Wellesley College Wellesley College Digital Scholarship and Archive Wellesley Magazine (Alumnae Association) Fall 2016 Wellesley Magazine Fall 2016 Wellesley College Alumnae Association Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.wellesley.edu/wellesleymagazine Recommended Citation Wellesley College Alumnae Association, "Wellesley Magazine Fall 2016" (2016). Wellesley Magazine (Alumnae Association). 20. http://repository.wellesley.edu/wellesleymagazine/20 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by Wellesley College Digital Scholarship and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Wellesley Magazine (Alumnae Association) by an authorized administrator of Wellesley College Digital Scholarship and Archive. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FALL 2016 | A JOYFUL BEGINNING | FOR OUR OLD LADIES | TELL ME A STORY A CALL TO TEACH cover_final.indd 1 10/27/16 12:11 PM LATE-BREAKING NEWS To Our Readers This magazine was on press as U.S. voters went to the polls for the 2016 presidential election. In order to bring you coverage of election night at the College—when several thousand alumnae and the on-campus community gathered to watch the returns and to mark the historic bid for the presidency by Hillary Rodham Clinton ’69—we literally held the presses. It was a night of hope, solidarity, and, later, sadness for many who attended (see page 5). Additional coverage will appear in future issues. PORTRAIT BY JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES NEWS/GETTY IMAGES COVER ILLUSTRATION NEWS/GETTY AAD BY GOUDAPPEL, IMAGES PHOTO RICHARD BY HOWARD SULLIVAN/GETTY JUSTIN BY PORTRAIT ifc-pg1_toc_election_final.indd c2 11/14/16 3:44 PM Looking to the Future Dear Wellesley community, For many of us hoping to see our fi rst woman president, this election has surprised and disap- pointed us. But the Wellesley spirit is indomitable, and it is in this spirit that I wanted to express to you my feeling of resolve—a powerful resolve to trans- form this moment into a call for action. Though it may seem impossible in the rush of emotions many of us are feeling, this must become one of those rare moments of clarity for us as a community that we cannot let pass. We must reaffi rm our most deeply felt values as a community: equity, social justice, the embracing of difference, the search for knowledge based on fact, the demand for civil discourse that is inclusive while challenging in its rigor. Through our actions, our ethics and our perseverance in the face of ob- stacles, we must show the world that at Wellesley we believe in a path forward for every single person, no matter your race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and no matter what country you came from, your im- migration status, socioeconomic background, or political affi liation. And perhaps at the heart of all of this stands our con- viction that women’s leadership is the surest way to change the world for the better. Wellesley is uniquely qualifi ed—and compelled by our mission—to move forward with our work to close the gaps that many women still experience. We must continue to strive for full equity for women, now more than ever. It is up to us to create the future we want. President Paula A. Johnson ifc-pg1_toc_election_final.indd 1 11/14/16 12:25 PM 2 FROM THE EDITOR FALL 2016 wellesley magazine VOLUME 101, ISSUE NO. 1 From the Editor freely admit that I am a sucker for a good academic Editor procession, and that a line of academic regalia can make Alice M. Hummer me a little misty. But every now and then, there’s one that I really does a number on the lachrymal glands. In case you Senior Associate Editors Lisa Scanlon Mogolov ’99 missed it, the procession that took place on Sept. 30 under the massive Catherine O’Neill Grace tent on Severance Green was one of those. Design It wasn’t just the happily contagious rhythms of Yanvalou’s drums Hecht/Horton Partners, Arlington, Mass. coming down the aisle or the celebratory fanfares of the Boston Brass Principal Photographer Ensemble. It wasn’t even just the festive crimsons, oranges, and ceruleans Richard Howard of the academic regalia. Student Assistant It was the high-wattage smile on every face that went past. It was the Emma Bilbrey ’18 alumnae delegates—starting with the class of ’45—who joined the long line in their class colors. Wellesley (USPS 673-900). Published fall, It was the emeriti professors and trustees who fell in to march with their successors. And it was winter, spring, and summer by the Wellesley the former Wellesley presidents who walked along, beaming at greetings from “students” of their College Alumnae Association. Editorial and Business Office: Alumnae Association, eras—some now in their 40s and 50s. Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley, But more than anything else, it was the thunderous roar that went up when Wellesley’s 14th MA 02481-8203. Phone 781-283-2342. president, Paula Adina Johnson, entered the tent and took the long, joyous walk to the stage for her Fax 781-283-3638. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Mass., and other mailing offices. inauguration. It was as though Wellesley’s “extraordinary past”—as Paula called it in her inaugural Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Wellesley address—had come together with its exuberant present to welcome its “hopeful future.” magazine, Wellesley College, 106 Central St., In her address, Paula acknowledged that she stood on “the shoulders and hard-won wisdom of Wellesley, MA 02481-8203. so many women”—of her mother, Grayce Adina Johnson, who had “a fi erce belief in the power of Wellesley Policy: education,” and her grandmother, Louise Young, whose struggle with depression inspired Paula to One of the objectives of Wellesley, in the best College tradition, is to present interesting, study medicine. Of her mentors and role models—including Ruth Hubbard, Harvard University’s thought-provoking material, even though it fi rst tenured woman biology professor, and Shirley Chisholm, her congresswoman from Brooklyn. may be controversial. Publication of material “In these women,” Paula said, “I see the power of education to change women’s lives and create does not necessarily indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine, the a better world. I see the power of shared experience, shared ideas, shared commitments, across time Alumnae Association, or Wellesley College. and space, across cultures and identities. I give gratitude to them and for them. I give gratitude to be Wellesley magazine reserves the right to edit here and now, looking at our future, together.” and, when necessary, revise all material that The vision of the future that she set out unequivocally affi rmed what Wellesley’s role has been it accepts for publication. Unsolicited photo- and will continue to be under her leadership. “… [T]he surest way to change our fast-moving and graphs will be published at the discretion of the editor. complex world is through empowering women,” she said. “There is no better place to accelerate and maximize the full potential of women than Wellesley College.” KEEP WELLESLEY UP TO DATE! The Alumnae Office has a voice-mail box to It was that view of the future that brought chants of “PJ, PJ, PJ” from students, as well as a be used by alumnae for updating contact comment from Provost Andrew Shennan that the College has been “buoyed by the optimism and and other personal information. The number purpose [Paula has] brought to our campus.” is 1-800-339-5233. I encourage you to read excerpts of the inauguration speeches (“A Joyful Beginning,” page 16) You can also update your information online and enjoy the pictures here and in the gallery of our website (magazine.wellesley.edu). You might also when you visit the Alumnae Association website at www.wellesley.edu/alumnae. fi nd some of the same feeling in “For Our Old Ladies,” by Kate Erickson ’05 (page 22), who offers a lovely view of the way older generations of Wellesley alumnae help shape the younger ones. And DIRECT LINE PHONE NUMBERS College Switchboard 781-283-1000 “A Call to Teach” (page 24) will show you how some empowered Wellesley women are helping to Alumnae Office 781-283-2331 change “our fast-moving and complex world.” Magazine Office 781-283-2344 If you didn’t see the ceremony and want to get your True Blue on—or if you just want to relive Admission Office 781-283-2270 Career Education Office 781-283-2352 the day—you can watch the whole thing on the College’s YouTube channel. But be warned, it gets Resources Office 800-358-3543 a little loud. One of the class delegates remembers, “When President Johnson appeared, I thought INTERNET ADDRESSES the roof of the enormous tent … was going to lift off and go into orbit.” Have your hankies ready. www.wellesley.edu/alumnae magazine.wellesley.edu Alice M. Hummer, editor pg2-3_letters_final.indd 2 10/27/16 12:26 PM wellesley magazine FALL 2016 LETTERS 3 Letters to the Editor Wellesley welcomes short letters (300 words From the WCAA President maximum) relating to articles or items that have appeared in recent issues of the magazine. Send DEAR WELLESLEY COLLEGE ALUMNAE: and the transformative impact that our alma mater your remarks to the Editor, Wellesley magazine, It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome President can have on everyone’s future — socially, physically, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481-8203, Paula A. Johnson to the Wellesley alumnae com- economically, and politically. As Paula said when email your comments to magazine@wellesley. munity! Those alumnae who were able to attend she made her surprise appearance at reunion, there edu, or submit a letter via the magazine’s website, Paula’s inauguration as Wellesley’s 14th president were many forces that brought her to Wellesley, magazine.wellesley.edu.