Whittier College Poet Commons The Rock Archives and Special Collections Winter 2009 The Rock, Winter 2009 (vol. 79, no. 2) Whittier College Follow this and additional works at: https://poetcommons.whittier.edu/rock 4 CAMPUS CENTER WHITTIER COLLEGE MAGAZINE MUSIC PROGRAM COMPOSES MAGNUM OPUS WINTER 2009 WHITTIER WEEKEND 2008 an 1z d the Poet Award goes to..." The Alumni Association Board of Directors is calling for nominations for the 2009 Poet Awards. Nominations are due on March 28, 2009. This year's honorees will be recognized on October 24, 2009, during Whittier Weekend. Please save the date! POET AWARD CATEGORIES: former president of The Julian Foundation for outstanding achievement in his or her and visionary for the Joint Venture Public career. Past recipients have included Richard Library; and Stephen Gothold '63, former Nixon '34, 37th President of the United States; Whittier College professor and founder of J. Stanley Sanders '63, prominent attorney, Chorale Bel Canto. Rhodes Scholar, and former Los Angeles may- oral candidate; and Carol Tenopir '74, author, Alumni Service to the College scholar and professor of public information Award, for extensive service to the sciences at the University of Tennessee. College since graduation. Past recipients have included Bob '40 and Olive '41 Clift, Outstanding Young Alumni beloved managers of the Whittier College Award, for recognition of alumni who bookstore; Ray Dezember '53, generous have graduated within the past 15 years, philanthropist and former Chairman of the and who have demonstrated significant Board of Trustees; and George Tenopir '48 achievement. Past recipients have included former Dean of Admissions and loyal John Murdy '89, multi-talented musician, alumni volunteer. author and Creative Director at Universal Creative; Edward Petersen '93, co-founder of Honorary Alumni, for outstanding UnionStreet.com and Senior VP for Infospace, non-alumni members of the College Inc.; and M. Rene Islas '00, successful career community who have enhanced the in education public policy and former Chief of Whittier College experience for alumni. Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Education. Past recipients have included Dr. Paul Smith. former Whittier College President; Michael Alumni Community impact McBride. Whittier College professor of political for important contributions made science and softball coach; Charlotte Graham, by alumni to their home communities. generous philanthropist and former Chairman Past recipients have included Janet Henke '63, of the Board of Trustees. former Mayor of Whittier; Barbara June Hill '50, PLEASE SUBMIT NOMINATIONS BY MARCH 28, 2009 bmission of multiple nominees is encouraged. For more information, call the Office of Alumni Relations 1887 at 562.907.4222. To nominate, visit www.whittier.edu/poetawardnomination. COLLE GE Winter 2009 Volume 79, Number 2 FEATURES Campus Center Opens 26 From blueprints to construction, this has been one of the most highly-anticipated capitol projects for the College in recent years. Magnum Opus 30 For nine decades, the Department of Music has created and sustained its veritable symphony of success at Whittier College, led by faculty committed to teaching students a harmonious—and practical— blend of music history, technique, and skills to make it in the industry. Whittier Weekend '08 36 From classes to tours to presentations and debates, alumni returning to campus for reunions had ample opportunity for immersion in Poet life today, while remembering the "good old days" of their own undergraduate experiences. DEPARTMENTS From the Editor 2 President's Corner 3 Campus News Around the Rock 4 Society Pages 16 Faculty Fires 18 Sports 20 Alumni News Developing Whittier 38 Alumni Association President's Letter 40 Poet to Poet 46 Senior Moments 56 ABOUT THE COVER: Late afternoon shadows provide a modicum of cooling for the campus' new hot spot, officially opened at the beginning of the school year. Photo by Ian Bradshaw Photography. 1 EDITOR'S PAGE THE ROCK LETTERS TO THE EDITOR EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR It is our great pleasure to inform your readers that on June 28, 2008, we established Arnaha ART DIRECTION Library in Arnaha Village, a remote village in NOTES Sarlahi District, Nepal. We would like to take COMMUNICATIONS INTERN 'S this opportunity to thank you for covering our story in The Rock magazine (Fall 2008, TOR p. 5). We collected more than 2,000 books Stephanie Chavez EDI at Whittier College. Wow!!! The books were A FRUITS OF LABOR. The newly established public Eriqa qJj donated to Better World Books, which were Library in remote Arnaha Village, Nepal, houses in turn donated to Room to Read. We also a variety of reading selections, thanks to the Leigh Akins '72' collected some financial donations. With all efforts of Shah, Pant, and Pant. Richard Chu this support, we were able to establish a small Andre Coleman library in the village. [Please keep up with our] Rosemary Donoyan '05 progress by visiting www.booksfornepal.org. Raymond Erickson '63 Once again, thank you very much Caroline Galvin '08 for your support! Ana Gutierrez Mike Kennett —SANTOSH SHAH '07, NIRAJ PANT '07, Magaly Perez '09' AND RAVI PANT '08, CO-FOUNDERS OF The,Qq,Qk .0 BOOKS FOR NEPAL A BOOK CLUB. With stacks upon stacks of donated books as an impromptu backrest, Shah sits with some of the library's most avid subscribers. Sharon D. Herzberger VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT As I was visiting with my father, Wayne Kudos to the Hawai'i Chapter's annual send- F. Schooley '42 today, he mentioned that off reception for incoming students and you no longer acknowledge his class in the their parents (The Rock, Fall 2008, p. 48). THE ROCK, Winter 2009 Poet-to-Poet section of your magazine. He Not all colleges have such events, even Volume 79, Number 2 Questions? Copyright © 2009 Whittier College laughed and said he has decided that per- here in California! It was a wonderful event Concerns? Love it? haps he is the last one left from his class! at the Oahu Country Club (I think that's Hate it? Then Let THE ROCK is published by correct) with delicious pupus. Although Whittier College us know. E-mail —JANET SCHOOLEY [email protected] many of the parents present were soft- Our mailing address is: Letters are subject EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to space limitations, spoken, the students seemed to hit it off THE ROCK to publication in The Rock only publishes those class notes well with questions from all fields. Elizabeth Office of Communications a future issue of submitted during any issue's production Power Robison had much to offer in her Whittier College The Rock. period. We encourage all Poets from every assessment of Whittier College and it was 13406 Philadelphia St. graduating year to continue sending us P.O. Box 634 a pleasure meeting her and her husband. updates and news at any time, by either Whittier, CA 90608 Very enjoyable and informative! submitting directly to your class agent (class Phone (562) 907-4277 agent names and contact information are —ROANN FUKUNAGA P'll Fax (562) 907-4927 available online at www.whittier.edu/ E-mail: [email protected] ClassAgents) or to the Office of Alumni Relations ([email protected] or Whittier Photo corrections and more Memories College Office of Alumni Relations, P.O. Box of the Spot can be found on page 54. 634, Whittier, CA 90608). 2 Me PRESIDENT'S CORNER ALUMNI, PARENTS, AND FRIENDS: I SO ENJOY OPENING about how our students learn to think, are accompanied by a photo taken from MY MAIL AT WHITTIER become expert in weighing different one of our yearbooks, so that incoming COLLEGE. Unlike the points of view, and develop a sophis- students can imagine the day some years usual assortment of bills ticated quantitative sensibility and an before when the people featured so and unwanted fliers that appreciation for cultures around the world. prominently on the wall of their residence comprise our mail at home, To show that Whittier occupies a place of hall once stood in their shoes. I get such variety at the real distinction—even among other liberal This display is just about the best office. I receive publications arts colleges—I point to national surveys advertisement we can create for the that keep me up-to-date showing that our graduates read more value of a liberal arts education, evidence about the world of higher education, and and write more papers than their peers, that our graduates can do anything they more magazines than I can possibly read and that our graduates interact more set their mind to do, and a preview of about exponential changes yet to come with people displaying different values the extraordinary opportunities that via new technology. Of course, I love the and coming from different backgrounds. await newly matriculating Poets. Then checks sent by people and foundations These are indices of a transformative each day, when our students visit the wanting to support our College and its educational environment, one that fosters Campus Center and stop by the cafeteria faculty and students. And I read with intellectual and social development. or The Spot, they also notice the perfectly eagerness and gratitude letters from But the basic question about the placed, new Weingart Center, offering alumni who are doing well and want liberal arts, in the end, just boils down career planning services and help getting me to know how Whittier started them to wonderment about what our students internships both here and abroad. These on the road to success. do after graduation. People are curious constant reminders nudge students to We tell students that at Whittier they about how a graduate with a degree in recognize that their time at Whittier is can prepare for just about any career, and philosophy or sociology can afford to precious and to use it fully to develop the letters and calls I receive tell me this is eat.