SUMMER 2020 | A SOLITUDE OF SPACE | THE UNPLANNED VOYAGE | THE FIGHT FOR—AND AGAINST—THE VOTE What We Wi sh for the Class of ’20 cover_final.indd 1 6/25/20 1:10 PM Cover and table of contents photography by Kayana Szymczak ifc-toc_final.indd 2 6/25/20 1:15 PM From the Wellesley College Alumnae Association The WCAA is committed to the continued work of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organization and in our world. We acknowledge the pain that our Black colleagues and alumnae have been experi- encing for generations. Fighting systemic injustice and inequity is a responsibility we all share. We have not always been loud enough with our collective voice or actions against racism, and we will do better. Our alumnae dedicate themselves to making a difference in the world, and we stand with them. Please continue to engage with us and one another on issues of injustice. We learn and grow from the strength of this community. Martha Goldberg Aronson ’89 President Kathryn Harvey Mackintosh ’03 Executive Director Summer 2020 FEATURES 18 A Solitude of Space By Catherine O’Neill Grace 22 What We Wish for the Class of ’20 By Wendy Judge Paulson ’69, Jasmine Guillory ’97, Heather Long ’04, Claire Ayoub ’11, and Timothy Peltason 32 The Unplanned Voyage By Lisa Scanlon Mogolov ’99 34 The Fight for—and Against—the Vote By Amita Parashar Kelly ’06 DEPARTMENTS 2 From the Editor 40 WCAA 3 Fall Semester Update 46 Class Notes 4 From the President 77 In Memoriam 5 Window on Wellesley 80 Endnote 14 Shelf Life magazine.wellesley.edu @Wellesleymag This magazine is published by the Wellesley College Alumnae Association, which has a mission “to support the institutional priorities of Wellesley College by connecting alumnae to the College and to each other.” ifc-toc_final.indd 3 6/30/20 12:55 PM From the Editor VOLUME 105, ISSUE NO. 4 everal months ago, just before our governor gave the shelter-in-place order, a friend lent me a couple 1,000-piece puzzles. I took them with some trepidation. Working puzzles Editor often occupied the long summer months when I was a kid, but I hadn·t had m\ À ngers on Alice M. Hummer a jigsaw piece for decades. 1ot enough time, and deÀ nitel\ not enough patience, the adult Senior Associate Editors S Lisa Scanlon Mogolov ’99 me alwa\s thought. 7he puzzles sat on the Á oor in m\ ´ofÀ ceµ A.K.A. the dining room) Catherine O’Neill Grace for weeks as the pace of remote magazine production ramped up and up and up. Almost daily announcements came from the College—room and board refunds, cancellations of commence- Design Hecht/Horton Partners, Arlington, Mass. ment and reunion, and eventually hiring freezes and furloughs. Many of these memos caused us to rethink or redo our content for the spring and summer issues—over and over and over. Principal Photographer Lisa Abitbol One night, when I could barely put two words together or proof a single sentence, I pulled out a puzzle bo[ and started À shing out edge pieces. It Tuickly became evident why puzzles Student Assistant Grace Ramsdell ’22 have been almost as sought-after as toilet paper in this lockdown period. When you’re focused on À guring out how dozens of rosy-hued pieces combine to make a sunset, the mental wheels Wellesley (USPS 673-900). Published fall, winter, spring, and summer by the Wellesley College can’t whir as Tuickly. One’s thoughts shift into neutral, and in my case, I would À nd ideas for Alumnae Association. Editorial and Business magazine revisions falling into place as I triumphantly heard the snick! of two long-sought Offi ce: Alumnae Association, Wellesley College, pieces snapping together. 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481-8203. Phone 781-283-2331. Fax 781-283-3638. My current puzzle is a beautiful but nasty little number—an incredibly complex, semi- Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Mass., and abstract colored-pencil drawing by Frank Lloyd Wright. Many of the pieces are so similar in other mailing offi ces. Postmaster: Send Form color and pattern that I’m working only by shape to À t them together. Occasionally there’s an 3579 to Wellesley magazine, Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481-8203. instant, satisfying snick!, but most of the time, it’s a slow, trial-and-error process. I discard many more pieces than I eventually put in place. WELLESLEY POLICY In a small way, it’s not that dissimilar from what a lot of us are doing right now as we search One of the objectives of Wellesley, in the best College tradition, is to present interesting, for the right path forward. 7rial and error 7his old way of doing things getting groceries, thought-provoking material, even though it teaching children a math lesson, having an uninterrupted meeting with work colleagues) doesn’t may be controversial. Publication of material work anymore, but maybe that new idea does. does not necessarily indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine, the Take this magazine, for example. We’ve now trialed-and-errored our way to version 56b. It Alumnae Association, or Wellesley College. started out as a special issue on women in politics, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Wellesley magazine reserves the right to edit Amendment and preview the election in November. The one article from that plan that remains is and, when necessary, revise all material that ´The Fight for—and Against—the 9ote.µ Fascinatingly, writer Amita 3arashar .elly ’06 discov- it accepts for publication. Unsolicited photo- ered that there was substantial opposition to woman suffrage at the Wellesley of a century ago.) graphs will be published at the discretion of the editor. There were more relevant and compelling pieces that went snick! when we subbed them in. A graduation celebration for the class of ’0—with À ve wonderful mini commencement addresses KEEP WELLESLEY UP TO DATE! from alums and faculty, page 22. A funny and poignant essay about sheltering at home—and The Alumnae Office has a voice-mail box to be used by alumnae for updating contact working—with a - and a 10-year-old ´The 8nplanned 9oyage,µ page 2). And an exploration and other personal information. The number is of what (mily 'ickinson’s poetry teaches us about being alone ´A 1-800-339-5233. 6olitude of 6pace,µ page 1). These pieces À t together to create a You can also update your information online compelling picture of Wellesley in the CO9I'-19 period. We’ve when you visit the Alumnae Association web- added a few items since then, as %lack Lives Matter protests À lled site at www.wellesley.edu/alumnae. streets around the world.) DIRECT LINE PHONE NUMBERS One of the things I like most about puzzles is you can’t see the College Switchboard 781-283-1000 whole picture at once—it unveils itself gradually, if you persist. These Alumnae Offi ce 781-283-2331 Magazine Offi ce 781-283-2331 days, as an inveterate planner, I sometimes À nd myself a little frus- Admission Offi ce 781-283-2270 trated when I can’t make decisions in an efÀ cient way. %ut I’ve been Career Education Offi ce 781-283-2352 grateful to learn to slow down, enjoy the steady process of putting in Development Offi ce 800-358-3543 piece after piece, and watch the picture develop. Wishing all of you INTERNET ADDRESSES patience, a lot of snicks!, and emerging new views. www.wellesley.edu/alumnae magazine.wellesley.edu Alice M. Hummer, editor 2 WELLESLEY MAGAZINE 062420_r2_letters.indd 2 6/25/20 1:21 PM Plans for a Year Unlike Any Other In late June, as this issue was going to press, President Paula A. Johnson announced the College’s preliminary plan for the 2020–21 academic year, a year that will begin as the coronavirus pandemic con- tinues in the United States and around the world. “Our most important priority for the coming academic year is to create an excellent academic program that prioritizes the health and safety of our community, while allowing each of our students to enjoy a residential experience and take in-person classes for a signiÀcant part of the year,” Johnson said in the announcement. The plan was developed by a number of College working groups that included faculty, staff, and students, and was informed by the recom- mendations of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s Higher Education Working Group. President Johnson is a member of the state working group and leads the task force responsible for developing the COVID-19 testing protocols for colleges and universities throughout Massachusetts. In order to follow key public health recommendations, including ensuring that the on-campus community can maintain physical distanc- ing, the College is making signiÀcant changes to the residential and academic program. All student rooms will be conÀgured as singles, reducing the College’s residential capacity to fewer than 1,500 students at any given time. The College will invite first-years and sophomores to live on campus during the fall, and juniors and seniors during the spring. AMOS CHAN AMOS There will also be enough room to prioritize housing for students who, for a number of reasons, need to be on campus all year, including resi- dent assistants, international students who are unable to return home, curriculum will be designed for juniors and seniors,” Johnson said in and others. As this issue was at press, the College was also exploring the announcement.