-year spread between their first years. From California, CLAIRE MUNSON TOASPERN reports meeting her husband of four years in community theater. She was the assistant producer for Pinocchio, the Musicall and played the part of the cat, who sings and does soft-shoe with the fox. She sends greetings to all of our classmates. Sec., Alice Wayland Cruikshank, 400 Seabury Drive, Apt. 5176, Bloomfield, CT 06002, [email protected] 1956 JOAN KRAMER HOLT and her husband took a cross-country road trip, stopping along the way to visit former roommates AMY REMONDELLI GARDNER and KAREN HAAGENSEN SAVAGE. In the fall, Joan and her husband also enjoyed a trip to Costa Rica and to see the Panama Canal. AMY REMONDELLI GARDNER writes that she and Charlie are still in their “too-large house” and still thinking they can manage it. Amy’s daughter ELIZABETH GARDNER ’77’s son is a junior at Vassar, and her daughter SARAH GARDNER ’82’s daughter is a first-year at Wesleyan University. Her younger granddaughter is in high school. Amy and Charlie headed to France and England in September because, as Amy says, even in retirement one needs “R and R.” SANDRA VAN FOSSEN shares the news of LOIS HASKELL STRATTON’s recent success on the runway. Lois responded to an invitation to participate in a green-designers event at the Little Church Theater in Holderness, NH, last summer. She designed an amazing outfit made out of birch bark, acorns, pinecones, and cattail stems. While the music played, she marched down the aisle like a fashion model, laughing all the way. Last fall, MARTHA LITVANY WILLIAMS hosted a dinner at her home in Virginia while BARBIE SCHULZ LARSON and her husband were visiting from faraway Pasadena, CA. As you may recall, Barbie was the editor and Martha was one of many contributors to our great 50th Reunion book. BEV PAWSON and BARBARA HOFFMIER KYLE also attended, so, needless to say, there was lots of Smith chatter going on! Last summer, NANCY BOOTH KELLY took a great trip to London, the south of France, and Geneva. She saw JEAN Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 65 alumnae update MCGOURTY BARRELET and her husband, Charles, in Switzerland, where they revisited old hangouts and took day trips to the lovely mountainous countryside. Earlier in the summer she visited GAIL TOMEC KERR and her husband, David, in Bay Head, NJ. Last October, Nancy received the Montclair (NJ) Kimberley Academy Distinguished Alumni Award for 2010. She plans to be with us for Reunion! JEANNE BENNER CARALEY and daughter ANNE CARALEY ’86 spent much of the summer traveling in Europe: Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Sweden, and Finland. They had a wonderful time seeing the sights together, especially the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Anne continues to teach at SUNY and at the Summit School in Nyack, NY. Jeanne is looking forward to hearing from Lawrence House friends about attending Reunion. MABEL (HAPPY) GORTON DI FRANZA’s two daughters gave Happy and Steve a 50th-anniversary weekend in Washington, DC, where they had spent part of their honeymoon. In May, they continued the celebration with a walking tour of Provence, France, that included four days of Le Mistral, the savage wind that is funneled down the Rhone Valley. They ended the trip with a restful weekend in Nice. When they returned home, the Flint Memorial Library in North Reading, MA, organized a retrospective of Happy and Steve’s hooked rugs and wall hangings. The “Class News” page on our Website has a wonderful picture of BETSY BRAGG with her mother, FRANCES KIEFER BRAGG ’29, who is now 102, still doing yoga, and out walking every day. Betsy visits her frequently, as well as RUTH CHALMERS ’44, who also lives at the Cambridge (MA) Homes independent and assisted-living community. Betsy continues to stay busy with her grandchildren and following her passion for eliminating obesity, chronic disease, and malnutrition through education. Last April, ANN GOWEN COMBS and her brother, two of her sons, and a niece all traveled into the mountains of Luzon in the Philippines to the village where Ann was born. The occasion was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of her father’s church, St. Benedict’s. Ann said it was an amazing event, with parades, dances, festivals, and a raft of bishops and priests in attendance. Last September, ALICE LEVITT SAIDEL celebrated her 75th birthday in New York City with her daughter, Beth, and grandson, Oliver. Beth is the assistant to the president of Barnard. The highlight of the day was brunch at the Algonquin Hotel, where JANET FRIEDMAN MARKS magically appeared! They loved reminiscing over their halcyon days at Hopkins B. Later, her husband, Burt, whisked Alice away up the Hud- son to a romantic bed-and-breakfast to cap off the celebration. MAUDE DAVIS attended the funeral of her best friend, SHEILA TREMAINE TALCOTT, at the Brick Church in New York City. ELLEN MAYER DIAMOND and other ’56ers were there. Maudie said it was a memorable service, with Sheila’s close friend Judy Collins singing “Danny Boy” and “Amazing Grace” a capella, as Sheila had requested. VALERIE ROSS KNOWLES and her husband, David, enjoyed a universitysponsored tour of Spain that took them to the heart of Basque country. Soon after they returned, Valerie’s short biography of Sir William Van Horne was published by Dundurn Press in Toronto. Valerie is getting another book to press, a collection of leading Ottawa personalities from the past. She has received numerous book awards for nonfiction, and she says writing assignments and volunteer work keep her busy! DEBBY GRAVES NOLIN writes that her life has had a major change since Hugh was diagnosed with vascular dementia and has almost no memory or cognition. He is still at home, and Debby has help a few days a week. She says she still manages to play tennis once a week and keep up with her Embroiderers’ Guild chapter and church. Unfortunately, she will be unable to attend Reunion. Sec., Jean Bradley Mooney, 250 Hammond Pond Parkway, Unit 405 South, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, [email protected] 1957 A message arrived from MARGARETTA KUHLTHAU MITCHELL: “Joy abounds! The Mitchell family is delighted to announce that Julia [Margaretta’s third daughter] had a baby boy! Frederick was born on Sept. 11, ’10. The happy parents, Julia and Chris, are doing well.” This is the first grandchild in the family. Joy indeed, Gretta! ELIDA (DEBBY) DEBEVOISE WILSON wrote to share remembrances of ELIZABETH RADLEY ANDERSON, who died on July 30, ’10. “Liz was at Smith for two years, and we became lifelong friends. She was a warm and lively companion who had legions of fans—from Greenwich Country Day School, the Ethel Walker School, Smith, and from all over the world. I remember her best at her family’s wonderful house on Martha’s Vineyard [MA], sitting on the porch overlooking the harbor, enjoying the salt breeze. When we traveled together in Europe during the summer of 1955, the first thing she would do after entering our room was unpack photos of her family. She never missed a friend’s birthday or anniversary. When, because of her illness, her calls to me ceased, I keenly felt their absence. The last time I saw her was the day after her daughter’s Edgartown wedding, ensconced in a living-room armchair, surrounded by 66 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 family and friends.” BETTY GREEN SIMS continues to collect honors and, of course, has much work to be done! Recently, she was elected to the coordinating board of the Missouri Department of Higher Education. Betty will be keeping her eye on all of Missouri’s public universities, colleges, and junior colleges. ROSEMARY POLLACK MILD and Larry send a second notice of their new book, Cry Ohana: Adventure and Suspense in Hawaii, with a note that MYRNA KAWAMOTO SEN is acknowledged in the book for her helpful expertise concerning Hawaii. Rosemary and Myrna are buddies during those months when the Milds winter in Hawaii with their daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. KATHRYN PALLISTER SPIER sends information about a short vacation that sounds like the perfect answer to the busy lives some of us might be leading. Last September, she and her husband, Peter, took a Maine coast and harbor cruise during some beautiful fall days. She says American Cruise Lines has small, convenient ships, and the trip was totally relaxing! BETTY VINSON HELANDER shares news of Tyler House class of ’57’s yearly mini-reunion, this last time hosted by HARRIETT HULS in Los Gatos, CA. Many members of the group were able to attend, and DIANA SCHARFSPITZ DE FILIPPI followed up with a detailed memoir, her journal, so that, as she commented, “the pleasure lives on.” Next year the group hopes to be all 11 strong in Okemos, MI, with GRETCHEN MEYER FOSTER. Class of ’57 Tyler housemates include Betty, Harriett, Diana, Gretchen, EDA MICHEL PALLIER, BETTY HAMADY SAMS, LIZ HUMMEL KINNEY, MARGARET SALATA RECODER, GILLIAN LEWIS TYLER, BARBARA TEWS BUDD, and SHAUNEEN SULLIVAN KROLL. I hope everyone in class has enjoyed the start of 2011, and I look forward to hearing from you for our next deadline of May 15th. Sec., Polly Park Coxe, 4 North Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO 63108, [email protected] 1958 LOUISE SHERRIFF ALDEN reports that she and husband Tom took a wonderfully educational “voyage to antiquity” last year. In two weeks they visited many of the Greek islands, plus Troy and Istanbul. “It was truly a graduate course in the ancient world,” she says, “with daily lectures aboard a small ship.” They are both well. Louise continues to enjoy working two days a week and getting back East to visit family in Kingston, NY, and Bethesda, MD. If you are traveling in New York’s Hudson River Valley, GRACE EVANS BOWNE welcomes visitors. She is busy trying to revive her real estate business and settling her late husband’s estate. She enjoys visiting her son and family, who live close-by in Connecticut. It was a major effort for ELLIE BRIGGS to find homes for her belongings and many books after she sold the home they built 35 years ago to the daughter of dear friends who helped build the house. Now Ellie and her cat are happily settled in a small condo on the beautiful Richmond Marina, where she can take daily walks in the adjacent wildlife areas along San Francisco Bay. She continues to facilitate a group of HIV-positive men and women who have been meeting for more than 15 years, and she is still a board member and librarian with Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Last fall, while on family business in Concord, MA, Ellie had a wonderful visit with CAROL MCCONVILLE DWYER. “Carol is such a gem. Life is good! Love to all.” PRISCILLA CUNNINGHAM has become involved with the granddaughter of former Smith professors Clarence and Ruth Kennedy. Two curators are researching books about both of them; anyone who studied with them and has memories to share should contact Priscilla. The catalog of the Stewart Collection at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is out, with the wallpaper design by Peter Todd Mitchell. Priscilla also reported the sad news that Smith Professor Emeritus Elliot Offner died on Oct. 15, ’10. See his obituary in this issue. “Everything seems to be running smoothly at the moment,” says SUSAN SPOEHRER ELLIOTT. Her daughter, Elizabeth, is now running the company. Susan has a new hip and is totally mobile after six weeks. She is busy writing a book about 50 years in technology; she went to work at IBM after graduation. They spend the winter in Florida, and invite visitors to Hobe Sound. It has been a year of adjustment for GINGIE STEIN GREENE, but she says she is doing well. Over the summer she spent time with her sister and brother-in-law at Squam Lake in New Hampshire, and then took the entire family to a camp in the Adirondacks on Seventh Lake. She is taking a course in Spanish and volunteering for Furniture Sharehouse, a wonderful organization that collects gently used furniture and redistributes it to clients of member social-service agencies. She still plays lots of tennis in the summer and switches to a paddle when it gets cold—a great way to see friends and exercise every day. ELIZABETH (BEE) SHRIVER KANT reports that she heard FARAH PANDITH ’90 speak at a breakfast gathering at the Hilton Istanbul during the Smith in Europe reunion. “We’ll keep our eyes on her!” She attended the event with her sister VIRGINIA SHRIVER ’55. Prompted by the rancor that seems endemic in our society, EDNA BROWN HIBBITTS was involved in planning an open forum on “Civility, Community, and Compassion,” endorsed by the Midland (TX) Association of Churches. The keynote speaker was Carol Donovan, executive director of Peacemakers in Dallas. Their goal is to encourage other thoughtful conversations in the future. Otherwise, Edna is busy trying to keep up with digitalized grandchildren! CAROL STEVENS KNER has embarked on a new career! After taking early retirement from her job as editor of Printt magazine in 1997, she began to pursue her interest in writing poetry. She is pleased to announce that her chapbook Exposure is being published by Toadlily Press, one of four chapbooks collected in a single volume titled Sightline. Her husband, Andrew, still teaches courses at Parsons and at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Daughter Annie is a social worker with the committee on special education at the New York City Department of Education. Their son teaches engineering and physics at the University of Georgia; he and his wife have an adorable 4-year-old daughter, the apple of everyone’s eye. ANN FLASTER LOEB and her husband, Jim, spend winters in Palm Desert, CA, where she is a docent at the Palm Springs Art Museum. “It is great fun, and at our age it is wonderful to just keep learning.” Jim is able to keep practicing law via computer and email. Sister MARCIA FLASTER VOLPERT and Dick have a home close-by. They are well. “I can hardly believe we are celebrating our 75th birthdays.” “Hair now white, kids in their 50s. Eeek!” says JEANNE HARPER MCALPIN. She is a widow for the second time. When someone asked her, “What do you do to them?” her answer was, “Just love them. My luck hasn’t been wonderful.” Her life is happily busy with three grandkids, two in college, one going next year. Nothing dramatic to report, “which may be the good news.” ANNE RITTERSHOFER-NEUMANN continues as a volunteer and lay reader at St. Margaret Hall. She sends best wishes and love to all. DOROTHY SILVERHERZ ROSENBERG received an award from the Connecticut Dance Alliance for her work in dance as a performer, teacher, and administrator. She volunteers at Foodshare and the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection. Dorothy’s niece, Elizabeth Brundage, published her third novel, A Stranger Like You. In October, NANCY WILCOX SMITH visited JO ANN GOLDENBERG STOLLEY at her home in Columbia, MD. They caught up on family and classmate news. Sec., Nancy McCaskie Lavelle, 12526 Cedar Road, #6, Cleveland Heights, OH 44106, [email protected] 1959 In late October, class officers gath- At Mystic Seaport in Connecticut viewing the model pool dedicated to the late Katherine Eckfeldt Cowles ’59 are her classmates Katherine Parker O’Beirne, Sheila Bodine, Mimi Kenower Dyer, Joanna Graf Frank, Mary Chrisman Anderson, and Alice Watson Houston. ered for two days of meetings and tours at the college. A letter by KATHERINE GABEL, class co-president, will detail the experience. JOAN BUHSE BOSE , ALICE WATSON HOUSTON , MIMI KENOWER DYER , GRETTA VAN EVERA FORRESTER, MYRA GOLD WRUBEL, LOUISE GRAHAM, MARJORIE LAMBERTI, and BETSY SIEMON MURPHY stayed with me at the newly established class of ’59 “Inn at Amherst.” Katherine visited with family nearby, and unfortunately, JANE QUAYLE OUTCALT was unable to come. MIRIAM BERKE PERSOFF reports the loss of her husband, Jon, a restaurant owner who was widely known in their Los Angeles community. Miriam treasures memories of their 28-year marriage. Demonstrating that living long is the best revenge, last September MARY CLAY BERRY rowed at FISA (international rowing federation) in St. Catharines, Ontario. The average age of all rowers was 75; in Mary’s boat, the eight rowers were from Japan, Canada, Australia, and the United States, and they took home the gold! Despite choppy water and gusty winds, they had a great time and a wonderful bonding experience. Early last summer, a fitting tribute to the late KATHERINE (KINKY) ECKFELDT COWLES was the dedication at the Mystic Seaport museum of a model pool where visitors can maneuver electric tugboats. Kinky was a driving force in the development operation at the museum for more than 20 years. In August, six classmates met at the site for a commemorative picnic: KATHERINE PARKER O’BEIRNE, SHEILA BODINE, MIMI KENOWER DYER, JOANNA GRAF FRANK, MARY CHRISMAN ANDERSON, and ALICE WATSON HOUSTON. BAMBOO KOPLIK SOLZMAN returned to campus for the class of ’60’s 50th and enjoyed seeing several old friends from Washburn House, reporting, “We all looked pretty darn good for a 51-year time lapse.” Working hard before the November elections, CAROLYN FOSTER MCNAUGHT urged others to support Governor De- val Patrick in Massachusetts. She sent a compelling public document citing Patrick’s and running mate Murray’s accomplishments, and wrote of her personal admiration of Patrick’s ideals and actions and progress to date. “Is he perfect?” Lyn asked, and answered her own question: “No, no one is!” LOUISE GRAHAM and two friends founded the Wolfeboro (NH) Democratic Committee in 1976, gradually growing the group in a solidly Republican county. She ran for state representative in 2006 but lost. Last November, running again, Louise lost, but garnered 400 more votes than before. Overall, Democrats fared badly in New Hampshire—challengers and incumbents alike. Undeterred, she says, “We Democrats plan to be much more alert than usual for the next two years, and will find a way to keep facts in front of the local communities.” (Interesting, too, would be to learn of efforts of Republicans on behalf of their candidates and issues; do send comments on your own political experiences.) In 2009, MIMI KENOWER DYER and Dan took their 37-foot sloop, Rabbitt (veteran of their six-year circumnavigation in the 1970s), on a two-month trip from Rhode Island up the Hudson River, through the Erie and Oswego canals to Lake Ontario, the Thousand Islands, and the St. Lawrence River to Lake Champlain, back to the Hudson and home. Once again, Mimi participated in a local fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, featuring the annual “sloppy joe/make your own sundae” menu. She recommends we read Dearest Friend, LYNNE WITHEY ’70’s biography of Abigail Adams, and Left to Tell, by Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the horrific Rwandan genocide. MARJORIE LAMBERTI has made a most interesting contribution to the Smith archives. Her mother had kept all of Marjorie’s letters to her parents, and Marjorie’s recent donation of them will be of great interest to those from our era. She remarks, “Women at Smith in the 1950s could hear multiple messages about aspirations and the kind of future that they could have.” If you have items of interest about the college, consider a donation yourself. Remember, we are welcome to visit the archives, where treasures abound. JOAN LIFTON COHN and Dick enjoy retired life close enough to Manhattan to take advantage of opera and theater, and they feel fortunate that their children live nearby. Their granddaughter is ELIZABETH RICH ’13; her mother is NANCY COHN RICH ’84. AMANDA NYCE MCINTYRE found it an absolute delight to host ANN WILLIS BROCKELMAN’s daughter and her family this summer. Gray skies could not dampen their enthusiasm for Pacific pleasures that included a trip to the Channel Islands, complete with leaping dolphins. “Our Smith friendship made this possible.” A profile of Amanda in a Santa Barbara (CA) Museum of Art publication details her 30-year connection to the museum, stating, “She personifies the institutional ideal of a dedicated, involved trustee and volunteer.” She has taken many of the museum’s domestic and international trips, and has been an active docent for more than 15 years. Amanda and her husband, Jim, are art collectors and have made significant contributions to the institution’s permanent collection. She counts the museum as one of the most important parts of her life. It is with great sadness that I report the death of BECKY RAISBECK SMYTHE on Oct. 22, ’10. Though she was with us only for our first and sophomore years, a more loyal alumna would be difficult to name. Devoted to her family and a consummate community volunteer, Becky also found time to support Smith in so many ways. Our deep sympathies go to Jeff; their children, Christopher, Alison, and Dana; three beloved grandchildren; her brother, Peter; and sister, LIZ RAISBECK ’63. Please write with news, especially those of you who prefer not to use e-mail. Take a moment to drop me a few lines via the good old USPS. And, of course, e-mail always works. Sec., Alice Hovenden Fink, 30 Orchard Street, Amherst, MA 01002, [email protected] 1960 I truly appreciate all of your responses with news and comments about education for this spring column. There are some interesting and worthy ideas here. Recurring themes in our notes are travel, 50th wedding anniversaries, grandkids, downsizing, and simplifying. WHITNEY PETERS KEEN writes to tell us that she is involved with her local garden club, archaeology, and the New York Society. MARNA HAYDEN is working on maintaining a healthy balance in her life, Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 67 alumnae update hence a recent trip to Patagonia, some volunteer work, and a Spanish class. Her thoughts on education? Adding more hours to the school year, setting higher standards for both teachers and students, catering to students’ strengths instead of weaknesses, and rewarding inspiring teachers. JANE YOLEN has been enjoying the company of the boy who kissed her in the sixth grade. JUDY OLMSTED O’MALLEY perseveres with her real estate career in spite of the soft market, but enjoys sharing a Kindermusik class with grandkids. PEGGY ERLANDSON BRIGHTMAN remembers choosing Smith for its music and dance, and studying history with real timelines, not computers. JOAN CANNON BORTON loved her poetry workshop in New Hampshire taught by gifted teacher MARY DOMINICK CHIVERS, ending with gentle yoga. NANCY GRANT SLOAN recently moved from a beach home to a condo. She gives credit to her French Canadian Civilization teacher, who imbued her subject (and life) with passion. PAM GUNDERSEN MILLER bemoans the tenor of the fall political campaigns in Kentucky and the $5.8 million spent on them. “Life is one big learning curve,” says BETSY BEIDLER CUSSLER, whose significant learning moment came while sharing a friend’s journey when her daughter came out as a lesbian. LYNN BURROWS DONALDSON balances her life between tutoring Chicago students, playing her viola, doing Pilates, and enjoying grandkids. Writing a poetry book has kept CAROLINE HIBBARD BUCKLER busy, while SARA DUNPHY GABRIEL is learning French and also works at a librairie francaise in San Francisco. Congrats to DEBORAH MOORE GEITHNER and Peter for celebrating 50 years of marriage on Cape Cod, MA, with all children and grandkids! CAROLINE SAWYER PETERSON and Len recently downsized to a townhouse in Westport, CT, while KEVYN UNGEMAH GARDELLA splits time between Norwalk, CT, and Delray Beach, FL. Seven kids and 12 grandkids keep her running, and she still plays her piano daily. Are there any Raging Grannies in our class? Yes: ANDREA WRIGHT! She sings in a western Massachusetts group about topics like the end of war, corporate greed, environmental destruction, and more. JOAN CARPENTER GRASTY recently traveled around the Mediterranean, is active on a local YMCA board, and enjoys golf. Our warmest wishes of hope and courage go to ANNE LYNCH WINGATE, who has just spent a year battling breast cancer. ELLEN SATTERTHWAITE SEIBERT joined forces with LINDA FISHER SMITH, VIRGINIA (ROBBIN) GRIFFITH LEVY, and ANN CLEARY KEARNS at a recent Amherst College reunion of their husbands. History repeats itself as KAREN BARNER ANDERSON’s daughter continues the family equestrian legacy. She is ranked No. 3 in the United States in dressage and is hoping for a spot on the US Olympic team. JANET SMITH MERRILL has moved from Bismarck, ND, to Edina, MN. JUDITH FORD LOUTIT’s home in Bermuda was damaged during Hurricane Igor—oh dear! PAMELA DAY PELLETREAU reports that she and her husband, Bob, moved to Woods Hole, MA. Imagine this: four generations of women in one family all in one room! CAROL TOONE WOODRUFF became a great-grandma, and loved witnessing her daughter in the role of grandma. KIT MCCALLY OBER reports that she, ANNE HARRISON-CLARK, LUCILLE (HONEY) RUNDIN EVANS, and their husbands live in Ford’s Colony in Williamsburg, VA. They work and play together and enjoy the awesome classes offered for seniors at the College of William & Mary. ORIEL EATON took her 13-year-old granddaughter on a kayaking trip in Costa Rica. Life in Mendocino, CA, suits FRANCES LEIPZIGER SCHWARTZ, who sings in the community chorus, tutors in reading, and still finds time to skip off to Patagonia. MINETTE SWITZER COOPER is doing her part to influence education. She received a Summa Cum Laude Award from the Norfolk (VA) public schools for sponsoring their Total Quality Music program. Nice going, Minette! LYN GILLESPIE BRAKEMAN moved to Cambridge, MA, and is writing a memoir. Her special educational moment at Smith was in a class called “Social Disorganization.” Professor Neil DeNood stepped to the podium and announced, “You have no right to be here.” He then said, “There are no rights without duties.” Ask Lyn for more details! SUSIE RICKER ARNOLD and GINNY DIECKMAN LEZHNEV attended Jon Stewart’s rally in Washington, DC, last October, describing it as a true 21st-century Woodstock experience. Grandkids continue to enrich the life off EMMY LOU LEHMAN SMITH and Bob. She remains active in their exciting New York life, with courses, nonprofit boards, family, and friends. JUDY BEEBE GUMMERE and Spike celebrated their 50th anniversary by taking their family of 10 on an Alaskan cruise. They saw whales and eagles— but not Russia! Raising registered Hereford and Black Angus cattle in Colorado has been MARY CROCKER STRANG’s lifetime career along with her husband, Bart, who, sadly, recently passed away. Their four grown children are all living nearby and help with the ranch. A recent Northrop House mini-reunion was a huge success, according 68 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 to KATHLEEN (KAY) DUNN LYMAN. The best part was a lengthy breakfast when they compared notes about life in their 70s. Besides Kay, those enjoying the event were LIZ BLUMENTHAL, LEE BALDWIN DALZELL, ANNETTE BUSH DOOLITTLE, LYNNE WILLETT KNOX, MARGIE PACSU, SARAH DOLAN PRICE, HELENE GOLDMAN SINGER, BOBBI DANE HARRIS, and JOAN STOUFFER STOGIS. Sec., Katrina (Tinker) Jenney Saltonstall, 159 Front Street, PO Box 1030, Marion, MA 02738, [email protected] 1961 Exciting to hear that so many of you are coming to our 50th Reunion from May 19–22! SHELLY GOLDMAN HALF has lived in Israel for 40 years, during half of which her children have lived in the United States, so she visits often. She had a splendid 70th birthday with her significant other, three children and their spouses, and all nine grandchildren in a huge farmhouse in the south of France. BETH JACOBSEN SALZMAN was having a chemo infusion at the Dana-Farber oncology unit near Boston when she recognized HELEN HARDCASTLE GATES sitting to her right. Beth hadn’t seen Helen in 50 years, but recognized her, helped by information in these notes last time. They have both had lungcancer surgery and chemo, and Beth has had radiation. They shared stories and made plans for our 50th Reunion. KATE CARPENTER HENRY and husband John had a “fabulous” 26-day trip to Thailand, Cambodia, and China, accompanied by GAIL BENGER REIFSNYDER ’62 and husband. They have 10 grands, with only two girls. Kate has been elected chair of the board of Planned Parenthood of Collier County in Florida. She looks forward to her two years as chair, but is “cognizant of the challenges we face from the difficult economy to the continuing escalating intimidations from those who oppose us.” JUDY HOFMANN RICHTER writes that her life is as good as it can be without Max, who died of Alzheimer’s complications in 2007. She has stepped up her horse business. “My vocation has always been my avocation.” She raised money a few years ago for a first-class riding ring at Smith. MARGARET BETTS loves her life in rural Maine. She has started photography and had two photos accepted for an art show. She is also taking watercolor classes. It might be interesting, she notes, to speculate about a burst of creativity later in life. “We have the time, and perhaps the leisure now, to explore what must have been latent all these years. Often when I do a painting, I wonder where it came from—not from me, but from somewhere behind or beyond, and then through me.” ELIZABETH ROBERTSON MOSSBARGER belongs to a group that makes needlepoint kneelers for an Episcopal church. Last year, they completed a four-year project: a rug for the high altar. One grandchild, a first-year at Columbia, is majoring in math and physics and is on the crew team. PEGGY SEAY ALLISON has taken on the role of chair of the Perot Museum of Nature & Science, which is in the midst of a giant building project. “After all those years married to an architect, I am finally on the right side of the desk,” Peggy says. She has been involved with the building committee since the beginning. The museum is expected to open in early 2013. MARTHA PLINER GRACE is enrolled in a master’s program in animals and public policy at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts. It is a one-year intensive program and a huge change (technology and the age of the students) to go back to school after so many years out, Martha says. She couldn’t write more because she had to study! MARGARET (MOLLY) SEYBOLT HEDGES and Brud celebrated 50 years together with a wonderful week of skiing in Park City, UT, with the whole family, and again in August in the Adirondacks. “It’s not possible that we’re now the seniors and that we’re still thinking so young. Growing old is inevitable—growing up is optional.” LYNNE BATZER KLOPF and John sold their home of 24 years and moved close-by to a life-care community with a beautiful view and lovely gardens. Daughter Peggy was married in Dec. ’09, and she and her husband have four children between them. BERNADETTE CAREY SMITH had her sister’s family from Minnesota visit in New York. The group of 13 constituted a “small, but very attractive, herd of zebras at several museums, theaters, and restaurants.” They then visited Chicago to see the other side of the family. PATRICIA LEE EOYANG and her husband spend their time divided between Indiana and Hong Kong, with summers in Europe enjoying retirement. Patricia’s husband still teaches one master’s class in Hong Kong and writes and works with doctoral students in Hong Kong and Indiana. Patricia handles the logistics and family communications, plays tennis, and works out. RUTH PUTNAM HUSS says they travel to “unusual, more difficult places while we still can.” They’ve been to India and the Silk Road; she had wanted to go to Tibet since Lowell Thomas wrote about it in the 1950s, as well as to see the “Stans” (Kazakhstan, etc.). Ruth also sits on boards and gets involved in local needs and services. DOROTHY (POO) ALLEN PENROSE celebrated “50 years with the same guy” in addition to her 70th birthday. Travel, community, and grandchildren keep them busy. TONI STACKPOLE RUSSIN continues to live in Moscow half of the year. Attending 21st-century-music concerts is her most recent passion. Her son, Ben, 40, married and became a “trailing spouse” in Bangkok. He and her other sons, including one who lives in Armenia with his family, all visited Maine for a long family reunion. ALICE SCHAFFER SMITH was visited by SUSAN SCHAFFER PATRICELLI in Palo Alto, CA—a rare time alone together. NANCY EATON SMART thoroughly enjoyed a group tour to Turkey. JUDITH ROBERTS NEALE met Hawaii Public Radio’s fundraising goal. NPR’s StoryCorps recording in Hawaii is keeping her busy: “Exciting work.” Sec., Betsy Carter, 2475 Virginia Avenue NW #922, Washington, DC 20037, [email protected] 1962 NAN WEST HUSBANDS has not communicated because she says her life is unremarkable, and she wonders if there are others in our class like her! She says she has not published, exhibited, performed, traveled widely, climbed a corporate ladder, conquered illness, saved some part of the world, or acquired grandchildren. Retired after 26 years in school libraries, she has lived in Lexington, MA, since 1970. She travels with Charlie crosscountry by car, with a small tent and hiking boots; destinations include their sons’ homes in Santa Fe, NM, and Oakland, CA. In addition to local New Jersey environmental issues, ROSALIE LAING BALLANTINE is involved in the African People & Wildlife Fund, her daughter Laly’s nonprofit headquartered in Tanzania. Last summer they held their first environmental camps for Maasai children ages 9 to 13. NANCY PEARL MELSER’s second grandchild, Elias, was born last June and is crazy about his older sister, Zelda. A blissed-out grandma, she is devoting much of her sabbatical year to bigtime babysitting in Brooklyn, NY, improving her tennis game, mastering Photoshop, and planning a monthlong trip to India with John Brancato, her partner for the past five years. Two years ago LINDA WARD BEECH remarried. She and her husband, Tom Schueller, also celebrated her daughter’s wedding in 2009, and in 2010 they were gifted with a beautiful grandson. Linda still works, but at a less hectic pace. She earned a certificate in botanical illustration at the New York Botanical Garden. JUDY LINGLE RYAN is working as a docent at the Neuberger Museum of Art, particularly enjoying tours with children. Their five grandchildren are ages 7 to 13, old enough to be great company, but not yet into adolescent retreat. Bill is now semiretired, but Judy hasn’t noticed that he’s going to the Earth Observatory lab at Columbia any less. tional organization that empowers next-generation leaders to shape US foreign policy. Aiming to better understand global security, they conduct foreign-policy briefings at home and field research overseas. Sec., Susan Teommey Rydell, 4422 Gaywood Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55345, susan.rydell@metrostate. edu 1963 From left to right, Priscilla Holmes Dickey ’62, Nancy Holmes Goodale ’59, Martha Abbott Lawrenz ’62, and Marjorie Mollison Holmes ’71 enjoy one another’s company at the wedding of Priscilla’s daughter, Sarah, in Charleston, SC. LENIE SMITH retired in August from a career she never expected to have as a tax auditor and CPA. She is trying to sort through health-care options and deferred-comp choices, and figuring out online bill paying. She has taken classes in Thai cooking and stainedglass making, and a few academic classes offered by the University of Minnesota, and plans to be a volunteer with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. CONNIE TITZEL RUSCONI and Natale celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in Rome, renewing their vows in the church where they were first married. It was even better this time, with children and grandchildren all present. They continue to live in Venice, although they travel within Italy and to London quite a bit. MARY (MIMI) DAY GARRISON and Bill have moved to Ramallah, Palestine. She sends a plea to classmates, or any other alumnae, to contact her if they are planning a trip to Jerusalem or Palestine, or if they live there. SUSAN KOMROFF COHEN has been inducted into the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows, one of the highest honors the society confers on a member. A former Smith trustee, she practices landscape architecture and teaches at the New York Botanical Garden. She and Bruce celebrated their 47th anniversary last year. NELDA CANTARELLA FERACE is enjoying retirement far more than she had dreamed possible after almost 48 years at Harvard’s Villa I Tatti in Florence, Italy. She is delighted to have more time for Sandro and her children, grandchildren, friends, their two ancient beagles, books, travel, and to be a tourist in Florence, where she has lived for so long. ALIDRA BROWN SOLDAY Y moved to Portland, OR, two years ago from the Bay Area of California, where she lived for six years following a relocation from Manhattan. In California, she completed an award-winning documentary begun on the East Coast. In Portland, she has reopened her private psychotherapy practice, specializing in integrative body-oriented psychotherapy. She lives in a charming cottage, has a women’s support group, and participates in the local Smith book club. DIANE NAGEL PALMER still works in civic education and teacher training. Scott teaches at Boston University, and both sometimes travel for work. They also find time to travel for fun and to see their seven children and 12 grandchildren (ranging in age from a few months to 13) in Denver, Baltimore, New York City, Guatemala, France, and Massachusetts. Having completed 40 years of teaching and research at the University of Rome, IRENE PETRITSI FIGÀ-TALAMANCA retired as senior professor, which allows her to keep active in research without teaching duties. She looks forward to starting long-overdue personal projects, and enjoying her three grandchildren and Italy more. MARY MAYES SPRADLEY is winding down a two-year job as president of the St. Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City (MO) Auxiliary. She has also been trained and volunteers as a pastoral caregiver. Their oldest daughter lives in Austin, TX, with her family, and their youngest lives in the Kansas City area. They have four grandsons and one granddaughter. After sending more than 100 physicians and medics to Haiti for the earthquake disaster, ANITRA THORHAUG began work in the Gulf of Mexico on the oil spill. Her new book, The Future of the Western Hemisphere, is now available. JEANNE VAN SPAULDING and husband Dave continue to enjoy travel (recently a Baltic cruise and a trip in Scotland) and visiting daughter Jennifer’s family in Pleasanton, CA, and daughter Kristin and her family in Highlands Ranch, CO. They spend a month every year at a summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. PATRICIA SKINNER HUNTINGTON is working 24/7 and loving it! She is the founding president of Network 20/20, a New York-based educa- It is my unhappy responsibility to report that our class secretary, MAGGIE SOULE, passed away on Nov. 15, ’10. MARILYN MILLER CROCKER, SUSAN KINGSBURY , SUSANNA ADAMS , SALLY HYDE JURGELEIT, VIRGINIA PITKIN BRIDE, and CHRISTINA CONVERSE JACKSON attended the funeral. Sue observed that the minister knew Maggie well and shared several personal anecdotes; Ginny and Chris agreed and wrote that Maggie had orchestrated a beautiful service, having told the minister exactly what she wanted. Maggie’s enthusiasm for Smith and for the class of ’63 never wavered; she will be missed. Please see her obituary in this issue. Also, many thanks to everyone who sent in news for this column. Because of space constraints, some news was held over and will appear in the next issue. Please continue to keep the news flowing for ELEANOR RAUCH CROSBY and ANN MITCHELL PFLAUM , who have graciously volunteered to serve as class co-secretaries through our upcoming 50th Reunion. Their contact information is at the end of the column. After 34 years of living in Pittsburgh, NORMA TODD DODGE moved to Massachusetts to be with her 97-year-old mother-in-law, a super-positive person in good health. “We live in the middle of old family property, most of which is occupied by a Christmas-tree farm and a disc-golf course; the latter is owned by my son, who lives across the street with two fantastic daughters. It’s like we have our own private park. What a blessing! My other two children, both math teachers, live in Virginia.” Hopkins housemates JANE STEIN VIATOR, ANN FREEMAN, and LORINDA KNIGHT SILVERSTEIN joined SUSAN LAMPMAN HILL for a mini-reunion at her San Francisco home. Ann retired from teaching college English and is using her leisure to play the piano and spend more time with her husband, Ole. Lorinda closed her contemporary-art gallery in Spokane, WA, and she and husband Harry have retired to San Francisco. Jane, living with husband Bob in Walnut Creek, CA, continues as senior contributing editor for the Antiques Roadshow Insider. r Susan takes college literature and drawing classes, travels to see art exhibits, attends cultural events with husband Bob, and continues to add to her art collection. DALE GIBB writes, “My career at the Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 69 alumnae update United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had a new twist since Haiti’s earthquake.” She has worked on everything from humanitarian efforts to cholera control to programs in primary health care and infectious diseases. “My career in USAID has never been boring, but this period has been particularly challenging, and it introduced me to another group of actors and issues in international health and development. Now that we are able to move ahead more strongly in water and sanitation, I can even be a bit optimistic that we can make a difference for this poor, beleaguered country.” MARY BUFORD HITZ is working on a novel whose characters draw upon people she met on a riding trip in New Zealand. “The book’s locale is central Virginia, where they take a riding trip into the Blue Ridge Mountains in August of 1969 and run into Hurricane Camille, which dropped 29 inches of rain in five hours! It is a bit of a potboiler, if I do say so myself.” ABIGAIL JOHNSON MILLER and her husband, Jim, are happily retired, and Abigail continues to do volunteer teaching. “I find my students, all retirees, are much more enthusiastic than the college-age kids I dealt with for so long.” She and Jim fly every few months to see their two grandsons, one in Colorado and one in Indianapolis. SUSAN GILBERT TILESTON and her husband, Nathaniel, returned to Thailand for their sixth season of the My Story photo project. They give digital cameras and basic photo instruction to small groups of refugees from the Burmese military regime. The Tilestons tour a yearly exhibition in Canada, the United States, and Europe. “The images these students make are beautiful and funny and moving,” says Susan. Find out more online at msppa.org. “I continue to enjoy my retrofitted new career as a leadership coach, working mainly with educators and school boards,” writes ABIGAIL BAYLES WIEBENSON. She also continues to help Dupont Circle Village, an organization she helped found to encourage people to remain independent and happily ensconced in their neighborhoods rather than go into retirement homes. JUDITH AGOR AYDELOTT says she is a proud mom and grandmom to five healthy, happy grandchildren. Her son-in-law, Pete, underwent a stem cell transplant for leukemia. “As a result of the transplant, Pete’s blood was converted from A positive to B positive; my daughter took the ‘be positive’ as a message that you can overcome life’s challenges by being positive. She started making jewelry, all including a B+ disc in gold and silver. The business is flourishing, and all proceeds go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.” ELIZABETH HARTMANN RAND and husband Richard are enjoying retirement in Paris. He is writing a book, and she is volunteering for an English-language crisis line, playing hand bells, taking photographs, traveling, skiing, and occasionally walking the dog. MARGO BRECK EULER has finally become a grandmother and is overwhelmed with joy! Zachary was born to daughter Karen and son-in-law Ghassan last April, and Margo and her husband, Franz, happily babysit often. Last summer, TONI TROBE KESTENBAUM spent a week playing violin at the Vermont Music and Arts Center, where, to her surprise and delight, she ran into SUSANNA ADAMS. Toni and Herb traveled to Salzburg, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest. The highlight of the trip was discovering Cesky Krumlov, a charming medieval town in the Czech Republic. They are having a wonderful time with their two grandchildren, ages 4 and 6, who live nearby. Six years ago, BARBARA LEY TOFFLER and husband Chuck Powers moved to Teaneck, NJ, where she grew up. She ran for election and won a seat on a seven-member council, and is two years into a four-year term. “Quite an education!” She notes that children, stepchildren, and in-laws are all doing well, as well as one fabulous grandson. NANCY HICKS MARSHALL wrote a novel, Rosie’s Gold, about a young woman struggling to recover from trauma. Nancy says it has unique characters, conflict, healing, and questions in back, making it ideal for book groups. Find it on Nancy’s Website. Written by Barbara Dodd Massey, class president Sec., Eleanor Rauch Crosby, 1612 Willow Drive, Long Lake, MN 55356, [email protected] Sec., Ann Mitchell Pflaum, 2725 Deer Hill Road, Long Lake, MN 55356, [email protected] 1964 Once again, I received many interesting and thoughtful news items from you all. Unfortunately, that means I had to shorten them, so please accept my apologies. I encourage everyone to register and check your contact information online at http://alumnae.smith.edu. You’ll then be able to share your e-mail addresses and Web pages with your classmates. Congratulations to DIANE WOLKSTEIN for the Parents’ Choice Gold Award she received for her CD of Haitian stories and songs. According to the press release, “For more than 30 years, her book, The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales, has been a classic for those wanting to learn more about Haiti and its unique customs, stories, and songs.” Her new CD features some of her favorite stories and songs from the book. SELMA BROWN MORROW reports that 70 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 after nearly 30 years with Bon Appétit magazine, she is losing her job because the magazine is moving from Los Angeles to New York. “I’m heartbroken; I wanted to work forever.” With her son and Japanese daughter-in-law living in Tokyo, MARIAN DOBBS is trying to learn Japanese, and is reading about Japan and watching Japanese films. “Now I am starting to read Japanese. One needs to know 800 characters to read the newspaper, and I know 40.” WENDY OSSERMAN still manages to choreograph and perform in New York City. Her last appearance was at La MaMa in Dancing Divas. Other performances included the annual John Lennon Tribute with Patti Smith, Cyndi Lauper, and others, and five performances of My Inner Sole at Theatre Row. JANIE FISHER THURBER writes that “recent celebrations of husband Bert’s 70th birthday, the arrival of our first grandchild, Ainsley, and a 50th high school reunion have prompted much fun and reflection.” Living close to Smith, she continues to take advantage of the college pool, routes for walking and biking, and lectures and talks on campus. For much of the past year she wrote vocal music, mainly children’s choral. Janie and her husband joined a Smith Travel trip to Turkey last May, and last winter taught in the Dominican Republic at a sugar plantation school where Haitian immigrant children study. MARY LAWRENCE TEST spent Thanksgiving with SUSAN MUNGER in New London, CT. CYNTHIA HATCH BRUECK announces that last August, her daughter, LAURA BRUECK ’99, gave birth to her first child, Hugo. He is Cynthia and Steve’s third grandchild and first grandson. Cynthia is still seeing the world, thanks to numerous scientific meetings that her husband attends. DEBBIE LADD SHEARER provides a picture familiar to many of us as a 67-year-old wife, married for 47 years. She travels to Seattle to visit one granddaughter and her two mothers, and babysits for her two other granddaughters closer to her home on the Cape in Massachusetts. She continues to do transcription work at Braille Inc. (“keeping my brain active while contributing something useful”). Her interests include books, spectator sports, and tennis. She expresses frustration with the current political and economic situation and worries about the environmental degradation of our world. KATHARINE GABELL PANFIL is happily involved with several small nonprofits in Arlington, VA, working on education for recent immigrants. She has six grandchildren ranging from 4 to 10 years old. Last summer, she and Bob traveled along the Volga in Russia for a month, which she says was possible because a bit of her Smith Russian came back. JUDITH HAZARD GOETZL writes that she has retired and moved to San Francisco after 40 years as a librarian at Harvard, Stanford, and Hillsborough. In December, her husband, Ed, retired from his position of full-time professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He will continue clinical research at UCSF and NIA/NIH. Her daughter Laura is at the Medical University of South Carolina as a high-risk obstetrics surgeon. Daughter Katie is a shareholder in a Washington, DC, law firm. Judy has two grandchildren, Gabriela, 13, and Lucas, 10. VIRGINIA HAYMAN COHEN has lots of happy news. Her younger son got married to the woman he has been with for 10 years, and her older son and his wife are expecting a baby. Ginny and her husband returned from a trip to Venice, which brought back great memories of a Smith arthistory course. JESSIE-LEA EHRICH ABBOTT writes that she and her husband are happily retired and living in central Oregon. She says, “Barely enough time to do what we wish.” CELIA WOLF DEVINE is now retired from teaching philosophy. She lives in Providence, RI, with her husband, Phil (also a philosophy professor), and two cats. They summer in Maine near Bath. She is doing some writing and lecturing in her retirement. JAN EDELSTEIN RUBIN reports that she has retired at last after 36 years in the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress. She plans to reapproach the piano and find some chamber music groups to join. The book club of the Smith College Club of Washington, DC also remains a favorite activity for several reasons: the range of perspectives, the opportunity to read some things she otherwise wouldn’t, and as a source of some wonderful new friendships. At the time of writing, daughter Jennifer was embarking on a new job in New York City. MARIA ALEXANDRA (ALIX) GARCIA SUNDQUIST is pleased to report that her small business, Swan Ways, is finally taking flight, with a new tagline, “Celebrate Your Inner Empress.” It is an Internet boutique and private-label collection of silk scarves made in France. The launch party at a French art gallery in Georgetown in Washington, DC, attracted a lively crowd, excellent press, and many good friends, including MARY (MIMS) SHEA PLACKE ’58. Husband Erik is making a remarkable recovery after a bout with cancer early last year. ARLENE STOLPER SIMON writes that her daughter, Melissa, was married to Kevin Blake in November. Melissa is a first-year ophthalmology resident at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, and Kevin prac- tices law in New York. The Winter ’10-’11 issue of the Quarterly included a class note from SUSANNE MUELLER regarding her work with the Waki Commission in Kenya. The note mentioned that her report was before the International Code Council, but it should have read International Criminal Court in the Hague. The Quarterly regrets the error. Sec., Judy Bartleson Wilson, 1376 Blood Hill Road, West Windsor, VT 05089, [email protected] 1965 ELIZABETH BURACK CHAPMAN’s most recent book of poetry, Light Thickens, was published in 2009 (find it online under Elizabeth Biller Chapman). JONA BURGESS HAMMER joined more than 1,000 people in knitting a 12-kilometer-long scarf used at the ceremonial opening of a tunnel through a mountain to join two isolated towns in northern Iceland. Jona knitted 41 meters, and her daughter, JOHANNA HAMMER, MSW ’99, knitted a meter out of shredded plastic shopping bags. On July 30, ’10, Skip and LUCY BYGRAVE STINSON became grandparents when Samuel was born to their son and daughter-in-law. Last summer, JACQUIE CARLETON finished the rough draft of a book amid sending her daughter, Jenny, off to medical school. On successive weekends in October, Jacquie gave presentations at conferences in San Francisco and Vienna. “I feel totally out of sync with so many of you who are slowing down, retiring, etc.,” she says. MARTHA CROSS SEXTON spent a good portion of last year flying across the country to care for her father, then arranging his funeral and settling his estate. In November, she enjoyed a trip to Ethiopia, where she served in the Peace Corps in the late 1960s. In July, Alex and JANE DAVIS ATKINSON moved to Lincolnwood, IL, to be near their twin grandsons, who were born last February. Since their son is an only child, there was no reason to stay in Philadelphia. “We’re slowly getting acclimated, but it’s daunting to find you have no idea where things are when you’re 67.” Fall was busy for CHRISSY GRIFFITH HEYWORTH with teaching an ESL class of adults in Stamford, CT, tutoring middle schoolers, taking a Spanish course to relearn the language, and working for the local chapter of Room to Read, an international nonprofit. In November, SUSAN HALL LIANG went to India with three girlfriends. Her daughter, Lisa, has been acting with East West Players in Los Angeles and getting great reviews. MARY HIBBARD BLANCHARD’s daughter, Kathryn, has published her first book, The Protestant Ethic or the Spirit of Capitalism: Christians, Freedom, and Free Markets. It is an interesting look at the supposed tight connection between capitalism and Calvinism. SHEILA JOHNSON and Harry spend most of their time on the harbor in Stamford, CT. Sheila is still doing occasional work in horticulture; last spring, she judged a rose show in Paris, where she saw SANDRA HOWSON FRELAND. Sheila and Harry still keep an apartment in New York City. BECKY LAWRENCE retired in 2009 as director of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and moved to her house on Cape Cod, MA. She celebrated her retirement with a photo safari to Kenya and Tanzania with her daughter, Dena, who lives in Istanbul. She went to Paris and Provence on one of MADELAINE DE HUSZAR BULLWINKEL’s Chez Madelaine French cuisine and art tours. Last summer, she enjoyed a visit with LUCY FRANCIS MCGEE. Becky volunteers as a board member for two arts organizations, and tends to her flower and herb gardens. NANCY LEONARD and her husband have no thoughts of retiring from teaching. Her daughter, Claire, 24, is in her second year at Columbia Law School, with an interest in intellectual property and new media. MARY MARSH ZULACK is a clinical professor at Columbia Law School, summers in Colorado, plays amateur chamber music, and does “an everslowing version of trail running.” After more than 30 years in the Midwest, retirement, and just before Reunion, Harold and MIMI OFFENHAUSER KUESTER moved to Washington, DC, to be near their daughter, Sonia, and her family, which includes Will, 3, and Emma, 1. “I join the group of delighted and fortunate grandmothers who are welcomed into their grandkids’ lives. I’m singing with the Bethesda [MD] Chamber Singers as an alto/ mezzo and the Washington Chorus as a soprano. Both are musically challenging and energizing.” SHIRLEY PRYOR was their first houseguest. In September, Mimi visited MARTI LITCHMAN in San Francisco. MARGARET PEARSON is dithering over her retirement date of either May ’11 or May ’12. After graduation, INGRID PERDEW VALLEJO returned to Madrid, where she had spent her junior year and had a job offer. In 1968, she married a Spaniard and went on to have five boys. They lost one as a toddler. Three are married, and she has four grandchildren. Everyone lives in Madrid, so they see one another often. Her husband, a civil servant, retired five years ago, but Ingrid continues to work as a freelance simultaneous interpreter: “the kind that sits in a booth with earphones on—a profession I took up once the children were in school. It is a most stimulating profession, and I love it, even though it is not easy and sometimes quite stressful.” She sees TRACY EUBANK, WENDY LOGES, and ROBERTA SIEGAL MATTHEWS. Ingrid enjoys the Madrid Smith club’s biannual meetings. “With four, our class has the most members!” BOBBIE PETERSON MCDONALD retired at the end of last October and returned to her home and family with great relish. SHIRLEY PRYOR retired from the US government and moved to Safety Harbor, FL, to be near her daughter, sister, and brother-in-law. JEANNE RECKER CANTEEN ’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth, was married last October to William Wallace Weeks III in Old Saybrook, CT. In June, John and JANET SCOVILL CANNING were in Atlanta and bumped into CHILTON (SIS) DAVIS VARNER at the symphony. They are enjoying the perks of retirement, and last October they enjoyed a fabulous interfaith journey to Israel. Sec., Marcia Schofield, PO Box 686, Solana Beach, CA 92075, [email protected], www.smith65.org 1966 There’s still time to register for our 45th Reunion in May. You can find our monthly e-mail messages on our class Website, reachable through the Alumnae Association Website, where you’ll also find a list of attendees and other Reunion resources. TILDA DANA MITSAKOS, CANDACE COOPER WALWORTH, and I (SARAH CROSS MILLS) gathered seven other Parsons ’66ers in Portland, ME, last October for lobster rolls, an island ferry, a beach walk, and much wonderful conversation. ANN EGLIN ALLEN, MARGARET MOWEN BROWN, LEE COVENEY, LESLIE JUDD GRAITCER, BARBARA ROUSE, MORGAN HENNING STEBBINS, and GREGORY DODGE WOLLON were there from near and far. First-time news from LYDIA BRUNER OPPMANN: “I’ve been a single mom since I was 36. Hillary graduated from Middlebury College, and has worked for nonprofit environmental organizations in Tucson, AZ, and now, Minneapolis. She is there with my two grandsons and her husband. Polly (Northwestern, and a master’s from the University of Vermont) moved to Seattle to become the director of admissions and financial aid at the Bush School. With her went my two granddaughters and her husband. After Smith, I received a master’s in library science from Case Western Reserve University. After my divorce, I joined McDonald Investments (now UBS Financial Services), where I have worked for 30 years. I have sung with a community choral group for 20 years and served as a trustee of the Hathaway Brown School for 39 years and at University Hospitals for 30 years. I have been with a wonderful man for six years.” LELIA COVENEY plays chamber music with a local trio; they performed Beethoven in a library recital last October and a Mozart trio for a similar venue in December. “Dan and I have been shopping for a house in Salida, CO, a quirky little town in the mountains where we’d like to retire. The challenge is finding an affordable house that can accommodate my Steinway!” GALE THOMPSON MCMULLIN had another hip replacement. “The first was replaced in 2008 with no problem. This one has been a nightmare. The femur was fractured during surgery due to undetected osteoporosis.” KAROL GRUBBS SCHMIEGEL’s husband retired after 41 years as a research chemist for DuPont. “The good part is having more time together; the less good part is also having more time together,” she quips. In August, they met KATHY FINN EVASCU and husband Gerry in Virginia. In October, she and Walter spent a few weeks in Italy. ELIZABETH (RUSTY) TRUE BROWDER says, “I still love working full-time as an elementary school librarian. David and I are blessed with grandchildren and a one-season retreat in Maine. A bonus is visiting classmates who live in Maine!” MARCIA INGRAM LAMB updates us: “My husband and I are learning to live with the uncertainty of advanced prostate cancer: a sobering and challenging journey with conflicting and not optimistic expert opinions, but we’ll work hard to beat it. My twoyear-old development consulting company, Hansen Henley Yoder & Lamb, exceeds our projections and provides great satisfaction in helping nonprofits. Last summer, we enjoyed sharing the first months of our seventh grandchild’s life in Alaska.” DEBBIE EATON KEENEY reports that her daughter, Darcy, and son-in-law, Jeff, had their long-awaited first child, Wyatt. SUSAN FIELD MULLENS writes, “We’ve lived on the southern coast of Maine for six years; we love kayaking and walking the beach. I’m chair of the York Diversity Forum. We spend a month each year in Switzerland visiting our son and his family.” “After 40 years as an artist-printmaker,” says NANCY REYNOLDS DAVISON, “I’m learning to play the piano and doing some composing. I wrote a ‘November novel’ in 2008: That means writing a 50,000-word novel in a month. I also write occasional book reviews for the Internet Review of Books.” ALISON TEAL has been busy with the board of the Aspen (CO) Music Festival, traveling, writing for the Huffington Post, doing photography, supporting what’s left of the Democratic Congress, and reminding her husband, Sam, how fortunate he is to be able to bring her coffee in bed! They see a lot of their three kids, Teal, Willa, and Nicholas. GINNY GRIMES ALLEN regrets she’ll miss Reunion while at a chaplains’ convention in Milwaukee. She’s work- Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 71 alumnae update ing half-time as the chaplain at Milton Hospital in Milton, MA. “It is such a privilege to share patients’ journeys through their health crises and grief issues.” After moving from Alaska, BECKY SNOW has guest quarters available if anyone wants to take advantage of theater opportunities in Ashland, OR, or plans to visit the beautiful Rogue Valley. LILLIANN NODA and her husband of four years are enjoying their new retirement, cruising to Alaska and viewing cherry blossoms in Japan. They care for her parents, ages 90 and 95, who live with them. DIANA GOULD WHITE writes, “Managing a large legal aid organization is an exciting challenge. The need keeps expanding, while funding stays the same or declines.” In November, she enjoyed a five-week vacation while her husband taught in Rome, followed by a trip to Jerusalem and Petra. Another first-time submitter, PATRICIA WEST-BARKER has been in Santa Fe, NM, for 13 years. She spent 10 years with the local newspaper, the Santa Fe New Mexican. Two years ago, she took a buyout and used the proceeds to start her own online magazine of food and culture called the Zenchilada. Pat has been married to retired graphic designer Richard Cady for more than 25 years. Her son David is an independent filmmaker in New York; son Ted is an academic in London; and daughter Jesse, mother of her two granddaughters, is a marketing manager in Portland, OR. PATRICIA MACKAY and JANET RHOADS PINKOWITZ got together with AUDRY (HONEY) GARTENBERG WEINTROB in New York to fill Honey in on all the fun she missed at the Baldwin mini-reunion. They hope for another mini-reunion this fall. Apologies for so many omitted details. Watch your e-mail for the full version. If you’re missing our class e-mails, please make sure we have your address. Sec., Sarah Cross Mills, 45 Eastern Promenade, Apt. 3K, Portland, ME 04101, [email protected] Sec., Deborah Eaton Keeney, 71 Blueberry Hill Lane, Sudbury, MA 01776, [email protected]. edu 1967 ROBIN ISAKSON MARTIN and DEBORAH LIPTON hosted a New York City mini- reunion at Robin’s home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that was attended by more than 20 classmates. See the photo of the event with the caption naming attendees. Also there, though not pictured, were ENA LEITNER HAINES, BINIA MARCHELEWICZ LASKY, SUSAN GINGRICH, LYNN ROSS ROSENFELD, and SANDRA LANDAU RIPPE . Those present described an amazing array of activities undertaken in the arts, Robin Isakson Martin and Deborah Lipton co-hosted a class of ’67 mini-reunion at Robin’s home in New York City. Pictured from left to right, standing, are Margie Schmidt Brown, Robin, Barbara Torney, Dee Hopkin Lundberg, Deborah, Nina Wilson Lihn, and Linda Laughlin. Seated on the couch are Anne Fontaine Lutin, Lyn Greene Rork, Bobbi Winograd Ross, Toby Weisblatt Jacoby, Nancy Goldring, Hannah Achtenberg Kinn, Nancy Henry, Ann Kaplan, and June Friedman Entman. In the front row are Julia Moore Converse, Lynda Lees Adams, Susan Amendola Niemi, and Toni Lesse. education, business and finance, volunteerism, law, and other fields, most having been sparked in some way by a Smith education. JUNE FRIEDMAN ENTMAN reports that she “retired from gainful employment” in 2009, after 40-plus years of teaching and lawyering. “I love not constantly thinking that there’s something else I ought to be doing.” An enjoyable retirement activity has been tracking down survivors and descendants all over the world from her Viennese family, which was scattered in 1938, and connecting them with one another. She would love to entertain any classmates who wander into Memphis, TN. Significant life changes for BARBARA (BOBBI) WINOGRAD ROSS since our 40th Reunion have included “dealing with breast cancer (early stage); the death of my father (last living parent); the closing of my employment/personnel business after 28 years (terrible job market!); and the birth of my daughter’s first child (long awaited!).” Bobbi now enjoys her eight grandchildren while trying to figure out the next chapter of her life. She and husband Ed make an annual trip to the Berkshires in Massachusetts with Bobbi’s former roommate VIRGINIA (GINGER) NEWCOMBE SHAPIRO. KAREN TISSENBAUM TALUS celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary with husband Lassi in Portland, OR, where they returned two years ago after 10 years in Brooklyn, NY. They are happy to be back in the Northwest, where she teaches history at the Catlin Gabel School and reconnects with old friends, “many of whom are Smith graduates!” DAPHNE GEMMILL ’s recent birding adventures, for which she used carbon offsets, have taken her to Ghana, 72 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Kenya, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Cuba, Burma, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Guernsey, England, China, western India, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. HOLLEY GALLAND HAYMAKER is employed part-time in children’s mental health in schools, and she enjoys her summers off and time to visit her daughter, who has twin 2-year-old sons, in Northampton. Looking for a change in her life, in 2007 PAULA GARDINER ROBERTS left her job at the Center for Law and Social Policy and went with her husband to teach conversational English in Hungary, living in a small town 70 miles south of Budapest. Back in Washington, DC, they now volunteer in a program that teaches English to immigrants, while keeping in touch with former students and friends via the Internet. NANCY STEEGER JENNINGS writes that she is still serving as pastor of the Community Presbyterian Church in Merrick, NY, going to sacred-dance festivals and workshops as often as possible. She recently took part in a flash-mob dance on the piers in New London, CT. Things “seem to have come full circle” for KATHRYN MCARTHUR in the past few years: After 32 years as a human resources adviser for NOAA, first in Gloucester, MA, and then in Norfolk, VA, she retired to Northampton to take care of her mother, moving back to the family home half a mile from the Smith campus, auditing courses in art history, music, and other areas. “I think today’s students are learning more about the history of the college than when we were there,” she says. No longer a full-time caregiver, she’s trying to decide what the second phase of retirement will look like. She’d love to hear from any Hampshire House students who are in the Pioneer Valley. SUZANNE SHAW CRANDALL divides her time between Dallas and Hill City, SD, where she and her husband have a ranch near Mount Rushmore. Suzanne is engaged in volunteer work (children’s home, homeless shelter, VA hospital) and a remodeling project with her son, while her husband continues to work in the small business he owns. Sec., Josephine Boise Budell, 2370 Leafmore Drive, Decatur, GA 30033, [email protected] Sec., Delaney Hopkin Lundberg, 120 Uncas Point Road, Guilford, CT 06437, [email protected] 1968 A request for comments on retirement resulted in several responses from classmates. HALYNA BARANNIK writes that she is a senior librarian at a medium-security male prison in the Hudson Valley of New York. She is pondering retirement, but realizes that she is fortunate to currently have a good job with benefits. She said the best part of her job is hoping to make a change in the hearts and lives of inmates. NANCY WATKINS DENIG shares her thoughts about scaling down and downsizing her landscape architecture practice due to the economy and in anticipation of her retirement soon. She sent me a recent poem and information on a memoir in verse that she has written in four sections: “Being Daughter,” “Being Wife,” “Being Mother,” and “Being Grandmother.” The title of the memoir is Distaff Diaries. This memoir, relevant to all of us at this transitional period of life, and another collection titled Suites, are both available on Amazon.com. The publisher is Aurelius Press. “I am retired and enjoying it to the hilt,” writes LINDA MARVIN. She is remarried, and she and her husband, Park Benjamin, sail in the summer and ski as much as possible in the winter. They live on Long Island, and she is enjoying the New York Smith club ladies. (See the note on a New York City walk in this column.) They have 11 grandchildren between them. After 23 years at TWA, first as an international flight attendant and then as an international flight service manager, CAROLE POPE FORESTER took early retirement because of the deteriorating state of the company and also to care for her parents. She then returned to school to earn business/ accounting degrees. Now, she says, “Retirement is not in the cards.” Retired for seven years, ANNE OSBORN SUMMERS writes that she is finally getting used to the loss of structure involved in juggling family and work. She and her husband now live in a small town in Rhode Island, with all of their children at least a day’s drive away. There has been a wide variety of travel, volunteering, and “inspiration” in a local women’s gym that has helped her get in the best shape of her life. She concluded with a familiar line that has been heard by many retirees: “Don’t know how I had time to work before!” In other news, last September, Smith ’68ers got together in New York City for a wonderful guided walking tour led by Joyce Gold, partner of LESLIE MCKENZIE. Joyce is a professional guide and historian who shared the history of the “Immigrant, Radical, and Notorious Women of Washington Square.” Those who took the tour were LINDA MARVIN BENJAMIN and her husband, CAREN BYRD BORLAND, NANCY HERTZ ELLIS, MARIAN HENNEMAN, PAULA THOMSON, LESLIE MCKENZIE, and SUZANNE CLARE. In addition to class of ’68 friends, other Smith alumnae who also participated were MARY BURTON and MARCY FRIEDMAN, both class of ’72; KAREN PRATT and PAMELA RAAB, class of ’76; JUDITH SCHWARTZ ’66, TRISH TIDWELL ’73, and BETSY HENNEMAN WOODARD ’64. ELIZABETH HOFFMAN was the recipient of the 2010 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award from the American Economic Association. The award is bestowed upon an individual who has furthered the status of women in the economics profession, through example, achievements, increasing our understanding of how women can advance in the profession, and the mentoring of others. “From botany major to gramma!” writes KATE MILLER CARL. She has twin grandchildren (a boy and a girl), whom she watches several times a week. They walk in the orchard, dig in the gardens, and share nature books. KATHRYN KASCH wrote enthusiastically upon her return from her first Smith Travel trip to Japan. The whole trip was a pleasure and Smith Professor Tom Rohlich was wonderful, she says. She added that the Capen ’68 group met last summer in Boston and in 2011 they will be in Madrid. KATHARINE FORBES LINDOW describes an incredible experience she had during six weeks in Nepal. She is an educational therapist and went to Katmandu to help a private school start a learning center. When she arrived, the teachers labeled the struggling students as “lazy and naughty.” Katharine taught the teachers new methods to help those students, and she was excited by the results. She lives in Berkeley, CA, with her husband, a professor of Scandinavian languages at UC Berkeley. Their daughter Megan is a writer and lives in Cape Town, South Africa. Daughter Devin lives in New York City and works in theater lighting. In the Spring ’10 issue of the Quarterly, there was an item about TOKO MUKOYAMA MATSUKI and her husband, who toured the United States and At the home of Laura Donahue Allen on Martha’s Vineyard, MA, Laura Scales housemates from the class of ’69 sport their yellow scarves from their 40th Reunion. Attending, in addition to Laura, are Mary Seibert Goldschmid, Barbara Wallace Grossman, Donna Dempster Gundy, Christy Campbell Kolva, and Lisa Lebedoff Peilen. enjoyed mini-reunions with Tyler housemates. ANDREA NEVINS FERNANDEZ writes that a few of our classmates will be visiting Tokyo in Sept. ’11, and Toko and her husband will join them on a 13-day tour of Japan. PATTY FRIEDMANN has written a new book, Too Jewish, published last October. See Patty’s interview on YouTube describing how this was a book that she felt destined to write. Sec., Linda Leavitt Grayman, 321 Ritchie Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45215, [email protected] 1969 KRISTI ANDERSEN writes, “In 2010, I was named Chapple Family Professor of Citizenship and Democracy at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University (where I have been teaching since 1984). I am also still an elected member of the Cazenovia (NY) town board. In other words, I’m keeping busy!” Kristi adds, “I had a book published in 2010: New Immigrant Communities: Finding a Place in Local Politics (Lynne Reinner Publishers).” “Working life was so intense that I couldn’t pursue all the wonderful volunteer activities that I now do,” says MICHELE GILLIGAN. Michele, now retired as an associate professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, has returned to Great Barrington, MA, where she grew up and still has siblings close-by. “After my breast-cancer treatment a year ago, I am settling into retirement via various activities: training to be a SHINE volunteer (Serving the Health Information Needs of the Elderly); getting my sister JANE GILLIGAN ’77 to be an enrollment volunteer; and serving on the committee to revise the master plan of Great Barrington. One part of life that has not changed is that every year I take a trip with my sister HANNAH GILLIGAN ’81. Last summer was Banff and the Canadian Rockies; before that was Peru and Ireland. The most important news, though, is that my son, Peter, and his wife, Alisa, made me a grandmother to Nathan, born on Aug. 11, ’10, in Chapel Hill, NC. Am I enjoying grandmotherhood! I just wish they were closer. I bet the feeling resonates.” JAN JACKOWSKI D’ADDAMIO writes, “I am still working for XKL, which makes fiber-optic switches for the Internet. It’s a small company, and it’s exciting to be developing business, especially outside the United States. John was laid off from Microsoft in July ’09 and has not been able to find a job since then. It’s really hard when you’re close to retirement age and are making a good salary. Even being willing to take a salary cut hasn’t helped. It seems like there is a lot of age discrimination out there. On the plus side, John has been able to devote more time to our horses. We recently participated in a dressage clinic with the chief rider of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.” MICHAEL KEHOE HUBNER is in her tenth year as director of social work at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Her husband, David, retired in 2008 from the directorship of the Unitarian Universalist Association, where he headed the department of ministry and professional leadership. Son David, now 25, has taught English in Khartoum, Sudan, and is currently enrolled in a master’s program in public administration at Cornell. Although she reflects that “all things are mutable,” Michael adds, “One of my most lasting and precious gifts from my Smith days is my friendship with LINDA MACHINIST PINES and her family—a friendship that has continued across the generations.” In another nod to continuity, Michael wryly observes, “I still love the New Yorker, r the New York Times, and the New York Review of Books. Funny for someone who left New York at age 9!” LYNNE LESYK HEIDEL writes, “I am sending greetings from Turin, Italy, where—along with ELIZABETH MARGOLIS ’68, TERRY SHEEHY MAROTTA ’70, and CATHY LONGINOTTI ’70—I am vis- iting VICTORIA JAMES MUNSEY ’70. My favorite relatively new friend is SUSAN FALK GREEN ’60. She lives in Ketchum, ID, where my husband and I have had a second home. I am still practicing land-use law in San Diego and have recently been appointed to the San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. (That will only be meaningful to Californians who know what water wars are all about!) My husband and I now have four grandchildren, ages 6 months to 4 years.” Since our most recent reunion, JEAN MERRILL has changed jobs. She is now vice president, head of immunology at Merck Serono, where she is in charge of the firm’s multiple sclerosis drug development program. Jean is currently recruiting scientists to grow the Boston-based team, who will work with other Merck scientists based in Geneva. Jean and her husband, Doug, live in Cambridge, MA. She says, “No plans to retire anytime soon! Having been born and raised in the Boston area, this new work commitment truly feels like coming home. I have even been able to reunite with my ‘little sister’ at Smith, MAYDA MARION ’70, who also lives in Boston.” MARGARET TOMASKO has lived in Northampton since graduating. She went on to get a master’s from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 with a concentration in public health, and an MSW from Smith in 1983. She has worked as a social worker and family therapist at several agencies since the early 1970s, and went into private practice in 2003. She sings with the Northampton Choral Society and spends a lot of time with her two grandchildren, Tighe, 10, and Maeve, 6. Margaret ran in the annual Fall Fit 5K Road Race in Northampton with her daughters Mandy and KATE GERRY ’99. JANET WILLIAMS HARRISON fills us in with an update on her family: “Son Trent and his wife, Annmarie, presented us with a beautiful granddaughter, Mary (Molly), in late April. Trent is pursuing a doctorate in American history at Columbia, and Annmarie is pursuing a doctorate in psychology at Stony Brook University. Middle son Will is the mining correspondent for the Financial Times, and is based in London. In July, youngest son Christian married Jillian in Halifax, adding the second Canadian daughter-in-law to our Texas-based family; he is an international consultant in New York City. I am happy raising money for the new Parkland Health and Hospital System campus, and Edwin is happily retired from his medical practice. I’m delighted that the Smith club has recently revived in Dallas-Fort Worth.” Sec., Barbara Lauren, [email protected] Sec., Roz Zakheim, [email protected] Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 73 alumnae update 1970 Our query about plans for retirement drew lively reports from classmates on both sides of that big decision, as well as the usual (and always interesting) career and social notes. To wit: EVANGELIA (LILLIAN) AGAPALIDOU PANAGOPOULOU writes that she is in no hurry to retire, as she continues to be very happy teaching high school English and doing college counseling in Athens, Greece. ELIZABETH KARASINSKA HAINES, newly retired, visited Lillian there last fall. BARBARA BLACKBURN and her husband, Brian, are pleased to announce the marriage of their son, Jeffrey, to Latoya last October in Greensboro, NC. JUDY DEBUYS MAKRAUER, in her 17th year at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, says she loves teaching and being part of a school community more than ever and has no thought of retiring in the near future. Highlights of her summer were seeing KATHY MULLER and KATHY RODGERS on Cape Cod, MA, and visiting roommate PAM MYERS MORGAN on Lake Temagami in Ontario. No one is any different from years ago, according to Judy, only better. JAN FRIEDMAN CONSTANTINE also offers not a hint of retirement, or even slowing down, as she writes of the “postReunion euphoria” that led to recent dinners with classmates, housemates from Gillett, and other Smithies, including STACY CAPLOW W ’69, HARRIET FIER ’71, and our own ALICE MCINERNEY. Jan’s job as general counsel to the Authors Guild continues to be interesting and is increasingly relevant in the digital world; she is immersed in the e-book debate and speaks regularly on topics related to the future of publishing. Last fall found her teaching a seminar on contract negotiations at New York University and doing her cabaret show at Don’t Tell Mama in New York City. SUSAN ELKINS is planning a busy retirement, starting with a six-month sabbatical in New York City, where she can withdraw from myriad personal and professional commitments back in Kansas, enjoy the contrast between small-town and big-city life, and “just stop for a while” as she sorts through plans for the next phase. These plans include concerts, dance lessons, remaining involved in university life and having time for lectures and seminars, continuing teaching at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, reviving her freelance editing business, looking for new volunteer opportunities, and spending more time with extended family. JANE CUTLER GREENSPAN was appointed to an interim term on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 2008; she served there for 18 months and retired in 2010 from the Pennsylvania judiciary, where she had been a judge Alumnae gather for a Hampshire House mini-reunion at the Northampton home of Alison Feiss Kriviskey ’67. First row, left to right, Cindy Englehardt Rauch ’77, Kathleen La Riviere ’77, Johanne Asselin Presser ’72, Kathy Murray Doherty ’69, and Kate Martin ’77; second row: Louise Stevens Benham ’77 and Lynn Tornow Goodhue ’70; third row: Christine Powers ’70, Maureen Tobin ’77, Angela Derouin ’77, and Pamela Scavotto Barber ’77; back row: Alison, Kathryn McArthur ’67, Dottie Organ Strong ’70, Mary Blanchet Reutener ’70, Elsa Vitols ’70, Eileen Sullivan ’73, Fred Goodhue (who went to Smith on a junior year exchange program); Gerry Rowan Bonneau ’69, Elaine Sarsynski ’77, Joan Keefe ’62, and Carolyn Nims McLellan ’68. since 1987. She has since joined Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (JAMS) as an arbitrator and mediator. She has taken up bridge again, is keeping in shape, and is spending more time with her grandchildren. MIMI KENNEDY DILG assures us that rather than retiring, she “will be an actress till I kick.” She is still auditioning and continues to win parts for TV and movies. She is trying to sell her completed novel, which she thinks of as Gone With the Wind in upstate New York, circa 1967 to 1988, with a Smith graduate intent on social justice as the protagonist. Mimi is reading John Updike’s Rabbit series, with its “bleak picture of the American male, American society, and American fathering”; revisiting The Estrogen Effect, by Deborah Cadbury, “which raises troubling questions about scientific research that is being challenged and suppressed”; and working on restoring integrity to American elections to overcome the damage done by digital-only voting machines. She attributes her ability “to entertain such dark thoughts and summon the strength to try and make things better” to the blessings of her own life: her long marriage to Larry; her daughter, Molly; and her son, Cisco. MADI LORD is still with the Boston Federal Reserve, currently working on the transformation of treasury payment systems to save the taxpayers money. In a change of pace, she spends her weekends welding, making art from metal trash. She invites us to check out Kate Russian’s YouTube video “Jiffy Art,” which follows Madi as she moves from daybreak dumppicking to creating a five-foot welded flower by sunset. With her family 74 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 scattered, her travel focus for now is westward to children, grandchildren, and her mother, supplemented by “blessed Skype.” MARY PRATT GRANT retired in 2009 from her position as head of the Ellis School in Pittsburgh, enabling her and her husband, Richard, to return to Philadelphia, where they had lived for many years. Mary found retirement odd at first, missing the rhythms of the school year, her colleagues, and especially the students. But she has loved getting enough sleep, reading for pleasure, seeing more of her grandchildren, and exploring her love of history. She and Richard are pleased to have time for travel, and they recently made their first trip to Italy. They are rediscovering Philadelphia, reconnecting with old friends, and making new friends. She says the values she absorbed at Smith have served her well as she has sorted out her new life: Make a difference; step up when someone needs something done; and don’t be afraid to try something new. PAT SHIPMAN and husband Alan are settling into retirement in their new community in North Carolina, where they are discovering lots of artists, musicians, and organic food farmers. Pat is on the board of the Rocky River Heritage Foundation, which works to preserve a beautiful local river. This is a nice complement to her other work in the Caymans spearheading an effort to protect endangered iguanas and serving on the board of the Little Cayman National Trust. CINDEE STEER , the chief research strategist and head of the beta research group at Rogerscasey, was named the 2010 Distinguished Woman Investment Professional of the Year by Women Investment Professionals, a 200-member, Chicago-based organization. BETH STEIBER HANDZO and her husband, George, still live in Greenwich, CT, as they have for more than 25 years. She continues to work in corporate finance with IBM as a manager of patent pricing worldwide. George is a vice president of business development for Health Care Chaplaincy. Their son, Benjamin, was married last September to Princeton ’04 classmate Kimberly. Please let us hear from you so we can pass your news along to your avid classmates! Sec., Kathy Muller, 20 Hunts Lane, Harwich, MA 02645, [email protected] Sec., Katie Naughton, 26 Autumn Lane, Amherst, MA 01002, [email protected] 1971 GINNY ASHCRAFT EVERITT , DEBBIE BLUM, JUDY MAYER O’BRIEN, and KAREN ROHN OSAR had a Halloween weekend in New York City enjoying the best of the city and having a great time catching up. Karen retired from various financial roles and now serves as an independent director of four public companies. She and her husband, who recently retired, look forward to traveling together and spending more time with lifelong friends. At press time, Judy was retiring from her general counsel position at Obopay and planned to do a lot of skiing as well as go to Egypt with three girlfriends. She says, “My kids are launched: My son, 27, is in medical school at Columbia, and my daughter, 25, is a marketing specialist. Brad is working part-time, and the two of us are planning lots of trips and spending more time enjoying life together. I’m looking forward to the next chapter.” MARIAM ASHRAFI DOUGLAS , NANCY BINKIN, LAURIE EFFRON, BONNIE SERKIN, and FRANCINE WEISS MELLORS-ROTHENSTEIN also got together in New York City. Laurie says, “Both professionally and personally, we have all had eventful lives, and it was a pleasure to have the chance to catch up. Our lives are immeasurably richer for knowing each other; it makes me think of the New Yorkerr cartoon from years ago that showed a conventional suburban mom telling her sulking, hippie daughter, ‘But dear, you will meet hippies at Smith who will be your friends for life.’ Hoping to see everyone at the 40th.” While playing viola with the Pittsburgh Symphony, PENNY ANDERSON BRILL has received local, national, and international recognition over the past 10 years for championing the use of music for pain and stress management. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, she experimented with using music and found that it reduced anxiety while waiting for test results and before surgeries and treatments, reduced the need for sedatives and pain medications, sped recovery time, and made her feel more in control of what was happening. She has served as chair of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra committee and as treasurer of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians. She is a founding member of the jazz string group Blues on First. JANESS HAIGHT COFFINA became a licensed massage therapist in Connecticut and New York, and hopes to see her practice grow. She works one day each week with an acupuncturist, which provides good experience. A recent highlight was spending a week in New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity. Besides blood blisters from novice hammering skills, she received the satisfaction of helping a young single mother build a home in which to start a new life for herself and her daughter. NANCY KNOWLTON writes, “I have just published my first book, and the process is almost like having a baby! The title is Citizens of the Sea, written in honor of the decade-long Census of Marine Life. No jargon and lots of cool stories about how ocean creatures make a living.” COLIN DAYAN’s book The Law Is a White Dog: How Legal Rituals Make and Unmake Persons is due out in April from Princeton University Press. From PRISCILLA (PRIL) DORMAN HALL: “I returned from a two-week trip to Beirut, staying with my cousin Peter Dorman (Amherst ’70 and friend to Baldwin House!), who is the president of the American University of Beirut. It was a wonderful trip; the Lebanese people are so welcoming and resilient—their recovery from years of civil war has been remarkable. I visited many of the places of my father’s childhood, and where my mother went to school and my husband, John’s, parents met. I have several other cousins there as well, and I went with my brother, Tim, who is a guest lecturer at the AUB business school twice a year. I was able to meet with directors of nursing, talk with lots of nurses, and I met with the IT director at AUB who is involved with their clinical information systems, which is my specialty. It was a personally and professionally fascinating trip all around!” ALEXIS KRASILOVSKY’s film Shooting Women screened at the International Cinematographers’ Film Festival in the Republic of Macedonia, the Birds Eye View Film Festival in London, the Jeevika: Asia Livelihood Documentary Film Competition and Festival in New Delhi, and the Elles Tournent film festival in Brussels. She is still teaching screenwriting as a professor at California State University, Northridge, and working on her second global documentary feature, Pastri- Susan McCone and Margaret Webb, both class of ’71, celebrate the wedding of Margaret’s son. ology. Her son, Thomas, is a senior at the University of California, San Diego, studying psychology and film. MARGARET WEBB ’s son was married last October, and SUSAN MCCONE flew to California to officiate. Susan graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1999, is a priest at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, CT, and serves as director of development for the national Episcopal Church. BETSEY WHITBECK writes, “Retirement has brought so many rewarding activities, and nearly all are more fun than work! Volunteering in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is heavenly! I serve as the co-chair of the Friends of the Institute’s program committee, for which we plan nine programs each year. I’m also president of the Minnesota Smith club, where we have monthly events as well as annual meetings and an annual fundraiser called Smith Day. The net revenues from Smith Day over the past 78 years have been donated to an endowed scholarship fund managed by the college. I’m also vice-chair of a state government policy think tank focused on stimulating economic growth while growing social and environmental justice. My husband of 20 years, Jim, and I have a pair of small Shetland sheepdogs, who make every day exciting for us. Jim’s parents and mine are all still living, which gives us plenty to do, but is so rewarding.” Sec., Elizabeth Soyster, PO Box 153, Gibson Island, MD 21056, [email protected] 1972 Please visit our class Website, www. smithcollege72.org, to see full reports and wonderful updates and photos from classmates. Sadly, we learned that MARY JO CORRAL SULTENFUSS died on May 15, ’10. Please see the Summer ’11 Quarterly for an obituary. LOUKA KATSELI sends news of her appointment as the minister for labor and social security in Greece. She says, “It is a very challenging job given the financial crisis, the fiscal consolidation program that we have adopted, and the rise in unemploy- ment due to the recession. Major priorities are promoting active employment policies and a social safety net for the most vulnerable.” NANCY SCHWARTZ, PAM FUHRER GOODHUE, CAROL PEARSON, ANNE GORDON, ELLEN MALOFF CASE, and CARMEN VALENZUELA NAKASSIS, as well as Kathy Marx Riechel ’72 from Tufts, all of whom spent their junior year abroad in Geneva, celebrated turning 60 and 39 years of friendship at a mini-reunion in Nice, France. JOANIE SPEERS reports from London, where she has lived for 38 years, that she runs a cancer-care charity, Yes to Life, in the United Kingdom, and a building preservation trust, ABC, in Wales. She also serves on the boards of a music charity and a charity in Russia for children with special needs. NANCY AMMON JIANAKOPLOS flew to Hanoi last May to teach intermediate macroeconomics in English for four weeks, paid for by the government of Vietnam, at the Foreign Trade University. “The Vietnamese students I met were very bright and diligent. I couldn’t help but remember that in May 1970 (40 years ago), I was taking intermediate macroeconomics at Smith and there were protests against the Vietnam War. How things can change in 40 years! Hope to see lots of us at our 40th in 2012!” ANN LEMON is consulting on green finance and sustainable living and invites us to learn more about dining out green on her blog, Green Market Producers. SUSAN GARBER reports, “I am looking for a permanent or temporary job in the information technology area using Oracle. I have been in the field for 25 years, mostly at Lotus Development Corp. I’ve been doing temporary consulting and contracting work, but the recession has hit hard. Everything else is good.” JULIE ARNOLD reports she is still training and showing standard poodles. “The dogs and I went to tracking camp last fall and we hope to hone our tracking skills!” LINDA RUMANOFF SIMONSON lives in North Haven, CT, and still works for Benhaven, an agency providing services to children and adults with autism. Her most recent work has involved serving as a clinical program consultant. “I have renewed a childhood passion for horses and am determined to learn to ride. My 25-year-old instructor, who has been riding since she was a little girl, tells me to be patient, but at 60, I no longer feel I have the luxury of time. A shout-out to all my Ziskind compadres: How come no one I knew back then ever sends in updates?” Good question—we’d love to hear from you! SARAH GORDON teaches women’s history and American history classes at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. Her mother, PATRICIA JENCKS GORDON ’41, passed away at age 91 last July, and quite a few Smith graduates attended the memorial service. ROCHELLE COHEN FELDMAN writes she is still going strong in her private practice for special needs pediatrics and as a neonatologist. Husband Aaron Breitbart heads the research department at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. They are making a five-year plan for retirement, hopefully in Israel. TIFFANY BAKER sent a photo from her May ’10 wedding. “The ceremony took place on the grounds of Fort Belvoir, VA, overlooking the water. The day was sunny and beautiful, if you discount the 50-mph wind gusts!” In attendance were JOAN HOWARTH, BETH ANN FRIEDMAN, JANET ALLOCCA MARIE ’73, and FRAN GROVES DODD, three of whom were bridesmaids at Tiffany’s first wedding. “When my first marriage ended after 25 years and four extraordinary children, I was on my own for six years; it just goes to show you that even at 60, you are never too old to find love and start over!” KAY KILLIAN BALUN writes of a minireunion where she, MARILYN GEPP CLARK, NANCY ABRAHAM HALL, EVELYN MAURMEYER, BESSY KONG, and DEBBIE MARKEWICH LAZARUS enjoyed staying at a house in Nantucket, which they rented from SANDY MORGAN ’65. “We spent a glorious five days in July celebrating our big birthdays. While we are still wondering where all the years went (how did we get to be 60?), we have all accomplished a lot and are quite happy to be where we are.” Marilyn, a consultant on European Union affairs, divides her time mainly between Luxembourg and London. Nancy is on the Spanish department faculty at Wellesley. Evelyn is an environmental consultant in Lewes, DE. Kay is the executive assistant to the CEO, CSO, CFO, and CMO of Biodel, a pharmaceutical research and development company. Bessy is the senior policy adviser to the White House Office of Urban Affairs on the Domestic Policy Council. Debbie is a psychologist in private practice in Manhattan. In addition, Kay and Evelyn are chairing our 40th Reunion from May 24–27, 2012. “We are all looking forward to the Reunion and Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 75 alumnae update hope to see everybody there.” Written by Melissa Hield, class president Sec., Mary Lindley Burton, [email protected] 1973 ERICA SWENSON DAVIS and her husband, Jim, now have a grandson and a granddaughter. Their son Brian and daughter-in-law Elizabeth, welcomed Daniel on May 16, ’10. Son Reed and daughter-in-law Lindsey welcomed Finley on August 27, ’10. With everyone living in Winston-Salem, NC, they can watch the babies grow and mature. “We love being grandparents!” LOIS (KARNA) BULL BOUTON is still basking in the afterglow of her youngest son, John’s, wedding last October to Caitlyn. Many dear friends attended, including Lois’ Smith roommate JENNIFER WILLIAMS. LAURA OLENA MIXTER reports that her husband, Jim, retired from ExxonMobil a year ago, giving them more time to enjoy their two grandsons, Finley, born in Nov. ’09, and Owen, born in Dec. ’09. DEBORAH FERRO BURKE says, “My life is settling down,” after three years of complex elder care that included her father, mother, and aunt. She is relieved that her organization development clients are still in business and are glad to have her back with them. “Work feels like fun,” she says, and adds that life in the Berkshires of Massachusetts remains lovely and quiet. She maintains contact with the college, regularly sees DIANE OKRENT and GRETA SOLOMON, and met a new friend, VIRGINIA MEANS GIDDENS ’66. Her current daily challenge is helping their 4-year-old Lab ride in the pickup truck without having a psychological meltdown; small but steady progress is under way. ANNE ELLISON MICKEY shares that on Sept. 1, ’10, her law firm, Sher & Blackwell, merged with Cozen O’Connor. While she misses the small-firm environment, she is very excited about this move. She invites anyone visiting Washington, DC, to stop by. She and Frank still live in Bethesda, MD, and also love spending time on the eastern shore of Maryland. Last July, LAUREN DILLARD finished more than three years of work on a big software project at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She also decided to move to Sausalito, CA, where she and her boyfriend, Paul, live on her sailboat. “It’s cool to have San Francisco Bay as my backyard!” She is elevating her career to the executive-consulting level and traveling more. She is also caring remotely for her mother, which she feels is a heartbreaking, but important, role. She and Paul traveled to Smith last September, and she thinks the campus looks great. “Our next Reunion should be really fun!” BARBARA BRENNER brings us up to date by sharing that after 15 years at the helm of Breast Cancer Action, she has handed over the reins to a new leader. She is stepping back to write a book about the movement and blog about her thoughts about how more progress in cancer can be made. She is still living happily in San Francisco with her partner of 35 years, Suzanne Lampert. DIANE BLUMBERG SHILLING performed her one-woman show, Getting to Mommy, at the MamaDrama Festival at Stage Left Studio in New York on Oct. 13, ’10. The show was based upon her published memoir of the same name. Her children’s play, The North Wind and the Sun, a hip-hop version of the classic Aesop fable, appeared in last November’s issue of Plays Magazine. LISA BERLIN SAZER lives in Newton, MA, with her husband and two sons. The oldest is a junior at Tufts, and the youngest is a high school senior applying to colleges. Lisa has been a painter and printmaker for many years, and before that she was in advertising and direct marketing sales. Now that she is looking at an empty nest, she has embarked on a new career: She is now a real estate agent with William Raveis in Newton Center, MA. ANNE DERRY WHIDDEN shares that her oldest daughter, Rebecca, who attended the University of Chicago and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, is an architectural designer, and was married last summer to a boat builder, Chris Rogers. Her second daughter, Lucy, graduated from Dartmouth, taught in Harlem for two years, and then spent last year teaching in Kigali, Rwanda. She is now in Tanzania with a fourth-grade class at the International School of Tanganyika. So, while Anne and Roger are now back in New York City, they enjoy watching their children find adventures near and far. MARY SNEED HINKEL and her husband continue to work in Atlanta. He is an attorney with ING, and she is a writer with a nonprofit fundraising consulting firm. Their son, John Henry, is a junior at Harvard. She is active with the Atlanta Smith club, and would love to see any classmates living in Atlanta at their events. E. HOPE FREEMAN HUDNER sends greetings to all. To bring us up-to-date, her daughter, Bay, is currently “having a blast” working in Paris for an international ship brokerage firm and sharing a room with a Harvard friend who is studying at Le Cordon Bleu. WENDY KASSEL and four other members of the Gillett House “Fifthies” got together in October in New York for a mini-reunion that was in the works since our last Reunion. Joined by SHEILA BURKE CLARK, FRANNIE LORD NILES, CAROL NOEL KING, and JANET STONE LE, the housemates spent a long weekend celebrating the bond formed during their first year on the fifth floor and 76 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 have extended that bond to the next generation to include JENNIFER CLARK ’09. They are hoping to make this a regular event and that MADELINE PARRISH will be able to make the next one. Thanks to everyone who is responding to the call for news. Sec., Chandra Holsey Cookson, 9051 Giltinan Court, Springfield, VA 22153, [email protected] 1974 Ladies, our column is short. We need more of you to send us your news or comments. Please keep in touch. It’s a proficient way to keep your Smith experience alive, for yourself and your classmates. More importantly, by sharing our experiences, we can continue to learn about ourselves and our world. BETTY MORNINGSTAR e-mails, “My work life continues to be full and varied. I am still in the practice of psychotherapy in Newton, MA, and I teach in a postgraduate certificate program at the Smith School for Social Work in the area of contemplative clinical practice. I have also done a gig as a chaplain in a senior long-termcare facility and in a children’s medical day-care program in Boston. I’ve started a three-year term as president of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. My son, Will, 21, is a senior at Hampshire College and has taken most of his courses at the other four colleges. He is currently a teaching assistant in a Smith art-history class. So, we are both teaching at Smith, in a manner of speaking.” CAROLE DOUBLIER REISS made me very happy when she wrote, “I finally registered with the Smith online community. After cruising around this userfriendly site and finding the contact information of fellow students, I could have kicked myself for not doing this sooner. It is a wonderful way to rediscover classmates and link up with them after many years. Thank you for the e-mail reminding me to do this and to update my own information. All Smith alumnae should register and take advantage of the many features the online community offers.” AMANDA WALLIS BLUE sadly informs us, “My husband, Rich, died last year from heart disease. Ours was always an unlikely (and unexpected) relationship, but somehow it really worked. We moved back to San Francisco from London in 2008. Katie is now at Bowdoin College, class of ’12. I am still working for US Trust. Katie and I miss Rich very much.” Your class co-secretary JOAN OSBORN EPSTEIN reports, “Returned to Northampton in August to complete the research for a conference presentation on Agnes de Mille and the origins of Rodeo, the ballet for which Aaron Copland composed the score. Some crucial material was in the performing arts library at Lincoln Center, but the rest was in the Sophia Smith Collection. I saw my daughter Ariel in Schuylerville, NY, on the same trip, as well as my daughter EVE EPSTEIN ’07, who moved to Washington, DC, following graduation from the UC Davis School of Law. Eve is now a member of the Maryland Bar Association and is a trial attorney for the Labor Department. She’s winning cases against the mining company involved in last year’s disaster in West Virginia. Daughter Eliza is a senior at Eckerd College, where I teach, and she’s already working in the field of expressive arts therapy, which she’d like to pursue as a career.” Some news from Florida: PAT SAMUELS BLANCHARD, director of the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center, was recently honored as one of the Women of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal. The award recognizes women in the city of Jacksonville for their positive impact on the region, mentoring and leadership efforts in business and industry, and contributions to the community. Pat joined the JWBC in 2006 and was named its director in 2009. She oversees and manages the business center’s training and mentorship programs. Says Pat, “This award was a total shock and truly an honor!” PEG BLAUNER METZGER reports, “My older son got married on May 30, ’10. He and his wife are living in Washington, DC, near Eastern Market. Lou and I look for every opportunity to visit them. My younger son graduated from high school five days later and is now a first-year at Bates. I had a scare over the summer with appendicitis, but have now recovered from the surgery. I’m working independently doing health-care law, policy, and advocacy. I’d like to get more involved in patient safety issues.” SHARON DREW TORNOW sends this update: “I am still doing some tutoring, but this past year was slow. Last March, my husband, Chip, and I visited our grandson (Michael, nearly 4). He is like the Energizer rabbit on uppers, and we were quite worn out at the end of our stay! But he is cute and so much fun! In the summer, Chip and I spent almost a week on the shore of Gloucester, MA. We discovered the place a couple of years ago. It is nothing fancy, but it is right on the beach, and we can individually go to the beach for however long we like without driving back and forth to a motel.” Sec., Jennifer Arbolino, [email protected] Sec., Joan Osborn Epstein, [email protected] 1975 ELIZABETH (ABBY) LEWIS BATES missed her first Reunion because she and her husband, Jon, attended their daughter Elizabeth’s graduation (magna cum laude) from Middlebury College. Eliz- abeth majored in French and is now teaching in Greenwich, CT. In Nov. ’09, their son Robert married Mariola, and they are living in Madrid. Their other son, William, helped found 350. org, a group focused on raising awareness of and creating solutions for the climate crisis. He lives in Barcelona. Abby writes, “We have fallen in love with Spain, for obvious reasons.” She continues to practice real estate and trusts and estates law, and Jon is still teaching math. ROBIN CLARK, her husband, and their teenagers traveled to Costa Rica last summer. Robin says, “The teens loved zip lines; we loved watching them.” They all enjoyed the Cloud Forest in Monteverde, as well as the wildlife in Manuel Antonio Park and Damas Estuary. “The monkeys and hummingbirds were especially delightful up close.” Robin adds, “There is now another women’s college in the family! Daughter Madeleine is attending Hollins University.” LAURA KLANN HEID reports that she stayed vertical throughout her first rollerblading lesson, thereby avoiding a full-body cast. She aspires to train for the Olympics: “Look for me, I’ll be the one wearing the hot-pink helmet and crash pants!” PAMM KERR had a festive birthday bash in Philadelphia last year. In attendance were BARBARA SMITH DECKER, Barbara’s daughters Catherine and Claire, JENNY BERKLEY ’76, and Pamm’s daughter, JaQuinley, who was performing in a world-premiere play in Philadelphia. JODY LISBERGER, director of women’s studies at the University of Rhode Island, has been traveling extensively to give exciting presentations and fiction readings from her story collection, Remember Love. During November, she was writer in residence at Lyon College in Arkansas, and she traveled to Denver to give a presentation called “Writing Down the Body: Honing Fiction Craft, Making the Invisible Visible, the Silent Spoken” at the National Women’s Studies Conference. This spring, she is teaching a creative nonfiction honors course at URI, “Women Writing Their Lives,” featuring Jill Ker Conway and BETH TAYLOR, among others. She invites those of us in the Rhode Island area to attend her readings. LYN WEHMANN MAGNESS is happy to be going full speed doing career coaching and talent profiling after time spent planning Reunion and helping her mother recuperate from a broken leg in May. Her daughter, Sarah, is completing the classes required for entry into the master’s program in occupational therapy at Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina. Son Andrew started his first job at a video production company in New York City, and son Peter is a sophomore at the University of Southern California, majoring in psychology. ADELE DURHAM ROBINETTE writes, “Reunion was really lovely; last year there was a level of mellowness and kindness that seemed to permeate the air more than in years past. Strange and wonderful how the conversations change over the years.” Her daughter is a junior at Boston University, studying stage management. Adele is class notes editor at Cornell Alumni Magazine, but she is also busy with qigong classes, a weekly Gurdjieff discussion group (“picture eight people in a circle talking about nonjudgmental awareness”), contra dancing, and violin study (“now I’m calling it a ‘fiddle,’ though”). She had wonderful visits with JAN BARBOUR CARHART, KAREN LIDSTONE DINGLEY, and, for the first time in decades, KIM HESSE ’77. STEPHANIE PEARSON ROBINSON and her husband, Kevin, celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary last May! Their son, Christopher, 21, recently made the dean’s list and is scheduled to graduate from the Art Institute of Atlanta in May with a major in audio engineering. Stephanie is serving as a child and adolescent mental health program director for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities, and is “having a blast with my e-commerce business on ZamZuu, which teaches others how to get paid while shopping.” DEBBIE POZIN STANITSKI has scheduled some very exciting ecotours. She and her husband, Carl, journeyed to the Galapagos Islands last November, and headed to Antarctica in February. SUZY TURCOTTE WATSON not only traveled around the world in 2009, but also met her husband, Hugh (from Glasgow, Scotland), on that wonderful cruise! Suzy retired after selling the bookstore she had owned for 20 years. The couple lives in Nisswa, MN, and Suzy reports she has “never been happier.” Congratulations to them both! ELLEN WATTS addressed “quite an audience” at the MIT club of Boston about zero-net-energy buildings. Her firm’s recent design commissions include the new Wind Technology Testing Center in Charlestown, MA, the new LEED Gold native plant center for the New England Wild Flower Society, a new health center for Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, and the new zero-net-energy LEED Platinum building for Keene State College. Her son, Ethan, 20, and her daughter, Ada, 18, are studying at Kenyon College and Tufts University, respectively. Ellen went to the Carter Notch Hut in the White Mountains last summer and loved it. (Should we vote for a destination for a class of ’75 alumnae Mountain Day in New England?) LLOYD LEWIS EAGAN, who works for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, writes, “We survived more flooding in Wisconsin. The dikes around Portage, built in the 1800s, held—barely. We’re hoping over time to work on a more sustainable floodplain management program.” Finally, it is with sadness that we report the death of CAMILLE (FANCY) CHAPUS-ROY, who died in October. The class extends its condolences to her friends and family members. Thanks to all of you who sent news for this column. We hope to hear from all of you during the months ahead! Send your news anytime to the e-mail address that follows. Secs., Carolyn Wehmann Magness, Melissa Kline Clements, and Laura Klann Heid, [email protected] 1976 Greetings from Philadelphia! Here is the news that I received. I was saddened to learn that ANNE SCHRODER died on Dec. 23, ’10, in North Carolina after a brief illness. Anne was a curator and academic program coordinator at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. The class extends its sympathy to Anne’s family and friends. An obituary will appear in the next issue of the Quarterly. CONNIE CONTANT KNAPP retired from US Customs and Border Protection after 34 years of service, first as an inspector, and eventually as a supervisory import specialist in Champlain, NY. It’s hard to believe that anyone is retiring, since it seems like weeks ago that we were parading around Northampton as undergraduates! MILA FLORO’s students in Arkansas received a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams award, which gives them funds to invent a walking cane that will enable emergency personnel to quickly find lost, missing, and injured users. A prototype design will be presented at MIT this June. Mila received the Eureka Springs Rotary Club 2010 Annual Vocation Award, given for her ability to expect and receive excellence from her students. Congratulations, Mila! ELLE HAVERLAND SAVERINI traveled from Italy with her rescued kitten to winter in California. She can be found hiking Bay Area trails and riding her daughter’s Dutch Warmblood, and she is tutoring part-time to pay for carrots. Her youngest daughter is a social activist who narrowly avoided being arrested in the Oscar Grant murder trial protests in Oakland, CA, and her eldest daughter works for Chase. MIRIAM HYMAN is a certified life coach and is specializing in transitions and changes. Right now, the demand is for career and job transitions, but she is also interested in coaching people going through other life transitions. MICHELLE DOUCETTE CUNNINGHAM ’88, Miriam, and the presidents of the local Mount Holyoke and Wellesley clubs created a very successful threecollege job-search event in which employed alumnae spoke to unemployed alumnae about how to find a job in various fields. JENNIFER LENOX is a development officer for the United Church of Christ, and is doing her best to promote great opportunities for progressive faithbased entities. Her kids are Michael, Princeton ’11; Andrew, at Skidmore College; and Jessica, a senior in high school. ELISSA LICHTENSTEIN regrets that she will miss Reunion; she is working with the London School of Economics and Political Science to organize a law conference on participating in the green economy. It will take place in London a few days after Reunion. ANNE LOCKWOOD teaches at the Dalton School in New York City, where she is chairing the global initiatives committee, coaching a new faculty member, hosting a student teacher, planning for a major move to a new art studio next year, and participating on the search committee for a new divisional director. Son Max graduated from Kenyon College in May and is working as a copy editor for several Websites. Son Tim is a firstyear at Skidmore College, where he was cast as the lead in the Skidmore TV serial show. STEPHANIE MUDICK is an executive vice president at JPMorgan Chase, and has identical-twin daughters who are 11. Soon she will find out how wonderful teenage girls are! CHARLOTTE MULLEN SULLIVAN moved into a house in London, and she and Ben commute monthly to New York. Daughter Madeleine graduated from Hamilton University; twins Charles and Christopher are juniors at Georgetown University and the College of Charleston (SC), respectively; and daughter Catherine is a junior at Tabor Academy, a Massachusetts boarding school. WINIFRED NEIDECKER CONSTABLE lives near me in Bryn Mawr, PA. She finished her degree in sculpture and painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and also returned to medicine part-time, working in a free clinic and part-time in a group practice. In the summers, she travels to Uganda, where she works in refugee camps, has started a foundation, helped to build a high school, and, with her husband, is financing a young orphan boy through college. Son Luke is a senior at Duke University, Caroline is a junior at Columbia, and Gigi is a first-year at Harvard. LILLIAN PLINER’s father has been living with her since the death of her mother last year at age 96. The challenges of elder care have been offset by the joys of her daughters, Kate, Princeton ’14, and Caroline, a high school junior. Lillian is an assistant professor of medicine and the acting director of the division of hematology/oncology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. ESTHER ROTHBLUM is a professor of women’s studies at San Diego State University. Her book The Fat Stud- Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 77 alumnae update ies Readerr (NYU Press, 2009) was reviewed in the New Yorker, r the New York Times, Ms. magazine, the Women’s Review of Books, and many other media in Brazil, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. ROBIN SILVER DELOUVRIER’s consulting business continues to grow; she is working on an exciting start-up in the area of luxury lifestyle design for men. She continues to consult for a South African NGO called Design Africa, which accompanies and promotes African design companies in their efforts to break into the international contemporary home furnishings and accessories markets. KATHY STUART met her husband in 1988 on a blind date arranged by WENDY REILLY HARRIS and has been happily living and working in Washington, DC, since 1989. Daughter Caroline is a high school senior. Kathy enjoyed seeing GAIL DUFFNEY CIRILLO, who came to Washington for college visits and parents’ weekends. As for me, I am not an empty nester any longer, since Alison, University of North Carolina ’10, has moved home pending finding a job. I recently enjoyed seeing my Jordan House pals SUSAN TALSKY PASTER and JANE MURPHY SARGENT for a little mini-reunion in Scarsdale, NY. I look forward to our May Reunion, and I hope to see many of you there! Sec., Sally Scott Moser, 301 Caversham Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, [email protected] 1977 In September, class officers GWEN MATTLEMAN, LAURIE MACINTOSH, ISABELLA ZAGARE, and yours truly met at Laurie’s lovely home in Milton, MA, to begin Reunion planning. The following day, KATE MARTIN, TERRY KEEPNEWS LUSKIN, and ELLEN CORNELL CULP joined us for lunch. We are hoping for a great turnout and welcome your suggestions and any help you can offer. Please contact Laurie, our Reunion chair. Last fall, I also had lunch with PENELOPE CORCORAN; she relocated to the East Coast, and it was wonderful catching up with her after eight years! “It was a night to remember and proof positive that ‘we’ll always have Paris,’” writes JAN VACHULE SHEEHAN of the gathering in Washington, DC, that brought together 15 classmates from all over the United States and as far away as Korea and Australia to celebrate and remember their Smith junior year in Paris. Joining Jan last November were BARRETT ASHTON ANDERS, PAULETTE CASTILLO, JULIE DOLAN SMITH, KATHY FALKENBERG SEE, MARY HAINES, BETSY HITCHCOCK, LUCY LOOK KAT, LINDA KOURY DUCRUET, NANCY NEWMAN, ALEXANDRA PIERSON STOECKLEIN, SUSAN SIVARD, CORINNE SMITH, CORALEE VAN EGMOND, and ANN WILSON FORSYTHSMITH, as well as six “honorary Smithies” from other colleges. Jan writes, Class of ’72 friends reunite in Nice, France, to reminisce about their junior year abroad and celebrate their 60th birthdays and 40 years of friendship. Pictured, from left to right, are Nancy Schwartz, Pam Fuhrer Goodhue, Kathy Riechel (Tufts ’72), Carol Pearson, Anne Gordon, Ellen Maloff Case, and Carmen Valenzuela Nakassis. “The soirée began with squeals of joy to see each other again. I put together a video and photo montage chronicling our adventures in France, and presented a written greeting from our directeur, James Sacré, whom we found on Facebook and discovered is retired in Montpellier, France. Linda composed a hilarious poem. ALICE COBB PARTE called from France to join the fun, and LISA RUFFIN HARRISON joined the group for brunch the next day. What an unforgettable gathering it was.” Linda writes, “I can smell the air of Aix, see the light of Provence, and feel the crunch of gravel in the Reid Hall courtyard; most importantly, I remember how every moment during that year was once in a lifetime . . . after so many years, we could get together for one evening, and the magic was there all over again!” FLORENCE QUINN moved to Westport, CT, with her husband, Eric, and son, Maxwell. Flo writes, “We love being in New England and near the Long Island Sound; I grew up in Connecticut, so it’s a bit of ‘back to my roots’ for me. HARRIET MADOFF and her husband, Skip, and MARCIA GRAHAM MONAGAN ’78 and her husband, Charlie, have been over for dinner.” JANIS HENDRICKSON MINK is enjoying an even mix of work, play, and family. “I am sculling on the Mystic River, competing in fall head races, and coaching sculling at a local YMCA.” She is a professor of art history at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic. Daughter Louisa is a junior at Columbia; Janis’ mother, who turns 90 this year, lives with her. PAULA HEROLD and KATE LEAR ’79 are co-producers of Catch Me If You Can, opening on Broadway on April 10. MARDEE BROWN and SUSAN TRESPALACIOS GARDINER ’78 plan to be there on opening night to cheer them on. LISA RUFFIN HARRISON was delighted to make the mini-reunion celebrating their junior year in Paris, and she sends thanks to Jan, “who tirelessly put together a hilarious and very nostalgic video montage for the gang— which is frightening evidence that 78 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 the mid-’70s were a fashion nadir for the average college female.” Lisa and husband Jimmy live in Virginia, where Lisa is a real estate broker and does freelance work for Southern Accents magazine. She has published two books: Leonard Tharp: An American Style of Flower Arrangement and Weddings Southern Style. Her daughter Elizabeth works in New York for Talking Points Memo, a political blog. Daughter Catherine is in her second year at the University of Virginia, and Fielding is a senior at Episcopal High School of Virginia. Last May, Lisa stayed with JULIE DOLAN SMITH, who moved to Dallas. She also had a great time seeing ANN WILSON FORSYTH-SMITH. BARRETT ASHTON ANDERS lives in Seoul, South Korea, with her husband, Scott, and Freckles, her 13-year-old beagle. She retired from teaching French and has taken up the Korean language and traditional brushwork painting. Barrett also has a license in kyong-nahk, k a relaxation practice for mind and body health maintenance. She was thrilled to attend the November mini-reunion in Washington, DC. Her youngest daughter, Mary, is with Teach for America in Hawaii. SOPHIE MIRO POMPEA is vice president of business development with Trusted Insight, an online marketplace for the alternative investment community. She has been married to Frank for almost 25 years and says, “Our 9-yearold son, Ambrose, continues to amaze us; he keeps us young!” KATIE HUFF OBERLIN writes, “I have had a busy year expanding my healing-touch practice by offering weekend retreats titled ‘Women’s Weekend of Wellness’ in addition to individual sessions and workshops. I have enjoyed connecting more often with Smith friends, including PEG JORDAN MERZBACHER, AVERY HUGHES, ANNE DEATLY, KATHARINE CALDWELL PARSONS, and MARY LOUISE SCULLY ’78.” Last October, KATE MARTIN and her husband, along with a guide, cook, and four porters, hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It was a four-day adventure that covered 27 miles of hilly terrain and 7,000 feet of a vertical climb. Kate says, “The experience was surreal!” JESSICA ANDRUS LINDSTROM is head of the parent-teacher organizations of two elementary schools in Jackson, WY, teaches in the district, and works as an independent college counselor. “I also recently had a couple of poems and articles accepted by local and national magazines. Last fall, I took a two-week trip to Germany, where I visited longtime friends and was delighted to immerse myself in the language and culture again. I have a fifth-grade daughter and an 11thgrade son.” SARAH DINKLAGE’s oldest child, Ben, is a junior at the University of Rochester; middle son Gabe is a first-year at Connecticut College; and the youngest, Rachel, entered high school. Sarah gets together regularly with CATHY ALLEN ABBOT ’78. ANNE GRANGER WINCHESTER visited friends in Ireland and England last summer. She says, “I can’t begin to recount the wonderful adventures we had in Castletownshend, Ireland, as well as in Woolacombe and Budleigh Salterton, England.” WREN WITHERS , a software tech writer, visited KATHY FALKENBERG SEE at her Colorado home, where Wren was treated to a peek into the country life. They visited the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Sec., Sandy MacGregor O’Brien, 70 Apple Blossom Lane, Lynn, MA 01904, [email protected] 1978 Lots of interesting connections (and some unsettling events as well) going on with our class this time. Facebook (via CATHY ZEMAN SCHEINESON ’79) brought out the connection between our son, Adrian, in his senior year and co-captain of Brown University’s squash team, and Chip, first-year son of MARGOT STEINBERG LEBOVITZ ’79. I had met Chip while at Brown’s parents’ weekend last fall. So, that brings me to the topic of social networking: What do you think about it? Are we more connected or less? Do you prefer social networking on the Internet or in person, or . . . ? After 13 years, JUNE ALMENOFF decided to leave her role as vice president at GlaxoSmithKline to work in a small, publicly traded pharmaceutical company. She is now president and chief medical officer of Furiex Pharmaceuticals. She loves the new role and is very optimistic about the company’s future. Her older son, Andrew, graduated from Duke University last spring and is now in graduate school in economics there. Her younger son, Robert, started his first year at Harvard. Her husband, Allen Kindman, is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and practices cardiology near Durham, NC. They will celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary this year! CELESTIA (BETH) LINDECKE KOHL sends in this news: “Russ and I are well and happy in Wilton, CT. We love traveling to Boston regularly to see Max (Trinity ’10), who recently moved there, is working in e-commerce, and loving the post-college urban life. It reminds me so much of moving to New York City in June of 1978 and all the fun we had. Also, we have many happy memories watching Celia (Harvard ’13) row on the Charles River; I have told the story many times of how we rowed at the Head of the Charles in our cotton Champion shorts and yellow basketball pinnies in wooden boats—not a speck of spandex. It remains an exciting sport, and I hope to get back in a boat in the sprint. I am working with USRowing to bring in corporate financial and marketing support, and I am launching a new consultancy, Open Water Group, which is working on women’s health and sports initiatives. The best part of going to Boston is reconnecting with LISLE MERRIMAN HALL and MELANIE CALZETTI-SPAHR and reliving our Northrop days. Too much fun.” ALETA BORRUD shares, “I was very excited by geology, oceanography, and the new theories of plate tectonics when we were at Smith. But I got distracted by sociology, and through a long, convoluted path, I ended up as a physician.” JAN VAN DER VOORT PORTMAN sends in this news: “Hoping to cross paths with LISA BOE MASON ’77 sometime, as she lives in Big Timber, MT. It’s a hike from our place in the Blackfoot Valley, near a tiny town called Ovando, but perhaps we will cross paths out there. Our place is small compared to some of the neighboring ranches but big enough to lease out for cows and some hay and some hunting. The conservation and economic issues are big and interesting in that part of the world. We are working with the state and the University of Montana on stream restoration, best forestry practices, weed control, and wildlife reintroduction (trying not to get caught up in the wolf debate right now but did get to release a trumpeter swan over the summer). Our youngest, 16, went to Interlochen Arts Academy High School last fall— early empty nesting for us.” Here are a few reminders for you: Please send any address changes directly to the Alumnae Association or make the changes yourself in the online Alumnae Directory. Also, please contact ANNIE DE GROOT, class Fund agent, about hosting a Fulfill the Potential event. You may contact Annie via the 1978 Smith College Facebook Page. There are several events that need hosts for 2011 to meet our goal of raising $100,000. Your news is always welcome. Thank you all for taking the time to share your news with us. Sec., Stephanie Urban, 2560 South Garfield Street, Denver, CO 80210, [email protected] 1979 LEE CRAWFORD has been part of a team working with the clergy and lay leaders of the Episcopal Church of Haiti. Three of four conferences were held in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, where the Haitians could rest and be in a safe and nonchaotic place. The team, sponsored by CREDO of the Church Pension Group, has tackled topics such as post-traumatic stress, triggers, loss and grief, working in a “new normal,” team building, and how to observe the anniversary of the event. Lee has been in charge of all liturgy and workshops on spirituality. She was chosen for her pastoral experience and fluency in Spanish and French. Lee and her partner, Anne Brown, finished walking the 273-mile Long Trail that runs south to north over the spine of the Green Mountains in Vermont. Last August, after a phenomenal 35-year mini-reunion with Geneva women friends from school, JENNY STAUFFER visited with JENNY GROSVENOR ’80 in Stowe, VT. Jenny has two children in college instate, and a 10th grader “in morph” to young adulthood. She has been in Georgia for 20 years. After eight years solo, she celebrated four years in a committed relationship. Her work in state government’s aging services continues to provide opportunities to do more with less to support elders in quality living, independence, and community living. Jenny would love to hear from Smith friends. Last August, SUSAN JANSEN and 17-year-old daughter Hadley climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. The climb was inspired by Susan’s mother, ELIZABETH HOLT JANSEN ’49, with whom Susan had a similar experience in Asia many years ago. They dedicated the climb to Jansen Hospice and Palliative Care, an organization founded by Susan’s mother. Susan and Hadley also coordinated a fundraising program using Facebook: Climb for Care. KATE SIEGEL OLENA spent 27 days in Kyoto, Japan, studying the ancient art of Noh theater with three masters of the art. She reports it changed her life! Her ensign son married another ensign last June. His Annapolis sponsor, SANDY GROSVENOR, spent her one free weekend (from judging sailing races and competing in triathlons) with the Olenas in Alexandria, VA. MICHELLE JARUSIEWICZ from Hopkins B writes, “Just returned a few days ago from my first trip to Smith for family weekend as a parent. My oldest daughter, LAUREN COWING ’14, is enjoying her first semester in Cushing. I don’t remember things like slip and slide in the hallway or a Quad food riot . . . but I had a wonderful time enjoying the campus, the theater production Polaroid Stories, and Northampton!” A news bit in the Quarterlyy inspired MARY GIFFORD LOCKER to reconnect with Smith friends through Facebook. Mary has been married to Karl, a Notre Dame grad, for 20 years; they have four children. She homeschools the youngest three, which keeps her very busy and happy. After graduating, Mary went to Washington, DC, and worked for a Texas senator for two years. Back in Texas, she migrated to the high-tech field. She married, moved to Dallas for 10 years, and worked for Mobil until baby No. 3 finally made her listen to her yearnings to stay home and concentrate on the kids. Mary earned a master’s in theology and occasionally gives a talk around town. She is happily back in the Austin area, sort of out in the country yet not too far from megashopping (for the teenage girls in the family). She says, “Please visit if you ever get close!” CHERYL FROMULARO SPEAR left the management world behind to follow a dream and write. For the first time in more than 30 years she spent the summer at home (with her 16-yearold daughter), lazed by the pool, did sporadic yard work, and drank good wine without worrying about the rat race. Cheryl says, “The book is almost done. I found myself in a job that I did spectacularly well, surrounded by awful people, and I was working my feet off. I was bone tired all the time, my kid never saw me, and my dogs were neurotic. Hell, I was neurotic. I live in a lovely place, and never had time to enjoy it. I reconnected with friends, went dancing, listened to good music, and generally learned to relax again. Life is good here in Gulf Breeze, FL.” DONNA LEE renewed her commitment as an oblate of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA, and renewed her acquaintance with a stepsister she hadn’t seen in more than 30 years. She works for the Autism Society of Maine and is training to be a hospice volunteer. She continues as a lector, sacristan, and extraordinary minister at her parish church in Ellsworth, ME. “Four weddings and a funeral” has been SUE HOAG BADEAU’s theme since her last Quarterly update: Four children got married in a two-year span. Each of the weddings was unique, personal, and reflective of each bride and groom, she says. Sue’s mother died of leukemia, and son Dylan died on his 24th birthday on Sept. 9, ’10. Between the weddings and funerals, Sue has been working on issues in foster care, traveling throughout the country training social workers, lawyers, and judges on issues of youth development, importance of lifelong family connections, and the impact of trauma on the development of infant brains. Her youngest son turned 20. Her flock now includes 30 grandchil- dren and four great-grandchildren. Her 9-year-old granddaughter performed in the Pennsylvania Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. r Sue travels and would like to have dinner with a Smith sister. As for me, your class secretary, my daughter is a senior at SUNY Geneseo, and my youngest son is a firstyear at West Point. Sec., Elaine Eatroff McConnell, [email protected] 1980 ANNE FRANCES BLEECKER and her daughter, Anne, spent Thanksgiving week with MARY TROY BERNARD JOHNSTON and her daughter, Bri, in Park City, UT. JENNIFER BROWN MITTEREDER’s husband, Dave, recently launched his new business, ShipShapeUSA, which sells Christmas stocking-shaped mailing boxes. Jennifer is helping out with marketing and public relations. Kudos to CARRIE COLEMAN STRASBURGER, about whom there is an article in this issue (page 34) featuring the math curriculum she is writing. Don’t miss it! GINNY DOTY WOLF recently launched her new business, a theatrical company called Herstory Theater. Her first production, Panic in Connecticut: Accused Witches Have Their Say, is a one-woman show that Ginny wrote, produced, and performs. She has a weekly radio show on Connecticut arts and entertainment, a budding voice-over career, and gives tours at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. Daughter Annie is doing an internship at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, FL, and son Alex is a junior at Western New England College, majoring in communications. ANNE EATON enjoys working for a Rolls-Royce and Goodrich joint venture, which offers all the benefits of a small company with the backing of two respected corporations. Her sons are scattered: William is in Park City, UT; Chris is finishing a graduate assistant program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff; and youngest son David is at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Wisconsin and starting the college process. She also has three stepsons. SARALEE (TAFFY) FRENCH ETTER, husband Terry, and son Clayton live near Columbus, OH, where she has started working part-time as a communications coordinator at Central Ohio Technical College; it fits in nicely with her other part-time job of writing articles for local weekly papers about the public school district. Taffy’s dream is to have a career as a fiction author. HEATHER GRADY shares, “The organization I’ve been with since 2005, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, founded by former Irish president Mary Robinson, is coming to its planned end, and I Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 79 alumnae update have taken on a new role at the Rockefeller Foundation as vice president of foundation initiatives. It’s a position of great scope and depth, and I’m already greatly enjoying it.” Heather’s daughter Jemana is in her sophomore year at Reed College in Portland, OR, and younger daughter Amina is a sophomore at Friends Seminary in New York. ELLEN GREENSPAN’s daughter is in the throes of applying to colleges (first choice is Pitzer, near Los Angeles). Ellen adds, “Her high school has brilliantly done away with second-semester classes during senior year—that semester we all know to be a big waste, anyway. Kids have the choice of going on the school’s program to Israel for three months or doing a supervised internship at home. My daughter is very excited about going to Israel, and I am excited to be visiting her in April during her spring break.” CYNTHIA (CAL) LESCALLEET LOKKEN and husband Roald are adjusting to having launched the second of three children off to college. Daughter Erica graduates from Tufts University this year, son Neil is a first-year at Northwestern University, and high schooler Elaine is still at home. Cal’s job as features editor and columnist continues to shift from conducting interviews of interesting people to being deskbound for information processing. MELANIE HASTINGS LIGHT’s documentary photography nonprofit, Fotovision, recently invited SANDRA ROSEN ’87 to join its board. As a fundraiser for the organization, Melanie released the publication of a special-edition boxed set of Beatles photographs done by Stephen Goldblatt. At press time, it was nearly sold out. AMY MACDONALD’s son, Benjamin, is a first-year at Bates College, his first choice, and could not be happier. Amy has commiserated with numerous classmates about the college-selection process, a challenge for many of us. She regularly sees CATHERINE EMMONS and JEAN CUMMINGS ’81 at her book club. ANNE NYGREN DOHERTY signed the lease on a black-box theater in the Union Square area of San Francisco. Her company, Not Quite Opera Productions (she is artistic director), does original musical theater and shows that are not quite opera in an intimate theater setting, which she says appeals to locals and tourists alike. Her daughter, Elizabeth, 15, attends the Drew School in San Francisco, while son Trevor, 19, is a junior at the Juilliard School. ANORA SUTHERLAND happily reports that she is co-authoring Social Media for Business with Martin Brossman. As a micropublisher, she is also working on two print-on-demand publications: Grey Fox Wilderness Stories by wilderness mentor Andy Smith, and Media Ready, Media Savvy by media expert and writer Alison Hill. Enjoying a mini-reunion in Philadelphia are class of ’82 Friedman apartment complex roommates, back row, Lettie Moses Carr and Francene Hill, and front row, Robina Gumbs and Annette CatoMiller. Anora’s son Jason graduated from college this past December. She adds, “My husband, Martin [McGaha], is my partner in exploring the new edges of technology with me. Facebook is weaving the disparate parts of my life together.” AMY LORD WILKINSON made the move to the nonprofit world two years ago as a grant writer helping to raise money for Domus, the largest social service organization in Stamford, CT. She notes, “Our 800-plus program participants are the youth that others do not want to serve, as these kids have severe academic, social, and emotional challenges. Through two charter schools, after-school programs, a community center, and two residential group homes for boys, Domus brings hope and help to those who need it the most and have the least resources.” Amy’s son, David, is working at Beacon Capital Partners as an acquisitions analyst, and her daughter is attending Boston University’s master of arts in the medical sciences program in the hopes that it will pave the way to medical school. Thanks, everyone, for sending in your news. Keep it coming! Sec., Eda Martin Joyce, 3909 Blackthorn Street, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, [email protected] 1981 We are quickly approaching our— gulp!—30th Reunion, so we hope you are making plans to return to Northampton and encouraging your pals to do the same. Many of you wrote to us saying that you will be there. Reunion chair DONNA FETTUCCIA TEMPLETON writes, “Mark your calendars for May 19 to May 22 to renew, revive, and reunite back at Smith,” and she encourages you to look for classmates on Facebook: Smith College Class of 81, or on Wordpress: Smith Class of 81. Donna and her team will be reaching out to you through many different avenues as we get closer, so please start making plans to come. Class president IVY LINDSTROM FREDERICKS writes that she recently 80 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 enjoyed a mini-reunion with NATALIE RIZZO JOHNSON, DONNA ATTANASIO, and MARJORY ZAIK in New York City, where they celebrated Marjory’s selection as a master teacher and turnaround teacher of English in the New York City school system. Marjory, who now teaches at Automotive High School in Brooklyn, was identified as an “exceptional educator” based on her 11-year teaching record in New York. Also working in secondary education, MARGOT RILEY reports that she is in her 23rd year of working in this field, having spent the last 18 years at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, ME. Margot completed her CAS degree through the University of Maine in 2010, while also working as a chief financial officer at Lincoln for the last five years, a position that she found to be a “real roller-coaster ride.” Margot adds, “All that work in design at Smith paid off after all,” as she has designed her own home and is now at the end of a “two-year journey in home construction.” Following a career in school administration, JOANNA PARKER EVANS continues in her second year in the admissions office at the Storm King School in New York. Joanna’s family is currently spread across four schools in four states. Husband Michael is at the Indiana University School of Journalism, and their twin sons are each high school seniors, one at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, and the other at the White Mountain School in New Hampshire. Last summer, Joanna and her family enjoyed a vacation in Iceland filled “with adventures such as snorkeling in the valley where the North American and European tectonic plates come together, whitewater rafting, hiking, soaking in hot springs, kayaking, and whale watching.” Joanna hopes to make it to Reunion despite a hectic calendar of travel and graduations. After 22 years of working at Bates College, BETH SHEPPARD has a new job as director of development at the Cedars, a nonprofit community for senior citizens in Portland, ME. MARTHA WALLACE THOMAS reports that her daughter, EMILY THOMAS ’14, is enjoying her first year at Smith and singing with the Smithereens. Martha was able to enjoy “the wonderful traditions that continue to be carried on at the college” when she joined her daughter and the Smithereens at an informal gig during Family Weekend when they sang “Softly.” SUSAN GOODMAN NOVICK and husband David spent last spring semester in Metz, France, where David taught at a Georgia Institute of Technology campus. While abroad, Susan participated in an “Among Women” trip of Seven Sisters alumnae to Bangladesh and India in January, after which she visited KATE BULKLEY in London. The Novicks also traveled for three weeks to the French Alps, Brittany, and Normandy before returning home, where Susan continues to run an archival consulting business. JULIE METZ writes that she is now living in Brooklyn, NY, with her family, focusing more on writing since the publication of her memoir, Perfection (Hyperion, 2009). She continues to work as a graphic designer and artist and “recently reconnected with classmates from Hubbard House and Hover House.” JANICE JULIAN writes that she has been enjoying her work with Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries in Boston for six years and continues to live on Revere Beach. She has been battling end-stage kidney failure, and says that with an eventual kidney transplant forecast, she has become more health conscious and has lost 47 pounds, walking three miles a day. Finally, we note with sadness the passing of AMY DOPPELT in Dec. ’10 after a valiant two-year battle with cancer. Please look for Amy’s obituary in the next issue. As we approach our 30th Reunion in May, please reach out to other classmates, especially those you may not have seen or talked to in a while, and encourage them to make the trek back. Old friends, new friends, or just little-known acquaintances—let’s make this journey together, sharing our stories and our joys as well as our tears. We have all come a long way since 1981—let’s celebrate together who we have become in those 30 years and the importance of our Smith connections. Looking forward to it. Faithfully, your class secretaries. Sec., Mary Louise Wagner, 5458 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20015, marylouisewagner@aol. com Sec., Gigi Pooley Helliwell, 620 Lafayette Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, [email protected] 1982 Greetings from your class co-secretary NANCY DAVIS O’HARA. “I crossed the 50-year finish line in June, glad to have made and seen the day. My hus- band, John, and I drove 2,300 miles from Las Vegas around the Grand Circle through Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, visiting the Grand Canyon and just about every national and state park, monument, and point of interest along the way. The Red Rock Country scenery is magnificent and breathtaking (literally, coming from Rhode Island and being at elevations of up to 9,000 feet above sea level, we did experience mild altitude sickness). I thought long and hard about putting back on my geology hat, staying out West, and becoming a park ranger!” LISA CAVALEA KLINEFELTER, husband Ken, and sons Cameron, 10, and Chad, 14 (and already 6 feet 1 inch tall), got together and had a wonderful day with JANICE LAPOINTE at Tanglewood in Massachusetts for a picnic and the James Taylor and Carole King concert on July 4. Lisa writes, “After a 27-year stint, I was outsourced from AT&T in Feb. ’09 and have since been with Accenture, working on the AT&T account. I still have an office in White Plains, NY, but love working mostly from home in Bethel, CT.” SHAWNA LLOYD MULLEN and JANE CURTIS NIEUWBOER ’83 met over the summer in Chicago and again in York Village, ME. Shawna says, “We had a wonderful time eating lobster and reminiscing, particularly laughing (for some reason) about shared college phones kept on long tethers in the hallway. My daughter, Isabelle, is now 15 and loves photography and tennis, taking after her father in all things. I am finishing a master’s degree in communications management at Simmons College, working for a nonprofit and loving it.” PAMELA PADDOCK writes, “My twin children, Katherine and Samuel, are in third grade at the Calhoun School in New York City. I continue my position as a senior vice president in corporate solutions with Jones Lang LaSalle. My client is Pfizer, where I am part of the senior leadership team delivering real estate services to a 13-million-squarefoot global portfolio. When not busily pursuing weekday life in New York City, we head to our home in Connecticut to relax a bit.” ERICA FRANK is having an amazing time with her nonprofit, Health Sciences Online, and writes, “We are currently helping to start and sustain schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, public health, and speech-language pathology in the Caribbean, China, Colombia, India, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa, and Zambia. Our global launch for a health sciences university in 2012 will have at least six residency programs; 30 medicine, public health, nursing, and dentistry courses and rotations; and three master’s degrees— all high quality, community-based, and free. We have some Smithies Class of ’84 friends, from left to right, Cari Kelly Grundman, Susan Zilling Albright, and Anne Tobian Berman at Susan’s wedding. involved, but we’d love more.” SUZI SCHIFFER PARRASCH, ELYSE LAZANSKY, and ELIZA BUSCH BARGE figured the best way to mark their 50th birthdays would be to do it together and to raise a glass of really good red. Suzi writes, “In August, Elyse and I flew from New York to San Francisco, where Liza whisked us up to Napa for three days of bliss. We stayed at the guesthouse on the Dutch Henry Winery estate, talked nonstop, laughed hysterically (especially at photos of Gardiner House mixers), raised multiple glasses of wine, ate incredibly well, took a magnificent bike tour of seven small vineyards (on mercifully flat ground, given all the tastings), and generally luxuriated in the fact that we had accomplished our goal and gotten a mini-break from our families (much as we love them).” SARAH DUFFY Y writes, “My twin brother and I threw ourselves a party at our parents’ place on Lake Champlain in Vermont. Family and old friends, including ALICIA VLACHOS WYMAN, gathered on a warm, sunny July 3 to enjoy swimming, boating, yard games, fireworks, and karaoke! It was a blast, but somewhat bittersweet because we know our aging parents will have to move from there in the near future.” CHRIS DESHLER writes, “I celebrated my 50th birthday last October in a big way: on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain and the fourth highest of the world’s seven summits. After climbing for eight days, I reached the 19,340-foot summit on my actual birthday feeling strong and healthy—proof that I am more fit at 50 than I ever was in college.” Class co-president KATHARINE SWIBOLD writes, “SUZANNE KOURY BRAG’s family put on a fabulous 50th bash last August in Westport, CT, where I had an absolute blast with CAROLYN BUNN STEWART, MARY BETH SIPOS, CYNTHIA COPELAND, OLGA SCHLUGER PRINCE, FRANCISZKA MONARSKI, and ELIZABETH SHAW. I continue to enjoy working in the development office at Barnard in New York City. It is an adjustment to be working full-time again outside the home and commuting into the city, but with my son, Adam, a junior at Skidmore (an American studies major), and daughter Hannah, a senior at Sleepy Hollow High School (in the throes of college applications), it was time to go back to work full-time. Plans for our 30th Reunion are in full swing for May ’12; I look forward to another great time on campus with as many classmates as possible!” ELIZABETH (LIBBY) SWEARENGEN CERULLO writes, “I participated in the current middle-aged female cliché by getting a Triumph Speedmaster motorcycle for my 50th birthday. When home, my husband and I ride the rolling hills of pastoral Pennsylvania near Lancaster, and we recently rented Harleys for a ride from Phoenix to Sedona, AZ. Our next is a trip from Naples to Key West, FL. And no, my motorcycle is not red. Here’s to the great adventure!” Many thanks again for news, and stay well. Sec., Nancy Davis O’Hara, 17 Merrill Road, Cranston, RI 02920, [email protected] Sec., Jody Brockelman Tolan, 1591 Oakdale Street, Pasadena, CA 91106, [email protected] 1983 JILL SPRUNG ALEXANDER ’83 writes that she has “finally joined Jay in London for our three-year stay. We live in central London, two blocks from the South Kensington Tube station, with room for guests. So, any Smithies in London, please e-mail me. We are keeping our house in the Washington, DC, suburbs. Casey is still loving Colorado College and all the activities that the Rockies have to offer. Allie loved her fall semester in London as a first-year.” “The Smith College network continues to be wonderful,” notes DEBORAH SPEER WATSON, who has certainly seen a lot of alumnae. She writes, “As a Wells Fargo managing director working with large corporate clients in the Pacific Northwest, I find myself traveling more since the Wachovia merger. On a trip to New York City, I enjoyed breakfast with FLORIE SEERY just hours before she launched the preview of the play The Pitmen Painters. JULIE GLICKSTEIN RUVKUN ’82 and I had two lovely dinners together in New York City last year, and she brought the whole family out to visit the Seattle area. Last June, SUSAN PODMAYER MCGLEW visited with her family and did a comprehensive tour of our beautiful region. All three of those Smith women have successful daughters in college now. JULIE BOLZ and I secured a lunch date when she was dropping off her nieces and nephews for Camp Orkila on the same day that my daughters, Emily, 12, and Kendra, 10, were going. BETSY MINDEN ’78 and I recently strategized over lunch on how to recruit an engineering candidate we know for Smith. I heard from LIBBY COLE MIHALKA ’82, who is juggling a successful investment management business and a high-energy son in kindergarten. LUISA MOTTEN has made time for some fun travel. SARAH HARTWELL PENNYWITT and I recently worked together on several large client proposals. I enjoy seeing MARTHA PHELPS ’87, president of the Seattle Smith club, at the activities that our seventh-grade daughters share.” JANE CURTIS NIEUWBOER is happy that friend SHAWNA LLOYD MULLEN ’82 unearthed her through the Smith network a couple of years ago. She writes that they went to York Harbor, ME, for some important girl time, awash in lobster and steamers and a surfeit of butter. Jane says, “At home, I am living at the edge of all things empty nester, having waved my daughter off last summer to a database systems management job in the Netherlands (where we lived years ago), while trying to gently compel my son to finish his college applications, quick. (He is playing Tony in West Side Story, so I am proud even as I am pushy.) It is a strange and wondrous place to be in life, with new beginnings, not only for them but also for me, as I ponder what I might like to do next. My husband and I plan to stay and enjoy Chicago for at least a few more years, despite the inevitable forecast of endless winter. Never let it be said that I was made soft by so many years living in the South!” After completing a master’s in public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University, SILVANA SOLANO has been working for the last 12 years in Washington, DC, at the Office of Management and Budget. She writes, “It has been a fascinating and sometimes disillusioning view of the intersection of policy and politics that is at the heart of the federal budget process. I’ve been spending some time thinking about how to get more ‘life’ into the ever-elusive work-life balance conundrum which plagues so many of us today. As part of a muchneeded extended break from work this past summer, I enjoyed a short, Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 81 alumnae update impromptu trip to Northampton, visiting with old friends and touring the Smith campus while it was still quiet before the arrival of students. I particularly enjoyed viewing EMILY EVELETH YOUNG’s exhibit of her fabulous paintings and drawings of doughnuts at Smith’s Museum of Art—‘Luscious’ indeed.” JULIE BARNES is completing a postdoctoral program in psychoanalysis at New York University this spring. She received her clinical psychology doctorate in the ’90s, and has had a private practice in Greenwich Village in New York City ever since. She writes that she and her husband bought a “handyman’s special” house for weekends in Long Island, and they are up to their ears in renovations. She is looking for a new teaching gig due to the closure of her local hospital, St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, where she taught and supervised young psychiatrists for 12 years. She writes, “It’s a terrible loss for me personally, as it was not only my local hospital, but also my intellectual home.” We were glad to hear from NATHALIE ROOS FORSTER for the first time since graduation! Here are 25 years in a nutshell: “I married my college sweetheart, Kevin, and we have two children. We live in Freeport, ME. My daughter is Emily Forster ’12. She loves Smith and is currently in Geneva for her junior year abroad. My son, Benjamin, is a senior in high school, making his way through the college application process. After Smith, I earned my master’s degree in immunology from the University of Southern Maine, and have worked in the biotech industry for the last 20 years. I am the product development manager at Maine Biotechnology Services in Portland. We are an antibody discovery company, and I have the privilege of heading up our research and development group and collaborating with distinguished researchers in the development of antibody reagents. I have one of the best jobs imaginable! I have remained in contact with RUTH MURPHY, MARIA SHELZI DEL RIO ’81, ANNE HAFER ’85, and REBECCA WOODINGS ’83. Anne and husband Mike, daughter Abby, and son Larkin came to visit us last summer as Larkin started his college search. Has time really passed by this quickly? Would love to hear from any of my Haven/Wesley friends!” Thanks to everyone who contributed; please think about writing soon if you haven’t recently. And thanks to classmates for all of their warm wishes to me (Shirley) about Rally Day. Sec., Carole Murko, [email protected] Sec., Shirley Sagawa, [email protected] 1984 Happy spring! I have lots of news to share, so let’s get right to it! 1985 At a family gathering in the Adirondacks are three generations of Smith women. From left to right are Caroline von Herrmann ’14, Katharine von Herrmann ’11, Anne von Herrmann ’91, Mary von Herrmann ’85, and Mary Turner von Herrmann ’52. First up is news from my good friend She writes that she is continuing to enjoy her time off, spending the better part of six weeks last fall in Europe visiting friends and family, returning just in time to watch the Giants win the 2010 World Series. She is looking forward to a Presidents’ Day weekend minireunion with Smith friends from the class of ’86: AMANDA FOOTE SCHMIDT, HEIDI WEITZ SIEGEL, and DEBORAH WESS, while also starting to scheme about a trip to New Zealand. She says she is not yet feeling the urge to find a job. ROBIN LLOYD writes, “I am now the news editor, online, for Scientific American—a really fun job. And I was elected to the board of the National Association of Science Writers. I spent a day gallivanting around New York City last summer with SUSAN BECKER AZIZ. We had a marvelous day and talked until we were hoarse.” MARIA DUBECK MCGRATH shares the following news: “I always have thought that Smith prepares you for anything and everything: I have been a travel agent, a stay-at-home mom, and am now a reading specialist in a public middle school. (I did get my master’s in education in Philadelphia.) My daughter is a sophomore at Clemson University, and my boys are 15 and 13 and preparing for the college application process. My hope is that everyone can follow their dream and find their passion.” At press time, LINDA ACHEY KIDWELL was planning to travel to Pasadena, CA, for New Year’s Day to watch her daughter, Tracy, march in the Tournament of Roses Parade! Tracy plays the baritone in the Wyoming High School All State Marching Band. She says, “True, it’s marginally news about me, but I’ve been a huge fan of the parade my whole life, so I’m pretty excited!” JULIE GRANT returned to the United States for a State Department assignment in Washington, DC, following 15 years of consecutive overseas assignments. The most recent tour was in Melbourne, Australia, where she served as deputy consul general. As work permitted, she welcomed visitors, including her Smith suitemate SHERRILL MAC DONALD LAVAGNINO. 82 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 DEBORAH GLIKIN ’85. Julie also ran into other Smithies in Australia, including US Consul General JUDITH RYAN FERGIN ’73, who is currently the US Ambassador to Timor-Leste. CARI KELLY GRUNDMAN sends greetings from New Hope, PA. “Can’t believe we’ve been here for 11 years already. Tom and I have two daughters, ages 16 and 11, and they keep us quite busy. Emily, our oldest, had a basketball tournament in a Chicago suburb last summer, and as luck would have it, it was in BETH KENNEDY KNIGHT’s hometown! Fortunately, Beth was just getting back from vacation, so we gathered at her parents’ house for a great dinner our last night there. In October, my younger daughter, Hadley, and I headed up to Connecticut for SUSAN ZILLING ALBRIGHT’s wedding to Shane Keegan. We stayed with ANNE TOBIAN BERMAN, who also attended the wedding with her daughters. It was a beautiful fall afternoon wedding, and a great party followed!” ELIZABETH NICOLOSI BETTINA was recognized at a huge gala in Washington, DC—the annual ball of the National Italian American Foundation. She was there with several Holocaust survivors who were saved in Italy. Elizabeth received fantastic recognition from the top official in the organization and the Italian ambassador to the United States for her book It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust. After the trailer from the documentary was played, more than 2,000 people gave her a standing ovation. Guests included Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia. Elizabeth also did two book signings at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. She writes, “It was quite a weekend!” Please continue to share your news. Along with your classmates, I look forward to reading each quarter about the myriad events—big and small—in your life. Sec., Debra Shaw Chromy, 2 Windsor Road, Somerville, MA 02144, [email protected] Sec., Yvette Malcioln, [email protected] Thanks for all of the great news! Please keep it coming; it’s great to hear from classmates. LAURA TREAT HARVEY enjoyed our 25th Reunion last May. Her work as a fundraiser keeps her busy, and she says she has found several enjoyable extracurricular activities to round out her life in Durham, NC. She is on the cultural advisory board of the City of Durham, the Mallarmé Chamber Players board, the committee for the Smith College Club of the Triangle, the Pauli Murray Project, and the Beloved Community fair and food drive at church. She has turned into a small-town girl and loves to make connections and get folks involved. ME’L CHRISTENSEN writes that she is still working as a professional firefighter in Washington State, but has started taking some science courses as she figures out her next career. Her knees and back don’t have too many more years left of dragging fire hoses and lifting patients. Her two junior high boys keep her hopping on her days off. KARLA KOPCZYNSKI TALANIAN had a great time at Reunion catching up with her old buddy DALE GERSBACH POKORSKI. She also enjoyed seeing ALICE HUBBARD, another member of the Gillett fifth-floor first-years. Karla lives in Harvard, MA, with husband Bob and teenagers Adele and Ed. Eldest daughter Karissa has already flown the nest and is now at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Karla’s time is divided between being a professional fitness trainer and serving on the board of trustees of the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School in Marlborough, MA. Class president SUZANNE MASRI works at WETA, the public television station in Washington, DC, as the senior director of station relations. WETA produces a wide variety of films, series, and specials, among them all of the Ken Burns documentaries. They recently aired Burns’ Baseball: The Tenth Inningg and look forward to airing Prohibition this fall. Their most exciting productions of late have been the “In Performance at the White House” specials, which showcase artists from a plethora of musical genres in concert for the president and the first family. Sadly, Suzanne never gets to attend the tapings; she just gets to market them to 350 public television stations. She tries to make time for travel and other fun diversions, and she hopes to join a community choir. She often catches up with JULIA KLARE BURR when Julia is on monthly business trips to Washington. ASHLEY DAVIS BUSH celebrated her 20th year as a psychotherapist. Her third self-help book, Shortcuts to Inner Peace, is being published this fall. She’s been living in southern New Hampshire for the past 14 years. She’s also happy to report that her newly blended family of five children is feeling like a real “smoothie” now. She is blissfully remarried and was lucky enough to have a monthlong honeymoon in Bali. Ashley’s oldest daughter is off to college in the fall. JUDY JOHNSON CAMPAGNARI writes, “Chris and I enjoyed our 15th wedding anniversary, and we celebrated by taking our first trip (without Emma) to Las Vegas. What a blast, but trust me, there’s a reason why they call it ‘Sin City’! Other than that, I’m enjoying my new role working in business development. I’m also enjoying serving as the Alumnae Association classes committee chair. I had an opportunity to go to Smith twice last fall for meetings. The campus looks as great as ever.” ALISON KENT lives in Richmond, VA, with husband Mike, son Thomas, 10, and daughter Eliza, 4. She recently changed employers after working for Hewlett-Packard for 20 years. She now works at Altria as a procurement manager. Alison is our class treasurer, so please send your class dues to her ($85 for five years), made payable to Smith College Class of 1985. You can find her address online in the Alumnae Directory. JACQUELINE GUIDARELLI-WU was thrilled to see her first-year roommate and lifelong friend, LORI WATERHOUSE ERWIN. Lori visited Jacqueline in Albany while visiting New York colleges with her third son, Luke. They had a great time catching up and spending time with Jacqueline’s girls, Allegra, 12, and Isabella, 10. TONI TROOP had a blast at Reunion, connecting with old friends and making new ones. She says the best part of raising money for the Smith Fund is the excuse to track down so many classmates and reconnect. It was a whirlwind summer: Two days after Reunion, Toni and her partner, Ilene, took Toni’s mom and Ilene’s parents on an Alaskan cruise. Then they took their niece to Montreal for her high school graduation trip. Her niece was off to Mount Holyoke in January, but she plans to take classes at Smith and hang out in Northampton. There’s plenty of Seven Sisters spirit where Toni works: One colleague went to Mount Holyoke, and Toni also works with CYNTHIA WILKERSON ’93. KATINKA MEIJERINK BRYSON lives in Scottsdale, AZ, with her husband and three of her five children: Andrew, 16; and Ian and Kate, 2-year-old twins. Her older sons, Michael and Tim, are in Chicago and Boston, respectively. Mike graduated in 2010 from the University of Michigan, and Tim is a sophomore at Northeastern University. Katinka has worked for State Farm Insurance for nearly 19 years and currently serves as vice president in the Great Western Zone. “I’d love to catch up with some old friends: MAUREEN RYAN-FRIEND, MARY WHALEN GANS, SHEILA Joining Marion Smith Marcucelli ’88 (center, blue dress) with her husband, Kai, at their baby shower are, from left to right, Rebecca Southard ’87, Ann O’Connor Hall ’86, Michelle Rhee ’88, Jane Smith ’91 holding son Howie, and Hilary Forbes ’89. PYOTT, ANNE WALLACE JUGE, AGNES BADDOO, MELISSA CHAMBERLAIN LEET ’86, and many more. Life has been so busy, staying in touch has been difficult, but I welcome the contact!” Please remember we’re online at www.smith85.com and on Facebook: Smith College Class of 1985. Please post news there, or contact me at the e-mail address that follows. It’s been great to hear from so many ’85ers; please keep the news coming! Sec., Ellen Heller Cohen, 308 West William David Parkway, Metairie, LA 70005, [email protected] 1986 ELIZABETH AMELKIN CAHN writes that she is working part-time as an adjunct lecturer at Bronx (NY) Community College in the health, physical education, and wellness department. Elizabeth teaches about health and wellness through dance and Pilates. She has two daughters, Cara, 11, and Anna, 9. She recently spent time at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health with GABRIELLE SILVER ’87. At press time, Elizabeth was looking forward to a visit from DEDE BLAKE-JOHNSON and her family. Sec., Mia Tanella, 1457 Gwynmere Run, Carmel, IN 46032, [email protected] 1987 NANCY BERGBOM NELSON writes, “I spent a fun ‘just for girls’ weekend in late September with my youngest at Girl Scout camp and met other moms and daughters. After two days of chatting with one of my cabinmates about the coincidence of her friend’s daughter being in the same first-year class with my oldest at Elmira College, we finally realized at Sunday breakfast that we were both Smithies from the class of ’87! Although SUZANNE HEBERT and I didn’t know each other 25 years ago, it was nice to meet a new Smith friend through our daughters. Maybe her Grace and my Annika will cross paths again—before they get to Smith!” LORI PAIGE shares that she is still serving as an assistant professor of English at American International College in Springfield, MA. “This year I’m chairing the library committee and directing the liberal studies program as well. On the side, I am writing sexy Gothic novels under a pen name (and even revising a few I started during my Smith years), and now have two in print (paper and e-book) with two more under contract for 2011. Life is busy, but rewarding.” DEBORAH JACKSON PEIRCE writes, “I continue to enjoy being a working mom in Chicago. After 13 years with Motorola, where I was given an opportunity to live and work in Beijing for three years, I’ve switched to health care and love the impact the company can make on saving lives. My two daughters, Morgan, 10, and Caitlin, 8, are energetic young ladies with developing interests and passions of their own, including reading and writing Chinese. I took Morgan last December to a Smith club of Chicago fashion-show event, and she had a great time. My husband, Grant, works from home and consults on valuesbased leadership. He is very active with a nonprofit, Health for Humanity, which takes him to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, twice a year.” JEANNE MCWILLIAMS BLASBERG sends a quick but exciting update: “My family and I recently moved to Zurich from Boston. We will be here a couple of years. We’re enjoying the experience so far and taking the opportunity to travel.” JILL BERKOWITZ-BERLINER says, “I don’t have any amazing news, just little achievements. I have unofficially dubbed myself ‘Queen of Foreign Body Removal’ after pulling out yet another piece of glass (or wood, or wire, or dog hair) from another foot, much to the patient’s amazement each time. I thought ‘goddess’ and ‘mistress’ weren’t quite right. My husband/partner in practice called me in on my day off, knowing I would be able to do it. Ah, the satisfaction of these little victories! I also repaired/ partly reupholstered my leather sofa myself (after some dog and cat damage), when the pros said it couldn’t be done without taking the whole cover off. Why do people ever doubt a Smith woman’s resolve?” MICHELE DISCO writes, “Last May, I finished my master’s in human genetics and am now working as a pediatric genetic counselor at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, NY, where I also live. Adjusting from freelance lighting design has been a big switch! I recently saw KIM BRICE, visiting from The Hague, and PASCALE GARROW, visiting from Paris, for a great night out, but we were missing HIRANTHI DE SILVA, who relocated back to Sri Lanka.” KAREN CARPENTER KLINGER is still coaching crew. Her son turned 7, and her husband, Bob, has been having fun playing with composite prototyping and repairing rowing shells. “I celebrated my 45th birthday (like the rest of the group) by taking a biking tour in Asia (from Saigon, Vietnam, to Bangkok, Thailand) with BETHANY BRIDGHAM ’85. Sec., Kathleen Pulsifer, 1121 Dorchester Street, Orlando, FL 32803, [email protected] Sec., Sharon Vaughn Williams, 5824 Tehama Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804, [email protected] 1988 First off, thank you to all who sent responses. We have a full column once again! Keep sending us your news. CHRISTINA MESIRES FOURNARIS submitted her first news since graduation. She lives in the Chestnut Hill part of Philadelphia with her husband (whom she met in law school) and her children, Tommy, 9, and Helena, 5. Christina is a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Philadelphia, where she has practiced law since graduating from Cornell in 1991. Christina’s focus is on estate, tax, and multigenerational wealth planning for highnet-worth individuals and family groups. She would love to hear from her Wilson House classmates. KIRSTEN HALL LONG recently took the plunge to self-employed consulting work after more than 12 years of conducting health economic research for large health-care organizations. She reports that she loves the increased flexibility and improved work-life balance. Kirsten had the great pleasure of seeing former Wilson roommates TONINA TOMLINSON BURNHAM, KAROL KAWAKY KAWIAKA, and CHRISTINA LEE KIM at their annual spring girls’ weekend on the Cape. Kirsten says, “Good food, wine, spa treatments, and time to just catch up in person can’t be beat for its restorative healing powers!” SHARMILA (MONA) GHOSH SINHA has been living in Hong Kong for nearly three years and enjoys being in Asia after more than 20 years in New York. Mona is involved in an exciting start-up venture with DURREEN SHAHNAZ ’89 to establish the first social stock exchange in Asia, Impact Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 83 alumnae update Investment Exchange (featured in the Fall ’10 issue of the Quarterly). Mona has parlayed her work experience in investment banking and marketing into social capital markets, which will make her economics professors proud! She heads the Smith club in Hong Kong and does tons of recruiting and alumnae engagements there, as well as in other areas of Asia such as India and Singapore. Mona was back on campus last October and says she was so impressed! On the home front, Mona has an 11-year-old son and twin 9-year-old girls (potentially future Smithies). She keeps in touch with many Smith friends via Facebook and chats with NORIKO SATO WARD and KATHY CHUNG COOKE on many occasions. CLARE CRONIN continues working at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, where her last exhibit, “State of Deception,” is still up. She is currently working on a new exhibit that will open in 2013. Clare reports that she is dealing with the various health issues that crop up after you turn 40, “some major, some minor.” However, she is still having fun in the Society for Creative Anachronism, which she says gives her an outlet for all of her artistic urges. Clare plans to attend our next Reunion. PRISCILLA MOSSMAN ROSS continues to live in Florence, MA, having married a “townie” after graduation. She has three children: Anna, 16; Sebastian, 15; and Theo, 11. Priscilla works full-time as a geriatric care manager for an elder law attorney, plays in a rock ’n’ roll cover band, and also founded and conducts the Florence Community Band. She still goes to Packard’s on occasion (where she met her husband, Robert), and reports that it has changed very little! Priscilla remains in touch with her firstyear roommate, SUSAN KAUFMAN, who lives just outside of Minneapolis with her husband and two beautiful boys, Javier, 3, and Mac, 2. Her sister, JANE MOSSMAN CLARK ’75, lives in nearby Wilbraham, MA. Sadly, Priscilla and Jane’s mother, DEBORAH ANDREWS BURCH ’51, recently passed away after battling Alzheimer’s disease. SARAH SMITH shared a “small-world moment” from San Francisco: It took Sarah two years to realize that her neighbor across the street, ABBY LEVINSON MARKS, is also a Smith ’88er. It turns out they sang in the Glee Club together under Theodore Morrison and even lived in Tyler House at different times! SHYAMA VENKATESWAR also writes for the first time with lots of news. She has been living in New York for the last 21 years, received her PhD in political science from Columbia, and married Tom Gold and has two beautiful children, Rohan, 9, and Naina, 5. Shyama works at a research and policy organization in New York that Gayatri Acharya ’90, Farah Pandith ’90, Deborah Singiser ’90, and Anjana Shakya ’91 enjoy a dinner together in Kathmandu, Nepal. focuses on gender issues. Her life is a crazy blur of a demanding career, subway commutes, children and their various activities, running a household, and work-related travel, plus annual vacations in India. However, she says she can’t imagine living anywhere else and in any other way! Shyama recently connected with a whole bunch of friends via Facebook, but keeps in regular touch with her dearest buddies from 150 Elm, JUDY CHUNG, AMY ALLEN , and INCA GHOSH, all class of ’90; and from Ziskind House, JAGTESHWAR GREWAL, and SMITA SRINIVAS, both class of ’91. MARION SMITH MARCUCELLI and her husband, Kai, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Ronin, last June. At the baby shower in May, several Boston-area alumnae were able to attend, including REBECCA SOUTHARD ’87, ANN O’CONNOR HALL ’86, and MICHELLE RHEE. HEIDI JOHNSON NOVAES writes that her daughter, ANNA NOVAES DE OLIVEIRA A ’11, brought back memories of Heidi’s old rooms at Smith when she described her room in Morrow: “The radiator sometimes sounds like there are little people with hammers inside of it. And then it hisses.” A Smith tradition! SUZANNE MCCORMACK recently got together in Boston with HO JIN CHUNG SOHN, who was in town visiting her sons. They had brunch with Suzanne’s mother, ANNE MCCORMACK AC ’88. Finally, your secretaries send you best wishes until our next column. Be well! Secs., Samantha Goldstein, Tracy Moretti Torrejon, and Lisa Perry Morales AC, [email protected] 1989 Dear class, thank you for all of your news! MEGAN WATERS, who works in Washington, DC, writes, “DONNA MILROD was in town, and JULIANNA SMOOT and I each ducked out from work midafternoon (only briefly, we swear) to catch up with her over drinks. We laughed about the unholy heat during our orientation week at Smith and tapped into memories of life before BlackBerries and iPads. Donna and I gamely (if foolishly!) entered into 84 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 a wager with Julianna about the outcome of the midterm elections.” We don’t have to guess who paid for the next round of drinks now! I was thrilled to hear from BARBARA CURRAN, who writes, “I am living in Geraldine, a small town of about 1,200 people south of Christchurch, New Zealand. I am teaching a 3/4 class (the equivalent of second and third grades) in a nearby elementary school. This is the youngest age group I’ve ever taught, and I love it! I’m also a team leader (sort of a middle management-type role) of my learning team. Although I’m a couple of hours away from the epicenter, I certainly experienced the 7.1 earthquake in Sept. ’10! I was woken with a jolt (literally), and spent the next couple of minutes clinging to the doorframe as the ground below me did a Jell-O impression. Because of the distance, it had a really rolling quality here. My friends in Christchurch had a much worse experience. Fortunately, there was no loss of life—compared to the quarter of a million plus in Haiti with a similar quake. This was a function of both luck (our quake struck at 4:35 a.m.) and the difference between the developing and developed world. Other than that, as I reached 40, I discovered that all exercise isn’t bad (and it beats the alternative). I take part in an aqua-fitness class in Geraldine and went to my first Zumba class. I’d love to hear from any Smithies heading ‘Down Under’—I’m a good tour guide!” I heard from JENNIFER NELSEN COLAO, whom I had seen briefly with her adorable children at Reunion in 2009. “This past year was a very difficult one for me. My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in July and passed away in October. I was fortunate enough to be with her every day during the last months of her life, but it didn’t make it any easier to lose her. I wanted to mark her passing in the Quarterlyy because she was the reason I attended Smith, and she loved it as much as I. In her ever-friendly way, she struck up a conversation with the alumna representing Smith at a college fair during the fall of my junior year in high school. She liked what she heard and suggested that I talk to the alumna as well, which ended with me being put on a list of students invited to meet some current Smith students at a tea to be held during Thanksgiving break. I was so impressed with those women that Smith became my first choice, sight unseen. The rest, as they say, is history. Perhaps because my mother never attended college herself, or because she struggled to raise two girls as a single parent, Smith’s commitment to women’s education resonated deeply with her. When retired and living on a small fixed income, she was always thrilled to be called by a current Smith student asking for a donation to the Parents Fund, and she always gave. Lucky me.” On behalf of our class, I extend our deepest condolences to Jennifer and will tell you all what I wrote to her: “Smith was a gift for all of us, and although most of us appreciate that, sometimes it takes a life event like this to truly understand the value of that gift.” Please don’t forget Jennifer’s story, and remember that it is through the generosity of people like her mother that we received our gift. Someone we haven’t heard from in a while, BARBARA KATTAU DAYTON, writes, “For the past several years, I have told myself that upon reading the Quarterly I would immediately go and send in a letter about what I’ve been up to, and now I am finally doing it! I am, today, inspired by an issue of the Quarterly featuring FARAH PANDITH ’90, and by seeing all the amazing things our fellow Smithies are up to: National government! Vaccines! It’s all so thrilling, and I’m pleased to vicariously enjoy their accomplishments. I find myself in a place that I never dreamed of while at Smith: married for 17 years to a fellow artist/musician, Peter, with two children, Aly, 8, and Freddy, 12, living in East Hampton, NY, and frankly, it really suits me. I am still a (sometime) painter; I’ve gone from playing guitar to playing drums (in a band called SpittinKitten—three moms rockin’ out to alternative/punky tunes); and I’ve taken up surfcasting and roller/ice hockey (inspired by my kids and husband, all hockey players). I stopped working when Aly was born and am just going back to it (real estate) on a very part-time basis. Life is good.” Thank you all for continuing to write in; please keep it up. As you can see, it is a great forum to reconnect and to support one another, and to honor those who are important to us. Best wishes to all. Sec., Marta Gutierrez van Dam, [email protected]. edu 1990 Only two submissions found me this quarter. Hopefully there will be more next time around. The class Website and class of 1990 Facebook page are great places to reconnect. I hope you 1992 will check them out if you haven’t already. CATHERINE PETERSON MECKLENBURG e-mails, “After three kids and a 10year hiatus, [I’m] happy to be working again as the co-founder of Edible Upcountryy magazine. The magazine’s mission is to put a ‘face on our food’ by telling the stories of local farmers, growers, and food artisans of upstate South Carolina. It’s been a wonderfully creative and positive process, and I’m having a lot of fun and eating way more vegetables.” Her magazine has extensive content available online. After working as a video journalist in Los Angeles and New York City for 15 years, KARIN THAYER shot and produced the feature-length City of Borders documentary, which premiered at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival and went on to win awards and screen on TV around the world. Since 2006, Karin has been living in the United Kingdom and working for the BBC and loving it. She had a long struggle with infertility, during which she “felt at a loss for a modern, efficient international online resource for support and reviews.” As a result, she created a Facebook page and a Website, Fertility Planit, for people worldwide seeking to get pregnant and make a family. The social network is for finding support, submitting user reviews about fertility products and services, shopping, and advertising services. Sec., Bridget Reeder Westhoven, 3601 Riverchase Court, Richmond, VA 23233, [email protected] 1991 Thanks for staying in touch. Please keep the updates coming. You can send all your news to me at the email address at the end of the column. CLAIRE ACASTER HEWITT writes, “After Smith, I went on to pursue a PhD program in biology at the University of Virginia. After a year in Virginia, I decided to return to Boston and work at the Massachusetts General Hospital doing biological research for the Cutaneous Biology Research Center. I was able to publish two biological papers before marrying my college boyfriend, Bill. After marrying in 1994, we moved from Newton, MA, to Manchester, NH, where Bill was employed as an attorney, and I became a stay-at-home mother. We now have four children: Caitlin, 14, was born in 1995; Thomas, 12, in 1998; William, 10, in 2000; and Meaghan, 7, in 2003. We moved to Collegeville, PA, in 2005, and we moved last July to Singapore. It has been quite an adventure in Singapore. We have been doing a lot of traveling and have been able to see many beautiful spots, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. I am very much enjoying Singapore, and continue to be a stayat-home mother. I am busy with the kids’ sports activities, volunteering Pictured in Puebla, Mexico, at the wedding of Carolina Ortega Barrales are class of ’96 friends, from left to right, Kyra Sanin, Katherine Johns, Natasha Pardo, Carolina, and Dana Lynch. at school, the American Women’s Association of Singapore, and playing a lot of tennis. We hope to do as much traveling as humanly possible in Asia while we are here. It’s a great opportunity for the kids to see a part of the world that not many can enjoy.” NANCY EARNSHAW KALLUSCH writes, “I started a new job in June and have completed my first quarter with Genentech, a biotech firm headquartered in San Francisco, and am actively working on the integration activities related to the acquisition by Roche, a pharmaceutical company. We visited family and friends over the summer, including BRYN WAGNER HANSON and CHRISTIE KING and their children. Our son, Max, turned 1 last November.” REBECCA FINLAYSON writes, “I am still an English professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, and a few years ago became the director of our writing program. In Nov. ’08, Marshall and I welcomed a third son, Julian; he joined Graham, now 10, and Evan, now 8. I’ve seen KERRI LAWNSBY-COMEY a few times when she was in town for art shows—she has a beautiful glassjewelry business.” ABBY HOWE-HEYMAN writes , “I stopped practicing as a midwife about two years ago. It was a fun run, and I had the pleasure of being the midwife to quite a few amazing Smith—and other Seven Sisters—alumnae, but I burned out on the hours and stress. In 2009, I became a professor of nursing at Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing and have had a blast teaching. At the same time that I was making my career move, my husband, Joe, was relocated to Los Angeles for work. We spent a year and a half with him commuting across the country before we decided to move the whole family to California. We made the move last July and have been enjoying the sun, the space, and being together. My kids, Ned, 9, and Delia, 7, keep me busy with their after-school activities, but I’m also doing some adjunct work for the nursing school, and consider- ing my next career step. I’m still in close touch with JENNIFER ORR, HEATHER MCHOLD, and PAVITRA RAJARAM, and I cannot wait to see them at Reunion!” HEATHER HATHWELL writes, “I am back to serving on the board for the Los Angeles Smith club and am pleased to be serving with JANE ABRAMOWITZ ’88, whom I had not seen since 1988 while living in Chapin House. I am still at the Ziffren law firm in the music department, and it never ceases to be interesting. On a personal note, I am absolutely thrilled to be reunited with a long-lost true love (June of 1984, just as I was graduating high school, and we parted ways over my first winter break at Smith), who to my surprise sought me out last year after 25 years of lost contact and absolute heartbreak (on both sides, it turns out). It goes so far beyond the film The Notebook, k and it is a real testament to hope, enduring love, and never giving up on ideals, as much as it speaks to the tragic consequences of unfounded resignation. We are now 16 more months into renewed bliss and peace.” JO ANN LEE YOON writes, “My most self-indulgent treat since having Mason, 8, and Xander, 6, is training for a triathlon sprint at the end of Aug. ’10. I set a goal to be the fittest I’ve ever been in my life at the age of 42, and I’ve done it! My most recent accomplishment is reaching 39.7 mph (going downhill) on my bike.” Call for volunteers: We still need help with Reunion planning. To volunteer, please e-mail class president JACKIE SHIELDS WONG at jswong714@ yahoo.com. Save the date: Reunion weekend is May 12–15. Watch for lots more info. Keep in touch with our class all the time. Join our group on Facebook: Smith College Class of 1991–20th Reunion, or follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/SC9120thReunion. And check out the class Website at http:// alumnae.smith.edu/smithcms/1991. Sec., Claudine Zap Friedberg, [email protected] Hello, class of ’92! Here’s the latest news from your classmates. ELIZABETH (BIZ) DANA A has been named president of the board of directors of Morningside Shelter in Brattleboro, VT. The shelter specializes in housing placement, offering ongoing staff support and life-skills development for both families and individuals. KARA MORIN gave birth to a daughter, Katherine, in June ’10. JESSICA FALVO writes in with her first update ever! She is a fine-jewelry specialist and stylist in New York City and has a line of estate jewelry at Barneys New York called Chartreuse. Jessica writes, “I am proud to say I just sold my first lesbian engagement ring.” She adds, “I have been riding out the recession, literally, by tooling around town on my gold 1950s Schwinn with my two pugs, gathering information for my blog. I have successfully resisted the roadkill allure of Facebook and am thus unsuccessful in keeping in touch with other Smithies, so please e-mail me. I did get to partake of quality time and cocktails with the ever-witty and super-cool JENN MAER ’93 on her way through New York on an East Coast speaking tour.” LARA SCHWARTZ D’AGOSTINO and her family have successfully relocated to DeRidder, LA, where they moved because Lara’s husband, an army doctor, was transferred from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, to Fort Polk, LA. Lara reports that they love it in their new home, and she is currently working on a documentary about army wives. JENNIFER KENISON writes, “It was a great party on May 1, ’10, in Virginia Beach, VA, when I married Charles Guido. We have regretfully (and temporarily) relocated to eastern North Carolina because of Chuck’s job, but I am thankful to have found a great new school and would love to hear from any Smith alumnae in the Onslow/ Carteret/Pitt county areas!” JENNIFER MCLELLAN writes that “life with two toddlers is crazy, so I am just now writing to announce the arrival of future Smithie Phoebe in Jan. ’09. She completes our family with big brother Nathan. I am now working in the urgent-care setting to have more time to spend with them.” I had a great, if short, visit with CLARE COLEMAN last November while she was in town for a conference. Clare also got to see KAARSTEN TURNER DALBY while she was in the Denver area. Finally, and sorrowfully, there is also some very sad news to share: KELLER POLLOCK passed away on Saturday, Oct. 30, ’10. Her obituary appears in this issue. Please continue to share your news by sending it to me at the e-mail address that follows. Also, join the class on Facebook; just search “Smith College Class of 1992” to find us. Your Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 85 alumnae update classmates would love to hear from you! Sec., Sara Metz, 9623 West 69th Place, Arvada, CO 80004, [email protected] 1993 CANDACE CREWS and her family moved to Krakow, Poland, from Fairbanks, AK, so her husband could conduct research during an academic sabbatical and so that their two youngsters could see a bit of the world. She homeschools the children and enjoys watching her son learn to read and her daughter explore European art because they take field trips in Krakow. Since 2004, TESS BARTON has been on the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Division. She is the director of the only pediatric HIV clinic in North Texas. She got married two years ago, and she and her husband live in Dallas with their three naughty cats. KAREN BARDSLEY was maid of honor at their wedding, which was held at the zoo. “The chimpanzees threw pebbles down the front of Karen’s dress, so as always, she was the life of the party!” writes Tess. Tess also does HIV work and medical missions in South Africa and Haiti. MICHELLE ELLIGOTT published an essay, “Modern Women: A Partial History,” for the Museum of Modern Art, where she is an archivist. Michelle is one of the curators of the Abstract Expressionist New York exhibition at the museum. SOPHIE GODLEY is teaching full-time at the Boston University School of Public Health following a six-year stint at the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts. She writes that having graduate students from Smith is wonderful. Her son, Leo, is now 7 and in first grade, and they have moved to rural Georgetown, MA. N. REBECCA TURNER makes her debut submission to the Quarterly: She lives in Northern California’s wine country, where she breeds and shows silky terriers and handles other breeds for their owners. One of her silkies is ranked third in the country. Rebecca has also started her own law practice, specializing in animal law. She recently had the pleasure of reconnecting with ANNA WATKINS PORTER ’92, another Gardiner House resident, at an East Bay Smith club potluck. CARYN HOUCK HEDERMAN and Rae welcomed their third son, Benjamin, into the world last October. She owns a health policy consultancy and serves on several nonprofit executive boards. ANEESA SEN-AKELA has earned a second master’s degree, this one in education. She lives in New York City and runs into Smithies all the time. She loves teaching, and is teaching privately while looking for a fulltime teaching position. She is deeply involved in the South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association of New York City (SALGA-NYC) and takes care of all support-related activities, including a peer counseling helpline for the South Asian LGBTQ population (the first of its kind in the United States) and a monthly support group. She lives with her partner. She says that while life is uncertain, it is good, with the skills she learned at Smith still serving as great resources. She would love to hear from friends from Sessions. STEPHANIE ACCONGIO DRAY’s debut paranormal romance novel, Poisoned Kisses, written under her pen name, Stephanie Draven, was nominated for the Reviewers’ Choice Award for best first series. She initiated and sponsored the Cleopatra Literary Contest for Young Women. Sec., Sarah Spikes, 59 Axminster Road, London N7 6BP, United Kingdom, [email protected] 1994 MICHELLE BYRNE had a busy year. She finished her anesthesiology residency in Birmingham, AL, and moved with her family to Pikeville, KY, where she accepted a position as a staff anesthesiologist. Michelle and her family also brought home two new daughters from Accra, Ghana, making their family officially too large for a minivan. JULIE BOWERS lives outside of Atlanta and is a pilot for Delta Air Lines. She and her husband were married on Aug. 5, ’10. They had a small courthouse ceremony in Georgia and then celebrated with their families in Pennsylvania. They both grew up in western Pennsylvania, but met in Georgia the old-fashioned way—online. Julie is still running marathons and finished her 11th one in Hartford, CT, last October. SHELLEY STREET was married on July 18, ’10. DIANA WETHERALL GERSTEL and her family live in Short Hills, NJ. She is still practicing with a large New Jersey law firm, but has switched practice areas from family law to product liability. SUS EWING BOELKE has a half-time contract at the University of Hamburg after nine years of freelancing. She has two daughters, ages 7 and 4. Sus volunteers as executive editor of the bimonthly magazine of the American Women’s Club of Hamburg. She is also working with MICHELLE PUCCI and MARCIA FRANZEN-HINTZE ’69 on setting up a club for both alumnae and locals interested in supporting the Smith JYA program in Hamburg. Anyone who is curious about this project should contact the group at [email protected]. ALLYSON BROWN is happy to report the newest addition to her family: Alex was born last year on Sept. 23. Big sister Madelyn, 3, is adjusting to her new status. 86 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 KIMBERLY MARSHALL ADAMS lives in Allentown, PA, with her husband, Eric, and two daughters, Lucy and Alice. Kimberly is a school social worker at an environmentally based charter school where her younger daughter attends kindergarten. RACHEL DAY VELARDE received two master’s degrees in music from Arizona State University in 1997. She teaches voice lessons privately through her company, Velarde Voice, performs with the Arizona Opera, and is part of the adjunct faculty for voice at Grand Canyon University. She is also the current president of the Valley of the Sun chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She has a fabulous husband who is an elementary school assistant principal, and two daughters, ages 6 and 9, who are hopefully future Smithies. ERIN MCMURRAY-KILLELEA has joined Blank Rome’s matrimonial practice group as an associate in their New York office. She and her husband have two children, Margaret, 3, and Thomas, 1. They are still living in Forest Hills in Queens, NY, and are contemplating a move to the suburbs. BRITTA THOMPSON PEJIC has spent the last year recording and producing a CD of songs she wrote and composed, Backyards That Weren’t There Before, which is available on iTunes. She also plays her original songs (and French favorites, too!) locally in a trio called Britta Pejic et Les Frenchmen. Britta has a 4-year-old son, Milan, and has managed to balance motherhood and home life with her latest avocation. SARA WEINBERG LAVER , husband Adam, and big sister Alana, 3, welcomed Noah last year on Oct. 15. They enjoy living, working, and playing in Center City in Philadelphia. MONTSERRAT COUGHLIN KIM and her family welcomed Nola on Sept. 27, ’10. Her big sister, Kerala, 4, is very excited and proving to be a good sister. In addition, they moved back from Hong Kong in Jan. ’09, and last December bought their first home in Montclair, NJ. They love living in Montclair and are really enjoying life back in the United States. ELIZA GARRISON is an assistant professor at Middlebury College, where she teaches courses on medieval and northern Renaissance art history. She and her husband spent the past academic year in Berlin, where Eliza completed a book manuscript. Eliza reports the following: LISA JACOB moved to Maine from Pennsylvania to be with her partner, Wayne, and she’s been working as an environmental consultant at Sanborn, Head & Associates in Portland. CATHERINE (KATE) SMITH married Michelle Grohe last summer; Kate is a paintings conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. ANNE LEONARD lives in Brooklyn, NY, where she is a tenured instruction and reference librarian at the New York City College of Technology. AMY ROGERS lives in Chapel Hill, NC, where she is a stay-at-home mother to her two kids, Coralee, 7, and Waylon, 2. She has started her own jewelry business, Coralee Designs, and sells her work locally. AVIVA MEYER GRASSO and BARBARA BELLEFEUILLE GUTIERREZ met at the Head of the Charles in Boston to cheer on the Smith eight and reminisce about the glory days of running down over the Coolidge Bridge to the boathouse in the early-morning hours of the early 1990s! Barb, KATIE MANTY, and JENNIFER MOGLIA met several times during 2010 at their monthly restaurant club. They patronize independent restaurants in eastern Massachusetts, and are always looking for new suggestions and new members. KRISTIN SEDGWICK CASTNER married Brian last year on Oct. 24 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. KATRINA LINCOLN YIP and JENNIFER KRASSY PEILER ’92 attended the wedding. If anyone needs a referral to a beautiful bedand-breakfast in Victoria, British Columbia, please contact Kristin. She is currently working for a small nonprofit government-relationsbased advocacy group in Boston, and received her master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University last May. Sec., Alexa Kontes, 32 Amsden Street, Arlington, MA 02474, [email protected] 1995 Due to our space constraints (and the fantastic turnout this month!), we had to winnow submissions down a bit. But your updates were so wonderful, we’ve posted many in full on our class Website at www.Smith1995. org (we will not post any personal information on the Website without approval), so please go check them out. Thank you all for writing in this time, and keep the updates coming. We loved hearing from you. GRACE LEE writes, “I’ve been living in New York City for the last decade, trying to be incognito and nesting in my garden apartment with my partner and dog while scheming to quit my second career in fashion and move out of the city. Anyone needs yarns, let me know: I have the world’s largest stash and it just keeps growing.” SUNG YUN lives in Hamden, CT, and has been married to husband David for 10 years. She works full-time at the Yale Peabody Museum in development and is raising four kids: Danielle, 7; Brian, 5; and twins Kali and Erin, 3. JENNIE ABBOTT ABBINGSOLE is thrilled to announce the arrival of George on Oct. 10, ’10. She says, “Janis was the ideal labor partner, and the midwives were worthy of all our trust. It was everything we could have wished for, and we are, of course, in love with George.” SADAF KHAN SHAMSHAD writes that she’s a stay-at-home mom of three living in New Jersey. PAIGE LEVIN graduated last July with an MFA in creative writing from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine, and she’s finishing her first novel. In June, Paige met up with SAMANTHA COKER in Manhattan for a girls’ weekend. On June 19, ’10, DERRY VOYSEY WADE and husband David welcomed daughter Mia, who joins big brother Tyler. After maternity leave, Derry began a new job as a communications manager for the Batten Institute at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. MEL HUDSON-NOWAK accepted a position at Bowling Green State University as associate vice president of student affairs, auxiliary services. Mel notes it’s strangely reminiscent of Smith days, including the occasional trip to the public library, although this time with two kids in tow. She recently celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary. KATIE GILLESPIE had a second boy, Bendigo, in Oct. ’09. Her family moved to Portland, OR, last September, and they love it. She started a new job, which has been going well, and a bonus is that it’s only a 10-minute bike ride from her house! LISA MALOOF happily pursues two favorite activities: Mysore yoga and writing during the wee hours of the morning. Once the sun comes up, she returns to being a mom of two twirly-skirted daughters. She lives in Oakland, CA. After six years in New York as a senior commodities analyst with JPMorgan Chase and the hedge fund Ospraie Management, SOOZHANA CHOI moved to Singapore to take the position of director and head of Deutsche Bank’s commodities research for the Asia region. She says it’s great to be back in Asia. FRANCESCA TRONCHIN writes, “After trying for several years to be an itinerant academic/archaeologist, I have finally settled down in Memphis, TN, as an assistant professor in the art department at Rhodes College. Too old and creaky for rugby these days, I’ve been running. Fortunately, the running club here usually rolls out a keg of beer at our weekly runs! OK, so it’s not very different from my rugby experiences.” After graduating, ANASTASIA (STASIA) DROHAN studied medicine at Tulane University. She specialized in dermatology and now lives in Panama City with her husband, Raul, and her daughters, Gloria, 4, and Mia, 2. SHARON LOCKWOOD MILLS and her husband, Jay, added daughter Isla to their family last June. She joins big sister Zoe, 3, “who is a little mayor and who announces her sister to everyone with ‘This is my friend Isla.’” KIRSTEN WALLACE FISHER writes, “I From left to right, Elaine Brown Stiles ’97, Vanessa Svihla ’97, Amy Smith ’97, Ellen Strober ’62 (Amy’s cousin), Lali Garcia DeRosier ’98, and Amanda Egner Hunsaker ’98 at Amy’s wedding. continue to live in St. Petersburg, FL, while working at the Women’s Tennis Association in sponsorship sales and marketing. My husband, Ashley, and I adopted a beagle puppy named Matilda.” SALLY SEEKER writes, “I finished the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon 2010. I’m still in San Antonio, enjoying my job as a nondescript government attorney, running a bunch, and working on my project to ‘spay the world’ (my dad’s words) and have started with 15 neighborhood cats.” MAGGIE BERGIN has been busy transforming her lobbying firm into a government affairs training company. She says, “On the personal front, I live with an awesome man in an awesome city in an awesome house. To sum up? Lots of awesome.” JULIE SMITH and her partner, Jesse, welcomed a baby girl, Eleanor, to their family. Eleanor joins her four older siblings. They still live in Easton, PA, where Julie is an economics professor at Lafayette College. MARNI ROTHMAN graduated last spring from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she completed her master’s in counseling psychology. She has a private practice in psychotherapy in Dublin, Ireland, where she moved a year ago with her husband, Brian. Marni occasionally sees fellow Dubliner REBECCA WOOLF. CINDY DRAKE-WHITEHEAD writes, “This past summer I moved from Las Vegas back to Alaska. My husband and I are fixing up our rental house and will be here for at least two more years. I volunteer at a humane society and with the local hospice.” LESLIE HARRIS is enjoying her career as a neonatologist at Baylor College of Medicine, where she takes care of critically ill babies, while also teaching medical students, pediatric residents, and neonatology fellows. In 2009, she married her best friend of 12 years, Edward. Self-described “longtime Quarterly lurker” ALISON STERN AWES got married three years ago to her husband, Zurich. BETSY SCHWARTZ, WENDY ROTZIEN ROSS, and AMY CALL WELL stood up with her on a gorgeous summer day at an old flour mill in Minneapolis. Alison is the director of elementary training at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota. COYOTE KARRICK wrote while listening to her favorite mix on Pandora and dancing around the house like no one was watching. Happy “in life and love” (which is also the name of her new business), she says she’s always learning what it is to be “happy while thriving as a taking-the-easypath-more-of-the-time person while staying on the adventure!” Sincerely, your scribe, Sarah. Sec., Sarah DuCray, 8902 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, [email protected] 1996 Congratulations to our very own class president, JENNA ROBERTS, who was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives last November. She successfully campaigned under the catchy “Roberts for Rep” slogan. HANNA SAWKA hadn’t submitted an update in a while and wanted to write in that she is living in Albany, NY, with her husband, Jun. They have two sons, Hiroshi, 3, and Konrad, 1. She writes, “I completed a three-year film project that I produced and directed, a feature-length documentary about the famous American photographer Dennis Stock. It’s called Beyond Iconic; the ‘iconic’ in the title is a reference to some very famous images Stock made, such as that of James Dean walking in the rain in Times Square. It so happens that a poster reproduction of that particular photo hung on my wall in my room at Smith during my first year—long before I would meet Dennis or even fathom making any film whatsoever!” KEYA KOUL reports that she is a real estate and bankruptcy attorney with the law firm of Castle, Meinhold & Stawiarski in its Albuquerque, NM, office. She was elected to the board of the New Mexico Women’s Bar Association, and is very involved with the State Bar of New Mexico Young Lawyers Division (YLD), as well as with the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. Keya is vice chair of the board of the NM YLD, and received an appointment to the ABA YLD. She is still completely enchanted by New Mexico, and invites Smithies to visit her when they pass through Albuquerque. Keya loves to travel and has been returning to India every winter to visit her family. She still keeps in contact with LEVINA KIM, CAROL DESHANO DA SILVA, and VERONICA GAPUD. Veronica is the only one still living abroad. SUSAN KART has had a very eventful year. After a two-year process, last September she finalized the adoption of a 17-year-old child from Senegal, Meissa, whom Susan has known since he was 5. That, plus she gave birth last July to her first child, Ezekiel, with her husband, Brent. He also has two girls from a previous marriage, Isabel, 10, and Vivien, 7. On top of maintaining the full household, Susan is on the tenure track at Sarah Lawrence College as a professor of African art history. She looks forward to bringing the crew to the next Reunion. Congratulations to RACHEL WALKER, who had an unplanned home birth for her second child, Evelyn, last January. TAZIA BRUNETTI happened to be there at the time and ended up as part of the birth team. Celebrating motherhood for the second time is GABRIELE HADL, who gave birth to Vivienne last October. She is back at teaching media studies once again, and is using the peer-review method from Smith to help her students improve their writing. ANGELA WILLIAMS announces that she was promoted to equity product manager at Eaton Vance, where she has been for more than two years. On Mountain Day, she met up with PHOEBE SLANETZ for a drink in Boston. In the class notes from the Fall ’10 Quarterly, I failed to mention that GERALDINE SCHNEIDER FISS’ husband is PEER FISS ’97, who received an American studies diploma from Smith. Sec., Nancy Vanasek, 1131 Park Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [email protected] 1997 Hi, everyone, and thanks, as always, for the exciting updates! I love getting all your news and regret any editing that I have to do. Don’t forget that you can also post on our Facebook page. LISA GILBAR writes that after nine years in New York City (seven working on Broadway, and two getting a master’s at New York University), she started a private practice in Los Angeles as a cognitive behavioral therapist specializing in anxiety and actors. ABBY RUPP thought mothering was old hat until her fourth child arrived. Tess had an easy birth on Aug. 30, ’10. After four peaceful days, Abby rushed Tess to the emergency room to discover a birth defect in her small intestine. She had emergency surgery Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 87 alumnae update at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and spent 25 days in the neonatal intensive-care unit. Tess is now at home and doing great. Ignatius was born to CATHERINE MILDENBERGER HODGE on Sept. 6, ’10— Catherine’s third home birth. Iggy is a big boy, and his two older sisters love him dearly. ALLISON ROHE writes that after quitting her job in the summer of 2009 at an American university in Madrid, and taking a year to “breathe,” she has moved back to Madrid after accepting an unexpected job offer. She is also an alumnae admissions coordinator for Smith, and is enjoying being active in the Smith alumnae group in Spain. SHERRY RAUSEO FIORE is starting a new job; she is still at Dartmouth, but in a new position as donor relations officer and assistant to the director at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Sherry recently met up with GABE HYDE SOUSA, JESSICA FOLEY, and ELYSHA GREEN DICKS. ERIKA KLOSE went way outside of her comfort zone and coached a middle school boys’ tennis team. She writes, “We won our conference! It was a great experience and tons of fun. Who would have ever thought I would be Coach Klose?” Erika is also part of a small group that is leading the way to get geographic information systems software into West Virginia schools and classrooms. LARAMIE CURRAN HOLLIMAN and her family relocated to Portland, OR. Laramie writes that quality of life for her and her family has improved dramatically since their move. They have lots of family around, including “grandparents, two brothers, and two sisters for tons of free babysitting!” CASSANDRA DE SOUZA reports that SHABNAM HUQ graduated from Columbia with a master’s in international security and politics and now lives in Nairobi and that VUYISWA MAJOVA had a baby boy at the end of last August. Cassandra decided to go back to school (again) and is pursuing a master’s in business at George Washington University. KELLY MACGRADY married Brian Fleck on Dec. 26, ’09, in Jacksonville Beach, FL, and they now live in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Kelly is still a practicing attorney, and is blessed with a wonderful cat and horse. JENNY HAWKINS HOGREFE and husband Kyle welcomed their daughter, Lydia, on Aug. 30, ’10. Jenny heartily recommends the experience of having a baby at a birthing center with midwives. ANNE ACTON CONNELLY was promoted to director of the data sales group of Valassis. Anne, her husband, and two daughters live in Connecticut, and Anne is thrilled to be close to family and to Smith. She was on campus recently and showed her girls her thesis in the library. “At 8, my oldest has declared she wants to attend.” As an At the wedding of Jennie Riley ’99 and Ethan Plunkett are, from left to right, Ben Pershouse ’01, Carolyn Rogers ’00, Alana Reid ’99, Ethan and Jennie, Lily Ross-Perkins ’98, Andrea Reece ’98, Pamela Gigliotti Richardson ’99, Jen Christiansen ’95, Dahlia Nayar ’99, Martha Nelson Patrick AC ’96, and Kate Crowe ’99. alumnae interviewer, Anne says she met two fabulous candidates that reminded her so much of the joys of education and the potential that Smith offers young women of distinction. KAREN KWAK submitted her first update ever! Karen has been living in San Diego for the past few years, working as a physician at UC San Diego. At press time, she was planning a move back to the Los Angeles area to work as an urgentologist for a local medical group. She says the most fun news is of REBECCA (PINKY) POWER ’98’s wedding, which Karen attended in Kansas last September. KATHERINE LANCE NALEY lives in Encinitas, CA, with her husband and two children, Hannah, 2, and Zachary, 6. She is back to work as a per-diem pediatric nurse practitioner after a few years’ hiatus at home with her kids. KARIN HARDIMAN had a baby boy in Dec. ’09, and finished a residency in general surgery last June. She is currently doing a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery. MELISSA NAULIN and her husband, Rich, welcomed twins last year on Sept. 15. Melissa writes that Garrett and Natalie were the largest twins their doctor had ever delivered! The twins join Evan, 5. Melissa returned to her job in the curator’s office at the White House in January. BETHANY SAVAGE PAYE shares the very sad news that her daughter, Eleanor, passed away on Oct. 13, ’10, after battling cancer. “She was 5 years old, and such a feisty, bright little girl—a future Smithie in the making! I was so touched at the outpouring of well wishes from my classmates, particularly all of my friends from Cushing House, who sent a lovely bouquet of flowers to Elle’s services. I wish I could thank and hug each one of you individually! And I was blessed to have been able to visit—to laugh and cry—with KATHRYN BALDWIN BURDETT, JOANNA DAVID JOVANOVICH, BERIT OSKEY, DANIELA MAESTRO, ABIGAIL COLWELL, and ASHLEY PETERSON ’96 during this sad time.” Our thoughts are with you and your family, Bethany. HEATHER STRICKLAND writes, “I’ve re- 88 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 located from Tucson, AZ, to Glendale, AZ, for my husband to attend dental school on an Air Force scholarship. My first child, Scott, was born on Oct. 21, ’10. I am taking a break from the practice of law (family law and adoptions) to be a stay-at-home mom.” MEREDITH YAUCKOES ALBA announces the birth of Nathan on Oct. 8 last year. Until next time. Sec., Maria Ayoob, [email protected] 1998 Hello, class of ’98! Special thanks to everyone for their 24-hour turnaround on my response request, and I promise to do better next time! Lots of new beginnings to report this issue. SARA THEOPHALL is now officially Sara Reilly as of her Sept. 5 nuptials last year. In attendance at her Cambridge, MA, wedding was best friend GENA SCHWAM. Sara has been showing her art in galleries around Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville for about a decade, and she encourages fellow Smithies to look her up online at web. me.com/studio315. HEIDI WOESSNER REMICK joyously announces that she and wife Pelly welcomed a son, Henry, on Sept. 28, ’10. Heidi is taking some time off from work as a prosecutor in Windsor County, VT, to concentrate on family. After seven years at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, KY, ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL is now the literary director of The Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. She enjoys being closer to her East Coast Smith friends, and being legally married to her wife of 18 months. LEA DEFRANCISCI LIS completed her fellowship in child psychiatry and is practicing medicine in Southampton, NY, while raising a new baby girl, Aurelia, with husband Alexander. VICTORIA MURADI is counting her blessings: She and her husband finished building their dream house in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, area, and Victoria finds daily fulfillment in her work as the admissions director at Durham Academy. The couple hosted a 16-year-old Sardinian exchange stu- dent last year, and spent a glorious month in Italy last summer, making Victoria wish she’d studied abroad while at Smith. BRITTANY COLUMBIA married Matthew McDonald last August in front of family and friends. JULIE BIGELOW CRAIG, husband Chuck, and big brothers Ryan and Alex welcomed Matthew to their family on Oct. 26 last year. The whole family is happy and well, despite the chaos of having three little boys under one roof! New baby Sam joined JENNIFER GEREND and family last July 27. Jenny continues to teach urban planning at Evergreen State College, and is grateful for the excellent campus child-care center. Life is good. JAIME TAN and ATHENA LOW are both living in Singapore and meet up weekly for playdates with Athena’s 16-month-old triplets—two boys and one girl—and Jaime’s 6-month-old son, Alexander. Both also work in the real estate sector. EMILY SPENCER FEAGLE is working as an attorney at a satellite communications company in Carlsbad, CA, and raising Spencer, 5, and Avery, 3. She is enjoying the Southern California lifestyle. MARY PARENT, husband Ben, and son Riley greeted family member No. 4: new baby boy Jonah, born on Nov. 4, ’10. Mary took time off from work as an attorney and is enjoying spending some time with Riley and Jonah. Last August, daughter Tara joined SARAH PADEN and her husband, Akshay Venkatesh. SAM THAYER WILDE’s third child, Emmett, made his auspicious arrival on 10-10-10! He joins big sister Adeline, 2, and big brother Ellias, 4. Sam finds the full house a wonderful thing. Her second novel is due out in early 2012, and she still enjoys connecting with readers about her first novel, This Little Mommy Stayed Home, published in 2009. The book is also forthcoming in Spain and Germany. KATE BUSSARD and HANNAH NUDELL visited SARAH SZWAJKOS at Sarah’s home on the coast of Maine for a week of catching up over Labor Day. Highlights included an overnight trip and biking on the island of North Haven, sailing in Penobscot Bay, a homemade lobster bake, and a sunset ocean-view hike followed by cocktails on the waterfront with MEGHAN BRADY. AMY VAUGHAN VAN HECKE and husband Jeremiah are enjoying their baby, Matilda, born May 18, ’10. Mattie’s 2-year-old sister, Aniela, loves having a baby around! In January, Amy returned to work as an assistant professor of psychology at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Thanks for all the great details this time around. Phnom Penh is far from home, so I (Jenae) love staying connected with everyone through the magazine. Thanks, and until next time. Sec., Val Carmody, 4610 Amesbury Drive #279, Dallas, TX 75206, [email protected] Sec., Jenae Johnson, Unit 8166, Box P APO, AP 96546, [email protected] 1999 As usual, we ’99ers are busy—getting married, having babies, moving. We seem to all be living life to the fullest. But then again, what else can you expect from Smithies? And with no further ado . . . AMANDA HARP writes that she and her husband, Neil Wadehra, enjoyed a gorgeous and intimate wedding ceremony in North Myrtle Beach, SC, on Oct. 9, ’10. DANIELLE YOUNG THOMPSON ’00 and husband Derek and children Logan and Tara were also in attendance. YIN MEI LIM ’98 was invited, but she and her husband, Randy, had their hands full preparing for their firstborn, Oliver. Amanda adds that they also had a traditional Hindu ceremony last November in New Delhi, India. MONIQUE KING-VIEHLAND writes to announce that she and her husband, Brian, welcomed their second child, daughter Zora, last September. On hand to greet her were big brother Sekou, 2, and godmother ERNESSA CARTER. Monique could already tell that Zora, even at less than 1 month old, will be Smithie material! JESSIE KING’s son, Taig, was born in Nov. ’09, and joined big sister Alexandra. Last June, Jessie graduated from the Albert Einstein Medical School with both a medical degree and a PhD (as did her husband), and she started her residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan. “I’m learning to love college football, as it seems I have no other choice. We bought a house just outside of Ann Arbor, and despite my long hours, we’re loving small-town life after leaving the Bronx. Actively looking for Smithies in the area!” JENNIE DRIMMER checks in: “Still living in the United Kingdom, and preparing for a house move—No. 7 in nine years of marriage. Phew! I am on maternity leave for the year and will return to my position as sales director at the Corporate Executive Board. Most importantly, we welcomed baby Theo into the world last May. He joined big brother Ethan and will soon be calling me ‘Mummy’ as well, no doubt.” Last July, JILLIAN COHAN MARTIN attended the wedding of AMY DESILETS and Russell Marshall in Brookfield, MA. On hand were Amy’s friends from Jordan House: SARAH EMOND, KAREN DUNBAR FULLER , HEIDI VANWORMER JOHNSON, and AMY FIORENTINO HOGAN. Jillian traveled the farthest, coming from Houston, while the rest of the crew drove in from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York. “I hadn’t seen so many Jordan alumnae together Nada Tomisova Clontz ’01, Despina Panagopoulou ’00, Denitza Jilkova Andjelic ’01, Heather Milligan ’01, Kalina Dimova ’04, and Julia Iwinska ’04 are pictured in Belgrade, Serbia, as they celebrate Denitza’s wedding. since the previous winter, when we met in Boston for a girls’ lunch at the Gardner Museum.” On July 17, ’10, KRIN HAGLUND gave birth to a little boy, Ole. Last fall, after a very intense few weeks of training, she went back to circus touring in Mexico and Japan, along with Ole and husband Chris. If any Smithies want to see her in Europe in the 7 Fingers show La Vie, please check Krin’s Website for dates and cities. And finally, KELLY BROWN and John Bell were married in a small family ceremony on Mackinac Island, MI, on Sept. 18, ’10. They live in Owls Head, ME. In addition, half of this dynamic duo is (finally) moving back East. ELEANOR CARTELLI left Chicago for Boston last November to start a new job at Boston University, leading communications efforts for the central career services office. Go Terriers! Secs., Eleanor Cartelli and Elizabeth Quinn, [email protected] 2000 Greetings, folks! I hope 2011 is off to a terrific start in your corner of the world. KATE SONDERS SOLOMON and husband Mike welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Jonah, last April. They have been living in Brooklyn, NY, for more than a year and happily report that they have finally found a place to settle for a while. AMBER BICKFORD COX is now on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, where she teaches and works on international clinical vaccine trials. She writes, “I’ve recently been working on dengue vaccine trials—especially timely as there are new reports of dengue fever here in the United States this year. Last March I had a little girl, Astrid, who made it to Reunion in May and will hopefully be in the class of 2032.” HOLLY DISALVO married Danny Erickson in the summer of 2009 and writes that she “was unable to make our mo- mentous Reunion for a momentous reason: the birth of my son!” Luke was born last April. Holly continues to teach history at the Natick (MA) High School, but took a semester off to spend more time with little Luke. After spending last summer in Southampton, NY, with MELANIE MONROE ROSEN, Melanie’s two sons, and “fabulous beach buddy” PAULE KAZIEWICZ, VICTORIA STANSKI moved to Sana’a, Yemen, to work with the International Organization for Migration on an emergency relief program. JANELLE BANKS BRADSHAW traveled to San Diego and Houston last September. While in San Diego, she enjoyed some great weather and delicious home-cooked meals with OLIVIA AREIZAGA FERRELL and SHEILA KYTE. In Houston, she caught up with JA’MILLA LOMAS, who is renovating her first home using her own design. Janelle started a new job with the Cambridge (MA) Public Schools as the director of instructional equity, focusing on closing the achievement gap and working with principals and teachers across the district to ensure student success for all. She writes that she is very excited about the role and the impact it will have for children in Cambridge. Last May, VALERIE BANTNER married Danian Peo in San Francisco. Bridesmaids included RACHEL LEIFER NORMAN ’02 and JANE MCCARTHY; also in attendance were RUTHANNE BUCK ’01 and MARY WHITTLE. In 2008, Valerie received her law degree from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. She is currently a law clerk to the Honorable Edward Jellen of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. Valerie’s husband is a financial planner for Ameriprise Financial. Rachel writes that the couple is living in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood with their imaginary French bulldog, Robespierre. DESPINA PANAGOPOULOU has been visiting many new places while attending weddings. Most recently, she was in Belgrade, Serbia, along with four other Smithies, for the Aug. ’10 wed- ding of DENITZA JILKOVA ’01. Despina is wondering where the next wedding trip will take her. A number of Smithies reunited in Washington, DC, last October to fete the joyous marriage of NAA-ADEI KOTEY to Derek Inokuchi. HEATHER WHITE HILLERS, HILARY MALER, KATRINA GAMBLE ’99, LAURA TAYLOR-KALE, ERIN TORRE, REBECCA WEBBER, and MANISHA GANGOPADHYAY were all on hand for the celebration. ARIELLA LEVINE welcomed her first child, daughter Talia, on “90210— you’ll never forget her birthday.” Ariella lives in London, and is enjoying maternity leave from her job at the London Underground. She writes, “It is always hard starting a family far from one’s own, but it is made easier with auntie GITANJALI PINTO FALEIRO living down the street.” Gitanjali works as a lawyer specializing in financial regulation. She recently hosted JESSICA UNRUH for a weekend visit and had a fantastic time rediscovering London and doing the tourist rounds with a fellow Smithie. EMMY LAWRASON wed Josh Kobobel last September in Salida, CO. Yours truly was on hand for the celebration, along with ABIGAIL LEWIS ’01, MICHELLE ABREU ’03, and mother of the bride PAMELA KNOWLES LAWRASON ’69. En route, I was delighted to meet up with CATHARINE PIECK for a brief but wonderful visit in Denver. MACKENZIE BOHLEN lives in Jamaica Plain, MA, with her cat, Fred, and works at the Cambridge Hospital in the emergency department. NANCY VAN DER VEER and Michael Holt were married in Bristol, RI, last October. MACKENZIE BOHLEN, SARA FRANK, MELANIE MONROE ROSEN, ANNE SWINBURN, and I attended the celebration. Lastly, my Smith roommate, SEE ANN (HEIDI) HO, and husband Dmitri welcomed their second son, Samuel, last September. Whether you are continuing your education, searching for your calling, starting a business, trying to hang on to employment, caring for aging parents, having and raising children, getting married, getting single, struggling with life changes, or celebrating life changes, I hope life is, at its heart, good wherever you are. And to those of you who are with me in the job hunt during these difficult economic times—keep your chin up! We are amazing Smithies and we will get through this transition. Sec., Brittain Skinner, 115 Creekside Drive, Georgetown, KY 40324, [email protected] 2001 Hope all of you are getting ready for our 10th Reunion in May! Thanks for voting on the class Facebook page. The theme you’ve chosen is “We’ve said goodbye to our ‘Roaring 20s.’” Get your garter belts, feather head- Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 89 alumnae update bands, and thematically decked-out baby strollers ready! Perhaps you are all saving your updates for in-person chats as the inflow of updates has significantly tailed off. Just three in the hopper for this Quarterly. ALEXANDRA DUDA DAVIS writes that her daughter, Elise, was born on June 26, ’10. Her firstborn, Elliott, has turned 2. She works part-time in the library world and keeps busy with her garden. She hopes to make it to Reunion this coming May. SARA HENDERSON posted to the Facebook page that after two years in Brooklyn, working in New York City, she is finally back with her sweetie. They’ve moved to Houston, and are looking for friends, a doctor, a dentist, a job, a car, etc. She, too, hopes to be at Reunion. Last March, SARA REEVE RUSSELL had her second daughter, Reeve, who joined big sister Grace, 2. Sara loves being a mom, and started a new job as a case manager for a behavioral intervention program supporting local students with mental-health needs to stay in their public-school setting. To send and read updates in real time, be sure to join the class on Facebook: Smith College Class of 2001. You can still e-mail us at the address that follows, as well. Hope to see you at Reunion this May 12–15! Secs., Jessica Heinzelman and Dania Frank, secretary2001@ alumnae.smith.edu 2002 Secs., Moliehi (Mo) Pefole Weitnauer and Louisa Bradtmiller, [email protected] 2003 Hello, class of 2003! I am excited to share lots of good news with you! CARISSA SMITH BARRETT lives in Portland, OR, with her husband, Jonathan. They have a beautiful home and two wonderful Siberian huskies. They welcomed their first child, Liam, on July 20, ’10, and celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary that same week. Carissa is a reference librarian at the Lake Oswego Public Library and loves her job. Last November, ALLI AULDRIDGE accepted a position as a policy associate for Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Elders (SAGE), and she is working on city and state advocacy for LGBT elders in New York. She also received her master’s in urban policy from The New School. JENNY HARTUNG is attending graduate school in England at the Bath School of Art and Design to get her master’s degree in design: brand development. HEATHER BLACK has accepted a job as a design director and moved to Shanghai for the position. She says that things are going well so far, and should be a lot better once she learns A group of West Coast Smithies enjoying time together in San Francisco includes, from left to right, Stephanie (Teddy) Walls ’03, Sarah Julian ’03, LaToya Thompson ’02, Sarah Lee ’01, Ellen Park ’00, and Stella Kang ’01. some Mandarin! She would love to connect with any Smithies in the area. CYN WANG writes, “After four years practicing public law, I decided that lawyering was for the birds. My wife and I left our beloved San Francisco for Washington, DC, and I joined our nation’s diplomatic corps as a Foreign Service officer last September. We’re here for eight months, learning Spanish for our first post: San Jose, Costa Rica.” SABEEN AHMAD writes that the “Capen House graduate satellite branch” was in Washington, DC, in late October last year to help celebrate her birthday. She reports that ELLEN SMITH GILCHRIST ’04 bought a house in DC. NEEMA KHATRI ’05 lives only a metro stop away from Sabeen, and LEIGH SIMS is close-by but busy as a teacher. AIMEE CASTENELL ’01 is finishing up her role as new media director for the successful One Nation March that happened last October (they saw Jesse Jackson). DANIELLE MOST ’06 is spending a semester away from law school working in Washington. Sabeen moved to Washington in June to work as the new media director for a consulting firm as well as a co-editor of the South Asian online magazine Divanee. MAYA RAMOS CLAYTON and her husband, John, welcomed their first child, Bella, Oct. 3, ’10, in Los Angeles. Maya loves every minute of motherhood and is enjoying time off from her role as program director for the Posse Foundation, where she has worked since graduation. ANALUZ ROSENBLOOM married Aaron Zamost in Lake Tahoe, CA, last July. Her two maids of honor were REBECCA HOFFMAN and JANA HAWES ANDERSON, and in attendance were KATIE VAN BEMMELEN GIORDANO, JENNY SHANLEY FARRELL, LINDSAY BELLOWS, and DEVEAU SLEEPER. SARAH FLANAGAN left her job teaching high school science in Westchester County, NY, to start medical school in Erie, PA, which was recommended to her by RUTHANN LIPMAN ’98. Sarah says she’s working almost as hard as she did when she was writing her thesis. She reports that JESSICA PECK lives in New York City and started a doctoral program in economics at the City University of New York. Sarah 90 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 has seen HANAH EHRENREICH often in Hanah’s hometown of Syracuse, NY, where she is greening the state and reducing unemployment with CNY Works. Hanah and Sarah took a fabulous trip to London in Feb. ’10 for a mutual friend’s wedding. JULIE BLAZAR married David Mountcastle last August. MEG DUBAY ’05 was Julie’s “best woman.” MEGAN MOUNTCASTLE and Julie are now sisters-inlaw, having married twin brothers. In addition to Meg and Megan, Smithies at the wedding included JOANNA BAYER ’06, VICTORIA CHURCHILL ’07, OLIVIA MCPHERSON, SARAH WILSON, and SARAH WINAWER-WETZEL ’05. They wanted a small wedding, but the Smithies were non-negotiable and made the day fun and exciting! LINDSEY WATSON was married on Aug. 7, ’10, at the Jersey Shore. She was blessed to have three Smith friends present: MAIA DAUNER, a doctoral candidate in art history at the University of Rochester; EMILY CARPENTER, a doctoral candidate in rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley; and LAUREN DUTTON, proud owner of two dogs, a home, and a fantastic job with Planned Parenthood. On Oct. 2, ’10, ERICA BALL married Rocaciano Vega in the mountains near Lake Arrowhead, CA. LINSEY MCMILLAN, SARA BALDWIN, and NADINE SCHNEIDER were in attendance. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii. JULIA GLEN got married in Santa Fe, NM, on June 5, ’10, and the couple honeymooned in Japan. They reside in downtown Atlanta. She has been working as a food scientist for Wendy’s/Arby’s at the corporate headquarters in Atlanta for nearly two years. MELISSA SANDNESS lives outside of Albuquerque, NM, with her husband and “two insane dogs.” Last May, she started a new job as an assistant district attorney in the county where she lives. She’s enjoying being a trial attorney and a prosecutor more than she ever thought she would. AISHA SAAKA celebrated her 30th birthday in Silver Spring, MD. In attendance were LYDIA THOMPSON, ROSY FYNN, KNIA TANNER, CRYSTAL ADEGBOLA ’04, AISHA WILLIAMS ’04, AMANI FARESS ’04, and AIDA MANU ’06. Aisha shares that Lydia loves her job as a state prosecutor with the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing. She has been married to Jason for the last three years; they have two dogs, Harley and Isabelle, and two cats, Ciara and Max. Rosy moved back to Ghana a year ago and works at Millicom, a multinational telecom company and the operators of Tigo in Ghana. She is the head of marketing, still an avid sports fan, and regularly plays basketball and squash, two sports she developed while at Smith. Crystal is blessed to be living and working in Silver Spring, MD, where she has become heavily involved in advocating for youth and immigrant communities. Keep sending in your submissions! Sec., Jo Quest-Neubert, [email protected] 2004 LAUREL DAMASHEK reports that after several years of working as a textbook editor, she is now a project manager for a translation company that specializes in the medical device industry. She learned two foreign languages at Smith and now gets to use those skills to help save lives! Laurel lives outside of Boston with her husband and enjoys keeping in touch with her Smithie friends in the area and around the world. KATE ANDERSON CARSON reports that SUSANNAH DAVIS and LESLEY WEAVER MEEK came through Boston last summer and got to meet Kate’s daughter, Elsie. PHAILEEN VANKHAM was married on July 10, ’10, in Claremont, NH. SAVUTH SOEUNG ’03, MARY DETHAVONG ’02, KRISTINA LORD ’03, and ERICA HINSON attended, and ELISA DEL VALLE was the maid of honor. The newlyweds reside in Houston. JACQUELINE MATTA gave birth to her first child, Malachi, on July 8, ’10. He received visits from MARTHA CASTRO and CRYSTAL ADEGBOLA, and he loves his Smithies already. EMILY MARKUSSEN SORSHER took a new job as development associate at Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine, CA. Within the same month, she and her husband did a 40-mile paddle through Oregon’s Rogue River, and adopted an Old English sheepdog puppy. SUSAN STROM recently took a new job as a senior consultant with a San Francisco start-up called Knowledge Architecture, where she leads product implementation and dabbles in product development. She also loves the opportunity to work with other Smithies in her role as president of the East Bay Smith club. CAITLIN SCAFATI reports that she started work at the New York University Child Study Center. GENEVIEVE MUNSON completed a short fellowship through Columbia’s Teachers College Klingenstein Cen- ter, where she focused on academic leadership. Last May, she gave birth to another baby, Oliver. She is still teaching English at an independent school in Lancaster, PA. CAROLINE CARR enthusiastically reports that after five years of loving her life in New York City, she made the big leap over the Mississippi to Seattle. She also left the nonprofit foundation world and is the newest member of Amazon.com’s Kindle Publisher Management Services team. She misses her New York City Smithies and thanks them for making her life in the city so much fun. She is now enjoying connecting with West Coast Smithies. Sec., Mary Kelly, [email protected] 2005 got married in 2008, finished her doctorate in physics at Vanderbilt University in 2010, and is currently a research fellow in the department of astronomy at the University of Michigan. SAFIA AL-KHARSA graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. Safia and 1,200 other people participated in the Jump Rope with a Muslim initiative at the Washington, DC, Rally to Restore Sanity. “It was an unforgettable experience!” says Safia. JESSICA ARISTA received her master’s degree in art conservation. She lives in Baltimore and works at the Walters Art Museum as an objects conservator. After serving in the Peace Corps in Zambia, LIBBY BENNETT is back at school working on a master’s in intercultural service, leadership, and management. AMY BENSON married Osei May in Colorado. ELIZA LAROCCA ’07 serenaded guests during the ceremony. NAOMI ANSBERGS and JESS KULIG attended. JENNIE BLODGETT celebrated her marriage to Justin Koser in Cambridge, MA. SHY SHAW BROOKE , DEIRDRE DOUGHERTY, and MARY KENNERLY all attended. DIANA BULL is in her final year of school at Sturm College of Law. Last summer, Diana worked as a clerk extern for Justice Patricio Serna of the New Mexico Supreme Court. Diana contributed to published opinions. EMILIE DELONG married Steve Grossl in a beachside ceremony in Long Boat Key, FL. CHANGXIN FANG graduated from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and currently works as the sustainability coordinator of Albany, NY, and as an environmental consultant. JAMIE FEINBERG started a professional theater company, Not Your Mom’s Musical Theater, producing innovative small-cast musicals in southern New Hampshire. GENEVIEVE FONTAINE says her most ALICIA AARNIO Capenites Lesley Kroupa ’01, Sabeen Ahmad ’03, Aimee Castenell ’01, Danielle Most ’06, Leigh-Kirstin Sims ’03, Neema Khatri ’05, Cyn Wang ’03, Karli Swift ’04, and Ellen Smith Gilchrist ’04 enjoy a festive mini-reunion in Washington, DC, to celebrate Sabeen’s birthday. exciting accomplishment lately is her participation with the LA Derby Dolls. She was drafted to the Tough Cookies under the skate name Jackie Nimble and is “absolutely in love with it.” LISETTE GARCIA joined the Office of the US Senate Majority Leader. For the midterm election, she put her legal training and Spanish-language fluency to work, monitoring polls to ensure free and fair access for all registered voters. ANNA GRASECK and Wumesh were married last October. Smithies in attendance included JESSICA BACHAY, BRIGID BARRETT, SARAH KOSTICK, DEBORAH ROGAL, and LINDSAY SMITH. The couple lives in St. Louis, where Anna reports that she is surviving (barely) her ob-gyn internship. JAY STARR HABIBYAR is in Mystic, CT, and invites her fellow Smithies to come visit! KIMBERLEE HAMPSON graduated from the University of Maryland with a master’s degree in library science. She lives in Honolulu. SARAH HEFFRON and partner Craig welcomed a son, Callan, who has already enjoyed meeting DARCY FOX and SALLY MILLER and looks forward to meeting many more Smithies! MEAGAN ETCHELLS was married at Helen Hills Hills Chapel to Paul Lentz. The two live in Cincinnati, where Meagan is working on her doctorate in clinical psychology. LAUREN ARMSTRONG MACEWEN married her partner of 11 years, David. In attendance were LYDIA JENNER ’01, CASSIE HAYS ’99, ALICIA SIMONTI, ANNIE PEDERSON, BARBARA MUSMACHER ’04, TOBIAS PACKER, and RACHEL WURZMAN. KATIE MCCARTHY’s highlights from Reunion: chatting with President Carol Christ at Packard’s; going on a Gold Key tour; taking a class about Smith’s archives; catching up with EMILY (ISABEL) YOUNGBERG, CHANGXIN FANG, and CHRISTINE MERRILL; and dancing with SARBANI HAZRA and JEN CHAN. KATHERINE MCGUIRE started a new job at the University of Pennsylvania Press and was pleasantly surprised when the first person she met on her first day in the office was fellow Smithie and Glee Club alumna CAROLINE WINSCHEL! In 2007, SARAH MEACHAM married Luke Gurry with several Smithies in attendance. She works as a senior managing consultant in San Francisco. JESS MENCER married Luis Carlos Peláez and subsequently accepted a PhD offer from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, where the newlyweds will study volcanoes together. CLAIRE MICCIO earned her master’s in public administration from the University of Washington and is now a resource planning analyst with Tacoma Water. Claire reports that “the mixture of office and field work is fun, even when it’s raining.” Since graduation, NOELLE OPSAHL completed Smith’s master’s program in education of the deaf and she has worked at a number of schools, most recently at the Boulder (CO) Journey School. Her latest news is that she has joined the Peace Corps to work with the deaf population in Kenya. SUSAN PAN, the new alumnae association coordinator for Queens, NY, is looking for Smithies interested in volunteering to recruit high school women. Susan is also in her second year at the Fordham University School of Law and is looking for a summer law firm position in New York City. After finishing her bachelor’s degree in law, AVETTE RICHARDS spent her summer doing an HIV/AIDS prevention program with indigenous populations in Guyana. She hopes that her legal and health expertise will enable her “to put the microscope and telescope on HIV/AIDS health issues.” AMANDA RICKETSON married wife Shannon at Look Park in Northampton. ANNE HOLLANDER ’04 and MONTA LERTPACHIN ’04 were in the wedding party. CAROLYN DELK ’03, CHRISTINA FERRERI , DESIREE KOCHANOWICZ ’04, and ELIZABETH LERNER were also in attendance. JESS KULIG married Brian Rosado. Gardinerites NINETTE PAFFETT-LUGASSY, AMY BENSON MAY, DIANE DIGLORIA ’06, ATETH SIV ’07, DEB SANZONE ’07, MOLLY GIAMMARCO ’06, SARAH TOMLINSON ’08, and NGOZIE OMEGBU ’06 attended, and even performed Gardiner cheers at the reception! SARAH SHEPARD received a bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and moved to Seattle. Next up for her is midwifery school. CORDELIA STRANDSKOV was ordained into the ministry with the United Church of Christ and began work as the associate pastor at the First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz (CA). ELIZABETH TOLMACH teaches first grade in the Chicago public schools and loves it! LARISSA WILLIAMS , the new class president, finished her doctorate in environmental toxicology and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Sec., Sarah Winawer-Wetzel, [email protected] 2006 Hello, class of ’06! Here are the most recent updates. MARGARITA (DAISY) BANDERA-DUPLANTIER married Amherst alumnus Chris- tian McClellan on Aug. 21, ’10, in a beautiful outdoor ceremony outside of Washington, DC. Her bridesmaids included Emerson housemates NEHA BHARGAVA and JUSTINA ROBERTS. MEGAN TOWNEND and husband Erik welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Charlotte, into their family on April 22, ’10. The whole family is happy and healthy while Erik and Megan are enjoying the wonderful adventure of parenthood. After finishing her master’s degree in archives management in London, LAURA FREEMAN is back in Switzerland. She got married last July; her sister, EMILY FREEMAN ’09, was maid of honor, and KRISTEN SOBECK, JACI EISENBERG, and ASHLEY THORNTON were in attendance. Kristen, Jaci, and Ashley all live in Geneva, working and pursuing graduate degrees. TERESA JACQUES is in her fifth year of doctoral research in organic chemistry at Columbia. She took the fall semester off to focus on adjunct teaching at Yeshiva University and starting a small handmade-jewelry business. She wants Northrop housemates to know she misses them terribly and she has a spare bedroom for anyone who wants to visit New York City for a weekend. LISA GOLDENHAR was married to Justin Holtzman on Aug. 8, ’10, in Ann Arbor, MI. Northrop housemates SHANA MONTROSE and LESLIE CHRISTENSEN ’09 were two of Lisa’s bridesmaids. SARA HALPERN ’08 was also in attendance. Lisa is loving her life in Ann Arbor, where she and her new husband have lived for four years. She graduated from the University of Michigan in April of 2008 with her master’s in public health. She is a research associate at the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, where she works on studies that focus on risk communication and decision sciences. SHERRY WANG and LAURA EVANS trav- Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 91 alumnae update eled to Baltimore to attend the wedding of INDIGO PFAFF-POWERS and Jose Godinez on Sept. 1 last year. Indigo and Jose now live and work in Edinburgh, Scotland. LAURA CARROLL is in graduate school for sustainable international development at Brandeis University. EMILY DALY has thoroughly enjoyed being reunited with her Scales platform buddy CAROLYN MARTIN in Boston. This May they both expect to receive their master’s degrees in education. REBECCA BERMAN has started working toward her master’s in international training and education at American University in Washington, DC. GABRIELLE (GABY) MATTHEWS graduated from Georgetown University last May with a master’s in English literature. Last October, she began working on her doctorate in English literature at University College in Oxford, England. She misses her Washington, DC, Smithies, but is happy to have met several Seven Sisters grads around Oxford. AISLINN EMIRZIAN is living in the San Francisco Bay Area and writing an adult sex-education book. She shares an apartment with SARA BARZ. CHRISTINA PRESLEY basked in her 15 seconds of fame as her e-mail was read aloud on the July 26 Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. When not submitting e-mails to talk-show hosts, Christina enjoys her work as a youth director and substitute teacher, as well as her new job as a cashier at Chipotle Mexican Grill. EMILY O’HERN ROBERTSON married Charles in Austin, TX, on June 4, ’10. MARY (KAIT) O’NEAL and CRYSTAL ZINIEWICZ attended. KERSTIN MCGAUGHEY graduated last May from Boston University with a master’s in liberal arts in gastronomy. Her sister, SARAH MCGAUGHEY ’97, visited Boston to help celebrate. Kerstin is honored that her thesis received a prize named after JULIA MCWILLIAMS CHILD ’34, the co-founder of the BU gastronomy department. Kerstin continues to work in the dean’s office of Boston University Metropolitan College. She is also teaching a seminar at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts on the history, culture, and properties of chocolate. Having finally accomplished everything she hoped to do in Egypt, MAGGIE GOBLE is finally returning stateside to be joyfully reunited with her colorful umbrella, winter sweaters, and summer thunderstorms. Despite facing unemployment and ramen noodles every night, she says the future is looking bright, especially since her snot will no longer be black with Cairo pollution! KAT BAUER graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last June with a master’s in teaching secondary-school science. She is currently teaching eighth-grade ’08 in the East Village of New York City. KATHERINE YOHAY is enjoying living in Chicago and teaching some very entertaining and challenging seventh and eighth graders at a Montessori school. She also serves on the board of the Smith College Club of Chicago and is loving getting to know Smithies through the board and at events. Since graduating from Smith, NICOLE YOUNG, MSW ’07, has been living and working in South Central Kentucky in community mental health. She specializes in domestic violence and substance abuse, and recently passed the exam to become a licensed clinical social worker. If you would like your update to be included in the Quarterly, please send me an e-mail. Sec., Elisabeth Sexton, [email protected] BIN OH Gillian Flashner ’10, Maryanne O’Brien ’09, Katherine Posey ’10, and Kelsie Hoke ’11 at Katherine’s wedding in Henderson, KY. science in the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, NC. Keep the updates coming! Sec., Tegan Ahmed Kahner, 2641 Hibiscus Way, Apt. 314, Beavercreek, OH 45431, [email protected] 2007 KRYSTAL BANZON is finishing up her second-to-last semester of graduate school at the New York University Tisch ITP program. She was named a Point Scholar for 2010. KIRBY CAPEN, recipient of a Davis Projects for Peace award in 2007, spent much of that year abroad in Ghana and New Zealand. She then got a job as an engineer doing building energy analyses in New York City (saving the world one watt at a time). She lives near REGINA CHIEN ’08, and they have regular dinner parties together. ALI DALE works at Harvard in the vice president’s office of alumni affairs and development. She received her certificate in makeup artistry from the Elizabeth Grady School of Esthetics, and completed her third marathon, the Rock ’n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon, in three hours and 31 minutes. EMILY FARQUHARSON is in the craziest portion of her second year of law school, balancing her classes, her moot-court competition, and an internship where she helps to fight employment discrimination. She couldn’t be busier or happier (well, maybe happier if she got more sleep). LAUREL GOLIO and her childhood friend Diana Scholl (not a Smithie, but still a super great lady!) founded We Are the Youth, a photojournalism project chronicling the individual stories of LGBT youth in the United States. They recently traveled to the Deep South, where they met some amazing young people. MAKENNA HELD moved to Denver in February after completing her master’s degree in global affairs from New York University. She is working on a new clean-water distribution concept that is scheduled to pilot this year in Cambodia. 92 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 BRITTANIE JEMES is graduating this year, but she has chosen 2007 as her preferred class year because this is the class she started with. Brittanie had a daughter, Kaya, in May ’09. HEATHER JONES moved to New York to begin her master’s in educational leadership: politics and advocacy at New York University. She is also a site manager for Jumpstart for Young Children, a national early-literacy organization that recruits and trains college students and community volunteers to work with preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. FRANCES JOANNA KINGSBURY moved back to the United States and is now teaching high school Spanish in suburban Massachusetts. AMY MORRILL married Aaron Kushner in Garrison, NY, on Aug. 22, ’10. They are living in their new home in Carmel, NY, and got a puppy, Nelly. Amy is now an alumnae admissions coordinator for Putnam County in New York. JENNA LOVAAS completed her master’s at the Boston University School of Public Health last December, and began her Peace Corps service in Honduras in February. MARY-MORGAN CHILDS recently brought her custom dance clothing lines to the Los Angeles market. Her company, Carpe Dancem Apparel, celebrated its one-year anniversary! KATE ROGERS is getting her master’s in public health at the University of Arizona, and she is the teen advocacy group program assistant for Planned Parenthood Arizona. EMILY ORZECH is in Harbin, China, studying language with CET Academic Programs through a Critical Language Enhancement Award. KELLY SWINDLEHURST finished her master’s and is now working on her doctorate in education at the University of Vermont. She lives in Burlington and would love to connect with other Smithies living in Vermont. LETA TREMBLAY Y directed for the Manhattan Theatre Source’s Estrogenius Festival, and her play was chosen as an audience favorite to go on for an extended run. She still lives with YEA 2008 MARIE MCLANE is currently working at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, having spent last April to August at the Summit Station on the Greenland ice sheet. Having majored in geology, Marie says she’s always been interested in glaciology, climate, and polar science. She is very excited to have the opportunity to live and work in both polar regions of the world. SAMANTHA LYON is excited to have moved back to my hometown of Los Angeles, where she manages the technology collection at the library of my old high school and teaches the garden program there. Samantha lives in a cute little place in the middle of the city with a private garden, so if any alumnae friends have been meaning to visit Los Angeles, this is your chance! She’s also been connecting with other Smithies here in this beautiful city of mountains, beaches, valleys, and deserts! KRISTA RIIHIMAKI is at the University of San Diego getting her master’s in education, specializing in Montessori. She is scheduled to graduate this May. Krista is also getting certified with the Association Montessori Internationale to teach children 0-6 years of age. CAITLIN CAULFIELD is teaching kindergarten in Northampton. She spent a great weekend in New York City with ABBY MINOR, SARAH WHITES-KODITSCHEK ’07, and ALYSSA RANKER ’09. Sec., Jennifer Barone, [email protected] 2009 CAROLINE FONSECA A is living and studying in Scotland, where she served as manager for Bedlam Theatre’s student festival. She looks forward to working at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. MALIHA KHAN is a first-year student at Harvard Business School, where she is enjoying meeting new people and encountering innovative business ideas. ANDREA NARVAEZ is getting paid while living the dream and working at FILTER magazine for the company’s creative group as an online marketing coordinator. ANDREA ROSEN is working very hard during her first year in the Tufts University master’s program in art history and museum studies. KIRIN MCELWAIN is in her first year of a master’s program in music at Temple University, where she is thrilled to be finally pursuing the cello full-time. She is also training for her first ultramarathon, working at a Pilates studio, and studying whole foods cooking. MARGARET BRESNAHAN is living and breathing in Brooklyn, NY. She is working at Curtis Fox Productions assisting in the organization of books and exhibits on Chim, interning at WNYC’s Soundcheckk and at Nylon magazine, and—like any English major worth her salt—working as a barista in Park Slope. AMELIA VANDERLAAN is teaching and making art as part of a Fulbright student grant in northern Turkey. She hopes to learn how to make baklava and lahmacun (known as Armenian pizza)! NIC VETTER lives in St. Paul, MN, with KELLY MORITZ ’07 and their hyper-hypo mutt, Bayou. Nic works in the glamorous industry of public radio as a researcher and writer for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and as a producer of The Writer’s Almanac. CAITLIN FLYNN lives in Manhattan and works at Macmillan Publishers. Last October, ALEXANDRA FERRARA completed her first year at Deutsche Bank. She is transferring from the asset management division to the corporate investment bank, where she is joining the communications group as an associate. EVAN SHOPPER, MSW ’09, and his family moved to Costa Rica for the school year, where he is intensely learning Spanish and finishing a novel. When he returns to the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts, he hopes to work bilingually with Latino populations. VANESSA TITANG is the new assistant to the registrar at Wheelock College in Boston. REN DECHERNEY loves living back in the Last Frontier (Alaska), and is considering graduate school in interior architecture. In the meantime, she’s working, baking cupcakes, and planning a spring trip to Spain with CATHERINE HATCH ’09. SARAH KULIG lives in Burlington, VT, serving with AmeriCorps VISTA at VSA Vermont as the development and outreach coordinator. She is thrilled to be working on a daily basis for the arts and social justice, and still enjoys painting in a studio in Burlington’s arts district. After completing internships at the Smithsonian and Longwood Gardens, LESLEY JOPLIN transplanted herself to the Midwest to start as director of horticulture at the Iowa Arboretum. SAMANTHA FISHER has been painting, carving, learning German, and visiting friends. Over the winter, she worked in Washington, DC, with an art conservator. EMILY PRATT lives in Philadelphia, working with Habitat for Humanity as a member of AmeriCorps VISTA. She is helping to get a ReStore resale outlet for home and building goods up and running. CAROLYN CUNHA graduated last July from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She is a registered nurse on a neurosurgery unit at the University of Virginia Health Center in Charlottesville. JES VERSACE spent her summer working up in the High Sierra doing wilderness programming for an all-girls’ summer camp. She is now back in San Francisco managing a café while trying to plan her next wilderness adventure. MARLOWE DIECKMANN started her second semester of a master’s program in public health at UC Berkeley. She is happy to be back home in the Bay Area. ARIELA HOUSE is teaching English and perfecting her Catalan in a small town near Girona, Spain. MAYA WEI-HAAS is at Ohio State University pursuing her doctorate in environmental geochemistry. Over the winter she headed to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica to conduct fieldwork for her research on the environmental degradation caused by brominated flame retardants. SARAH GASS is a content and community manager at Proust.com in New York City, a start-up Website that offers a place for families and close friends to capture their life stories and spark meaningful conversations about who they are. In April at the National Council on Public History’s annual conference in Florida, ERIN MOLLOY is presenting at a panel on the museum theater script she co-produced for the National Museum of American History. JORDAN BARBEAU lives in Brooklyn, NY, and works as the publicist for a small press in Manhattan while she puts together her law school applications. She says her list is based largely on campuses with the most trees. CAITY LOGAN began medical school in the fall at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. AMANDA KEAMMERER-ADERIBIGBE conquered her first race, the MCM10K, in Washington, DC, last Halloween. Also, she celebrated one year of marriage last November. Sec., Yena Lee, [email protected] 2010 FRANCES READING has legally changed her name to Wiley Frances Reading. She and BRIGID FITZGERALD READING were married at Smith’s Helen Hills Hills Chapel on June 26, ’10. They have relocated to Washington, DC, where Wiley is the national intern for Cooking Matters, and Brigid is a research intern at the Earth Policy Institute. ELIZA WARREN is a marketing and development associate for a nonprofit concert series, Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral, which holds free classical music concerts in downtown Chicago every week from June through August. She is pleased to be working for another Smithie, DEBORAH SOBOL ’72, founder and artistic director of Rush Hour Concerts. REBECCA GUTIERREZ works at McAlister Intermediate School in Suffield, CT, as the permanent building substitute. She is enjoying putting all her Smith knowledge to the test with energetic third, fourth, and fifth graders. DANIELLE MORRISSETTE worked as a translator at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, Poland. She translated the testimonies of Holocaust survivors as well as worked with old birth registries of Jewish families who were in the Russian Empire. She is now a graduate student at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. She is working toward her master’s and applying to doctoral programs in history and Russian literature. HILLARY BORCHERDING is currently living in Boston and working at WalkBoston, a pedestrian advocacy organization that works to change urban infrastructure to encourage more progressive and healthy forms of transportation. JENNIFER NEEDHAM is at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences obtaining her master’s degree in library and information science with a concentration in archives, preservation, and records management. She expects to graduate this summer. XIAOJIA (HELEN) HUA moved to Washington, DC, to work as an analyst for the US Securities and Exchange Commission. LAUREN FOLK lives in Canton, OH. She works at a nearby Borders café as a barista (thanks in part to her wonderful time at the Campus Center Café!), and is enjoying being surrounded by great co-workers and thousands of books. SHANNON SHIRD is working full-time at a nonprofit called Court Appointed Special Advocates as the AmeriCorps member, volunteer, and outreach coordinator, working to build CASA’s capacity and recruit more volunteers to serve some of Baltimore’s 7,000 abused and neglected children in the foster-care system. Her job includes publicizing the organization through all forms of media, and recruitment activities such as going to fairs. After graduation (and being on the dean’s list), SHEHRBANO TASEER worked with Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, in Washington, DC. She is now working as a journalist with Newsweek. KATHERINE POSEY was married on June 5, ’10, in Henderson, KY, and several of her best friends from Smith attended the wedding. CAROLINE FRAMKE is excited to have been hired as a social media coordinator at the Women’s Media Center, co-founded by Jane Fonda, GLORIA STEINEM ’56, and Robin Morgan in New York City. If any alumnae have feminist events or issues they would like publicized online by a like-minded organization, please feel free to contact Caroline. AMANDA (MAGGIE) CHESNUT is working at the Center for Anti-Violence Education, an organization that works as a catalyst for change in the lives of women, LGBT people, teens, children, and other communities affected by violence. Maggie is happy to be working with TRACY HOBSON ’96.On July 23, ’10, TIARRA MAZNICK officially married her husband, Valentino Solo, in Hawaii (they eloped in 2006). In September, she moved to Germany to pursue a Fulbright fellowship to teach English. She says she has picked up Muay Thai again, and is also vegan again. She’s having the most amazing time with fellow Fulbrighters ALYSSA GREENE and RAVEN BROOKS ’03. Sec., Hillary Borcherding, [email protected] ADA COMSTOCK SCHOLARS Thanks, Adas, for your news. Please keep it coming! KATHLEEN NUTTER ’90 was part of a panel that honored Helen Gurley Brown and her late husband’s gift to the college. The gift is earmarked for Adas past, present, and future. Kathleen says that as an Ada who worked for a catering company that did Smith events in the president’s house back in the 1980s, it was quite a thrill to be an honored guest at this event. “Not every day does the college get a $2 million bequest—for Adas, no less.” CYNTHIA CARROLL ’90 has been working in Haiti since the Jan. ’10 earthquake, helping to shape the Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project. Cynthia’s daughter, Isabella, was among students who traveled to Haiti last July to volunteer. Son Will is 13 years old, 6 feet 3 inches tall, and an eighth-grade football player. BARBARA COOK POSS ’92 is still editing dissertations and course papers for international PhD candidates at the University of Illinois. Two years ago, she started tutoring a 14-year-old Korean student whose parents wanted her to read British and American literature, and they still meet every Saturday morning. HARRIET MADAR ’93 and her husband, Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 93 alumnae update Dan, took early retirement in 2006. Harriet left her job with the Department of Labor after having worked there for 10 years. They then moved to Virginia near Roanoke, where they have more than five acres overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is a member of the Bald Knob Artists guild, and writes that between the mountains, and Smith Mountain Lake nearby, there is always something wonderful to paint. Harriet has been in several juried art shows and has displayed her artwork in galleries. She recently bonded with CAROL WALLING FLIEGER ’47, who is also a member of the Bald Knob Artists, when they met at a plein air session at a mutual friend’s house. They both have won awards and continue to pursue their art endeavors. MELODY WILENSKY ’93, who turned 51 years old in 2010, recalls being a young mother who attended Smith and gave birth during interterm 1990. “I had a heck of a time reading Blake and Lord Byron’s poetry during the afternoons when I’d rather have been napping during those early months.” She is deeply appreciative of the education she received at Smith. LORI DOWNER HOMKOWICZ ’96 reports, “Daniel and I are living on Kingston Lake in New Hampshire with 12-yearold Sergei. Devin is now 22 and lives in Newburyport, MA (he was in second grade when I graduated).” Lori From left to right, Frances Stotz AC ’87, Teresa Hacunda AC ’87, and Louise Walton AC ’88 delight in their longtime friendship at a get-together at Teresa’s home in Providence, RI. worked for 10 years at Charles River Laboratories, and is now working at the Manchester (NH) VAMC doing research compliance, narcotics inspection, and quality improvement work. She earned a second master’s degree at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. BECKY MCCOY ’96, who served as class co-president when she was a student, has received both a master’s degree in world religions and a doctorate in psychology. “The one major thing that I learned at Smith is that I love learning!” she writes. ROBYN PEARSON MCHATTIE ’96 is re- leasing a new novel under her pen name, RD McHattie, with the working title Diane Quinnell at Oxford. It is the second in a series featuring the lively Smithie heroine, this time improving her credentials over the summer at Oxford. CANDACE TALLEY ’97 has developed her business, Stone House Farm, in Amherst, MA. She reports, “I am so happy to have found the loves of my life since graduating: my partner for life; a business/work that I love; and an invigorating hobby, sea kayaking, that I share with Tom.” IAMI BADU ’99 reports that all is well You’re the BEST Students cite contact with alumnae as an important reason for applying to and enrolling at Smith. When you take the time to talk with a prospective student, the message is clear: Smith is a community where she will be inspired by the legacy of remarkable women. On behalf of the Office of Admission, thank you for your outstanding work and commitment. We couldn’t do it without you! PRODUCED BY THE OFFICE OF ADMISSION 94 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 in Jacksonville, FL. She has started an educational tutoring service for children and adults, Alexander Academy, and is also working at the local college with learning-disabled adults. She has reconnected with several Smithies. STACEY BETTS ’01 is living outside of Boston and writes that her stained glass business is really starting to take off. She is delighted to have been accepted into the Paradise City fairs of all fine and functional art. She creates custom stained glass, and her work is also in several museum stores and craft galleries. Find her business online. KELLY SAMUELS ’07, who lives in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, graduated from the Western New England College School of Law last May, passed the Massachusetts bar exam, and was sworn in in November. Her daughter, Kaytlyn, who was only 2 years old when she started at Smith, is 8 this year and in the third grade. REBECCA HURST ’02 lives in Lewes, East Sussex, England, and works in the education department of the Glyndebourne Opera. In 2009, she graduated from the University of Sussex with a master’s in creative writing and personal development. She is also teaching creative writing classes and working on a novel and a collection of poetry. Her daughter, Luka, is in her first year at Mount Holyoke. TERESA GONZALES ’07 was married on Oct. 10, ’10, in Chicago to her “wonderful husband, Wilson.” Two Ada friends attended. Teresa is pursuing her doctorate in sociology at the University of California. EDIE ADAMS ’08 is certified to teach English to speakers of other languages, and is currently employed as an adjunct instructor at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. She has also started her own tutoring business, which is an extension of her 18 years as a volunteer English tutor at Westchester Community College. “I love my job as a teacher, and continue to look forward to working with adult newcomers to America,” she reports. LAURA SCANDALIS ’06 accepted the position of human resources administrator for the New Hampshire Public Defender program. “I started as a legal secretary at Public Defender, went to Smith, got a graduate degree in risk and prevention from Harvard, and have returned to the organization I love as an administrator,” she writes. STACY ROCKWOOD ’09 is excited and sad to be finishing her Teach for America commitment teaching algebra as a special education teacher for ninth graders in the Rio Grande Valley along the border of Mexico in Texas. Her next adventure will include a move to Austin, TX, and the search for the perfect graduate school. Sec., Stephanie Schoen AC ’91, [email protected] obituaries 1930s ’30, Nov. 26, ’10, in Santa Cruz, CA, a month shy of her 101st birthday. She is survived by two sons, Richard and Si; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. She highly valued her Smith education, and always spoke very warmly of her time at Smith. My wife and I accompanied her to her 75th Reunion in 2005, which she enjoyed a great deal. She was one of only four members of her class who attended that Reunion.—Richard Wasserstrom, her son GERTRUDE KOPP WASSERSTROM HELEN CONNOLLY MCGUIRE ’31 died peacefully at home in New London, CT, on Oct. 19, ’10, at the age of 101. Helen loved Smith. She was class song leader and college song leader, and over the years she continued her love of singing with her family and friends. In addition to raising her four children, Helen was active in community affairs and on many boards, including the Lyman Allen Art Museum at Connecticut College. Helen had a keen aesthetic sense and loved flower arranging and Federal architecture. She married Francis McGuire in 1935; he died in 1982. Helen was devoted to her children, her 12 grandchildren, and her 13 great-grandchildren. Helen’s mother was ELLEN (NELLIE) CUSECK CONNOLLY 1904 and her sister was RUTH CONNOLLY BURKE ’29. Her two daughters are SUSAN MCGUIRE MORGAN ’59, MSW ’93, and the artist Elizabeth Enders, who has two paintings in the permanent collection of the Smith College Museum of Art.—Susan McGuire Morgan ’59, MSW ’93, her daughter AMARIE WHITTERS DENNIS ’34, Dec. 7, ’10, in Essex, CT. Amarie spent her junior year in Spain, and after teaching Spanish for a year, she returned to Spain to work on a master’s degree. There she met George Dennis, who was stationed in Madrid with the International Telephone and Telegraph Company. They were married in January of 1937 in Antwerp. They had a son, Ward, and Amarie and Ward returned to the United States for four years during World War II. They rejoined George in Spain prior to D-day, and over the next 18 years the family lived in Rome, London, New York, Madrid, and Buenos Aires. Upon George’s early retirement in 1960, they made their home in Madrid, where they lived for the next 28 years. Amarie published five biographies and one book of poetry, did volunteer work for the Spanish Red Cross, gave lectures, and was a member of the Fulbright committee. George and Amarie returned to the United States in 1988. Following George’s death in 1989 and Ward’s death in 1992, Amarie moved to the Essex Meadows retirement community. She is survived by three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. To report the death of an alumna, contact the records department at [email protected] or Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063. z OBITUARY POLICY Obituaries may be submitted by family, friends, or classmates to the SAQ office at [email protected]; Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Alumnae House, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, Attn: Obituaries; fax: 413-585-2015. An alumna must be confirmed as deceased by the college records department in order for an obituary or death notice to appear. Obituaries can be a maximum of 175 words. Newspaper obituaries cannot be reprinted. RUTH BARNES BATHRICK ’36, Oct. 19, ’10, in Ponte Ve- dra, FL. She was born in 1914 in New York City, the daughter of the late William and Mildred Barnes. She married Fritz Baldwin in 1935, and in 1949 they moved to West Hartford, CT, where they lived until relocating to Ponte Vedra in 1970. After Fritz’s death in 1988, Ruth married John Bathrick, who also predeceased her. Ruth took great pleasure in serving the community, including fundraising for the Hartford Theological Seminary. She was on other boards, and was also involved in the social action committee of the Congregational church in West Hartford. She headed the garden committee for the Institute of Living. Her favorite volunteer work was for her beloved Smith as an active fundraiser and class president. She is survived by her son, two daughters, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, a nephew, and several nieces. PRISCILLA CHAMBERLIN NEILL ’37, Jan. 5, ’10, in Win- chester, MA, after an extended illness. After graduating, Priscilla worked at the Personal Book Shop in Boston and married Stanley Neill, who predeceased her. They lived in Winchester, where they raised their children, Stanley and Nancy. Priscilla was a member of the Smith College club, the Winton Club, and the Winchester Country Club. She also was a longtime member of the Eastward Ho Country Club in Chatham, MA, and of the Naples (FL) Country Club. She leaves her two children, her grandson and his wife, and her two greatgrandsons. ’38, Dec. 11, ’10. Bertie and I both married shortly after graduating and started our families within a year. A group from our class got together for our 25th Reunion and drove to Northampton for the festivities; that was the start of a close friendship. We both had four children who were about the same ages. My youngest daughter, Tally, went to Dana Hall in Wellesley, MA, and Bertie’s sons went to the Rivers School in Weston, MA. Once, one of Bertie’s sons went to a Dana Hall dance and came to my house for a dinner party before the dance. Bertie and I thought it was great, and hoped our children might get together. Alas, when I spoke to Bertie’s sons at her services, neither remembered that occasion, and Tally wasn’t sure! About 10 years ago our class president Ann (Brooksie) Brooks Carter asked the two of us to be the class secretaries. We agreed and had a great time reaching out to all of our classmates. We served happily as co-secretaries until Bertie became ill. I will miss her friendship.—Natalie High Loomis ’38 BERTINE NILES WILLIS MARY-JOE LEE CRANDALL ’39, July 12, ’10, in Charles- ton, SC, of Alzheimer’s. She was the widow of John Crandall of Armonk, NY. Mary-Joe was born in 1918 in Pleasantville, NY, one of seven children. After graduation, she was active in the League of Women Voters in Westchester County, NY; she started at the local level and continued over the years through the national level. Mary-Joe and her daughter attended the class of 1939’s 70th Reunion in May ’09. It was a very happy time for MaryJoe, as she had fond memories of her four years at Smith. She was a loyal and generous alumna who was devoted to Smith and its bright future. MaryJoe is survived by a son, John, and his wife, Ruth; a daughter, Pamela; a grandson, Lee, and his wife, Meagan; and one great-grandchild, Charlotte.— Pamela Crandall, her daughter ANNE AUSTIN DAVIDSON ’39, Sept. 18, ’10, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, in New Bern, NC. She was the loving wife of the late Alan Davidson, and is survived by one brother, five children, 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. EVELYN ABRASH LAWRENCE ’39, Oct. 3, ’09. My mother was very proud of having graduated from Smith. She continued her education, earning a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She spent most of her life working for many political, religious, and social causes. She was the founding president of the northern New Jersey branch of the Brandeis University Women’s Organization. She leaves four sons, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.— Andrew Lawrence, her son ’39, Sept. 1, ’10, in her sleep, after declining health. Janice grew up in Elizabeth, NJ, and most recently was a resident of Delray Beach, FL, and Greenwich, CT. She became a national award-winning swimmer and diver in her youth. For 50 years, she worked as an insurance agent. She was predeceased by her husbands, Paul Berkley, Henry Kopel, and Harold Stuart. Janice leaves two brothers, three sons and their wives, a stepson and his wife, 12 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. JANICE LIFSON STUART 1940s ROSEMARY KOPMEIER BRADFORD HEWLETT ’40, Oct. 29, ’10, at home in Atherton, CA, after a brief illness. She married Robert Bradford in 1942, and they moved to Atherton in 1957. Robert died in 1969, and in 1978 Rosemary married William Hewlett, with whom she enjoyed 22 years. Survivors include her four sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and her dearly loved caretakers. BARBARA JAEGER FERRELL ’40, Oct. 6, ’10, in Scarbor- ough, ME. Barbara lived a full and active life for all of her 92 years. She died at peace with herself, surrounded by members of her family. Along with her husband, Herbert Ferrell, she was a pioneer in the tourism industry in Maine, helping to operate and co-own Down-East Village in Yarmouth. She enjoyed her service to the community, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She loved to travel and always wanted to explore or visit one more place on any excursion, whether in Europe or on the back roads of New England. She was most proud of her service in the American Red Cross, especially as a staff assistant in Europe during Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 95 in memoriam “In Memoriam” contains the names of alumnae who were confirmed deceased by the records department at Smith College between October 12, 2010 and January 10, 2011, and does not necessarily reflect the date of death. To report the death of an alumna, please contact the records department, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063. Submit full obituaries for publication directly to the Smith Alumnae Quarterly. 1930 1 9 39 1 9 47 1959 Mildred Van Dillen de Veer Marjorie Koblitz Garson Elizabeth Olney Miller Gertrude Kopp Wasserstrom Evelyn Abrash Lawrence Anne Austin Davidson Nancy Gordon Richardson Mary Gundersen Bugge Ann Trevellyan Hacker Priscilla Jones Castle Susan Aronowitz Pollack Becky Raisbeck Smythe Delano Burton May 1940 1948 1961 1931 Lois Riedel Martin Barbara Jaeger Ferrell Rosemary Kopmeier Bradford Hewlett Mary Krufka Slater Alice Reed Whittle Ruth McCorkindale Ray Alice Berman Roth Margaret Campbell Pfaff Marion Snee Hood Nelle Sellers Lane Beatrice Brown O’Donnell Jane Gurko 1949 1963 Hellen Perrin Hurley Margery McCanna Jennison Alice Tarnowski Jessie Van Baalen Warms Juliana Ferguson Kimball 1966 Margaret Moss Siegel C. Day Bonynge McBane Phyllis Greenwald Marks Doris Humphrey Mackley Louise Ramseyer Bliss Miriam Schwinn Kelley Frances Davis Fisher Grace Ridgeley Drew Katherine Park Iverson Helen Connolly McGuire 1932 Virginia Ramsey Hughes Gertrude Raffel Schmeidler 1933 1941 Olive Dickey Weston Frances Alling Lang Nancy Burns McArdle Caroline Berliner Isard Martha Howell Gould 1942 Marion Landon Holmes Mollie Goodwin Beam Grace Jarcho Ross Elizabeth Lewis Calmer Josephine Burroughs Margaret Scarlett Widdifield Natalie Judd Knudson Barbara Marden Wilson Marion Ingersoll Howell 1934 1943 Eliza Taylor Shockley Amarie Whitters Dennis Barbara Stoddard Cunningham Barbara Hopkins Jones Katherine Baker Spring Janet Harris Bird Claire Steinhardt Cunningham Eleanor Bisbee Neily 1935 Frances Rossi Moss Calie Berman Loss 1936 Mary Lewis Slavitt Carey Tatro Prouty Elizabeth Petcen Messina Ruth Barnes Bathrick Virginia Wright McCarthy Lucile Beeghly Patrick Doris Smith Osgood 1937 Theodora Myers Bagg Gwynne Wimberly Hughes 1938 Margaret McCabe King Margaret Tyng Lawson Bertine Niles Willis 1944 1950 Sally Cassell Thomas M. Quinn Ellis Delaney Virginia Bogert Schatz 1951 1962 Eleanor Wright Skoluda Carolyne Perry Evers Margaret Soule Susan Arenschield Edith Blumenthal McCharen 1 9 67 Susanna Barrows 1968 Kathleen Fitz Gerald Oppenheimer Sally Garen Chapman Katharine Stevens Prince Evthokia Sarris Porter Elizabeth Carlo Day Deborah Andrews Burch Katherine Blyth 1 9 73 1952 1 9 76 Georgia Brauer Graham Julie Wolyn Lowell Joy Kesslinger Krauss Anne Schroder 1 9 81 1953 1 9 83 Ann Warren 1 9 75 Camille Chapus-Roy Ketzler Amy Doppelt Elizabeth Wright Goshorn Barbara Cushman Mackintosh Irene Williamson White Katharine Downey Hart Helen Stoepel McGraw A. Hadley Lammert Curtis Frances Upshur Craighead Catherine Mauk Rooks Lore Mamlok Barroso 1954 1991 1945 Johanna Greenwald Bowen Irma Golden Elsa Biern Anne Duncan Eustis Shirley Traver Allen 1955 1 9 92 Mary Lockwood Spelman Joan Shuttleworth Russell Keller Pollock Betty Parks-Bowen 1946 1956 2 0 02 Patricia Fialkoff Singer Sally Houriet Wilkins Isolina Douglas Marian Myers Hellstrom Marilyn Stone Hufstader Caroline Wadsworth Harris Nancy Peck Stainbrook Kate Rosenthal Ollendorff World War II. She is survived by three children and their spouses, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husbands, Herbert Ferrell and Bob Riegler.—H. Ross Ferrell, her son ’42, Nov. 21, ’10, in Bedford, MA. She is survived by her husband, two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren, as well as several nieces, nephews, and their families. BARBARA MARDEN WILSON 96 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 Ann O’Donnell Ilten 1 9 87 Julia Manchester 1958 Priscilla Bruns Glander Eleanor Taft King MARION (MARIO) INGERSOLL HOWELL ’42, Nov. 27, ’10, at the Wesley Enhanced Living at Stapeley continuing-care retirement community. After Smith, Mario received her master’s from Teachers College, Columbia. She joined the department of child care at Temple University’s School of Social Work, where she trained adults working with emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. She was acting chair of the department from 1983 to 1984, and she retired in 1986. She was married to the late Joseph Howell, a minister, and was predeceased by a son in 1979. She is survived by one other son. NANCY PECK STAINBROOK ’46, Dec. 28, ’10, of pneumonia, in Charlotte, NC. Nancy was the class secretary for many years in the 1970s and 1980s, and she was very involved with the Smith College Club of New York until she relocated to Charlotte in 1994. She always spoke so glowingly of her time at Smith. She pursued a graduate degree in Switzerland, and then settled in New York. She was predeceased by her husband, Richard, and her sister and parents. She is survived by her son, Christopher; her daughter, Lucinda; son-in-law, Bob; and grandsons, Timothy and Kevin. Her friends and family will miss her wit and vivacious presence.—The Rev. Fr. Christopher Stainbrook, her son ALICE BERMAN ROTH ’48, June 28, ’10, after suffering a debilitating stroke. She was 83 years old. Wife and mother extraordinaire, voracious reader, clear and logical thinker and true intellectual not afraid to speak her mind, Alice cared deeply for others. Through her love and generosity she touched many lives. Alice wrote poetry in college. Later she turned her talents to short stories and comedic plays. Her short stories appeared in several quarterly reviews, and several of her plays were produced in Indianapolis. After raising four children, Alice earned her master’s in English literature from Indiana University. Alice was a longtime member of the Indianapolis Hiking Club, former president of the prestigious Indianapolis Woman’s Club, and member of the Dramatists Guild. Married to Bertram Roth for 62 wonderful years, Alice was the best relationship role model ever. Several months before her death, Alice and Bert relocated to Sarasota, FL, where she quickly made friends. She is dearly missed by her family and friends.—Ann — Roth Schuessler, her daughter HELLEN (BIBSIE) PERRIN HURLEY ’49, April 6, ’10. A his- tory major at Smith, Bibsie returned to her native Colorado, becoming a legal secretary before marrying in 1951. By 1964, she had chaired the Denver County United Fund and had been on the YWCA board as well as serving as the Smith club president. When her third child was 7, her husband, Leonard, died. Thereafter she worked for the Prevention of Blindness Society and the Colorado Safety Association. For our 50th Reunion Bibsie wrote, “Joined AA in 1983 and have had a new and brighter life since.” Bibsie’s son Bruce, a Presbyterian minister who, with his wife, raised four daughters, conducted her memorial service. Daughter Anne and son David added three grandchildren each to Bibsie’s family. Golf, bridge, bowling, and AA volunteering were her pleasures, along with Opera Colorado and being an ardent sports fan. She always appreciated her Smith education and classmates, especially friends from Morris House and alumnae living in Denver. She leaves her three children and 10 grandchildren.—Leigh Berrien Smith ’49 ALICE MACGUIRE TARNOWSKI ’49, Oct. 3, ’10, in Washington, DC. Alice was a quietly dedicated aunt, sister, cousin, godmother, friend, and visitor to the homebound. She was born in New York City in 1928 to Constantine and Alice MacGuire, and she married Count Antoni Tarnowski, whom she met while she was in Munich working for the US Information Agency. The couple settled in Washington, DC. Alice was the recipient of a meritorious honor award for her service on the US SALT II Delegation support staff from 1977 to 1979. She spent her subsequent years working in the development office at Georgetown University. Following Toni’s death in 1985, Alice remained involved with the Polish expatriate community. She wrote an unpublished novel, published several poems in various journals, and was a co-editor of an anthology of Washington poets. 1950s M. QUINN ELLIS DELANEY ’50, Oct. 6, ’10, in Winnetka, IL. She volunteered for several organizations, in- cluding the Junior League of Evanston (IL), Head Start, and Chicago public schools, as well as serving as vice president of the board of directors and as president of the woman’s board of the Art Institute of Chicago. I knew Quinn Delaney for 60 years, and when I think of her I think of two traits: enthusiasm and innocence. She never lost either despite years of living with an inoperable brain tumor that limited her agility but never her spirit. She was always the positive, cheerful girl I met in 1946, and the prestige of being the president of the woman’s board didn’t change her a whit. She leaves her husband, four children, 11 grandchildren, and many loving friends.—Sue Kalischer Golan ’50 DEBORAH ANDREWS BURCH ’51, Nov. 1, ’10, of complications related to Alzheimer’s. A resident of Mechanicsville, MD, and Salida, CO, Deborah was born in 1929 to the late William and Ethel Andrews. She graduated with a major in music, and married her first husband, David Mossman, in 1951. They raised their family in Mechanicsville. After their amicable divorce, in 1979 she married Samuel Burch, who predeceased her in 2001. Debbie was an attentive, loving, and thoughtful wife, mother, and grandmother, and a true friend. She was a prolific knitter, lover of music, world traveler, and a fiercely independent woman. She recalled her Smith days fondly, and attended many Reunions. She leaves her 10 children, JANE MOSSMAN CLARK ’75, Victoria, Mary Susan, Vanessa, Andrew, Hannah, Ruth, PRISCILLA MOSSMAN ROSS ’88, Peter, and George, as well as 12 stepchildren, 27 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a brother, a sister, and nieces and nephews. She also leaves many dear friends and countless others who spent many a day at the family house, drawn in by Debbie’s warmth and hospitality.—Priscilla Mossman Ross ’88, her daughter ’51, Oct. 23, ’10, in Manhasset, NY, where she resided for 50 years. She was raised in Fort Wayne, IN, by Ernest Carlo and LUCILE WOODRUFF CARLO ’17. She was the beloved wife of Lawrence Day and loving mother of three children. She also leaves her sister, in-laws, and many loving nieces and nephews. ELIZABETH CARLO DAY ’51, Oct. 2, ’10, in Amherst, MA. Evie married John Porter, and after living in Turkey, Cypress, and Virginia, they settled in Amherst in 1987. She had many fond memories of Smith, and is survived by a daughter, a son, and two grandsons. EVTHOKIA (EVIE) SARRIS PORTER ELIZABETH FERGUSON, MSS ’55, Oct. 2, ’10, at the Equinox Terrace retirement community in Manchester, VT. She was born in New Haven, CT, and was the daughter of Bertha and James Ferguson. In addition to her Smith degree, she also received her education at Vassar and Yale. She taught for many years at Skidmore College, and in 1970 moved to Castleton State College in Vermont to establish a social work program there. She retired in 1976 and was named social worker of the year by the Vermont chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. In retirement, she pursued her love of music and interest in travel and went on several music tours of Europe. She traveled widely and visited all seven continents. She was predeceased by two brothers, and is survived by seven nieces and nephews. MARY LOCKWOOD SPELMAN ’55, Nov. 1, ’10, in Asheville, NC. She was born in 1934 in Brooklyn, NY, and lived in Long Island, NY; Palo Alto, CA; and Seattle. She worked for Scholastic magazine in New York City, and then taught English at the Bush School in Seattle. In 1959, she moved to Connecticut and married James Spelman, who predeceased her in 2001. After living in West Redding, CT, for 20 years, they moved to the San Diego area in 1985, followed by a move to North Carolina in 1994. A lifelong writer of fiction, Mary published two novels, The Accessory and Child of Light, under the name of Mary Lockwood, and a dozen books for young readers under the name of Mary Towne. For many years, Mary was a teacher, consultant, and course developer for the Institute of Children’s Literature in West Redding. She was a prodigious reader, a fine cook, an avid sports fan and tennis player, a dedicated gardener, an animal lover, and a talented musician. She is survived by her three children and a sister. PATRICIA FIALKOFF SINGER ’56, June 10, ’10, in a hos- pice facility in White Plains, NY, after a five-year battle with lung cancer. A native New Yorker who was married to Howard Singer for 53 years, she had lived in White Plains for the past 40 years. She started her career in advertising and worked at Citibank for many years after her children were grown. Survivors include a son, Peter; daughter, Lori; sister, Karen; brother-in-law, Joseph; nephew, Evan; niece, Tracey; grandniece, Sydney; and three grandnephews, Zachary, Liam, and Finn, whom she adored. She will be remembered for her spark, humor, and wit, and the fabulous adventures we had with our fellow traveler CAROLE JACOBS LIPTON ’56 on a 10-week trip to Europe following our graduation.—Joan — Temkin Slafsky ’56 ’56, Oct. 21, ’10, in Shaker Heights, OH. Sally married Edwin Wilkins in 1956 while he was stationed in the navy in Jacksonville, FL, and the family also lived in Boston before settling in Shaker Heights in 1960. Sally was an administrator at the Allen Memorial Medical Library of Case Western Reserve University until she retired in 1999. She was an avid amateur photographer, collector of historical photographs, and gardener. Her survivors include her three children, two grandchildren, sister, and sister-in-law. SALLY HOURIET WILKINS PRISCILLA (PEBBLES) BRUNS GLANDER ’58, Nov. 7, ’10, after a yearlong battle with cancer. She earned her doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1981, and was a research scientist for the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Leahi Hospital. She moved to California to continue her research at Marin General Hospital, and returned to Honolulu in 1995 upon her retirement. She is survived by her sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren. ’58, Nov. 29, ’10, of esophageal cancer, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Eleanor graduated from Wellesley in 1979. She was a program coordinator for five years at Boston by Foot, where the guides enjoyed her smart, funny, dry wit, and her different take on things. She worked on the Two Collection of quality art for the Channel 2 auction, and later she worked at the Fuller Craft Museum documenting the condition of art objects coming into and going out of the museum. A longtime resident of Lincoln, MA, she volunteered at the Lincoln Exchange, a nonprofit consignment shop, and helped with the monthly library book sale. She enjoyed gardening, was a passionate reader, and developed a love for adventure travel, particularly to deserts in Africa and Asia. Wellfleet, MA, was a summertime vacation spot ELEANOR TAFT KING Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 97 obituaries where she enjoyed friends and family. Her husband, R. Bruce King, predeceased her in 1974. She leaves her children, Richard, Andrew, and Charity, and their spouses, and was the devoted grandmother of seven grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother. She will be missed by many.—Gail Ireland Lanouette ’58 and Peggy McNeil Boyer ’58 1960s JOSEPHINE TROXELL GORDON ’60, July 16, ’10. Losing Josie was a shock and a great sadness, leaving a huge hole in the hearts of her classmates, especially Lamonters. We were housemates, roommates, and soul mates. Josie was so alive, so filled with warmth, verve, and zest. She was a wife, mother, traveler, philanthropist, and a woman of the world. Josie was inspired to go to Namibia with the US Department of Education to use the arts to work in AIDS and HIV prevention and education. She was driven to make the world a better place for all. Two years ago, a mini-reunion for Lamonters in Boston brought Josie from afar to reconnect and share her enthusiasm for the Africa project. We were moved by her dedication and focus. Since hearing about her untimely death, friends have shared these words: “She was so alive, so vibrant . . . A gallant and uncomplaining woman . . . We are all proud of such an inspiring and courageous classmate.” She was truly full of life. Josie was an inspiration to us all, and we were blessed to have known her.—Lynn Burrows Donaldson ’60 and Katrina (Tinker) Jenney Saltonstall ’60 JANE GURKO ’61, Nov. 29, ’10, from complications of recurrent cancer, at home in Willits, CA. Jane made a vivid impression from her first day at Smith. Exuberant, irreverent, funny, a real New York intellectual, a musician whose high-voltage voiceand-guitar rendition of “The St. James Infirmary Blues” is still in the collective Clark House memory bank, Jane earned both English (honors) and biology degrees at Smith. She then completed a PhD at UC Berkeley and joined the English faculty of San Francisco State University. In 1973, she and three colleagues introduced an experimental curriculum that ultimately became SFSU’s women’s studies department, among the first anywhere. She later served as associate dean of the SFSU College of Humanities until her retirement in 1997, prompted by health issues. Jane regarded coming out as a lesbian as the critical juncture of her life, and she retired to woodsy property held by a women’s cooperative group in Willits. She filled her retirement with singing, ceramics, gardening, community service, and close friends who mourn her deeply.—Joyce — Skaggs Brewster ’61 ’62, Oct. 9, ’10. She earned her master’s in teaching at Wesleyan University, and in 1964 she married Tim Evers, a 1962 graduate of Amherst College. Cally taught science in Kenya for two years before settling in Mystic, CT, in 1969. In addition to caring for her family, for more than 20 years Cally enjoyed teaching students as a lab instructor in chemistry at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. Predeceased by a brother and two children, Cally is survived by her husband; a son, Tod; a daughter, Katy; and Katy’s husband and son.—Tim Evers, her husband CAROLYNE (CALLY) PERRY EVERS ’63, Nov. 15, ’10. We remember fondly her witty ballad composed for Fathers’ Weekend, and the clever scripts she wrote for Rally Day. Maggie earned two master’s degrees in English, one from Boston University and the MARGARET SOULE 98 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 other from Middlebury College. She taught English, worked as an editorial coordinator for an educational publisher, and developed a career in freelance writing and editing, including nine years with the Waynflete School. Maggie gave her time and spirit to many volunteer activities, including the Maine Track Club as secretary, membership chair, and archivist; director of the Hannaford Turkey Trot 5K race; a rebuilding project in New Orleans; and the Yarmouth Historical Society as chair of the board from 2008 to 2010. She ran three marathons in her 50s. Maggie also served as our 1963 Fund co-agent, and twice as class secretary. She used her English major to the fullest and combined it with her delightful wry sense of humor, and she generously shared with all of us her love of life and literature. This became even more evident during her brave fight with the return of cancer in 2010. Maggie leaves her sister, brother, three nieces, a nephew, three great-nieces, and many loving friends.—Kathy Sanderson Zwick ’63 a courageous battle with cancer. Ann graduated magna cum laude with a major in math, but even before entering college, she knew she wanted to become a physician. After Smith, Ann graduated from the University of Rochester Medical Center, where she met her husband, Jim Clark. Ann excelled in pediatrics, becoming chief of pediatrics at Cigna HealthCare in Phoenix. She was an active member of the Arizona chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and was engaged in an obesity research project with them at the time of her death. At Cigna she developed several innovative programs to improve the care delivered to children. Ann was a great mom, and besides leaving her husband, she is survived by her two daughters, Lisa and Julie. Ann was also a superb cook, as well as enjoying three book clubs, including one from Smith. Ann appreciated the arts and tried not to miss any good show or musical event in the Phoenix area. She loved her family, friends, and her work, and she will be sorely missed.—Nicole Krein Lyons ’67 FRANCES (FAY) LEARY LEWIS ’64, 1970s EDITH BLUMENTHAL MCCHAREN ’66, May 21, ’10. After ’73, Nov. 6, ’10, in Freehold, NJ, after a 30-year battle with multiple sclerosis. She will forever be remembered by her Albright housemates as the psychology major who typed using only two fingers her first and final draft of papers just before the due date (if not actually on the due date) in the middle of mayhem, and received accolades for her well-written and insightful projects. She did graduate work at Xavier University in Ohio, and earned her master’s in education from Wake Forest University in North Carolina in 1977. While pursuing graduate work at Wake Forest and working in the field of educational psychology, she developed a neurological illness consistent with multiple sclerosis. Despite the relentless progression of her disease, Ann never lost her wonderful sense of humor and remained ever optimistic that she would return one day to finish her doctorate. She was the classic blond bombshell who had a fabulous brain. She is dearly missed.—Sally Warren Fenton, her daughter, and Katie Emmons ’73 Sept. 25, ’10, at her home in Washington, DC, of complications from a brain tumor. She received her master’s and doctorate from Northwestern University, and was considered an expert in African studies, working as a program officer at the Meridian International Center in Washington, and teaching at Northwestern and Temple universities. She leaves her husband, three brothers, a sister, stepdaughter, three grandchildren, and a great-grandson. earning her doctorate in mathematics at Louisiana State University, Edith taught at Northern Illinois University. Her initial interest in pure mathematics led to an interest in computer operating systems, and after leaving the university, she worked in Silicon Valley for a number of years. She later moved to Florida to be near her parents, and for 10 years served as an IT consultant for GTE (now Verizon). A year after being downsized by Verizon, Edith was diagnosed with the colon cancer that eventually killed her. She endured four operations in her battle with the disease, but finally chose to enter hospice care in the spring of 2010, dying less than a month later. She is survived by her parents and two sisters.—Ella May Thomson Wulff ’66 ’67, Oct. 27, ’10, suddenly, at home in Berkeley, CA. After Smith, Susanna received a master’s at Indiana University and a doctorate at Yale. She was appointed assistant professor at Mount Holyoke in 1977, and joined the University of California, Berkeley, history faculty as an associate professor in 1981. She became a full professor in 1992 and retired in 2010. Of her many awards, Susanna most cherished the UC Berkeley Graduate Division’s 2009 Sarlo Distinguished Graduate Student Mentoring Award. Susanna and I, and our families, remained close since our time as housemates at Smith and as graduate students at Yale. She mentored my daughter, Caitlin, as a high school intern in Paris, establishing a wonderful friendship and devotion in her to all things French. In 2004, Susanna hosted memorable celebrations in Paris for a Christmas holiday and our joint 60thbirthday. She was a fabulous chef, gracious hostess, irrepressible spirit, and loyal friend. I will miss the special visits and phone conversations we shared and the exuberant e-mails signed “Bisous, banane.” We send our love and condolences to her daughter, ALEXANDRA BARROWS ’09.—Barbara Kinder ’67 SUSANNA BARROWS ANN SPIEGEL ’69, March 29, ’10, in Phoenix, after ANN WARREN CAMILLE (FANCY) CHAPUS-ROY KETZLER ’75 died suddenly on Oct. 22, ’10, in Scarsdale, NY. She was 57. The nickname Fancy, given to her by her father in infancy, perfectly embodied her and her radiant spirit. She was smart, beautiful, and charming—the brightest light in every room—and nothing was ever mundane or dull or boring to Fancy. She found the extraordinary in everything and everyone, and left every person she encountered feeling special. Along with being a devoted wife and mother, Fancy was a gifted manager and had a successful career in software sales. She was also a fabulous cook. Fancy floated into the lives of her Smith friends in Cushing House almost 40 years ago and brought us all nothing but joy ever since. Along with countless friends, she leaves her beloved husband, Mark Ketzler; her daughter, Remy; her sons, Ian and Robbie; and her mother, sister, and brother.—Deborah O’Malley ’76, Mary Degnan Schloat ’75, and Tricia Frazier Hooper ’75 1990s ’92, Oct. 30, ’10, of lung cancer, at the University of Toledo (OH) Medical Center Hospital. Keller worked as a senior manager of human resources at Gene Express in Toledo. She was predeceased by her mother, a grandfather, and a grandmother, and is survived by her father, three brothers, two stepbrothers, a stepsister, a grandmother, a grandfather, and several uncles, aunts, and cousins. KELLER POLLOCK FACULTY The following obituaries are condensed versions of “Memorial Minutes” read at recent faculty meetings. WILLIAM MACDONALD, March 6, ’10, in Washington, DC. Bill taught in the art department from 1965 until his retirement in 1981. When I first met him in the fall of 1976, I was a 26-year-old junior member of the department. I was in every way a person of low stature, but Bill, by contrast, was a giant, a scholar of towering stature. Despite that, I soon found that Bill was kind and approachable, and in those days when our department meetings sometimes lasted three hours, I greatly admired Bill’s calm during roiling debates. Our mutual colleague Professor Emerita Helen Searing brought to life the man and the scholar in this tribute: “Bill MacDonald not only mesmerized students—at Smith, at Yale, and at Wheaton College—but also held general audiences spellbound with his sparkling wit, lively reminiscences of exotic places he visited in the course of his professional research, and memorable summaries of scholarship in the field. Ancient Rome and late-antique Byzantium were his special areas of expertise, but he was fascinated by architecture from all historical periods. Born in 1921, Bill served in the US Army Air Force from 1942 to 1945. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard. His publications on Roman and Byzantine architecture remain valued textbooks in colleges and universities. A notable photographer, Bill bequeathed his archive of more than 3,000 images to Princeton, which will share them with an international group of scholars. Bill was a splendid lecturer, a distinguished scholar, and a delightful raconteur. His friends, among them many former students and colleagues, will sorely miss him.”—Susan Heideman, professor of art, with comments from Helen Searing, Alice Pratt Brown professor emerita of art HELEN KRICH CHINOY, May 24, ’10, in Northampton. While we of her huge theater family mourn her loss, we celebrate a remarkable colleague. We celebrate her landmark scholarly works that she edited and co-wrote, all essential texts for both theater students and professionals for nearly 50 years. She won praise and prizes for her work, ranging from her election to the College of Fellows of the American Theatre to an Emmy award for her contributions to a PBS documentary on the Group Theatre. Helen guided and inspired countless students, but it wasn’t just her students who were inspired. All of us in the profession, whether playwrights, designers, actors, directors, or historians, were nudged and nurtured toward playing our own part and making a meaningful mark on the rising force of women in American theater. We benefited from Helen’s sharp, critical eye and marvelously opinionated sensibility as she challenged and encouraged us in our work. She evoked in us a sense of the traditions we came from and the courage to move them forward. Helen wrote, “I feel as if I was marked for life by the idea of theater as culture, community, and commitment.” She left her mark on so many of us who will forever be grateful.—Kiki Smith, professor of theatre, with comments from Deborah Lubar, former professor of theatre ELLIOT OFFNER, Oct. 15, ’10, of cancer. He was the Andrew W. Mellon professor in the humanities and printer to the college emeritus. Elliot received a bachelor’s degree in painting and a master’s in sculpture from Yale. He joined Smith as an instructor in 1960, and was appointed printer to the college in 1975. His talents and passions spanned more media than are commonly found in an entire art faculty. Three of his bronze sculptures grace Smith’s campus, including Bittern Mother and Child and Great Blue Heron. Elliot had an unsurpassed facility for relief carving, as exemplified by his plaques outside the Jacobson Center and Weinstein Auditorium. He was devoted to the numismatic arts, and his medals, including Smith’s Presidential and Charis medals, benefited from his lifelong devotion to the expressive possibilities of the finely crafted letterform. He passed on his love of calligraphy to his many students, and his friends always treasured his correspondence for its sheer virtuosic beauty. Elliot designed hundreds of hand-set, superbly produced sheets of presidential letterhead, envelopes, invitations, and broadsides. A complete collection of his printmaking students’ work resides in Smith’s Mortimer Rare Book Room. In 2000, Elliot was elected president of the National Sculpture Society. He was devoted to the mission of Smith, and nothing made him prouder than to describe himself as a servant of the institution where he made his life for 50 years. His gifts to Smith, its students, and its faculty are broad and deep, and we mourn the loss of such a remarkable colleague and friend.—John — Davis, Alice Pratt Brown professor of art, associate provost, and dean for academic development 2011 Summer Programs* From Specialist to Strategist Smith-Tuck Global Leaders Program For Women in Science, Technology & Engineering Tec ng Provides em Pro merging mana n ge ers an understanding of bu usine ne ess a d leadersh an hip to advanc n e c itic cr cal busin ness initiative v s Brin ngs g together seniorleve el women executives and d global thought lead ders to explore key tran nsf s ormations in beco coming a visionary leader June e 5-10, 20 011 Tu uition: $6,9 900 June ne 20-24, 2011 Tuittion: $9,270 Directing Innovation Forr Wome en in i Science, Tec Te chn nolog gy & En E gineering Offferrs direc cto or-level exec e utive es a curriculum fo ocu c sed on the h knowledge, abiilitties, and d skills needed to o drive in nnov ovation Sep pte emb ber 11-1 - 6, 2011 Tuitio on: $7,99 9 5 *Al A l prog ograms held at Smith College, accom o mod dati t on ns at the Hote o l Northampton. Tuition includes program mater e ials, ac ccomm om oda atio ons, and most meals. Smith Strategic Coaching Offer For a limited time we are offering a $250 coupon to alumnae who sign up for a four-hour coaching program (valued at $1,000). Offer ends April 30, 2011. Co onta act in ac nfo: Call Iris Newalu, Director Prrro P Pro Produ oduc duced du uced uc ed b by y tthe th h he e Of Offi fic ce c e of Exe of Exec xe ecut cutive cutiv ve E Ed du uc uca cati ca attio tiio ion on • 41341 3--58558 85-2 2798 • [email protected] • www.smith.edu/execed Special 25% off all programs for Smith Alumnae alumnae exchange FOR RENT PEMAQUID POINT, ME Bemusing. Beautiful. Red Cape-style house nestled on Atlantic bay shore. Time and the tides pause around this uniquely peaceful, fully furnished summer and winter home. Forest behind; tide pools, islands, and the sea in front. Birding, boat trips, galleries, excellent restaurants, lighthouse nearby; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Separate loft available in warmer weather. Weekly, June–Dec. No smoking or pets. Rhoda Micocci ’70 for Harriet Micocci ’34. Contact Sheila, [email protected], 207-677-2100. SOUTH BRISTOL, ME Christmas Cove. Comfortable family home on private cove. Wraparound deck, deepwater dock, large yard, 3 bedrooms, 2-plus baths, fireplace, large kitchen, all amenities. Activities abound. Summer: $2,000 per week; winter: $900 per week. Contact Margaret Gay Lavender ’73, [email protected], 847-446-3485. NORTHEAST KINGDOM, VT Classic New England lakefront cottage in the heart of Stegner’s Vermont, originally owned by my grandmother, Mary Rhodes Stone ’25. Five bedrooms, fireplace, sandy beach, small boats. A five-minute walk via lake path or Main Street to a lovely small town with a strong local food presence; golf and tennis nearby. Available for weekly rentals June–Oct. Contact Sara Jackson Slater ’81 for info and photos, [email protected], 206-579-1729. NORTHAMPTON, MA Lovely 3-bedroom home on beautiful tree-lined street near Smith and town. Available occasional weeks, long TO PLACE AN AD in “Alumnae Exchange,” e-mail your ad to [email protected] or fax to 413-5852015. Deadline for the Summer ’11 issue is April 15. Please include your full name and class year or your affiliation to Smith in your ad. Ads are $2 per word, 75-word maximum. Please make check payable to Smith College and mail to “Alumnae Exchange,” Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Alumnae House, 33 Elm St., Northampton, MA 01063. The Quarterlyy is not responsible for the products and services advertised. weekends, and summer. Charming, all amenities. Meryl Cohn ’82, [email protected], 516-398-8486. ORLEANS, MA Secluded waterfront with ocean access on quiet cove off Little Pleasant Bay. Tranquil garden setting. Main house sleeps 6 with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths. Separate guest quarters with kitchenette and bath sleeps 2. Central A/C, splendid water views with stunning sunrises, abundant waterfowl, and the occasional seal! Master suite with attached study opens onto deck, as do living room and dining room. Attached greenhouse. No smoking, pets, or children under 12. Cecelia Buckley ’71. See photos and info at https://sites.google.com/site/capeblueheron. MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA Sales and rentals, from prestige waterfront to modest cottages, short-term to seasonal. New listings welcome; member of LINK network. Knowledgeable, conscientious service with 22 years of experience. Please contact John Best, husband of Margaret Curtin ’75, at John Best Associates, [email protected], 508-693-5566. MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA Chilmark South Shore, private beach, tennis. Private 4 acres, 4 bedrooms, several decks, lovely ocean view. Have ferry reservations. Attractive rates; 1- to 2-week rentals. Contact Betty Steele Farrow ’57, 904-321-2366, [email protected]. SOUTH ORLEANS, MA NANTUCKET, MA Bright and cheery 2-bedroom, 1.5-bath duplex Cape located on a private way half a mile from town beach at Pleasant Bay, 4 miles to Nauset Beach, and 7 miles to First Encounter Beach. Furnished with all amenities, including Internet and laundry. No smoking or pets. Contact Pam Gavin ’83, [email protected], 774-316-4114. Nostalgic for your grandmother’s house? Tired of antiseptic rentals? Rent our family’s historic, 1765-built Centre St. cottage. Sleeps 10, with 6 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. New appliances, large yard, wraparound porch. Great for multigenerational families. Walk to Main St. or Children’s Beach in 6 minutes. Well-behaved dog OK. Rent for summer ’11 is $3,600 per week; discount for longer stays. Sandy Morgan ’65, [email protected], 860-561-3124. WELLFLEET, MA Contemporary, architect-designed, 4-bedroom home. Very private. Minutes to bay/ocean beaches, Audubon sanctuary, National Seashore, galleries, theater, children’s recreation. Weekly. Contact Peter Rose, professor emeritus, [email protected]. PROVINCETOWN, MA Beautiful, spacious 2-bedroom, water-view condo available weekly during summer, varying periods offseason. West End, all amenities, parking. Contact Meryl Cohn ’82, [email protected], 516-398-8486. NANTUCKET, MA “Berry Haven,” Cliff Road, professionally decorated home. Short walk to Steps Beach, less than a mile to downtown. Newly renovated kitchen open to dining area with bay window; powder room; living room; cathedral ceiling family room plus library, each with fireplace. Deck overlooking private pond. Master bedroom with a full bath opens to deck. Sleeps 7; 2.5 baths. No smoking; $3,500–$5,000 per week. Please contact Betsy Powell ’60, [email protected], 781-237-4876. ADIRONDACK GETAWAY Lake George, sleeps 11, waterfront, dock, boat slip, canoe, large yard, hiking, mountains, spectacular sunsets over lake from slate patio. Ann Willis Brockelman ’59, [email protected]. NEW YORK CITY Elegant 2-bedroom apartment on Upper East Side of Manhattan available for 1-week rental or swap. No smoking or pets. Unlimited Internet access; office equipment. Contact Jacquie Ottmann ’77, 212-570-6633, [email protected]. SANIBEL ISLAND, FL Donax Village, 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo with loft, sleeps 6. For photos see www.sanibelbungalow.com. Contact Mary Lea Kirven ’83, 650-387-2095. SANIBEL ISLAND, FL Stunning 2 bedroom, 2-bath, beachfront condo has every amenity. Breathtaking Gulf of Mexico views, large screened lanai, elevator, laundry in unit, pool. Shelling, bike paths, nature preserve. Much availability by week or more. No smoking or pets. Contact Valerie Fitch ’79, [email protected], 212-858-1718. SMITH INSPIRED YOU TO LEARN. NORTHAMPTON SANTA FE, NM Architect’s house on secluded 12.5 acres, sleeps 6. Stunning views, 15 minutes to plaza. No pets or smoking. Weekly. Bonnie Orr Miskolczy ’60, 978-369-2647. JACKSON HOLE, WY Attractive, spacious home in ideal location to savor summer in the West. Whether you want to bike or hike in the Grand Tetons, raft or fish on the Snake River, explore the historic town of Jackson, or drive to Yellowstone for an afternoon—all is possible here! Rental must be 30 days or more; $6,000 per month, $1,500 each additional week. No smoking, pets, or young children. For details contact Jessica Andrus Lindstrom ’77, [email protected]. INSPIRED YOU TO LIVE LIFE. Find inspiration at Rockridge. Come home to Northampton. 25 & 37 Coles Meadow Road Northampton, MA 01060 www.rockridgema.org 413-586-2902 Offering worry-free retirement living in scenic Northampton 100 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 PALM DESERT, CA Ironwood Country Club 3-bedroom, 3-bath townhouse, private hot tub, shared pool. Close to public golf and tennis, world-class shopping, dining, art galleries. No smoking or pets. Special rates for Smithies. Claudia Bassin Abraham ’88, [email protected], 206-931-3075. SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MEXICO Beautifully located, charming, colorful home in Mexico’s 17th-century colonial treasure/artist colony. Three bedrooms, 3.5 baths; maid and property manager; shortor long-term stays; hi-speed Internet. See property at www.newmexico-land-homes.com. Contact Lucy Young Noyes ’61 at her office, La Puerta Real Estate Services in New Mexico, [email protected], 505-867-3388. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Vacation rental of spacious 4-bedroom, 5-bath villa with private pool and Jacuzzi in luxury resort of Casa de Campo. Five-minute walk to beach, 4 golf courses, tennis, spa, marina, horseback riding, quad outings, teen club, WiFi. Golf cart and daily maid service included. More info and rates at www.vrbo.com/148384. Anne HornungSoukup ’74, [email protected]. GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND Cotswolds stone cottage located in a quiet village on the Cotswold Way, 2 miles from Broadway, near Stratfordupon-Avon, Stow-in-the-Wold, and Chipping Campden. Stable in next village. Large inglenook fireplace; 3 bedrooms: 1 double, 1 twin, 1 single with trundle (sleeps 5-6); washer/dryer; freezer; microwave; outdoor furniture and Weber grill. Flat-screen television with DVD player. Connie Frydenlund ’71, www.pottersfarmcottage.com, [email protected] for availability and rates. COUNTY DONEGAL, IRELAND Irish ancestral home by the sea. Relax and explore Ireland from a lovely, renovated, historic farmhouse on Ireland’s northwest coast. Breathtaking views, numerous nearby golf courses, beaches, hiking, castles, folklore sites, and wonderful day excursions. Elizabeth Budd Bugliari ’64. See http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p233639. PARIS AND BORDEAUX AREA New Left Bank setting for Paris apartment and vineyard environment for farmhouse. Two-bedroom, courtyard Paris apartment, 5-minute walk to Seine and #14 Metro; see www.relaxinfranceonline.com/ile/75001.htm. Spacious stone farmhouse northeast of Bordeaux with pool; see www.charente-maritime-home.com. Katherine Hoffman ’69, [email protected], 603-924-9535. FRENCH ATLANTIC Sunny 2-bedroom condo in Arcachon, a great beach resort, just 45 minutes from Bordeaux. Ann Sanford ’75, 877-848-0087, www.vrbo.com/25312, [email protected]. ITALY AND FRANCE Create your dream vacation! Picturesque villas and apartments, all personally visited, in desired locations. Enhance local flavor with concierge services. For info please contact David Geen, nephew of Patsy JeromeKorten ’49, 800-593-6350, www.villasandvines.com, [email protected]. ALONISSOS, GREECE Greek island house. Authentic charm, modern conveniences, breathtaking views, quaint village without cars. Two bedrooms, low prices. Please contact Julia Taylor, daughter of the late Elizabeth Campbell ’40, [email protected], 508-540-0331. BED-AND-BREAKFAST SANDWICH, MA WEST HIGHLANDS, SCOTLAND Superbly restored historic estate of renowned 19thcentury artist Jemima Blackburn on the Scottish coast overlooking the Hebridean Islands. Classic, breathtaking, rugged mountain/seascape. Explore the highlands and islands; walk the hills; canoe, kayak, water ski, or swim the loch just a stone’s throw from the sweeping lawn. Build sandcastles. Read a book. Sleeps 20; boathouse sleeps 6. Chef, housekeeper. Wonderful for house parties, weddings, reunions. See www.roshvenhouse.com. Contact Angus MacDonald, stepbrother of Margaret Lamason ’84, [email protected], +44 7768 702 577. Elegant B&B conveniently located in the heart of historic Sandwich village on Cape Cod. One hour from Boston or Providence, an ideal spot for a mini-reunion or romantic getaway. Katherine Sibley Sanderson AC ’85, www. isaiahjones.com, [email protected], 800-526-1625. BETHESDA, MD Washington, DC, tour guide’s home, 15 minutes from downtown. Good transportation, safe parking. Joan Hinsch Searby ’58, 301-229-4835. REAL ESTATE SALES FINLAND CALIFORNIA RANCH Country house, ultra-modern design, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking lake, and wood-burning fireplaces. Private, peaceful, rural location. Separate sauna and rec room. Three bedrooms, sleeps 4-6. All modern conveniences. Four miles from village shop; 20 miles from Tampere. Flexible year-round rentals. For details please contact Erika Koppel Arevuo ’81, +44 (0) 203 395 6045, [email protected]. Historic ranch near Paso Robles, CA; 165 acres on north side of Tierra Redonda Mountain. Includes level pastures; seasonal creek; mature trees; two semi-developed homesites; new 5,000-gallon, spring-fed water tank. Protected under Williamson Act contract for permanent pasture with irrigation. The Gregg Ranch provides habitat for deer, boar, turkey, fox, occasional eagles. We hope to interest a serious agriculturalist or family wanting to build a house and conserve the land’s beauty for future generations. Nancy Gregg Hatch, ’61, [email protected]. PROGRAMS WISH YOU COULD GO BACK TO SUMMER CAMP? Treat yourself to Smith’s Adult Sport and Fitness Camp, June 12–18, ’11. A selection of 25 sports includes tennis, golf, hiking, yoga, waterskiing, biking, fencing, badminton, and croquet. All skill and fitness levels welcome for ages 21 and older. Coed; Smith staff. Contact Craig Collins, co-director of exercise and sport studies, 413-585-4128, www.asfc.smith.edu, [email protected]. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HANDCRAFTED SEAGLASS JEWELRY In sterling silver and 14-carat gold. Perfect for resort wear; glorious colors! Diane Page ’68, www.dianepage.com. MODERN MEMOIRS, INC./WHITE POPPY PRESS Writing, editing, publishing services. Kitty Axelson-Berry ’71, 413-253-2353, www.modernmemoirs.com. SMITH CAMPUS PHOTOGRAPHS AND NOTE CARDS Art and gifts at www.SmithCollegePhotos.com; 10% proceeds to Smith scholarships. Ann Robbart AC ’94. SMITH COLLEGE WEDGWOOD PLATES (1932) Rare blue-on-cream, 9 3/8-inches, mint condition. Offered by John Tappan Stoddard’s great-granddaughter; $75 per plate, or $525 for 8 plates; [email protected]. RENTING? SELLING? BUYING? Let the Smith Alumnae Quarterlyy help. Advertise in the Alumnae Exchange and your ad will be seen by more than 45,000 alumnae. TO PLACE AN AD: [email protected] VERY ACTIVELY PURCHASING &Antique and Vintage Jewelry &Platinum, Gold, Silver, Diamonds and Watches &Jewelry of every description or condition &Sterling Silver Jewelry, Flatware & Holloware The Family Jewels 56 Green St., Northampton, MA • 413-584-0613 5 Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 101 3133640 E pert Exp Expe Expert Reestooraatiion & Re Restoration R R Repair epair of of Antique A ntiiqu quee & Vi Vintag Vintage age Je Jewelr Jewelry eweelry ry Done D onee oonn Premises Premises. Pre Prem emiisees.. &Call for an appointment BEYOND THE GRÉCOURT GATES News from the Alumnae Association Each year, the Alumnae Association’s Nominating Committee presents a slate of nominees for alumnae trustee, for officers and directors of the AASC, and for members of the Nominating Committee. The committee’s goal is to provide the best possible leadership for the Alumnae Association. Special attention is given to the selection of candidates so that the slate represents the diversity of Smith alumnae. To nominate yourself or another alumna for consideration in the future, please call the association at 800-526-2023, option 2, or visit http://alumnae.smith.edu and look under the “Things to Do” option at the bottom of the homepage. Election of officers takes place at the annual meeting of the Alumnae Association, which is scheduled for May 19, 2011. The Nominating Committee offers the following slate of officers: AASC offers slate of new alumnae officers PAULA FERRIS EINAUDI ’65 Columbia, MD Alumnae trustee, 2011–2015 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Alumnae Admissions Coordinator (AAC), Smith clubs of Atlanta and Baltimore; NAAC, Region 5 (Mid-Atlantic); board member, Smith clubs of Atlanta and Baltimore; Nominating Committee member; Reunion chair, class Fund agent, 45th Reunion special gifts chair, all for the class of 1965. PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Twenty-two years as a development officer, including as associate dean at Johns Hopkins University, and vice president at Marymount University; currently director of gift planning at Garrison Forest School; college instructor, Georgia Tech, the University of Colorado, and (in 1984–1985) Smith’s Junior Year in Florence program; volunteer, Habitat for Humanity. LAURA THOMAS RIVERO ’84 Miami, FL Vice president, 2011–2014 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Chair, AASC Nominating Committee; Alumnae Association Regional Coordinator (AARC) for Florida; class Fund agent (25th reunion); former president, Smith College Club of Miami. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Assistant US Attorney, specializing in criminal and civil appellate law. 102 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 ERIKA SMITH BREWER ’86 New York, NY Treasurer, 2011–2014 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Class Fund agent; secretary and Fund team coordinator; board of trustees, Smith College Club of New York City; chair, Membership Committee; Theater Benefit Committee. PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: General manager, The Wallace Dillman and Brewer Family Farms; vice president, JPMorgan Chase and predecessor banks; treasurer and chair of finance and development committees, Calhoun School Board; treasurer, brown bag program, Christ and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church; board of trustees, The Brownstone School; board president, Yerkes Cemetery Association; chair of planning and budget, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church Vestry; volunteer, Gay Men’s Health Crisis Child Life Program. Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, and C.S. Mott Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI; currently, professor of pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, and professor emeritus of pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; mentor to many students and fellows in their graduate education programs; member of multiple hospital, medical school, and university committees, as well as numerous organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and World Heart Federation; author of multiple scientific publications and papers; listed in multiple “best doctor” publications. VOLUNTEER AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Sustaining fellow and governing member, Art Institute of Chicago; board of directors, Shaw Chicago; governing member, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; board of directors, Chicago Chamber Musicians. RACHEL NYBACK ’92 Hermosa Beach, CA Director, 2011–2014 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Member, Smith College Club of Los Angeles; admission volunteer in Los Angeles and Kuwait; class Fund volunteer; 10th Reunion volunteer. PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Rector, St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach, CA; teacher for nine years in public suburban Los Angeles schools and at Universal American School in Kuwait; volunteer with programs for feeding the homeless and AIDS patients; mentor to new clergy; Hermosa Beach police chaplain; lead overseas youth pilgrimages. DALE LAFLEUR ’93 Tucson, AZ Director, 2011–2014 CATHERINE WEBB ’70, MD Chicago, IL Director, 2011–2014 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: President, treasurer, member, Smith College Club of Tucson; member, Smith College Club SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: President, Smith College Club of Ann Arbor, Michigan; board of directors, Smith College Club of Chicago; class Fund agent (25th Reunion); special gifts committee (30th Reunion). PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Board certified pediatric cardiologist with thirty years’ experience caring for patients at of Seattle. PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Assistant director, International Affairs, The University of Arizona; over eleven years’ professional experience in international education focusing on the development of international students, international institutional partnerships, and student- Alumnae front and center on new AASC Website exchange programs; recipient of master’s in student development administration from Seattle University; member of numerous organizations, including the Association of International Educators and the European Association of International Educators; proud mother of two children. LEAH WALKER ’99 Hyattsville, MD Nominating Committee, 2011–2014 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Book Award coordinator and Rose Drop volunteer for Smith College Club of Washington, DC; class secretary; member, Smith College Club of Washington, DC. To nominate yourself or another alumna for a volunteer position, visit http:// alumnae.smith.edu and click on “Things to Do.” PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Corporate real estate adviser, Columbia Group Realty; head of investor relations department of leading venture debt firm Lighthouse Capital Partners; numerous marketing and operations positions at UJA Federation of New York and The Children’s Museum, Boston, as well as smaller consulting and educational firms; mother to three small sons. PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Legal editor at the Supreme Court of the United States; secretary, Executive Committee of American Friends of the London School of Economics; chair, New Members and Africa Committees, Association of Reporters of Judicial Decisions. DEBORAH ROSENTHAL ’93 Melrose, MA Nominating Committee, 2011–2014 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: Fund team coordinator; class president; assistant Fund agent; young alumnae coordinator, Smith Club of New York City. PATTY FISTERE SCHMIDT ’91 St. Paul, MN Nominating Committee, 2011–2014 SMITH VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: President, treasurer, and oral history project writer, Smith College Club of Minnesota; Alumnae Association Regional Coordinator. PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Senior business process consultant in marketing at Target; more than fifteen years of offline and online, multichannel, and direct-marketing experience; state challenge master and state advisory board member, Minnesota Destination Imagination; Big Sister. Reunion every day of the year! Go to www.facebook.com/ smithcollegealum, where you’ll find links to the latest news about alumnae of all ages and locales, announcements about upcoming events, and Smith College news. You can post your own news, comment on your friends’ accomplishments, and reconnect with classmates. PRODUCED BY THE ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION OF SMITH COLLEGE “Like” the Alumna e Association of Sm ith College on Facebo ok and join the ongoing Reunion. iation e Assoc a n m lu The A ge on h Colle of Smit ok Facebo M/ OK.CO .FACEBOEALUM WWW G E COLL SMITH the alumnae association of Smith College has redesigned its Website, putting alumnae front and center and making it easier for users to find information, connect with alumnae via the online directory, and register for events. The new site, which went live late last fall, combines content from the association’s and the Smith Alumnae Quarterly’s previous sites, which existed separately, making for a more robust and richer experience for those who visit the site. The new homepage features easy access to the online alumnae directory, along with a calendar of upcoming events and news from the campus. Much of the site, though, is reserved for content by or about alumnae. “One thing that came out of all the research and surveys we did with alumnae in the past three years was that they wanted to see themselves better reflected on the Website,” said Carrie Cadwell Brown, EdM ’82, executive director of the Alumnae Association. “Our old site had lots of great information on it, but this new site really needed to be about alumnae.” To that end, the site includes an “Alumnae Spotlight” section of profiles of Smith women, some taken from the Quarterly and others exclusive to the Website. Content is updated and changed regularly. For alumnae interested in reading the Quarterly online, full issues are available in a flipbook format under the “Media” section of the site. There is also a new section that provides direct links to alumnae Websites and blogs. “So many alumnae are doing really amazing, fun things online, and we wanted to make it easier for other alumnae to find them,” said Brown. Video interviews with alumnae and audio and video transcripts of AASC events are also a big part of the new site. “We’re committed to providing alumnae with multiple ways to both connect with other alumnae and experience the great programs that we host every year,” Brown said. “This new site does all of that for us.” y MORE http://alumnae.smith.edu Spring 2011 Smith Alumnae Quarterly 103 SMITH SEEN Photographs by Asia Kepka 104 Smith Alumnae Quarterly Spring 2011 an ever-thickening shroud of snow covered the campus all winter. A string of storms in January and February canceled classes as spring semester struggled to get started. “At Smith, I found my strength. I learned how to be my best self, to think and ask questions and understand that there was no challenge too great. I wanted my daughter to have these same tools as she goes forward to make her own mark. A Smith education is a special gift!” —LISA INDOVINO ’83 Smith Gives. I Give. Lisa Indovino ’83, strategy consultant, community volunteer, and mom, with her daughter Emma Ottens ’12, Scales House resident and American studies major. Make your gift to the Smith Fund Give securely online at Give by phone or mail at Visit Smith www.smith.edu/thefund 800-241-2056, option 1 The Smith Fund 33 Elm St. Northampton, MA 01063 www.smith.edu http://alumnae.smith.edu Smith Alumnae Quarterly Alumnae House Smith College Northampton, MA 01063 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 230 Burlington, VT 05401 Change service requested. A SITE TO BEHOLD http://alumnae.smith.edu T he Alumnae Association of Smith College proudly welcomes you to its fresh and exciting new Website, a place to find out about alumnae events, see what other Smith women are doing, connect with friends, and check in on news of the campus. The site links you directly to Smith clubs and affinity groups, travel opportunities, Reunion information, Quarterly articles and archives, and a calendar of alumnae events. You’ll also find links to alumnae blogs and Websites, audio and video interviews with Smith women in the news, and so much more. We’d love to hear what you think of your new Website. Send us a note at [email protected]. Stay connected. Stay informed. UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION WEB: http://alumnae.smith.edu CONTACT THE AASC PHONE: 800-526-2023 E-MAIL: [email protected]