Flamingo Flyer, Spring 2016
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Flamingo Flyer Wellesley College Class of 1966 President: Barbara Bywater Creed [email protected] 650.343.6157 PT Vice Presidents: Elaine Abbott French [email protected] 208.726.1725 MT Linda Wyatt Gruber [email protected] 415.873.8761 PT Secretary: Suzanne Storey Speaker [email protected] 720.287.0996 MT Treasurer: Eleanor Frey Counselman [email protected] 617.484.1179 ET Annual Giving Chairs: Barbara Elden Scavullo Letter from the Class President [email protected] 415.752.2129 PT Dear Classmates: Jennie Gerard [email protected] As I write this message, I am mindful of 510.836.1620 PT the fact that our glorious 50th reunion is Planned Giving Chair: less than two months away! I know it is Margie Holley going to be glorious because of all the [email protected] 480.575.7828 MT hard work and creative ideas Tabor and Libbet and their team have brought to Webmistress: Mary Baughman the planning process. Many thanks to all [email protected] those classmates who have worked so 781.275.8759 ET thoughtfully to create a celebration we all Durant Giving Co-chairs: will enjoy! I look forward to seeing many Jolinda Kulli Taylor of you there—early registrations suggest [email protected] there will be an excellent turnout. If you 617.536.5095 haven’t already registered, it’s not too Carol Ann Brogna Hayes [email protected] late and you can do it here: 617.262.4374 ET www.wellesley.edu/alumnae/ Designer, Flamingo Flyer reunionregistration Jane Burington Coutts [email protected] (continued on page 4) 505.780.5732 MT FLAMINGO FLYER, PAGE 2 VOLUME VIII, SPRING 2016 Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH, a professor and faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has been selected to be the 14th president of Wellesley College. Dr. Johnson, an internationally renowned and innovative leader, currently serves as chief of the Division of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School and Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she founded and is executive director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology. She will be the first African American to serve as president of Wellesley College. Wellesley’s New President, The Wellesley College Board of Trustees, Paula Johnson, MD, MPH advised by a search committee that included trustees, alumnae, students, faculty, and staf, and as valid today as they have been at any unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. time in the past.” Johnson. The extensive eight-month search “Paula has dedicated her distinguished career to process that led to her selection began when H. improving the health and lives of women,” Kim Bottomly announced that she would step Gates continued. “She not only has applied her down as Wellesley’s president in the summer of deep intellectual capacity and medical training 2016, after serving for nine years. to these issues, but has led others in creating “The search committee was fortunate to have innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to an exceptionally strong pool of candidates to addressing them. She will now bring her talents, consider, and was unanimous in recommending courage, grace, and lifelong commitment to Dr. Johnson to the Board of Trustees,” said women to Wellesley College as we prepare our Debora de Hoyos, chair of the presidential students to thrive in a rapidly changing and search committee and a Wellesley trustee. “Even more complex world, and as we strive and work among a superb group of candidates, Dr. with others to create more opportunities for Johnson stood out through her record as a women.” scholar and leader, together with her passion for women’s advancement, education, and well- Andrew Shennan, provost and dean of the being, the energy and insights she conveyed in College and a member of the presidential our discussions, and her enthusiasm for search committee, said, “Paula brings a strong appreciation of Wellesley’s academic culture Wellesley.” and distinctive contributions to higher “Paula Johnson is the perfect person to steer education. She will be a compelling champion Wellesley into the future,” said Laura Daignault for the liberal arts and for the enduring value of Gates, chair of the Wellesley College Board of the educational and scholarly work of Wellesley Trustees. “As the College approaches its 150th faculty and staf. Her ability to develop new year, we are steadfast in our mission to provide academic initiatives and to inspire others to an excellent liberal arts education for women, support them makes her an exceptional leader because it is clear that the liberal arts and the for this moment in the College’s history.” concept of a women’s college are as important (continued on page 3) FLAMINGO FLYER, PAGE 3 VOLUME VIII, SPRING 2016 Wellesley’s New President “On a personal note,” she continued, “the (continued from page 2) vital role that the College has played in Dr. Johnson’s pioneering work at the educating women who impact the world in Connors Center has transformed the study every domain has been very near and dear of heart disease, cancer, depression, and to my heart. I have spent my entire career many other illnesses—changing the literally 20 minutes from the Wellesley foundation and practice of medicine in the campus, and for nearly 27 years, I have United States and around the world. To been the daughter-in-law of a very proud ensure the successful, sustainable pursuit Wellesley alumna.” of health and understanding of disease in women, Dr. Johnson has also studied and Dr. Johnson was elected to the National created new models of leadership and has Academy of Medicine, one of the highest developed the training honors in the fields to educate the next of health and generation of global medicine. She has leaders in the field of also been women’s health recognized as a research and clinical national leader in care. In her 2013 TED medicine by the Talk, “His and Her National Library of Healthcare,” Dr. Johnson Medicine, was a said, “Women’s health is 2015 honoree of an equal rights issue as the International important as equal pay.” Women’s Forum, and is the recipient “Dr. Johnson has of innumerable devoted her life to improving the lives of awards recognizing her groundbreaking women. She truly understands the issues of achievements on behalf of women. equity, inclusion, and well-being that are so important to Wellesley students,” said She has served as chair of the board of the Charlotte Harris, a Wellesley senior and a Boston Public Health Commission (Boston’s member of the presidential search board of public health) and as a member of committee. “She will inspire us.” the National Institutes of Health Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s “It could not be a more exciting time for Health, in addition to serving on many Wellesley, and the opportunity to help national and international nonprofit boards. guide Wellesley into the future, building on its mission, vision, and resolve, is one that I Dr. Johnson attended Harvard and Radclife find deeply inspiring,” Dr. Johnson said. “I Colleges, and she received her MD and MPH am honored and humbled to be asked to degrees from Harvard. She trained in serve as Wellesley’s president, and I view internal and cardiovascular medicine at this presidency as the capstone of my Brigham and Women’s Hospital. A native of career, which has been devoted to the Brooklyn, New York, she lives in Brookline, advancement of women through education Massachusetts, with her husband, their son and faculty development, and by working to and daughter, and a Havanese puppy. improve their health and well-being.” Dr. Johnson will assume the duties of president on July 1, 2016. FLAMINGO FLYER, PAGE 4 VOLUME VIII, SPRING 2016 Letter from the Editor: Welcome to the eighth and final edition of the Flamingo Flyer! We, your ofcers and classmates, have enjoyed communicating with you lo, these five years, and we bid you a fond feathered farewell. (Did you know that the collective noun for a group of flamingoes is a “flamboyance”?) Linked to this issue you will find the text of the new class constitution (https:// 1966.alum.wellesley.edu/bylaws.html), which you will be asked to approve at the brief class meeting at Reunion on the Saturday morning, prior to the class conversation. You will also find several items relating to Reunion, June 3-5, 2016, where we hope to see most, if not all of you. We are proud to introduce our incoming president, Dr. Paula Johnson, who will assume the ofce in the fall of 2016. These are exciting times for the college and for us, so please join the passionate purple parade of the class of 1966! Cordially, Suzanne Speaker, editor Flamingo in the Galapagos courtesy of Marji Greenberg (Letter from our Class President (continued from page 1) One of my last duties as your class president will be to preside over a brief class meeting on Saturday morning, June 4. During this meeting we will receive reports from class ofcers and elect new class ofcers for the next five years. In addition, you will be asked to approve a new Constitution for the Class of 1966. The proposed new Constitution, which was prepared by Elinor Gammon Vaughter (thank you, Elinor!) replaces the Constitution we adopted in 1966 (and have not revised since then!). Most of the changes are designed to bring our Constitution in line with the current guidelines of the Alumnae Association. Please review the proposed Constitution at https:// 1966.alum.wellesley.edu/bylaws.html and come to the class meeting prepared to vote.