Swarthmore College Bulletin Fall 2016

Home , Arlie Russell Hochschild, Daniel Gallant, Jonathan Grayer, Mary Lyon, Megaphone (podcasting), New York Red Bulls

FALL 2016

Periodical Postage THE MUSIC MAN p16 WITCH TRIAL p12 A NATURAL WOMAN p67 PAID Philadelphia, PA and Additional Mailing Offices ISSUE 500 College Ave. Swarthmore, PA 19081–1306 1 www.swarthmore.edu VOLUME CXIV SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN FALL 2016

Politics, not as usual

E. PLURIBUS UNUM p18

SEND IN THE CLOWNS p30

“So do Swatties,” she says. she Swatties,” do “So

down the world may seem, clowns push through fear to find truth. truth. find to fear through push clowns seem, may world the down

JOANNA WRIGHT ’08 knows all about fear. But no matter how upside upside how matter no But fear. about all knows ’08 WRIGHT JOANNA

Facing an audience or a death-defying trapeze drop, aerial artist/clown artist/clown aerial drop, trapeze death-defying a or audience an Facing

THERE IN HANG LAURENCE KESTERSON LAURENCE in this issue

MOMENT IN TIME VOTES FOR WOMEN! Mohammed Lotif, assistant director of the Intercultural Center, and Hanan Ahmed ’19 welcome students to 40 Swarthmore on Move-In Day. I’m With Her...and Her... And Her...And Her Spotlighting women who ran for office before the 19th Amendment. by Elizabeth Slocum WENDY CHMIELEWSKI / HER HAT WAS IN THE RING WAS CHMIELEWSKI / HER HAT WENDY FEATURES DIALOGUE SPOKEN WORD

2 72T. Shá Duncan Smith Editor’s Column Letters Community Voices 18E. Pluribus Unum Joshua Ellow How—and why—Swarth- moreans of all stripes stay Rewind WEB politically active. Elizabeth Marsh Morrison ’66 EXCLUSIVES by Jonathan Riggs BULLETIN.SWARTHMORE.EDU Books Global Thinking MAESTRA, IF YOU PLEASE Thomas Hjelm ’81 Listen to a playlist of women composers who inspire Elizabeth Marsh Morrison ’66.

COMMON GOOD GETTING INVOLVED Watch Tessa Chambers ’19 volunteer for Sean Barney ’98’s congressional campaign.

THEIR HATS WERE IN THE RING Explore a wealth of women’s suffrage artifacts from the digital 26White House 9 humanities project. Stagecraft Swarthmore Stories Running for president is Learning Curve SCIENCE! our nation’s highest-stakes Ron Hurt ’67 Bookmark these biology must- production. reads, per L. Michael Romero Liberal Arts Lives ’88’s bookshelf. by Josh King ’87 Gabe Hutter ’88 Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara ’08 FLORAL NINJAS Scott Arboretum’s horticultural heroines share their secrets in a video and expanded feature. CLASS NOTES

YOU ART WHAT YOU EAT View a gallery of Sharples trays as students’ art canvases.

43 ON THE COVER Alumni News and High-flying portraits of Joanna Wright ’08 38Class Is in Session Events by Laurence Kesterson He’s changing the world, one hip-hop hook at a time. Profiles Blood and Glitter Makeup Barry Yourgrau ’70 by Gina Myers Anna Hess ’00

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 1 dialogue

EDITOR’S COLUMN Fellows of Most Excellent Fancy SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN

Editor Jonathan Riggs

Class Notes Editor Elizabeth Slocum

Designer Phillip Stern ’84

Photographer Laurence Kesterson

Administrative/Editorial Assistant Michelle Crumsho

Editorial Assistant Cody McElhinny ’17

Editor Emerita Maralyn Orbison Gillespie ’49

bulletin.swarthmore.edu facebook.com/SwarthmoreBulletin instagram.com/SwarthmoreBulletin Email: [email protected] Telephone: 610-328-8435 LAURENCE KESTERSON LAURENCE

We welcome letters on subjects covered in the magazine. We reserve the right to by IN TIMES LIKE THIS heated, vitriolic election edit letters for length, clarity, and style. cycle, it’s easy to despair. But look to your right, Views expressed in this magazine do not JONATHAN necessarily reflect the opinions of the to your left, and, of course, down at these pages editors or the official views or policies of and take heart—we’re all in this together. So, the College. RIGGS Swarthmoreans, let’s share a laugh as we leap for- Send letters and story ideas to Editor ward as one: unbowed and unbroken, better and [email protected] braver, red noses and all. Send address changes to [email protected]

The Swarthmore College Bulletin (ISSN 0888-2126), of which this is volume CXIV, number I, is published in October, January, April, and July by Swarthmore Friends Forever College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081-1390. Periodicals postage It’s always a tragedy when someone dies young, as Dave Myers ’93 did at paid at Philadelphia, PA and additional 46. We were close at Swarthmore but lost touch since graduating, so my mailing offices. Permit No. 0530-620. Postmaster: Send address changes to memories of him are frozen at college-age. Swarthmore College Bulletin, 500 College Dave’s passion for music most defined him. He taught himself to play Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081-1390. guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, and piano and would sneak down to the Printed with agri-based inks. Willetts basement at night to record new songs. His music was even what Please recycle after reading. got him admitted—instead of an essay, he submitted an original song with lyrics about never abandoning your ideals. ©2016 Swarthmore College. Memories of a smiling, vivacious, and passionately driven Dave have Printed in USA. guided me ever since. After all, we still carry our years at Swarthmore and those old versions of the people who shaped us there into our current lives. Those versions still influence us, whether we’re in touch or not. I hope my daughter will share a campus with friends who engage and inspire her. Because those relationships, and the mark they leave on us, will—thankfully—never die. —CAITLIN GUTHEIL ’90, Portland, Maine + WRITE TO US: [email protected]

2 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 LETTERS Courage Under Fire I’M HAPPY JUST TO DANCE The Spanish Civil War (“One Gave All,” summer 2016) WITH YOU has interested me since my dad, born in 1920, mentioned that he saw a recruiting poster for the Abra- ham Lincoln Brigade in Cleveland about the time Joe On a weekend in May 1954, I drove from Selligman ’37 volunteered. My dad never joined. Connecticut to New York City to visit a high No war makes sense, but some still say the Span- school friend. When I arrived, he told me that ish Civil War was the last-ever fight between well-de- his friends were going to an open house at fined good and evil. In his memoirMen in Battle, Sarah Lawrence College and I could tag along. Lincoln brigadier Alvah Bessie says that those Ameri- There, I met a Japanese student and we went cans who fought in this conflict were later ostracized to the Bronxville Inn, where we slow-danced, and persecuted as subversives and Communists af- YOU’RE ter World War II. The Soviets were the only ones will- twisted, and turned to the jukebox. She was fun WELCOME ing to support the duly elected Spanish Republic. The to dance with. Eventually, we noticed a room Nazis and Mussolini’s fascists openly supplied the where a band was playing. Inside, we saw peo- right-wing military uprising under Francisco Franco. I am delighted to ple sitting at long tables, so we found one with Despite brigade volunteers from all over the world, receive the Bulletin. two vacant seats. When we learned we were established democratic governments refused to act. Thank you. I was a crashing a junior-college class reunion, that While I don’t support militarism of any kind, the student from 1939–40 fact that a Swarthmorean felt strongly enough about didn’t stop us; we got up and danced. and am 102 years old. the darkening cloud of fascism to give his life im- As midnight approached, I walked her back —HUAI YAN CHIEN, pressed me. Thank you for printing his story, well-re- to her dorm. We sat together in the parlor for Taipei, Taiwan searched and written by Adam Hochschild. about a half-hour, then she ran across the room —ROGER KARNY ’76, Denver, Colo. and up the stairs. I never saw her again. Some years later, her name appeared in the news in connection with the Beatles. I went to I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT BUTTER(ED) my little black book and confirmed the name I’d written there: Yoko Ono. I enjoyed reading about campus pranks (“Gotcha!” summer 2016), and one —CLARK DEAN ’53, Glencoe, Ill. of them—buttering the railroad tracks, attributed to alumni from the early 1970s—brought back memories. I entered Swarthmore in summer 1944, and at that time there were 55 SAY SWAT? male civilian freshmen and 45 male civilian upperclassmen. Not all of the upperclassmen were good influences on the impressionable freshmen, Swarthmoreans before a certain period would never be caught calling the College “Swat” or them- and I remember being regaled with stories of campus pranks, including selves “Swatties”—not just avoiding the appellation, the buttering of the railroad tracks, which had supposedly happened then struggling against it. Quaker roots and such. Never a in the very recent past. nickname synonymous with a blow. Sad to see pad- Thinking about it now, I suspect that this prank never took place, but dleboard hazing become common parlance. people liked to talk about it as a possibility. In the absence of an eyewit- Perhaps it’s a different era. :( ness, I think you better file this one under “Campus Mythology.” —CHRIS KING ’68, Sherborn, Mass. —IRVING DAYTON ’48, Corvallis, Ore. OVERHEARD ON OUR WEBSITE

Donny Thomas, you are an absolute gift to the NATURE’S BEST Swarthmore community (“Cook, Confidant, Commu- “Hungry for Change” backyard by gardening Cornucopia Network of nity Leader,” summer 2016). I witness the care, (summer 2016) says would be safer. New Jersey to promote compassion, and service you provide to all students, remarkably little about Fresh, organic food local, organic food, and staff, and faculty at the College, and you truly play a home gardening. Four (available only through I open my garden to the significant role in our experience. decades ago when I home gardening) made public six times a year. —ISAIAH THOMAS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF developed myasthenia my health improve Anyone who wants RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES gravis, I could walk dramatically. Soon I to join my gardening/ Thank you for making everything good, food and only about 100 feet was raising almost all environmental list may community! Donny, you are a treasure. until I had to lie down of the family’s vegeta- email me at kenschaft@ —DIANE ANDERSON, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR on a neighbor’s lawn to bles year-round 12 miles pegasus.montclair.edu. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS get the energy to walk from Manhattan with —PAT CLARK Congratulations, Donny! Thank you for making us all home. My daughter no power machinery, no KENSCHAFT ’61, feel welcome. Here is a portrait I painted of you when Lori Kenschaft ’87 poisons, and no com- Upper Montclair, N.J. I was a student: bit.ly/DonnyThomas convinced me that mercial fertilizers. A —CYNTHIA BRIANO ’03, HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIF. exercising in my own group of us started the + READ more responses at bulletin.swarthmore.edu

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 3 dialogue

COMMUNITY VOICES STIGMA-FREE SUPPORT

PETER ARKLE Educating students about addiction empowers them—and us all

WO-AND-A-HALF influences in popular children’s mov- Besides these now-annual offerings, years ago, I began ies and how stress or other mental I also promote new programs as stu- my journey at health issues intersect with drug use. dents’ needs change, and I plan to Swarthmore as the Last fall, with the help of commit- advocate for additional safe-drinking College’s alcohol and ted resident advisers, I launched eve- spaces and substance-free activities. T other-drug (AOD) ning programs in our dorms, where I In my road from recovery to discov- counselor and educator. But my real present on the specific needs of those ery, I became increasingly conscious of journey began in 2005—when I started student communities. Sometimes my values, influences, boundaries, and my recovery from the devastating dis- the focus is on party safety, whereas repetitive lessons of my past. But most ease of substance abuse. a substance-free floor may prefer important, I maintained an appreci- I learned the cost of repeated drug self-care strategies. In the past year, I ation for those who found serenity in use the hard way. When have met countless stu- ways that differed from mine. No two I sought help, I followed by dents through these small paths toward recovery are the same; by standard advice, but I groups, where they’ve felt offering a range of support services, I quickly learned there’s no JOSHUA ELLOW comfortable enough to hope to guide all students compassion- cookie-cutter treatment Counselor open up to me and their ately and carefully. for addiction. Instead, a peers. Through these campus programs— customized action plan, I’ve also launched a lec- and the relationships developed reviewed and altered annually, aided ture series covering the diverse spec- because of them—there’s been a sharp my recovery—and inspired my philoso- trum of lifestyles, potential influences, increase in the number of students phy in supporting students’ health and and cultural relations of drug and alco- choosing to meet with me individually: wellness. hol use. Our most popular lecture One in three come on their own voli- My goal at Swarthmore is to fill in event, “AOD & Athletic Performance”— tion. These confidential spaces offer the blanks: Where there’s a gap in sub- for which Swarthmore’s athletics the opportunity to accept each stu- stance-abuse information or support, I department has been a great advo- dent for who they are, how they are, want to address it. But I also celebrate cate—explores how even moderate and where they are on their journey. diversity by seeing each student as an alcohol and other-drug use can affect Supporting a student’s ability to open individual and each journey as unique, someone’s progress or recovery time. up about their concerns or problems and I use that approach to develop Another successful session has been is crucial to their success. I never for- campus programming and support “The 420 Experience,” a discussion get that, because I know firsthand how systems. about the truths of cannabis. The pro- hard it can be to look in the mirror, ask One successful offering has been at gram has received a lot of buzz, not a question, or reach out for help. new student orientation, where I high- least because we offer “special brown- Ultimately, that’s what I find most light topics such as alcohol and drug ies” (made with love, not drugs). inspiring about Swarthmore: that community members are given the agency to journey into a healthy future, however that is defined. With humor and heart, I’m as committed to helping others as I am to my own recovery, and my door is always open.

“ I know firsthand how hard it can JOSHUA ELLOW is Swarthmore’s be to look in the mirror, ask a alcohol and other-drug counselor and question, or reach out for help.” educator.

4 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 workshops where amateur musicians gather to play. We’ve drawn our music mostly from the illustrious male canon; with the exception of an occasional piece by Clara Schumann or Madeleine Dring, we haven’t featured the work of many women. I had become aware of the huge number of mostly overlooked female composers—the Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers lists 875. Recalling the bacchants—and remembering, from the play’s shatter- ing conclusion, what happens when women’s creativity is excluded or dis- honored—I resolved that our next workshop would celebrate as many of these artists as it could. We did months of research, and it was fascinating. A surprise was not that there is so much music, or that it is so good, but that many women were once so famous. The English composer Ethel Smyth, for example, is an exact contemporary of Edward Elgar, and they were equally renowned in their day. Now Elgar is well-known, and LYDIA DANILLER LYDIA Smyth is a footnote. Nancy Dalberg was acclaimed as the first Danish woman to write a symphony; heard REWIND: STRIKING ROCKS much Dalberg lately? The fact is, women have been com- Celebrating the power of female creativity posing amazing music forever. But to live, it must be played. So last October we gathered at Mills to play music by SWARTHMORE IN THE mid- chorus, collectively the title charac- Ethel Smyth, Ann Callaway, Louise 1960s was still two decades out ter. The bacchae, or bacchants, were Farrenc, Dora Pejačević, Libby Larsen, from its first women’s studies women who had followed the god Emma Lou Diemer, Teresa Carreño, program, and as a cellist in the orches- Dionysus to Thebes, joined by Theban Fanny Mendelssohn, Caroline Shaw, tra, I never encountered music by a women who abandoned their house- Nancy Dalberg, Marie Dare, Imogen woman. But my time there gave inspi- hold duties to revel with them in the Holst, Elizabeth Maconchy, Harriett ration for a chamber music workshop hills. As we sang and danced out- Bolz, Claude Arrieu, Gwyneth Walker, I organized last fall at Mills College in doors, liberated (for the moment) from Grażyna Bacewicz, Valerie Coleman, Oakland, Calif., where 120 musicians papers and seminars, we brought the Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and of course came together to play music by 21 bacchants to life with our bodies. Clara Schumann and Madeleine great female composers. Euripides says they Dring—bacchants, every one! I arrived at struck rocks with their As I learned in Scott Amphitheater, by Swarthmore in 1962, sticks, or thyrsi, and we honor female composers most excited to study Greek. ELIZABETH MARSH honey, milk, and wine when we recreate their music with The classics depart- flowed forth. With our bodies. When we place them at ment was a lively one, MORRISON this indelible image the center of our musical lives, they with energetic students ’66 of female creativity in reward us with their power, beauty, and a brilliant chair, mind, I set out into life, and art. Through the whole marvel- Helen North, one of just thyrsus in hand, plan- ous weekend, I felt them all around us, six tenured female professors. ning to strike as many rocks as I could. holding their thyrsi—honey and wine In the spring of 1965 we produced Today I am a cellist and organizer flowing from every note. Euripides’s play The Bacchae, in Greek, with Chamber Musicians of Northern in the Scott Amphitheater. I was in the California, which holds weekend + HER PLAYLIST: bulletin.swarthmore.edu

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 5 dialogue

BOOK REVIEW FOR WOMEN WHO ARE READY TO BE FIRESTORMS by Jasmine Rashid ’18

AT THIS MOMENT, women of color prospect of bettering our commu- in the U.S. remain underrepresented nity. However, the challenge comes in in leadership positions. So when I critically inspecting your own needs, came across Colorful Leadership: How ideas, anxieties, and hopes—starting Women of Color Transform Our World with how you define “success.”Colorful (CoachDiversity Press), I was eager Leadership provides questions to ask to dive into what I knew would be an yourself, ways to practice sorting out insightful, nuanced, and empowering thoughts, and tips on how to act on read. What I didn’t anticipate, how- aspirations without making excuses. ever, was that I would be doing more A truly thoughtful tool, the book is than just reading—I would be joining intimate and exhilarating. Although change starts within, and the real- author Gloria Chan ’02 on a journey of it’s inspiring how Chan’s advice is ness of Colorful Leadership serves as sisterhood and self-love. carefully crafted to women of color’s a reminder that the world needs us to In her book, Chan employs anec- beautiful, diverse stories and experi- step into power: individually, collec- dotes, epiphanies, and advice devel- ences—not to mention challenges and tively, and in full color. oped over a life spent empowering opportunities—there’s something for others to realize their capabilities in everyone to learn here. As she puts it, JASMINE RASHID ’18 is a founding their career and beyond. “this book is for women who are ready board member of the student group Many of us are inspired by the to be firestorms.” Transformative Women of Color Kick Ass (WoCKA).

HOT TYPE: NEW BOOKS BY SWARTHMOREANS

With the rise of Hitler, Almost a decade after his a branch of German acclaimed debut novel, The Protestantism emerged Delivery Man, McGinniss’s that sought to interpret the newest—“a bold, original, role of the church in service and exhilarating novel of to Nazi ideology. By strip- marriage as blood sport”— ping Scripture of Judaic has drawn comparisons ties and promoting a raft of to the cold eyes cast on anti-Semitic propaganda, California by Joan Didion the Deutsche Christen, or and Bret Easton Ellis. It’s “German Christians,” played the tale of a young couple a significant—and com- who follow the American plicit—role in the Third Dream to Los Angeles, but Reich. For the first time in find themselves drown- English, Solberg, a religion ing in a society as underwa- professor, presents sober- ter as its real-estate market. Mary Solberg ’68 ing analysis of this group’s Joe McGinniss Jr. ’94 “Carousel Court is that all- A Church Undone writings “during a period Carousel Court too-rare thing,” says its edi- Fortress Press that cried out for ethical and Simon & Schuster tor, “an ambitious literary religious courage and found novel that’s also a genuine very, very little of it.” page-turner.”

6 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 AUTHOR Q&A UNDER PRESSURE: L. MICHAEL ROMERO ’88

Just how stress-related hormones help wild animals—as Where’d you research? How did Swarthmore opposed to humans and lab specimens—survive is relative- A bunch of us have been shape you? in the high Arctic, up I was originally a double ly unknown. Tufts University biology professor L. Michael in Alaska and Green- major in math and phi- Romero ’88’s Tempests, Poxes, Predators, and People: Stress land, trying to under- losophy, but I became in Wild Animals and How They Cope (Oxford University stand birds’ hormonal very good friends with Press) represents an exciting leap forward for this field. response to poor weath- Professor Greg Florant, er conditions. I’ve also who studied marmots. spent a number of years He convinced me biology What inspired you? studying marine igua- was a wonderful way to Essentially, stress in nas in the Galapagos and go and I followed in his nature is caused by how stress hormones footsteps. We still col- famine, predation, help them survive fam- laborate. weather, infectious dis- ine caused by El Niño. ease, and social com- What’s next for you? petition. Since only the Favorite field stories? Developing a better latter impacts most I got invited by Fish and theory of stress and Western humans, I hope Wildlife researchers to applying it to exploring understanding stress in go out onto the pack ice how human-caused dis- wild animals will give us to count the eider migra- ruption—especially the insight into how stress tion—eiders are deep- global climate change— responses evolved. For sea-diving ducks that affects the stress re- wild animals, there’s a come into Alaska to sponses in animals. sixth: humans. I want us breed. We turn around to use our understanding and 80 yards away was + ROMERO’S READING: of stress physiology in a a polar bear, stalking us. bulletin.swarthmore. conservation context. Talk about stress! edu

Inspired by her grand- This collection of writ- mother’s life, Crawford’s ings from nine scholars debut novel tells the com- explores the 2014 crisis that ing-of-age tale of two sis- unfolded when more than ters, steeped in grief and 60,000 unaccompanied chil- love, regret and hope. Raised dren arrived in the U.S. in Pennsylvania coal coun- from Central America. “The try, their lives diverge in human tragedy of this surge unexpected directions, echo- … highlights the complexity ing always the twin loss of of borders, even in a region their mother and other sis- as peaceful and integrated ter. Beautifully written and as the Americas,” Jaskoski deeply felt, mine plays upon writes. The book explores the notion of something pos- the myriad issues that led sessed, something sought to this swell, including vio- after, and something subter- lence and terrorist groups, Katie Crawford ’93 ranean—the human heart, Maiah Jaskoski ’99 precarious economic factors, mine perhaps, or the ever-chang- (co-editor) and misinformation about Deeds Publishing ing definition of “home.” American Crossings changes to U.S. immigration Johns Hopkins University policies. Press

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 7 dialogue

GLOBAL THINKING REINVENTING RADIO The world listens to his innovations

by Michael Agresta

EARLIER THIS YEAR, Thomas segment and close local reporting in Hjelm ’81 became NPR’s inaugural the next—and connect them to the pos- chief digital officer. It’s not the first sibilities of digital media, today and in time he’s been asked to fill a brand-new the future,” he says. position at an established media com- In his previous role as chief digi- pany. Since the mid-1990s, Hjelm has tal officer of New York Public Radio, specialized in working without a map Hjelm led a partnership with The New to help lead such companies as NBC, Yorker to create a new weekly podcast, AOL, and New York Public Radio into introduced new social tools for shar- new eras of digital product, content, ing audio, and pioneered Discover, a THOMAS HJELM ’81 and business development to engage a mobile app for NPR member station new generation of global audiences. WNYC to reach a long-untapped radio Digital Visionary Thirty years into a boundary-push- audience: underground rail commut- ing career, Hjelm looks back on the ers. By selecting from a list of general the small Maine town where he grew birth of the consumer internet with a topics and entering the length of their up. At Swarthmore, Hjelm even tried mixture of nostalgia and hindsight. commute, WNYC fans can download his hand at disc jockeying, co-hosting “What was exciting was that there personally tailored playlists. a weekly WSRN radio show with his was no beaten path,” he says of his From NPR’s national headquarters, friend and fellow alumnus Jonathan years spent developing and produc- Hjelm has plans to develop more inno- Franzen ’81. They named it A Clatter ing an all-new “online network” of pro- vative digital products like Discover. of Platters (“and on a clear night you gramming for NBC.com in the ’90s. He also hopes to bring public radio’s could get it in the dorms,” he jokes). “The industry was unformed, the pledge drive tradition in line with digi- His college radio show might not stakes were low, and we had license to tal-era fundraising possibilities. have reached as many million listen- experiment. At the time, my colleagues “We were the original Kickstarter,” ers as NPR does, but Hjelm finds that and I probably felt that digital media Hjelm says. “It’s part of public radio’s Swarthmore’s respect for social mis- would eventually replace so-called leg- special compact with the public. Asked sion and civil dialogue is echoed in acy media. That hasn’t happened. On to take proprietary interest in what we the public-service “we bring you the the other hand, digital has bred new do, our audience responds with amaz- world” ethos at NPR. And he’s thrilled voices, programs, and forms of con- ing, generous support.” to have found a home at a major media nection that recast the relationship Grounding his digital initiatives company that holds itself to standards between producer and audience.” in cherished NPR values comes nat- that recall those of his alma mater. That hard-earned wisdom shapes urally to Hjelm, who says the theme “We have nothing to pander to here Hjelm’s vision for NPR, which boasts music of All Things Considered still except the intelligence of our audi- a worldwide audience of 32.7 million reminds him of his family’s kitchen in ence,” he says. listeners, and where a popular credo is “Radio isn’t going away. It’s going everywhere.” While traditional radio listening via broadcast is still popular, platforms from the smartphone to the connected car invite new forms of personalized, on-demand listening. “My job is to reinterpret the core “ My job is to reinterpret the core values of public radio—things like excellent journalism and inventive values of public radio ... and connect audio narrative, the call-and-response of smart conversation, the blending them to the possibilities of digital of global and national coverage in one media.”

8 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 commonSHARING SUCCESS AND STORIES OF SWARTHMORE good ON THE WEB

OVER OUR HEADS Take a video tour of one of Swarthmore’s highest sustainability offerings: green-roof technology. + WATCH bit.ly/SwatGreenRoof

BIRD’S THE WORD Connect with President Valerie Smith on Twitter! @PresValSmith

ARTPOP Enjoy a talk given by Tasha Lewis ’12 about her book Illustrating Ulysses, her Butterfly Cascade installation in McCabe Library, and the life of an artist. + LISTEN bit.ly/ArtistTL

A DAY IN THE LIFE Experience a not-so-typ-

ical College day through KESTERSON LAURENCE the video eyes of four students: Kara Bledsoe LEARNING LAB BRAINS, BEES, BOWERBIRDS, BACTERIA— ’16, Cal Barnett-Mayotte these are just a few of the research topics 10 ’18, Iris Chan ’17, and Grant Torre ’17. female Swarthmore students explored over the summer via the Panaphil Foundation’s Frances A. + VIEW Women of bit.ly/SwatGoPro Velay Fellowship program. “Thanks to this, I’m excited to pursue a Ph.D. Science and research career in organic synthesis,” says by Randall Frame Sooyun Choi ’17, above with mentor Robert Paley. Swarthmore is one of five Philadelphia-area schools to benefit from this program, whose pur- pose is to promote women in science.

+ VELAY VIDEO AND STORY: bulletin.swarthmore.edu

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 9 common good

the power in the author’s earlier work and decided to write a book analyzing his reaction. Franzen, whom he had known not as a student but as a fellow teacher and friend, agreed to the book, including Weinstein’s stipulation that he not read it until it was finished. The research for Jonathan Franzen: The Comedy of Rage, “a literary study within a biographical frame,” was conducted

IVY ASHE KESTERSON LAURENCE primarily through reading, email, and a long interview. Its central premise is that Franzen had to develop a kind of Literary lions Philip Weinstein and Jonathan Franzen ’81. humorous detachment in order to write a truly great novel. “The story of the life and the stories in the work are wonderfully interrelated. The work becomes friendlier as THE COMEDY OF RAGE Franzen becomes a more accomplished and mature writer,” Weinstein says. “The comedy really helps him. It makes the WHEN PHILIP WEINSTEIN READ Jonathan Franzen novels accessible to a wider range of readers.” ’81’s third and fourth novels, The Corrections (2001) and —ELIZABETH VOGDES Freedom (2010), he was stunned. The Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor Emeritus + Q&A with Philip Weinstein: bulletin.swarthmore.edu of English Literature wondered why he had not recognized

SERENDIPITY IN BLOOM

STROLLING AROUND Swarthmore’s Ant-Man! campus, it is hard not to notice the cap- tivating gardens that embrace it. The work of certain Scott Arboretum When it came to ants, volunteers delights, educates, and Carl Rettenmeyer ’53— inspires—one arrangement at a time. like the insects—more Twenty-six years ago, volun- than carried his weight. teer Barbara St. John made a flower The late biologist arrangement for a campus event using dedicated his career a repurposed coffee can—innovating in to collecting and pho- true Swarthmorean fashion—and voila, tographing more than 100 army ant varieties a new tradition blossomed. during trips to the rain- Each Monday, nine volunteer flower forests of Central and arrangers take turns bouquet-shop- South America. ping through the lush arboretum, Now, the University clipping what they’ll need to make a of Connecticut, through display for a campus building or event. a $500,000 grant from the National Science While displaying the utmost respect Foundation, is giving for the integrity of the gardens and seemingly banal parts important to maintain- Rettenmeyer’s work a their plants, each volunteer draws on of science that don’t get ing the legacy of a man proper ant-thology. glory but are fundamen- dedicated to collect- her unique artistic vision to create her The university, where tal,” says Liz Nichols, ing a part of the natu- arrangement using nature’s palette. Rettenmeyer taught for Swarthmore assistant ral world we may never Please visit bulletin.swarthmore. many years, will clean professor of conserva- have access to again.” edu for an in-depth story and video and digitally catalog tion biology, who her- Cataloging began 2 million ant specimens showing these craftswomen at work, self digitized more than this summer, with the and related organisms using our campus as their canvas. 18,000 dung beetles for first of two exhibits set collected by Rettenmey- the American Museum to open at UConn early “Nothing is planned,” volunteer er and his wife, Marian, of Natural History. “Glu- next year. Helen Lightcap says about their art. “It over 50 years. ing ants’ feet back on is —ELIZABETH is serendipity.” “There are so many SLOCUM —MICHELLE CRUMSHO

10 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 LANGUAGE ARTS Veldt Adventure

ARDENING at home in Massachusetts, author and editor Daniel Menaker ’63 says: “I’m almost as G good a weed whacker as I am an editor. Weed whacking is like editing the landscape.” Soon to spring up is Menaker’s seventh book, The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense, a clever concoction of run-on chapters, each titled with a “svelte”—the author’s name for misspellings that, despite their inaccuracy, are, in their own way, plausible. “Language is such a miracle,” says Menaker, who graduated with high honors in English literature, art history, and philosophy. His journey to The African Svelte began in fourth grade, when his teacher asked whether anyone knew the names of Christopher Columbus’s ships. A little girl raised her hand and answered confidently, “The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe”—incorrect but with a cadence closely resembling “the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María.” Delighted by the linguistic mix-up, young Menaker wrote a letter to The New Yorker that was published anony- mously in “Talk of the Town.” He shared his $50 honorarium with his classmate. Years later, working at The New Yorker, he happened to read the sen- tence, “The zebras were grazing on the African svelte”; he found the “veldt” error to be so “svelte” itself that he started a list that grew to include “ultraviolent radiation” and “the pillow of his community.” “And so dusk has fallen on the Fiction editor of The New Yorker for two decades, Daniel Menaker ’63 is the author of seven African svelte,” he writes. “Time to end books, including a memoir, My Mistake, which includes many pages devoted to his time at Swarth- this safari. Our quarry has been caught more. Read an extended version of this piece: bulletin.swarthmore.edu and is herewith released, back into the endless fields of our wonderful written language.” —CAROL BRÉVART-DEMM

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 11 common good A HELPING HEART

Last fall, Pinar Karaca-Mandic ’98 was moved by the heartbreaking photo of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, who drowned when the rubber raft on which he was being smuggled to Greece flipped over. A native of Turkey who is now an associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Pub- Twinkling eyes and all, Elise Stammelbach Welfling ’33 remained lic Health, Karaca-Mandic took action, partnering close to Swarthmore her whole life. with the U.S.-based, all-volunteer organization Bridge to Turkiye Fund, which supports the educational and health-care needs of refugee children in Turkey. She’s raised almost $60,000 in grass-roots donations as well as $70,000 more in grants from the crowdfunding community Global Giving, which have It’s Au Revoir, Not Goodbye allowed refugee children to receive school supplies, scholarships, language lessons, and arts classes. She credits her fellow Swatties for their generosi- BEFORE DYING in May at 104, Elizabeth “Elise” Stammelbach ty in opening their hearts and wallets, but also for the myriad ways in which they’re addressing injustice. Welfling ’33 may have been our oldest living graduate. “Our sense of community and our responsibility “To attend Swarthmore during the Depression years was a to think globally is engraved in our Swarthmore ed- financial challenge, but she was encouraged by her mother’s ucation,” she says. “It’s so sad to see suffering and strong commitment to higher education for women,” says daugh- hard to find that moment to say, ‘I am the solution. I ter Elizabeth Welfling King ’63. “Swarthmore taught her how to need to change things.’ I am proud to say that I final- think, and its Quaker values helped make her who she was.” ly found that moment, even though I wish I had done it earlier.” Along with husband Weldon Welfling ’33 (who died in 1978), —JONATHAN RIGGS this French major took pride in her alma mater. “Elise has a twinkle in her eyes that just doesn’t go with lots of + DONATE: studying, yet she is an honors student with a grand record,” wrote crowdrise.com/RisingforSyrianRefugeeChildren the editors of the 1933 Halcyon. “Elise is all contradictions— bridgetoturkiye.org/syrian-refugee-children pleasant, surprising ones—and they make her the best company in the world.”

THE WITCH OF CRUM CREEK

IN 1684, a Swedish woman who lived on Crum Creek—Swedes settled here before the English—was accused of witchcraft. A court found her guilty of having the reputation of being a witch. Of course, this said nothing about whether she really was one, but witchcraft wasn’t actually illegal. There is a story attached, which might not be true, that William Penn was one of the judges. Legend has it, he asked the woman whether she could fly on a broomstick. The woman said she could, and Penn said that he knew of no laws in Pennsylvania prohibiting flying on broomsticks. So he let her go. —CHRISTOPHER DENSMORE CARA EHLENFELDT ’16 CARA EHLENFELDT

12 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 conducted on fuel-cell A UNIQUE technology by Alex Bell GIFT ’09 and Andres Pache- co ’09 when they were People often remem- seniors at Swarthmore. ber Swarthmore in their After learning about estate plans, but do- their work on a fuel-cell nors almost always have website, Block wrote some connection to the them saying he and his College. Not so with the wife “were convinced late Philip Block: Al- that the school is turn- though he had no formal ing out some very ca- association, the retired pable engineers” and electrical engineer left concluding that leaving Swarthmore more than a bequest to Swarth- $300,000 in his will. more would be “a wise What inspired this investment.” commitment? Research —RANDALL FRAME

Reasons to adopt a greyhound (like Nisus above) from a tongue-in- cheek list Janet Lockard ’60 loves to quote: “They truly know the meaning of retirement,” “People will stare at your dog instead of at you,” and “They don’t bark, keeping your neighborhood safe for burglars.” Must Love Dogs

“WHEN I GOT MY first greyhound in 2003, I had been retired for a year, and the Aeneid was fresh in my mind,” says former AP Latin teacher Janet Lockard ’60. “I just had to name the first dog Achates, after Aeneas’s faithful companion, and the second Creusa, after his Trojan wife.” Continuing the trend are her two current dogs, Nisus (Aeneas’s fastest man) and Ilione (a Trojan princess). While their classical namesakes suffered tragic fates, Lockard is determined that these beautiful animals won’t. Racetracks dispose of greyhounds once their careers are over—whether that’s due to injury, inability to compete, or reaching the maximum age of 5—and so Lockard volunteers for a nonprofit, Greyhound Friends for Life (GFFL), which rescues them. Founded in 1991 and completely volunteer-run, GFFL is primarily based in the Northern California/San Francisco Bay area and has placed more than 3,000 greyhounds into forever homes. “The shared experience of living with and loving these amazing creatures creates a tremendous bond, almost as strong as having gone to Swarthmore,” says Lockard. “I’ve lived alone for a long time, and my dogs are my fam- TRAY BIEN ily. Greyhounds stir my soul and it means everything to Creating art on Sharples trays (like this me to help save them.” dragony palimpsest) is a longstanding —JONATHAN RIGGS Swarthmorean tradition. See a gallery and share your own: bulletin.swarthmore.edu + MAKE A TAIL WAG: adopt-a-greyhound.org greyhoundfriendsforlife.org

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 13 common good 2016’s Hall of Fame Inductees by Roy Greim ’14

This year’s honorees will enter the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame Oct. 28 during Garnet Weekend. 1 1. THE 1996 FIELD HOCKEY TEAM made the program’s only appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finished the season 15-4.

2. GLORIA EVANS DILLENBECK DODD ’47 went undefeated in tennis and badminton and was a multiple Middle States Intercollegiate Champion in tennis. She later became a global 2 ambassador for platform tennis.

3. Swimmer JACKIE HEINEMAN GIDAS ’76 was the first female student-athlete in Swarthmore history to earn All-American status.

4. JOKOTADE AGUNLOYE GREENBERG ’01, one of Swarthmore’s most decorated distance runners, earned All- American honors in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs her senior year.

3 4 5. In a program that boasts 90 All- Americans and over a century of competition, men’s lacrosse player JOE VALIS ’83 was Swarthmore’s most prolific goal-scorer.

6. ALAN VALENTINE ’21 won a gold medal as a player-coach for U.S. rugby at the 1924 Olympics. He went on to be the youngest president in University of Rochester history and led the Marshall Plan for postwar economic recovery in the Netherlands.

5 6 OF RARE BOOKS, UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ROCHESTER AND PRESERVATION COLLECTIONS, SPECIAL

14 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 LEARNING CURVE CARING COMMUNICATOR Connecting with others has been a lifelong theme for Ron Hurt ’67 by Elizabeth Vogdes

ONE OF RON HURT ’67’s more formative Swarthmore experiences didn’t happen in a College course. Along with many other students in those tumultuous Vietnam War-era days, Hurt took time off to contemplate his future, landing what he called an “extraordinary” job on campus teaching a class of emotionally disturbed high school students not much younger than himself. (A special branch of the Delaware County public school system opened in one of the Mary Lyon buildings.) “I felt such a close connection with the kids,” he says, grati- fied by his ability to reach his students. The Ohio native eventually returned to his political science studies, the debate team, and the Phoenix before graduating in 1970, giving a few anti-war speeches at local churches along the way. Over the subsequent half-century, Hurt built a career in communications. A reporter for small newspapers in Eugene, Ore., and Media, Pa., then an editor at the University of Pennsylvania’s publications office, Hurt later joined the marketing, advertising, and public relations departments at large PHOTOGRAPHY DALE SASHA corporate offices, including CIGNA, Metlife, and Prudential, where he was also responsible for video production. friend Sam Newbury ’67, who produced that show for 30 When Hurt retired in 2012, he didn’t know another com- years. Today, Hurt works with his wife full time on this mis- munications project was in his future: His wife, Pam, a long- sion, writing and producing demonstration videos and rais- time nursing-home volunteer, proposed creating comforting ing funds to serve this burgeoning, vulnerable, and often video programming for “the isolated elderly”—who may be low-income population. struggling with loneliness as well as health and cognitive “I’m delighted to be able to make a contribution to an issues—as an alternative to commercial television. underserved and generally neglected group of people,” says Ron was eager to help, and the couple founded a non- Hurt. “Who wouldn’t want to do that?” profit, ElderReach. Envisioning a kind of Mister“ Rogers’ Neighborhood for the elderly,” they consulted with Ron’s + CONNECT WITH KINDNESS: elderreach.org

“I’m delighted to be able to make a contribution to an underserved and generally neglected group.”

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 15 common good

GABE HUTTER ’88 Children’s Musician

Stay-at-home dad Gabe Hutter ’88 was surfing job sites at a café when inspiration struck: From the next room, he overheard a children’s music performance. “It was terrible,” he says with a laugh, “but it also made me think, maybe I should give this a try.” After all, he’d spent years delighting his children, Sarah and Jacob, with his own rocking renditions of kids’ songs, and had performed as a guitarist while a history major at Swarthmore. Armed with a few songs and his wit- ty, easygoing charm, Hutter booked a circle-time slot at the public library in his town in Maryland. When his act proved a hit—praising his “dexterous guitar-playing” and “cheerful arrangements,” the librarian dubbed him “the Pied Piper of Takoma Park”—a (twinkle, twinkle little) star was born. And so, with the support of his wife, Jen- ny Ruark ’87, Hutter ended his job search to pursue a path as Mr. Gabe, children’s musician. Gigs grew to include D.C.-area festivals, and he added a violinist and bassist to his band, the Circle Time All-Stars. His two CDs—2012’s Play Date and 2015’s Metro Train—each won a Parents’ Choice Award and include sing-along standbys as well as original material like “Brian the Lazy Lion,” “I Wanna Be a Garbage Man,” and “That’s “In my performances, everyone finds something that they enjoy,” says “Mr. Gabe” Hutter ’88 the Way It Goes,” a stirring celebration of with young fan Orin Pribich. “And afterwards the kids all give me high-fives.” family in any form it may take. Mr. Gabe’s catchy songs, many of which draw on his experiences as a stay-at- home parent, have been a hit with kids LIBERAL ARTS LIVES and grown-ups alike, giving his CDs staying power in car stereos and his act standing-room-only sales. His success reflects his service to and respect for his audience, who deserve the very best, he believes. SING-ALONG SUPERSTAR “I’m not the world’s most proficient musician, but I take the songs very seriously,” Hutter says. “You can have fun with kids’ His career came full circle—to circle time music. Why shouldn’t it be as good as any other kind?” by Elizabeth Slocum + SING ALONG with Mr. Gabe: mrgabemusic.com

16 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 LIBERAL ARTS LIVES

“I care a lot about social-justice issues and serving community,” says Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara ’08, “so anthropology was just a natural fit.”

unheard voices. and how people are navigating that in “I liked the way anthropology this community,” she says. CONVERSATION focused on the micro-scale of culture Those conversations extend to and how it impacts people’s political diversity discussions as the Mayo realities,” says the writer, consultant, Clinic expands. Nfonoyim-Hara is STARTER and community organizer. As a woman lending her voice to advocate for social of mixed heritage (Nfonoyim-Hara is and economic justice, and keeping of Camaroonian, Afro-Costa Rican, local interests central to these devel- For her, anthropology and Indian descent), “that was some- opment initiatives. thing that spoke very much to my own With every project, her goal remains equals advocacy experiences—and the experiences of the same: to shed light on those in the my communities.” shadows. “Anthropology opened up a by Elizabeth Slocum After a decade without a solid home lot of doors into my thinking about the base, Nfonoyim-Hara eagerly inte- world and how I existed in it,” she says, EVERYONE NEEDS an anthropol- grated herself into Rochester, where “and how best I could help other com- ogist, says Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara husband Seth ’08 is a biomedical engi- munities.” ’08—a listener, learner, and leader neer for the Mayo Clinic. She began who understands the core of their moderating diversity discussions for community. the Rochester Civic Theatre; her suc- Nfonoyim-Hara does just that in cessful talk on the politics of black hair Rochester, Minn. Using skills devel- led to plans for community dialogues oped at Swarthmore—and honed on feminism and on racial justice and through Fulbright research in Spain, policing, in light of the Minnesota NICOLE NFONOYIM- international development work, and shooting of Philando Castile. a master’s at Oxford—Nfonoyim-Hara “There are a lot of conversations HARA ’08 has become a megaphone for the city’s happening now about race and culture Anthropologist

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 17 E PLURIBUS

UNHow—and why—SwarthmoreansU ofM all stripes stay politically active

by Jonathan Riggs

Swarthmore College Bulletin FALL 2016 18 KESTERSON LAURENCE / BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS “I believe, as JFK did, that public service is honorable,” says Sean Barney ’98, who never asks his team to tackle any job on the campaign trail he wouldn’t do himself. “You have to be the change you want to see.” FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 19 informed, because then you will be moved to be involved.” When he and his wife, Nikki, made the decision for him to run, they kept that thought in mind and how it applied to Sophie. And now, sharing this experience and seeing it through her eyes has been a powerful reminder that the political process isn’t a far-off soap opera of partisanship and power; instead, it’s a living, breathing system that truly belongs to—and affects—all of us. “It makes me so proud to see my daughter participating, asking questions, and thinking about what American politics mean,” he says. “No matter what happens with my campaign, I hope that this will influence her to be, at the very least, an active, engaged citizen throughout her life.” That’s a goal endemic to the Swarthmore ethos, and it’s no surprise to see the myriad ways in which alumni remain politically involved, informed, and inspired.

FIGHTING THE POWER In 2011, Occupy Wall Street looked like a movement that was going to change the world. After its collapse, Occupy co-founder Micah White ’04 moved to rural Oregon, where he worked out for himself what went wrong—and what went right—in the book The End of Protest: A New Playbook for Revolution. “The beautiful thing about Occupy is that it completely woke up a whole new generation of activists and changed the discourse,” he says. “Overall, it was a positive thing, but EAN BARNEY ’98 is running for Congress in Delaware. In a I think it’s necessary to see it as a constructive failure; oth- way, so is his 6-year-old daughter, Sophie. In addition to her erwise we’re unable to move forward and achieve some- behind-the-scenes support, she’s sat in on party meetings, thing greater, especially in this time when political protest is attended public debates, and accompanied her parents to the broken.” polls. The problem, White finds, is the prevalence of a risk- It’s a far cry from his own youth, which Barney admits averse protest industry, which exploits the good intentions wasn’t politically engaged or even aware—it wasn’t until a and enthusiasm of activists by funneling their energy and Shigh school teacher challenged him to know and take moral efforts into safe, scripted protests that harmlessly distract responsibility for the events of elected officials that he had rather than actually disrupt. As a result, many protesters his own awakening. today now confuse media attention with success. He points “Once you look around at the world, you see just what’s to how the anger and insistence on sweeping change that at stake politically: people’s ability to achieve their poten- fueled Occupy—and, more recently, the Bernie Sanders and tial and flourish,” he says. “Everything starts with being Donald Trump presidential campaigns—ultimately ended

“ IT MAKES ME SO PROUD TO SEE MY DAUGHTER PARTICIPATING, ASKING QUESTIONS, AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT AMERICAN POLITICS MEAN.” —SEAN BARNEY ’98

20 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 “THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT OCCUPY IS THAT IT COMPLETELY WOKE UP A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF ACTIVISTS AND CHANGED THE DISCOURSE ... BUT I THINK IT’S NECESSARY TO SEE IT AS A CONSTRUCTIVE FAILURE.” —MICAH WHITE ’04

JUDGING THE DISTANCE LUANA SHANTI RÒ LUANA Before she spent 25 years as a lawyer—and another 25 as a “My son’s not even a year old, but it’s important to expose him to the New York judge—Felice Klau Shea ’43 was a political science idea of activism,” says Micah White ’04. “His perspective will be very major who navigated Swarthmore in just seven semesters. different from mine, no doubt—he was born in rural Oregon, for example. “It was war time and the College was in session all year I hope he’ll be one of the greatest activists of all time, but it’s up to him.” round,” she says. “I was eager to go to Washington to do my part, so when I realized I had enough credits to graduate by dropping out of the honors program, I did.” up defanged in service of the status quo. That really hit home After a three-year hiatus, during which she worked for the when White was shopping his book. federal government, got married, and started a family, Shea “No American publisher would touch it: It had to be pub- made it to Columbia Law School, where she was one of 10 lished in Canada and imported into the U.S.! Eerily, they all women in a class with 235 men. (Serendipitously, one of her said the same thing, that there was no market. That’s ridic- classmates was Isabella Horton Grant ’44, who later became ulous when hundreds of thousands of people protest in a judge in San Francisco.) Although public service was America every day,” he says. “So what they’re really saying is always her goal, Shea knew that she had few other options as that they won’t sell a book like this.” a lawyer. Ultimately, he hopes that the future of protest will ben- “Women weren’t even interviewed for big firms when efit from the example of Occupy—taking advantage of the I graduated from law school. That’s of course very differ- opportunities afforded by a leaderless organization that gains ent today,” she says. “Not that I think women have achieved worldwide momentum from social media, but better navi- equal status and equal pay—we have not—but we’ve certainly gating the challenges of decentralization and the pitfalls of come a long way since 1950.” “clicktivism”—while innovating in necessary ways, since pro- Shea started her career in academia and continued by tests should never repeat themselves. representing indigent clients at the Harlem Branch of the White’s history of activism dates back to high school—his Legal Aid Society. In 1975, when Shea was elected to the acceptance letter to the College included a personalized note bench, she shared the honor of being the first Swarthmorean saying, “Welcome to Swarthmore, where constructive activ- woman to become a judge with Mary Murphy Schroeder ism is always celebrated.” Experiencing the current politi- ’62. Shea’s rise was rapid: In less than two years as a judge in cal cycle with his wife and their infant son in a town of 280 New York City’s civil and family courts, she was named an people has inspired him to dream of a new movement, where acting New York State Supreme Court justice and then, six activists win election in multiple rural communities across years later, won her seat on the court in an election. the country to realize the left’s utopian agenda. Even after her retirement in 2000, she remained active “Protest may be broken, but we can fix it by looking at his- as a volunteer attorney for children in the Juvenile Rights tory, reading theory, and gathering ourselves,” he says. “I’m Division of the Legal Aid Society, as a referee in judicial dis- absolutely going to be part of the next revolutionary wave, ciplinary matters, and as a board member of the Correctional whether that happens now or five years from now.” Association of New York, an advocacy group for prisoners.

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 21 “ NOT THAT I THINK WOMEN HAVE ACHIEVED EQUAL STATUS AND EQUAL PAY—WE HAVE NOT—BUT WE’VE CERTAINLY COME A LONG WAY SINCE 1950.” —FELICE KLAU SHEA ’43

COMPASSION AND COMMUNITY If it weren’t for his addiction to The West Wing during college, Dennis Cheng ’01 might never have ended up the national finance director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. “In high school and college, my focus had always been more on international relations and foreign policy,” he says. “But that show got me excited about elections and politics.” A co-founder of Swarthmore’s mock trial team and an experienced Alumni Phonathon fundraiser, Cheng changed LAURENCE KESTERSON LAURENCE his plans from law school to public service and became a “Being active in politics, community, and taking a role in seeing that summer intern for Hillary Clinton in 2000, during the then- we get public officials who are going to make the changes we need are all first lady’s historic Senate run. very important,” says Felice Klau Shea ’43. “Swarthmoreans are among those who are going to be the most active. They’re the people who are The experience proved so formative that he took the first going to change the world.” semester of his senior year off to work through Election Day. After graduation, Cheng went on to serve as a staffer on a series of campaigns, including current New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s initial run for that office, but got the oppor- “I sent an awful lot of people to prison, and I was very frus- tunity to return to then-Sen. Clinton’s camp in 2005. trated on the bench by the mandatory sentencing laws that “Her record of public service, commitment, and tenacity strip judges of discretion,” she says. “I want to see the law is what inspired me to take that first step in getting involved, changed and mass incarceration attacked more vigorously.” and the last 16 years have been such an amazing experience,” Another issue of crucial importance to Shea is judicial he says. “For me, this is not just a profession but it’s person- selection. Although electing judges sounds democratic, she al—I want to make sure that we elect the best and most quali- says that lay people are often not informed voters when it fied candidate to be our president.” comes to judicial choices and that a merit-based system of From previous stints as Clinton’s deputy chief of protocol appointing judges is preferable. in the State Department to chief development officer of the Much work lies ahead, but she’s pleased at how much the Clinton Foundation to today, Cheng has earned a reputation legal, political, and professional landscapes have changed for discreet excellence over colorful showmanship, which, as over the course of her career, especially when talking to this election has proved, isn’t always the norm. her granddaughter, who grew up watching her in court and “Politics shouldn’t be about being the loudest person in became a practicing lawyer. the room, but about working hard and doing this for the right “We’re very close and it’s gratifying to me that she has reasons. Thoughtful, deliberate, and disciplined thinking opportunities that were unthinkable when I was a young should pay off,” he says. “It’s not just important for our polit- lawyer,” Shea says. “The fact that women now number among ical leaders to find respectful, productive, and rational com- the highest ranks of professionals and leaders of this coun- mon ground—it’s important for all of us, every single day.” try is certainly a good feeling. Still, we lag behind many coun- Cheng’s commitment to clear-eyed community-building tries in workplace support for combining family and work echoes in all he does, and he makes it a point to credit his fel- and in provisions for child care—omissions that dispropor- low behind-the-scenes political staffers whose names and tionately affect women. Some things haven’t changed.” contributions may never be as familiar to the general public

22 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 as those of the candidates whom they support, but without this isn’t a partisan problem: This presidential campaign has whom our system couldn’t function. exposed intense anger on both sides that no election result All of us have our part to play, and even if the outcome of will completely heal. The answer, he believes, is for both the election doesn’t go his candidate’s way, Cheng believes sides—third parties being seductive but impractical solu- that sitting out is never a political option—just an opportu- tions—to undergo complete makeovers, including embracing nity to work harder and contribute more. But if it does, the split-ticket voting, ending gerrymandering, and revamping busy fundraiser whose phone never stops ringing is willing to the Electoral College. make a brief exception. An iconoclast like Donald Trump has the potential to “I’ll be celebrating on a remote tropical island,” he says, make that happen, he says, pointing to parallels between this “with no cell service.” election and 1980’s, when another system-bucking celebrity won the White House and changed the face of American pol- THE RIGHT TO BE ON THE RIGHT itics. For O’Connell to make a Reagan comparison—seeing as This election cycle, both major parties have been especially the Gipper is one of his lifelong heroes and his grandfather vicious in proclaiming the other’s candidate to be not just the served as one of his advisers—is no small praise. worst in history, but ostensibly dangerous. What gives? No matter the outcome of this or any election, O’Connell “Look, both parties are struggling through an identity cri- remains energized by the political process, seeing even this sis,” laughs conservative strategist Ford O’Connell ’00. “But bruising presidential campaign not as a harbinger of disas- what many fail to remember is that these parties are not ideo- ter, but as proof of the remarkable principles and system on logical vessels, but competing enterprises designed to win which the United States was founded. elections.” “For as much grief as modern history departments give Writ large, the rivalry between Republicans and Democrats the Founding Fathers, they built a lot of checks and balances has been monetized and fetishized, not unlike the way certain in our system to make it work,” he says. “Besides, we all have pro sports rivalries become shorthand for a person’s identity. to wake up and move forward together on Nov. 9.” Although this “us vs. them” mentality creates camaraderie among voters, O’Connell says it comes at a cost when com- 51 MILLION MORE CRACKS IN THE GLASS CEILING promise is swept off the table in favor of blood sport. Last year, Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive ’88 spear- “Frankly, when you have two even-footed opponents bat- headed the creation of a new digital channel, The51Million. tling for the hearts and minds of voters, the system tends to com. Named for the number of eligible female voters in 2016 work better because more points of view are brought into under age 45, the site expands on Glamour’s political cover- the discussion,” he says. “But with social media and the 24/7 age at a particularly auspicious moment in time. cable networks, each side has created its own echo chamber “I don’t think any of us could have predicted the extent to so it’s hard for some individual voters to get outside of that.” which sexism in the coverage of the election and on the part Acknowledging the irony of this statement coming from of the candidates would play a role,” she says. “The conversa- a longtime political analyst on Fox News—while also point- tion around women, gender, and justice in this campaign is ing out the inherent liberal bias of the media—O’Connell says at a fever pitch—and we’re not through yet.”

POWER PLAYERS: Their politics, perspectives, and paths may differ, but Dennis Cheng ’01 (Hillary Clinton’s national finance director), Cindi Leive ’88 (Glamour’s editor-in-chief), and Ford O’Connell ’00 (a conservative analyst who appears on Fox News) pride themselves on what they learned and how they grew at Swarthmore.

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 23 “When whichever Kennedy was judging that category asked “ THE BEST THING ABOUT MY LIFE me to explain my cat’s costume, my mom had me say, ‘She’s crying and counting the seconds until Richard Nixon is HERE IS THAT I LOVE AND impeached.’ She won.” WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL CHERISH PEOPLE WHO The first-generation American son of Mexican parents in rural Mississippi, Gilbert Guerra ’19 grew up in the only VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE immigrant family in a county named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Ku Klux Klan’s original Grand Wizard. WITH ME ON MANY THINGS, As a high schooler considering the Marines, Guerra never thought college was an option until he was invited to the all-expenses-paid overnight Discover Swarthmore program. AND THAT THEY LOVE AND “It was my first time on the East Coast, my first time on a college campus, and my first time meeting a Democrat,” he CHERISH ME, TOO.” laughs. “It was eye-opening, but I vibed so well with the peo- —GILBERT GUERRA ’19 ple that I knew Swarthmore was the place for me.” Advocating as he did for gay marriage and immigration reform, Guerra counted himself liberal-leaning, at least compared with his hometown friends, but by the end of his first semester, he discovered that his beliefs actually lay further right. When he took public stances against two popular liberal causes—using the “Latinx” neologism to make the To facilitate this and other political conversations across Spanish language more gender-neutral and Swarthmore’s the spectrum, Leive also partnered with Facebook to launch proposed social-justice academic requirement—Guerra was a series of town-hall discussions around the country to focus frequently the lone voice of conservative dissent. on women’s issues while highlighting women’s voices. “I’m used to it, growing up in places where the deck is Throughout, Leive’s seen many nuances play out, particu- stacked against me, and I think every conservative student larly when it comes to millennial women who have grown up has horror stories,” he says. “But what really surprised me in a postfeminist world without encountering sexism on the about Swarthmore is that I can be vocal about what I believe level that previous generations faced. and my friends will stick up for me, even if they don’t agree.” “I don’t want to generalize, but it’s an interesting divide: In fact, Guerra made many friends in situations where They may or may not decide to support Hillary Clinton, but he respectfully disagreed with the consensus. His co-presi- they feel completely convinced that there will be a female dent of Achieving Black & Latino Leadership & Excellence president—not just within their lifetime, but soon,” she says. (ABLLE), Pat Houston ’17, is not only a devoted liberal, but “Whereas some older women feel that, as women, we should also a treasured friend and teammate. support Hillary Clinton because we all want to put a woman “The best thing about my life here is that I love and cherish in the White House now.” people who vehemently disagree with me on many things,” Despite the tenor of this year’s campaign—as well as the Guerra says, “and that they love and cherish me, too.” relative paucity of women in Congress and at the top levels A supporter of Republican candidates capable of reach- of business—reflecting just how deeply fault lines of sexism ing across the aisle, such as Rand Paul and John Kasich, he and inequality run, Leive sees many opportunities to use her thinks it’s important for people all over the political spec- position to even the playing field. trum to condemn Donald Trump for his rhetoric and racism. After all, women’s magazines have a long history of tack- “I’m probably a lot more sympathetic to his supporters ling weighty issues—Glamour was one of the first maga- than most here, but Trump makes it hard to convince peo- zines to not only cover but advocate for the Equal Rights ple that the Republican Party is not a party of hate,” Guerra Amendment, for example, and launched the industry’s first says. “I liked Marco Rubio a lot because his positions were nonprofit, The Girl Project, which helps girls in 95 countries really well-thought-out, nuanced, and optimistic, but now gain access to secondary-school education. I’m probably going to go for Gary Johnson.” In fact, Leive can trace her own interest in politics to As demoralizing as many have found this election cycle, her mother’s. When she was 3, her family lived in north- Guerra has never lost the optimism instilled in him by his ern Virginia down the road from the Kennedy family. During parents, despite—and because of—their sacrifices. the height of Watergate—which Leive’s mother followed “When my parents moved to the U.S., they had no English intently—the Kennedys hosted a community pet fair. or money. They faced horrible racism—my dad would “I had this mangy kitten who clearly wasn’t going to win go for factory jobs and get told to his face, ‘We don’t hire best in show, so my mom dressed her up with a kerchief and Mexicans,’” Guerra says. “As discouraged as they would get, a watch for the costume contest,” Leive recalls with a smile. they would still sit us down and say, ‘Do you realize how lucky you are to be in this great country?’

24 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 LAURENCE KESTERSON LAURENCE

“Social-media activism is a lost cause. When’s the last time someone’s angry Facebook argument swayed you?” asks Gilbert Guerra ’19. “I engage people politically by inviting them to dinner or showing up to actual meetings—face to face is more honest and respectful.”

“Yes, there are a lot of things we need to reform, but I have “It’s not a coincidence that we have fewer veterans in an inborn bias to say that our political system is not broken,” Congress today than at any point in our history,” says he adds. “From what I’ve experienced with how people have Barney, a Democrat. “Veterans have ingrained experience in treated me here, I have too much faith in humanity not to putting the country first over personal advancement, and we have hope for us all.” need more of that again in our politics.” That same spirit is what drew him to Swarthmore and its ELECTING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE mission statement that invokes the idea of developing indi- For Sean Barney to be alive, let alone run for office, is a mir- viduals to be informed, responsible citizens and humans. acle: After enlisting in the Marines after 9/11, he was shot Ultimately, it’s his best hope for his daughter, Sophie, too. through the neck by a sniper in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2006. On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., he bought her a “I’m alive today only because the Marines I served with and T-shirt that says, “Future President,” but will leave it up to the Navy corpsman who was with us that day are heroes,” the her to decide to run for office one day. His hope is that every- Purple Heart recipient says, describing how they got him to thing he does as a citizen and—voters willing—an elected a surgical center in only 12 minutes. “That Navy corpsman official will pave the way for a better future for us all. used his fingers to pinch off the bleeding from my jugular and “I hope my daughter will aspire to make a difference he refused to let go until surgeons in the operating room gave politically in whatever way is meaningful to her,” he says. him the signal that it was OK to do so.” “Knowing Swarthmore and loving it, I see that’s the hall- Remembering that moment and that man—not to men- mark of our community.” tion his own journey as a recovering veteran—echoes in every aspect of Barney’s campaign, which has special focuses on + WATCH A VIDEO of Tessa Chambers ’19, a campaign volunteer gun control, LGBT equality, expanding and protecting Social for Sean Barney ’98: bulletin.swarthmore.edu Security and Medicare, and, of course, veterans’ rights.

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 25 HIS FALL, Swatties return to campus—or arrive as freshmen for the first time—against the backdrop of a T once-in-a-college- career event: a presidential election. When I pulled up to College Lane for my sophomore year in fall 1984, with another election looming, I counted myself a Ronald Reagan supporter, a WHITE rare breed on Parrish Beach. Thirty-two years ago, as now, I was fascinated by the American political spectacle and its foremost institution of propaganda, the presidency. My politics evolved during my time at Swarthmore, leading to six years in Bill Clinton’s campaigns and on his White House staff, but my obsession with how our candidates market themselves has never wavered. As a member of Swarthmore’s HOUSE Peaslee Debate Society, I revered rhe- torical skills but, over time, came to appreciate the more operatic ele- ments of politics that trigger emo- tional response. In some ways, Reagan and his speechwriter, Peggy Noonan, combined forces as the Lin-Manuel Miranda of their time, the impact of Reagan’s words aug- mented by Michael Deaver, his visual impresario, an unlikely forebear to Andy Blankenbuehler, the Hamilton STAGE- choreographer. Looking back at that time, I’ve often wrestled with what gave Reagan his power of persuasion over the elector- ate. 1984, Orwell’s dystopian novel that was required reading back then, gave us Big Brother lording over Oceania through ubiquitous telescreens. In reality, the actual 1984 gave us, instead, a seemingly benevolent Ronald Reagan targeting the heart of America with precision-guided cinematography con- CRAFTRunning for president is our nation’s veyed through television. It was the dawn of what I call “The highest-stakes production Age of Optics” in my new book, Off by Josh King ’87 Script: An Advance Man’s Guide to

26 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 CHRISTOPHER WEYANT CHRISTOPHER FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 27 White House Stagecraft, Campaign Spectacle, and Political Suicide. This SC/DC new visual-dominated era arrived that summer with a 60-second TV spot CROSSING PATHS Girl Scouts of the USA called “Prouder, Stronger, Better.” and vice president of The flag-infused montage of a nostal- BETWEEN THE the National Amateur gic utopia reeked of Norman Rockwell, Athletic Federation. COLLEGE AND THE tugging the same heartstrings as 1947 — Harold Bernie Sanders’s mesmerizing Simon WHITE HOUSE Stassen, Minnesota’s & Garfunkel-scored ads this spring. BY ROBERT STRAUSS former “boy governor,” Reagan’s offering, voiced reassuringly receives a doctor of by Hal Riney, leader of his “Tuesday laws for helping write Team” of Madison Avenue ad men, the U.N. Charter. He — Legend 1969–74 began hypnotically with the famous would be a serious has it that President candidate for president Richard Nixon—a life- phrase, “It’s morning again in America.” in 1948 and 1952—and long Quaker—is seen That theme has been a touchstone in less of one in 1964, driving on campus, but every campaign since ’84 as candidates, 1968, 1980, 1984, 1988, doesn’t actually visit. Republican and Democrat, mimicked and 1992. Whether the descrip- The Master’s playbook as best they tion of Swarthmore as — Johns could, deploying legions of “advance 1960 “the Kremlin on the Hopkins University men” (and “advance women”) to create 1913 — Less than a Crum” famously—and President Milton the scenic tableau that then gets pack- year after his election, possibly apocryphal- Eisenhower—Dwight’s aged as “news.” President Woodrow ly—attributed to Vice brother and former The Reagan re-election road show Wilson speaks on President Spiro Agnew adviser—receives an campus to urge “every played a role is lost to arrived near campus when Air Force honorary doctor of generation of Swarth- history. One brought the president to a rally more men and women” laws. He would appear on the steps of the Delaware County to add to the “glory of on the ballot in 1980 1975 — Massachu- Courthouse in Media, Pa., eight days as the vice presidential setts governor—and America.” before the election, with buses full of running mate of inde- future 1988 Democratic 1915 — Former Pres- pendent John Ander- presidential nominee— the national press corps in tow. Some ident William Howard son, but only in Texas. Michael Dukakis ’55 whispered in Sharples about protest- Taft plants an Eastern receives an honorary ing the event. I just wanted to witness hemlock on campus for doctor of laws. the spectacle. Commencement Day. The courthouse backdrop gave 1920 — Eight years Reagan a perfect façade from which to before being elected send his message. “It was a very clas- president, Herbert sic setting, plus it dead-ended in front Hoover receives an of the street, so you had a good crowd honorary doctor of laws area. I saw the whole thing in a mat- for directing the counter of 30 seconds,” Bill Henkel, head of try’s post-World War I relief effort in Europe. LIBRARY FRIENDS HISTORICAL the White House advance office, told the Washington Post at the time. “We 1964 — At our Centen- nial Commencement, spend a lot of time with the camera- President Lyndon B. 2008 — White House men and photographers, asking, ‘What Johnson receives an intern Anne Kolker did you think of that, how could we honorary doctor of laws ’08 confirms a rumor make it better?’” and gives the address, about President Barack In the same article, Howard filling in for the late Obama. “Ah, Swarth- Stringer, the future Sony CEO who was John F. Kennedy. more. Great school. then leading CBS News, posed the the- They rejected me,” she — Pennsylvania sis for my book three decades before I 1967 reports him saying, not-

WHITTIER MUSEUM Gov. William Scranton, wrote it: “On the daily story with the ing he held no grudge. who nearly got the rush to edit, the pictures dominate, — Months before 1929 Republican presidential 2010 — Stephen almost despite the narration,” he said. the Wall Street crash, nomination in 1964 and Lang ’73, who played newly minted first lady “The White House—and all great poli- 1968, gets a Swarth- President George ticians—understand that.” Lou Henry Hoover re- more honorary degree Washington in the 1997 My own career in political stage- ceives an honorary doc- instead. miniseries Liberty! The tor of letters for serving American Revolution, craft began after graduation in 1987, as president of the receives an honorary starting with Illinois Sen. Paul Simon’s doctor of arts.

28 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 quixotic pursuit of the presidency, Kerry’s windsurfing outing in 2004 who rejected the essential theater of eventually joining the campaign of to Mitt Romney’s off-key rendition of his office so resolutely that I dubbed Michael Dukakis ’55. Although I wasn’t “America the Beautiful” in 2012. his two terms “the Vanilla Presidency” personally responsible for the visual As director of production in Bill in Off Script, may actually have ush- disaster accompanying Gov. Dukakis’s Clinton’s White House, I owned a ered in a new era for the next gener- ride in an M1A1 Abrams tank in share of stagecraft miscues: In 1995, ation of advance people. He and his Sterling Heights, Mich., I was a close I allowed Clinton to form “a cross team found the right recipe for his friend of the unlucky fellow who was, of stones” on Omaha Beach, arous- brand of leadership when his motor- Matt Bennett. ing the ire of Rush Limbaugh and the cade arrived at the Los Angeles garage In 2012, Bennett entrusted me with Republican far right, which never of Marc Maron, host of the popular the quarter-century-old journal he let him forget it. A year later, at the WTF podcast. For one very meaningful kept from the Dukakis fiasco, which G-7 Summit in Lyon, France, I slath- hour, there were no cameras present served as the basis for Off Script. In ered Clinton’s podium in a thick layer as the president spoke movingly about its pages, Bennett recounts his efforts of insecticide to rid a swarm of gnats the many challenges that arrive at the to raise a red flag about the plan. The from the news shot. The move did Oval Office. Both the message and the advance person’s commandment, nothing to the gnats but nearly blinded medium seem to me the best fit for this which many remember simplistically the president when he rubbed his eyes moment in our history. as “Never let a candidate put some- to wipe beads of sweat forming on his As Hillary Clinton and Donald thing on their head”—President Obama brow. Trump fight for political power this later called the lesson “Politics 101”— Beyond those occasional night- fall, the Age of Optics will ride on is really “Don’t let your candidate pre- mares, I emerged from five years of familiar rails. Barack Obama van- tend to be someone they’re not.” Clinton’s presidency with far more sto- quished John McCain in 2008 and Dukakis was an accomplished ries of success than failure. But the Mitt Romney in 2012 by first sharing administrator, but he wasn’t George S. game has changed dramatically since his life’s journey in Dreams from My Patton. When he got behind the barrel then, with the current chapter of the Father and then masterfully deploying of the tank, wearing a helmet with his Age of Optics being written in real the tools of paid media and rapid-re- name boldly stenciled across the brow, time. The network news correspon- sponse video against his opponents. it backfired spectacularly, providing dent has been supplanted by a legion of Clinton, in Hard Choices, and Trump, all the ingredients needed to create the embedded road warriors, social-media in The Art of the Deal, are more pillo- infamous “Tank Ad.” mavens, and stay-at-home bloggers, ried for their past than ennobled by it. Each cycle since has served up all producing mountainous mate- They’re left to wrestle with the pres- an example of a candidate “getting rial across a blinding array of digital ent, and their vision for our future, tanked,” from George H.W. Bush’s platforms. which they must project through the being seemingly “amazed” by a super- The gaffes remain, from Marco media’s business-model-driven prism. market scanner in 1992 to John Rubio robotically repeating his talking Clinton drives clicks. Trump drives points, to Hillary Clinton struggling ratings. with a subway turnstile, to Donald Somewhere near Swarthmore this Trump tweeting his taco bowl. For the fall, Clinton will likely hold a large most part, the worst—and best—of our rally not unlike Ronald Reagan’s stop candidates’ performance has less stay- at the Delaware County Courthouse, ing power today, an outcome of our festooning her site with her slogan, infinite menu of content doing daily “Stronger Together.” Trump will do the “WE’RE THE AUDIENCE battle with our ever-declining atten- same, making sure his “Make America tion span. Great Again” tagline is expertly aligned ... CHARGED WITH All of these specimens of politi- with the TV cameras trailing him from cal suicide spawn a mythology that stop to stop. [DISCERNING] WHAT adheres and calcifies to these politi- We’re the audience for this new act cians over time. Al Gore did not, in of political theater, charged with see- fact, claim to have “invented” the inter- ing through the chorus of noise to dis- LURKS BACKSTAGE net, but who would believe you if you cern what lurks backstage in the head tried to make that case in a bar? Truth and heart of our next leader. If we IN THE HEAD AND often can’t keep pace with legend. can separate substance from stage- Running for president is our nation’s craft, and distill journalistic rigor HEART OF OUR NEXT most brutal sport, with misfortune from horse-race reporting, we’ll help befalling Democrats and Republicans our democracy flourish. In choosing in roughly equal measure, where only our president, we’re wise to heed the LEADER.” the strong survive. final line ofHamilton : “Who lives, who —JOSH KING ’87 Barack Obama, the cerebral writer dies—who tells your story?”

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 29 30 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 INFINITE

S e T

Send in the clowns to show us who we are

by Jonathan Riggs photos by Laurence Kesterson

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 31 vulnerable and alone. It’s an exercise that forces participants to peel away masks we all wear to get to something, someplace, someone real. “Clowning is so honest, I view it more as a way you can live your life than as just a perfor- C mance tool,” she says. “Ultimately, you’re putting yourself out there: ‘Here I am, screwing up, failing, but laughing at myself without shame.’” The grin in her eyes reaches her lips, which twitch with mischievous delight. “What I’m interested in onstage,” Wright says, at last, “is really getting at the truth of what it means to be human.”

THROUGHOUT TIME, clowns have fulfilled a crucial role in all societies, whether it’s a sacred trickster in a ceremony around a Native IRCUS ARTIST Joanna Wright ’08 American campfire, a bell-tipped-hat-wear- has a sideways way of speaking that ing jester of a medieval court tweaking the royal makes you instinctively lean closer: a family, or a big-screen comedian lightening wow, the really cool camp counselor is tak- moviegoers’ weary hearts for a couple of hours. ing an interest in me! warmth. Shakespeare gave some of his wisest insights “When people say they’re afraid of clowns, to his fools and clowns, and returned repeatedly I understand. I mean, birthday clowns?” She to the idea that we all perform a human com- shrugs her shoulders, eyes a-twinkle. “Birthday edy: “Lord, what fools these mortals be”; “All party clowns can be scary as shit.” the world’s a stage, And all the men and women Laughing, she tilts her head, working the merely players”; “The fool doth think he is wise, thought around as nimbly as she does a crys- but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” tal sphere through her flowing fingers, David To be alive is to be foolish; to be foolish is to Bowie-in-Labyrinth-style. Her eyes and voice be wise. Clowns force us to look at the world— still dance, but there’s a thoughtfulness now at ourselves—in different and often challeng- that lends shadow to her sparkle. ing ways. Both of and outside society, clowns “I get it, but it really annoys me to see this art speak truth to power, make us laugh or cry, and form removed from anything true,” she adds. “If blur our very boundaries of imagination and that’s your only frame of reference and you say intellect. For all their fantastic might, however, you hate clowns or fear them, well, you may not they’re very easy to take for granted. have ever experienced real clowning.” “At Swarthmore and after, I explored dance Real clowning, the kind she’s devoted her life and literature, art history and women’s studies, to exploring, is something more than perfectly movement and Shakespeare, so I never consid- timed pratfalls or pies to the face. Those are ered clowning,” says Kendall Cornell ’86, a deep fabulous—don’t get her wrong—but the work thinker/deadpan speaker with the emotive eyes begins from within. of a silent-movie heroine. “I thought I was going For example, there’s an exercise she calls “the to be a serious actor.” void.” Stripped of everything but your creativ- After dipping her toe into comedic waters— ity—and, if you wish, a red nose—you must face including appearing in a live soap opera (“We an audience and be funny. got a new script every week, so you barely “It’s terrifying,” she admits. “You get to this had time to memorize your lines before you place of, ‘I don’t know what’s going to make were thrust onstage to just go for it”)—Cornell them laugh; I don’t know what I’m doing; I don’t attended a master class in physical comedy know who I am.’” taught by the award-winning Cirque du Soleil Who among us can’t relate? Spotlit in front clown David Shiner, whose ability to distill of the world as we perform the best we can, complex themes and sophisticated comedy into

32 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 physicality dazzled her. She looks back fondly on a piece where her “I remember thinking: I don’t know what this clowns entered as ballerinas, dancing—or try- “When I send out notices is, but I have to do it,” she says. ing to—on their tiptoes. Whereas male clowns for my workshops, I One life-changing phone call to her sister lat- doing the same would hit familiar comic notes, always include a quote er—“I had an audition the next day for Saint Cornell’s group left a much different impact. from Lucille Ball, who said, ‘I’m not funny. What Joan, and so I called her, crying, ‘No, I want to “It was quite revealing in another way,” she I am is brave,’” says Ken- be a clown!’”—and Cornell began studying the says, “this deep dream of being a graceful ballet dall Cornell ’86. “I love to art form, eventually becoming Shiner’s assis- dancer playing out in so many ways through so see my students blossom tant and apprentice. While attending classes many women: It was really vulnerable, beauti- onstage and off in this and performances, however, she was struck by ful, and funny.” strange and wonderful how male-centric the clowning world could be. Seeing her troupe members come into their art form.” Thus, her all-women troupe was born, known own, in rehearsals and performance, alone and today as Clowns Ex Machina: a feminist fun- together, makes Cornell proud, although she house and celebration of sisterhood crafting struggles not to break character onstage when vibrant, inclusive art that inspires audiences— her clowns seize a moment and surprise her. and its participants—to laugh, think, and dream. “One show we did, all the clowns were con- “For a long time, I asked, ‘Who is the every- fessing their fabricated misdeeds, such as woman?’ Culturally, that’s not so easy to find,” ‘When I was a candy striper in the hospital, on says producer/director/writer/performer/den my lunch break I’d go to the nursery and switch mother Cornell, who encourages her clowns to the pink and blue blankets,’” she remembers. explore as many characters and personas per “This one woman, a deep-voiced Russian, began piece as they’d like. “I’ve found that fluidity for improvising these outrageous, completely women lets us cover all kinds of range without unexpected things—‘I took my father out in a being stuck in stereotypes.” wheelchair in the street to beg for money’— that

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 33 meaning happening simultaneously,” she says. “I love this work because people have to be brave and bare their unique joy and pain. “A lot of my clowns have been traumatized by this idea that they have to act the idiot in order to be funny,” she adds. “I tell them they don’t have to diminish themselves in any way: just be their best, open selves, dreaming their biggest dreams. This radiance will come off them and we’re going to laugh from a deeper place.”

HIS OWN LOVE OF EARNING LAUGHTER sent erudite teen juggler John Rieffel ’99 down an unexpected detour after high school. He’d already been accepted to Swarthmore when, at the urging of a friend, he auditioned for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown College. With nothing prepared but a can-do spirit and killer comedic chops—Rieffel sold a wob- bly handstand as if it were history’s greatest feat—he got in, becoming one of only 30 people accepted into that year’s class. “Deferring going to Swarthmore was a little hard to explain,” the wryer-than-wry, drier- than-dry Rieffel laughs, “but my parents and the College were supportive, so I took a gap year.” Eight big-top bootcamp weeks later, Rieffel earned his BFA (bachelor of funny arts)—but not one of the circus’s six professional clowning slots. Undaunted, he returned home to work odd jobs until, a few months later, he landed a gig as a clown with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus and found himself traveling the East Coast, performing for thousands. “It was all so new and foreign, being inside a circus tent, surrounded by tigers and tightrope walkers, that I didn’t even reflect on being ner- vous,” he says. “Hitting all your cues and making the crowd laugh is addictive; I loved it.” Although his best bits were cheap-but-fun had us all cracking up.” sight gags—a bucket of “Fruit Punch” contained “Would I be up for my Clowns, to Cornell, are intrinsically human a boxing glove; an oversized book entitled Math kids joining the circus yet otherworldly: the living embodiment of the Made Easy hid a calculator—Rieffel quickly after high school? Abso- absurdity and wonder of our existence, made learned the crucial role circus clowns played in lutely not,” jokes John even more powerful by performances that not just getting laughs, but in keeping the peace. Rieffel ’99, who did just that. “I’m kidding, of occur in present time with the audience and “Emergencies happened several times: We course. I would abso- without a fourth wall. This exquisite chaos has had elephant stampedes and bad trapeze acci- lutely encourage them to sparked many Clowns Ex Machina productions, dents,” he says. “So we’d have to run out as take a gap year to explore not to mention Cornell’s own creativity. quickly as possible with the nearest prop and do whatever they were “Clowning is poetry as opposed to prose; whatever we could to distract the audience.” interested in.” it works on deeper, more symbolic levels of Although he enjoyed his experience, Rieffel,

34 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 who spent his offstage time readingUlysses the New England Center for Circus Arts. and the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop, never Today, she’s a studio director, teacher, and intended to parlay his clown year into a career. performer at Sky Candy, an Austin, Texas-based After leaving the circus and enrolling at aerial circus company. Even with all her expe- Swarthmore—to “about a week of fame as ‘that rience, she’s never lost her sense of excitement clown guy’”—he found doing improv comedy for what’s possible in the realm of performance with Vertigo-go even more formative and fun. through the lens of clowning. Today, Rieffel is an associate professor of “I’ve delved into burlesque recently, and dis- computer science at Union College who teaches covered that it and clowning are exactly the “A lot of people have a courses in robotics, artificial intelligence, and same,” she says. “Burlesque is simply someone spiritual relationship parallel computing while incorporating panto- getting up in front of an audience and saying, with the red clown nose,” mime and jokes into his classroom. ‘Look at me and how alluring I am. Don’t you says Joanna Wright ’08. “I always carry a couple “All that comedy experience really helps in agree?’ So when I do burlesque, I look at it as with me in case of an teaching. I won’t claim to be either charming just a clown, who happens to be a sexy clown.” emergency.” or funny, but the impression that I get from my Tapping into the countless characters and students is that I can be,” he says. “It did take me awhile, though, to realize I couldn’t measure my teaching success by the number of punch- lines I could fit into an hourlong lecture.” While he harbors no desire to return to clowning, he looks back on his time in floppy shoes fondly—and frequently. “My friend from high school, who persuaded me to audition in the first place, and his wife are the clowning act for the Big Apple Circus,” he says, “so I take my kids to visit them every year. “I look at clowns as this physical manifes- tation of our imaginations, like cartoon characters made flesh,” he adds. “They allow us to laugh. That’s invaluable, especially since comedy allows us to process things that, otherwise, would be utterly depressing. Look no further than The Daily Show and Donald Trump.”

CIRCUS CLOWNS LIKE RIEFFEL are what first hooked Joanna Wright on physical performance: After attending the circus as a child, she created aerial routines on her swing set that caused her mother to panic—and then pack her off to Vermont’s Circus Smirkus summer camp. “It’s a common story among us circus folk: From a very young age it’s in our blood,” she says. “We’re the ones climbing trees, jumping all over things, dancing, joking—we just want to do it all, even if we don’t quite know how yet.” Her ardor intensified at Swarthmore, when she took her first-ever physical theater class, taught by Quinn Bauriedel ’94, co-founder of the Pig Iron Theatre Company. Determined to pursue this work, Wright went on to train at multiple institutions, including the London

WRIGHT: BLOOD AND GLITTER BLOOD MAKEUP WRIGHT: International School of Performing Arts and

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 35 colors we carry within us isn’t a skill JR: Presuming that Les- fun at. Or it might be solely restricted to clowning, either, lie Knope doesn’t count, heartbreaking in expos- according to Wright. We’re all per- CLOWNS Al Franken, the senator ing institutional ills, like and former SNL comedi- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. formers of a sort, who paint on the way GET an. (Brazilian congress- we present ourselves to the world, to man/professional clown JR: Of the many clowns each other, and to ourselves—even if Tiririca is also evidently who have been in the most of us do it unconsciously. It’s as SERIOUS quite popular.) I was al- White House, some have RuPaul says, “We’re all born naked and ways entranced with the performed more admira- What political issues are the rest is drag.” strategies employed by bly than others. I imagine most important to you? Mayor Antanas Mock- all of them would have In the light of our human frailty and KENDALL CORNELL: us of Bogotá, Colom- benefited from profes- mortality, clowns have the courage to Peace, equality, respect, bia, who used mimes and sional clown training. stand up and strip away our self-im- fairness, seven-genera- clowns to direct traffic posed strata and hold them up to the tion stewardship, free to and improve civility in JW: Very well! Clowns light. What could be a braver or more be you and me, and the downtown Bogotá. The (and artists in gen- Universal Declaration of generous act than to allow us to laugh world could benefit from eral) tend to live in a Human Rights. near-constant state of at them—and, ultimately, at ourselves? using mimes in the place of armed police. existential crisis. That Clowning, like life, is a deceptively JOHN RIEFFEL: Access gives you perspective difficult art, whether you’re plumbing to affordable, high-qual- JW: I’m in awe of folks on what’s important and your psyche’s depths or the dizzying ity health insurance and like Gandhi and Martin what’s not, which can’t heights of a trapeze. education—we’re se- Luther King Jr. If we as hurt when you’ve got the riously behind. And, of Recently, Wright was standing 15 a species can take the nuclear codes at your el- course, more funding for bow. Add a great sense feet above the ground, training a new path of peace and ra- scientific research! tionality in the face of of humor and an ability trick. It involves going from standing mindless, unquestioning to interact honestly and on a trapeze on one foot to dropping JOANNA WRIGHT: Cli- hatred and violence— humbly with all people— down to land on your hips—in effect, mate change and how ahem, Trump, ahem— (cough) Obama—sounds plunging headfirst toward the ground we are going to deal with there may be hope that like good president ma- it, and the fundamen- while maintaining an aura of control we can continue to exist terial to me! tal systemic inequality on this planet. and grace. in this country and how Anything else? “I looked down and it made me think it affects everyone who Advice for our next KC: The loosely sewn-up about being at Swarthmore, and our isn’t a well-to-do white president? slit in the back of jackets ridiculous, scary journey of finding the man. The former, be- KC: You go, girl! and skirts is supposed truth as humans, moving past our inse- cause it’s the precursor to be undone after you for life on this planet (so JR: The USSR had a na- get home from the store. curities, fears, and pettiness to find just a tiny bit important); what’s greater,” she says. “It all comes tionalized circus training Please take that stitch- the latter, because it’s so school. Why don’t we? ing out—life is too short. down to the fundamental human ques- deep-rooted, prevalent, tion: Why do this? Why do any of this? and completely effed-up JW: Don’t settle! I know JR: I’m feeling a bit nos- I say, sure, it’s terrifying, but why not?” in a way that is invisible that politics in our coun- talgic because I just She laughs, and it’s lovely, the laugh to too many. The ques- try is a festering cess- bought a recharge- only a clown who’s faced her demons tion of how to educate pool of corruption, able seltzer bottle: the folks about privilege in- and bid them to dance can do. She stupidity, and prejudice, old-fashioned kind. I’ve terests me deeply. but please keep fight- only used it for cock- nailed that trick, by the way. ing for what you know tails, but have been very “That’s why we always joke that Political heroes? is right and important. tempted to squirt some- clowning is like therapy, but cheaper,” KC: Mulan, Susan B. An- (That’s to Hillary. To one in the face with it. she says. “Moments like that are what thony, Elizabeth Cady Trump: For the love of I live for.” Stanton, Alice Paul, all that is holy, please re- JW: To copy the illustri- Joan of Arc, Galadriel, sign ASAP and let some- ous Dumbledore, I would Aung San Suu Kyi, Shir- one qualified take over.) like to say a few addi- ley Chisolm, and many tional words: rutabaga, inspiringly righteous oth- How would a clown fare fortuitous, hegemony, ers. in the White House? kumquat. Thank you. KC: They’d have a great time: lots of rules and pomp and things to poke

36 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 IN A WORLD THAT OFTEN SEEMS DARK AND DISHEARTENING, WHAT KEEPS YOU LAUGHING?

KC: A profound sense of irony. People’s tattoo choices. Puppies and kittens. Farts.

JR: Slapstick comedians who pursue the impossible despite pies to the face: Buster Keaton, the Three Stooges, and my all-time hero, Wile E. Coyote. There’s a great poem, “Slapstick,” by Wisława Szymborska.

JW: As many wiser than me have said, “If you learn to laugh at yourself, you will always be entertained.” The extent of human folly is endless, and sometimes the only sane reaction I can find to the insanity of the world is to laugh, and thereby render it a bit less scary.

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 37 “I didn’t feel like the hip-hop that we were making and that the music industry in general was making did much to address the major problems of the day,” explains Samels, formerly known as S-Class. “Certain topics—cars, money, clothes, clubs—tend to be recycled from song to song. While it can be fun to talk about these topics, to drone on about them incessantly is ultimately a disservice to the art form and to our collective progress.”

MUSIC FOR THE GREATER GOOD The urgency Samels feels as an artist comes through on the CLASS album, which he wrote and recorded within a three-month span. On it, he takes on major societal issues from the environmental crisis (“Nestlé”) to animal rights (“Man’s Best Friend”), racism (“Unity 101”), banking fraud (“The Federal Reserve, Part 1”), and mass incarceration (“Prisons for Profit”). IS IN Inspired by the success Sofia Ashraf had with her song “Kodaikanal Won’t”—which called out Hindustan Unilever for dumping mercury in India and whose viral video resulted in a company response and a landmark settlement for factory workers there—Samels hopes to also effect tangible SESSION societal change through his music. “Whether it puts pressure on a local politician and forces them to change their stance on a particular issue or gets a He’s changing the world, one hip-hop huge multinational to alter policy—minor or major—I still hook at a time count it as a win,” he says. “It adds fuel to the fire to make more records and videos for the greater good.” by Gina Myers Accordingly, the release of First Day of School coincides with Samels’s provocative music video for “Housing Crisis,” a topic that’s dear to his heart. Samels made his way to San night after the Democratic National Francisco the summer after he graduated from Swarthmore, Convention came to a close, hip-hop art- and credits the bastion for progressives and liberally minded ist SCS took the stage at Showdown in San people with making him who he is today. That said, he’s Francisco to celebrate the release of his upset with what he sees as the city’s grim future. debut album, First Day of School. A The messages of the preceding weeks weren’t far from the rapper’s mind as he delivered his own political platform through socially conscious rhymes and catchy beats, dropping knowledge on the crowd as he welcomed them to “sit back, marinate / as thoughts elevate.” In “Unity 101,” he spits, “A nation divided against itself can’t stand / Frustrated the situation’s gotten so out of hand “ HIP-HOP CAN REACH PEOPLE IN / Can’t continue to be conned by duplicitous behavior / While a traitor like Trump touts himself as our savior.” WAYS THAT A THOUGHTFULLY The longtime producer and founder of Richland Records, Scott “SCS” Samels ’99 is taking a risk by stepping to the other side of the recording studio glass. Though he has COMPOSED PAPER OR NEWS rapped off-and-on for 20 years, beginning with early free- style battles with his friends at South High School in ARTICLE SIMPLY CAN’T.” Minneapolis, he never felt the need to pursue his own art more seriously until now. —SCOTT “SCS” SAMELS ’99

38 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 LYDIA DANILLER LYDIA

Seventeen years ago, Scott Samels ’99 moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco “with a duffel bag, a few dollars, and a burning desire to start a recording studio.” Today, he has a music label, a stable of artists, and a brand-new debut album, First Day of School.

“A lot of San Franciscans have been displaced and forced emotion imaginable in service of creating art with an out- to live elsewhere due to the skyrocketing cost of living,” he come. It also provides an outlet for the values he developed says, “which has been detrimental to the heart and soul of our at Swarthmore: his unquenchable thirst to keep learning, his beautiful city.” concept of working to serve the greater good, and his respect In “Housing Crisis,” the emcee calls out San Francisco for community and meaningful friendships. Mayor Ed Lee and developers for turning the city into a play- This genre proved a natural medium for his message. ground for the rich, where elites feast on $10 cupcakes while “Hip-hop is a global phenomenon,” he says. “It can reach the peasantry ends up priced out. people in ways that a thoughtfully composed white paper “Double, double, toil and trouble, the city burns, technology or news article simply can’t do, both in terms of reach and bubbles,” he raps in the video. “They’re ushering in new firms engagement.” nonstop; what happens when that bubble goes pop?” He’s right: As I write this, I’m listening to First Day of School and find myself bobbing along to “Corporatocracy,” THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE a song about corporate welfare with a surprisingly catchy Samels, who graduated with honors in French and minored hook: “Subsidies, tax breaks, loopholes, bailouts / We gotta in English literature, has always had a thing for words. put a stop to these government handouts / At the end of the “The English language lends its speakers vast amounts of day we all got to eat / Not just big corporations and Wall creativity, as a single word can mean many different things, Street.” and the way in which one says something can also drastically After all, music has the power to reach people—to stick change its meaning,” he explains. “Combined with the further with us, shape us, maybe even save us. freedom that poetry affords its writers, one has nearly limit- less amounts of creativity at one’s disposal.” + PUMP UP THE VOLUME at richlandrecords.com or by emailing Hip-hop became a natural outlet for Samels’s wit and [email protected] wordplay, while also granting him a space to express every

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 39 I’M WITH HER ...AND HER...AND HER...AND HER Spotlighting women who ran for office before the 19th Amendment

by Elizabeth Slocum

HER CAMPAIGN WAS HISTORIC, and not without con- we discovered: There were probably 5,000 to 6,000 women— troversy. A prominent lawyer and internationalist, she iden- many of whom were actually elected to office.” tified inequalities, pushed for equal pay, and sought social Thousands more women were appointed to office by change. Her supporters saw her as the country’s savior; her elected officials, Chmielewski notes, “but we have limited the detractors saw her as a traitor to society, womanhood, and project to women who went before the voters. Right to elec- America itself. To millions, the question she raised was tion is a significant marker of full citizenship.” beyond scandalous: Could a woman really run for president? Some of these women are widely known and researched: Over a century before Hillary Clinton became the first Jeannette Rankin, for example—the first woman elected to female major-party presidential nominee—and well before Congress (and the only pre-19th Amendment woman to win all U.S. women could even vote in an election—Belva a federal office). Also Belva Lockwood and fellow presiden- Lockwood tore down walls in 1884 as the first woman to run tial pioneer Victoria Woodhull, whom some credit as the first a legitimate presidential campaign. She received just 4,100 woman to run for the Oval Office, but whose campaign wasn’t votes, but hers were among the first cracks in that “highest, technically valid because she was too young … and incarcer- hardest glass ceiling” finally shattered by Clinton. ated at election time. Lockwood’s is one of hundreds of stories lovingly high- But others are largely unheard-of: Susanna Salter, the lighted through Her Hat Was in the Ring, a digital humanities country’s first female mayor (1887, in Argonia, Kan.). Olive project co-founded by Swarthmore’s Wendy Chmielewski Rose, a county register in Maine, and almost certainly the documenting women who ran for political office before 1920, first U.S. woman elected to any office—in 1853. Not to men- when the 19th Amendment granted all U.S. women the full tion hundreds of school board members, county superinten- right to vote. dents of schools, and municipal and state officeholders. For the time, the concept seems mind-boggling: How could Even Swarthmore’s own Lucretia Mott received a nomi- women run for and win office without the universal ability to nation for U.S. vice president—as well as a handful of voice vote? What men of that era would choose to vote for a female votes at the 1848 Liberty Party convention—though it’s candidate over her male opponent? unlikely our Quaker matriarch had any knowledge of the “We started the project over eight years ago think- nomination beforehand or intention of running. ing there were about 50 women who ran for office before “Most people don’t realize that to be elected, you need to 1920,” says Chmielewski, the George R. Cooley Curator of be an elector, that is a voter,” says Chmielewski, who started the Peace Collection. “Historians assumed that the ratifi- Her Hat Was in the Ring in 2008 with Jill Norgren, a profes- cation of the 19th Amendment was the starting point. What sor emerita of political science at John Jay College and the

40 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 WENDY CHMIELEWSKI / HER HAT WAS IN THE RING WAS CHMIELEWSKI / HER HAT WENDY

True then, true now, true always: “There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it.” —Alice Paul, Class of 1905

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 41 Then one obscure article from 1912 referenced 750 elected women from Kansas alone, to the researchers’ shock and A TIP OF THE HAT delight. Belva Lockwood (1830–1917) About half of the women had run for educational offices, In addition to her presidential run, in 1880, since school suffrage was one of the first voting rights Belva Lockwood became the first woman to afforded to them by states—it was seen as an extension of argue a case before the Supreme Court. women’s roles as mothers. But Chmielewski and Norgren Lockwood also helped the Eastern Cherokee win never anticipated just how many female candidates there $5 million in reparations from the U.S. could be. Even 100 years ago, no one knew how many women government. were in office. “We still come across articles from this timeframe that say, ‘Look! A woman elected to school board!’” Chmielewski Victoria Woodhull (1838–1927) Technically the first woman to run for presi- says. “And it’s like, yeah, and there were three-dozen women dent, Victoria Woodhull spent Election Day in before her, but you didn’t notice them.” jail for running a story in her newspaper attack- ing the hypocrisy of her critics. Her champion- IT TOOK MORE THAN a century for someone to notice. For ing of women’s sexual/marital autonomy earned decades, the data on early candidates had been scattered in Woodhull the sobriquet of “Mrs. Satan.” state archives, historical societies, hard-to-obtain newspapers, and statistical reports, and the sources only became nationally and globally accessible once they were scanned. Jeannette Rankin (1880–1973) Two years after being instrumental in Montana’s As records have made their way online, Her Hat’s can- granting full voting rights to women, Republi- didate count has grown, to more than 3,300 women in can Jeannette Rankin became the first woman over 4,500 campaigns. A couple of years into the proj- elected to the U.S. House. She would also cast ect, Chmielewski and Norgren brought on board a third the only congressional vote against the U.S. de- researcher—Kristen Gwinn-Becker—to design and host their claring war on Japan after the bombing of Pearl database and website, which provides biographical informa- Harbor. tion, photos, and other resources. It’s searchable by a candi- Susanna Salter (1860–1961) date’s name, state, office, or party—plus it can aggregate and In 1887, the Prohibition Party’s Susanna Salter combine data among all those categories. became the nation’s first female mayor, drawing Several modest grants have funded some Swarthmore global attention to tiny Argonia, Kan. Her nomi- interns, but Her Hat is mostly a passion project for nation may have been a joke played by anti-tem- Chmielewski, Norgren, and Gwinn-Becker, who run the site perance men, but the joke was on them: Salter largely on their own time, their own dime. won and served her one-year term. Chmielewski has long been interested in women’s history: She has three degrees in the field. Among the hundreds of memorabilia items in Her Hat’s collection is a needle- point she created in the ’70s that reads, “A Woman’s Place Is in the House—And in the Senate.” But Chmielewski empha- Graduate Center of the City University of New York. “Some sizes that it’s not her story that’s important; it’s those of the states gave women early partial suffrage—for educational thousands of women who braved laughter, derision, outrage, offices or even presidential candidates, in some cases. What and worse to throw their hats in the ring. Win or lose, each of we’ve found is as soon as states allowed women to run, they them paved the way for Hillary Clinton’s historic run, often ran.” without much fanfare or recognition: “There are 3,000 biog- raphies that could be written, and dozens of scholarly mono- THE IDEA FOR Her Hat Was in the Ring was sparked when graphs,” Chmielewski notes. Norgren reached out to Chmielewski at the Peace Collection So what would Belva Lockwood think of Clinton’s candi- while researching a biography on Belva Lockwood. dacy, 132 years after she first ran for president? Information on Lockwood is hard to come by—“Belva’s “She would have been so pleased to see a lawyer, and a grandson sold all of her papers for scrap after she died,” woman who had been secretary of state, receiving the nomi- Chmielewski says—but bits and pieces of her life story have nation,” Chmielewski says. “Belva believed in the efficacy of made their way to the Peace Collection over the years. global communication, and she would’ve seen that as a real Recognizing Lockwood’s significance, and figuring sources positive: someone who had an international outlook. on other early candidates would be equally difficult to find, “But she’d think it had taken far too long. Why hadn’t a Chmielewski and Norgren set out to create a database hon- woman been nominated before this?” oring all the women who campaigned for office before 1920. Thinking it seemed like a manageable project, the pair pored + DELVE DEEPER at herhatwasinthering.org, and explore a gallery over women’s suffrage texts, news articles, ballots, state statis- and women’s suffrage timeline at bulletin.swarthmore.edu tical reports—picking up a few names here, a dozen there.

42 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 spoken word

What are your key responsibilities? Well, beyond my 3-mile-long title, [laughs] it’s really bringing the community together around diversity, inclusion, and equity issues. It’s identifying the gaps or blind spots we’re missing as an institution, and moving forward thoughtfully to address them. But the biggest thing is really getting people to engage in discourse and dialogue, even if it’s agreeing to disagree.

Has that gotten more difficult in recent years? At higher education institutions in general, we’ve gotten away from it. We don’t talk to each other anymore. If we don’t hear what we want to hear, we shut it down. But it can’t be that way. With today’s political and civil rights climate and the increase in social justice movements, we need to have those difficult conversations. And where better than Swarthmore?

What does diversity mean to you? A lot of times, people just think race, but I define it in the broadest sense: identity in general, everything from sexual orientation, religious views, and political affiliation to occupational status, and the ways in which those identities intersect and engage. And once you move past the makeup of all of those identities, you can focus on how to be inclusive

LAURENCE KESTERSON LAURENCE and equitable.

Why is your work rewarding? If I can get up every day knowing I’m empowered to make UNITED SHE STANDS change, I’m happy. Even growing up, I was like the play- ground defense attorney, the social and civil rights activist. by Ryan Dougherty It’s just a piece of my identity. This work isn’t easy—it’s usu- ally off the grid, tackling stuff others don’t want to. But the reward comes when you can get people to engage and work T. SHÁ DUNCAN SMITH wasn’t looking to move. She had closely together in the spirit of curiosity. been with the University of Michigan for more than 20 years, most recently as director of inclusion at its Ross School of How was adjusting to the area? Business, earning accolades for her proactive approach to Well, I brought a whole crew with me. My partner, Tony, and building community and encouraging dialogue. But as soon I have a 14-year-old, a 9-year-old, a 7-year-old, and a baby on as she set foot on Swarthmore’s campus, she felt “perfectly board. But our transition has actually been really easy. We’re at peace,” at home, and among kindred spirits. The College’s surprised by how much we already feel at home, thanks to new associate dean of diversity, inclusion, and community how welcoming everyone has been. Plus, State Street in development, Smith explains why. Media reminds me of Ann Arbor, with a variety of shops and restaurants we’re enjoying. What drew you here? The sense of ownership from students, faculty, and staff, What do you do for fun? even on what some might consider the most mundane of top- I love to dance. I used to compete in international-style tan- ics. Everyone was eager to share their experiences and why go. That was a pro-am, and I was the “am.” I also really enjoy they consider Swarthmore special. But it wasn’t a rose-col- writing poetry. ored glasses “Miss America” speech—it seemed very organic and authentic. There’s a real commitment here to building true collaborations on campus and in the greater community.

72 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 KESTERSON LAURENCE THE PLACE TO FIND ALUMNI-RELATED ITEMS class notes

ALUMNI EVENTS

GARNET HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND Oct. 28–30 Save the date for the seventh annual Garnet Weekend. Learn more: swarthmore.edu/ garnetweekend

SPIRITS & RAPPINGS: 19TH-CENTURY SÉANCES KESTERSON LAURENCE A first-year student crosses the Wharton walkway during Move-In Day, beginning his Swarthmore journey. The College Oct. 31 welcomed the Class of 2020 in August with a host of unifying traditions, including Orientation and First Collection. Visit the Friends Historical Library this Halloween to learn the late Jean Brown in man of the company, now about the Spiritualism 1942. The couple had four called Northeast Solite, movement that swept children: John Wood ’67, until his death. mid-19th- and early Roger Wood ’69, Elizabeth John and Jane’s support 20th-century America. Wood Fritsch ’73, and of the Science Museum Books and documents Susan Wood. of Virginia helped create from the archives show 1937 John had a law practice 1939 its Space and Astronomy what some prominent John Wood Jr. died April and was active in the John Roberts, a former Exhibit. An endowment in Quakers—some alive at 1 in Newtown, Pa. He re- Bucks County Bar Associ- member of the Swarth- their name has allowed the time, some already ceived a law degree from ation, serving as president more Board of Manag- more than 27,000 under- deceased and sending the University of Pennsyl- in 1967. He was on the ers, died June 14. John privileged children and messages from the spirit vania in 1940 before join- boards of Jeanes Hospital majored in engineering adults with disabilities to world—had to say about ing the American Friends and Friends Fiduciary at Swarthmore, where he visit the museum at little the trend. Service Committee in Corp. Besides his children, met his wife of 70 years, to no cost. southern France, where he John is survived by sister the late Jane Martin In addition to Jane, helped refugees escaping Sarah Wood Fell ’49, sev- Roberts. In 1947, John John was predeceased Francisco Franco’s regime en grandchildren, and six founded Southern Light- by a daughter, Nancy. in Spain. John returned great-grandchildren. weight Aggregate Corp., a He is survived by two to the U.S. as a consci- leader in manufacturing children, Joan and John; entious objector during lightweight aggregate four grandchildren; and 11 World War II and married products. He was chair- great-grandchildren.

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 43 class notes

was in a girls’ camp in the was ordained an Episcopal dent come multiple times Berkshires. Swimming, deacon. She also played a year for a more in-depth boating, and hiking in the piano and organ, and longitudinal study of an laurel-filled woods. Babies volunteered reading music older patient. My “kids” and dogs, deep-beat backstage for the Hawaii have all been dynamic and music till the birds took Opera Theatre. Eleanore interesting contacts. 1940 over in the early morn. On is survived by son Henry, 1943 Our numbers are sadly Betty Glenn Webber Dorothy Webster to Denver for our second a nephew, two hanai (or [email protected] diminished by the loss of VanDenburgh died April wedding and who-knows- adopted) daughters, and 616-245-2687 several classmates. Just 28. Son Charles writes, what, but the joy of cele- many godchildren. too late for the spring Bul- “She had fond memories bration, the gathering of Donald Pelz died Feb. 27. No grass grows under the letin, I received word from of Swarthmore and took our huge clan will be again Don earned a psychology feet of Herb Fraser. After his son Benjamin ’78 that great delight in reminiscing the center of it all. master’s from the State a Father’s Day gathering David Whipple died Jan. about photos she had Sad news: Caroline University of Iowa and a of three generations in 2. He was active during taken there as a student. Underwood died Feb. 26 social psychology Ph.D. Massachusetts, he and World War II at home as I was always amazed at at Pennswood Village in from the University of son Peter ’68 made their an engineer and in the her detailed memory of Newtown, Pa. Caroline Michigan, where he was a annual trip to Peter’s Pacific as a Navy radio students’ names and her earned an M.S. in library professor and researcher home in Alexandria, Va. technician. His advanced favorite places on campus. science at Western for four decades, retiring The gallivanters’ itinerary degrees from MIT led to a She would point to a Reserve University, then in 1987. Don married the next included 10 days at 40-year career as an elec- window on the top floor of was commissioned in the late Edith Bennett in 1958 their New Hampshire fam- trical engineer at Draper Parrish Hall and exclaim, Navy Reserve and worked and adopted her three ily cabin before returning Laboratories, marked by ‘That’s my room.’ Her as a personnel officer and children; the pair had a to Herb’s home in Indiana. awards from NASA and education at Swarthmore in other capacities at the fourth child a year later. Ginny Curry Hille writes, MIT for space-program served her well and, in Naval Proving Ground in In the 1980s, Don “Had a happy Midwest contributions. He was turn, instilled in me a great Dahlgren, Va. She retired became active in the Ramble in May when my extensively involved in the love of reading.” as a commander. She Grey Panthers, working Seattle kids flew in to es- Cohasset, Mass., com- then worked as a postwar for economic and social cort me to Minneapolis to munity, from Cub Scout administrative officer in justice, and he continued see granddaughter Steph, master to blood donor. In the School of Math at the his leadership role in then on to Bloomington, addition to running, play- Institute for Advanced that group until his final Ind., to see her sister Jess ing tennis, and swimming, Study in Princeton, N.J. illness. Don is survived by at the university there. It Dave was in a local jazz Caroline volunteered as a children Erica, Stephanie, was my first visit to the band—a carry-over from monitor and bookmarker Jeff, and Jonathan, and upper Mississippi—so fun playing jazz clarinet at 1941 for Recording for the six grandchildren. to see—and wonderful as Swarthmore. In addition Libby Murch Livingston Blind; as librarian and in Mary Steeves Shern died always to be with my far- to Ben, Dave is survived [email protected] other positions at First April 19. After Swarth- flung family.”Ginny enjoys by Jacqueline, his wife of Presbyterian Church of more, Mary performed her retirement communi- 71 years; another son; and Cheers for Barbara Cranbury, N.J.; and as in radio soap operas, ty—with lots of bridge and two daughters. Carrying Ferguson Young, the sole librarian and a choir mem- owned several business- “bad” golf—and, fortu- on the Swarthmore legacy classmate to represent ber at Rossmoor Solos. es, wrote seven books, nately, is still driving. are granddaughters Caro- us at our 75th Reunion. I and taught and wrote for For a moderate-size lyn ’09 and Elizabeth ’18. had hoped to attend but the Georgia Institute of city, Grand Rapids, Mich., Ira Greenhill died Feb. 21 realized it was hard on Real Estate. She worked has an extensive medical in NYC, his lifelong home. my daughter to drive to to improve the quality community that offers He graduated magna cum and from Maine to indulge of life for special-needs opportunities to be a vol- laude before entering her mother. We had a children in Wisconsin and unteer subject for training the Army in World War II, busy month with two Hawaii, volunteered at the upcoming professionals. retiring as a major after weddings—in Denver and 1942 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, I did patient simulations service in Korea and the Massachusetts—within and earned the National Reserves. After Columbia Eleanore Green Akina, until I aged out. I do, two weeks. She was the Association of Realtors Law School, he practiced a doctor and ordained however, have annual one to get me to each. It Lifetime Real Estate in the city for six decades, Episcopal deacon, died visits from beginner med was time for me to wake Educator Award. Mary first with his father and March 29 at home in students learning how to up. Sorry, Barbara. was predeceased by two later with his sons. He was Kailua, Hawaii. Eleanore relate to elderly patients: My, but weddings these children, Guy and Kath- a talented woodworker received a medical degree speak up and don’t talk so days are interesting. No erine, and a sister. She is and cabinet maker, as well from Penn and worked in fast; don’t assume a tot- longer can you count on survived by children Sally, as a tennis player, self-de- internal medicine before tery gait equals a tottery the proper church-to- John, Barbara, Susan, scribed “pretend” golfer, changing her specialty mind; we are interested country-club reception, or and Michael; a brother; and Scotch aficionado. to child psychiatry. She re- not just in our own lives organ music and chicken 15 grandchildren; and 18 Charles Tachau died mained in private practice but also about you and salad. And remember your great-grandchildren. May 16. His service in the until her 2000 retirement. how you see your future. sneakers. Our Massa- Battle of the Bulge during In the 1980s, Eleanore I also have a nursing stu- chusetts family wedding World War II earned him a

Share your personal and reunion 44 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 pics: [email protected] ALUMNI IN ACTION

From left: Gabriel Tajeu ’03, Don Lloyd-Jones ’86, and Henry Feldman ’67 hiked up Barker Peak, above Lake Tahoe, between lectures at the 2016 American Heart Association Seminar on Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardio- vascular Diseases in Tahoe City, Calif.

Brothers Dave ’64 and Peter Jaquette ’74 explored Machu Picchu in Peru in April, the second such visit for Dave, who last journeyed to the archaeological site 50 years ago.

Kristan McKinsey ’80 and husband Gloria Chan ’02 signed copies of Seattle alumni and friends saw Bennett Johnson got in Colorful Leadership at a party Raghu Karnad ’05, author of the spirit of the celebrating the book’s launch. Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Prohibition era during Second World War, at the Elliot Bay Book an exhibition at the Co. in August. Peoria Riverfront Museum in Illinois. The Seattle Book Club has grown so large and successful that a few alumni, led by Tom Mayer ’61 and wife Andy Dannenberg ’74, are working to create a separate nonfiction book club. Lois also attended. JIM DWYER/PEORIA RIVERFRONT MUSEUM JIM DWYER/PEORIA + SEND YOUR PHOTOS/BLURBS TO [email protected]

Bronze Star. A University graduating in 1950. He brought worldwide recog- ber of a support group of Louisville law degree taught math and science nition and distinguished that comforts bereaved led to a dozen-year at the Harley School in awards. Away from work, members of our Bethesda practice before he entered Rochester, N.Y., and was he served the Unitarian Friends Meeting. Virginia Theological head of its middle school Universalist Church in And always, I beg for Seminary to begin a from 1964 until his 1980 administration and teach- any items you care to 50-plus-year calling as 1944 retirement. ing. He was recognized as share, such as weddings, Esther Ridpath Delaplaine an Episcopal priest in [email protected] William Busing died April a pioneer and supporter grandkids, great-g’kids, Kentucky. During his 14. Bill excelled in math of equitable health care and vacations. tenure in Louisville’s West Our condolences to Mat and science at his Scars- for mental illness. An End, Charlie was active Ewell’s wife, Ruth, and dale, N.Y., high school, and enthusiastic hiker of the in civil rights, with a few sons Peter and Louis upon graduated from Swarth- Appalachian Trail, he was brief stints in jail. After Mat’s death March 8. Mat more with high honors. a member of the Trail retirement he served in graduated from Avon Old In the service, he was a Club. Bill had family at administrative capacities Farms School in Connecti- lieutenant junior grade in Swarthmore: daughter for the Episcopal Diocese cut before enrolling at New London, Conn., and Barbara Busing Wachs ’75. in Kentucky and in interim Swarthmore. He left after postwar at Pearl Harbor. I, Esther, have joined pastorates there and in two years to join the Army Studies in physical chem- Quakers holding “Black Montana and Dominica. Air Corps and earned istry at Princeton and two Lives Matter” signs We’d like to hear from those a Distinguished Flying years at Brown preceded in Bethesda, Md., and FOLLOW US who have not spoken up Cross after completing 99 his career as a researcher met with organizations on Facebook at lately. Recognize yourself? missions. He continued at Oak Ridge National addressing racism to facebook.com/ his education at St. John’s Laboratory in Tennessee. determine appropriate re- SwarthmoreBulletin College in Annapolis, Md., His crystallography work sponses. I am also a mem-

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 45 class notes

and sown over the ocean Locust Valley, N.Y., Friends gave four years ago. As ny, and then Milan, Italy— waters at Grimes Cove in World College, the Village you know, doing anything Joanne honed her German Maine, where we spent of East Williston, Habitat now takes even longer. So and learned Italian, many happy summers. A for Humanity in Nassau the paper may never get became a proficient skier, bench will be erected on County, Peconic Land finished, unless it rises on and developed a lifelong the rocks and a plaque Trust, and the Brecknock my priority list. taste for Northern Italian 1945 installed: “We loved it so Hall Foundation. He is sur- It was good to hear from cuisine and Alfa Romeo Verdenal Hoag Johnson [email protected] much we decided to stay.” vived by Jane Ann, his wife Lise Wertheimer Wallach, cars. After returning to the Our souls will stick around of 66 years, three children, who stopped teaching a U.S., she was a committed It has been busy. Edward mentoring those we loved and six grandchildren. few years ago and is now volunteer, from recordings ’46 could not get into the and then will go on to Kinnie ’46 and I have a senior research scholar for the blind to relief for car a few months ago, so I another generation for a new address, as we at Duke. “I’ve mostly the homeless. A fearless got home/health care from reincarnation. have moved from a villa been at home the last five advocate for feminism and three wonderful helpers. We lost Janet Stanley to the “big house” in our months due to a broken a dedicated swimmer, she They came in the morning Mustin in the spring. She senior hybrid community, hip (partially replaced). was also a gifted classical to get him up and dressed, and Frank ’44 had been Princeton Windrows. Slipped on ice in January, cellist and pianist and and stayed a few hours so married for 70 years. Our new address is 2417 but improving. Like you, took up gouache painting I could do my chores. They Several reunions ago, we Windrow Drive, Princeton, I’ve had a research paper in her final years.Joanne returned in the evening to had Sunday brunch at the NJ 08540. We are joining in progress—with husband is survived by husband put him to bed. Mustins’ beautiful home. Dick Esrey ’50, Naomi Mike ’54—for a couple Joe, two sons, and two Recently, Edward Janet was a renowned Lichtman Rose ’54, and of years, a follow-up on a grandchildren. couldn’t get out of bed, so artist in her community, Ned and Helen “Greenie” book we wrote on different Kathleen “Kay” Blau we called our fire depart- submitting her works Green Neuburg ’48. conceptions of mind. Shapiro died Jan. 24. She ment and the men (“We to exhibits and leading We celebrated the “I’m delighted to have served as president of the have to stop meeting this therapeutic art classes. Swarthmore graduation of brother Mike Wertheimer Sisterhood of Congrega- way”) took him to the hos- She was also well-known Abby Schmidt ’16, marking ’47 (I get attached to tion Shaarey Zedek and on pital. Daughter Fran and for her volunteer work. the temporary end of five Mikes) becoming an hon- the board of the Lansing I spent all day with him in In addition to Frank, she consecutive generations orary member of our class. Jewish Welfare Federa- the ER, with many nego- leaves three daughters, of female Swarthmorean I have fond memories of tion. With the American tiations about outpatient eight grandchildren, and Stablers, Clarkes, and the times we spent togeth- Red Cross, she settled and inpatient admissions five great-grandchildren. Schmidts that started er in our overlapping years Vietnamese immigrants, and Medicare and health in 1894 (plus three at Swarthmore.” believing in the impor- insurance. Fortunately, husbands—the Quaker Our class philosopher, tance of aiding refugees the hospital has wonderful matchbox phenomenon). Bill Hirsch, plans to visit from war-torn nations. Her case managers who took Swarthmore’s fiscal year Maine with wife Roberta commitment to civil rights care of everything once ended June 30. As class for theater and seafood. dated back to the 1940s. he was admitted. He was agent, I thank all class- In return he offers us food She also volunteered with there for a week before mates who donated to the for thought: “What is the Planned Parenthood. She moving to a rehab facility, 1947 Alumni Fund last year. key senior challenge? I is survived by two sisters, Marshall Schmidt believe it might be ‘adjust- three children, seven the great place two miles [email protected] from home where I spent ment to change.’ What do grandchildren, and three you think?” great-grandchildren. six weeks after I broke my We mourn the March 24 I sadly report the passing Lloyd Craighill Jr. leg eight years ago. Our passing of Don Smith. We of four classmates. passed away March 28, children have been back send our sincere condo- Joanne Donovan Banta and wife Mary “Maryly” and forth from Massachu- lences to Jane Ann Jones died June 21. Her fascina- Nute Craighill ’50 died setts and Long Island, but Smith ’48 and family. now things are settling 1949 tion with the life sciences two weeks later. Lloyd’s Don earned a master of Robert Norman led to a summer course parents were Episcopal down in a routine. civil engineering from Poly- robert.z.norman@dartmouth. at the University of Oslo, missionaries in China. He Edward and I have talked technic Institute of Brook- edu Norway, a laboratory and Maryly married on his about the end of life and lyn in 1951. Don joined the assistantship at Yale and Swarthmore graduation what we expect and hope consulting engineering Marjorie Merwin Daggett Woods Hole, and three day. After he studied for for. At Swarthmore, I was firm of Andrews & Clark in [email protected] years at Huntington Lab- the priesthood, they began in a play called A Decent 1952, retiring as president oratories, Harvard Univer- missionary work in Japan Birth, a Happy Funeral. We in 1989. Major design At my retirement commu- sity. She met husband Joe in 1951. Following doctoral have had such a wonder- projects during his career nity in Lebanon, N.H., I, during these years, and studies in Asian art history ful life (right now, we are included the Long Island Bob, am sometimes asked the pair married in 1954. at Harvard, he studied a week short of our 70th Expressway, the Meadow- what I do at my Dartmouth She joined Joe in working painting under a Chinese wedding anniversary), so brook Parkway, Sunken office (luckily I still have for the CIA in Germany, master in Beijing and there are no regrets and Meadow State Park, and one). Among other things, including maintaining earned a top prize at a Par- it will be a happy funeral. the 1964–65 World’s Fair. I occasionally work on a files on suspected double is exhibition. After studying When we die, we want Don served on the boards paper for potential pub- agents. Living in Europe— under a master luthier, he our ashes co-mingled of Friends Academy in lication based on a talk I first in Frankfurt, Germa- built and rebuilt cellos,

Share your personal and reunion pics: [email protected] 46 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 violins, and violas, giving airplane. Dave checks Jerry was cited by The was born in California as we walked to the lectures on acoustics of her glucose three times Guardian as “one of the but grew up in Adana amphitheater’s accessible stringed instruments of the a day, but her diet hasn’t U.K.’s foremost philoso- and Talas, Turkey, where entrance opposite Whar- early Renaissance. He is changed much. She and phers of science for more her missionary parents ton. The trees were a lot survived by four children, Dave are active in the than 50 years.” He is the ran medical clinics. She taller than in 1951, but the brother Peyton (sister-in- Unitarian church they author of a thought-pro- met Lloyd at Swarthmore animated sound of alumni law Mary Roberts Craighill founded 50 years ago. voking article reflecting where she campaigned talking before Collec- ’57), and sister Kate. Their children are a spe- on the troubles facing to eliminate quotas on tion’s opening moment of John Kennedy died Jan. cial-ed teacher in Florida, contemporary science. Jewish students. Married silence was very familiar. 8. Upon turning 18, he an engineer in Pittsburgh, Read it at bit.ly/Ravetz. in 1949, she transferred President Valerie Smith’s enlisted in the Navy. At and a neurologist in Gertrude “Gee-Gee” to George Washington joyful presence and her Swarthmore he received Pittsburgh. They have two Joch Robinson says the University while Lloyd talk covering so many highest honors in philos- granddaughters, 10 and 8. very late spring in Guelph, attended Virginia Theolog- facets of College life and ophy. He graduated from Adrian Kuyper and wife Ontario, and research by ical Seminary. She trans- administration evidenced Yale Law School in 1952, Elaine still travel, despite her son and grandson lated Turkish, French, and a solid beginning in her and in 1957 he married all-too-frequent doctor give concrete evidence German for the CIA, and first year.Dan Singer, Barbara Allen. As a lawyer visits. A Caribbean cruise of climate change. Son cataloged Kurdish papers Anne Ashbaugh Kamrin, he was known for his in February focused on Beren, a fish biologist at for Harvard’s library. The Barbara Bruce Rutledge, integrity and concern for Mayan ruins in Guatemala, the University of Guelph, Craighills were mission- Joyce Kimball Burbank, others’ well-being. He was Belize, and Mexico. In has tracked the effect the aries for the Episcopal and Miriam Strasburger well-known for his eccen- September they were to long winter has had on Church in Kyoto, Okinawa, Moss sent regrets, and tric wit and his passionate visit Kenya and Tanzania the survival of stickleback Sapporo, and Osaka, Ja- certainly there were oth- progressive politics. At our for the fourth time to fish born last fall, while pan. In 1979, the Craighills ers who would have liked 50th Reunion he wrote, “I watch the annual migra- grandson Calder, studying were appointed professors to have been present.” feel that capitalism must tion of animals between ocean science at Dalhou- at Kansai Gaidai Univer- Joyce “Kim” Burbank be abolished in favor of the Serengeti and the sie University in Halifax, sity in Hirakata, Japan. writes, “I had planned to a socialist, cooperative Masai Mara. At home they investigates the effect In retirement in Amherst, join Anne Thomas Moore, system but have no idea have a busy schedule of of water temperature on Mass., Maryly led courses but decided it was time to how this can be accom- concerts and plays, and them. Gee-Gee believes in Old English and early replace my right knee. So, plished.” He is survived by are helping their church that groups of fish behave British literature. She is while our small contin- his wife, four children, and find a new minister. like groups of people. This survived by four children gent of classmates was 10 grandchildren. Ruth Merson Neleski summer she traveled to and a brother. reuniting, I was embarking notes that classmates Tunkhannock, Pa., where on physical therapy. I did it probably don’t have much son Markus renovated so I could spend 10 days in news to report “because the Robinsons’ summer Maine in August enjoying we are getting rather old cottage. Her extended the surf, the lobsters, and don’t move and shout family gathered in August and my daughter. It has as much as we used to. to celebrate the comple- been fun living so near Now we list broken bones tion of the renovation. Anne—only 45 minutes 1950 (my hip) [me too, Ruth] Alan Ward was back in 1951 away. We’ve kept in touch Dot Watt Williams Elisabeth “Liesje” and sore spines. But I love Westwood, Mass., after throughout the years, 625 Broad St., Apt 301 Boessenkool Ketchel living in the mountains of escaping the summer heat starting with sharing an Grinnell, IA 50112 [email protected] Arizona where it’s rarely of Hilton Head, S.C. He apartment in Evanston, [email protected] too hot or too cold and had a fun trip to Berkeley, Ill., then by attending each Anne Thomas Moore was almost never rains except Calif., to watch his other’s wedding, visiting Richard Farrar enjoyed kind enough to write about for brief summer showers. granddaughter graduate while our families were San Poncho, Mexico, this the reunion for those who No traffic jams, everything from high school with young, and stopping to winter. It’s gotten crowd- couldn’t make it. Thanks, within a few minutes, lots of honors. “My son, a see each other en route to ed, but its beach is still Anne, and thanks also to nice people—even kids. I psychology professor at family gatherings. Swarth- beautiful. He keeps busy Andrea Wilcox Palmer for enjoy reading about class Swarthmore, and daughter more friendships are very with abstract painting and suggesting it. achievers and Swarthmore came along and helped rewarding.” enjoying ballet and cham- “Six of us showed up at in general.” me navigate airports. My Ralph Lee Smith, who ber music performances. our 65th Reunion. Good to Jerome Ravetz writes Aussie-mix dog, Leo, was faithfully contributes (Bach is his favorite keep crossing paths with from Oxford, England, how very upset with me for interesting material for composer; poor Mozart is Woody Thomas, wife Mer- pleased he was to attend leaving without him and this column, writes, “I only second place.) rillan Murray Thomas ’53, President Valerie Smith’s takes me for lots of extra am a lifelong lover of old Georgeann “Tommy” and daughter Jeananne; inspiring talk in London: walks to make up for it.” homemade wooden things, Thomas Haykin is “too Dave and Anita Dabrohua “Very encouraging for I am sad to report we including old dulcimers. busy to write,” says Wesson; and Clarkson and the future. Whenever one have lost another class- The house is full of this husband Dave. Recently Andy Wilcox Palmer at worries about America mate. Mary “Maryly” Nute stuff. Susie and I are diagnosed with diabetes, meals or when riding golf one remembers what ‘race Craighill died April 13, two cleaning out and downsiz- Tommy no longer rides her carts. Three classes were relations’ were like when weeks after the death of ing. Today, I unpacked a motorcycle nor flies their ahead of us in the parade we were students.” husband Lloyd ’49. She box that contained:

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 47 class notes

1. A fishhook bender. for 55 years. According woman who smuggled me Labor Exchange and should be, as long as we This excellently carved to their son, they were as out of Austria after the did pioneering work in stay away from mirrors. … little item sat next to an much in love at the end as Nazi Anschluss in 1938. showing wage inequality My passion for skiing was Outer Banks fisherman when they first came to When, through seren- between men and women cut short at 82 when my as he hauled in his lines. California. dipity, we reconnected, and in working conditions wife’s Alzheimer’s began Shaking fish off the hooks we worked together for for women. (Doesn’t that to require more of my sometimes caused them this designation by Yad still resonate today?) attention. We soldier on to bend out of shape. The Vashem, the Holocaust She had a Ph.D. from as best we can, enjoying fisherman fixed the hook museum in Jerusalem. Heidelberg, where she our straw-bale cabin on with his bender before “In December my studied under Max Weber. the Rio de Los Pinos in casting the line again. companion and I traveled She did not survive the northern New Mexico’s 2. Two maple sugar taps. to Tokyo, where she had Holocaust.” wilderness. The cabin and These hand-cut little 1952 been invited to the open- I have two long letters, my lifelong journey to get Barbara Wolff Searle spouts were inserted into ing of a film on the Japa- from Harlan Flint and there is the subject of my [email protected] maple trees to get the sap, nese consul in Lithuania Roger Feldman. I will new book, Journey to a which was boiled to make who in 1939 gave thou- quote briefly from each Straw Bale House: The I’m overflowing with news sugar and syrup. sands of visas to Jews and then return to them Long Road to Santa Rita in this quarter. Keep it com- 3. A corn shucker. This contrary to government next quarter. Harlan an Old Hispano Neigh- ing—I love it. piece, carved smooth and instructions. She and her writes, “Your notes give borhood on the Northern Franz Leichter writes, thin, looks like a small family received one of us a snapshot of many Edge of New Mexico. If “My retirement activities wooden shoe with a point- these precious visas. interesting and successful one were to Google my revolve around grandchil- ed tip. One would insert “In March, again joined lives. It’s funny that at our name, it would reveal my dren (four, but not one two fingers and use the by my family, it was off to age when things generally earlier book, from 2012, Swarthmorean, sadly), tip to shuck corn, thereby Vienna for a screening of slow down, they also seem Hispano Homesteaders: NYC’s rich cultural life, saving one’s fingers from a documentary about my to speed up. Our children The Last New Mexico Pio- and traveling. In November becoming raw. mother. … It was shown on reach middle age too soon, neers, 1850–1920.” More last year, I went with much “Now, folks, I ask you: Austrian public television and our grandchildren next time. of my family to London for How can one bear to get on International Women’s are way older than they Roger’s Christmas letter a ceremony at the Israeli rid of stuff like this?” Day. My mother, a political should be. But on our arrived in April. (That’s Embassy acknowledging Winifred Armstrong activist, established the good days, we don’t seem OK. I’m happy to hear from the Righteous Among the writes, “The summer Women’s Section of the to be much older than we him whenever.) He writes, Nations designation of the Bulletin had a nice article “2015 was, in one sense, about my archiving (bit.ly/ a year in which I had little WinArmstrong). The new fully committed time. My editor, Jonathan Riggs, routines were reduced to a wrote it. I just heard from CAPTION THIS weekly one-hour exercise Robin Cooley Krivanek class; a weekly two-hour in response to the earlier lip-reading class; for six piece about the Lemlich months, a daily effort of award … nice.” reading and editing Ebola Elizabeth Lewis Harker messages for ProMED; died last year in San and a twice-a-month Mateo, Calif. She had a church-organized food- wonderful life with late bank effort, collecting husband Jack Harker outdated foods from one ’50. She and Jack met at store and bringing them Swarthmore, which she to a church that housed attended on a Pepsi math and fed the homeless. I’ve scholarship. Married in given up banjo lessons— LA in 1950, they started wish I were better at it, their lives together in but wishing is ineffective.” the Bay Area by moving There’s lots more news, to Berkeley. While Jack but it will have to keep. attended grad school, Eliz- Some time ago, I report- abeth supported them by ed the death of Marguerite working in San Francisco. “Margie” Ridge Perrone. He was a Californian, and The Bulletin received a she wanted to pursue the touching note from her modern Californian dream: husband, Charles: “Last liberal politics, modern YOUR CAPTION HERE! year I scattered Margie’s Be creative! Submit a caption by Nov. 11 to [email protected]. design, and Eichler archi- ashes, as she wished, in To see last issue’s cartoon with suggested captions, go to Page 68. tecture. She found it in Chester County, Pa., in a Palo Alto, where they lived

Share your personal and reunion pics: [email protected] 48 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 small clearing on a wood- new owner of his music a gardener and lover of Phyllis Hall Raymond ed hillside near Ludwig’s business. parks and walks in the “says it all” for many of us: Corner. The clearing is Did everyone see the woods. “No new address or travel secret and quiet, dappled Bulletin story online about Ivan Gabel died June or excitement, but maybe by partial sun. Margie’s the late Phoebe Burnett 11 in Jenkintown, Pa., that is OK.” Since her candid blue eyes favored Snetsinger? Phoebe was after a lengthy illness. house abuts the College, partial sun. She shunned responsible for sighting Ivan worked for Merit Oil 1954 she attends musical Elizabeth Dun Colten extremes. The ground 8,398 birds—a record she Corp., culminating his [email protected] events on campus and is cover is sparsely flecked held well after her death in career as president and active in the Swarthmore with modest woodland 1999. On what would have CEO from 1987 to his Harriet Donow Cornell, Friends Meeting. Inci- blooms. Down the slope, been her 85th birthday 2000 retirement. Ivan was Naomi Lichtman Rose, dentally, I have a recently the lake and its far shore June 9, Google honored trustee and former board and I lunched togeth- updated class list, which I glow through the canopy Phoebe and her immense chair of Jewish Family er, and we discussed will gladly share. of leaves. As a girl Margie legacy with a daily doodle. and Children’s Service of politics, families, health, I pass on the following: returned to this valley As usual, most of my Greater Philadelphia, Con- and Swarthmore, not Did you know that the old- on horseback again and news is about classmates gregation Rodeph Shalom, necessarily in that order. est McDonald’s employee again. By now her ashes we have lost. and Einstein Healthcare I mentioned Naomi’s am- is a Singapore fry cook— have entered the living Elizabeth “Betsy” Alden Network. He was also a bitious travels in our last age 92—according to a earth to emerge in season Bowers died peacefully lifetime honorary trustee column, and, understand- May 16 article in Time? as modest blooms. She is Dec. 15 in Richmond, Va. of the Jewish Federation ably, Harriet—a county And, from Will Rogers: so easily pleased.” She is survived by hus- and former trustee of legislator—is especially “We could certainly slow The Bulletin also reported band Don; children Ken, Jefferson Health System busy this election year. the aging process down the death of Howard Cathy, and James; and and the United Way. Ivan Summer, for me, means if it had to work its way Fussell. He was the retired five grandchildren. is survived by his wife Maine—Ocean Point, to through Congress.” vice president of Lavino After spending time at of 61 years, Ruth, and be exact—where our far- Shipping Co. and in that ca- Swarthmore, Betsy grad- three children: Joanne flung family gathers for a pacity did much traveling. uated from Cornell with a Hamilton, Bruce Gabel, too-short visit. He won many tennis tour- botany degree in 1954 and and Barbara Sklar. In June, Peter Sielman, naments and was a master received a master’s from George Hastings writes a justice of the peace, of- gardener, a frustratingly the University of Illinois. that his wife, Iliana ficiated at the wedding of clever chess and bridge In the 1960s she taught at Semmler, died June 17. grandson Daniel Shaiken player, a wonderful writer, an integrated preschool George and their daugh- (son of David Shaiken ’82 1955 Sally Schneckenburger an ardent reader, a devotee in Charlottesville, Va., and ters were by her side. and Martha Sielman ’82). Rumbaugh of The New York Times in the early 1970s, she Iliana (I remember her Daniel is a graduate of [email protected] crossword puzzle, and a was a founding member fondly as Jonny) received Tufts veterinary school. talented musician. Did you of FOCUS Women’s Re- an M.A. from Penn and a Also in June, Ruth I am delighted to quote know Howard? Please send source Center. From 1973 Ph.D. from the University Durant Seeliger’s from the June 11 San remembrances. to 1978, she served on at Albany, SUNY. She granddaughter married in Francisco Examiner: “The the Charlottesville school taught English at the Michigan, and Ruth met Commonwealth Club gave board. She also served University at Albany with a great-grandchild there. activist and philanthropist on the Charlottesville and specialties in American Although she has stepped James Hormel its first Henrico County Democrat- literature and literature down as chair of the board Champion of Civil Rights ic committees. and medicine. Iliana was of the Foundation for Con- and Social Justice honor Betsy was a longtime an accomplished pianist temporary Theology, she at its 28th Distinguished member of the NAACP. and enjoyed classical still serves as administra- Citizen Awards. That is 1953 She was a court reporter concerts. She traveled tor. Daughter Christine, Carol Lange Davis one among seemingly for the Charlottesville extensively and loved the [email protected] a cancer survivor, lives countless honors the Observer, and in 1986, company of family, friends, with Ruth in Houston. human rights pioneer has she graduated from the and her two Siamese cats. In May I visited Margery Ruth spent two months earned during decades University of Virginia law In addition to George, she “Marky” McCloskey Laws last December in Oregon of public work, including school. In 1988 Betsy and is survived by children in Madison, Conn. Susie with sister Kathryn Wolfe serving as the first openly Don moved to Richmond, Rada Hastings, Judith and Bob Fetter joined us Roether ’49, and says she gay U.S. ambassador to and she started a private Singer, and Geoffrey for lunch on their way is eternally grateful for her Luxembourg (and endur- family-law practice. Some Hastings. Son Douglas to Vermont to see Bob’s Swarthmore education ing years of controversy to of her greatest satisfac- Hastings predeceased her. brother, Tom ’56. Shortly and friends. get the job).” Congratula- tion came from court-ap- thereafter, Bob attended Barbara Hill Lindsay tions, Jim. pointed work representing Alumni Weekend, where passed away last fall, but In contrast to the children and women. She he saw Francis Ashton and the College received few timeliness of the previous joined the Virginia Women Merrillan Murray Thomas. details on her life and entry comes news from Attorneys Association I also chatted with Stan- death. Please share any William Shepard’s 2014 and took part in lobbying ley Mills, who goes into stories or memories you Christmas letter, which efforts. She had a lifelong Manhattan a few times have of Barbara. I recently uncovered. appreciation of plants as each week to help the

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 49 class notes

You already know that baseball. The older base- lunch Saturday. Carolyn drawing of Miz Ma’m’selle Bill and Elza settled into ball player was selected Cotton Cunningham donated by Peter Svirsky, their new house, having to join a Little League arranged a moving me- who, unfortunately, could repaired and sold the one All-Star team for a trip to morial for each of the 18 not be with us. damaged by the 2011 New Japan to play against a classmates who had died President Smith, who Zealand earthquake, and Japanese All-Star team, since our 55th Reunion. was very visible and that the second edition of making his old pitcher 1956 Our records now show engaged with our class, Caro Luhrs Bill’s book on Islam was grandfather beam with [email protected] 70 deaths since 1956. auctioned herself off as published. Further news pride. In June, Bill and This includes anyone who a luncheon guest. Two is that on the previous Phyllis attended our 60th We had a wonderful 60th was ever in our class. classmates won separate Christmas, their son and Reunion; then in July, they Reunion: no rain and the Since there has been little bids for this. his family visited, staying were in Vermont for the campus looked spectac- tracking of classmates A fine time was had by in their old house. Their 40th Taft reunion, which ular with endless lush, who didn’t graduate, the all. And by the way, our son, a beamline scientist, included many of Phyllis’s green grass, huge old actual number of deaths is class had the highest co-authored a publication relatives. Another reunion trees, and beautiful flow- certainly larger than 70. participation rate—70 that appeared in Nature; took them to Connecticut, ers. Fifty classmates were Saturday afternoon, percent—of all the other his wife is a social judge; this one with seven of expected back; almost two of our classmates reunion classes in giving and their girls are enthu- Phyllis’s girlfriends from all showed up. Although gave interesting talks. to the Swarthmore Fund. siastic karate students. junior high. Finally, fol- we are now in our early Chris Lehmann-Haupt Good work! The death of Bill’s sister, a lowing the family tradition 80s, those who returned shared material from a paraplegic who advocated in which all 12 adults and looked amazingly fit and book he is writing about for the disabled, brought 11 grandchildren meet at cheerful—enough so to be working at The New Bill to the U.S., where he an exotic location every frequently mistaken for York Times, where he spent time with their son five years, they went to the reunion Class of 1966. was a book review editor and his family. Bill and Antigua. This was their A few of us stayed at and obituary writer. His Elza’s daughter Christina, first experience with an the Inn at Swarthmore, a theme centers on the who teaches at an all-boys all-inclusive resort, and delightful place located on distant and competitive 1957 Minna Newman Nathanson high school, lives near they thoroughly enjoyed relationships among the campus near the train sta- [email protected] them in Christchurch, so the beautiful beaches, tion. Student-driven golf staffers.France Juliard they are closely involved delicious meals, tennis Pruitt moved us with the carts easily whisked us Ferris Hall, who—like with their grandson, who’s courts, and outstanding story of the four harrow- back and forth to events. many of us—recently active in swimming, kara- Caribbean weather. Plans ing years she and cousin Saturday morning, turned 80, “celebrated” te, touch rugby, and piano for 2016 included a trip Chantal “Cathy” Juliard President Valerie Smith by retiring. A radiologist lessons—even, in a school to Maine and at least Astore spent hiding from welcomed all the classes at Beth Israel Deacon- talent competition, playing one college and one high the Nazis in the South of at Alumni Collection in ess Medical Center in a piece he composed. school graduation. France during World War Scott Amphitheater. We Boston for 45 years and Bill and Elza find support Despite these activities, II. Most classmates knew were impressed by her a professor at Harvard and fellowship in their Bill writes, “With Phyllis’s this and wished they had joy, warmth, and excellent Medical School, Ferris church’s home group. scoliosis and my various recognized years ago what communication skills. We loved interpreting muscu- William Dominick had an aches and pains, we’ve the young Juliard girls had realized how much more loskeletal and mammog- interesting 2015. It began decided to make the gone through. complex and multifac- raphy images, and, most inauspiciously in February. move” to Cedarfield, a After dinner Saturday, eted the role of college particularly, teaching. Attempting to chase a Richmond, Va., continu- former U.S. Sen. Carl president has become However, the related IT squirrel away from his ing-care retirement com- Levin spoke about the over the past 60 years. became increasingly time- bird feeder, Bill slipped on munity, whenever a vacan- presidential election, We are pleased to have consuming and difficult. black ice, cracking a bone cy occurs. Like so many, opening with “Hillary a president with such He came to view medical in his right knee. That led they are in the “awesome will win.” He said this understanding of and students’, residents’, and to eight weeks of therapy task of downsizing.” definitive statement was passion for the job. fellows’ computer skills while using a walker and We have lost another intended to “keep us There were many multi- as he did those of his chil- sleeping in a recliner. He classmate. Gwilym Owen awake” during his talk. class activities throughout dren and grandchildren: has not given up on pro- Jr., of Pittsboro, N.C., died Sally Pattullo McGarry the weekend, but our the payback for parenting. tecting his bird feeder, but peacefully Feb. 6. Our organized our auction for class spent as much Ferris and wife Nancy, he watches for hazards condolences to his family. the Class of 1956 Scholar- time as possible with one who celebrated their 57th now. In April, he and wife ship Fund, with Jack Fin- other. Thanks to Gretchen wedding anniversary last Phyllis Klock Dominick ’57 kelstein as auctioneer. We Mann Handwerger’s good year, moved into a Bos- joined their five children raised several thousand planning, we had all our ton-area retirement home at one son’s beach home dollars. Auction items weekend meals together known for its in-house in Nag’s Head, N.C., for an included 12 beautiful and as a class instead of being courses, lectures, and mu- enjoyable “7-D” family re- very old Swarthmore china FOLLOW US lumped in with others. sical events—some given union. During the summer, plates, copies of France on Facebook at Our 2015–16 scholarship by the retirees. Although Bill and Phyllis watched Juliard Pruitt’s book Faith facebook.com/ recipient, Mohammed they lost their eldest grandchildren perform, and Courage in a Time of SwarthmoreBulletin Bappe ’19, joined us for daughter to cancer, their one in ballet and two in Trouble, and a Walt Kelly

50 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 two remaining children visual and performing mained in touch regularly. ism in the Ban the Bomb and five grandchildren arts, traveling, reading, “Maurice Eldridge ’61, movement freshman year.” are healthy. The couple writing, and gardening. a longtime Swarthmore John Palka retired early enjoy watching their She sang for many years administrator, has been and spent the better part oldest grand, a Middlebury with the oratorio society. a friend since college. of a decade writing My College sophomore, play Karen is survived by sons His 2009 baccalau- Slovakia, about his family lacrosse. Peter, Michael, and Alan; reate address (bit.ly/ 1960 history. He then turned Jeanette Strasser Pfaff to writing a biweekly Jeremy Stone spoke in daughter Susannah Owen; Maurice09) is one of the [email protected] April during a Swarthmore and five grandchildren. finest documents about blog (naturesdepths. com), which satisfies his Peace and Conflict Stud- She was predeceased by Swarthmore I have read It seems that John Vincent fascination with the living ies event on lessons he husband Dean Ridlon. since graduation. was the sole classmate at world and provides “ongo- and late wife B.J. Yannet The class sends its “David Porter ’58 and I Alumni Weekend in June. ing stimulus to the mind Stone learned in “catalytic sympathy to the families met in 1955 through our He reports that he had and the creative impulse.” diplomacy.” of David and Karen. shared interests in clas- a positive impression of Martha Merrill Pickrell I am sorry to report sics and music. He later and interaction with our embarked on music com- only sad news. Please let added an interest that his new president and that he position for piano at age me know what you are first wife, the lateLaudie enjoyed Maurice Eldridge 67. “I’ve had a wonderful doing—your classmates Dimmette ’57, introduced ’61’s Collection address. time with it. Last year, I would like to hear! him to, the novels of Willa We couldn’t ask for a had printed a few copies Cather. David was my better representative. of two books, Times and model humanist from the Thanks, John. Places (second edi- 1958 beginning of our more I had asked you to tell Vera Lundy Jones tion—21 pieces) and Late than 60-year friendship. us about postretirement 549 East Ave. Discoveries (10 pieces). I am honored to own in- careers or occupations. Bay Head, NJ 08742 Copies of both are in the scribed books and articles Larry Helm rephrased verajonesbayhead@ Swarthmore library, along from him on Homer, Greek that as “Aged Life” and comcast.net with a CD for each. I love 1959 tragedy, Horace, and Da- describes his post-Navy Miriam Repp Staloff most of my pieces like vid’s distinguished piano activities in what I take to David Porter died in [email protected] the kids I never had. Most teacher, Eduard Steuer- be genuine “Navy-speak.” March after a fall during are relatively easy to play. mann. On David’s death in “Drove a Fairfax County a walk. He is survived In a note about his Now I am starting to work early 2016, the president school bus part time—a by wife Helen and her contribution in memory of on orchestration for a of Skidmore, where David hoot. Then, got kinda daughter, Cathrin Lawton; Johanna Mautner Plaut few of them. Let me know himself had once been bored so did the tick- his children David, ’58 to the Joseph Conard if you would like further president, wrote an obit- et-punching and taught Everett, Helen, and Hugh, Fund, Charles Miller sent information.” uary titled “The Death of in Fairfax County high and their spouses and along a brief “memoir” of Janet Lockard: “The a Renaissance Man” (bit. schools before locking children. David, who his Swarthmore days. I will main addition to my life ly/DavidPorter). To mark in as part-time AP U.S. received a classics Ph.D. paraphrase: since retirement is a my retirement from Lake history teacher at our from Princeton, played “I scarcely knew Jo- passion for greyhounds. Forest College in 1999, local magnet—Thomas the harpsichord and piano hanna, but she was the I work with a volunteer he gave a lecture-perfor- Jefferson—for about eight and taught classics and daughter of Franz Maut- group that takes grey- mance: ‘The Well-Tam- years.” Coincidentally, he’s music. He married the ner, who taught German hounds from the track pered Clavier: Play—Mu- also an AP U.S. read- late Laudie Dimmette and was one of the two when they are through sical and Otherwise, the er—“rewarding and fun.” ’57 in 1958. David was teachers who most influ- racing and finds them Intellectual Playfulness Mimi Siegmeister Koren: president of Carleton enced my undergraduate forever homes. This group, in the Music of Charles “I became a part-time College (1986–87) before experience. The other: J. Greyhound Friends for Ives, John Cage, Henry reporter for a very small- joining Skidmore College Roland Pennock. Life, also brings in Salukis Cowell, and Erik Satie.’ town newspaper in Larch- as president from 1987 to “Like other alumni, many from Dubai and galgos David was a sophisticated mont, N.Y., from age 65 1999. He then taught at of my fellow students from Spain, as well as and unapologetic punster. to 70. It was something I Williams College, Indiana became lifelong friends, greyhounds from Korea He was an imaginative and had dreamed of doing and University, and Skidmore, or at least remained ac- and other places. My two profound thinker about never imagined possible. and received honorary quaintances. Perhaps you raced at the Caliente track every subject that he I thoroughly enjoyed it. I degrees from Skidmore in can imagine a sociogram in Mexico, part of the U.S. touched in his scholarship.” then took up painting with 1998 and Carleton in 2011. composed of these people. circuit. Tracks in Arizona Please share your lives pastels, building on the Karen Hultzen Belleau Reinhart Wettmann was are closing now (whoop- and memories. Just don’t drawing I had done spo- died in June. She received a Fulbright student from ee!) so we are inundated do it in PDF files; they’re radically all my life. Most a French degree from Germany (1956–57). Lee with dogs. Anyone inter- beyond my equipment’s recently, I have become an Swarthmore and a mas- Bigelow ’58, Reinhart, ested in a loving, gentle, capabilities. environmental activist as ter’s in early childhood and I were roommates in beautiful canine couch co-founder and co-chair education from Whee- Mary Lyon. Later, I spent a potato?” (More, pg. 13) of my synagogue’s Green lock College in Boston. Fulbright year in Freiburg, Marcia Montin Grant, Committee. It reminds me Karen was a teacher Germany, where Reinhart having retired from of my first political activ- for 28 years. She loved lived. We three have re- founding and directing

Read a tribute to David Porter ’58 by Charles Miller ’59 at bulletin.swarthmore.edu FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 51 class notes

the liberal arts curriculum in October 2015. Susan president for college and Then it’s back to Maui for at Ashesi University in Pickett Worf died in June. community relations and the winter. Ghana, continues her We send our warmest con- executive assistant to Arlie Russell Hochschild adventurous career as dolences to these class- the president. Two weeks writes with her fond interim provost of the mates’ family and friends. after Alumni Weekend, memories of Gordon American University of Let me know if you have he married Pat Brooks Wilcox. She and husband Paris for 2016–17. memories to share. ’60 at the Swarthmore 1962 Adam live in Berkeley, Evelyn Edson Joan Schuster Faber Richard, my husband of Meetinghouse with music Calif., across the bay from 268 Springtree Lane renamed my request three months, died July by the Chester Children’s younger son Gabriel and Scottsville, VA 24590 “Retirement (Rewire- 10. Death did us part too Chorus. With Pat, he will three blocks from older [email protected] ment)” and says, “I have soon. stay in Swarthmore, con- son David ’93 and their discovered a modest tinuing as vice president two granddaughters, As I write, I am aware that, talent for and a deep, and secretary of the board 10 and 8. David’s wife, due to the vagaries of the deep pleasure in playing of trustees for the Chester Cynthia Li, has a medical magazine’s publication the piano. My teacher Charter School for the office at their house. “We schedule, you may have insists that her students Arts, which he helped es- love the connections sent in notes before perform regularly for one tablish, and serving on the more than we can say,” receiving my last column. another. After overcoming Chester Children’s Chorus Arlie writes. Her latest Don’t panic. Those of you my initial terror, I found 1961 board of directors. project is her forthcoming Pat Myers Westine who submitted, your notes that I actually enjoy it. I’ve Steve Davidson is book, Strangers in Their [email protected] will be seen. started playing chamber “retiring from Boston Own Land: Anger and Caroline Hodges Persell, music as well. I’ve learned University after 31 years Mourning on the American As I write, our 55th Re- professor emerita of something complex that (and before that UChicago Right, based on five union is three weeks past. sociology at NYU, chairs demands both mental and and Northwestern). I’m years of interviews with There weren’t many of us, a committee that has cre- physical dexterity I didn’t not sure what I will do in tea-party enthusiasts in but those who attended ated a residents’ website know I had.” the next phase. A year of Lake Charles, Sulphur, enjoyed reminiscing about for their 250 neighbors at John Harbeson is in his milestones: I turned 75, Longville, and Baton our Swarthmore days and Kendal on Hudson, the se- fourth term on his condo’s and our two children and Rouge, La. “Political belief catching up on the past nior community where she association board, which their spouses gave Harriet is a new topic for me, 55 years. At the Saturday and husband Charlie have he says should qualify as and me a party for our and it has been amazing class luncheon, Maurice lived happily for 10 years. a second career for all the 50th anniversary.” getting to know people Eldridge was elected to (Anyone interested can work it takes. “That course We send our sympathy to with such different views.” replace Jon Van Til as visit kohresweb.org.) Car- in local government with Margie Doehlert Barovich, After numerous visits to class president. Jon, back oline also confirmed that it Professor Gilbert had an whose husband, Don, died the area, she has invited in Indiana with wife Agnes, was indeed her playing in influence.” shortly after they moved some right-wing Louisiana “thanks his classmates for the string quartet pictured Chris Clague recom- to Foulkeways, a Quaker friends to visit Berkeley. their wonderful support in the Kendal ad in the mends Roger Williams retirement community in “We shall see how it looks and wishes Maurice many New Yorker. She enjoys and the Creation of the Gwynedd, Pa. through their eyes.” joyful years as he assumes participating in Kendal’s American Soul by John Barbara Price died Feb. I submitted this column a the position.” Thanks from music program—one of Barry, which depicts the 18 in New York City. The little late, as my husband all of us, Jon. those things we did not 17th-century Quakers as College was notified of her and I had been traveling During Alumni Weekend, have much time for in our anything but the gentle, death by her estate’s exec- through the maritime we stayed in Mertz and preretirement lives. reasonable folk that we utor. If you have memories provinces of Canada; David Kemp halls; visited Robin Ridington com- mostly assume they were. to share about Barbara, we enjoyed the dramatic the new Matchbox and the pleted a video biography Harriet Shorr died please let me know. scenery and learned a lot even-newer Inn at Swarth- of Charlie Yahey, the April 9 after a two-year As you can tell, reunion about American history more; attended SwatTalks last Dane-zaa Dreamer, illness. She is survived by attendees re-elected me from the other side. I now and class discussions; had combining the Dreamer’s husband Jim Long ’71 and as class secretary. I am look forward (?) to a knee a Saturday morning con- words and songs recorded daughters Ruth Baguskas delighted to serve and ask replacement in August. versation with President in the late 1960s with nar- ’89 and Sasha Baguskas. that you send me your Write to me. Valerie Smith; marched in rative recorded in 2015 by Jeremy Dummer died updates, holiday letters, the Parade of Classes to Charlie’s grandson Randy May 31. After a lifetime of etc., so I can continue to the Scott Amphitheater Yahey. Robin will return strenuous activity includ- keep our class in touch. (it’s amazing how close to the Doig River First ing quarterbacking for we’re getting to the front Nation in the spring to Swarthmore, skiing, and of the lineup); listened to translate the material with golf, Jere succumbed to Maurice speak at Alumni Billy Attachie. Later, Robin complications of vascular Collection; and sang and wife Jillian will cruise disease in his legs. He was Fauré’s Requiem with the along the British Columbia a mechanical engineer, Chester Children’s Chorus. coast in Swanstar, their FOLLOW US an aircraft accident on Facebook at Maurice has had a busy 32-foot Nordic tug, and investigator, and, later in facebook.com/ year. He retired from the attend the Pender Harbour life, a business manager. SwarthmoreBulletin College in June as vice Chamber Music Festival. Vivi-Ann Hall Lowe died

52 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 Alumni death notices received by the College from May 15 IN MEMORIAM through Aug. 6, 2016. es of greenhouse-gas emissions? David reports Tom Spock ’78 and Nathan 1933 1945 John MacMillan 1957 Graf ’16 supported Season Elise Stammelbach Helen Dodd April 6, 2009 James Polt Welfling July 5, 2014 Jan. 20, 2014 2’s production. He also John Saile writes it’s been the most May 23, 2016 1946 Nov. 2, 2008 Barbara Swarthout 1963 satisfying work he’s Diana Judd Stevens 1938 Gale Colton May 11, 2016 done. He looks forward to Clarence Sobba [email protected] David Goldsmith Bushnell Season 3. Sept. 7, 2013 May 4, 2016 June 10, 2016 1958 Sympathy is extended Karen Hultzen Is 1963 the only class to 1950 to Beth Welfling King Emily Lomb Walter Kistler Belleau have freshman roommates John Goertner on the May 23 death of Nesmith Dec. 12, 2008 June 7, 2016 (or any roommates) April 7, 2016 receive College honorary her 104-year-old mother, Oct. 19, 2015 Karl Weger 1959 degrees? Bob Putnam Elizabeth Stammelbach Caroline Reynolds 1939 July 5, 2007 Sergei Retivov received his in 1990, and Welfling ’33. (More, pg. Hiester Mary Bowers July 27, 2015 freshman roommate Leo 12) Aug. 16, 2007 May 13, 2016 1948 Braudy received his in Updates on previous James Caraher class notes: Alison 1951 1960 June. Leo writes that John Roberts March 18, 2015 Robert Lowrie Archibald Anderson Robert Binkley he and wife Dorothy June 14, 2016 Dearborn moved from her 1880s Erling Haabestad Jr. March 23, 2012 had a wonderful time at March 20, 2014 Philadelphia rowhouse to May 4, 2016 Commencement, which 1940 George Lee Jr. one of the three remaining Dorothy Webster Jeremy Dummer included a stay at the new Dorothy Pennell Jan. 18, 2012 cooperatives in Center VanDenburgh May 31, 2016 inn. Two videos of Leo’s Lukens speech are on YouTube City. Alison will retire in April 28, 2016 Anne Smith Oct. 18, 2013 Lucy Eskridge (bit.ly/Braudy). January from the Univer- Weatherford Rockstrom First-year roommates sity of Pennsylvania Press, 1941 Horace Salop June 7, 2016 Pearce Rayner Nov. 6, 2014 Barbara Seymour and Aus- where the workload has Oct. 25, 2013 May 6, 2010 1952 tine Read Wood Comarow increased with no increase Susan Pickett Worf in staff. She will spend Howard Stein Hamilton Carson continue to create. Two Keith Whitsit June 22, 2016 more time on other activ- Oct. 14, 2012 Jan. 14, 2016 of Barbara’s Tiffany-style Nov. 9, 2000 watercolors of the ities. Her son’s symphony Nicholas Wagner III Howard Fussell 1961 College are in the inn. In was performed profes- 1942 Dec. 9, 2013 June 6, 2016 Edgar Stephens addition, the recipient of sionally in May. Alison has Mary Capehart March 13, 2000 had no recent word from Crutchfield 1949 Junetta Kemp the College’s Suzanne P. Nan Pecker Tellier Claire Bishop Nyandoro, April 11, 2011 Joanne Donovan Gillespie Welsh service award and Oct. 31, 2014 all nominees received a who lives in Zimbabwe. Banta May 28, 2016 Kathryn Gerry signed Seymour print. In The renovation of Dan June 21, 2016 Bardwell 1953 1966 the main merchandise Menaker’s Upper West Stephen Burstein Feb. 2, 2016 Ruth Friedenthal Malcolm Forbes tent at the 2016 U.S. Open Side penthouse progress- Kanter Sept. 22, 2014 Unknown was a custom-made U.S. es, dragging along the Sampson Rheams May 11, 2016 Golf Association Polage bank account with it. Wife June 27, 2008 Ivan Gabel 1977 by Austine. Mastering Katherine Bouton is pres- Beatrice Prescott June 14, 2016 Roland Ben the Mysteries of Light, ident of the Hearing Loss 1943 Goodman June 7, 2016 an exhibit at Las Vegas’s Association of America’s Dolores Garbeil June 5, 2003 Irving Kennedy Springs Preserve that NYC chapter. Son Will left Daroff Nov. 22, 2006 1978 publishing to concentrate Feb. 11, 2010 Randall Thomas opened in July, featured Navy Gordon Pratt on Chapo Trap House, William Auer Dec. 9, 2015 some of Austine’s innova- March 28, 2013 an irreverent podcast. Charles Tachau Aug. 14, 2009 tive polarized light works, May 16, 2016 1979 The housing issue with Iliana Semmler including early works that Kent Balls Felice Yeskel M’79 which Kathie Kertesz was June 17, 2016 illustrated Polage’s evolu- 1944 Jan. 11, 2011 dealing has been resolved. June 5, 2011 tion since Austine started Allan Hamilton She found another 1954 working with it in 1967. March 14, 2014 Robert Condon 1989 William Jones Jr. TV alert from David house-share in Mill Valley, Nov. 30, 2011 Brendan Kelly June 10, 2006 Gelber: Season 2 of Years Calif., her hometown of 39 Selden Kirby-Smith May 25, 2016 Gerald Dodd of Living Dangerously years. Bruce Leimsidor’s Ferlinghetti teaching experience in April 28, 2012 Sept. 25, 2015 1955 1993 premieres Oct. 26 on Mary Ann Smith Odessa, Ukraine, was David Myers the National Geographic William Lamdin O’Nan positive while his stay in Audrey O’Brien June 1, 2016 Channel. It will focus on May 22, 2009 April 21, 2007 Ukraine was not because Glausser the race against time; that July 21, 1997 2002 is, can climate solutions of extreme right-wing Henry Lampe Alice Hershey keep pace with the nationalism. Bruce visited John Zerbe Oct. 28, 2012 July 28, 2016 accelerating consequenc- the small town of Velyki July 11, 2016

Share your personal and reunion pics: [email protected] FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 53 class notes

Mosty, ancestral home of Patton and Barbara Sey- seven years (no kidding), I and husband Jonathan babies, finished her fresh- his father’s family. Before mour stopped for a quick had worked on my second Hodgson “celebrated our man year at Wellesley. World War II, 35 percent visit with Paul ’65 and me book, Pathways to Pos- 18th wedding anniversary I’m pretty much free to of the town’s population in Maine. sibility, which appeared by canoeing on the Bran- pursue my twin goals of was Jewish. Today, not a Sandy McConnell Condry in bookstores June 21, dywine River. Thanks to becoming a rodeo bull single Jew is left there, celebrated her 75th birth- along with an audiobook. retirement, we went on a rider and making cameos just the ruins of a syna- day with Andy Hoff Knox This has been a year of weekday and were nearly on The Young and the gogue where many were ’64 and husband Jona- adventure. Hansjorg and alone with breeze, ripples, Restless. Meanwhile, I am burned alive. The current than, seeing Hamilton in I visited national parks and birdsong for three still laboring in the fruitful Ukrainian government has New York City, and with in Tanzania and Rwanda hours. This life, too, has vineyards of ISIL at State.” established an “institute Betsy Maxfield Crofts and to monitor work we’ve great charms.” Bernard Beitman of national memory” to husband Dan, stargazing supported to end the ivory Ann McNeal “will clerk lectured about his book enforce a revisionist, in Pennsylvania. Sandy’s trade and took a side trip Mount Toby Friends Meet- Connecting with Coinci- nationalistic version of celebration also included to South Africa, renewing ing in Leverett, Mass., dence: The New Science Ukrainian history. Bruce trips to Baja California, contacts with friends till September 2018. I for Using Synchronicity notes that Western the Galapagos, and the there. Life is expanding love this community, and and Serendipity in Your governments sweep this Amazon rainforest. In despite creaking bones.” the opportunity to serve Life at the Mid-Manhattan under the rug since it fits May, Ricky Strong Batt, Michael Gross reports such a large and vibrant Library Sept. 29. “What’s the anti-Russian agenda. Mary Williams Clark, Beth that he, Elizabeth Morrow meeting will challenge a Swarthmore football Cay Hall Roberts reports Welfling King, Suzi Merrill Edwards, and her husband me to grow in spirit and player doing writing about that the Robertses’ RV Maybee, Connie Kain David O’Dette “formal- strength. I still create coincidences? Coinci- isn’t gone but is going. Milner, Mary Kay Dewees ly attended our 52nd abstract paintings.” In dences alert us to the She and Dick traveled by Pietris, Cay Hall Roberts, Reunion to show that this August she rafted the mysterious hiding in plain Amtrak and plane this Jane Jonas Srivastava, class still exists, though Colorado River through sight. They’re clues to summer to visit Glacier Diana Judd Stevens, we lingered over morning the Grand Canyon. (“Yes, hidden potentials like the National Park and family Atala Perry Toy, and Polly coffee too long to make it again!”) ones that helped me avoid in Washington state and Glennan Watts gathered to our place in the parade. The Berkeley Poetry getting tackled.” San Diego. Kevin Cornell to celebrate their 74th and We met Jerry Blum—the Festival in California rec- Meg Hodgkin Lippert and installed a solar-pow- 75th birthdays, reminisce, weekend contra-dance ognized John Simon with husband Al spent 10 days ered electric fence to and catch up. master—at the chorus a Lifetime Achievement in May visiting daughter keep critters from his Do let me know how concert, in which Eliza- Award in May. “Berkeley Dawn in Honolulu. Meg raspberries. Last spring, you celebrated your 75th beth and David sang, and City Council passed a returned to Beijing in July he and wife Pat traveled and what catching up I, Michael, regretfully did proclamation for the oc- to teach storytelling to to Colorado and Arizona. you’d like to do with your not play. We encourage casion, which I wrote and Chinese teachers of En- Larry Phillips’s night job classmates. everyone to consider suppose will eventually go glish for two weeks, as she is co-founder of a startup these off-year events. on the wall in my grand- did last year. She traveled developing software to With no dear classmates daughter’s study along to Xian and Chengdu, facilitate management with whom to hang out with all the other swag.” where her father was born of Type 2 diabetes. and no class presen- Anne Cochran Sloan’s in 1909 to Quaker medical Working with Cooperative tations to attend, we “third replacement part, missionaries at a clinic Metropolitan Ministries in discovered a campus just a right hip, has joined my they founded there. Boston, Alice Handsaker as full of bright, friendly, collection, which already Kidder helped teach 27 1964 and interesting people as contained two knees.” Diana Bailey Harris trainers in the ESPERE it was in 1960–64, and we Catherine ’66 and Bob [email protected] curriculum on forgiveness attended whatever events Kapp “still love Port swarthmore64.com and reconciliation. Ted appealed.” Townsend, Wash. Bob Nyquist shot videos on Peter Freedman rooted decided to relive his youth Marvin “Spike” Lipschutz tips for growing rhodo- for Bernie but is “ready (anyone else remember sends his “first submission dendrons for the Midwest to vote for Hillary. My son the Vespa he drove down 1965 since graduation: three Kiki Skagen Munshi Chapter of the American turns 50 in November, U.S. 1 from New York to sons, all born the same [email protected] Rhododendron Society. and my oldest grandson Swarthmore, sans helmet, year, all different ages— Ted earned his pilot’s starts college this fall in gloves, etc.?) and bought lawyer, engineer, ice The reunion inspired license while at Swarth- Portland, Ore. I have fond a gorgeous 2009 Vespa. cream entrepreneur. Lisa several classmates to more and has started memories of our 50th.” In short order, he dumped and I celebrated our first contribute for the first flying again. He and wife Paul Booth is “busy as it twice, hurting himself grandchild, born May 17 to time. Ursula Bentele Tenny Gidget hope to fly to Philly ever serving on the Dem- each time (the more our oldest son and wife, writes, “Having retired a in a single-engine Cessna ocrats’ Platform Drafting recent incident involved a married in August 2015 by year ago after 34 years of for our 55th Reunion. Like Committee, helping with broken collarbone). The Judge Jed Rakoff.” teaching at Brooklyn Law father, like son: Author Clinton’s campaign.” Vespa is now under new Roz Stone Zander notes, School, I have returned to Bob Putnam interviewed (Watch his Democratic ownership.” “What a difference our re- my roots at the Legal Aid son Jonathan about These National Convention David Winn’s “daughter union made to my sense of Society.” She also joined Honored Dead, Jonathan’s speech: bit.ly/BoothDNC) Catherine, presumably connection. Off and on for the NYC Swarthmore book first book. In June, Jim Andrea Hoff Knox the last of ’64’s red-diaper

54 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 father-of-the-bride toast garnet “If Not Now, for daughter Amelia. Dan’s When?” packs on, and BENNETT LORBER ’64 SCIENTIFIC STANDARD-BEARER son, Benjamin, finished an spent three days smiling, MFA in film at Columbia. listening, and talking. Finally, Dave Darby wrote This festival of friends Bennett Lorber ’64 received the Lifetime Achievement about a recent trip to Hun- and discovery included Award from the Anaerobe Society of the Americas, an gary. “This was a pleasure Carl Stieren dancing to international bacteriological organization. Previous trip … but I did meet with music of Daniel “Freebo” honors for Lorber include the Alexander Fleming the Rotary Club Budapest Friedberg and Roger North Lifetime Achievement Award from the Infectious City, where we shared with 20 classmates; Delia Diseases Society of America and 13 Golden Apple information on a neonatal Fortune Laitin returning Teaching Awards. He is the Thomas Durant Professor hospital project they and for the first time with an of Medicine at Temple University’s Lewis Katz School the Billings [Mont.] Rotary art quilt and a pamphlet of Medicine and a member of Swarthmore’s Board of Club are sponsoring in on what to feed goats; Managers. Kotor, Montenegro.” Janaki Tschannerl Patrik Email or call me to get on dancing with ankle bells the list for a fuller version and an infinitely expres- of the notes. We’d love to sive face as she acted out group. Keith MacAdam 2015, at home in Pocasset, Ursula Poole Carter and hear from everybody. story characters; Sandy writes from a Scottish Mass., and Carol Replogle husband Richard wel- Moore Faber explaining mountain-climbing trip died Nov. 1, 2015, in Penn- comed their ninth grand- the origin of the universe, that he is “(mostly) sylvania. We’ll miss them. child June 2. “I am happily complete with diagrams, retired.” He and wife Peter Meyer and wife occupied with a host of in 20 minutes; Tom Webb Phyllis have been married Kristen returned from postretirement pleasures leading us in a memorial 47 years. “I’m proud of a vacation in Spain and and responsibilities.” Julie service for 40 classmates our two children: Daniel, a conference in Lisbon, then Diamond was married and and planting stakes graphic artist in Chicago, went to New York for a “after a City Hall wedding, 1966 with their names; and and Alison, an NPR senior memorial for Ron Tropp, we (Herb Ginsburg and Jill Robinson Grubb Professor Emeritus Chuck editorial specialist in driven by Jon Steinberg. I) had a party at our [email protected] Gilbert remembering Jack D.C.” Keith still enjoys Peter is still “catching apartment Memorial Day swarthmore66.com Nagel as a top student teaching at the University cars” as a flagging and weekend for family and with whom he has enjoyed of Kentucky, “but only communications worker at friends. Jon Steinberg and A wood thrush’s song continuing interactions one (physics) course per road races with Sports Car his wife, Gloria Jacobs, graced our 50th Reunion’s over the years. year.” Gretchen Schwarz Club of America. Leonard attended. My other news Collection in the amphi- There’s more. Brenda Hillard lives in the Bay Barkan’s book, Berlin is of a Christmas-week theater. Before Maurice Porster read her stirring Area and “retired over for Jews: A Twenty-First trip to Pakistan, with my Eldridge ’61’s Collection poem about the Syrian ref- 10 years ago from local Century Companion, will daughter, her husband, address on “The Fullness ugees lost in boats. Judy government, specializing be published by the Uni- and their two daughters, of Life,” several class- Walenta continues her 25- in affordable housing.” versity of Chicago Press to visit relatives on her mates received awards: year battle with cancer. She and husband Ed have in October. He describes late father’s side.” Bill Belanger received the Terry and Melissa “Mimi” three children and two it as a “Jewish love letter Tom Kramer travels and Joseph B. Shane Alumni Carroll Chapin love living grandchildren. “My life is to Berlin.” Grant Miller runs. “I’m registered to run Service Award for his ser- in Alaska, playing music, focused on spending time works as the coordinator the Marine Corps Mara- vice to the College; Dare carving ice, hiking, having with them, especially in of large-scale networking thon at the end of October. Rust Thompson received their two sons as best the summer for vacations for President Obama’s If I finish, that will be 40 the Arabella Carter Com- friends, and being part of in Santa Cruz [Calif.], science adviser. “We are years in a row.” Ron Hale munity Service Award for a community. Joe Becker Berlin, and Seattle.” developing the next-gen- alleges, “I am finally retir- her work with the League left early to welcome his Katherine Johnson eration internet. My hus- ing as director of the New of Women Voters; and grandchild home from the teaches piano privately band and I split our time Mexico Alliance of Health David Clark received the NICU. Janet Griffin Abbott and band, orchestra, and between Northern Virginia Councils.” Jerry Nelson Eugene Lang ’38 Impact is taking grandson Liam choir to home-school and Rehoboth Beach, Del.” has catching up to do: “My Award for his pioneering to the Grand Canyon. Bob students. Son Noah Their older son is adopting inbox went over 6,000, work on the internet. Our Levering recommended Courant and his wife have his sixth kid, their daugh- but I’m working on it.” class gift included a fund Cathy Wilkerson’s book, a 1-year-old son, and son ter works at a successful George Thoma hosted a to pay two Swarthmore Flying Close to the Sun. Ernest Courant and his startup in San Francisco, trio of Swarthmore externs summer interns to teach We were treated to a wife and their daughter and their younger son in computer science and in the STEM program for ravishing concert by the live in Petaluma, Calif. plans to go to graduate engineering in January, children of the Chester Chester Children’s Choir, a The last Bulletin listed school. Blaine Garvin “will and one served as a sum- Children’s Choir. Thanks show by class artists, and two deceased classmates stumble into my 46th year mer intern. Dick and Gay to John and Paula Law- songs from the era. who didn’t make it into our of teaching politics at Sise Grossman celebrated rence Wehmiller ’67 for Many classmates were notes because of glitches. Gonzaga University, bound their 50th anniversary pursuing this avenue. concerned about the envi- Alan Scott Douglas died and determined to make with a big party. Daniel About 100 classmates ronment and divesting the unexpectedly Nov. 16, it to 50.” Kegan has been drafting a showed up, slung their College from fossil fuels.

Share your personal and reunion pics: [email protected] FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 55 class notes

John Robinson worried Coordinating Committee, are on the line, com- During all this, Richard’s more intern at his law firm about income inequal- Judy wrote Hands on the panies turn to Marc J. job and phone number this year, and is trying to ity. Rich Truitt asked Freedom Plough. Sonnenfeld.” Marc, the stayed the same, and his persuade Swarthmore to President Valerie Smith, Penny Patch, also on the longest-tenured partner at paycheck kept on coming. sponsor a day for lawyer in light of the value placed panel, helped desegregate his firm, lives in Haverford, He recently climbed grads to talk to students by many corporations a roller rink, participated Pa., with his wife, a lawyer, Cloud’s Rest (9,900 about being lawyers. and other organizations in sit-ins, and registered and the youngest of their feet) in Yosemite with his Hal Kwalwasser writes, on collaboration and voters in the South. five children. He sails and youngest child. Afterward, “As everyone knows, there teamwork, what her views Walter Popper was hit hikes during summers in Richard took summiting is considerable unhappi- were on the importance by a trooper’s car door Maine, where he lives near Mount Everest (29,000 ness about the amount of of athletics in the lives of while on a picket line and Dick Gregor. Dick made it feet) off his bucket list testing kids endure these students at Swarthmore. thrown in jail. His mom to the reunion, wit intact, and chose a cruise to days. I’m working on a Faculty members are protested with him. despite a heart attack and Alaska so he could see the project to explore doing concerned about sustain- Cathy Wilkerson worked several surgeries this past Mendenhall Glacier before away with big standard- ing the humanities while for paved sidewalks and year. That’s class spirit. it shrinks further. ized tests in favor of using computer science rockets. trash pickup in Chester’s But fortune conspired to Staying at high altitudes, the data generated when They’re trying to agree on black neighborhoods while prevent Maureen “Mickey” David Thoenen led an students use computer- what Swarthmore’s nature in SPAC. Active in SDS Durham from attending. American Alpine Club ized learning programs for should be. and the Weathermen, We wish her good health team to Armenia and diagnostic and account- Cynthia Grant Bowman Cathy also understood the for future reunions. Georgia in September ability purposes.” spoke about sexual challenges faced by black Sue Almy spent 22 years 2015 to conquer Caucasus Bob Mueller received an assault in her law school. NYC students: Schools in rural development and summits with partners award for distinguished Swarthmore has an advi- ran two shifts, often used agricultural research in from the Armenian Alpine service from the Philadel- sory team to investigate substitute teachers, and Africa and Latin Amer- Club and the Alpine Club phia Area Independent and adjudicate problems taught only half the cur- ica. For 20 years, she’s of Iran. Objectives for School Business Officers, and promote healthy riculum. Students’ buses been a New Hampshire 2016 included a sprint up recognizing his leadership relationships. were egged. Cathy’s gentle state representative, Mount Kilimanjaro accom- in building the organiza- In keeping with the explanations showed her six as Ways and Means panied by lovely wife and tion to 180 schools and people we were on June profound compassion. Committee chair. Sue porter Maria. colleges and $150 million 6, 1966, and those who We were saddened to says, “We struggle to hold Charles Floto is retiring in programs. Bob is execu- shaped us over the hear that Elena Jenny-Wil- together the essential from the Law Library tive director of the group’s preceding four years, we liams’s husband, Beat services budget, which of Congress, and Diana Health Benefit Trust.Bob continue to fuse social Jenny, died. Her children our tax system makes so Royce Smith is retiring and a select squad of consciousness, academic live close by—son Jon- difficult to achieve.”Sue as secretary-treasurer of Swatties are starting to ardor, and an interest in athan across the border is also active as a state the Boulder, Colo., Rotary plan our 50th Reunion. the world around us. Judy in France and daughter ACLU board member, local Club. Now on Alumni From NASA, John Mather Richardson, Penny Patch, Alexandra with her hus- conservation commission Council, Diana asks writes that he expects Walter Popper, and Cathy band and three children in member, affordable-hous- that classmates contact “to be writing science Wilkerson shared their a Geneva suburb. ing coalition member, and her (diana1319smith@ papers when I’m 100.” He experiences in the civil Roy Van Til suggested board president of her comcast.net) if they have plans to attend our 50th rights movement. we start an Airbnb called homeowners’ association. professional clothing to and has agreed to speak Judy Richardson’s Route 66. Check it out: Richard Kast, in his donate to students for job to us about the James dad worked in a plant swarthmore66.com. first contribution to class interviews. Donations are Webb space telescope at where he organized the Thanks, Tom Webb, for a notes, writes that he went due Nov. 1. the reunion, which is the United Auto Workers local. wonderful reunion. from Swarthmore to San Bob Bartkus was elected same year the telescope People left groceries on Jose, Calif., where he mar- a fellow of the College of will launch “through really their porch in support. ried and had kids, then to Commercial Arbitrators brilliant work on the part Judy’s first and only year Boulder, Colo., and back to and is now with McCusker of the engineers and at Swarthmore came when California. He joined IBM, Anselmi Rosen & Carvelli managers.” Chester was segregated. which sold its disk-drive in New Jersey. Not inter- Homeless? The College Black female waitresses division to Hitachi. Hitachi fering with his obsession provides free dorm rooms in the dining hall were not sold it to Western Digital. with growing tomatoes is for 50th Reunion attend- afforded safety precau- 1968 the book he is writing for ees. Failing memory? Katie Bode Darlington tions until Judy burned American Law Media on A new-and-improved [email protected] herself on a heating pipe arbitration in New Jersey; 21st-century Halcyon with while working there. She or the book he is co-edit- before-and-after pictures On the cover of 2016’s went on to be extremely ing on New Jersey federal and bios is planned for Super Lawyers, Penn- active in the Swarthmore civil procedure, where he distribution. Want to re- sylvania and Delaware is Political Action Committee contributed a chapter on kindle that youthful sense Marc Sonnenfeld with the FOLLOW US (SPAC) and Students on Facebook at federal injunctions; or the of infinite possibility? Join legend, “The securities for a Democratic Society facebook.com/ editorials he wrote for the us! As secretary, I enjoy king of Pennsylvania. (SDS). With the women SwarthmoreBulletin New Jersey Law Journal. connecting with class- When millions of dollars of the Student Nonviolent Bob sponsored a Swarth- mates. You will, too.

56 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 (Mass.) Oceanographic 1 in Bend, Ore. She He will still write and “passion is amending the Institution in September attended Swarthmore for compose, and his requiem Constitution to overturn 2015, meaning she now two years before joining for chorus and orchestra, Citizens United v. FEC works only about 20 Volunteers in Service to Weep with Those Who [and] … restore govern- hours a week, except America, where she met Weep, premieres this year. ment of, by, and for the when on research cruises future husband Harry Wife Lotta (the lyricist) people.” Paul is concerned 1970 where 18-hour workdays VanderVelde. She received will sing in the premiere, about climate change and Margaret Nordstrom are standard. She is in a a B.A. from San Francisco as will son Garth Griffin water quality; he devotes [email protected] climate research group State University and a ’09 and Deborah Prince considerable time to testi- that deploys long-term, Ph.D. in education from Smith ’69. Bob has also fying on those issues. In my last class notes, I re- open-ocean moorings to the University of Illinois at published two volumes of Sara Moore-Hines ported that John Benditt’s measure meteorology, Urbana–Champaign. She children’s stories. specializes in dance/ book, The Boatmaker, had ocean circulation, and remained at the university Mark Gromko worked movement therapy in her made the long list for the chemistry, and does the as a distinguished profes- at Bowling Green State private practice and has 2016 PEN Literary Awards. team’s programming, data sor until her 2009 retire- University for 31 years in a separate practice as a I’m delighted to report that management, and web ment. Our condolences to biological sciences and Breema bodywork prac- it has now received the development. She and Harry, their three children, then as vice provost for titioner and instructor. Goldberg Prize for Debut husband Chris became and their granddaughter. academic affairs. Now in Sara has been active with Fiction from the Jewish grandparents, keeping I encourage you to send Iowa City, Iowa, Mark’s Pennsylvania men- Book Council. them busy since they live news. My next deadline is main amusement since re- tal-health professionals, In June 2015, Meredith near their granddaughter. in January, but I’m happy tiring has been landscape developing licensing for “Merry” Hunt and her They expect at some point to hear from you whenever photography and travel. therapists and strengthen- husband David Lillvis to slow down but enjoy the mood strikes. Michael Hucles teaches ing consumer protections. celebrated son John this life phase. history at Old Dominion Lee Walker Oxenham is Hunt Lillvis ’03’s grad- Arlene Zarembka is also University. Mike and wife a New Hampshire state uation from Kresge Eye transitioning to retire- Janis Sanchez-Hucles ’73, rep and climate activist Institute’s ophthalmology ment. She works at her a school psychologist with who has spent three years residency. John then law office—primarily doing a part-time private prac- promoting Swarthmore’s moved from Ann Arbor, estate planning, probate, tice, have been married for divestment from fossil-fuel Mich., to Cleveland with and same-sex co-parent 42 years. stocks, “including a night wife Denise Finley Lillvis adoptions—but is down to 1972 Ron Jones spent 19 years on the floor of Parrish with ’03 and daughter Nora. Nan Waksman a four-day workweek. The as a principal scientist 100 students after a rally Denise is finishing a Schanbacher Supreme Court’s marriage in the Silicon Valley and in Clothier.” Ph.D. at the University [email protected] decision in June 2015 was retired five years ago. His Bill Prindle and wife of Michigan, and John is a big event for her. Arlene spare time is devoted to Rosalyn bought a small doing a fellowship year in Jonathan Betz-Zall is and partner Zuleyma mar- lacrosse, soccer referee- horse farm for their rescue pediatric ophthalmology at retiring gradually from two ried in Canada in 2005, ing/coaching, and racing mare and her companions. the Cleveland Clinic. librarian positions but will but their marriage was not bicycles. After years of energy and Retired from full-time still teach environmental recognized in their home Bibi Jordan completed climate work, Bill will go ministry as Episcopal science. He is heavily state until 2014, when a 500-mile pilgrimage part time next year to fo- priests, Merry and David involved with socially con- the ACLU of Missouri across Spain, hoping “for cus on his “four-leggeds” are busier than ever, cerned Quakerism through successfully challenged a revelation to transform and writing poetry. presiding and preaching the American Friends a state amendment [her] life, but it was not Bertha Fuchsman Small occasionally, and visiting Service Committee. prohibiting recognition what [she] imagined.” works in a clinic and hos- and babysitting for their Sincere condolences to of same-sex marriages. Bibi runs an Airbnb on an pital, but is cutting back other son, Matthew Hunt Linda Bovard, whose hus- Arlene and Zuleyma organic orchard in Malibu, involvement with Doctors Lillvis ’98, wife Vina, band died in February. were among 10 plaintiff Calif., where guests “stay Without Borders to and their three children. Heidi Frantz-Dale retired couples in the lawsuit. in a yurt, a safari tent, and occasional training trips in Merry frequently visits her as pastor of St. Andrew’s- Unsurprisingly, in October a Zen retreat, and enjoy the field.Bertha is thrilled nearly 101-year-old father, in-the-Valley Episcopal 2015 Arlene received the discovering synchronicity with her granddaughter, who lives by himself in church in Tamworth, N.H. Ethics in Action Award over all-organic, home- whose laughter “is a salve southern Michigan—en- She and husband Duane from the St. Louis Ethical cooked meals at [the] for the world’s ills.” couraging news for us will move back to Amherst, Society for her work in communal table.” Carola Sullam Shepard’s all. She writes, “We live Mass., where they have “a civil rights, civil liberties, Lorna Kohler plays and third year of retirement is in Interlochen, Mich., wonderful group of family and social justice. The teaches an impressive her year of travel. “Just where we met up last year and friends.” Ethical Society said it was number of instruments returned from three fab- with Bruce Bush and wife Bob Griffin is retiring inspired by her “dedication in a variety of genres and ulous weeks in Turkey, a Rhoda, and connected as a software engineer, to defending the rights of venues. She recently re- country of incredible trea- with their travel-agent researcher, consultant, her fellow human beings.” leased Wishbone Drum, a sures—cultural, historic, daughter, Sarah. Come and CTO near Boston, So should we all be. collection of songs written etc.” Future trips include visit!” and a guest lecturer at Sad news. Bonnie Betts over 35 years. boating the Columbia and Nan Galbraith “retired” MIT, University College Armbruster died March Paul Lauenstein’s Snake rivers and a visit to from the Woods Hole Cork, and other schools. Central America.

Share your personal and reunion pics: [email protected] FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 57 class notes

Laurie Tompkins and few months to grasp fully 9. Grandparenting is the Guerra writes, “Tiz and I like living with the effects husband Larry Yager this loss. Ned and I named best.” took in Old Spanish Days of a sudden insight.” We retired from the National him after Reid Kempe; with In September Vaneese in Santa Barbara, Calif., look forward to that novel, Institutes of Health and Reid Kempe’s passing, I Thomas released The with daughter Hollis and Jean-Marie. moved to Hawaii, where can’t help but hope that Long Journey Home, “a her British husband, Matt, they operate a fused-glass he and my son have met blues album showcasing and Milan Expo 2015. My studio and enjoy life in a in the great spiritual realm my original songs and one mixed-media and jewelry very small town. beyond.” It is good to hear, co-written with Carolyn business peaks at holiday Mark Vander Schaaf therefore, that Patty and Mitchell. Please go to season (See: facebook. is retiring as regional sons Patrick and Tristan iTunes or Amazon and com/bordeauxlanestudio). planning director for the are well. Our condolences support your class sister.” We will visit son Jules in Metropolitan Council in to Patty and Jay. Joann Bodurtha “had LA and get back with Hol- 1976 Fran Brokaw the Twin Cities. Mark has With both children in col- first revival of S’more lis for the Santa Barbara [email protected] several postretirement lege, Demetrios Karis and at Baltimore. Stephanie Solstice Parade in June.” projects lined up and his wife are downsizing Lechich ’14 and I live Pat Heidtmann Disharoon As I write, memories of hopes to squeeze in travel. from the suburbs back to in the same building, reports, “Husband Russell our reunion (40 years?! Cigus Vanni is retiring Cambridge, Mass. had fond memories of and I are proud grandpar- How can that be?) are after 41 years in college Kevin Quigley is expand- playing Swarthmore ents of six grandchildren clear in my mind. What a advising and has opened ing Marlboro College’s basketball, and work at [through age 5]. Being a great time. We welcomed an LLC (Cigus the College MBA and M.S. in manage- Johns Hopkins. About 25 grandmother is amazing— three classmates back Fairy). In addition to ment degree programs to alums across 60 years of the lovely, cute toddlers to campus for their first finding a needy school at include concentrations graduation gathered for you can cuddle and read reunion ever: Manley which to volunteer, Cigus in conscious business, a wonderful happy hour stories to and treat to Huang, Paul Schofield, is “determined to visit collaborative leadership, in Fell’s Point. Hope more ice cream and then send and May Zia. Manley lives every thrift store within social innovation, and sus- classmates (and others) home. Ana, James, Mihai, in Palo Alto, Calif., and is 500 miles.” tainable food systems. will join us next meeting.” Aaron, Amelia, and—most an immunology scientist Bill Weber and Amy Davia Temin went on Alan Glaseroff writes, recently—Adelina.” researching novel cell- Vedder ’73 “teach two a Swedish study tour in “Ann Lindsay ’73 and I Jay Kempe still wins sail- based cancer treatments. graduate seminars on June with the Harvard still teach at the medical ing races, most recently as Paul is a retired nuclear applied conservation at Kennedy School’s school and see patients watch leader aboard the engineer and enjoys the Yale’s School of Forestry Women’s Leadership at Stanford, where we Spirit of Bermuda in the sunshine of San Diego. and Environmental Board. She then went to co-founded a clinic 2016 Newport to Bermuda May is retired and moved Studies. … [They] take London “for some floating for complex chronic race. He won the Queen’s from her longtime home 4–5 students to Rwanda high-powered women’s conditions. In our 43rd Certificate and Badge of of Columbus, Ohio, to each May–June to look at poker game featuring year of marriage, we Honour at the Queen’s Harrisburg, Pa., where she how three national parks dealers like Brad Pitt and find ourselves with two Honours List in June. makes music. are managed and how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar amazing grandchildren. Last word goes to Roger Karny, who local communities relate (yes, really).” Rob Lippincott and wife Jean-Marie Clarke: “My entered with ’74 but to those parks.” They also Deb Johnson cut back Jenifer relocated to the life has been the novel graduated with us, was enjoy their home in the on work to care for her Bay Area. We attended I never wrote. One day, excited to see the bench Adirondacks and traveling. mother—“a wonderful a Grateful Dead reunion turning the page, I saw from Longwood Friends experience for both of us. concert with them and an illustration showing a Meeting—now in McCabe She died last December. Gerry Lax and wife Dodie scholar who is supposed Library—where Sojourner Partner John Olson and Hamblen around New to be Doctor Faust. A bit of Truth and William Lloyd I now are contemplating Year’s, along with Jesse iconographic research re- Garrison are reputed to moving to Oregon where Lax ’18. Nothing’s changed vealed it was Johann Fust, have sat. we can have a small farm except we are grayer (as is Gutenberg’s creditor and I was privileged to facil- or large garden. I reassure the band).” successor. The portrait itate a panel discussion, 1974 myself that all these Pete Jaquette, who still hangs in the Rathaus of Randall Grometstein “The Last Mile: Packing steps are developmentally plays in the Narwhals my town, Staufen im Bre- [email protected] for the Big Trip,” with appropriate.” with Tom Sahagian and isgau [Germany], where three other classmates. Tori Haring-Smith says Dan Gibbon, writes, “Son the historical Faust is said Sad news: The death of Alan Symonette spoke husband Bob retired as Jonathan ’11 married to have met his Maker. Jay Kempe’s brother Reid on the importance of an IT support specialist at Elizabeth Comuzzi ’11 in History seems to be made ’73 reminded Patty Gilles community and resilience West Virginia Univer- Sedona, Ariz., with other of layers and folds, like Winpenny of another loss. while caring for his wife sity. Tori “will retire as Swarthmoreans attending, the brain or the earth. “My middle son, Reid, and mother in their final president of Washington including our daughter This is also the town that passed away unexpect- weeks. Derrick Gibbs, who & Jefferson College in Lissie ’07; my brother gave geothermal drilling edly March 30, 2013, of a specializes in real estate June 2017—counting the David ’64; the bride’s a bad name by putting seizure that resulted in a law, spoke about wills, days. One reason for the mother, Kate Harper ’77; groundwater in contact terrible fall; he never came trusts, and health care retirements is our first and Tom.” with anhydrite. The out of the coma. It has directives, as well as a grandchild: Saul Philip Donata Lewandowski result is an earthquake taken three years and a “life care checklist.” May Haring-Smith, born Feb. in extreme slow motion,

Share your personal and reunion 58 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 pics: [email protected] ALUMNI PROFILE

that I’ve helped give the subject a little more legitimacy, something a little more dignified than the reality-show gawking.” Yourgrau traces his own “suscepti- bility to the power of objects” in part to the instability of an itinerant childhood. By the time he and his twin, Tug ’70, arrived at Swarthmore in 1966, they had already lived in South Africa (where they were born), Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Colorado, following their academic father from professorship to professorship. This sense of impermanence didn’t abate at Swarthmore. Politics, he recalls today—primarily anger over the Vietnam War and anxiety over the draft—made the campus something of LAURENCE KESTERSON LAURENCE a “disorienting whirlwind.” “I can never remember my dreams, so his stories are a pretty good substitute,” says friend It was amid this whirlwind that David Byrne, the Talking Heads frontman, of writer Barry Yourgrau ’70. Yourgrau started writing fiction and helped found the Swarthmore Review, a journal of experimental literature. Eventually, he found his way to his pre- MESS AS MUSE ferred form: extremely short stories, most of them two pages or less, laced Household chaos inspired him to write— heavily with surreal imagery. In one story, a son removes his napping father’s head and wears it as and to recover a hat. In another, a man’s friends steal his tongue from his mouth and hide by Peter Baker ’07 comic memoir and wide-ranging study it. (Yourgrau’s fiction was one of the of severe clutter published by W. W. reasons his girlfriend was so shocked IT STARTED, LIKE MANY a literary Norton last summer, greeted by rave to discover his hoarding problem. His adventure, with a knock on the door. notices in The New York Times, USA stories, she observed, were so relent- Barry Yourgrau ’70’s longtime girlfriend Today, and elsewhere. lessly economical, so trimmed down.) was locked out of her apartment, so she To write the book, Yourgrau—an This fall, two of Yourgrau’s fiction stopped by the small Queens one-bed- author of surrealist short fiction and collections—Haunted Traveller and room he uses as a writing studio. children’s stories—became an expert Wearing Dad’s Head—return to print He wouldn’t let her in, but through on hoarding. He talked with leading re- from Skyhorse/Arcade, aided by the the barely opened doorway she caught searchers of the phenomenon (includ- attention earned by Mess. Looking a glimpse of Yourgrau’s secret: There ing psychiatrist Sanjaya Saxena ’85), back over his oeuvre, he’s noticed some was stuff everywhere—old newspapers met with decluttering professionals, striking thematic resonances with his and magazines, books inherited from and scoured psychology literature for memoir. his father, postcards and other travel insights into humans’ attachment to In one story, “My Ship,” the souvenirs, defunct laptops, “tumble- their belongings. first-person narrator stashes a gloomy weeds” of plastic grocery bags—all It’s more common than you might trinket in a storage facility cluttered covered in varying levels of dust and think: Some 6 million or more Amer- with items he can’t let go. In another, grime. Shocked, she gave him an ulti- icans meet the clinical criteria for “Bags,” the narrator hides from police matum: Fix it. hoarding disorder, and many more in his childhood bedroom with his sto- His attempt to comply—and to struggle with extreme clutter. len loot—more than 200 grocery bags. figure out how things got so bad in the “When I do readings, people come “I tend to fixate on things one at a first place—is documented in Mess: up to me with tears in their eyes,” says time,” says Yourgrau. “In my fiction, One Man’s Struggle to Clean Up His Yourgrau. “And that makes me feel that gave me my style. But in my stu- House and His Act, an intertwined good—not that they’re suffering, but dio, it got me in a little trouble.”

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 59 class notes

Thomas, a retired geriatri- ecology, evolution, and we can help protect this She and partner Nancy cian with a health-coach conservation. I wonder amazing resource. enjoy traveling and look business, spoke about if Tom ever gets to see Debbie Wood Blevins forward to more as the healthy aging, and I talked Cynthia Campbell Kimmey, writes about the wonder- nest empties. about hospice, palliative who has been in Seattle ful time she had at our Our faithful class agent, care, and advance care for 34 years. She is a 2015 reunion. “The cam- Jodie Landes Corngold, planning. We had a great retired rehabilitation phy- 1978 pus and our colleagues was over for dinner along time dining (in the Served sician who uses her skills Donna Caliendo Devlin have changed subtly, but with husband Eric and our Meal room at Sharples) to care for her mother. [email protected] the essence of the expe- friend Nancy Friedman and then dancing under Kate Conway spent three rience took me back to a ’82. Jodie ran the Boston the stars (well, under a years as a program officer Larry Jarvik, publisher time, place, and people I Marathon in April and is tent, actually) to Nathan with the U.N. Environment at Penny-a-Page Press, loved. I am so thankful I training for the Philadel- and the Narwhals, a band Program, assisting 66 reports that he has went—and I’ll go again.” phia Marathon this fall. I that gets better and better. developing countries in published Ken Moskowitz Steve Schall continues think the rest of us find I had the delight of dining phasing out inefficient ’76’s “groundbreaking his executive-search busi- even the thought of that with Anne Kapuscinski lighting. She is now happi- study of Bulgarian produc- ness in NYC, recruiting exhausting. and husband Wayne Bars- ly home again, gardening tions of American plays, leaders for international Doug Perkins, a profes- tad—the first time I had in upstate New York. Adaptation in Bulgaria. nongovernmental organi- sor at the Peabody College seen Anne in many years, Kelly Tillery feels like he In April, Ken gave a talk, zations and local/national of Vanderbilt University, is despite living less than is playing in a Bachelor introduced by Ambassa- nonprofits.Steve has been the 2016 recipient of the five miles apart. We prom- Father remake, as all three dor Elena Poptodorova, in NYC for nearly 35 years, Society for Community ised it wouldn’t be another children and the family cat at the Bulgarian Embassy working on community Research and Action’s five years. I can’t name live with him. He is writing in Washington.” The book development and social Award for Distinguished all who attended, but we a play about Lincoln, is on Amazon; view Ken’s justice. He’s also “a 20- Contribution to Theory had a new mascot at the Grant, and Frederick Dou- talk at bit.ly/Moksowitz. year season-ticket holder and Research in Commu- Parade of Classes: Gun- glass—“Only Swarthmore Rob Thomas ’81 shares for the New York Red Bulls nity Psychology. Speaking nar, an 8-week-old yellow folks would understand.” the sad news of the (that’s soccer, folks) with of awards, my old room- Lab belonging to Liz Loeb Stan “Po” Cope is a unexpected death of Dan Melnick ’81.” mate Ira Gitlin was named McCane and husband Jim. medical entomologist and brother Randy Thomas, Heidi Rosa Lee is a Country Instrumentalist of Check out photos on the president of the Amer- who attended Swarthmore psychiatrist for the Mental the Year at the 30th Annu- reunion website and mark ican Mosquito Control for two years. “A colorful Health Association of al Washington Area Music your calendars for our Association, a position individual who lived a Westchester and lives in Awards. Congratulations! 45th: June 4–6, 2021. that became very busy nontraditional lifestyle,” Croton on Hudson, N.Y., Anne Schuchat, deputy Several classmates when the Zika outbreak Randy was a keyboardist with husband John and director of the Centers for couldn’t make it because began. He is director of and recording musician son Alex, 22, who has Disease Control and Pre- their children had the entomology and regulatory who lived with his wife autism. Alex is doing really vention, is very involved audacity to schedule services at Terminix and in Philadelphia. Our well, she says, and she is in dealing with the Zika weddings during Alumni lives in Lake Bluff, Ill. condolences to Rob and very proud of him. virus outbreak, including a Weekend. This included Arthur Bryant continues his family. Tiela Chalmers has lived White House briefing. Steven and Mora Fisher his brilliant law career, in San Francisco for most Dean Baker had a Mattingly, whose daughter winning the Clarence of her post-Swarthmore well-received op-ed piece got married. (Rumor has Darrow Award from Mass life. After law school there, in The New York Times, “A it Steven made the cake.) Torts Made Perfect and she worked for a firm for Progressive Way to End Barbara “B.J.” McCarthy the Western Trial Lawyers 10 years, and then moved Corporate Taxes.” Green stayed home in Association Dale Haralson into the nonprofit and I, Marty, am happy to re- Indiana to celebrate son Fallout Award, given in legal-services sector. Now, port that my team won the Jonathan’s marriage. recognition of extraordi- 1980 she is CEO of the Alameda Spingold Knockout Teams, Martin Fleisher Congratulations to all. nary dedication, diligence, [email protected] County Bar Association the main event of the Others unable to join us and commitment to the and its Volunteer Legal Summer North American included Tom Quinn, who pursuit of justice. Lots of news—I’ll begin Services Corp. (which pro- Bridge Championships. teaches at the University with Lisa Diaz Nash, vides free legal services to This is one of the year’s of Washington in Seattle whose update I inadver- low-income communities). premier bridge events, and and gets paid to talk about tently omitted last time. “It’s a terrific job with most of the world’s top fish, which have fasci- Lisa’s kids are now in the lots of opportunity to be players attended. I hadn’t nated him since before working world, one in creative and try to make a won it before, and it was a Swarthmore. He conducts Brooklyn and one headed difference. In the last few great thrill. field work in western for LA. Lisa gave a talk, in years, we have focused And, finally, Melanie Alaska on salmon, bears, conjunction with the TED- on mentoring and training Wentz is starting a career and their ecosystems. He FOLLOW US Women conference, on new attorneys.” She has as a park ranger. She will also researches salmon on Facebook at the power of clean water two daughters—one a work at the Rosie the and trout in Washington, facebook.com/ to transform the lives of Cornell grad working in Riveter World War II Home studying their behavior, SwarthmoreBulletin women and girls, and how NYC and the other age 15. Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif.

Share your personal and reunion 60 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 pics: [email protected] As a change, our 40th Re- classical and jazz. Wife union will be held there. Kathleen is an editor for Until next time … the Core Knowledge Foun- JOHN BARTLE ’79 HONORARY DOCTORATE dation helping to develop school curricula, and sings John Bartle ’79, a dean at the University of Nebraska in Charlottesville, Va., and Omaha, received an honorary doctor of humane letters Concord, Mass. Daughter degree from the State University of New York at Bing- Emma graduated from St. hamton, where he previously taught. Bartle, grandson Anne’s-Belfield School of Binghamton’s first president, was honored for his in Charlottesville and is teaching, research, and public service. Bartle earned a 1982 off to Lehigh University. master’s from the University of Texas at Austin and a David Chapman Son Matthew is a game Ph.D. from Ohio State. [email protected] designer in Austin, Texas. Please feel free to share Dan Federman loves his anything that you would day job on the Yale medical care to see posted. school faculty, “but what daughter Gurbani will he has addressed legal home. The family travels a I’m excited and passionate soon graduate with a B.S. aspects of cross-Strait lot, last year to Bolivia and about is my volunteer role in international hospitality relations in journal articles this year to South Africa. as medical director of management from École and conference talks. Jorge looks forward to our Community Health Part- Hôtelière de Lausanne, Mike Radiloff sends his 35th Reunion. nership–Honduras. We Switzerland, and will join regards from LA, where In more international go twice a year to serve the international team of he’s worked in the movie news, Brad Beevers 17 indigent communities her mother’s business in industry for 27 years. and his family “have 1984 Dubai.” “After stints at Disney, finally bought a house in rural Honduras. Would Karen Linnea Searle love to have Swarthmore [email protected] Ken Kozlowski is chief Warner Bros., and the (after nearly 20 years in alums join us as dentists/ investment officer for Weinstein Co., I co-found- Europe)—in a suburb of physicians/translators/ Lots of news—Ruth the AXA Equitable Funds ed an independent film Köln, Germany, where I supporters.” Sergel happily shares that Management Group in distribution company, train lay members and Beau and Susan Perkins her first book has been New York, where he and XLrator Media, five years pastors in counseling. Weston ’81’s daughter Mol- published—See You in the his team manage $100 ago. We’ve since released Most of our students ly ’10 wed Jim Williamson Streets: Art, Action, and billion of AXA’s mutual 75 films (notably,Jimi: All are Russian–Germans, (a Princetonian) in Dan- Remembering the Triangle funds. Last year, he hired Is by My Side and CBGB) which is a very interesting ville, Ky., in March. Many Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Jennifer Walsh ’15. Ken and are now produc- German subculture—a Swarthmoreans attended, Jocelyn Roberts Davis is is an empty nester—son ing films for the global lot more like Americans including Beau’s aunt excited about her second Joseph starts at Stevens marketplace. My business in many ways. Two of our Nancy Sherry Kashap ’57. book, The Greats on Lead- Institute of Technology partner and I were produc- children study at a theo- Bruce Weinstein is “writ- ership: Classic Wisdom in Hoboken, N.J., this fall ers on five such films this logical college in Bonn; the ing a column on ethics, for Modern Managers. and will join the golf team. year—400 Days, The Last third should begin studies character, and leadership It’s a look at leadership Daughter Jen graduated Heist, The Curse of Sleep- this fall in some scientific for Fortune magazine on- through the eyes of great from the College of New ing Beauty, Wrecker, and field (he’s not sure which line” and travels the world authors—from Plato to Jersey in 2014 and works Paradox—and we start yet—how unusual).” giving ethics keynotes. Pericles, Shakespeare in pharmaceuticals. Ken production on our first Adrianne Pierce and wife From the Class of 1982 to Churchill. Success mag- and wife Colette (who TV series next year. On a Laura are proud parents of Facebook page: Lauren azine called it “a book of is from Swarthmore personal note, my partner two young thespians, Han- Gabor features her fine art substance that is a joy to borough—they met Ken’s Luis and I celebrated our nah, a high school junior, online at laurengabor.com. read.” Congrats! junior year) live in Wayne, 13th anniversary and are and Cate, an eighth-grad- As for me, I have Pepe Dugal runs a build- N.J., and will celebrate the proud papas of an er. Adrianne oversees the finished two years on ing consultancy business their 30th anniversary in adorable puppy, Zoe.” classical world and global the University of Virginia in New Delhi, India. “My October. Jorge Munoz became education at the Hackley faculty. I serve as the wife, Janti, runs the kitch- This spring, Brad Roth manager two years ago School in Tarrytown, N.Y. area coordinator (think ens of three successful served briefly as a visiting of a World Bank unit The family moved last department chair-lite) restaurant chains, one of law professor at National overseeing the portfolio of summer from Columbia for the finance group at which will go international Taiwan University, teach- land-governance projects County to Greene County the McIntire School of this year. Elder daughter ing public international worldwide. He’s traveled and enjoyed their first Commerce. I enjoy working Simrat received a B.A. in law. Brad, who for two de- extensively to countries full summer in their new with undergraduates, and history with a minor in cades has taught political he never thought he would house. I am excited about new studio arts from Scripps science and law at Wayne visit, including Azerbaijan. Salem Shuchman writes, research projects slowly College in Claremont, State University in Detroit, Jorge is the happy father “Our daughter Michae- working their way through Calif. She works with a devotes much of his schol- of two ballerinas (Sofia, la ’16 graduated from the journal review process. world-famous photog- arship to sovereignty, 15, and Renata, 13). Wife Swarthmore in May and My guitar playing is rapher in Delhi as a his- self-determination, and Natalia works at a child received highest honors. slowly improving—mostly torical archiver. Younger secession; over the years, care center near their I continue to serve on

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 61 class notes

the Board of Managers Harvard in IT. Gregg Orsag sity of Illinois at Chicago, and will miss seeing my is a lawyer at a Pittsburgh where she has worked for daughter when I come bank. Don McMinn is mar- 19 years. “Any familiarity to campus for meetings. ried with two young kids. with the state of the hu- Perhaps our twin sons will David Schutte and partner manities in public higher also attend Swarthmore, Orlando live in NYC. Matt education or the state of but they are only in sixth and Jane Mitchell Eppley 1988 1990 Illinois will lead the reader Mallory Easter Polk Jim Sailer grade so that is some have two children at [email protected] [email protected] to conclude, correctly, that years away.” Swarthmore, and Jane is the two developments are Keep sending news! a “cook and driver” for her Occasionally, I’ll stumble Great updates. Thanks, not unrelated.” 10-year-old son. Karen upon news of a class- everyone, for writing. Jessica Hines Turner Ohl’s oldest daughter is a mate and my heart nearly Congrats to David Ruby, and husband Matthew junior at Swarthmore and bursts with pride. Lately, who wed Devora Eisen- celebrated their 23rd worked Alumni Weekend; that’s happened often. berg July 10 in Seattle. anniversary July 10. They Karen works at Nokia. Biomedical engineering Harold and Melissa live in Atlanta, where Jes- In other news, Com- pioneer Cori Lathan, a Layman-Guadalupe are sica is a psychology and mon Application named lifelong advocate for sending “kid No. 2”—son neuroscience professor 1986 Jenny Rickard, Univer- women and minorities in Adam—to Miami Universi- at Georgia State. Jessica Jessica Russo Perez-Mesa sity of Puget Sound vice researches neuroimaging, jessicaperezmesa@yahoo. science, technology, engi- ty of Ohio to study music president for enrollment, genetics, and psychosis, com neering and mathematics education. Their eldest, as its executive director. and current chair of the Jason ’19, loved his first and she was awarded Congratulations, Jenny. tenure this spring. Karen Leidy Gerstel World Economic Forum’s year at Swarthmore, and Fellow class secretary Greg Smirin has a new [email protected] Global Agenda Council on Melissa and Harold love Karen Leidy Gerstel writes Artificial Intelligence and hearing about everything job and a puppy. Greg for her and husband Jeff, is president and board Our 30th Reunion did Robotics, was interviewed that has changed (meal “Our son Dylan is Class of member at Premise Corp., not disappoint. Fifty-five by TheDisruptory.com on swipes and food points!) ’17 and loves Swarthmore; a Silicon Valley startup intrepid classmates a mobile medical software and things that are around our youngest is off to the focusing on innovative marched in the Alum- application called DANA from our time there (tray- University of Kentucky to data collection and ni Parade, took in the that is used as diagnostic ing!). Son Benjamin heads pursue her horse passion. analysis techniques to beautiful campus, and support to evaluate cogni- to 10th grade. Harold still We now have a place in deliver real-time insights reminisced with old (sorry, tive function. enjoys the ER’s hustle and NYC, and our casa is Class to public managers and middle-aged) friends. Cindi Leive, editor of bustle, and Melissa still of ’86’s casa—come visit, corporations. They track It was all a blur, but we Glamour, has teamed up teaches at the University no matter the reason.” everything from food learned the following. with Facebook for town- of Dayton, with one day a I, Jessica Russo Pe- prices in Ghana to health Dave Allgeier is a veter- hall events preceding the week at her child-psychol- rez-Mesa, live in Hawaii outcomes in India. Now inarian living near Penn election that focus on is- ogy practice. with husband Carlos and to what you really want to State. Hilary Damaser and sues important to women Scott Field is opening a our two young children. I know: Greg, wife Sara, and Jessica Russo Perez-Me- (more, pg. 23). comedy club in Nashville, am a pharmaceutical rep kids Zach and Eli added sa bonded over starting David Barnes had dinner Tenn. An experienced im- who sings in the church Mowgli, a Bernese moun- families late in life. Bettina in July with Steve Coxe prov comedian, Scott and choir and attempts to do tain dog puppy, to their Lauf Forbes lost her house and Nick Morse. David his partners are building CrossFit with my class’s family, joining incumbent to Superstorm Sandy but writes, “Nick is starting as out the Third Coast Come- young punks. I also had dog Leo. The dogs get still thrives in New Jersey. head of a pelvic surgery dy Club, which aims to be a reunion on campus in along well, and the puppy Don Lloyd-Jones is a department in China, the home for local comics. April with members of makes the Smirin home cardiologist in Chicago. so this will likely be our It will feature stand-up, the Grapevine a cappella one of the most popular in Peter Walsh is a child and last dinner together for sketch, improv, plays, va- group. Merantine Hens Northern California. adolescent psychiatrist a while. Steve and I still riety shows, live podcasts, and Joanne Wood Dexter Rebecca Parker is “in in New York City and make music together (do and video content. were there. Evanston, Ill., with hus- commutes from his horse you remember our band, Ellen McClure is now Karen and I had such a band Joel, who teaches farm in North Jersey. Shep Metrognome, at Swarth- an ordained lay dharma good time that in a weak, at the University of Illinois Davidson is a Boston-area more?) and released our teacher in the Buddhist nostalgic moment we at Chicago, and kids lawyer. Janie Chang lives second album as the duo Society for Compassion- agreed to take over as co- George (seventh grade) in Taipei, Taiwan; her Minus 103.” ate Wisdom. Ellen teaches class secretaries. Please and Maggie (fifth grade). oldest daughter graduated As always, I love hearing meditation classes, send communications to At the start of 2016, I from Swarthmore, and her from you. Email me! officiates holidays and us from now on. Thanks to moved from the Kellogg second daughter is Class services, and helps run Rikki Abzug and Ramona School of Management at of ’17. Ed Gooding lives in the Chicago temple. Next O’Halloran Swenson for Northwestern—where I Princeton, N.J. Rafael year she will be acting years of great work! had done stints as regis- Richards is an anesthesi- associate director of the trar, head of institutional ologist who tango dances School for Literature, research, and a crazy-fun and lives in Baltimore. Cultural Studies, and job in ‘change manage- David Sobel works at Linguistics at the Univer- ment and operational

Share your personal and reunion 62 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 pics: [email protected] integration’ in degree University of Colorado and wife Bea launched a Kusia Hreshchyshyn ’93; in the national spelling operations—to be the Law School. Wife Heidi travel photo website, and their families for a bee for Christian schools. director of student ac- Wald (a University of pixeliciousplanet.com, Yosemite vacation. Daughter Alayna, 7, and counts for the university. Colorado medical school with the tagline “Travel the West to East: Michael son Mark, 4, “keep our We are the department faculty member) is also world without leaving the Cholbi, a philosophy household very busy. We that charges and collects taking a sabbatical, and sofa.” Sign me up. professor at California are blessed and happy.” tuition and fees, which is their kids (seventh and Speaking of signing up, State Polytechnic Univer- Center: Jennifer Be- more fun than it sounds. I third grade) take it on mark your calendars for sity, Pomona, returned to sanceney Latham has a am also not quite halfway faith that it will be an Alumni Weekend, May Swarthmore this spring to young-adult novel coming through a master’s experience of a lifetime. 26–28 (yes, Memorial deliver the talk “Achieving out in January, Dreamland program in learning and Come January, they will Day weekend). While the Self-Knowledge” (listen: Burning, about the 1921 organizational change at return to Colorado, where math may seem wrong, bit.ly/Cholbi). Jon Varese Tulsa race riot/massa- Northwestern. … The kids Phil will go back to being a we’ll be celebrating a relocated to Kinderhook, cre, while husband Sean and I have been attending law professor and direct- quarter-century since we N.Y., after nearly 20 years Latham runs the Okla- Evanston Friends Meeting, ing the Silicon Flatirons welcomed President Al in California: “It was time homa Center for the Hu- and I’ve even done some Center for Law, Technolo- Bloom at Commencement. to come home and be clos- manities at the University First Day School teaching.” gy, and Entrepreneurship I look forward to seeing er to family.” By sheer co- of Tulsa. Mostly, though, Aaron Smith started a job he founded there. you then. incidence (if there is such Jen says, “We’re trying to with Red Hat in Westford, a thing for Swatties), Jon cope with the fact that our Mass., and had a great vis- is only a few houses away oldest kid is doing college it from Kevin and Rachael from Stephen Lang ’73 tours this summer.” Henriques Porter. and daughter Lucy Lang Congratulations to Tanya Boudreau moved ’03, as well as Bonnie Yo- Philadelphia’s Pig Iron from Istanbul to western chelson ’74 and husband Theatre and founders Dan Ohio with her husband Paul Shechtman ’71. “It’s Rothenberg ’95, Dito van and children. Her daughter 1992 1994 a regular Swat fest here,” Reigersberg, and Quinn Libby Starling Joanna Vondrasek and son made a smooth says Jon, who works Bauriedel on the theater [email protected] [email protected] transition, and they all remotely as lead technical company’s 20th anniver- enjoy U.S. life. writer for Salesforce.org sary this spring. Congratulations to John I notice emerging themes Andy Fortune and wife and as director of digital Our alumni Facebook Crosby, who married in these notes. San celebrated their 14th initiatives for the Dickens page has been unusually Cole Wolford, a physician East to West: Zaneb anniversary. Son Liam, 9, Project in California. active lately, with class- turned artist (see more: Khan Beams traveled in keeps them busy. Andy East to West (interna- mates trying to decipher colewolford.com), on the February from Maryland started in the Corning Mu- tional version): Kathy the identity of Twitter fifth anniversary of the to attend the opening for seum of Glass’s photog- Sturm-Ramirez said user @NinetiesSwattie, day they met in Buenos Ai- Alexandra Grant’s art book raphy department in 1996 goodbye to Bangladesh who may or may not be a res, Argentina (where Cole Shadows, a collaboration and is now the Collections after almost six years and member of our class. was learning Spanish and with Keanu Reeves, at Photography Department relocated this summer to John was on R&R from the Los Angeles County manager. “The museum Dakar, Senegal, where she his embassy assignment Museum of Art. According has an incredibly diverse is the Centers for Disease in Kabul, Afghanistan). to the Los Angeles Times, collection, and I continue Control and Prevention’s Kristin Hovis and Karen Alex, a painter, “turned to be inspired, energized, resident adviser for Pence attended the Fort to photography to create and humbled by working the President’s Malaria Lauderdale, Fla., wedding, this series of 54 images with such challenging Initiative. Husband Leyfou as did John’s cousin Reid based on the movements material. On any given day Dabo is from Senegal, and 1996 Neureiter ’87. John writes, of Reeves, her longtime Melissa Clark we may be working with the family was excited “We’re based in D.C. now friend.” While in LA, Zaneb [email protected] contemporary sculpture to spend a few years in for my work, but I’m wrap- also visited Noah Salamon in the studio alongside Dakar. The move gives ping up my assignment ’93, Andres Versage ’93, It was wonderful to see objects made up to 4,000 daughters Aicha, 9, and as deputy director of the and their families, and many of you at our 20th years ago.” Andy writes Mariama, 7, an opportuni- State Department’s Office hiked in Griffith Park with Reunion. As Dom Sagolla and plays music and ty to cement their French of Global Criminal Justice Alex, her old roomie. notes, “The Class of 1996 recently formed a band. and pick up surfing. in a couple of months, and Paul Chi has lived in won Alumni Weekend. We Phil Weiser is taking a Oops! North to South: then Cole and I will start Philly since 2000, when partied and laughed the sabbatical, starting with Tom Samuel and his language training for my he returned for graduate hardest, sang the loudest, five months in Sydney family moved to South next assignment, as head school. Paul and wife Jen- danced the longest, and after two years in the Florida and enjoy the love- of the political and eco- na McNeill’s sons—Alex, stayed up the latest.” We Obama administration ly weather all year round. nomic section at the U.S. 9, and Ryan, 6—keep thought fondly of those (the Justice Department’s Tom is interim director Consulate in Milan, Italy.” them busy. Paul routinely unable to join us and hope Antitrust Division and the of the Cleveland Clinic After 13 years, Eric Stoll- sees multiple Swatties to see you at our 25th. White House’s National Florida’s cancer center nitz left Microsoft for the and met up with Jude In the meantime, join our Economic Council) and and still sees patients as a Adobe Research Creative O’Reilley and wife Leslee; class Facebook group, five years as dean of the breast medical oncologist. Technologies Lab. Eric Loren Passmore and wife where you’ll find photos, Son Jake, 12, competed

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 63 class notes

videos, complaints about Emily Bobrow, a senior Francisco, lecturing on ways. I also play the the much-maligned food research officer at the innovation and working violin with chamber music truck, and other reminis- Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric on a book that he hopes groups and in the Quincy cences. AIDS Foundation, is to publish this year. Stay Symphony Orchestra.” Matt Robison sadly finishing a four-year study tuned to @Dom on Twitter Sonja Downing earned missed the reunion, but of a program in Rwanda for updates. tenure as an ethnomusi- he had a good excuse: He that gives HIV-positive Andy Feldman finished 1998 cology professor at Law- Rani Shankar and wife Emily had Aaron pregnant women anti three years in the Obama rence University. She and [email protected] Emlen in March. Siblings retroviral medications and administration and is at husband Dewa Ketut Alit Ruth, 5, and Daniel, 3, are nutritional counseling to the Brookings Institution, Adnyana have a daughter, Amita Sudhir very satisfied with the new prevent their infants from helping public agencies 4, who occasionally [email protected] addition. Matt has also becoming infected. “We through evidence-based agrees to play gamelan been working up a storm, documented a transmis- policy and innovation. music with them. This is the year many of consulting for ICF Inter- sion rate of 1.1 percent at Kate Ellsworth is in Emily Willits is beginning us turn 40, and Rachel national on integrating 24 months follow-up—an Boston, working as an a job at the Iowa attorney Breitman is going to Miami distributed energy into the amazing achievement. acupuncturist and chasing general’s office as director with Cat Laine, Shirley electric grid. This study helps docu- after her child and dog. of the Administrative Law Salmeron, Jen Weiss Han- Kathleen Lawton-Trask, ment how we can create a Kaori Emery and husband and Licensing Division. dler, Cathlin Tully, Tamala her husband, and their generation free from HIV.” Joel also live in Boston She and husband Craig Montgomery, and Maurisa children—Alex, 4, and Will, Emily’s work has taken with their three girls. and their boys (3 and 5) Thompson to celebrate. 2—moved this summer her all over the world, Brian Wong is based in live in Des Moines and In perhaps the most apt from England to Los Ange- including stretches in Ma- Hangzhou, China, where are getting a puppy. Also description of life with a les. Kathleen was finishing lawi, Mozambique, Mali, he had been vice presi- dealing with a puppy is newborn ever composed, her doctorate and saying and Pakistan. She lives in dent and special assistant Katie Auld Aron, who lives Justin Hall writes that goodbye to Oxford while Chapel Hill, N.C., with hus- to the chairman for in- in Acton, Mass., with hus- he and partner Ilyse we celebrated on Parrish band Harsha Thirumurthy, ternational affairs for the band Zach and children Magy “are delighted to Beach. She hopes to catch a health economist, and Alibaba Group and leads Maddie, 4 1/2, and Max, 1. announce the birth of up with LA Swatties this children Reuben, 4, and globalization initiatives. She works at Bristol-My- daughter Delia Joy Orion fall and attend our 25th. Mira, 1 1/2. Sean Wright was elected ers Squibb, where she Maghally on Saturday, Jack and Sara Fox Joel Johnson is chief to the Riddle HealthCare brings breakthrough im- June 4, at 3:42 p.m., the Schecter moved from marketing officer of Trout Foundation’s board of muno-oncology therapies first baby to be born at the Boston to Portland, Ore., Unlimited, the nation’s directors and was among to patients. Allison Marsh new San Francisco Birth last summer. Sara writes, largest cold-water con- Philadelphia magazine’s was tenured and promoted Center. With mother and “It has been an incred- servation organization. 2016 Top Docs for plastic to associate professor at baby healthy, and father ible adventure, and we He’s become a rabid fly surgery. the University of South weepy with gratitude, love the opportunity to fisherman, and lives near Rowan Phillips received Carolina. She challenged they’ve settled into a new explore a new part of the D.C. with daughter Yunah, the Anisfield-Wolf Book the process by making lie ruled by the primal country.” Jack works for 3, and wife Kyong, an Award for his poetry her case solely on public diktats of an enchanting Nike in global intellectual architect. collection Heaven, and his history (museum stuff preverbal roommate.” property litigation, and Stacy Nakell lives with poem “Vall de Núria” was rather than the traditional Anna Fernadez- Sara is a broker for the partner Doug in Austin, published in The New York monograph), although she Buerhrens and wife Mary Hasson Co. Children Max, Texas, and is a psycho- Times in May. now has a book contract live in Dorchester, Mass., 13; Rachel, 11; and Sam, therapist specializing in Marcela Escobari was and needs to start writing. with son Simon, 4. Anna 8, have adjusted to their body-focused repetitive named head of the U.S. She celebrated by trav- writes, “Simon is finishing new home. They all looked behaviors like hair-pull- Agency for International eling through Southeast his first year of K-0 in the forward to a trip to Alaska ing and skin-picking. Development’s bureau Asia over the summer. same Boston public school in August. She published her first for Latin America and the Daniel Gallant is partway where Mary works. I am In the past few years, peer-reviewed article Caribbean, where she will through an Eisenhower still a program manager of Japhet Koteen got married in 2013 in the Interna- lead initiatives on poverty, Fellowship trip studying an adult basic education (to Kori Blitstein), started tional Journal of Group inequality, citizen security, how arts organizations in center in South Boston. a family (Bayla Koteen, Psychotherapy, exploring corruption, and climate Japan and Spain address I’m also helping start a Class of 2037), and joined the effectiveness of psy- change. funding, outreach, and nonprofit, Hour House the founding team of chodynamic group work, I, Melissa, still work at education activities. He Boston (in Mattapan), FarmRaiser.com, which and is writing a book. Mathematica Policy Re- has been to seven cities in a re-entry house and raises money for schools Jacqueline Morais Easley search and live in Prince- Spain and three in Japan. program for formerly in- and nonprofits while bought a house in Fulton, ton, N.J., with my husband Noah Daniels starts a carcerated men. We hope supporting local farms and Md., for herself and her and two kids, ages 6 and tenure-track position in that this program, whose small businesses. Japhet kids (15, 13, and 8). She 8. As always, thanks for the University of Rhode executive director is also hopes to someday sleep works part time at Michael sending your updates. Island’s computer science formerly incarcerated, will again, but doesn’t plan Kors and is pursuing a and statistics department help these men reconnect on it. He dabbles in real master’s in creative writ- this fall and will move with their families and estate development and ing at Johns Hopkins. with wife Rachel to North communities in positive planning. Dom Sagolla lives in San

64 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 Kingstown, R.I. First, a wedding and day-and-a-half sleeper DeSoucey) book Con- Rob McGreevey writes, babies to report: Rhiana car train trip to help dis- tested Tastes: Foie Gras “Oldest son Theo turned Swartz married Meg connect from the wireless and the Politics of Food 11 and starts middle Holzer in May in Sullivan world and watch some was published in June school in the fall while our County, N.Y. Swatties in gorgeous scenery roll by.” by Princeton University youngest, Jacob, turned 3 attendance were Tracy Brian ’99 and Desiree Press, after more than a this summer. Though our McNeil ’01, Michael Viola, Peterkin Bell live in Center decade of researching and 2002 Tanyaporn Wansom guys are eight years apart, Sarah Cross ’99, Meredith City Philadelphia and writing. I am an assistant [email protected] they’ve developed a broth- Hegg, Rhiana’s cousin just celebrated their 10th professor of sociology erly bond around a shared Mariah Peelle Sotelino wedding anniversary. at North Carolina State I am heartbroken to love of music, soccer, ’99, Daniel Sotelino ’01, Desiree’s boutique pub- University in Raleigh. share the news of Alice and ice cream trucks. I’ve and uncles Howard “Hap” lic-affairs firm has taken Karen Lloyd is a micro- Hershey’s death July 28. been on sabbatical, which Peelle ’65, Robert “RB” on some amazing clients, biology professor at the However, I know many of gave me time to (finally) Peelle ’67, and Paul Peelle including the Democratic University of Tennessee, us smiled when we saw finish my book and spend ’69. Also there in spirit National Convention researching ocean the pictures (with Alice’s more time with my kids. were Rhiana’s late grand- Committee, and served microbes. She has two huge, infectious smile), I’ve joined the Shade Tree parents Bob and Gemmy as then-Mayor Michael daughters, 2 and 6. Becca memories, and tributes Commission in Narberth, Peelle ’39. Nutter’s chief negotiator Stites Derrick lives in that friends and family Pa. Wife Miriam Shakow Will Untereker and wife to secure the conven- Harwood, Md., with hus- posted on social media. ’97 is on the Narberth Wakana had daughter Noa tion bid. She has given band Lee and their three Her sister, Elizabeth, Planning Commission, and in April. They are thrilled speeches on gender equity children. She coaches her writes that Alice passed we’ve found politics in our at the new addition; son around the country. Their daughter’s field hockey away in the company of small town involve a sur- Billy, 4, no longer an only daughter is 8 and does and lacrosse teams and her family and surrounded prising degree of drama child, is somewhat less advanced gymnastics. owns BeeSweet! Cookies. by love. She had been in a and intrigue. We feel like so (for now). They live Marissa Colston is the She enjoyed seeing bicycle accident in Phila- we’re on the set of Parks near Tokyo. John Loeser, first director of diversi- Swatties at the beachside delphia in 2009 and never and Recreation.” wife Kari, and daugh- ty and inclusion at the wedding of Sari Altschuler recovered. Alice cherished In New York, Rani Shan- ter Sydney welcomed Westtown School, outside ’01 in March. her time at Swarthmore, kar co-hosted a fundraiser daughter Madison in May. Philadelphia, “still shaking On the West Coast, Adri- the many friends she for Sean Barney, a Demo- John is entering his sixth things up and working for enne Aiona moved back to made there, and the crat running for Congress year as head of school at social justice.” She moved Oregon with her wife and reunions she attended. A in Delaware (more, pg. 18). Redwood Day School, a to Media with wife Danie toddler to take a job with memorial gathering will be I, Amita, had a busy K–8 independent school Jackson and has seen the city of Portland. She held this fall in Philadel- summer of travel and in Oakland, Calif., where Ansa ’01 and Kelly Hines looks forward to spending phia. gardening, battling long he’s closing in on a $4 Yiadom ’01 and their fami- more time with Mike Imo Akpan married airport lines and Japanese million capital campaign ly, who also live there. Arellano and his family. Jeffrey Bingham in June beetles alike. Please write and finished construction Alecia Magnifico and Eva Allan and her family with Kaysha Corinealdi, in with your news, to me on a 10,000-square-foot husband Chris Cutler moved from Connecticut Bubu Banini, and Folasade or Rani, and happy 40th facility for the students. live in Durham, N.H., to Berkeley, Calif., last Jones attending. Imo to all those who complete Alex Shaw brought where she is an English summer, taking a few enjoyed a track mini-re- four decades this year. Consciência Negra to education professor at the weeks to drive across union in Chicago—where Swarthmore (See: bit.ly/ University of New Hamp- the country. Husband she lives—with Jokotade AlexShaw00). Juan Mejia shire. Chris train-and-bike Dan was recruited by UC Agunloye ’01, Claire directed Death by a Thou- commutes to AppNeta Berkeley’s physics depart- Hoverman ’03, and sand Cuts, which made its in Boston. Chris spent ment, and she is a postdoc Jessica Zagory ’05, and U.S. debut at the Seattle several days with Chuck in art history, although also met up with Jessica International Film Festival Groom, Wayne Miller, and she took last year off. She Rickabaugh when she (See: bit.ly/DeathCuts). Electra Kaczorowski ’01 wrote that it was great was in town for a meeting. 2000 Jo-Anne Suriel is in on a Seattle trip. Alecia luck to run into Massey Michaela DeSoucey Imo starts a hematolo- NYC and started a job at excitedly shares that her Burke outside the Cheese [email protected] gy/oncology research American Securities, a book Conducting Qualita- Board and rekindle an old fellowship this year. Olga private equity fund where tive Research of Learning Swarthmore friendship. Emily Shu Rostapshova, husband she reports on the firm’s in Online Spaces was [email protected] Ivar, and daughter Aurora investments. Slava Lukin published this spring. welcomed baby Adrian lives near D.C. and works Sarah Archer’s book As always, we enjoy in March. Olga splits her at the National Science Midcentury Christmas is hearing from you and time among three jobs: Foundation. He and out this fall. If you’re keen sharing your news. We technical director at wife Valentina “recently to learn more about alu- are working from a new international develop- completed a wonderful minum Christmas trees, contact list; please let us FOLLOW US ment consultancy Social train trip from Albuquer- or know someone who is, know if you are not receiv- on Facebook at Impact; adviser for startup que, N.M., to Whitefish, procure a copy from your ing emails from us twice a facebook.com/ nonprofit Precision Agri- Mont. I highly recommend friendly neighborhood year and would like to be. SwarthmoreBulletin taking the LA-to-Seattle bookseller. My (Michaela

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of those crossing the Bell ’05 and wife Kate Kel- desert. They give food, ly in welcoming Asher Bell NJIDEKA AKUNYILI CROSBY ’04 HONORED ARTIST water, and medical care to in May. Mark hiked and people in distress; search camped the Grand Canyon Njideka Akunyili Crosby ’04 received the 2016 Prix Can- for missing persons; and with Andrew “Stobo” Sni- son award, which honors international emerging artists report U.S. Border Patrol derman ’07 in February. who work primarily in paper. The Nigerian-born, Los abuses. Catherine invites Mark also caught up with Angeles-based artist combines drawing, painting, and col- all to volunteer. She is also Morgan Simon, Gerrit Hall, lage to explore themes of literature, identity, and race. She a freelance grant writer. and Autumn Quinn in San previously won the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Erik Elwood and Ann Francisco. We send love 2014 James Dicke Contemporary Art Prize, the Studio Marie Lam are well—son to Mark as he mourns Museum in Harlem’s 2015 Wein Prize, and recognition as James is 3 1/2 and son his father, who died in an a 2016 leading global thinker by Foreign Policy. John was born in May. accident in Ecuador. They put roots down in Morgan Simon’s first Pennsylvania and moved book, Real Impact: culture for Development; Isabel Renee Salter in into their first home. How Money will Help or and directing the Weiss January. Also in January, After more than eight Destroy the World, will be Family Program Fund for David ’03 and Lisa years together, Evan published early next year. research in development Ladewski Whitehead and Moses married Susanne Morgan is an active im- economics at Harvard. daughters Abby and Olivia Cooper April 2 in San pact investor, supporting Julia Bouwsma won the welcomed Jacob Anthony. Francisco. Aaron Cantor worker-owned co-ops, 2015 Cider Press Review Cris and Danielle Ortiz 2004 ’06 was best man. They renewable energy, and Book Award for her manu- and children Dominic, 3, Njideka Akunyili had a fantastic time party- other fun stuff with her script Work by Bloodlight. and Alaina, 5, welcomed [email protected] ing with guests, including firm, Pi Investments. Keetje Kuipers, wife Sarah daughter Briseis in April. Art Yelsey ’73. Nick Martin is expanding Fritsch Kuipers ’04, and Hilary Jensen Rice had Adrienne Mackey’s theater Grace Appiah married TechChange, which has daughter Nela moved to Lydia Jensen Rice at company, Swim Pony Per- Mike Townsend in Atlanta. built online courses for Seattle from Auburn, Ala. 3:14 p.m. March 14—a forming Arts, received two Sister Stephanie ’10, more than 100 organiza- Keetje left her associate double Pi Day baby. Loring big grants (for $50,000 Hernease Davis, Esther tions in fields like public professor position at Au- Pfeiffer and Gil Jones and $55,000) to begin a Zeledon, Tamika Songster, health, climate change, burn to write poetry and ’01 had Elizabeth “Bess” project combining theater Khadijah White, and Emily human rights, and disaster prose full time, and Sarah Wheeler Jones in Novem- and game design in an Alvarez attended. response. Four Swatties left Morris, Manning, & ber. Loring, Gil, Bess, and original performance, The Jake Schneider moved were on staff this sum- Martin in Atlanta for Fos- big sister Cleo, and Hilary End, which will premiere in from New York to Philly for mer—Matthew Heck ’13, ter Pepper. After working and Lydia enjoyed Alumni May in Philadelphia. an in-house counsel job. Isabel Knight ’16, Tahmid as a sound mixer for reali- Weekend and hope to visit Alex Edleson breeds He is slowly settling into Rahman ’17, and John Sun ty TV shows for a decade, more often. organic and biodynamic Philly but misses Brooklyn ’17—and they’re always Taina Guarda is switching Correction: In previous vegetables in Germany. and its faster pace where looking for more. careers and pursuing a class notes announcing Amy Robinson and hus- he lived a short walk from Rebecca Ennen sent master’s in environmental son Sam’s birth, Becki band Erik Oost, who live Andy Scarborough and updates for the residents policy and sustainable Cikoski Carter’s name was in Brooklyn, had their first Katherine Murnen, who of Apartment 3S, the Barn, management from the misspelled. child, Fritz Robinson Oost, just had baby Neva. Aaron 2001–02, most of whom New School, creating de- I, Tanya, am well in Bang- June 18. He is a delight. Rubin moved to an adja- expanded their families signs for equipment that kok and was visited by my Audrey Dorelien married cent neighborhood. in 2016: Ross Hoffman skims water for plastics. brother Derrick ’05 and Jason Kerwin June 26 in Joel Blecher is moving and Elsa Waldman had Arcadia Falcone is back Woot Lervisit ’04. If you’d Minneapolis. Jason and to D.C. to become a Beatrice Clementine; in the Bay Area with a job like to receive calls for Audrey are assistant pro- history professor at Ester Bloom and Benjamin as metadata coordinator class notes, please email fessors at the University George Washington Galynker ’03 had Jules at Stanford University swarthmore2002@gmail. of Minnesota. Audrey was University. His research (joining Lara, 4); Rebecca Libraries. In January, Jon com. Many of the address- happy that Jayanti Owens and teaching focuses on Ennen and Ari Weisbard Stancato launched Sing es I have are outdated; I ’06, Dale Jennings, Just- early and medieval Islam. had Misha; and Nori Heik- a Secret (singasecret. would love to update and ene Hill, and Nef Francis Wife and partner-in-crime kinen ’03 and Jack Hebert com), a free twice-month- hear from all of you. celebrated the fantastic Summer Renault-Steele had Francis. Many of them ly introduction to singing wedding week with her. will join him next year meet up in D.C. for visits techniques, and welcomed Catherine Gaffney after completing an with Matt Rubin Blumin Sonya Reynolds ’07 and moved to Tucson, Ariz., appointment as a visiting ’03, Jessie Blumin, and Katie Surrence ’01 to the in 2011 to volunteer with philosophy professor at Amira, 2. Everyone is well, class. He hopes more No More Deaths/No Más LeMoyne College in New and all send love to the Muertes, a humanitarian NYC-area Swatties join. FOLLOW US York. They look forward other classmates who had Steve Salter and wife group working on the on Facebook at to reconnecting with East babies in 2016 (as well as Lisa Dragoset moved to U.S.–Mexico border to facebook.com/ Coast Swatties and those everyone else). Austin, Texas, in summer end death and suffering SwarthmoreBulletin passing through. Rebecca Rogers and Dan- 2015 and had daughter Mark Hanis joined Sam ny Loss live in Somerville,

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always dreamed of, even if it looks very different from what she—or anyone else—originally dreamed. “To be honest,” Hess says, “I embarked on Trailersteading: How to Find, Buy, Retrofit, and Live Large in a Mobile Home as a bit of a joke.” She was startled when her how-to e-book found worldwide fans, then a New York publisher. It’s billed as a more satisfying alternative to the materialistic mansion-and-mortgage lifestyle—“Anyone can really achieve self-sufficiency,” says Hess. Hess’s homesteading roots go back to her childhood. She was born into a back-to-the-land family who espoused “voluntary poverty” and a life she remembers as paradise. “There were strawberries to eat, cows to name (and then cry over when they went to the slaughterhouse), and “Modern homesteaders want to provide their families with a better life than they could hillsides to climb with book in hand,” afford if they had to pay cash for the trappings,” says Anna Hess ’00. “Most of all, they want she says. to be healthy, happy, and cheerfully self-sufficient.” Hess now homesteads to the hilt, harvesting everything from crookneck squash, cabbage, okra, and sorghum (for the goats) to Egyptian onions, gooseberries, and raspberries along HOME SWEET HOMESTEAD with 40 other types of edible plants. She hunts deer, raises chickens for Back-to-the-land living looks good on her meat and eggs, and milks two friendly goats named Abigail and Artemesia. She’s also a cheerleader for what by Heather Shumaker ’91 “We’re ‘trailersteading,’” Hess says, she calls “the gentler, modern ver- a word she coined as well as the title of sion of homesteading.” This includes IF YOU’D ASKED Anna Hess ’00 her new book. suburban families with chicken coops during her Swarthmore days if she’d It’s also a growing trend among folks in their backyards and city dwellers ever live in a 500-square-foot metal box, searching for simple housing so they with vegetable gardens. In fact, her the answer would have been a definite can have the freedom to pursue more first book,The Weekend Homesteader, no. After all, she’s a homesteading gal, a fulfilling goals, whether it’s back-to- offers simple projects like using logs biology type who likes to muck about in the-land living, early retirement, or to grow mushrooms, installing rain wetlands and lovingly spread chicken more time for travel and family. barrels, or building an under-the-sink poo in her organic gardens. Hess and husband Mark Hamil- worm bin. Three years after graduating from ton work only 30 hours a week, split Today, Hess is where she wants to Swarthmore—age 24 and close to between farm chores like tending the be, home at the trailerstead: sipping broke—Hess searched out the cheapest goats, chickens, orchards, and gardens, soup made from her own chicken land she could buy (58 acres of wetland and income-producers like Anna’s stock, splitting firewood, or embarking and swamp in Scott County, Va.) and writing or Mark’s nifty automatic on new experiments, such as tapping began dismantling the decrepit house chicken-waterer invention, the Avian black birches for their sap to make a that came with it. Hess envisioned Aqua Miser. new type of syrup. straightening every nail, saving every This leaves them plenty of time to “It’s one of the greatest gifts,” she board, and transforming the wreck into observe frogs as they lay eggs in the says, “knowing that life at the poverty a snug, sweet homesteading cabin. pond, to pursue their creative itches, line is not only possible, but full of joy.” Ten years later she’s actively home- and to watch their honeybees gather steading, although the cozy cabin is hazel pollen. + GET TO KNOW ANNA at waldeneffect.org nowhere to be seen. It’s the homesteading life Hess

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 67 class notes

Mass. A trip took them International and Public Department of Education. After finishing a Ph.D., through Seattle, where Affairs and Sociology at It felt like she had two Charlie Taylor accepted a they visited Emily Ford and Brown University. reunions, since Jaky visiting political science Jon Ehrenfeld, and intro- Mischa Stephens plays Joseph and Ja’Dell Davis’s assistant professorship at duced son Gabriel to Emily the lead in the rock wedding was the weekend Denison University. Any and John’s daughter Lila musical Chess Sept. 15– before. She had a blast Swatties near Columbus, (both 2). Highlights for the Oct. 15 in San Francisco. and was excited to see Ohio, are encouraged to 2008 Mark Dlugash budding Swatties included “The music is all original, everyone doing so well. get in touch. [email protected] toy trains, pretzels, and wonderfully ’80s, and Lauren Ullrich is now Paul Thibodeau, a a bath. oh-so-wonderfully ABBA,” a program analyst at psychology professor Jordan, India, Hogwarts: Thanks for the updates. with lyrics by Tim Rice the National Institute of at Oberlin College, was Rory Sykes continues to If you do not receive the (“who wrote the lyrics for Neurological Disorders featured in The New York prolong the writing of her update request, make sure all the Disney movies—se- and Stroke, working to in- Times for his research, dissertation and con more that records@swarth- riously, all of them”). Visit crease the diversity of the which includes my favorite money out of institu- more.edu has your email and Mischa will get you neuroscience workforce. “M” word, moist. tions. She will remain in address. Big thanks to discounted tickets. Reena Nadler and Jacob Katia Lom’s filmDouble Amman, Jordan, through Rebecca and Danny for After a great time at Ross ’05 married in May Note was selected for the October before hopping volunteering to take over Alumni Weekend, Elyse on Maryland’s Eastern Bay Area International among Beirut, Jerusalem, class notes. It has been an Betances returned to her Shore. They happily live Children’s Film Festival. Ramallah, and briefly NYC honor to compile your up- “NYC-adjacent” apartment in D.C., where Jacob is Joey Roth continues his for 12 months under the dates—it is always exciting in North Jersey with her a systems engineer and excellent design-entre- auspices of SSRC and and inspiring to learn of boyfriend. Elyse is an Reena works for the U.S. preneur work, where he CLIR (acronym soup is de- the incredible things you analyst for the Office Agency for International steeps elegant cups of tea. licious). She would love to are up to. of Enrollment in NYC’s Development. Amelia Templeton is a see anyone in the region: multimedia reporter and Ahlan wa sahlan, fam. producer for Oregon Pub- After three years in lic Broadcasting, covering Tokyo, Rahul D’Silva is city hall, justice, and local spending a year in India CAPTIONED! news. with his grandmother. Sonia Vallabh and hus- He is writing a novel and band Eric Minikel race the consulting for startups 2006 clock to find a treatment Wee-Jhong Chua and individuals on content [email protected] for a rare genetic disease. and business strategy. He They have received doesn’t know where he’ll As our first postcollege many accolades for their move next or when he’ll decade ends, I want to groundbreaking research. get a dog. He was excited thank everyone for the Charles Coes shares this summer to visit (after opportunity to serve as “sound design” credit three-plus years) Tristan class secretary. I had an with Darron West for the and Alyssa Van Thoen amazing time at the 10th off-Broadway revival of Lawson in Boston and Reunion and look forward The Robber Bridegroom. Rachel Corballis ’07 in to the years to come. The Roundabout Theatre D.C., and to host Omar Jon Greenberg is busy in Company musical played Ramadan Santiago in Oc- the Bay Area—remodeling at the Laura Pels Theatre. tober to see the Taj Mahal his apartment in Alameda, Tim Cronin will join the and elephants. kayaking in the bay, and faculty at MIT to continue While Seth Nfonoy- playing ultimate Frisbee his research as an atmo- im-Hara was preparing his for the San Jose Spiders “Before I ate him, the admissions officer said that spheric scientist. defense in a biomedical (the local pro team). there is a visit day for pterodactyls on campus Thanks for the updates engineering Ph.D. program Caroline Carlson and each fall semester.” and on to 2017! at the University of South- Zach Pezzementi ’05 had —Alex Gavis ’86 ern California, wife Nicole daughter Nora June 11. “Sorry, Mom, I thought I could wing it at Nfonoyim-Hara skipped Alex Glick finished an ac- Swarthmore.” across the pond and made ademic general pediatrics —Bill Steelman ’63 quick work of a migration fellowship at NYU in June. “But the commute to class is only two minutes and studies master’s at Oxford He will stay at NYU as a I’ll get the whole Crum dorm to myself!” University. Since Nicole hospitalist and assistant —Jim Pasterczyk ’81 was still in England after professor of pediatrics. Seth successfully de- “If we don’t encourage enrollment, the College Jayanti Owens was FOLLOW US fended, good buddy Sung may become extinct, too!” named the Mary Tefft on Facebook at Choi joined him on an epic —Judith Leeds Inskeep ’60 and John Hazen White facebook.com/ road trip in May 2015 from SwarthmoreBulletin Sr. Assistant Professor of + See more captions: bulletin.swarthmore.edu Los Angeles to Roches-

68 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 ter, Minn., where Seth Dominic Lowell is direc- disabilities at the Science problems. Elena moved nearby Rachel Cohen, who researches at the Neural tor of LGBT outreach for Leadership Academy in back to San Francisco and decides if buildings should Engineering Laboratories Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Philadelphia. in July became director fall or not as a structural at the Mayo Clinic. After He was featured in March Rasa Petrauskaite lives of business development engineer in Oakland, Calif., Nicole earned her wand in the Los Angeles Times in the Bay Area, where and operations at Carmot and recently traversed (degree) from Hogwarts for his role in the rapid she promotes compassion Therapeutics, a startup the heavenly domains on (Oxford), she joined Seth response to a Clinton for animals. She works in that develops drugs for a road trip to Montana. in Rochester, where she campaign gaffe in the investment, helping poor diabetes and metabolic Others whose material constantly reminds him lead-up to Nancy Reagan’s people become middle illnesses. incarnations walk the of how cold it is, but is funeral. class and middle-class Ashley Werner was astral plane near the Bay nonetheless crushing it as Patrick Christmas, Gwen people become rich. honored as a Democratic Area include Jennifer a grant writer and consul- Snyder, Lillian Dunn Alex Hahn graduated Trailblazer by the Fresno Spindel, a new postdoctor- tant for nonprofits by day ’07, and Dan Symonds from Temple medical County (Calif.) Democratic al researcher at the Joint and the author of the next ’11 were featured in school in May and began Women’s Club for her legal Genome Institute; Caitlin great American novel by Billy Penn’s Who’s Next an orthopedic surgical advocacy. O’Neil, who earned a mas- night (more, pg. 17). series highlighting young residency at the University And finally,Joe Grimm ter’s in public policy and Ninjas and acrobats: professionals making an of Maryland Medical Cen- transitioned to Alice will transfer her quantum James Mendez Hodes’s impact in Philadelphia. Pat ter in Baltimore. Grimm and survived her energies to the Califor- plan to expand NinjaGram is senior policy analyst at Yusha Hu is two years first year teaching at nia Legislative Analyst’s to St. John’s Graduate the Committee of Seventy, into her venture-backed Deerfield Academy in Office in Sacramento as Institute in Santa Fe, a nonpartisan good-gov- farm-to-table company, Massachusetts. Over the a fiscal policy analyst; N.M., ran into unexpected ernment group, and is on Local Bushel, which was summer she hoped to and Yingjia Wang, who opposition—for some the boards of Philly Coa- featured in Edible Manhat- make substantial progress works for Dropbox in San reason they object to nin- lition of Rising Education tan magazine. editing her dissertation Francisco. jas interrupting classes. Leaders and Southeast Celebrations: Dan Peter- on the well-posedness of The emergence of Nevertheless, he escaped Asian Mutual Assistance son and Lucy McNamara free-boundary magneto- Jupiter’s ecliptic nodes with a master’s in Eastern Associations Coalition, had Talia Simone Dec. 10. hydrodynamic for a math augurs powerful events classics. James now which serves refugee and Stephanie Charpentier Ph.D. at UC Davis. in Brooklyn, which we lives in Harlem, N.Y. He immigrant families. Gwen Muñoz and her husband have duly observed in the finally got his (non-Valen- has been executive direc- had Mateo David April 5 news of producer Matt tine-related) black belt in tor at Philadelphia Jobs and are adjusting to life Thurm’s latest movie, ninjutsu, and he writes ta- with Justice for six years together in Nashville, Untitled Colin Warner bletop role-playing games and is a committee woman Tenn. Project, in post-Sundance for a living. On the side, for the city’s 27th Ward. David Stifler completed postproduction. His first he runs those games for New professors: Mary his third year of Ph.D. feature, Rover, is available children and then makes Wootters is finishing study in classics at Duke 2010 on Amazon and iTunes; Brendan Work fun of them online (bit. a postdoc at Carnegie University. In December his second, H., was [email protected] ly/DungeonElementary). Mellon University. After he married Elizabeth featured in the Museum He’s also still rap-trans- an epic job search, she Clendinning, who is of Modern Art’s “Best Film Peer into the celestial orb, lating Homer’s Iliad (bit.ly/ and husband Isaac Sorkin brilliant and wonderful— Not Playing at a Theater dear reader, and observe HomerRap). ’07 successfully solved despite not having gone to Near You” series; and his the fortunes of the Class Cover girl Joanna Wright their academic two-body Swarthmore. third, 11:55 (“a present-day of 20X as it enters the took the best kind of problem—they are both Stephan Hoyer married urban Western parable”), sixth house. During this beating in an intensive assistant professors at Elena Viboch ’09 in a is wowing festivalgoers. moon’s birth phase, all one-year program at the Stanford this fall. They beautiful ceremony at The harmonic quincunx signs are in the ascendant New England Center for look forward to sunshine, Olympia’s Valley Estate in of nebulae near New York and, therefore, it is very Circus Arts. Her trapeze biking, and hanging out Petaluma, Calif. Swatties indubitably points to the auspicious to observe the callouses are pretty with Bay Area Swatties. there included officiant empyrean apex of Sam divine symbols. Please gnarly, and she can hold a Mikio Akagi successfully Mark Dlugash, Eric Chris- Goodman, a teacher who have your star chart at handstand away from the defended his philosophy tiansen, Stephanie Duncan recently acquired an MFA hand as you read this. wall for almost a minute. Ph.D. dissertation at the Karp, Bizzy Hemphill, from Columbia University As you have certainly She graduated in June University of Pittsburgh. Catalina Martinez, Mere- and works with Suzanne beheld, there is a lumi- and returned to Austin, After a grueling year on dith Leich, Lydia Thé, Evan Winter at Prep for Prep nous spiritual atmosphere Texas, to continue life as the academic job market, Trager, Cole Armstrong and Robert Louis Steven- emanating from Julia a circus freak. (more, pg. he accepted an offer from ’10, Emma Ferguson ’10, son High School, where Luongo, who finished a 30). Texas Christian University Bevan Gerber-Siff ’10, Erin she tutors in bicorporeal mechanical engineering In the news: Steph to be assistant professor Ronhovde ’10, and Colin epicycles. Graduating with Ph.D. at the University Hsu founded a classical of the history and philoso- Schimmelfing ’10. Stephan a Columbia law degree in of Colorado and began music program that helps phy of science in the John is a software engineer May was cosmic wanderer working at an environ- underserved students. V. Roach Honors College. at Google in Mountain Lena Wong, whose plane- mental consulting firm in The group was featured Working life: Jonathan View, Calif., where he tary course is fated to col- San Francisco. She shares by PBS NewsHour (bit.ly/ Estey teaches math and uses machine learning to lide with the California Bar her engineering aura with StephHsu). manages students with solve scientific research exam quite soon. Another

FALL 2016 / Swarthmore College Bulletin 69 class notes

such collision was report- a resident physician in pa- that the class as a whole he interned and did “sci-fi at Running Start while ed in New York, where thology at Yale New Haven is in deep retrograde due business stuff” at Los Al- pursuing a master of Zach Sinemus joined the Hospital. Under a waxing to a dearth of emails. amos National Laboratory public policy at George esteemed barristers of the balsamic moon, Helen Remember to pay homage in New Mexico. Washington. She will soon city, setting off a chain of Hougen graduated from to the Earth Mother and Boston: Natalia Cote- co-chair the university’s supernovae in the waning the University of Virginia send your updates. Muñoz was sad her four Women’s Leadership ocean of Pisces, while any medical school and began years in Beijing came Fellows Program at the further celestial distur- her urology residency at to a close but is excited Trachtenberg School of bances are most certainly the Oregon Health and to start a public policy Public Policy and Public the result of Romane Paul Science University Hospi- master’s at the Harvard Administration. Holly being featured on Hillary tal in Portland, down the Kennedy School. Gabriela Kinnamont is a kindergar- Clinton’s Stories website road from Seattle-based Morales passed the bar ten teacher and librarian (bit.ly/RomaneP). Jānis Lībeks, a Facebook and is a corporate lawyer at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Nearer to the ancient software engineer for 2012 at Goodwin Procter in School outside D.C. Maia Gerlinger perigee of our birth stars, three years and new mem- Boston. Xingyu “Alex” Midwest: Hannah “Alex” [email protected] that is to say Swarthmore, ber of the Washington Zhang is working on an Younger is a program co- we can report that Ashley Ensemble Theatre. Jamie applied physics Ph.D. at ordinator/classroom assis- I am writing from a balco- Miniet graduated from Hansen-Lewis spoke at a Harvard. tant for the Art Institute of ny in Mexico overlooking Temple medical school Swarthmore economics Philly and Pennsylvania: Chicago’s summer camps. the ocean, so you could and started a pediatrics roundtable about informal Katherine Ernst is working She will get an MFA in say my life is pretty good residency at Emory. If you economies in West Africa; on a clinical psychol- fibers and material studies right now. It seems as have noticed Saturn in a Travis Rothbloom inex- ogy Ph.D. at Widener this fall, as part of which though this year’s been state of exaltation, that’s plicably sent in a picture University with a focus she will be a teaching one of real change/com- because Melissa Cruz of his cat; and the music on children, adolescents, assistant “helping college mitment—people either got married (keeping her of the spheres swelled and families, as well as kids when they acciden- starting new chapters name) and started a job joyously at the wedding of a certification in school tally tie themselves into after postcollege “years as the behavioral health Lisa Sambat to Tri Duong. psychology. Taylor Wuerk- their looms.” Francesca of adventure,” or seeing consultant to North Phila- Lisa’s zodiacal zenith is er is a Comcast software Bolfo is pursuing a second the efforts of grad school delphia primary-care pro- enthroned in a tropical engineer and volunteered art history master’s with a or careers finally come viders. Similarly, Neptune cycle, which means she at the Olympics this sum- focus on postcolonial the- to fruition (med students evinces a fiery character lives near D.C., works at mer. John “Wes” Willison ory at UChicago. She still entering residency, due to the efforts ofJean the Fairfax County Public and wife Hana Lehmann competitively show jumps career people becoming Strout, whose work with Schools, and hangs out ’13 live in Northeast Philly; (“i.e., jumping horses over managers, etc.). But if this the Juvenile Law Center with Cathy Ng as much as Hana works at the Lang big sticks,” she explains is not you—and, honestly, on the U.S. Supreme possible. In the fall skies, Center, and Wes is pur- patiently). Tiffany Lee it’s not me—don’t feel as Court case Montgomery expect to see the spiritual suing a master of divinity started a general surgery though you are “doing v. Louisiana put juvenile essence of Joel Swanson at Princeton Theological residency at the University adulthood wrong.” It’s not mandatory sentencing un- hovering over Chicago, Seminary. They have a of Cincinnati this summer. a competition; it’s a series der review. Gary Herzberg where he’ll pursue philos- dog named Lincoln. Alex South: This fall marks of unique and worthwhile completed his first year of ophy of religion studies at Burka finished a robotics Dante Fuoco’s fifth year of paths that you get to an MBA program at Whar- the University of Chicago master’s at Penn and is teaching children with se- choose to follow (or not). ton, which you have no and return “finally to working on a Ph.D. in vere behavioral disorders. Which means you are au- doubt scried using karmic an environment where electrical and systems en- To provide that nice yin- tomatically doing it right. geomancy, and Jimmy Gill people won’t have to ask gineering there. Margret yang effect, he also wrote Upstate New York and works in athletic commu- if Swarthmore is a town Lenfest researched this and performed a one-man NYC: Elissa Wong works nications at Rutgers. on the moors of England.” summer at Penn Vet’s New show that parodies white in toxicology at the Outside the traditional Saturn rejoices at Maria Bolton Center in Kennett New Orleans transplants University of Rochester loci of Swarthmorean spir- Khim’s move to Jakarta, Square; this fall she starts like himself. Joseph Wil- Medical Center. She won itual chakras, Benjamin Indonesia, where she her second year of vet lens teaches in New Or- a fellowship from the Na- Mazer completed medical works at startup Go-Jek; school. Kristen Allen is leans and owns a house. tional Institute on Alcohol school at the University of G Patrick’s amazing Med- starting a doctoral pro- Jennifer Yi is starting Abuse and Alcoholism, Rochester and will become ical Mission to Haiti; and gram at Carnegie Mellon her third year of a clinical which, honestly, I should Nancy Chu’s upcoming University in engineering psychology program at the have won for Senior Week. Princeton in Asia fellow- and public policy. University of North Caro- Manuk Garg “completed ship in Yunnan, China, Baltimore and D.C.: David lina. She fosters dogs for the sale of his soul with a where she promises to D’Annunzio sent an update Independent Animal Res- swift transfer to McKinsey send hospitable cosmic that contained the word cue in Durham. Stephen and Co.’s New York office.” signals and “would love to “still” three times. He lives Youngblood graduated Sahiba Gill is in her host any Swatties.” in Baltimore and works for from Duke law school and FOLLOW US second year of law school. on Facebook at While we record these ZeroFOX, a social-media lives in New Bern, N.C., William Campbell finished facebook.com/ transcendent pulses with cybersecurity company. where he is doing a two- his first year of an MBA SwarthmoreBulletin great gladness, it is an in- Sara Blanco trains young year clerkship with Judge at Columbia; this summer, escapable galactic reality women to run for office Louise Flanagan in the

Share your personal and reunion 70 Swarthmore College Bulletin / FALL 2016 pics: [email protected] at the University of Utah. the English Channel as Politico Paloma Perez part of a five-person relay. JONATHAN COHEN ’15 PAIN REDUCER was promoted to deputy Stayed tuned for more on communications director Maggie’s continuation of Jonathan Cohen ’15, an M.D./Ph.D. student at the and legislative aide for a her Swat swim career. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine/Carnegie Texas congressman. Your secretary, Brone Mellon University, was named the youngest-ever board Nick Borkowski will Lobichusky, was promoted member of the American Chronic Pain Association. return to sunny California to her second year of med- As a student, Cohen works with faculty to promote to study law at UC Irvine ical school at Temple and pain-management education, and recent projects and surf at Orange County is holed up studying for include developing a student-run pain clinic for beaches. Sounds like the the first of many national underserved community members in Pittsburgh. best way to do law school. board certification tests. Since graduation, Sinan This summer, she worked Kazaklar has lived in Lon- on a research project don, working in finance regarding hip arthroscopy U.S. District Court for the Kozlowska and Jon his second year of medical and traveling Europe. outcomes and spent the Eastern District of North Emont wrote pieces for school at the University of In September, Maggie weekends at the Jersey Carolina. grownup publications. Vermont. Congrats to the Regan was set to swim Shore. West Coast: Miyuki Bak- Anastasia “Tasha” Lewis happy couple. er is in graduate school presented her illustrated Harrison Tasoff and Cici (where she researches Ulysses at McCabe (bit.ly/ Zhang began a master’s “how we cultivate hope TLewis12). Tayarisha Poe in science journalism at and resilience in a precar- is a Sundance Institute NYU. ious and neoliberal society 2016 Knight Foundation Aarthi Reddy tutors through space, architec- Fellow. And Michael Xu high schoolers through ture, and environment”) gave a talk in Paris on A Better Chance Strath and gets to profit from “Growth Hacking for Early Haven while doing clinical STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT the best part of being a Stage Startups” (bit.ly/ research at the Children’s AND CIRCULATION student: summer vacation. MichaelXu). Hospital of Philadelphia. This summer she traveled This fall, she moved to Title: Swarthmore College Complimentary and other to Chile for a weeklong D.C. to begin medical Bulletin Free Copies 1,589 performance-studies school at George Wash- Publication Number: E. Total Distribution conference. Halleh Balch ington. Sarah Timreck 0530-620 24,415 is working on a Ph.D. in completed her com- Date of Filing: 8/30/16 F. Copies Not Distributed molecular and optical mitment with Teach for No. of Issues Annually: 4 1,539 physics (in which she America in Alabama, and Mailing Address of Known G. Total 25,954 uses lasers). She also 2014 moved to D.C. this fall to Office of Publications and H. Percent Paid 93% Brone Lobichusky Headquarters Office: teaches violin and plays begin a master’s in Middle [email protected] 500 College Ave., Average No. of Copies of ultimate Frisbee. Eleanor East studies at George Swarthmore, Delaware Single Issue Published Glewwe is working on a Welcome to another round Washington. Patrick County, PA 19081-1397 Nearest to Filing Date: linguistics Ph.D. at UCLA. of rousing updates. Walsh lives in D.C. and Publisher: Her second middle-grade In New England, Cally finished his first year as a Swarthmore College A. Total No. Copies 25,860 Editor: Jonathan Riggs B. Paid and/or Requested fantasy novel, Wildings, Deppen began a Ph.D. Federal Reserve research comes out Nov. 1. assistant. In his spare Circulation in physical therapy at Average No. of Copies of 1. Sales through Dealers International: Andrew Massachusetts General time, he tries to convince Stromme will spend three himself that signing up for Each Issue Published and Carriers, Street Ven- Hospital Institute for During Preceding 12 dors and Counter Sales months in China and a 26-mile run was not a Health Professions. This Months: None Taiwan to practice Man- fall, Danny Hirschel-Burns completely terrible idea. 2. Mail Subscription darin. Arsean Maqami is started a political science Cody Ruben started this A. Total No. Copies 25,893 22,807 a senior project manager Ph.D. at Yale. He intends fall at the University of B. Paid and/or Requested C. Total Paid and/or at WeWork. He moved to to delve into compara- Florida as an electrical en- Circulation Requested Circulation 1. Sales through Dealers 22,807 Mexico City to launch the tive politics on violence, gineering Ph.D. candidate. company’s Latin American After completing a Cen- and Carriers, Street Ven- D. Free Distribution governance, and state dors and Counter Sales Outside the Mail, Carrier division. building. This summer, tennial Conference intern- Everything/Nothing/ ship, Katie Lytle began None or Other Means, Samples, Danny also officiated the 2. Mail Subscription Complimentary and other Transcending Time and an MBA/master of sports wedding of Mallory Pitser 22,826 Free Copies 1,665 Space Through Art: Cecily and Zac Wunrow. The two administration program at C. Total Paid and/or E. Total Distribution Bumbray, Tayarisha Poe, married in Vermont with Ohio University. Requested Circulation 24,472 and Vaneese Thomas many Swatties attending. Congrats, Emma Saarel, 22,826 F. Copies Not Distributed ’74 collaborated on a Zac spent the rest of the who was named an out- D. Free Distribution 1,615 Outside the Mail, Carrier G. Total 26,087 music video. Find it at summer working at a standing grad of the David or Other Means, Samples, H. Percent Paid 93% cecilymusic.com. Hanna Ugandan hospital and is in Eccles School of Business

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