Swarthmore College Alumni Bulletin 2019-10-01

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FAST TRACK

p20

NATURE ACCELERATES

p30

ONWARD AND UPWARD

p36

in this issue

2

20

Life in Motion

44

DIALOGUE

CLASS NOTES

Fast Track

Editor’s Column
Letters
Community Voices

Alumni News
and Events

Via road, rail, sky, and
space, Swarthmoreans
in transportation move
society forward.

Full Tilt

Inside the colorful world of
pinball with Matt Wall ’87.

Sabrina Singh ’15

by Karen Brooks

Books

Looking Back

Their Light Lives On

Archer Dodson Heinzen ’64

76
SPOKEN WORD

9

COMMON GOOD

The giraffe and the
pronghorn—genetic
cousins—face pressure
from humans and
environmental changes.
by Kate Campbell

Rob Bennett
& Joe McSwiggan

Swarthmore Stories
Quiz’more
Learning Curve

36

Jared Hunt ’19

Liberal Arts Lives
Marissa Colston ’00
Matt Neal ’98

Onward and Upward
The importance of keeping
mind, body, and spirit
engaged on the journey
toward advanced age.

COURTESY VERNON CHAPLIN ’07

by Elizabeth Slocum

LAURENCE KESTERSON

Ted Nyquist ’63
Sheveen Greene-Adenaike ’07

Global Thinking

Nature Accelerates

ON THE COVER
“So many species are disappearing at
an alarming rate,” says Liza Dadone ’97,
head veterinarian at Cheyenne
Mountain Zoo.

Profiles

Studentwise

Rebecca Castillo ’20

30

by Queen Muse

47

FEATURES

Vernon Chaplin ’07
stands beside a screen that
shows a live stream of a Hall
thruster being tested at the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
a Pasadena, Calif.-based
center where researchers
conceptualize and build
robotic spacecraft. Read
more about Chaplin’s work
on pg. 28.

Photo credit Cheyene Mountain Zoo

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dialogue

EDITOR’S COLUMN

Let It Flow

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN
Interim Editor
Kate Campbell
Class Notes Editor
Elizabeth Slocum
Senior Writer/Editor
Ryan Dougherty
Designer
Phillip Stern ’84
Photographer
Laurence Kesterson
Administrative Assistant
Lauren McAloon
Editorial Assistant
Eishna Ranganathan ’20

LAURENCE KESTERSON

Editor Emerita
Maralyn Orbison Gillespie ’49
bulletin.swarthmore.edu
facebook.com/SwarthmoreBulletin
instagram.com/SwarthmoreBulletin
Email: bulletin@swarthmore.edu
Telephone: 610-328-8533

At Swarthmore, ideas are always flowing, like this waterfall on Crum Creek near the Yale
Avenue bridge.

by

KATE
CAMPBELL
Interim Editor

“EVERYTHING flows and nothing abides;
everything gives way and nothing stays fixed.” That
was a claim of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus.
At Swarthmore, the stories flow—from pilots
flying high to conquer new horizons, scientists
trekking across grasslands to save vanishing
species, engineers studying bridges to build better
roads, doctors creating bikes for those who can’t
walk, hikers giving up and then refusing to give in,
community leaders organizing support systems for
the elderly and for refugees. Swarthmore alumni
break new ground—they continue to lead, they
continue to move.
They move systems, they move mountains, they
move people, they move … giraffes. They move
spacecraft, they move pinballs, they remove barriers.
It’s a dizzying ride.
Explore—and be thrilled by—Swarthmore’s life in
motion, through the steady eye of the Bulletin!

We welcome letters on subjects covered
in the magazine. We reserve the right to
edit letters for length, clarity, and style.
Views expressed in this magazine do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of the
editors or the official views or policies of
the College.
Send letters and story ideas to
bulletin@swarthmore.edu
Send address changes to
records@swarthmore.edu
The Swarthmore College Bulletin (ISSN
0888-2126), of which this is volume
CXVII, number I, is published in October,
January, April, and July by Swarthmore
College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore,
PA 19081-1390. Periodicals postage
paid at Philadelphia, PA and additional
mailing offices. Permit No. 0530-620.
Postmaster: Send address changes
to Alumni Records, 500 College Ave.,
Swarthmore, PA 19081-1390.
Printed with agri-based inks.
Please recycle after reading.
©2019 Swarthmore College.
Printed in USA.

pr inted w

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+ WRITE TO US: bulletin@swarthmore.edu

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H-UV

STORY PITCH

COLLECTIVE REFLECTION

I recently read a 1927 Grantland Rice article in an anthology
of great sportswriting (The Great American Sports Page, John
Schulian, ed.). In his article, about the deciding game of the 1924
World Series, he referred to a Washington Senators pitcher,
Warren Harvey Ogden, as “The Sheik of Swarthmore.” It piqued
my curiosity, so I googled him and found a bio on sabr.org, the
site of the Society of American Baseball Research. … I miss the
stories from Swarthmore history that were a regular feature of the
Bulletin. Even if this suggestion doesn’t make the cut, I would like
to see more such stories.
—JACK RIGGS ’64, Washington, D.C.

In “Collective Reflection” (summer 2019), President Valerie
Smith said that “exclusive, dues-paying social organizations
no longer effectively meet the needs of our residential
liberal arts environment.” Delta Upsilon played a huge role in
helping me succeed at Swarthmore. It was the affinity group
that provided those of us with a less-than-ideal, small-town
secondary education with the fellowship that helped us cope
with Swarthmore’s stress and intellectual demands. Without the
fraternity, I don’t believe I would have graduated. I contend that
even today, students with backgrounds like mine need a place
where they can feel safe and relax with others who are having
trouble with the rigors of Swarthmore. Note, too, that the dues
paid by members allowed DU to sponsor inclusive parties for the
entire campus.
President Smith has said that “civility and dissent must
coexist.” Apparently, and unfortunately, intimidation trumped
civility this spring, and I am concerned that the Swarthmore I
knew is being replaced by one that doesn’t foster open discourse
and peaceful resolution. I’m afraid that being “politically correct”
is now more important than being inclusive of all points of view.
Swarthmore needs to be careful that it doesn’t become a
school solely for the brightest, most liberal and academically
driven students. Personal and professional success, to a large
degree, is based on common sense and strong social and
emotional skills. Fraternities attract students with those traits;
they provide diversity to the campus and can help other students
understand the “real world.”
President Smith wrote me in mid-May and said: “I share your
deep concern that the spirit of intolerance that has pervaded
so much of the national culture seems to exist at Swarthmore.
We must actively resist this tendency, though I have no easy
solutions to offer.” Please help President Smith find solutions.
—RANDALL LARRIMORE ’69, Bethany Beach, Del.

SHORTFALL OF ‘ICARUS’
In response to the summer 2019 Bulletin column about the
“Fall of Icarus”: As far as I recall, this part of the story of
Daedalus and his son was traditionally interpreted as an
object lesson in hubris. … Therefore, I must object to your
idea that, without the humanities, “we float uninformed
into the universe and, like Icarus, into dangerous territory
without the benefit of the right tools.” What Icarus lacked
was not the right tools—his wings permitted him to escape
from the labyrinth—but respect the limits set by reason and
the material universe. The death of Icarus through hubris
was understood as a deterrent, not as an encouragement to
risk-taking to the point of self-sacrifice.
—JEAN-MARIE CLARKE ’74, Staufen, Germany

ROYAL MEMORIES
The story about May Queens in the summer 2019 Bulletin
(“Crowning Glory”) brought back memories. I was a member
of Swarthmore’s faculty from 1957 to 1961, and in the spring
of 1960, my daughter Melissa, then 5 years old, participated
in the May Queen celebration by carrying the crown.
Melissa earned an engineering degree from Montana State
University, where I was a faculty member and administrator,
and later received an MBA from the University of New
Mexico. For many years, she was a staff member in HewlettPackard’s research and development operation. When she
retired, her name was on 40 patents.
—IRVING E. DAYTON ’48, Corvallis, Ore.

Thank you, Maxine
It is wonderful to learn that Maxine Frank Singer ’52, H’78 is
being honored with a science building in her name.
When I was a freshman, I spent study time in a small
women’s lounge in Parrish. There I met Maxine. She was
kind enough to help me through my struggles with Advanced
Algebra. I got a B in the course, but I don’t recall thanking her
properly for her support and generosity. I would like to thank
her now; not for passing the math course, but for being there
at a difficult time.
—ELLEN GINSBERG GERTNER ’55, Clifton, N.J.

#COMPASSION
So grateful for my feature in the Swarthmore College alumni
magazine! Featured alongside other physicians, I talk about how
studying religion and biology as an undergrad influenced my
practice of #medicine. #compassionateleadership
—KENDRA McDOW ’07, Washington, D.C., via LinkedIn

ks

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LETTERS

in

Correction: In our printing of Chagall’s The Fall of Icarus (summer 2019), we regret
that we omitted the licensor and source of the image: Atrepics/Alamy Stock Photo.

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Her Swarthmore education and the struggles of people she’s met have made Sabrina
Singh ’15 aware of inequalities on an international scale.
COMMUNITY VOICES

VISIBLE, INVISIBLE
Global citizenship in an era of uncertainty

with were returnee migrant laborers
WHAT DOES a goat farmer, a mother
or had family members abroad. In
of two young children from a village in
peripheries of the world economy,
Nepal, have to do with the rest of the
people like Rupa and her husband are
world?
not uncommon. Migrant laborers like
Rupa lives in Palpa, in western
her husband have toiled in American
Nepal. After years of working on
military base camps during the Iraq
someone else’s farm, she urged her
War and built World Cup soccer
husband to move to the Middle East
stadiums for the world to enjoy.
to work as a laborer to help the family
But they are hidden: They do not yet
survive. Now, he sends money home
have an equal voice to
periodically, which
shape the global world
allows her to invest in
by
order, even as they are a
her own small goat farm
critical backbone to it.
and earn enough to send
A glimpse into their
her children to school.
world was a practical
I met Rupa about a
extension of my
year after graduating
theoretical education at
from Swarthmore
Swarthmore. In political science and
while working at a nonprofit that
anthropology classes of professors
accelerated micro-businesses of rural
like Ayse Kaya and Christopher
entrepreneurs in my home country of
Fraga, I learned to understand and
Nepal. Many of the farmers we worked

SABRINA SINGH ’15
Law Student

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Swarthmore College Bulletin /

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ask critical questions about global
interconnectedness. I learned that
the actions of large multinational
corporations, or the policy decisions
of developed countries’ governments,
can be felt in the remotest corners of
the world.
Using the global lens I learned at
Swarthmore has made intuitive sense
to me, perhaps because of my own
family’s transnational experience.
When I was just a few years old, my
father migrated abroad in hopes of
upward economic mobility.
In the mid-1990s, even after the
introduction of multiparty democracy,
Nepal’s economy was struggling and a
civil war was looming. As the tourism
industry came to a standstill around
him, my father felt compelled to leave
his family behind and travel for work
to places like Malaysia, Mauritius,
and Papua New Guinea. As a toddler,
I remember my mother putting my
sister and me to bed early to wait
for my father’s monthly phone call.
Sometimes, I would wake up at night to
find that my father was home, after not
seeing him for a year or longer.
My parents’ sacrifices, my education
at Swarthmore, and the struggles of
people I have met (like Rupa) have
made me aware of inequalities on a
global scale. They have also made me
hopeful that we can translate this
awareness into action to make this
global system work: realize the basic
right to have a decent living for all and
address abject poverty and inequality.
I believe it is exactly in these
uncertain times that we should strive
to move toward those made invisible
by today’s global conversations. In
uncertainty, the instinct may be to
return to one’s shell and try to cling to
boundaries and identities.
But a female farmer from one corner
of the world is a member of our global
political and economic community,
whether she is visible or not. In these
margins and peripheries, we can find
hope and purpose for a more equal and
inclusive world.
SABRINA SINGH ’15 is an
international law and human rights
student at Harvard Law School.

JULIA ZIMMERMAN

LAURENCE KESTERSON

dialogue

Rebecca Castillo ’20 used a Project Pericles grant to launch Storyboard, a summer storytelling program for high schoolers.

STUDENTWISE: ACTIVE VOICE

Empowering underrepresented youth to share their own stories
by Rebecca Castillo ’20

B

EFORE I ARRIVED at Swarthmore, I
worked at the Los Angeles Times as an
editorial intern. I’d always been passionate
about writing, but working at the Times
gave me the photography, filmmaking, and
social justice education that I didn’t find at

my high school.
That summer, I learned the power of digital media in
inspiring social change, as well as the power of youth voices.
I had the opportunity to interview and share the stories of
people from all sorts of backgrounds, but I couldn’t help but
wonder how different their stories would be if they were the
ones telling them. As the daughter of Latino immigrants, it’s
incredibly frustrating to see people who have no idea what
it’s like to be part of my community control the narratives
about it.
During my sophomore year at Swarthmore, I attended an
information session at the Lang Center for Civic & Social
Responsibility where I learned about Project Pericles, a
$25,000 grant for groups of students implementing projects
with a social justice mission. That was when I created the
concept of Storyboard, a summer program teaching high
school students how to use storytelling for social change,
and providing them with the tools and resources to share the
stories impacting their communities.

Storyboard had its first program in Los Angeles during
summer 2018 with 10 high school girls from across the city.
Each student applied to the program with a pitch of a story
they wanted to tell, with topics including immigration,
mental health awareness, and LGBTQ+ issues.
By the end of the four-week program, each student had
produced a mini-documentary, photo essay, and article
addressing their topic. I’ve been deeply impressed and
inspired by the students I’ve worked with, and I’ve learned
so much from them. I have loved being able to work in my
community.
On my 20th birthday last fall, I was honored at a
conference hosted by the Clinton Foundation, where I
received another grant to expand Storyboard to New York—
the best birthday present I could’ve asked for. I’ll always
remember the moment my friends led the hundreds of
people in the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” to me. It will
be hard to top that birthday.
Storyboard just wrapped up its second summer program
in Los Angeles. Swarthmore gave me the tools and support to
achieve this, and for that I’ll always be thankful. Storyboard
hasn’t always been easy, but it’s definitely been worth it.

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dialogue
Submit your publication for consideration: books@swarthmore.edu

BEHIND THE BOOK

HOT TYPE: New releases by Swarthmoreans

A MUSICAL INHERITANCE
by Elizabeth Redden ’05

William D. Ehrhart ’73

Thank You for Your Service:
Collected Poems
McFarland & Co.
Fifty-five years of poetry comes
together in this new collection. Ehrhart
is best known for his poems about the
Vietnam War, but, as he writes, “while
the American War in Vietnam and its
continuing echoes and repercussions
have always been a subject of mine, it has
hardly been my only subject.” Among the
poems in this career-spanning collection
is “To Swarthmore,” which Ehrhart wrote
as a student in 1971.

In The Nightingale’s Sonata: The Musical Odyssey of Lea
Luboshutz (Pegasus Books, 2019), Thomas Wolf ’68 explores
the musical and familial legacy of his grandmother Lea, a
Russian émigré violinist whose prodigious talent took her
from a childhood as a poor Yiddish-speaking Jewish girl in
Odessa to an international performing career.
Wolf also writes about many other members of his highly
talented musical family—among them his brother, the pianist
Andrew Wolf; his great-aunt Anna Luboshutz, a cellist
whose career resembled what might have been Lea’s had she
stayed in the Soviet Union; his great-uncle Pierre Luboshutz,
part of the acclaimed piano duo Luboshutz & Nemenoff; and
his uncle Boris Goldovsky, a pianist, conductor, and opera
producer popularly known for his radio commentaries for
the Metropolitan Opera.
But the magnetic Lea—a legendary krasavitsa (remarkable
beauty) in her younger years—figures at the heart of the
book. Wolf attempts an honest appraisal of her musical
legacy. “Perhaps,” he writes, “I could admire my grandmother
not only as the woman who had forged a successful career in
the male-dominated, cutthroat world of solo violin playing in
the first half of the 20th century but also someone who had
been a rare and special musician.”

Heather Rigney Shumaker ’91

The Griffins of Castle Cary
Simon & Schuster
A sibling adventure turns into a mysterysolving expedition in Shumaker’s
children’s book, geared for ages 8-12. On
a visit to their eccentric aunt, the Griffin
kids encounter ghosts, town secrets,
and a giant Newfoundland dog in a
“delightfully spooky” race to find some
answers.

ages who are either starting a career in
medicine or considering a career change
into the field, offering insight into what
it takes to become a competitive medical
school applicant.
Andrea Bear Rugh ’57

Egyptian Advice Columnists:
Envisioning the Good Life
in an Era of Extremism
DIO Press
Middle East scholar Rugh’s latest book
shares insight into the thoughts of
columnist Abdul Wahab al-Mutawa on
the problems with Egypt’s government
services during the 1980s, when religious
conservatism was heightened. “This
book is the first to plumb the depths
of personal experience in the volatile
1980s, showing people’s desire for moral
certainty and laying the groundwork for
the disruptions behind the Uprising of
2011,” she writes.

Susan Morrison Walcott ’71

Weaving Identity: Textiles, Global
Modernization and Harris Tweed
Ingramspark
In her first nonacademic book, Walcott
explores the process of transition
through the tale of a textile, Harris Tweed.
From Scotland to locales all around the
world, this textile has been involved
in wars, famine, industrialization, and
modernization.
Diane di Prima ’55

Haiku
X Artists’ Books
This 50th anniversary reprinting—bound
in a book for the first time—celebrates the
mid-’60s collaboration of influential Beat
Generation poet di Prima and West Coast
assemblage artist George Herms. With an
introduction by curator Sarah C. Bancroft,
Haiku features 32 seasonal poems by
di Prima and 36 woodcuts they inspired.

Leading Men
by Elizabeth Redden ’05

Christopher Castellani ’94’s fourth
novel, Leading Men (Viking), takes
as its subject the real-life love story
of Tennessee Williams and Frank
Merlo. Castellani first encountered
Merlo more than 20 years ago in a
memoir about Williams picked up
in Wilmington, Del. “I remember
standing in the aisle of the store
reading about this working-class
gay Italian guy from New Jersey
who’d been the lover of Tennessee
Williams, and who died at 40 after
days of waiting for one last visit
from the great writer with whom
he’d spent most of his adult life,”
he writes. “There I was, a 25-yearold working-class gay Italian guy
from Delaware with dreams of
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being a writer myself, feeling an instant
kinship—which eventually became an
obsession—with both men: the neurotic
and ambitious Tenn and the steadfast
and searching Frank.”
Leading Men opens at a sparkling
party in Portofino, Italy, hosted by
Truman Capote, ushering the reader into
Williams and Merlo’s world of “women
in electric dresses, men in monkey suits
and bow ties made of white silk. Cognac,
cigars, wine. The sky turquoise even
when it was grey.”
New York Times book critic Dwight
Garner writes that Castellani’s novel
“casts a spell right from the start.”
“This writer’s scenes glitter,” Garner
writes, “and they have a strong sexual
pulse.”

Andrew Feffer ’77

William Kirby ’82 and Kirsten Kirby

Your White Coat is Waiting:
Vital Advice for Pre-Meds
Kirby Career Advising
A formidable pair, Dr. William Kirby and
his daughter, a premed adviser who
previously worked at Johns Hopkins
University and Franklin & Marshall
College, share their combined experience
and expertise for this book. It provides
useful information for students of all

Bad Faith: Teachers, Liberalism,
and the Origins of McCarthyism
Fordham University Press
Feffer explores the Rapp-Coudert
investigation during the summer of 1940,
challenging the origins of McCarthyism
and raising difficult questions about
the Red Scare. “Bad Faith provides
the first full history of this witch-hunt,
which lasted from August 1940 to March
1942,” his publisher writes. “Anticipating
McCarthyism and making it possible, the
episode would have repercussions for
decades to come.”

Emily Remus ’06

A Shoppers’ Paradise: How the Ladies
of Chicago Claimed Power and Pleasure
in the New Downtown
Harvard University Press
Ever wondered about the phrase “Women
were born to shop”? A Shoppers’ Paradise
powerfully dispels that myth. Remus
explains how women in turn-of-the-20thcentury Chicago used their “consumer
power to challenge male domination of
public spaces and stake their own claim
to downtown.”
—LAUREN McALOON AND
ELIZABETH REDDEN ’05

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common good

dialogue

SHARING SUCCESS AND STORIES OF SWARTHMORE

VALIANT AND CREATIVE
Empowering rural communities in Central America
ARCHER DODSON HEINZEN ’64
eventually got used to taking a car or
truck to a certain point and then being
met by someone with a couple of mules
to ride the rest of the way.
The founder of Co-partners of
Campesinas, a nonprofit focused on
women and youth in El Salvador and
Guatemala, knows that staying flexible
is a key to success. The organization
cooperates with community groups
in rural corners of Central America to
fund scholarships, vocational classes,
and leadership programs. Its motto:
“Learn, earn, lead.”
“Trips to visit the communities
that the women come from are always
fascinating,” says Heinzen, who was
honored in June at Alumni Weekend
with Swarthmore’s Arabella Carter
Community Service Award for her
work with Co-partners. “Visiting one
house, the woman went out to her
garden and picked a papaya. Then she
pulled a machete out of the house’s
thatched roof—over the centuries the
blades were stored in the rafters—and
cut the papaya with a machete.”
A very normal, if unexpected,
culinary storing practice for rural life.
Heinzen’s passion for working with
campesinas (rural women)—and for
Latin America—dates to her start with
the Peace Corps after graduating from
Swarthmore. As an art history major
with an interest in Asian art, she’d had
her heart set on going to India. But
the Peace Corps had other plans. A
Latin America initiative to help people
earn income from their craftwork was
starting up. Despite the fact that she
didn’t speak Spanish, Heinzen was

asked to go to Peru.
“It’s kind of wild that my art history
major ended up putting me in Latin
America and that formed the rest of my
life,” she says.
After the Peace Corps, Heinzen
earned a doctorate in counseling
psychology from Michigan State
University, and she and her husband,
James—whom she met in Peru—
bounced between the U.S. and Latin
America for James’s jobs in global
development. After a total of 12 years
in Latin America (the couple had two
of their three children there), the
family moved to El Salvador in 1992,
just as the country’s civil war had
ended.
In El Salvador, Heinzen worked
for the U.S. Agency for International
Development doing ex-combatant
training. One day a co-worker, a
young man, extended an invitation to
meet his mother. “I was so impressed
with the women who were poor,
but so creative and so valiant, that I
went back the next Saturday and the
Saturday after that. That was the same
inspiration that made me not want to
leave them when we left El Salvador
but to continue supporting them.”
Heinzen founded Co-partners
in 1997 after moving to northern
Virginia, where she still lives. Working
with three local organizations in
El Salvador and one in Guatemala,
Co-partners has provided more than
3,000 students with scholarships for
school supplies or transportation, and
helped more than 2,000 women and
youth enroll in vocational courses.
More than half report making an

“This work has provided in some
ways a structure for my life.”
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LAURENCE KESTERSON

by Elizabeth Redden ’05

ARCHER DODSON
HEINZEN ’64
Activist

income from their new skills, Heinzen
says. In one case, a group of women
who completed dressmaking and
tailoring classes formed an unofficial
co-op and successfully bid for a
contract to produce uniforms for
an entire school. One of the women,
Aracely Guevara, became the main
seamstress for her town and now
teaches dressmaking.
Heinzen, who gradually shifted her
career focus to development consulting,
considers Co-partners to be “almost an
unofficial project of the Class of ’64”
because of the support she’s received
from classmates. “Multiple class
members have been very generous in
their contributions and consistent over
the years,” she says.
Elizabeth Morrow Edwards
’64 and Lydia Razran Stone ’64
have volunteered on trips to
Central America and served on the
organization’s board. “Archer took care
of these women,” Stone says, including
offering classes and apprenticeships.
For Heinzen, who volunteers all her
time to the organization, Co-partners
remains a passion project. “This work
has provided in some ways a structure
for my life for the last 25 years,” she
says, “… to try to solve things that need
solving.”

ON THE
WEB

Celebrating

black excellence

At Swarthmore College
CELEBRATING
Honoring Our Past,
BLACK
EXCELLENCE
Imagining Our Futures
The 2019–20 academic
year marks significant
milestones Swarthmore’s
history, including the
50th anniversary of the
Black Cultural Center, the
50th anniversary of the
Black Studies Program,
and the 25th anniversary
of the Chester Children’s
Chorus. With these
occasions in mind, the
2019–20 academic year is
dedicated to Celebrating
Black Excellence at
Swarthmore: Honoring
Our Past, Imagining Our
Futures. The College’s
Black Excellence
website is an invitation
to members of the
community to explore
some of the many
moments in Swarthmore’s
history that form
the basis on which
today’s successes and
aspirations rely.

+ VISIT

swarthmore.edu/
black-excellence

FIRST COLLECTION
Class of 2023 gathered
for reflection in the
Scott Arboretum

+ TRADITION

bit.ly/SwatCollection

SKYLER LEWIS

GLOBAL THINKING

LET’S MOVE!

Breath of
Fresh Air

OLIVIA ORTIZ ’16 (above, on a trip to Utah) is working
to make it safer and easier to ride bikes, walk, and take
public transportation. “It’s an integral part in creating a
sustainable transportation future for Philadelphia,” says
Ortiz, transportation outreach coordinator for Clean Air
Council. “From eliminating traffic fatalities and serious
injuries by giving preference to pedestrians and cyclists
over car traffic on roads; to lowering congestion and
improving local air quality; to mitigating climate change
by lowering vehicular air pollution—the future of most
cities depends on creating a transportation landscape
largely without cars,” say Ortiz, who runs Go Philly Go’s
social media.

FALL 2019

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9

common good

YOU ARE CHANGING LIVES
AND CHANGING THE WORLD.
THANK YOU.
by Emily Weisgrau

+

10

MAKE A GIFT: lifechanging.swarthmore.edu/get-involved

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

STAR POWER
Faculty, students, and alumni affiliated
with Swarthmore College’s Film & Media
Studies Department showcased their
work at the eighth annual BlackStar
Film Festival in Philadelphia this August.
The four-day event celebrated visual
storytelling from Black, Brown, and
Indigenous filmmakers from around the
world.
Visiting Assistant Professor Rodney
Evans screened the Philadelphia premiere
of his film Vision Portraits, an exploration
of blind and visually impaired artists,
including himself. David Molina Cavazos
’20, a film & media studies major from
Hanford, Calif., had his documentary
short, Hip Hop Showcase, accepted as
well. Molina began developing the project
in Evans’s advanced production course
and continued working on it after the
class had ended. The short follows three
Swarthmore hip-hop artists and “provides
a window into not just the lives of the
individual students featured in the film
but also the challenges that students
of color more broadly experience at
institutions like Swarthmore.”
“I received a lot of guidance from
Rodney through the production course,”
says Molina. “I submitted my project
to BlackStar largely because of how
much positive feedback I received from
faculty and students who saw the rough
version of the film at the end-of-semester
screening.”
Selah and the Spades, written and
directed by Tayarisha Poe ’12 and
produced by Lauren McBride ’10, won
Best Narrative Feature. The film, which is
set in a prestigious boarding school and
centers on a powerful student faction,
was previously screened at the Sundance
Film Festival and has been acquired by
Amazon Studios for development as an
original series. —ROY GREIM ’14

LAURENCE KESTERSON

FROM July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, alumni, parents, students, faculty,
staff, and friends contributed more than $37.2 million to support
Swarthmore.
The majority of those 7,831 donors gave through The Swarthmore
Fund, and 67 percent of gifts were $100 or less. The Swarthmore Fund
total of $6.37 million—a record for the College—is the equivalent of 93
scholarships covering full billed costs (tuition, room and board, and
student activities fee).
In fact, much of the grand total raised will support financial aid, but
donors also directed their gifts to other priorities of the Changing Lives,
Changing the World campaign, and that generosity is already having a
positive impact:
• Phase 1 construction of Maxine Frank Singer ’52 Hall neared
completion. Eighteen members of the Board of Managers gave a
combined $160,000 to name the Psychology Department seminar room
for Carol Friedman Gilligan ’58, H’85 and the Biology Department “front
porch” for Isaac H. Clothier Jr. Professor of Biology Amy Cheng Vollmer.
They hope their contribution will inspire others to follow their lead in
recognizing Swarthmore women in science.
• A new tenure-track faculty position was approved for a specialist in
Black Studies with a concentration in African American and Africandiasporic music, especially jazz. The faculty member, to begin teaching
in fall 2020, will offer interdisciplinary music courses, expand the reach
of the Music Program, and help cultivate interest in Black Studies.
An Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant will seed this position, but
permanent funding is still needed from donors.
• Design work has begun on the Sharples Dining and Community
Commons project, which will transform the space into a student center
with larger, modernized dining facilities that support Swarthmore’s
commitment to sustainability. A major gift from Campaign Chair Gil
Kemp ’72 and Barbara Guss has provided funding for the initial stages of
this project. “I hope our gift will inspire others to give back in whatever
way you can,” Kemp said.
We hope so, too.
Change lives and change the world with a current, endowed, or
deferred gift before the campaign ends on June 30, 2020.

President Valerie Smith walks with Jim Terhune, who was named vice president and dean of students in April.

Forward Motion

W

ith more than 30 years of experience in
student affairs, Jim Terhune joined the
Swarthmore community last summer
as interim dean of students. In April,
President Valerie Smith named him to his
current role of vice president and dean of
students through the 2020–21 academic year.
Smith noted that in his brief time on campus, Terhune
had changed the class dean structure to improve access
and consistency for students, increased avenues of
communication with student government, and partnered
with the Title IX Office to continue to evolve the process for
addressing complaints.
Terhune continues to concentrate his efforts on
supporting the intellectual and social development of all
students and better align the work of the Dean’s Division
with the academic goals of the College. He is also refining
the division’s organizational structure and resources to best
serve students, and working to develop meaningful student

participation in discussions of important campus issues.
“Our focus,” Terhune says, “is on providing holistic
individual support and ensuring that all students have
equal opportunities to participate fully in a robust range of
social and cocurricular programs and activities.”
As part of Swarthmore’s ongoing efforts to reimagine
campus social life, Smith charged Terhune and Provost
and Dean of the Faculty Sarah Willie-LeBreton to engage
students, faculty, and staff in an initiative aimed at
strengthening and expanding meaningful relationships
within the campus community. Terhune says that work will
begin in earnest later this fall and continue into the spring
semester.
“We are at a critical moment,” says Smith. “Especially as
we envision new social spaces on campus as part of the
planned Sharples Dining and Community Commons project,
we have the opportunity to ensure students can thrive
socially as well as academically.”

FALL 2019

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common good

NEW VICE PRESIDENT
FOR COMMUNICATIONS

Garnet Athletics
Hall of Fame Class of 2019
by Brandon Hodnett

THE 2019 CLASS of the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame was inducted
Oct. 4 during Garnet Weekend, as the athletic department welcomed in
four former student-athletes, one athletic trainer, and one team.
Joining the Hall were MLB pitcher George “Moose” Earnshaw, Class
of 1923; longtime trainer Ruff Herndon; soccer and track star Caitlin
Mullarkey ’09; five-time All-American swimmer Cathy Polinsky ’99;
three-sport captain Michelle Walsh ’98; and the 1974 men’s soccer team.
Established in 2012, the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame honors the
student-athletes and administrators who have contributed to the
College’s success. The 2019 class was chosen from more than 200
nominations by a selection committee of administrators, coaches, and
alumni for their significant and distinctive impact on Swarthmore
College athletics and the College itself.

+

READ MORE: bit.ly/GarnetHonors

POLITICS, UNPACKED
Jason Zengerle ’96, a contributing writer for The New York
Times Magazine and a correspondent for GQ, was honored
with the 2019 Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting,
presented by Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public
Communications. Zengerle was recognized for his articles
exploring the trickle-down effects of the Trump presidency

12

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

on the House Intelligence Committee; the remaking of the
federal courts; and the political promise and peril it has
posed for certain Democrats. “There is so much richness in
the storytelling,” one judge said of Zengerle’s entry, “lots of
politics, policy, and humanity—all providing insight into the
political and legislative process.”

PHOTO COURTESY THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

Honored as part of the 2019 Class of the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame were the
1974 Garnet men’s soccer team (top), as well as George “Moose” Earnshaw, Class of
1923 (bottom, from left); Cathy Polinsky ’99; Michelle Walsh ’98; Caitlin Mullarkey ’09;
and Ruff Herndon.

Andy Hirsch joined Swarthmore College on July 1
as vice president for communications. With more
than 17 years of communications experience, he
was selected after a national search.
“Swarthmore has an incredible story to
tell—rooted in its commitment to access,
its sense of responsible citizenship, and its
fundamental belief that broadly educated
individuals can bring about meaningful positive
change throughout society,” says Hirsch. “I
am incredibly excited
and grateful to join
this community of
intelligent, thoughtful,
and creative people to
help tell that story to
the world.”
Hirsch joins
Swarthmore from
Bucknell University,
where he started in
2011 as director of
media communications and, since 2014, had
served as chief communications officer. He led
Bucknell’s editorial, photography, videography,
graphic design, media relations, and print
production efforts; website and social media
channels; crisis communications; and mail
services.
Prior to that, he worked as an Emmy Awardwinning broadcast journalist in television
markets across the country, including Columbus,
Ohio, and Scranton, Pa. Hirsch earned a B.S.
in both broadcast journalism and speech
communication from Syracuse University.
At Swarthmore, he oversees all aspects
of the Communications Office, including
admissions and advancement communications,
web and digital communications, media
relations, and the Bulletin.

NEW INSIGHTS

“Science is a social enterprise,” says John Hopfield ’54, H’92
(right), the 2019 recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Medal in
Physics. “Without interesting interactions, and interesting people
to pursue it with, I just can’t make much progress.”

CREATOR OF WORLDS

His scientific solutions laid the
foundation for today’s technology
by Amanda Whitbred and Elizabeth Slocum

T

HROUGHOUT the course of his
extraordinary life and career, John Hopfield
’54, H’92 has been driven by one simple
question: How does this work?
It’s what motivated him to disassemble
bikes as a child; what inspired him to pursue
advanced studies in physics; what moved him into the
fledgling field of theoretical neuroscience.
And, ultimately, what led him to receive one of science’s
most prestigious honors: the Franklin Institute’s Benjamin
Franklin Medal in Physics.
“I grew up in a household that taught me that the world
is understandable,” says Hopfield, the son of two physicists
and the Howard A. Prior Professor Emeritus of Molecular
Biology at Princeton. “You can take it apart, put it back
together, and understand how it functions—even build
something new.”
By following this approach, Hopfield bridged a scientific
divide, crossing from physics to biology, engineering,
psychology, and beyond. In its award citation, the Franklin

Institute recognized Hopfield “for applying concepts of
theoretical physics to provide new insights on important
biological questions in a variety of areas, including
neuroscience and genetics, with significant impact on
machine learning, an area of computer science.”
“No Franklin Medal in Physics before this has had even
a little toe in biology,” notes Hopfield, making the award
especially meaningful to the 2019 honoree. “In recognizing
my work, the Franklin Institute is including the physics of
biology as a part of the broad enterprise called physics.”
Hopfield arrived at Swarthmore planning to study physics
or chemistry, but his adviser—familiar with his upbringing—
immediately crossed the latter off the list.
“I think that’s what would have happened anyway,” Hopfield
says, “but in hindsight, it was a powerful piece of guidance.”
Beyond the science labs, Hopfield found inspiration at
the weekly, mandatory Collection, where he heard such
speakers as the ACLU’s Roger Nash Baldwin and Socialist
presidential candidate Norman Thomas. The assemblies
broadened his outlook on moral, political, and economic
issues, and solidified his belief that our complex world could
be explained.
Hopfield went on to receive a Ph.D. from Cornell
before joining the technical staff of the prestigious Bell
Laboratories, focusing on solid-state physics. But 10 years
into his career, the problems that initially piqued his interest
were being solved.
“You would look at something and ask, ‘I wonder what
caused that effect?’” says Hopfield. “But if the world was
less a place of wonder because you understood many more
of those things, then where were you going to get your
questions from?”
He found them in biology, attracted by a chemical
physicist who had begun taking measurements of biological
molecules. Hopfield showed that the chemical reaction
pathways in a cell are arranged in a pattern that produces
accuracy enhancement in critical processes. This molecularlevel process is closely related to our macroscopic ability to
type a page accurately by proofreading and correcting errors.
In the 1980s, drawn to the mysteries of the mind, Hopfield
developed an artificial neural network model of the change
with time of nerve cell activity patterns. The construct—
which can mimic several brain functions, like the ability to
recall simple memories from a fragmentary clue—is central
to many “deep learning” technologies of today, such as verbal
communication between humans and machines and selfdriving cars.
Hopfield acknowledges that his gift is in framing simple
questions that contain the essence of a complex situation.
Since retiring a decade ago from Princeton University’s
Department of Molecular Biology, Hopfield has served
as a mentor for postdoctoral scientists interested in the
intersection of physics and biology, chiefly at the Institute
of Advanced Study. But rather than helping them solve
problems, Hopfield helps them find new puzzles to pursue.
“My scientific life,” he says, “has always been about finding
a problem to work on.”
FALL 2019

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13

common good

FRIENDS HISTORICAL LIBRARY

by Ryan Dougherty

Anna Gillingham with 3-month-old Leilani, August 1938.

SECOND LOOKS

How a Class of 1900 alumna
influenced dyslexia research

+

READ MORE: bit.ly/AccessatSwat

by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen ’09

Rhythm Master

IN CERTAINLY the greatest irony of her life, The New
York Times misspelled the name of dyslexia researcher
Anna Gillingham, Class of 1900, in her obituary: “Anna
Dillingham, an early authority on the teaching of remedial reading methods, died Thursday,” the Times wrote in
1964. Apparently, the newspaper itself was in need of a
remedial copy editor.
Gillingham’s life is deserving of a second look.
More than half a century later, her teaching approach,
known as the Orton–Gillingham method, is still the
foundation of the most common methods for teaching
children with dyslexia how to read. And in addition to
misspelling her name, the Times left out quite a few
interesting and significant facts about her life. What
better time than October, Dyslexia Awareness Month,
to explore her life and legacy?

JOSEPH TAKAHASHI ’74, a noted neuroscientist at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas,
was recently awarded the 2019 Gruber Neuroscience Prize
for his pioneering work on the molecular and genetic basis of
circadian rhythms in mammals.
Takahashi, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
investigator and the Loyd B. Sands Distinguished Chair in
Neuroscience at UT Southwestern, is perhaps best known
for his team’s discovery of the Clock gene in mice, which is a
master regulator of circadian rhythms in mammals.
The award citation recognizes how Takahashi’s “use
of innovative approaches to observe Clock oscillations
throughout the body in real time has revealed the broader
impact of the circadian system in regulating the timing of
cellular events in health and disease.”
Presented by the Gruber Foundation, the Neuroscience
Prize honors scientists for major discoveries that have
advanced the understanding of the nervous system, and
includes a $500,000 unrestricted cash award.

+

14

Swarthmore hosted its third annual College Access Summit
this summer, bringing together more than 80 high school
counselors, community-based organization advisers, and
college admissions officers to brainstorm ways to boost
college access for underrepresented students by reducing
barriers and building collaboration.
The summit included an immersive college counseling
experience. Facilitators from Philadelphia public schools and
nonprofits guided attendees through three module sessions:
building a college list, serving on a mock admissions
committee, and selecting a college. The attendees
considered the backgrounds and best outcomes for four
fictitious underrepresented students. In doing so, they
gleaned insights from the perspectives of those students and
their families, as well as those of college admissions officers.
“The module format replicates the real challenges and
issues counselors face with incomplete information, new
circumstances and challenges coming from all directions,
and advising very different students with unique assets and
issues,” says Andrew Moe, director of admissions.
The College Access Summit is free of charge to attendees,
many of whom have never had the opportunity to participate
in professional development programming, and counselors
are reimbursed for any expenses they incur.
“Just like we need to break down barriers for students,”
says Moe, “we need to do the same for the adults who serve
them.”

READ MORE: bulletin.swarthmore.edu

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

MOVING
MOUNTAINS
Disputed views
at Mauna Kea
by Brittni Teresi ’19

THE COMPLEXITY of Hawaii’s
landscape and culture is evident as
many Native Hawaiians gather at
the base of Mauna Kea—the largest
mountain from the base of the ocean
floor—to speak out against the building
of the Thirty Meter Telescope at its
peak.
For the sciences, the telescope—
commonly referred to as TMT—would
provide groundbreaking discoveries
about space and the night sky.
Its placement on Mauna Kea would
provide exceptionally clear images
since the mountain’s peak is located 40
percent above Earth’s atmosphere.
Yet, for many Native Hawaiians,
Mauna Kea is a sacred site that serves
as the bridge from the Earth to the
heavens. In the past, only royalty and
Hawaiian priests were allowed at the
summit. To this day, it remains a place
of worship and a home to Hawaiian
gods.
While some leaders and organizations
have remained disengaged from the
TMT struggle, Lt. Gov. Josh Green ’92
wanted to learn more.

GREG CHAVDARIAN, AERIALGREG.COM

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

Full moon rising within Mauna Kea’s shadow. The triangular appearance of a shadow cast
by the mountain’s irregular profile is created by the perspective of the distant mountaintop
view through the dense atmosphere.

Green, who is also an emergency
room doctor, traveled to Hawaii Island
with food and medical supplies to meet
with community members days after
the protests began in July. His goal
was to show compassion for Native
Hawaiians, who call themselves the
protectors of Mauna Kea.
“The protectors and kapuna [elders]
needed to be heard and protected,”
says Green. “I had worked on the Big
Island as a doctor for 15 years. For me,
I couldn’t not go.”
The protesters welcomed Green with
hugs and a tour of their sanctuary at the
base of the mountain. The time on the
mountain helped him to understand more
about Hawaiian culture, says Green.

“The experience is about much more
than the telescope,” he says. “It’s about
people and their place in the world.”
Green expressed his gratitude to
Swarthmore for instilling confidence
in him to listen to both sides of an
argument. He encouraged other
Swatties to continue to engage with
issues in their own communities.
“Our education puts us in a unique
and powerful position to be able to do
that,” he says.

IN MEMORY OF TWO FRIENDS
Eva Foldes Travers, professor emerita of
educational studies, died July 13 on Cape
Cod. Remembered for her gracious spirit,
as well as for her support of students,
teachers, and teacher-preparation
programs, she is survived by husband
Jeff Travers; children Emily Travers
Carroll (Mark) and Nick Travers; grandchildren Jackson
and Gabriella; and sisters Judith Dickson and Barbara
Wolkowicz.

+ READ MORE: bit.ly/ETravers

Dwight Darkow, a College gardener,
died Aug. 9 in Philadelphia. Darkow,
who dedicated more than 20 years
to the College, had a passion for
and commitment to beautifying the
grounds in environmentally conscious
ways. He is survived by his parents,
Dwain and Dorothea Darkow; his wife of 35 years, Nancy;
and his children, Rachael and Dan.

+ READ MORE: bit.ly/DDarkow

FALL 2019

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15

common good

QUIZ’MORE

LEARNING CURVE

STRIKING A BALANCE
Adapting­—and thriving—as he competes

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE ARCHIVES

?
How well do you know
your alma mater? Give
this the ol’ College try!
by Lauren McAloon

This beloved feature on a red oak near Sharples met its end sometime in the past
quarter-century. Care to take a swing at when? Many have taken a break from their busy
lives to sway on the swing tree during their time at Swarthmore. The latest swing tree
to fall was gifted by the Class of ’85.

1
What was special
about the 1969
Halcyon?

2
Which co-creator
of the Myers-Briggs
personality test went
to Swarthmore?

3

4

Sadly, Swarthmore’s
swing tree was lost this
summer in a storm.
When did a previous
tree swing fall?

When was the alumni
magazine founded?

5
What notable women’s
rights advocate
played guard during
Swarthmore’s
1904–05 basketball
season?

Know any fascinating Swarthmore trivia? Send your question/answer to quiz@swarthmore.edu. If we use it, we’ll send you a prize!
3. Aug. 6, 1999; it was on a large red oak near Sharples Dining Hall. From
the fall 1999 Bulletin: “‘It took matters into its own limbs’ and fell without
the aid of a chain saw.”
1. It was the College’s first “yearbox,” providing room to “capture and preserve whatever of Swarthmore you would like—favorite photos, letters,
junk mail, paperclips.” The yearbox included four softbound booklets,
eight single-printed pages, and one printed fold-over, with its editors
hoping that “as this box stays with you, the contents will be increased.”

5. Alice Paul, Class of 1905, was on the women’s varsity team her senior
year. She was also a member of the Somerville Literary Society, Delta
Alpha Sigma, and the Girls’ Athletic Club.
4. Volume 1, Number 1 of the Garnet Letter was published in September
1935. It was renamed the Swarthmore College Bulletin in 1952 under the
editorship of Maralyn Orbison Gillespie ’49.
FALL 2019

2. Isabel Briggs-Myers, Class of 1919, who developed the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator with her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs. Isabel and her
matchbox husband, Clarence Myers, Class of 1917, both studied political
science at Swarthmore.

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

ANSWER KEY

16

THE COLLEGE track and field
résumé of Jared Hunt ’19 speaks for
itself: Centennial Conference indoor
and outdoor champion and indoor
record holder. Swarthmore indoor and
outdoor record holder. National U-23
record holder.
Hunt achieved all of that with a
significant limitation. The Charlotte,
N.C., native was born with a club foot
and lacks the full range of motion,
power, and strength in his left leg. He
works as hard as his teammates but pays
for it. “Especially in the morning,” says
Hunt. “It’s painful to just walk around.”
“It’s unbelievable that Jared
competed at such a high level in the
NCAA,” says Lauren Lucci, assistant
track and field coach at Swarthmore.
At Lucci’s urging, Hunt competed in
adaptive track and field meets (think
Paralympics) last summer, and set two
national records for his age group and
classification.
“It was cool competing with and
being around a group of people that
fully understood the extra training and
pain management that goes into this,”
Hunt says. “We had camaraderie.”
Now in Charlotte, Hunt is looking
for an adaptive track and field club
with which he can train and compete.
The ultimate goal, though, is to
measure himself against international
athletes at the 2020 Paralympic Games

MICHAEL ZIMMERMAN P

by Ryan Dougherty

in Tokyo next summer.
His focus has shifted from the shot
put, which is not a Paralympic event
for his classification, to the discus, and
he’s giving the javelin a whirl. Hunt
hasn’t lost sight of his professional
goals, which begin with landing a
research position before attending
graduate school for clinical psychology.
He struck a similar balance at
Swarthmore, where he juggled
academics and athletics while
nurturing relationships with his
teammates, fellow resident advisors,

and the other members of the first
cohort of the Swarthmore Summer
Scholars Program.
“They were great communities
within a great community,” Hunt says.
“These people, including my coaches,
were my best friends. They helped me
figure out who I am, what excites me,
who I want to be.
“And with their help,” he says, “I was
able to accomplish things that I didn’t
expect and see the time and hard work
pay off. That’s something I can look
back on and be proud of.”

“I don’t see it as an obstacle, just something
I have to train around and balance.”

FALL 2019

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17

common good

LIBERAL ARTS LIVES

MARISSA COLSTON ’00

LAURENCE KESTERSON

“To able to influence and do this work with multiple teachers across
multiple classrooms, it’s pretty amazing,” says Marissa Colston ’00.

LIBERAL ARTS LIVES

MOMENTUM
FOR CHANGE
Marissa Colston ’00 forges
new path as a K-12 school dean
for diversity and inclusion
by Michael Agresta

18

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

Marissa Colston ’00 has been pushing for inclusivity in
education since her Swarthmore days.
Almost 20 years ago, she was part of the Diversity
Umbrella coalition that worked with the Dean’s Office to
change the way first-year orientation was run and push for
equitable spaces for diverse student groups.
These days, she does similar work in a professional
capacity at another forward-looking Quaker-founded
educational institution, the Westtown School, serving as its
first-ever dean for diversity and inclusion. Founded in 1799,
Westtown serves K–12 boarding and day students in West
Chester, Pa.
Among Colston’s roles are ensuring that students from
diverse backgrounds are able to blossom comfortably and
to make sure the school’s educational practices line up
with emerging standards, like the National Association
of Independent Schools’ Assessment of Inclusivity and
Multiculturalism.
“I have always been an activist and advocate for
equitable and just education for all students,” says Colston,
who started out as a teacher. “This position, the fact that
it exists and the school not only welcomes but wants
someone to lead this work—means I’m able to make longlasting, really important changes.”
In the four years since she started the job, Colston has
been in constant motion, helping students set up affinity
groups, arranging for gender-neutral restrooms around
campus, leading professional development workshops for
teachers on implicit bias and racial identity development,
and helping lead spring break volunteer trips to a partner
school in Ghana.
She is also involved in hiring, co-teaches upper-school
classes, and counsels students through incidents of bias.
“It’s something that has always mattered to me,” she says,
“but I never knew I’d be able to do this professionally.”
Her next project is a major review of Westtown curricula,
setting new benchmarks for multicultural education for all
students.
Colston sees herself as part of a campuswide effort to
forge a pathway of change.
“It’s not like, ‘Oh, we hired a diversity person, now they
can take care of it all,’” she says. “We’re going to do this
together, because it’s all of our work. It’s good education:
We’re taking care of all of our students, considering all of
their identities and our own identity and privilege, and we’re
bringing that to the classroom and curriculum.”

RON CORTES

Educator

“There is work to be done in every corner of the country,” says Matt Neal ’98, who volunteers for Interfaith Welcome Coalition.

HUMANITY AT
THE BORDER
He volunteers in a bus
station at the epicenter
of the migration crisis
by Michael Agresta

ASYLUM SEEKERS arrived every
day this year at the San Antonio
Greyhound station, often in families or
groups. They numbered over 100 daily;
on one challenging day, more than 450
arrived, the majority of whom slept
overnight in a church nearby.
Often, they did not speak English
and poorly understood the itineraries
arranged by U.S. immigration officials,
typically sending them on from
South Texas detention centers to

destinations across the country to
await the next steps of the asylum
process. As volunteer coordinator
for the nonprofit Interfaith Welcome
Coalition (IWC), Matt Neal ’98 has
helped transform this Greyhound
station into a resource center for
tired, poor families getting a first
taste of freedom after traumatic
overland journeys and time spent in
confinement by U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement.
IWC’s volunteers offer consultations
in Spanish, as well as blankets, basic
medicines, toys and coloring books for
kids, and food when donations allow.
“There are many organizations
and people working toward justice
for refugees,” Neal says. “The effort
at the bus station is a tiny part of the
overall movement. It feels meaningful
because for many newcomers to our
country, it’s the first time on U.S. soil
that someone has offered help without
conditions.”
Perhaps most important, IWC
volunteers offer a dignified greeting
and person-to-person recognition,

celebration, and compassion.
“We smile, laugh, play with the kids,
and sympathize as much as we can,”
Neal says. “We aim to be their first
sincere welcome to the U.S.”
A former educator who now designs
professional development for teachers
and principals, Neal missed the direct
impact of classroom teaching and
was drawn to the “front-line, on-the
ground, face-to-face human work” of
IWC.
The work draws on political values
Neal developed in college, though
the expression of those principles is
anything but academic.
“My Swarthmore-born
consciousness around identity, society,
and prejudice is very present for me
when I’m there,” he says, “but present
in the background, when I play fingerpuppets with a 6-year-old Honduran
kid.”

MATT NEAL ’98

Volunteer Coordinator
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FAST
TRACK
Via road, rail, sky, and
space, Swarthmoreans
in transportation move
society forward

“We owe it to ourselves to go see and appreciate diverse terrains
and the ways other people live, even in the smallest towns” says Sidney
Clarke Jr. ’75, the first Black chief pilot for American Airlines. “It’s
humbling to fly over the ocean in the middle of the night and look out
at the stars and suddenly realize how small you are. Having a job in
transportation gave me the gift of perspective.”

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LAURENCE KESTERSON

by Karen Brooks

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HIGHS AND LOWS
Flying a jet from Pittsburgh to Allentown, Pa., takes 18
minutes. The first time he co-piloted this flight with
Allegheny Airlines (later US Airways and now American
Airlines), Clark realized his captain had a problem with his
skin color before the plane reached cruising altitude.
“He looked at me and said, ‘You know, I just can’t fathom
Black people in the cockpit. You are only one step out of the
trees,’” recalls Clark, who had been warned since he began
flying lessons at 16 that Black pilots faced an uphill battle.
Tense interactions like these persisted—a colleague displaying
his Ku Klux Klan membership card, an aircraft mechanic
refusing to address him directly—but barely fazed him.
“You have to let people know immediately that they are
not going to bully, intimidate, or disrespect you,” says Clark,
crediting Swarthmore—where he studied philosophy and
engineering—with his ability to remain calm in almost any
situation. “I loved to fly and wasn’t going to let anyone keep
me from doing it.
“Swarthmore taught me that everyone has the capacity to
think, but not everyone has capacity to be a critical thinker.
While there, I learned how to take action without being
driven by emotion.”
Clark had plenty of positive flying experiences, too, and
they increased over time.
A few years after he was named chief pilot in 1994—a role
that put him in charge of all the pilots in his Charlotte, N.C.,
base—he relocated to Pittsburgh. When news of his pending
departure spread, his predominantly white subordinates
protested because they wanted him to stay.
Rising safety concerns shaped the evolution of Clark’s
career. After 9/11, he and his peers underwent enhanced
screening processes and stopped opening their cockpit
doors except when necessary. He completed federal law
enforcement training that qualified him to be armed during
domestic flights.
Over the years, Clark also embraced a continuous stream
of new technologies as they unfolded.
“The first jet I flew, the DC-9, had a basic autopilot. You
could put it in the climb mode or the level mode, and you
could turn left and right. That’s about it,” he says. “By the
time I retired, the Airbus A330 and the Boeing 767 could
do a complete auto-land and come to a full stop without me

KRYSTLE MARCELLUS

I

T’S A LONG WAY, 5 million miles.
You’d have to go to the moon and
back more than 10 times to cover the
distance.
This is how far Sidney Clark Jr. ’75 flew in total from the
first time he piloted a plane as a teenager to his retirement
last year at age 65.
Throughout his 40-year tenure with American Airlines,
Clark—who became the company’s first Black chief pilot—
watched the aviation industry evolve. Due to technological
advances, social progress, and new protocols spurred by
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the end of his career
looked a lot different from the beginning.
Changes in all modes of transportation have transformed
the way we live. In the 1800s, waterways and railways
were the primary ways to travel long distances. During
the early 20th century, cars and passenger planes started
taking people where they needed to go. Today, the U.S.
transportation system supports 4 million miles of roadways;
150,000 miles of railroad tracks; 25,000 miles of inland
waterways; nearly 20,000 airports; and more than 270
million motor vehicles—all of which foster economic growth
through travel, trade, and the movement of goods. Whether
working in a specific area of transportation or overseeing
policy and innovation at a broader level, Swarthmore alumni
have contributed to this growth in myriad ways.
Beyond simplifying people’s lives and strengthening the
economy, Clark notes, the transportation industry also
cultivates culture and compassion.

touching a thing. Navigation had become so precise that you
could program a flight all the way from a U.S. city to Paris
before you even left the ground.”
Like Clark, Jonathan Leung ’09 had a seemingly innate
fascination with air travel—and he can pinpoint the moment
during his junior year at Swarthmore that he set his sights on
a career in air traffic control.
“It was in my defense policy class, taught by Professor
James Kurth,” recalls Leung, who majored in history with
a minor in peace and conflict studies. “One of his assigned
readings was the 9/11 Commission Report. The first chapter
was a minute-by-minute account of what happened in air
traffic control that morning. I read it and was hooked.”
Now an air traffic controller at Daniel K. Inouye
International Airport in Honolulu, Leung coordinates
flight traffic patterns to ensure that aircraft maintain safe
distances apart.
“Sometimes I’m communicating with more than 30
planes at once,” he says, noting that his field requires skills

“We owe it to ourselves to go see and appreciate diverse
terrains and the ways other people live, even in the smallest
towns,” he says. “With that comes a certain level of humility
and tolerance.
“It’s humbling to fly over the ocean in the middle of the
night and look out at the stars and suddenly realize how
small you are. Having a job in transportation gave me the gift
of perspective.”

“Air traffic controllers need a natural aptitude for spatial recognition because we have to think in multiple dimensions—including the dimension
of time,” says Jonathan Leung ’09, an air traffic controller in Hawaii.

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23

U.S. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
24 million miles of roadways
150,000 miles of railroad tracks
25,000 miles of inland waterways
nearly 20,000 airports

Rémy Donahey ’14 is a highway designer in New Jersey. She is following in her father’s footsteps—he was a transportation engineer. “Aging
infrastructure is one of the main problems everyone should be talking about in this country,” says Donahey, who has a degree in engineering.

that can’t be taught. “Air traffic controllers need a natural
aptitude for spatial recognition because we have to think
in multiple dimensions—including the dimension of time.
If I see three dots on top of each other on my screen, each
representing a plane, I have to visualize where each of them
will be in one minute, in two minutes, and so on.”
Leung says “reducing reality” helps air traffic controllers
maintain composure in stressful situations.
He compares the work to playing a video game—not
because he doesn’t take his job seriously, but because
detachment curbs anxiety and keeps him focused.
“If you start thinking about how many people are on each
airplane and what the consequences would be if you made
a mistake, you’ll get into trouble,” says Leung, recalling an
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incident last year when he guided an amateur pilot to safety
after bad weather caused the pilot to lose all visibility. Once
the plane finally landed, the shaken pilot thanked Leung for
the life-saving directives.
Leung had remained calm throughout that entire shift, but
that night, he barely slept. It’s the only time he just couldn’t
turn off the adrenaline.
STREET SMART
While air travel enables access to virtually any part of the
world, within the United States it’s highways that provide
the ribbon of connection between towns, cities, and states.
Rémy Donahey ’14 earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering
and is now a highway designer at an engineering design firm

in New Jersey, working to make sure those who use them
reach their destinations safely and efficiently.
“Anything within 30 to 50 feet of a roadway and from about
3 feet underground to a significant height above ground has
to be reviewed by a highway designer,” she explains. “The
placement of utilities, signage, pavement, sidewalks, guide
rails, a roadway’s curves, turning lanes—this all takes more
planning than you ever thought possible.”
Donahey has fond childhood memories of helping her
father, also a transportation engineer, manually color in the
road plans he would bring home from work. Today, she uses
computer-aided design to streamline what she describes as
“a very iterative process.”
“I can’t imagine doing highway design before computers,”
she says. “Every time we go out in the field, there might be a
new subdivision or a new strip mall or somebody’s changed
the direction of a driveway entrance. In a matter of months,
everything can change, and our original design won’t work
anymore.”
Donahey estimates that about one-third of her firm’s
engineers are women—a stark change from her dad’s early
days in the industry, when all of his peers were men.
Progress in highway design itself can lag, she says, due to
an industrywide hesitation to modify standards that have
already proved safe and durable. Introducing new strategies
or materials poses risks to engineers, who are held liable if
their innovations fail or cause harm to motorists. Another
obstacle to advances is insufficient funding.
“It always comes down to money,” she says. “Aging
infrastructure is one of the main problems everyone should
be talking about in this country. If we don’t spend money on
infrastructure, people can’t get to work, they can’t get food,
they can’t do anything. Without strong infrastructure, we
can’t fix any other problems. But it’s expensive and just isn’t
something people want to spend on.
“At Swarthmore,” she adds, “I was exposed to a lot of
conversations about social equality and basic human
necessities that helped me understand why it’s so important
that we invest in a comprehensive transportation system.”
Amtrak employees Rich Slattery ’80 and Max Johnson
’96 understand Donahey’s frustrations. The colleagues
agree that inadequate funding and aging infrastructure

SOURCE: MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

LAURENCE KESTERSON

more than 270 million motor vehicles

and equipment represent the company’s greatest hurdles,
especially given the nation’s projected population growth.
“The intercity public transportation system the U.S.
has now is not sustainable,” says Slattery, Amtrak’s
senior research director. “Building more airports and
highways to carry more people isn’t a viable option—or
an environmentally sustainable one when you consider
that an airline trip consumes 50 percent more energy, and
each highway trip nearly twice as much energy, as making
the same trip by Amtrak. So, the future of passenger rail
transportation is very promising—if we can secure the public
investment that’s needed to grow our service.”
Johnson, the senior director of state policy and
governance, emphasizes that infrastructure challenges cut
across all modes of transportation but believes passenger
rail is uniquely positioned to provide a solution.

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25

“As the country continues to grow, as it gets harder to build
new freeways, and as younger generations continue to drive
less,” he says, “we hope to continue to develop the Amtrak
network, together with our state partners, to keep Americans
moving.”
For the past six years, Johnson and Slattery have been
sponsoring Swarthmore students through the College’s
Extern Program, a one-week mentored job-shadowing
experience.
“Rich introduces the externs to some of the larger issues
Amtrak is facing at the corporate level, and I show them what
it’s like working at a more detailed level on the individual
routes,” Johnson says. “We give externs a taste of one version
of the working world, and they can see what they think about
it.”

He has introduced reduced bike-share rates for lowincome residents; a free hop-on, hop-off shuttle for workers
in the hospitality industry; an enhanced rapid bus transit
system; and plans for an extensive urban bikeway system as
well as a pedestrian bridge that will connect Charleston’s
medical district to those on the other side of the Ashley
River. He strives to use his platform to promote a cultural
shift away from car-centrism and toward inclusivity.
“Forty percent of our public housing residents are
dependent on public transit, yet fewer than 20 percent of
our bus stops even have a shelter; most are just a pole and
a sign,” says Benjamin, who plans to stay in his role for
the foreseeable future. “What does this say to the people
who rely on that mode of transportation? They should feel
that they are just as important as people driving a private
automobile.”

MOBILE
COMMUNITIES
Stadler
A420
Hybrid bus Trolleybus

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12090

LAURENCE KESTERSON

2076

“I want to do transportation for everybody—the elderly, the
workforce, people with disabilities, those with lower incomes,
tourists, and those who were born and raised here,” says Randall
2645
“Keith” Benjamin II ’09. As director of the
Department of Traffic
and Transportation for Charleston, S.C., he oversees the city’s
transportation planning, partnerships, and maintenance.

2096
2900

USDOT PHOTO DEPARTMENT

360

3245

EVOLUTION GRAPHICS

Beyond viewing transportation as a means for travel, Randall
“Keith” Benjamin II ’09 approaches it as a tool for building
community. As director of the Department of Traffic and
Transportation for Charleston, S.C.—a position he assumed
in June 2017—Benjamin is among the youngest, and one of
only a few Black individuals, to serve in this role for a major
American city.
Officially, Benjamin oversees transportation planning,
partnerships, and maintenance—from street signs and
traffic signals to pavement markings and parking meters.
Unofficially, he sees to it that all Charlestonians have
convenient and affordable ways to access jobs, health care,
healthy food, and housing.
“I want to do transportation for everybody—the elderly,
the workforce, people with disabilities, those with lower
incomes, tourists, and those who were born and raised here,”
says Benjamin, who has been interested in communitybuilding since his days studying political 8085
science, religion,
and Black Studies at Swarthmore. As a student, he spent
breaks during and between semesters exploring policy in
action—supporting the Chester Housing Authority as the
first Chester Community Fellow, as well as completing
internships with Philadelphia Councilman Curtis Jones, an
expert on community-based economic development; U.S.
Sen. Carl Levin ’56, H’80 of Michigan, an advocate for urban
infrastructure development; and the Senate Committee on
Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
After graduating, he landed a position in the Transport
Workers Union’s Office of Political and Legislative Affairs,
where he observed how “transportation is a big piece of the
answer to closing the gap between opportunity and access,”
Benjamin says. “It dictates what our community looks like,
and I wanted to be a part of that.”
With every project he implements, Benjamin keeps equity
at top of mind.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth ’79 is deputy assistant
secretary for research and technology at the U.S.
Department of Transportation.

1898
2550

THE ROAD AHEAD
However they travel, people need to do so safely, says Diana
Furchtgott-Roth ’79. Earlier this year, she was appointed
deputy assistant secretary for research and technology at the
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)—a position in
which she coordinates more than $1 billion in funding for
research across all of the federal transportation programs.
On any given day, Furchtgott-Roth can rattle off dozens
of USDOT-funded projects in progress. The Federal Transit
Administration is examining how best to park and retrieve
automated buses, which are difficult to move around in
crowded lots. The Federal Railroad Administration is
advancing an ultrasonic technology that can send signals
into rails to locate invisible but potentially dangerous
cracks. The Federal Highway Administration is designing
traffic signal technology that collects data from buses—
such as number of riders and schedules—to optimize signal
changes in real time. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration is studying how fatigue interferes with
driving various kinds of vehicles. And the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration is trying to develop a test to
measure marijuana impairment in motorists—an initiative
Furchtgott-Roth sees as particularly challenging.
“If you are stopped for drunken driving, you can be given a
breath test,” she says. “That doesn’t work with marijuana—
so how do we measure impairment when it comes to drugged
driving? Marijuana impairment is difficult to detect in an
accurate way, but accidents in states where the drug has
been legalized are on the rise, and we need to do something
about that.”
One of USDOT’s most daunting tasks involves setting
up a terrestrial backup for the nation’s global positioning
system. GPS satellite signals are fundamental to countless
networks: the power grid, the internet, financial trading,
telecommunications, and, of course, transportation.
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Yes, it’s fun, sustainable, and great exercise, but cycling
is also an important form of transportation—one that
represents freedom for many people with disabilities.
Inclusive-cycling advocates like Peter Coffin ’71 help
individuals with physical limitations attain that freedom.
Since retiring seven years ago as an obstetrician/
gynecologist, the longtime bike enthusiast has been
volunteering with the Bay Area Outreach & Recreation
Program in Berkeley, Calif. Working with the organization’s
Adaptive Cycling Center, Coffin helps clients choose from a
collection of hand cycles, three-wheelers, recumbent cycles,
tandems, and other specialized cycles. He then customizes
the equipment to meet their needs and guides customers
through using it.
“We have stroke survivors, people with cerebral palsy
or multiple sclerosis or scoliosis, people who are blind or
quadriplegic, you name it,” he says. “Our clients are so
resilient—I am in awe of how they deal with their everyday
challenges and still come out to learn a new skill.”
Coffin and fellow mechanics get creative when modifying
cycles for specific situations. For example, he explains,
if they link a hand-powered bike and a traditional bike
together, a person with paralyzed legs can sit on the front
bike and steer, while a visually impaired person can sit on the
rear bike and pedal. If they attach a long lever to the shifter
on a three-wheeled bike, a person who has no arms can
change gears using their knees while pedaling and steering
with their feet.
“It’s gratifying to open up a window that someone
thought was closed for them forever,” Coffin says. “Many
of these people have lived their lives being told they cannot
do very much. Cycling brings them a sense of pride and
independence, the feeling of not being dependent on
anybody to push them around in a chair.”

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PLANETARY PLANNING
When it comes to advancing transportation, some of
the world’s most ambitious innovators work at the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)—a Pasadena, Calif.-based
center where researchers conceptualize and build robotic
spacecraft. Funded by NASA, JPL has designed more than
100 journeys to explore the solar system—including the Mars
Science Laboratory mission, featuring the famed Curiosity
rover.
A JPL technologist who describes his work as “somewhere
between science and engineering,” Vernon Chaplin ’07
focuses on the burgeoning area of electric propulsion.
Traditional rockets operate by burning fuel and firing
hot exhaust downward, which propels them into motion.
Electric propulsion is different.
“We’re using electromagnetic forces to accelerate ionized
particles to make the spacecraft go. It’s much more fuelefficient, but it’s not nearly as powerful—which is OK up in
space, because you don’t need a lot of force to move there,” he
explains.
Chaplin initially considered majoring in mathematics
at Swarthmore but changed his mind after taking an
introductory physics course.
“The department did a good job designing a class that
would hook new majors. It focused on special relativity and
quantum mechanics—really cool areas that were removed
from an ordinary human experience and got me excited
about going the physics route,” he says.
The College’s astrophysics track allowed him to
incorporate his lifelong interest in astronomy; after
graduating, he went on to earn a Ph.D. in plasma physics
from the California Institute of Technology, which manages
everyday operations at JPL.

JPL.NASA.GOV

JENNIFER LEAHY

ADAPTIVE CYCLING
POWERS—AND EMPOWERS

“If all of the satellites were knocked out due to an
electromagnetic storm, military action, or some other
disruption, how would GPS work?” Furchtgott-Roth
says. “We’re testing this technology at our Volpe National
Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass.”
USDOT also supports transportation-related research at
universities across the nation; Furchtgott-Roth coordinates
funding for those, too. Recently, she oversaw grants for one
center at the University of South Florida to explore solutions
to traffic congestion, and at Washington State University
to study new pavement materials and other ways to fix
crumbling transportation infrastructure.
“At my last reunion, Professor [Mark] Kuperberg asked
me, ‘Diana, how come you haven’t fixed all the potholes yet?’”
she laughs.
“Well, Washington State [University] is going to look at
how we can get that done.”

Vernon Chaplin ’07, a technologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is concentrating on two programs hoped to launch within
the next several years, including a journey to the asteroid Psyche, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. It appears to be made completely of
metal, as though it’s the core of a planet that never fully formed.

At the moment, Chaplin is concentrating on two programs
JPL hopes to launch within the next several years. The first
is a journey to a peculiar asteroid, Psyche, which orbits
the sun between Mars and Jupiter and appears to be made
completely of metal, as though it’s the core of a planet that
never fully formed. Reaching this asteroid could improve
understanding of what lies inside other planets.
The second mission involves building a new space
station that will orbit the moon and serve as a “deep space
gateway”—a landing post where astronauts can stop before
continuing on to other destinations, like Mars.
Does Chaplin think humans will really walk on “the red
planet”?
“Definitely,” he says. “Without a doubt.”
COMMON GROUND
Safe and efficient transportation systems help societies
thrive, grow, and connect. Swarthmore alumni in the
industry are using their diverse expertise to support the
nation’s social and economic well-being. Clark helped break
down barriers in the field of aviation, and Leung keeps pilots
and their passengers out of harm’s way. Donahey, Johnson,

and Slattery streamline transportation on the ground.
Benjamin and Furchtgott-Roth influence policy and progress
on the city, state, and federal levels. And Chaplin is working
to transform movement in space. Their professions and
skill sets vary widely, but they share a common goal: keeping
people in motion.
“Transportation is something everybody uses every day,”
Furchtgott-Roth says. “Every 10 minutes on the radio, what
do you hear? A traffic report. If you look at front pages of
the newspapers, there is always something transportationrelated. It’s on everyone’s mind.”
The modern world is essentially built around the ability
to travel, and most people could not imagine living without
access to cars, trucks, buses, trains, and planes.
“People never think about what goes into transportation
systems,” Donahey says. “They just get in their car or another
vehicle and go. Those of us working in transportation and
transportation infrastructure make it so that people can get
where they need to be without ever considering all the hours
we put into making that possible. In reality, every single
human being is greatly affected by our work.”

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NATURE
ADOBESTOCK

ACCELERATES

The giraffe and the pronghorn—genetic cousins—face pressure from humans and
environmental changes. Will that stop two iconic species that have run for millennia?
by Kate Campbell
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THE TALLEST MAMMAL on Earth is
vanishing. Giraffe populations in the
wild have decreased by 30 percent in 30
years. Liza Dadone ’97 is part of an elite
team that relocated them—to save them.

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“There is a real possibility that the
giraffe could go extinct in our lifetimes,
if we don’t start to act now,” says
Stephanie Fennessey, director of GCF.
Dadone’s role in the Uganda
transport of 37 giraffes involved
careful darting, casting with ropes,
and climbing onto each roughly 1-ton
animal to prepare it for a journey
across the river on a truck atop a
ferry. The relocations, which began in
2015, and have continued in phases
annually, are led by the Uganda
Wildlife Authority with funding
and technical support from GCF,
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and other
organizations.
The first phase that Dadone helped
with, in 2016, captured and released
18 giraffes to historic habitat in
Murchison Falls National Park, across
the Nile River where giraffes had not
lived in generations. The following
year, Dadone helped the team capture
and transport an additional 19 giraffes
across the Nile to supplement the
founder population. This population is
now growing, with several new calves
born—an early indicator of success.
In the past four years of
reintroductions within Uganda, a total
of 66 have been successfully rehomed
to new habitats, or to supplement key
populations. This ongoing work to
restore giraffes to historic habitats
in Uganda continues, with another
reintroduction planned for late 2019.
“There were definitely moments
when I thought I should be running
the other way,” Dadone says about the
intense experience. “The priority was
ensuring patient safety and ensuring
people safety. It was an amazing thing
to watch and to be a part of.”
Even her queasiness as a teenager
couldn’t keep Dadone from a career
with animals. Working at a veterinary
clinic in West Chester, Pa., she would

Earth’s SECONDFASTEST LAND
MAMMAL is on the
move. John Byers ’70
chronicles their flight—
and plight.
LISA DADONE ’97

W

EN LOADING an
H
awake, agitated, lightly
tranquilized giraffe,
secure the ropes as
brakes and guide the
blindfolded ungulate
onto the trailer.
Liza Dadone ’97 learned this
singular rigging system firsthand,
as one of a group of veterinarians
working to save wild giraffes in Uganda
by relocating them to safer habitats
across the southern Victoria Nile.
“We’re trying to move the needle
on critical conservation work to save
these animals before it’s too late,” says
Dadone, head veterinarian and vice
president of mission & programs at the
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado
Springs, Colo. “The question is, Can we
do it fast enough?”
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo,
home to one of the largest captive
giraffe herds in North America, has
given Dadone an opportunity to fulfill
a lifelong dream of working with
wild animals. The zoo’s partnership
with the Giraffe Conservation
Foundation (GCF), a Namibia-based
nonprofit working across Africa, is
part of a global effort to save giraffes
disappearing in the wild.
“Giraffe are my passion,”
Dadone says. “So many species are
disappearing at an alarming rate, and
we need to up our game if we’re going
to give them a chance.”
A curious, patterned periscope, the
giraffe is one of the most iconic of all
African wildlife. Long-lashed, rubberylipped, and seemingly unbothered by
squabbles below its knobby-kneed
radar, the majestic giraffe moves with a
hypnotic, bounding grace. But threats
to its survival continue, and are all
directly related to human impact: loss
of habitat, poaching, and sometimes
trophy hunting.

reinforcement, she worked with the
zookeeper team to train the giraffe for
physical therapy exercises. The giraffe
soon learned to do neck stretches
when cued, and would do multiple
repetitions on each side daily in
exchange for his favorite treats. The
stretches worked: The neck injury
healed.
“They are extremely intelligent,”
she says, and they like to learn. “If you
can train a giraffe to do yoga, what else
could be possible?”

Veterinarian Liza Dadone ’97 works with both captive and wild giraffes. She collaborates
with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to save endangered giraffes in Uganda. At
the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado, she provides hands-on care in hopes of better
understanding their behavior.

stand in the doorway of the surgery
room, slowly buckling at the knees at
the sight of blood. She steeled herself,
though, and ultimately outgrew
it. At Swarthmore, she majored in
biology. A comparative anatomy
course convinced her that veterinary
medicine was the route she wanted
to take. Dadone graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania School of
Veterinary Medicine and then “got her
foot in the door” in the zoo world.
“I loved it from the moment I got into
it,” she says. A big part of her work is
getting zoos more involved in impactful
and relevant conservation efforts.
“Giraffe are not guaranteed a future,”
says Dadone. “But there’s a huge
reason for hope.”
Still, the task is daunting. According
to GCF, in 2018, eight of the nine
giraffe subspecies were placed

on the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s Red List of
Threatened Species. Two subspecies,
the Kordofan and Nubian giraffe, are
listed as critically endangered, while
the reticulated giraffe is considered
endangered. The Masai giraffe was
added as endangered this year,
Fennessey notes.
Additionally, the Thornicroft’s
giraffe is listed as vulnerable, while the
Angolan is under least concern. Both
the West African and Rothschild’s
giraffe were down-listed from
endangered—to vulnerable and near
threatened, respectively—due to
targeted conservation efforts in their
core habitats.
In Colorado, Dadone’s efforts with
giraffes are aimed at preserving the

species as well as helping develop
medical advancements, such as
improving giraffe neonatal care and
stem cell therapy for geriatric giraffes.
She plans to continue the work with
wild giraffe relocation and conservation
in Africa. Her role at the zoo is a critical
way to hopefully ensure the future
of this keystone species, she says.
“They are one of the species people
connect with the most,” she says. “They
symbolize a view from above.”
She fondly recalls one of her first
patients: a giraffe with whiplash—the
result of an injury during a transport.
“Zoos had started to rethink how we
care for our animals,” says Dadone,
who contacted a chiropractor who
worked with horses. Knowing zoo
giraffes were trainable with positive

S

ME CLUES as to
O
what may still haunt
the collective
subconscious of the
pronghorn lay buried in
Wyoming’s Natural
Trap Cave.
There lay the fossilized remains
of American cheetahs, an animal
that once rocketed across grasslands
in pursuit of prey. Beside them,
the scattered bones of dispatched
pronghorn.
Hunter and hunted, entombed in the
Late Pleistocene after being caught
unaware by a hidden cave mouth and
a deadly drop. Those cave discoveries
revealed, among many other
evolutionary delights, that over the
course of 10,000 years, the remarkable
limbs of Earth’s second-fastest
mammal have remained unchanged.
And though its ancient predators
are long dead, the pronghorn is still
running scared.
“It’s a breathtaking sight to see them
run,” says zoologist and author John
Byers ’70, who after 38 years of studying
the pronghorn remains mesmerized.
Byers, who retired last year from the
University of Idaho, has researched
and written about their behavior on
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COURTESY OF JOHN BYERS ’70

“Pronghorn stride frequency is
about typical for mammals of this body
mass,” or about three per second, he
says, “but stride length is exceptional,
mainly due to highly modified hands
and feet.”
As expertly as they run, it’s no longer
a necessity. Their closest threat, the
coyote, couldn’t touch their top speeds.
“Pronghorn only needed to cooperate
10,000 years ago, when they were
chased by nasty predators,” says Byers.
“They don’t need to fight for anything
now. In their day-to-day lives, they have
no reason to run fast. But even with the
pressure removed, pronghorn can’t get
rid of that instinct.”
First described by explorers Lewis
and Clark, and later celebrated in the
classic folk song “Home on the Range,”
the pronghorn’s range today extends
from Canada through the United
States and into northern Mexico.
Even without modern predators,
new threats have emerged.
Climate change and increasing
human activity, including fences
built on migration routes, are putting
pressure on the ungulates, a genetic
cousin of the giraffe.
“Pronghorn did not evolve with
fences and so cannot deal with them,”
says Byers. Though they could easily
jump over most fences, they avoid it
whenever possible.
“I’ve seen them jump and land
on their hind feet,” says Byers, who
guesses that is their method of
protecting damage to the long, delicate
shaft bone in their front limbs. “The
more you find out about them, the
more you want to learn.”
They can also crawl under a fence
that is built at least 18 inches off
the ground, but landowners do not
always follow this management
recommendation.
“Fences built by cattle and sheep
ranches in Wyoming have blocked
historic migration routes and killed
many pronghorn,” says Byers.
“With climate change, pronghorn
populations will shift to the north. The
southernmost populations, in Arizona
and northern Mexico, will likely
become extinct.”
Byers’s interest in studying
social development in a species

©JOEL SARTORE/WWW.JOELSARTORE.COM

the National Bison Range in western
Montana since 1981. His 2003 book
Built for Speed is both a detailed story
of his fieldwork and an ode to the
animal that captured his attention and
ran away with it.
Pronghorn are the sole survivor
of a once-more-numerous mammal
family, the Antilocapridae, he says.
At the extinction event that ended
the Pleistocene era, a dozen or so
Antiocaprid species were decimated
to a single survivor, Antilocapra
americana, known colloquially as the
American antelope. Why this species
survived when all others went extinct
remains a mystery. But one thing
is certain: The animal’s ability to
accelerate is a masterful adaptation.
A sea of thundering hooves,
glistening eyes, and compact frames,
a running group of pronghorn is
both sturdy and elegant. In flight a
herd moves in collective shifts and
straightaways, capable of reaching
speeds of up to 60 mph. Their hooves
fairly float above their shadows.
They can outrun a helicopter, but
they don’t like to jump fences.
“I find almost everything about
pronghorn interesting,” says Byers,
who has embraced the gritty,
demanding, and sometimes dangerous
work of studying in the wilderness.
“But I suppose that their most amazing
talent is running. When a group is truly
frightened, the individuals pack into
a rather tight mass—like a school of
fish, or a flock of starlings—that flows
over the ground at startling velocity.
Pronghorn have three high-speed gaits,
but within a running group, there is
almost perfect synchrony.”
Their ability to accelerate for several
miles at 40 mph is biomechanics at
work: “Individuals have the ability
to transport prodigious amounts of
oxygen to the muscles,” Byers says.
The skeletal elements aid in speed, too.
The pronghorn hand (its front foot) is
a single shaft, about 9 inches long and
the diameter of a human index finger.
Running speed is a consequence
of two variables, says Byers: stride
frequency (the number of times per
second that a foot is moved forward)
and stride length (the distance across
the ground covered by each stride).

“Pronghorn didn’t evolve with
fences,” says John Byers ’70, who has
studied the mammal for 38 years.
Though they could easily jump over
them, they avoid it whenever possible.

of intermediate sociality initially
drew him to the pronghorn. The
species’ emotional distance seemed
appropriate, he thought.
“Adult pronghorn dislike each other
and form groups only because they
have to,” says Byers. National Bison
Range offered him a chance to observe
up close the one instance in which
they do bond—as mothers and fawns.
“There is no bonding between the
adults. But the mother contributes
everything to the fawns.”
There is so much still to learn, says
Byers. Reflecting on his research
(shared in three books and 70
journal articles), he says he is most
pleased that he was able to prove that
pronghorn females, in an exacting and
sometimes comical process, actively
shop for and choose mates.
They pay a high energy cost to do
so, he says, and that mostly converges
in their choice on a population subset

The pronghorn hand (its front foot) is a shingle shaft, about 9 inches long and the diameter of a human index finger. Byers (top right) checks the
weight of a pronghorn fawn.

of males that have high values of what
biologists call “breeding value for
offspring performance.”
Seeing the male’s vigor, a female is
willing to mate with him. Byers has
watched a male defend his harem from
incoming males for half a day without
rest. The females encourage—and
watch for—that stamina and strength.
The most frequently chosen males
sire offspring with higher growth rates
and higher probabilities of survival,
Byers says. Now, he hopes to test his
hypothesis that these chosen males are
genetically different from the males
that females reject.
“Once you get to know an animal
well for a while, you know them as
individuals,” he says. “Because they

really are individuals.”
Mating theatrics aside, life for the
pronghorn is often brutal. Between 150
and 200 pronghorn fawns are born on
the National Bison Range each spring.
Some years, though, none of them
makes it into adulthood. The number
of those that live to weaning in late
August has hovered at 5 percent over
the past decade.
“Pronghorn seem to be kind of grim
most of the time,” says Byers. “Every
instant of their life is work to survive.”
His career has allowed him to
reap the wonders of observation,
and even the thrill of escape. Once
while studying a pronghorn mother
in Yellowstone, Byers noticed that
something was “freaking her out.”

Moments later, a huge male grizzly
came into view. The bear did not veer
off and instead came directly toward
him.
“It was simultaneously beautiful and
really scary,” says Byers, who, unlike
the pronghorn, did not run. Instead,
he relied on his training, avoided eye
contact with the bear, and ultimately
walked (briskly) back to his truck.
“Spending thousands of hours in the
field allows one to see many incredible
events,” says Byers, now working on
a campaign to create Great Plains
National Park. “You never know when
you’ll see one, but if you are out for
long enough, these events will unfold
before you.”

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ONWARD
AND
UPWARD

The importance of keeping mind, body,
and spirit engaged on the journey
toward advanced age

KELLY MIRANDA

by Elizabeth Slocum

36

“I take a couple of hikes a day,” says Susan
Washburn ’60, with dogs Wallace and Wilbur.
“It’s a pattern that existed in my childhood
growing up in the woods in Alabama.”

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SUSAN WASHBURN ’60 TOOK the words to heart: Never
slow down. If you slow down, you rust out.
She first heard the advice as a Ph.D. student in her late 20s,
working with retirees as part of ethnographic research in a
California community. And for the most part, staying active
hadn’t been a issue—in fact, she found it hard to sit still. She
played sports as a child, skied throughout adulthood, and
always, always hiked regularly in the woods with her dogs.
But then a mental roadblock stopped her in her tracks: the
big eight-oh.
“For some reason, the psychological impact of becoming
an octogenarian caused a horrible shift in my outlook on
life,” Washburn recalled mere months after marking the
dreaded birthday. “Or maybe it was the torn meniscus in my
right knee and a surprisingly bad bone-density test, tangible
proof that my heretofore healthy body was not immortal. At
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GE A
A
S

‘A DRIVE TO LIVE’
A conscious change in attitude pulled Washburn out of her
funk: Why dwell on a number when there were so many
positive aspects to her life? Newly relocated from New
Mexico to Colorado to be closer to family, Washburn made
other moves to improve her outlook: She got hyaluronic
acid injections in her creaky knees, began a program of
nutritional supplements to build new bone, and, with the
blessing of her orthopedist, went back to ( judiciously) skiing
moguls.
“I now think of my physical self,” Washburn reflected, “as
an old but high-quality car, a Mercedes perhaps, requiring
more frequent maintenance and possibly some replacement
parts, but still capable of a few good road trips.”
Positivity and a person’s state of mind are central to
healthy aging, says Thomas, who still speaks on geriatriccare topics. No matter a person’s function or general health,
everyone needs a purpose in life—“something that gives
you a drive to live”—such as volunteering, caring for a pet or
loved one, or visiting with grandchildren.
Socialization, intellectual development, sleep, and routine
health care are also key, Thomas notes—as are, of course,
nutrition and exercise.
“We know what’s healthy, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to
do,” she says. “To be healthy in your 80s, you have to be living
a healthy lifestyle for years before that, because it’s what you
do 20 to 30 years before—even a decade before—that has an
impact on 80.”
Claudia Kawas ’74 understands that perhaps better than
anyone. As co-principal investigator of the 90+ Study, the

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LAURENCE KESTERSON

any rate, I could no longer envision a positive future. Images
of death, degeneration, and loss invaded my consciousness.”
It’s not an uncommon response to the milestone, says May
Thomas ’76, a retired geriatrician and health coach in New
Jersey. With 80 being about the average life expectancy in
the United States, “mortality can smack you in the face,” she
says.
But there’s no need for that number to cast a pall over a
positive outlook. Despite a recent dip in lifespan, Americans
are generally living much longer than they did a century ago.
The 90-plus demographic is the fastest-growing segment of
the population, and more than half of babies born in the U.S.
today are expected to live to become centenarians.
A prime focus now among experts is on adding years
of living to those years of life. For Washburn and others,
staying active—physically, mentally, socially, emotionally—
has helped push them past obstacles of growing older. And
alongside them have been Swarthmorean researchers,
entrepreneurs, and volunteers, supporting them through the
aging process.

Claudia Kawas ’74, an expert on the “oldest old,” presents her
2018 McCabe Lecture at Swarthmore (bit.ly/KawasMcCabe).

“It used to be, people in
this age range were never
thought to do things like
run marathons or be master
athletes or still be working.
... And in fact, quite a few of
them are, and I think that’s
really amazing to watch.”
—Claudia Kawas ’74

DVICE

“Make sure you’ve put
yourself in a situation
where you’ll be able
geriatric neurologist and researcher has
to keep your mind and
dedicated her career to tapping into the
your body active. Car
secrets of the “oldest old”—a population that’s
dependency is a big factor
expected to quadruple in the next 20 years. The
that can put you on the
study, at the University of California, Irvine,
road to an isolated
analyzes the health and cognition of current
old age.” —Phil
90-somethings and compares it against their
DeBaun ’85
individual medical and lifestyle data collected in a 1981
survey.
“In the last century, we added about 27 years, on average,
to life expectancy,” says Kawas, Swarthmore’s 2018
McCabe Lecturer, recalling how there were once so few U.S.
centenarians, President Richard Nixon could acknowledge
each one of them personally. “Now, all of a sudden, this
group of individuals that was so small that the president
could take time to write a birthday card to them, becomes
“Do
literally millions of people about whom we know
what
nothing.”
your mother
With help from her team’s research, that’s
told you to do:
changing. Among the surprising findings of the
Eat your vegetables.
study: Participants who drank moderate amounts
Stay positive. Get a good
of caffeine or alcohol lived longer than those who
night’s sleep. Most of that 27
“I’m
didn’t. Individuals with an overweight BMI in their
years in added life expectancy is
a big believer
70s lived longer than their underweight or normal
really not because of drugs that
in yoga or tai chi
peers. And as little as 15 minutes of exercise a day
were developed. It’s because of
for
balance,
because
was related to a mortality benefit 30 years later,
lifestyle, diet, nutrition, clean
when you get up in your
though 45 minutes was optimal.
water, public health, and a lot
80s, a major thing that can
A primary focus of the study, however, is on dementia—
of other things.”
kill you is a fall. Balance
its onset, effects, and epidemiology. Although some of the
—Claudia Kawas ’74
is extremely important,
results have been promising, such as that 80-year-olds today
and keeping your core
are less likely to develop dementia than those of 25 years ago,
strength.”
the risk is still very high, with 40 percent of 90-year-olds
—May Thomas ’76
suffering memory loss. Kawas is hopeful that autopsies now
(above)
being done on the brains of former participants, donated
to the 90+ Study for further research, will advance the
understanding of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia,
and maybe one day lead to a cure.
“When people say they don’t want to get old, what they
really are saying is that they don’t want to be disabled,” says
Kawas. “Disability can happen at any age, but it definitely
than I thought we would, but it’s also been great to be part
becomes more common the older we get. Ideally, we want
of a different family,” says the former dean of men and dean
to figure out how to improve the quality we want for those
emeritus of admissions, a 15-year resident of Foulkeways.
years.”
“It’s a nice combination of hanging on to some of the things
that matter to us from the past, and being resilient enough
CARE AND CAMARADERIE
and energetic enough to explore new ideas and new thoughts
When Bob Barr ’56 began planning for his later years, he and
and new people.”
wife Nony envisioned life in a community somewhat like
The range of activities offered at the community
Swarthmore, where he made his career for more than three
was a draw for Judith Leeds Inskeep ’60, who moved to
decades. They found it at Foulkeways at Gwynedd, a QuakerFoulkeways with her husband in 2007. Most mornings she
founded continuing-care retirement community for age 65
wakes to a full itinerary: Wimbledon and water volleyball;
and older, about 30 miles from his beloved College.
gardening and chorus rehearsals; meetings for the field
“We’ve been able to keep up with old friends for longer
trips committee and the music committee and the bulletin
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LAURENCE KESTERSON

LAURENCE KESTERSON

Bob Barr ’56 works out three days a week at his community’s fitness center, where the staff tailors health programs
to each individual. “Part of it is strengthening your upper and lower body,” he says, “and part of it is learning how to
take care of yourself, including eating limitations.”

committee and the recycling committee, for which she’s
chair. In between, she tries to read or visit the fitness center.
“It’s really more than I can do well,” she says with a laugh,
“and I’d like to lay down at least one of those responsibilities.
But that’s something I’m not good at.”
The packed schedules retirement communities offer is
part of their appeal, providing residents with the intense,
purposeful socialization that makes for successful aging,
says Phil DeBaun ’85, Foulkeways’ CEO, who coincidentally
was admitted to Swarthmore by Dean Barr. (“I often like to
remind Phil of the source of his success,” Barr quips.)
“Whether it’s learning to draw or paint or throw pots or
do calculus with your new friends,” DeBaun says, “it’s living
in community and being in a rich social environment as an
older person that makes all the difference.”
On-site medical services make a difference, too. Five years
ago, while on a hiking trip with his wife in Panama, Barr
suffered a horrific accident. The avid birdwatcher stepped
back off the trail and fell off a ledge, breaking his neck, among
other injuries.
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After nine months of recovery, Barr relearned to walk,
though his physical activities are somewhat limited. He still
birds in the woodland on Foulkeways’ campus and works
out three days a week to maintain his strength and range of
motion.
Barr knows how different things might have been had he
not had easy access to physical therapy.
“It would have been much more difficult for my wife,”
he says, praising the physical and emotional support he
received after his injury. “Given the predictions the doctors
had when it all happened, I’ve done really well.”
Inskeep, too, is grateful to have moved in when she did, at
age 69. Now 81, with just some minor aches and pains, she
says a move these days would be a much bigger undertaking.
She recalls a saying from a similar senior living
establishment: “When you’re ready, it’s too late.”
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
For many older adults, though, a retirement community is
not an option—whether out of personal preference, financial

Judith Leeds Inskeep ’60 is a passionate chair of the recycling committee at her retirement community, Foulkeways at Gwynedd. “I
do what my husband calls ‘dumpster diving,’” she says. “I pick up the lids on the recycling bins and see what’s in there that shouldn’t be,
like plastic bags or Styrofoam, and sort them in the proper place.”

concern, or simply the desire to remain in a longtime home.
In the Washington, D.C., area, Laurie Welch ’73 volunteers
with a local organization that supports seniors as they age in
place.
“I’ve always thought it would be nice to stay in my house
until the end,” says Welch, co-president of the Village of
Takoma Park, Md. “I want my friends to stay, too, so we can
get old together. So I figured, let’s help make our Village
functional, and make sure it’s there when I need it.”
Growing from a single Boston neighborhood two decades
ago to more than 200 groups today, the Village model
provides transportation, home repairs, social opportunities,
and other services to seniors for a modest fee. In Takoma
Park, an affluent D.C. suburb, all members—both volunteers
and the residents they assist—contribute $25 annually to
keep the Village running. The group purposely keeps the fee

“Be
thankful for
what you can do and
give up gracefully what
you can’t do any longer.”
—Judith Leeds Inskeep ’60

“If you’re
considering a
retirement community,
spend a reasonable amount of
time at the two or three places
in which you are most interested.
Spend a night, attend some
meals, and talk with people about
how they feel about the place.
Don’t rely on the pitch of the
admissions staff—having been
an admissions officer, I
know what I’m saying.”
—Bob Barr ’56

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JUST A
NUMBER

47.3

Average life
expectancy at birth
in U.S., 1900
(Source: Centers
for Disease Control
and Prevention)

78.6

Average life
expectancy at birth
in U.S., 2017
(Source: CDC)

15

Minutes of exercise
a day related to
mortality benefit
30 years later
(Source: 90+ Study)

45

Optimal number
of minutes of
exercise a day
(Source: 90+ Study)

50%+

Number of U.S.
children expected
to live to their
100th birthday
(Source: The Lancet)

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low to ensure residents who are at the most risk receive the
care that they need.
“We end up finding people in this really wealthy town
who haven’t been out of their house because they can’t go
down the stairs anymore, and they don’t have kids who live
nearby,” says Welch, a retired physician. Depending on the
situation, the Village has employed the help of Rebuilding
Together, the Montgomery County Office of Aging, and other
agencies to provide assistance for their seniors.
The Village has also helped unite the greater Takoma Park
community by bridging its economic divide. A mile away
from million-dollar homes are high-rises housing a largely
low-income, predominantly immigrant population. And
while many older homeowners are comfortable financially,
the wealth of others is tied up in their house’s equity. Part
of the Village’s mission, as Welch sees it, is to combat the
effects of gentrification that push residents from their
homes.
With about 250 members ranging in age from 26 to 95,
the Village of Takoma Park is still relatively small, but
Welch sees plenty of room to expand. She’s held cocktail
parties to spread the word among neighbors and hopes to
begin recruiting high schoolers in need of service hours for
graduation.
“Our town has an ethos of being very connected and
community-oriented,” she says. “There is this nice feeling
among members that everybody’s helping out. In the long
run, we’re helping to build the kind of place where I like to
live, and I want to stay.”
FIRST-RATE SECOND ACTS
There’s much to gain from intergenerational connection,
says author and social entrepreneur Marc Freedman ’80.
According to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, he
notes, older people who connect with younger generations
are three times as likely to be happy as those who fail to do
so.
“I’m convinced that the real fountain of youth is not in
a test tube or some high-tech firm,” says the president and
CEO of Encore.org, an innovation hub that supports second
acts for the greater good. “The real fountain of youth is the
fountain with youth. It’s through connecting with younger
generations and passing on the lessons we’ve learned from
life.”
As Americans’ lifespan has expanded, a new life phase has
emerged, says Freedman, who explores this phenomenon in
his recent book How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of
Connecting the Generations. Not elderly yet not in midlife,
these retired adults in their 60s and 70s are rewriting the
map of life in our multigenerational society, he says.
Through fellowships, prizes, and innovative programs,

“Staying mentally and
physically active and having
people around—those are
the three vital elements of aging
for anybody.”
—George Hartzell ’55 (below)

Encore.org encourages postretirement pursuits—both
volunteer opportunities and second careers—at the
intersection of passion, purpose, and (often) a paycheck.
“As we get older, we need to feel that what we’ve learned
from life is living on in younger generations,” says Freedman.
“And young people are in need of guidance and support. The
needs and assets of the generations fit together like pieces of
a jigsaw puzzle.”
George Hartzell ’55’s unofficial second act led him to
the classroom—at least temporarily. After retiring as a
surgeon at age 66, Hartzel enrolled in Pennsylvania’s Guest
Teacher Program to
work as a substitute for
grades K–5. His years of
teaching residents at a
community hospital left
him wondering whether
kids learned differently
from adults.
“I found out they do
learn differently,” he says
with a laugh. “Or at least
they don’t pay attention as
well.”
For eight years, Hartzell
enjoyed the challenge
and change of pace, filling
in for teachers three or
four days a week. When
the 2008 recession
hit, however, those substitution calls all but stopped, as
professional teachers who had chosen to stay home with
their children returned to work to help support their families
financially.
“I felt that I still had some mileage left,” says Hartzell, “and
I wanted to make a contribution.”
So he re-emerged from medical retirement—swapping
surgery for primary care.

The physician-patient relationship of internal medicine
had always appealed to Hartzell, and the field felt like a
better fit for this stage of his life—without the 3 a.m. wakeups
and long days on his feet that he endured as a surgeon. But
first, he would need to be recertified—a 10-month process
that was trying, but ultimately gratifying.
After undergoing a cognitive screen by a psychologist,
Hartzell completed a 60-hour review course, followed by a
test from the National Board of Medical Examiners. He then
finished a six-week preceptorship in family medicine before
being evaluated by a teacher in the residency program.
Approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
and insurance companies, Hartzell began his primary care
practice, working part time with an internal medicine group.
“I have a half-hour per patient, so I don’t have to rush them
through their visits,” says Hartzell, who sees 10 to 12 patients
a day. “I can sit and talk to them and practice the way old
country doctors used to. I’ve made a lot of good relationships
with people, knowing their families and listening to their
stories. It’s a very enjoyable experience.”
Beyond those interactions, Hartzell says he’s also
benefited mentally from his return to medicine, as neurons
that were in a resting state became reactivated. Nine years
later, though, he is ready to retire for good, with plans to step
away later this year at age 85.
“I didn’t expect to live this long—I was surprised,” Hartzell
says. “I had a high-tension job for a lot of years; I needed
heart surgery. I never planned to die, but I never thought I
would live into my 80s.
“I did, though.” He laughs. “And so now I have to deal with
it.”
JUST KEEP MOVING
From her new home in Durango, Colo., Susan Washburn
acknowledges she’s made one concession to aging:
purchasing a house in a suburban neighborhood instead of
another country property. There, she has joined a local book
club, has started a writers’ group, and is training her 4-pound
Yorkie as a therapy dog for hospital visits.
She’s also situated herself close to things that she loves:
her daughter and four grandchildren; a downhill ski resort
and a community recreation center with yoga classes; and
forested trails for biking and hiking, her dogs leading the
way.
Through it all, Washburn consciously stays in motion,
with no plans to slow down.
“I don’t think of it as trying to stay young,” she says. “I just
can’t imagine not being active.”

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“You need to always be thinking, in a fraction of a second, about what your next shot is going to be,” says Matt Wall ’87, who
has maintained his love of pinball since playing High Speed in Tarble’s gaming space.

SENIOR YEAR at Swarthmore was
particularly special for Matt Wall ’87,
but not for the typical last-hurrah
reasons.
A fire that destroyed the Tarble
Activity Center—then a sanctuary
for students seeking recreation and a
break from the pressures of college life
—meant he’d gone three years without
his favorite pinging, ringing, springloaded pastime.
But in fall 1986, the soon-to-be
graduate got his joy back when he
walked through the doors of the newly
built, yet smaller, Tarble gaming
space. He slid two quarters into the
High Speed pinball machine, pulled
the plunger, and watched his first ball
spring into action.
“Pinball provided a release from the
stresses of senior year,” Wall says. “To
someone struggling with both the final
workload and choices ahead about
where to go in life, it was a welcome
blanking of the mind that allowed me
to reset each day.”
It was also a welcome moment
when his love of the game flipped from
occasional hobby to lifelong passion.
“In the process of doing anything
competitively, you get to a point where
you realize there is skill involved and

that skill can be mastered through
practice,” he says.
Although he doesn’t consider
himself a pinball master, Wall has
played in more than 200 tournaments
and once ranked as high as No. 52 in
the world pinball rankings.
It’s not a game he makes a living
from—nor did he ever intend to—but
in his prime, Wall earned as much as
$4,000 in one year of competitive play.
Nice pocket change for the
presidential historian, who majored in
art history at Swarthmore.
Wall’s main career was as an
internet software engineer and
engineering manager. “I’m most closely
associated with the development of
the IMAP email protocol that now
drives almost all the world’s email,”
says Wall, who worked for Carnegie
Mellon University, several startup
companies, and Sun Microsystems
before “retiring” from this to stay at
home and raise his kids with wife Mika
Hoffman ’86, executive director of the
Center for Educational Measurement
and Prior Learning Assessment at
Excelsior College.
These days, Wall can be found
practicing anywhere from one to 15
hours a week on a small collection

of pinball machines that he keeps
at his home in Niskayuna, N.Y.—in
a state that banned the game in the
early 1940s for its association with
gambling. That irony is not lost on
him. Pinball was eventually legalized
in New York after a player impressed
a judge with his ability to predict the
outcome of his flipper shot.
But if you ask Wall, there’s no doubt
that pinball is, and always has been, a
game of physical and mental skill.
All competitive pinball players
need endurance, Wall says. Pinball
tournaments can require contestants
to stand for anywhere from 10 to
24 hours straight. Some endure by
adopting a stoic signature stance—
legs spread wide, eyes ever on the ball,
hands always on the flippers. Others
turn to energy drinks for an extra
boost. Wall prefers oranges and coffee
for stamina.
His stance has changed over time,
though, primarily to compensate for
new progressive lenses that sometimes
make it difficult for him to see the
shiny metal ball at certain angles.
Sugary drinks and perfected poses
aside, Wall says it all comes down to
the mind. It’s why some pinball players
wear headphones during tournaments

FALL 2019

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45

class notes
A TREASURY OF ALUMNI-RELATED ITEMS

46

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

ALUMNI
EVENTS
CELEBRATING
BLACK EXCELLENCE
AT SWARTHMORE:
HONORING OUR PAST,
IMAGINING OUR FUTURES
2019–2020
This academic year marks
significant milestones in
the history of the College.
Special events, performances,
historical highlights, and more
will take place throughout the
year.
swarthmore.edu/
black-excellence

“In the process of doing anything competitively, you get to a point where you realize
there is skill involved and that skill can be mastered through practice,” says Matt Wall ’87.

no matter how long it takes.
“I don’t imagine ever retiring,” he
says. “As long as I can stand up, I’ll
keep doing it—and even then there are
some people who play sitting down.”
Most important, Wall says he’ll
always be grateful for that High Speed
pinball machine in Tarble that helped
get him through senior year and left
him with a hobby he can always come
back to.
“At Swarthmore, I got the seeds of a
lifelong education in balancing passion
with ability and interest,” he says.
“At a few points in my life, I have felt

pinball was just an amusement and
that taking it seriously was a bad thing,
a distraction from living an adult life.
But as I’ve come back to it in middle
age, with kids of my own to play with,
and new friends that I have made
worldwide, I’ve come to realize it’s a
personal portal of sorts on the world.
“Pinball is more than an excuse to
travel, understand others, learn new
things, and challenge myself; it’s a lens
of understanding and experience.”

LIBERAL ARTS LIVES:
SWARTHMORE
IN HEALTH CARE
Nov. 21, Philadelphia
Featuring alumni who serve the
greater good through medicine
and public health.
lifechanging.swarthmore.edu/
events
SWATTALKS
Oct. 29, Nov. 20, Dec. 12
SwatTalks are live, online
seminars featuring professors,
students, and alumni excelling
in their fields and sharing their
knowledge and experience.
swarthmore.edu/alumniresources-events/swattalks
ALUMNI COLLEGE ABROAD
Trips to Antarctica, Panama
Canal & Costa Rica, Morocco,
Galapagos Islands, and others
are booking now for 2020.
bit.ly/SwatAbroad

LAURENCE KESTERSON

to limit exterior distractions, and
others dictate their thoughts out loud
to intimidate observing competitors.
Pinball requires a tremendous amount
of mental skill, hand-eye dexterity, and
focus.
“You’re sort of doing this constant
risk/reward calculation about whether
you should try for a trap or take a
shot, and it is exacerbated by modern
machines that have hurry-up modes
where you get points but there’s
a timer on them, counting down,
always,” Wall says. “You need to always
be thinking, in a fraction of a second,
about what your next shot is going to
be.”
Over the years, Wall’s passion for the
game has taken him to tournaments
in cities across the U.S. and Canada,
where he’s met people from all walks
of life. Playing for hours on end and
watching some of the world’s best
players compete, Wall has become
somewhat of a pinball wizard.
But as he’s aged, the game has taken
a backseat to, well, life.
After Swarthmore, Wall married
Hoffman, they had two sons, and
they moved cross-country for a job
on the West Coast, where few pinball
hangouts remained. A recent move
back east allowed Wall to get back
into competitive play after a 15-year
drought.
It didn’t take long for him to realize a
lot had changed.
During his break from the game,
Wall’s ranking suffered and the pool
of competitive players grew; he
now ranks 1,168 among hundreds of
thousands of active players.
“I’m not among the crème de la
crème anymore because it’s grown
so much,” Wall says. “You also lose a
little something in your reaction speed
when you get a little older.”
Attending a tournament now means
planning a family trip, which suits his
younger son, Isaiah, who seems to have
his father’s magic gaming fingers—
he recently won his first pinball
championship.
Despite those changes and
adjustments, Wall says he’s excited to
be back in the game. He’s set a personal
goal of making it back into the top 500,

Orientation leaders helped new students get into the groove Aug. 27 as the Class of 2023 arrived at Swarthmore.

1941

Libby Murch Livingston
lizliv33@gmail.com
Should we call this our Centennial
Issue? We are all around 100 years
old, though we don’t like to admit it.
I just talked with Barbara Ferguson
Young to hear that she is having a
large birthday party. Barbara is at
White Horse Village in Newtown
Square, Pa., where she is active
and enjoys running the whole
community. She is especially proud
of her young granddaughter, who
has a successful career writing
teenage novels.
Walt Steuber called me to check

on our class. He is in Springfield,
Pa., in a nice setup with two of
his sons. One of them lives with
him, while the other has built a
home next door. It is nice to have
a classmate near the College,
especially one as kind as Walt.
The Bulletin sent me an updated
contact list of our classmates. We
are spread all over the country, with
three members in California—Bob
Cahall, Dorothy Turner Reed,
and John Sonneborn—and one
other westerner, Helene Herzberg
Suydam, in New Mexico. The rest
are on the East Coast: Elizabeth
Malcolm Murray in Maryland, Bent
Boving in Delaware, and Walt and
Barbara in Pennsylvania. Then
in New England, Art Harman in
Massachusetts and myself in
Maine.
I have become very fond of
Maine. I am lucky to have two of

my children nearby, as well as a
daughter in New Hampshire. They
all spoil me! I have two family
weddings coming up in Maryland
and Denver. It will be grand to have
everyone together, but I am sorry it
involves airports.
My only great news is being
part of the ukulele gang. Oh my! I
promise not to take my purple uke
to the weddings.

1942

Lucy Rickman Baruch writes from
England: “Not much has changed
except a fourth great-grandchild.
The ‘care home’ lives up to its name,
and we were well-looked-after. They

FALL 2019

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47

class notes
have promised me a grand birthday
party for my 98th.
“We enjoyed a boat trip on the
Thames, and there are various
‘outings’ plus visits from family
(and to dentist, audiologist …). Best
wishes!”

1944

Esther Ridpath Delaplaine
edelaplaine1@verizon.net
Reaching out to potential attendees
ahead of our 75th Reunion, I
encountered Hannah “Tommy”
Broomell Wilson. She lives in a
residential community in Medford,
N.J., where she plays volleyball and
enjoys making pottery. Children and
grandchildren live nearby.
It turned out that neither of us
attended the event. I flew out to
San Francisco to visit son Mark,
and we spent the week traveling
to El Cerrito (near Berkeley) to get
acquainted with my 6-month-old
great-granddaughter, Maya Miller
Delaplaine.
If anyone did attend the reunion,
please send us a report.

1949

Marjorie Merwin Daggett
mmdaggett@verizon.net
No news good, sad, or otherwise
from classmates. I did enjoy the
spring Bulletin with Bobbe Lea
Couphos’s article on the “Holy
Seven” round robin; it was such
a pleasure to see those familiar
faces on the back cover. Thank you,
Bobbe.
I had a busy spring taking
courses at Brandeis’s adult ed and
participating in a League of Women
Voters subcommittee on affordable
housing. We are encouraged
because Concord, Mass., took some
steps to provide potential funding
for affordable homes.

48

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

1952
Barbara Wolff Searle
bsearle70@msn.com

I have happy and sad news. I will
start with the happy: One of our
illustrious classmates, Maxine
Frank Singer, had a Swarthmore
building named after her. The
Bulletin has had lots to say about
this (see bit.ly/SingerBEP), but
I wanted to make sure we gave
Maxine all the credit she is due.
I heard from Franz Leichter with
interesting historical news! “In
February 2018, I attended a play
in Vienna about my mother, who
was a sociologist and activist in
the Socialist Party, paired with
another prominent sociologist
and party activist, Marie Jahoda.
Both did pioneering studies in the
1920s and 1930s, my mother on
working conditions of women and
gender pay inequality, and Marie on
unemployment. Both were raising
young children in Vienna in the
1930s: my mother, me; and Marie,
daughter Lotte Lazarsfeld [Bailyn
’51]. Fifteen years later, both of us
were safe out of Nazi Austria and
attending Swarthmore. I had the
play translated into English. Lotte
and I then helped to have the play
produced in the U.S. She arranged
for a venue at MIT, where she had
been a distinguished professor, and
I worked with the play’s producer
for it to be performed in New York.
It was also produced in Atlanta,
Washington, and L.A. Sadly, Lotte
and I barely knew each other at
Swarthmore. It took the play for us
to connect 68 years after we were
fellow students.
“In March, I finally achieved
my goal to see the Galapagos.
Somewhat challenging at my age,
but I still managed to walk among
the sea lions, iguanas, tortoises,
and birds who were unconcerned
with humans of whatever age.
The Galapagos were every bit as

fascinating as I had imagined.”
Now for the sad news. Jacob
“Jack” Nachmias M’52 died
March 2 after a brief illness. He is
survived by wife Vivianne Thimann
Nachmias, daughters Lisa and
Sarah, and many other family
members. Jack had a special status
in our class. While the rest of us
were awarded bachelor’s degrees in
1952, Jack and a few others earned
master’s degrees. Around the same
time, he and Vivianne were married.
So we awarded Jack permanent
status in our class.
Born June 9, 1928, in Athens,
Greece, Jack left his home in Sofia,
Bulgaria, with the rest of his family
in 1939 to come to America and
escape the Nazis. Their departure
on the last ship to sail from Paris
is the subject of family legend,
documented in files now stored
online with the Holocaust Museum.
Jack was legally blind his entire
life but refused to consider that a
disability. After graduating from
Cornell, he obtained an M.A.
from Swarthmore while teaching
and working with Hans Wallach
and Wolfgang Kohler, who also
escaped the Nazis. After earning
a Ph.D. from Harvard, he studied
at Cambridge in England on a
Fulbright scholarship.
He enjoyed a long, satisfying
career as psychology professor at
Penn, where he also served two
terms as department chair. He had
another stint at Cambridge, working
with John Robson and Murray
Sacks on visual channels.
“He especially loved music (both
classical and folk music of many
countries), literature, ethnic food,
liberal politics, walking around
his old neighborhood in West
Philadelphia, and most of all, his
family,” his obit reads. “As with his
father before him, his last written
instructions to us were in Ladino
(the Judao-Spanish of Sephardic
Jews), ‘no me ovildes’ (don’t forget
me), and we never will.”
When I sent these notes to Lotte
for her review, she told me of an
early connection with Jack: “It
seems that he and I were in the
same public school at one point

1945, 1946, and 1948 are in need of class secretaries.
Interested? Email classnotes@swarthmore.edu.

shortly after he arrived, and I helped
him out because I was the only
other person who knew German
and he still didn’t know English.”
I love these stories! Do you have
one? Please send it along.

1954

Elizabeth Dun Colten
36 Hampshire Hill Road
Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
lizcolten@aol.com
Despite the “significance” (65
years since our graduation), only
four classmates attended Alumni
Weekend: Lucy Bunzl Mallan, Tom
Greene with wife Margaret, and
Fred and Elena Sogan Kyle. Kudos
to Fred and Elena as they received
the Joseph B. Shane Alumni
Service Award, given annually
to those who have “contributed
significant time and service to
benefit the College.” Well-deserved!
In April, the senior Greenes
headed a family party of seven,
including two grandsons, age 13, to
Panama. They crossed the isthmus
four times (by boat, bus, car, and
train), going through the original
locks while enormous vessels
traversed the parallel new wider
facilities. “Truly spectacular.”
Corinne Lyman was in Glasgow,
Scotland, instead of Swarthmore
on May 31! After other stops in
Scotland, she was headed to
London.
A first great-grandson for
Raymond and Mary Wren Swain,
born June 6 in California. So
daughter Martha Swain ’83 is now
a great-aunt!
Should you happen to be in
Salzburg, Germany, Ed Wallach’s
son Paul’s sculpture Down to the
Ground is part of the Krauthügel Art
Project. Best seen from above, the
geometric structure reveals itself
as a four-pointed star. Paul lives in
Paris, and his sculptures have been
featured in exhibitions in New York,
Paris, Vienna, and Berlin.
And the Jerrold Colten reporting
occasionally on TV from Rome (and
appearing periodically in Bloomberg

Businessweek) is my (Liz’s) son,
Jerry.
Harriet Donow Cornell continues
her Rockland County, N.Y., elected
duties, running committees
on the environment and water
conservation and working with local
nonprofits. Grandson Skyler ’21 is
an enthusiastic junior majoring in
engineering and a musician with a
Rockland band.
Belatedly, I report the death of
Bartlett Jones on Oct. 16, 2018.
Bart received a history M.A.
and Ph.D. from Emory; taught in
colleges in Texas, Ohio, Florida and
Missouri; and wrote extensively.
His interests included gardening,
bridge, golf, and tennis, and upon
retirement, he returned to Florida
where his one-act plays were
performed. Predeceased by wife
Carolyn and son Robert, he is
survived by another son, Michael,
and two grandsons.
Russell Snyder died from
complications of Alzheimer’s
disease on May 22. After a twoyear stint in the Army, Russ did
his medical residency in Colorado
and subsequently became the
first pediatric neurologist in New
Mexico. He served on many boards
and committees at the University of
New Mexico and received a lifetime
achievement award from the Child
Neurology Society in 2010. Known
for his dry humor, he loved cars,
reading, running, and travel. He was
predeceased by wife Alicia but is
survived by a son, a daughter, and
two grandsons.
Frances Leland died July 3 in
Jacksonville, Ill. Please share with
me your memories of Frankie, Russ,
and Bart.

1955
Bernard Webb
71 Johns Brook Lane
Keene Valley, NY 12943
bethel4684@gmail.com

As noted in the spring Bulletin, Sally
Schneckenburger Rumbaugh, after
many years of service, has chosen
to “retire” and return more fully to

the other aspects of her life. She
deserves much credit and thanks
for her time as class secretary, and
we wish her well. I am pleased to
succeed her and to compile your
news into Class Notes on an everyother-edition basis, appearing
in winter and summer after this
introductory column. Naturally, I
trust you will initiate me with a flood
of mail! Write to me, or call me at
518-576-4684.
By way of introduction, here is a
capsule image of my current life. In
my time at Swarthmore, I blended
studies in civil engineering and
those of philosophy and religion.
The latter won out for a time when
I studied Christian theology at a
nearby seminary. I then returned
to the more practical side of my
interests and pursued what was to
be a lifetime career in architectural
engineering. Ethel Smith ’58 and
I were married 60 years ago and
had three children. We lived in and
enjoyed the town of Swarthmore for
15 years until we moved to Boston,
living there for another 15 years and
pursuing our careers. We moved to
a small town in the Adirondacks in
1995 where we find much cultural
activity. Ethel and I are active in a
Congregational church; the Quaker
tradition and outlook continue to
have an effect on our thinking. The
time here has entailed a private
architectural design practice, which
included the creation of plans for
a number of new homes. We are
both retired and looking for elder
housing, which would enable us to
stay here. Would love to hear about
your approaches to aging!
William Allen Bosbyshell died May
10; he is survived by his wife of 60
years, Caroline Thomas Bosbyshell.
He graduated from NYC’s General
Theological Seminary in 1958,
and received a counseling Ph.D.
from the University of Florida in
1970. Bill dedicated his life to
the Episcopal Church. He loved
camping, hiking, and sailing, and he
spent many days on the Tampa Bay
waters sailing the Fran-Marie, the
Joint Venture, and his favorite, the
Anima Mia, an 18-foot Victoria. He
followed professional and college
sports teams, particularly the
Florida Gators and the SEC, and in
retirement, Bill enjoyed bridge and
traveling.

1956
Caro Luhrs
celuhrs@verizon.net

Our $33,000 Class of 1956
Scholarship for 2018–19 was given
to Jamila Hageman ’19, a sociology
& anthropology major from NYC.
After completing three years at
Swarthmore, Jamila was forced to
drop out because of unforeseen
financial circumstances. During her
six-year break, Jamila worked with
infants and children in daycare.
She promised herself that she
would go back for her senior year at
Swarthmore and get her degree.
Jamila is so appreciative of our
contribution, which made her return
possible. Her senior thesis was
about low-income students and
differences they may bring with
them—in things like confidence,
vocabulary, public speaking,
writing—that may make them feel
“in over their heads.”
It is rare that anyone returns after
six years to finish their degree at
Swarthmore. Jamila feels that
the time spent away from college
helped her add more maturity
and clearer, real-world thinking
to her academic pursuits. When I
spoke with her this summer, she
was considering a law degree and
preparing for the LSAT.
Edna Apfel Casman loved the
variety of athletics she found
at Swarthmore. Through the
years, she has kept up with many
individual sports. She also played
ice hockey (in a mostly men’s
league) for 25 years—until she
turned 60!
Edna has resumed her favorite
sport of high school and college
days: basketball. She is a member
of Albuquerque, N.M.’s “Cruisin’
Big Dogs” senior women’s team.
“Senior” means age 80 and
older. The players on Edna’s team
range in age from 81 to 95! Senior
women’s basketball is played on a
half-court—three on each team.
All players switch from defense to
offense with each scoring basket.
In June, the Cruisin’ Big Dogs

competed at the National Senior
Games in Albuquerque with other
teams from across the U.S. They
came in third nationally! Amazing!
Go, Edna, go!
I am sad to report the death of
Jean Herskovits on Feb. 5. Jean
was well-known and well-respected
as a history professor and special
expert on Nigeria. She was a
director of Nigeria’s third-largest
bank. When you read her Bulletin
tribute (bit.ly/JeanH56), you
will understand why she always
said she was never bored. Our
thoughts and sympathy are with her
husband, three daughters, and six
grandchildren.
Carol Getz Tucker died peacefully
June 20. Her three surviving
daughters and seven grandchildren
are in our thoughts.
Carol transferred from Bucknell
to Swarthmore and graduated
summa cum laude in English. She
later received an English literature
M.A. and a human development
Ph.D. After a career of public school
teaching and tutoring (including
artist Jamie Wyeth), she founded
the Concept School in Westtown,
Pa., for children with different
learning abilities. Read more about
Carol in “Their Light Lives On.”

1958

Vera Lundy Jones
549 East Ave.
Bay Head, NJ 08742
verajonesbayhead@comcast.net
I received a great letter from
Marianne Wertheim Makman. She
and husband Maynard met Bruce
and Debbie Hacker Oakley for lunch
in Ann Arbor, Mich., where daughter
Lisa Makman ’86 and her family
live. “It was a delightful lunch visit,”
she writes. “Debbie and Bruce are
the epitome of a matchbox couple,
as they met orientation week,
1954, and remain together to this
day!” Adds Marianne: “We are a
Swarthmore family—I; my daughter
Lisa (at Swarthmore two years
before transferring to Columbia);
her husband, Julian Levinson ’90;

FALL 2019

/ Swarthmore College Bulletin

49

class notes
and Julian’s father, Carl Levinson
’49.”
Sometime ago, I received a letter
from Ginnie Paine DeForest. She
commented about the reunion and
how much fun it was to see and talk
with classmates. More of you could
send me notes to share!
Sadly, Paul Corddry died July 1.
Paul received an MBA from the
University of Chicago, and served
as president of Ore-Ida Foods
and then senior vice president
of H.J. Heinz in Europe until his
retirement in 1992. He and wife
Charlotte married in June 1962,
and they had three children and six
grandchildren, including Thomas
Corddry ’23.

1959
Miriam Repp Staloff
15 Main St.
Far Hills, NJ 07931
staloff@verizon.net

During Alumni Weekend in June,
our class celebrated its 60th
anniversary. As part of our program,
we remembered the classmates
who are no longer with us. Class
president Charles Harris read the
list. I thought those who did not
attend the reunion would wish to
share in this memorial:
Ofei Saakwa-Mante, Charles
Miller, Michael Predmore,
William Crothers, Elinor Lee
Fisher, Margaret Condon Power,
Laurence Stookey, Lewis Gaty,
Sergei Retivov, Joy Hill, Frank
Sloan, Jeremy Olmsted, Elizabeth
Eames Siebold, Franklin Philip,
Edwin Harper, Shawna Velya
Tropp, James Juckett, William
Walls, John Pendleton, George
Ward, Peter Collins, Constance
Wilson, Richard Wilson, John
Seaton, Leanne Beukelman Smith,
David Shear, Peter Atkinson, John
Lehman, Richard Johnson, Samuel
Thorndike, Peter Collins, Tim
Shopen, John Angell, Constance
Davis Stankrauff, Robert Simpson,
Ann Compter Werner, John
Hoffman, Eric Erlanson, Andrew
Nichols, Judith Wegman Hirst,

50

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

Marianne Edel Gibson, Frederic
Oakhill, Murray Goldman, David
Klingener, Raymer Matson, Alan
Griest, Anne March Stone, John
Adams, Stephen Peiker, Robert
Baker, Beth Stevens Freedman,
Starr Koester Atkinson, Grandin
Conover, Margot Singleton Mears,
Carol Lynn Kalina, Anthony Pool.
I would like to thank John Gillmor,
Charles Harris, Mary Morse
Fuqua, and Fred Stollnitz for their
contributions to our reunion. We
are also grateful to Caitlin Halloran
Edwards, associate director of
alumni and parent engagement, for
her help.
Upon hearing of Charles Miller’s
death, Reinhart Wettmann
wrote from Germany: “During
my Fulbright year, ’56–57, I was
Chuck’s roommate, together with
Lee Bigelow ’58, at Mary Lyon.
The resulting friendship has been
abruptly ended by his death, but
it will continue through virtually
hundreds of letters, documents,
essays, and thoughts exchanged
over all these years. He knew Bach,
Brandeis, and Camp Catawba by
heart, but explained to me also
60 years of U.S. political, social,
and constitutional history and
kept contact with many common
friends like Kathy Gaposchkin
Haramundanis ’58, Pete Schickele
’57, etc. His father introduced me to
Justice Felix Frankfurter and Sen.
J. William Fulbright, and some of
his mother’s paintings are still in
my home in Freiburg/Black Forest.
Thus, Chuck is still alive.”

1960
Jeanette Strasser Pfaff
jfalk2@mac.com

Judith Nordblom Alger sends news
from the City Different (Santa
Fe) in the Land of Enchantment:
“I’m involved for the 10th year in
a folk-art flea market where we
grossed over $70,000 at a one-day
sale of remarkable/nonremarkable
items. Proceeds go to the education
program of the Museum of
International Folk Art. Last fall, we

tried to travel the whole distance
of the Northwest Passage, but a
narrow strait full of ice stopped us.
We are going to try the Northeast
Passage next! After all these years,
I resumed contact with Robert
Patten. We happened to be sitting
next to each other at a dinner and,
after some conversation, I realized
that I was speaking to my old
classmate. Since that surprising
event, I have taken a course
from him on Great Expectations.
The world knows him as a great
Dickens scholar; his students as the
consummate teacher with a great
sense of humor.” Following protocol,
Judith checked with Bob to see if
I could use this information in our
column. He replied: “Of course, but I
don’t think you go quite far enough.
Did you want to mention that I walk
on water and that my halo shows up
in Instagrams?” Bob will be Bob.
Mimi Siegmeister Koren likes
years that end in zero “because
they let me figure out my age very
easily. I won’t turn 80 until early
2020 but am experiencing many of
the less-pleasant aspects of aging:
unsteady balance, the need to nap
regularly—such a waste of time!
I keep thinking about making an
assessment of my life, but I don’t
know that I’ve made any major
contributions to the world. Some
of the work I did may count in a
small way, and my current volunteer
gig as secretary of my condo
board could be considered a small
contribution to my local community.
On the other hand, the artwork I’m
doing—painting with pastels—is a
major contribution to my quotient of
joy and peace of mind; whether it’s
any good is less important at this
stage of my life.”
Linda Habas Mantel shares her
thoughts on being 80: “I threw two
birthday parties for myself—one
in Portland, Ore., with friends and
local family, one in Westchester
with N.Y. family. Everyone had a

JOIN THE
LEGACY CHALLENGE
Learn more on
pg. 55 or at
swarthmore.edu/
legacychallenge

good time at both. Being 80 is much
better than many alternatives! I feel
now I can say no to some requests
and plan things that I want to do. I
realize how fortunate I am in having
good health and many friends
and family, and many interests in
learning.”
John Goodman recognized 80 to
be sufficiently important to ask his
wife and sister to throw a party for
him. Aside from that, “I don’t think
turning 80 will prove to be very
significant. I’m still busy enjoying
life and trying to do interesting
things, both for fun and to improve
the world around me. In the latter
category, I put three subcategories:
a) political activism to help improve
our democracy; b) inventions
[currently one to make electrical
power transformers work better];
and, of greatest potential impact, c)
pushing my radical notions about
how we might ‘solve’ our global
climate-change problems and
at the same time vastly improve
everyone’s life on Earth by building
100-kilometer-tall trestles to
support solar panels where they
see far more sun, connecting
them through an efficient global
electric grid, and supporting a
super-high-speed train system to
connect everyone with everyone
else far easier, faster, and cheaper
than is possible now—thus helping
transform our worldwide economy.
A big task, but slowly I am getting
more and more people in key
places to at least consider the
idea. In short, I have far too many
interesting things to do to pay
too much attention to matters of
aging.” (Well, John, we would have
to agree!)
I am saddened to report the death
of David Teller early this year. The
summer Bulletin included David
in “Their Light Lives On” (bit.ly/
DTeller60).
Mike Westgate ’61 is excited about
the prospect of our 60th Reunion’s
planned forum, Growing Wealth
Inequality, to be patterned on the
successful forum on climate change
at our last reunion. “We have invited
Professor Ben Berger, director of
the Lang Center, to join us. He will
seek the participation of several
students so we can have another
good intergenerational discussion.”
He adds, “If any classmates have a

particular interest in participating
or some background reading they’d
like to suggest, we hope they will
contribute their thoughts on our
Swarthmore ’60 listserv. (Or, send
them to me, Jeanette, and I will
forward them.)

1961

Pat Myers Westine
pat@westinefamily.com
My thanks to those who replied so
promptly to my urgent request for
updates. Several have not appeared
in these notes before, or not for
a while, and it was good to hear
from them. As we hit 80, our class
remains a busy, vibrant group,
staying active with families and in
our chosen fields and communities.
On Manhattan’s Upper West
Side, Freya Samuels Goldstein has
two sons, Dan and Josh, and a
granddaughter, Clara, 5. Freya and
her husband recently vacationed at
the Grand Canyon and Sedona, Ariz.
She works part time as a pianist
for classes at Step and Ballet
Hispanico, and, with her husband,
does tai chi at a gym.
Linda Grant DePauw retired from
George Washington University’s
faculty 20 years ago and dissolved
the Minerva Center for the Study of
Women and War last year, so she
now is “truly retired.” She published
In Search of Molly Pitcher for young
adults in 2011 and Seeing a Unicorn
for preschoolers in 2016. “With the
current events moving at such a
frenzied pace, I’ve become more
interested in future studies than
in history.” Linda does internetassisted research, sings, and learns
crafting skills from YouTube.
Heywood “Woody” Fleisig got an
economics Ph.D. from Yale, taught
economics on the university level
for several years, and ultimately
moved to D.C., where he worked
for the Federal Reserve Board, the
Congressional Budget Office, and
the World Bank. When he retired,
he set up a foundation to continue
working on legal reforms that would
expand access to credit in low-

income countries.
He also ended “a long period of
divorced bachelorhood, married,
and had a daughter, who is now
a sophomore in college”; his one
granddaughter is 15 years older
than his college-student daughter.
“This complicates introduction
of who is a niece and who is the
aunt, but at least I am not my own
grandpa.” He works on economic
issues and finds retirement a
busy time, “being happier than I
ever expected to be at this age.”
He credits Swarthmore and his
classmates for “helping him grow
up when he needed that help.”
Dan Hartline is definitely not
retired, as he is still a tenured
research professor at the University
of Hawaii–Manoa. He’s been
married for 41-plus years to Petra
Lenz, another biologist and his
longtime collaborator. Sons Julian
and Niko are “gainfully employed”
in high-tech occupations (computer
software and big data analysis)
in California, thus breaking a
three-generation family tradition
of being biologists. Dan and Petra
are researching the “omics” of
zooplankton fish food in the Gulf
of Alaska, which must be a real
change of weather from Hawaii.
Deb Dickinson stays busy
with Quaker, community, and
general peace endeavors around
Cooperstown, N.Y. Discussions
about white privilege through
an interfaith group have been
heart- and eye-opening, and a
peace vigil in front of the Baseball
Hall of Fame—held weekly since
before 9/11—keeps her grounded.
“I’m continually learning to listen
more and respond to the sacred
or divine essence in each of us.
Son Dan Garcia arrives in days
and still teaches computer science
at Berkeley. ‘Beauty and Joy of
Computing’ has been an exciting
project of his to follow.”
We send our sympathy to the
family of Mary “Stu” Stuart Gaskill,
who died in May at her daughter’s
NYC home. Stu spent two years at
Swarthmore but graduated from
George Washington in 1961. Her
parents were both veteran war
correspondents, so she spent her
teen years at school in England
and Switzerland before coming to
Swarthmore. She is survived by

children Kyle, Skye, and Tara and
three grandchildren. In our 50th
yearbook, she spoke of working in
massage therapy, her experiences
in siddha yoga (the Kundalini path),
and her comfort in the Unitarian
Church. Her obituary notes how
her community garden provided
her with friendship, guidance, and
inspiration throughout her life.
After deadline, the College
received news of the deaths of
Katharine Nicely Emsden and
Eleanor Wehmiller Fernald. More
will appear in my next column.
Please share your memories of
Kathy and Ellie with me.

1962
Evelyn Edson
268 Springtree Lane
Scottsville, VA 24590
eedson@pvcc.edu

David Bamberger will stage two
Gilbert and Sullivan productions
this year: The Gondoliers and The
Sorcerer. He is also presenting
the West Coast premiere of a new
musical, Sherlock Holmes and
the Mystery of the Crown Jewel.
I am delighted to report that he
is being honored by the National
Opera Association with its Lifetime
Achievement Award, joining
previous winners including Marilyn
Horne and Samuel Ramey. For many
years David was the Cleveland
Opera’s executive/artistic director.
He supposedly retired to California
a few years ago, but it looks as if
those lifetime achievements are not
over yet.
Nancy Gardner Currier remembers
vividly her Swarthmore alumni
trip to the Galapagos 10 years
ago. “Respect for the natural
world was paramount, and I left
with a deep feeling that I was
just another ‘critter.’” In other
exotic travel news, Peggy Kaetzel
Wheeler fulfilled a lifelong dream
of venturing to Greenland and
the Canadian Arctic in August
2018. “We got a small hint of the
rigors of Arctic travel in the course
of dodging sea ice and wind in

crossing the Davis Strait—36
hours of bouncing off the walls
and clinging to our beds! Imagine
those intrepid Englishmen [of the
19th-century Franklin Expedition]
bracing those conditions—and
worse—with only sail power!”
Jillian and Robin Ridington sold
Retreat Island to new owners “who
will cherish this beautiful place as
we have.” They now live in Victoria,
British Columbia, or on their boat
for most of the year and “in Maui
for the short Victoria winter,
where we enjoy Hawaiian music
and the community of Keawala‘i
Church.” Robin and Jillian still work
with the Dane-zaa First Nations.
I am sorry to report the April
death of Jane Dixon McCullam.
Jane lived in Newbury, Ohio, where
she and husband William operated
Cattermole 20th Century Children’s
Books, specializing in used and
out-of-print publications. She was
president of the Cleveland Memorial
Society and a member of the
Northern Ohio Bibliophilic Society
and the Native Plant Society of
Northeast Ohio. She loved the
outdoors and was a keen observer
of plants, animals, and weather.
She is survived by her husband, two
daughters, and four grandchildren.
David Walter died in March. At
Swarthmore, he was an outstanding
lacrosse player and wrestler. He
received a civil engineering degree
and went to work for Bethlehem
Steel in Minot, N.D., building missile
silos. His life trajectory after this
was fascinating: “From 1964 to 1967
he served in the U.S. Coast Guard
in Asia and the Hawaiian Islands.
Starting in 1968 he searched
for meaning at the Princeton
Theological Seminary, where he
came to admire Carl Rogers and
developed an appreciation for
the art of active listening. David
returned to Swarthmore in the
1970s to become a member of the
Admissions Office for 25 years.
While at Swarthmore, he took up
painting seriously, becoming a
successful portrait painter whose
work hangs in countless institutions
on the East Coast. Upon retirement,
he moved to Philadelphia, where
he continued to paint while also
taking up Argentine tango. He was
an accomplished piano, guitar, and
trumpet player. He learned to speak

FALL 2019

/ Swarthmore College Bulletin

51

class notes
Mandarin. Self-taught in nearly all
of life’s pursuits, David excelled at
each.” He is survived by a brother
and sister, and many dear friends.
And on that note, I close. Send
me your news, thoughts, or
recollections.

1963
Diana Judd Stevens
djsteven1@verizon.net

Isn’t our small world interesting?
In June, Paul ’65 and I took a
Lindblad/National Geographic trip
to southeast Alaska. One evening,
we were delighted and surprised
to sit down at the same dinner
table as Julie Diamond ’65 and
husband Herb. It was fun talking
Swarthmore. In another “small
world story,” David Gelber has
joined forces with Dan Hammer ’07
to fight the climate crisis. David,
who was 44 when Dan was born,
will use data science and satellite
imagery from Dan’s company,
Earthrise Media, to enhance The
Years Project’s video storytelling.
July 1, Bill Lipshutz retired from
practice after 45 years at Penn as
clinical professor of medicine and
section chief (1974–2004). He will
continue teaching and researching.
After much reflection, Kevin Cornell
retired from his “retirement job,”
teaching physics to high school
students at Georgetown Day School
near D.C. Kevin noted he’s had
numerous jobs, some of which
involved teaching college and
graduate students, and admitted
that the past 17 years have been
the best and most rewarding of all.
Michael Friedman, beginning his
50th year of psychiatry practice
in Berkeley, Calif., is thinking
about retiring. Michael’s son is a
psychologist and daughter a San
Francisco firefighter. Michael
wrote that his years at Swarthmore
opened up his life and have
remained deeply meaningful.
Kathie Kertesz traveled to Hawaii
for the high school graduation of
her youngest grandchild.
With the high school graduations

52

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

of the last of three students she
and Harry have mentored for many
years, Monica Pannwitt Bradsher
also graduated, as she has not
“adopted” any more students.
On graduation day 1963, Ed Ayres
felt sad because he thought his
running days were over. Little did
he dream he’d continue running
competitively for 50 more years;
start Running Times magazine,
which was published for 38 years
before merging with Runner’s
World; and develop an interest
in environmental science. Ed
became editorial director of
Worldwatch Institute, one of the
first international organizations
bringing public attention to climate
change. Like many of us, Ed and
wife Sharon, who have a 7-year-old
grandson, have great concern about
humanity’s future. Massachusetts
resident Barbara Perkins Tinker
wrote about trying to work on
carbon reduction at the state
level, a task that faces challenges
from what she thinks is declining
capacity and odds of success. In
Las Vegas, Austine Read Wood
Comarow reports husband Dave
expanded their solar energy system
to make her studio “carbonneutral.” They have 100 solar
collectors producing electricity and
a solar water-heating system.
Jeremiah Gelles reduced his
cardiology office hours to three
days a week so he can babysit
for his newest (fifth) grandchild.
Besides the time Jerry and Laurie
spend with their grandchildren,
they travel, read, photograph, go
to the theater, and enjoy jazz and
spending time with friends. In
Oakland, Calif., Abby Pollak keeps
busy with her granddaughters’
myriad activities, takes piano
lessons, writes, plays bridge, eats
ice cream, and participates in a
French group. In June, Alford and
Helen Rees Lessner celebrated their
56th anniversary and graduations
of two granddaughters.
News from Clyde Prestowitz:
His son who has been receiving
treatment for a brain tumor has
not fully recovered, due to several
infections. The Prestowitzes
decided to move him from Nevada
to Johns Hopkins. Because his skull
is open, travel by plane was not
recommended, so Carol and Clyde

took him by train from Reno to D.C.
Despite the 4 million miles Clyde
has logged on United Airlines, he
had never taken a train trip across
the U.S. Clyde’s other project, a
book about how we should be
trying to deal with China, should be
published this spring.
Two missions occupy David
McLanahan: One is advocating for
single-payer Improved Medicare
for All. The other is promoting arts
and crafts of traditional peoples,
particularly in Borneo and India.
Dave has made more than 35
trips to Asia in the past 50-plus
years, getting to know incredible
craftspeople and being included in
all their events, including parties
where he shows off dance moves
he developed at Swarthmore.
Dave has coordinated 13 years of
Borneo textile and craft shows in
the U.S. and has had items from his
collections in Seattle and Santa Fe
museums. In June, Dan Menaker
attended the Dublin show of son
Will’s (and friends’) leftist satirical
podcast, Chapo Trap House.
Though Will made fun of Dan on
stage for liking Irish folk music, they
were still speaking after the show
and took a “boys’ trip” to Belfast.
Through emails of their obituaries
to our class, most of you are aware
of the deaths of our friends Dick
Kittredge and Steve Livernash.
Read more about each of them in
“Their Light Lives On.”

1964
Diana Bailey Harris
harris.diana@gmail.com

Our 55th Reunion evoked a
heightened sense of camaraderie.
Meg Hodgkin Lippert and our
dedicated Reunion Committee
organized events around specific
topics that encouraged discussion.
A significant highlight for me
was Archer Dodson Heinzen
receiving the Arabella Carter
Award for community service in
recognition for all she—and several
other classmates—have done for
Co-partners of Campesinas in

Guatemala and El Salvador. Don’t
miss the great feature on pg. 8.
Bennett Lorber encourages
everyone: “See you in five years.”
“Reunion was a joy, not only to
see people I’d bonded with during
my student days or at previous
reunions, but also to get to know
people I’d scarcely interacted with
in the past but could or should
easily have bonded with just as
closely if I’d had the occasion,”
Lydia Razran Stone writes. “I was
also struck by how well nonclassmate spouses (including my
own) got along with class members,
thus retrospectively adding
validation to our choices.”
Amy Stone attended with her
husband. She’d like everyone to
know about the Sisterhood of
Salaam Shalom (SOSS), “a grassroots national organization bringing
Muslim and Jewish women together
to get to know each other and stand
up to discrimination. (Since Trump’s
election, membership has tripled.)
A memorable civil rights SOSS bus
trip last year included the opening
of the National Lynching Memorial
in Montgomery, Ala. (I blogged
about it for Lilith: bit.ly/AmySOSS.)
This year, I’m on the SOSS trip to
Berlin, Warsaw, and Krakow led
by Mehnaz M. Afridi, a Muslim
American academic who wrote
Shoah Through Muslim Eyes.”
“At last, the book I’ve been
working on since 2000 has been
published,” writes Peter Linebaugh.
“Its title, Red Round Globe Hot
Burning, is from a poem by William
Blake, the poet who was first
introduced to me by Becky Parfitt
on the lawn in front of Parrish.
The subtitle explains it all: A Tale
at the Crossroads of Commons &
Closure, of Love & Terror, of Race &
Class, and of Kate & Ned Despard.
Otherwise, I remain in good health,
my children flourish, and my
grandson just turned 9!”
Peter Freedman reports: “Life
is good, albeit including various
aches and pains. I’ve started
taking harmony lessons. Our oldest
grandchild is finishing his second
year at Portland State, majoring
in graphic arts. We’ve added one
grandniece since my last update.
Staying in touch with various
S’more friends on Facebook, where
we commiserate about the state of

GIDGET NYQUIST

ALUMNI PROFILE

Ted Nyquist ’63 flies volunteer missions for Flights for Life, which provides emergency
transportation of human blood to replenish hospital reserves on an on-demand basis.

READY FOR TAKEOFF

In delivering platelets to rural
communities, he flies for a purpose
by Elizabeth Redden ’05
FOR TED NYQUIST ’63, much of
the joy of flying lies in its technical
challenges.
“You’re constantly watching for
other aircraft,” he says. “You’re talking
to air traffic control and you have to
follow their direction, so you have to be
on your toes.”
Those challenges are compounded
when carrying aboard precious blood
platelets bound for medical centers all
across Arizona.
Nyquist, who earned his pilot’s
license the summer after his
sophomore year at Swarthmore, flies
volunteer missions for the nonprofit
Flights for Life, which provides

emergency transportation of human
blood to replenish hospital reserves
on an on-demand basis. He donates
his time and the fuel and other costs
associated with flying the plane, which
he rents from a flying club near his
home in Cave Creek, Ariz., located in
the foothills outside Phoenix.
“Pilots don’t need an excuse to fly;
they like to fly,” he says. “This gives you
a good reason to go somewhere and
you’re doing some good at the same
time.”
Nyquist, who flies small, singleengine planes such as Cessnas and
Pipers, first learned about Flights for
Life from fellow pilots in the flying

club. As an instrument-rated pilot,
Nyquist is certified to fly in lowvisibility weather using only the
information on his flight instruments.
Enjoying the scenery is part of the
fun of flying, he says, but you have
to be thinking “at least 30, 40 miles
ahead: How am I going to descend and
accommodate air traffic control? Is
it windy or not? Which runway am I
going to land on? How am I going to
compensate for the wind?”
When Nyquist plans for a flight—
whether for Flights for Life or for a
personal trip—he checks the routes,
the weather, and all the frequencies
needed along the way.
“You have a flight plan you’ll go on,
but there are always changes as you
go along,” he says. “You just have to be
ready for them.”
Nyquist has been just as adaptable
in his personal and professional life.
A father of five and grandfather of
14, Nyquist studied chemistry at
Swarthmore before earning a Ph.D.
in chemistry at the University of
Pennsylvania. He worked in research
for Dow Chemical and Standard Oil,
and in 1980 he moved into the business
world.
“I guess I’m a pretty independent
person,” he says of the career change.
He and his wife, Gidget, operated
franchises for the direct marketer
Money Mailer in six states and the hair
salon Fantastic Sams in three. He sold
both businesses, in 2005 and 2007,
respectively, and has been retired
since.
When not in the air, Nyquist enjoys
landscape photography; he has had
the rare privilege of seeing much of
Arizona’s scenery from the sky.
“Flying up to Flagstaff, Ariz., at
10,000 feet, it’s pretty neat, seeing
all the beautiful canyons and doing
something most people don’t do,”
he says. “There’s the feeling of
independence in doing something like
that.”

FALL 2019

/ Swarthmore College Bulletin

53

class notes
the world, U.S. in particular. Just
finishing The Three-Body Problem,
a great sci-fi book by a Chinese
writer, Cixin Liu.”
Bob and Catherine Young Kapp
’66 “remain in Port Townsend,
Wash., on the Olympic Peninsula.
We try to keep our sanity in the
face of the destruction of our
country. Catherine’s garden is truly
awesome. She also devotes herself
deeply to volunteer work with
the art teacher in our town’s K–4
elementary school. Bob picks up
a title here and there—the newest
is ‘special advisor (planning and
publication), U.S.–China Education
Trust.’ USCET is a wonderful small
NGO struggling to build bridges of
understanding as Trump and Xi go
about unraveling everything.
“Bob also remains senior adviser
to the China Program of the Carter
Center. A readable and (I hope)
meaningful collection of short
essays on U.S.–China relations
after 40 years of ‘normalization,’
presented at an Atlanta symposium
in January, may be found at bit.ly/
USChinaEssays. Just when Bob
concludes that his days of going
to China have ended, something
pops up; now scheduled for China
in September, China in October, and
Hong Kong (I know, I know: Hong
Kong is China …) in December.
“We spent a couple of enjoyable
weeks in Europe this spring—five
days in Amsterdam, then about
a week in southern France, with
others from Port Townsend,
including a woman from Provence
who’s a working winemaker. Lots of
sites, lots of wine, lots of fun.”
Dave Jaquette wrote after seeing
Bernie Banet’s postings on our
wonderful website. “I think so
warmly about my four years at
Swarthmore but have lost touch
with almost all of you from our
class except for my ex-wife, Jane
Stallmann Jaquette (we share two
children). I will really try to make it
to the 60th.”
Lydia responded to Dave’s
message: “Please do come to our
60th Reunion. I can pretty much
guarantee you’ll be happy you were
there.”
Yes. Exploring the walk from one
of the new dorms to Bond, for our
first event, I found myself in front
of Willets, now cloaked in trees and

54

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

shrubbery; Bond was to my right.
Vivid memories flooded back as I
gazed at the lovely old buildings.
This can happen to you, too. This
school was our launching pad.

1965
Kiki Skagen Munshi
kiki@skagenranch.com
smore65.com

Some years ago, I realized that
volunteers keep much of this
country running, so I asked
classmates on my mailing list
(hint—send me contact information
and you, too, can be harassed)
about volunteering. It was an
impressive response.
Julie Diamond has been
volunteering at the Arab-American
Family Support Center in Brooklyn,
helping people prepare for the
citizenship exam. She also
canvassed last summer for New
York State Rep. Antonio Delgado.
Dave Rowley is a volunteer tutor
at the Chester Charter Scholars
Academy. “I work primarily with the
elementary-age students, since I
still know more than they do!” Glen
Kanwit volunteers for the Elder Law
Justice Center in Chicago, where
he helps indigent seniors with their
legal problems.
Rick Shampaine is president of
the nonprofit Paint Your Heart
Out Safety Harbor in Florida.
“Each year, on a single Saturday
morning in March, we gather about
150 volunteers to paint houses
for 6–8 needy homeowners. All
of the painting is supervised by
professional house painters who
volunteer their time. The funding is
from donations.” For Peter Meyer,
“voluntarism is a large part of my
life. My continued professional
involvement—researching,
speaking, writing, advocating
in other ways—is no longer
compensated monetarily.” Sue
Lovett Ethridge volunteers at her
library in Farmington Hills, Mich. “It
has to be the best ‘job’ in the world:
I get to play on computers and am
never at a loss for what to read.

This fall will mark my 15th year.”
Barbara Hertz Burr is a home
visitor for the Boston VNA Hospice
and for Partners in Health, “helping
with development of a child mentalhealth curriculum for Haiti and
supervising mental-health clinicians
in Haiti by phone.” She also donates
time to Boston Children’s Hospital
as a psychiatry supervisor and
member of the ethics committee.
Katherine Johnson and partner
Doby developed National
Homeschool Music Ensembles,
which has taught band, orchestra,
and choir to homeschoolers in
southeast Michigan for almost 20
years. They retired last summer, but
parents continue the activities. “I
teach literacy and math to inmates
of the county jail on Thursday
afternoon.”
Tom Kramer notes that, especially
now in retirement, he puts in many
unpaid hours on developing the
Quality Information Framework (no,
I don’t know what this is, but you
can find out at qifstandards.org) as
well as singing with the early music
group Carmina. “For Swarthmore, I
host externs at home and at work,
serve as class agent, and do alumni
interviews.” He also raises money
for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society through Team in Training.
Earl Tarble is assistant treasurer
for his church, and he and Meg
participate in many activities of
the Albuquerque Newcomers Club.
“I am currently one of six people
who run the monthly wine-tasting
club.” Kate Donnelly Hickey helps
maintain her library’s database and
organized a book club for a local
senior citizens’ group. Margaret
Nelson makes sandwiches for a
day shelter for the homeless. “For
the church, I am co-chair of the
committee that maintains displays
of local art for the ‘Parlor,’ where
congregants gather after services.
I’m also deeply involved in a local
cooperative gallery, State of the Art
Ithaca [N.Y].”
Finally, I, Kiki, am on the Julian
(Calif.) Community Planning
Group, active with the Julian Arts
Guild, and on the board of the San
Diego World Affairs Council (North
County). And, yes, I’m also your
class secretary …
Julie Diamond “took on a
part-time job, running a seminar

for student teachers at the
Center for Worker Education, a
B.A.-granting program of City
College” of New York. Frances
Halsband was elected secretary
of the executive committee of the
American Institute of Architects’
College of Fellows. She was also
commencement speaker at the
New School of Architecture and
Design in San Diego and received
an honorary doctorate. Dana Carroll
was appointed to the International
Commission on the Clinical Use of
Human Germline Genome Editing.
“Our task is ‘to develop a framework
for considering technical, scientific,
medical, regulatory, and ethical
requirements for germline genome
editing. … I would be happy to hear
from any classmates who have
views on reproductive genome
editing.” Peter Meyer lost his
mother, age 105, and is “adapting
to becoming an orphan.” He now
has an apartment in Manhattan and
is “discovering how complicated
having two homes can be.”
Dick and Gay Sise Grossman were
hit by an impaired driver on June
7. Dick is “in good shape … but Gay
has a nasty fracture of her knee.”
And George Thoma is “retired and
indeed enjoying it, somewhat to
my surprise. … I still occasionally
review scientific papers by my
former colleagues and postdocs.”

1966
Jill Robinson Grubb
jillgrubb44@gmail.com

Thanks to those who sent in
news. We’re making life changes,
celebrating grandkids, writing
books, traveling, and cherishing
others.
Joe Becker taught three classes
at his former high school and
developed a reaction to the second
Shingrix vaccination one year after
a bout of shingles. He asks us to
consider sponsoring Swarthmore
students during Extern Week.
Alex Capron hosted a surprise
75th birthday party for Michael
Ferber, his junior-year roommate.

Alex still teaches and writes,
mostly about organ trafficking and
research ethics.
Having too much fun to retire,
David Clark works full time at MIT.
He published two books this year:
Designing an Internet and, with
a political scientist, International
Relations in the Cyber Age: The CoEvolution Dilemma.
As his final house renovation, Bill
Belanger custom-designed a vanity
and medicine cabinet in rosewood.
Now his wife invites people upstairs
to see the bathroom. While in
London, he tried to persuade the
British to keep Trump. No takers
but lots of laughs.
John Wehmiller continues coastal
geology projects, completed an
American Cancer Society bike ride
from Philly to Atlantic City, and, with
wife Paula Lawrence Wehmiller
’67, spends time in Charlotte, N.C.,
with Abe, Libby, and granddaughter
Wesley Elisabeth.
Celebrating the 150th anniversary
of his great-grandfather’s founding
of the Webb School in Bell Buckle,
Tenn., Tom Webb organized a family
reunion with 50 descendants at the
school’s behest.
Lovely long letter from Stratton
Jaquette. In 2018, almost the
whole family visited Honolulu to
celebrate the centennial birthday of
Margaret, mother of Stratton, Dave
’64, and Peter ’74. She enjoyed the
lunch, which included Hawaiian
music and storytelling by older
family members. Stratton and his
brothers shared their lives, from
arriving in Honolulu to graduating
from Punahou School and attending
Swarthmore.
The brothers summer on Little
Deer Isle, Maine. Stratton enjoys
playing tennis and bridge at the
Island Country Club, worshiping
at Eggemoggin Reach Monthly
Meeting, and walking with
Barclay, his Shetland sheepdog. In
California, he feasts on music and is
active at Palo Alto Friends Meeting.
In 2017, Learning Ally closed all
recording studios, where Strat had
been a volunteer reader since 1965.
He misses the regular reading and
the camaraderie.
Dare Rust Thompson is stepping
down after four years as president
of the N.Y. League of Women
Voters. Dulany Ogden Bennett

JOIN THE LEGACY CHALLENGE
Roy Shanker ’70 and Linda Gibson
have generously pledged $2 million
to inspire you to consider the legacy
you can leave to Swarthmore. Each
gift you make that matures in the
future qualifies the College to
receive up to $10,000 in matching
funds from Roy and Linda through
their generous bequest to benefit financial aid. Gifts by will
count toward the Legacy Challenge and will be included in
the Changing Lives, Changing the World campaign for those
who are 60 and older by June 30, 2020.

+

LEARN MORE: swarthmore.edu/legacychallenge

moved to Kendal at Hanover,
N.H., last year and enjoys the rich
environment of interesting, engaged
people.
Liz Probasco Kutchai says Howard
has been in assisted living for three
months. She sold the too-big house
and downsized to a tiny condo with
a lap-swimming pool. Imitating her
parents, she’s decluttering as a
favor to daughter Emma.
Pam Corbett Hoffer finds meaning
and purpose in her caregiver role
for Phil ’65 (midstage Alzheimer’s),
mostly because he is remarkable
in his positivity and has continuing
procedural memory for daily
activities. Pam just had surgery for
Stage I melanoma.
Jules Moskowitz is still dealing
with the loss of his wife, his lover
and companion, three years ago,
and is not doing much. Let’s hold
our friends in the light.
Cynthia Bowman sent the sad
news that Joy Kolehmainen
Reynolds died unexpectedly June
16. Cynthia met Joy when they
took “math for poets.” In Robinson
House, Joy taught Cynthia to bake
bread. Later, they wrote a paper
on the political party system (only
Republican) in Nether Providence
Township. Joy graduated with
honors, majoring in political
science. Her papers were tours
de force, well-researched and
succinctly written, never the
product of an all-nighter. Professor
Roland Pennock ’27 got her a job in

the Labor Department, where she
worked until retirement. Joy was a
thoughtful, caring friend from 1962
until her death.
Brenda Porster’s first grandchild,
Martina Santos Gomez Amato, was
born in June. Brenda married Mario
Casaglia last year, and some of her
poetry was published in English
in the Italian issue of NeMLA
magazine in March. Brenda is
sending out the manuscript for her
second historical novel.
Wendy Prindle Berlind’s
granddaughter poured water over
her mini pumpkin in the sink,
explaining, “It’s alive. I’m watering it
to keep it fresh.”
When Judy Petsonk’s lawyer
husband, Steve Eisdorfer, retired,
they traveled to Japan as Road
Scholars. Later, she saw former
roommate Janaki Patrik perform
a dance suite using feminist Urdu
poetry.
Roy Van Til recommends The
Flight Portfolio, a historical novel
by Julie Orringer. Set in France in
1940, it tells of the brave people
who helped many great artists
and scientists escape France and
Germany. Orringer’s novel about her
grandparents, The Invisible Bridge,
chronicles the romance between a
young architectural student from
Budapest and an actress in Paris
during the late ’30s and early war
years.
Call your representatives to
reduce carbon emissions, now.

1967
Donald Marritz
dmarritz@gmail.com
swarthmore67.com

Dorothy Wilson speaks! “I think it’s
about time I said something. … My
darling husband and friend, David,
died three years ago, which is hard
to believe. We had a great journey
together. I now share a very old
house in Madison, N.J., with our
son, Jack, and a very large dog,
Yoosele, with David’s presence
everywhere. We chose the house
because it had space for David’s
large speakers and my Steinway.”
It’s in a beautiful spot, near the
woods as well as NYC. One might
call it idyllic, except that “idyllic is
not a word for the U.S. right now, if
you know what I mean.”
Janet Munnecke Madden and
high school sweetheart Jim
celebrated their 50th anniversary
this spring, joined by friends and
relatives from across the country.
“My Swarthmore roommate Jean
Powers Kamp, who was our maid
of honor, flew in from Oak Park, Ill.,
and delivered a memorable toast,
just as she had in 1969.”
Images from the Wharton quad
from September 1963 are still in
Rob Lewine’s head, even though
he’s lost a lot of pictures from that
time, as well as class notebooks, so
“it’s as if I left my education behind,
but of course I didn’t, really. … The
persistence in memory of those first
weeks is also about the poignancy
and drama of the moment.
Cutting cords to childhood and
family, relocation, an entirely new
community from which friendships
and experiences would flow. … I
remember us being onlookers at
a square dance in the Field House
and wondering what planet we’d
wound up on.”
Larry Arnstein has been “working
hard on After the Coup, a dark
comedy about events following
Donald Trump’s refusal to leave
the White House after his crushing
defeat in 2020, which causes riots
in all our major cities, colleges, and

FALL 2019

/ Swarthmore College Bulletin

55

class notes

1968

Kate Bode Darlington
katedarlington@gmail.com
At our 50th Reunion in 2018,
astrophysicist and Nobel laureate
John Mather invited classmates to
visit NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center near D.C., where he works.
Kate Bode Darlington coordinated
the visit for 40 class members
and spouses in April. At Goddard,
John explained how the James
Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
will work. It is an infrared telescope
that will be launched into space in
2021, at which time it will become
NASA’s premier observatory of the
next decade, serving thousands of
astronomers. It will find galaxies
that formed in the early universe
and will peer through dusty clouds
to see stars forming planetary
systems. The JWST will also study
all the planets from Mars on out—
especially Saturn, its rings, and the
family of moons in its orbit—as well
as newly discovered exoplanets.
Classmates also learned about
space weather forecasting and
toured the facility where the
JWST’s hardware is tested to
determine whether it will function
in the vacuum of space and under
the extreme temperatures it will
encounter in orbit. The evening
before the Goddard visit, Kate
hosted a reception for John and
classmates at her sister’s house,
and after the visit, everyone

56

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

gathered at a restaurant for postGoddard conversation and renewal
of friendships.
In early spring, two devoted
fans of Swarthmore men’s
basketball—Sam Brackeen and
Frank Brown (plus Frank’s wife,
Vera Grant Brown ’70)—traveled
with the 2019 team through the
Division III championship game.
Cheering for the team was exciting,
and surprisingly rewarding were
the friendships formed with the
traveling families of team members.
Frank and Vera are board members
of the newly formed Garnet Club
Advancement Council (GCAC).
In April, the GCAC sponsored a
meeting with some of Swarthmore’s
current student-athletes to mentor
them about life after graduation
in the GCAC members’ respective
careers and professions.
Later in the spring, our class was
invited to join the Class of 1969 on
campus at their 50th Reunion. On
a gorgeous weekend, classmates
including Bob Mueller, Chris Miller,
Nanine Meiklejohn, Ray McClain,
Hal Kwalwasser, Mike Halpern,
Charles Floto, Bill Edgar, Kate
Bode Darlington, Frank Brown,
and Sam Brackeen joined ’69ers
for panel discussions, speeches,
and catching up with friends. Bob
was even prevailed upon to provide
historical background, as a panelist,
for the Class of ’74 discussion “Us,
Too? From the Sexual Revolution to
#MeToo.”
Lynn Etheredge’s green thumb
took him to Europe this spring. He
saw Dutch tulips (Keukenhof, et
al.), the Chelsea Flower Show, and
German gardens (national BUGA
garden show, Hermannhof), as
well as English cathedrals (Wells,
Salisbury), and German trains
(Hamburg Miniature Wonderland).
Thanks again to Lynn for his gift of
a year’s membership to the Scott
Arboretum for all classmates.
Florence Daly Mini wrote about life
at Kendal at Longwood, the Quaker
retirement community in Kennett
Square, Pa. “I love the opportunity
to do things a little longer and
a little more slowly, to savor my
morning cup of coffee, and to spend
a little longer with the newspaper.
I love that I can take half an hour
to pursue some obscure point
of grammar and not worry about

next set of notes will contain more
details of classmates’ activities.

GARNET SNAPSHOT

1970
Margaret Nordstrom
hon.margi@comcast.net

ROBERT BARTKUS ’68

university campuses. To restore
order, our top military leaders are
forced to take over the government,
and everybody else goes into
hiding. Think this may not happen,
but not real sure it won’t.” He
and wife Kathleen took a “lovely
trip to Norway and the Scottish
Islands; family is well, including our
granddaughter, the cutest 2-yearold on the planet.”
I am sorry to report the July death
of Frank Ackerman. An obituary
appears in “Their Light Lives On.”
Send more news. The people want
to hear.

Members of the Class of 1968 joined John Mather ’68, H’94
in April for a tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

getting through whatever I’m
reading so I can move on to the
next thing that has to be done. …
It’s the companionship that is the
completely unexpected bonus of
life at Kendal. … The fact of being at
Kendal has also pulled us into other
activities we never anticipated.”
So what’s next for the Class of
’68? At Alumni Weekend, Bill Edgar
suggested several panel topics
for our 55th Reunion in 2023. Bill
has started planning and has the
enthusiasm to be a great leader for
our 55th. Should he choose to take
the lead, let’s give him our support.
Between now and 2023, would
you like to get together for another
Goddard-style day trip? John
Mather might join us if NASA wants
to study light being distorted by
glancing off of bald heads. Where
would you like to go next? Do you
have a career-related interest or
hobby that you would be willing to
share? Write to me.

1969
Jeffrey Hart
hartj@indiana.edu

These notes were written three
weeks after our very successful
50th Reunion. Participation was

strong, and many classmates
were able to attend. A new class
website, created and funded by
Harold Buchanan, can be accessed
at swarthmorecollege69.com.
More than half the class (about
125 classmates) has joined this
site. Together with an email list
maintained by the class secretary
and pages on Facebook and
LinkedIn, our class is taking
advantage of various technologies
to stay in touch with one another.
There was a strong commitment to
renew and maintain ties.
We thank the organizing
committee, led by Ellen Schall
and Nancy Bekavac, for their
excellent work. Margy Kohn was
in charge of the overall program;
Belle Brett presided over several
sessions dealing with creativity and
performance. We heard poetry by
Jean Bell, Kristin Camitta Zimet,
and Elizabeth Coleman. Jack
Lohr organized a session dealing
with spiritual matters that many
classmates found helpful. Judith
Lorick provided an evening of jazz
featuring songs from her recent
album, The Second Time Around.
Many of us attended a tour of the
Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
Fundraising associated with
the reunion was also successful.
Classmates made new pledges of
more than $1.7 million for the Class
of 1969 Scholarship and other
campaigns.
A great time was had by all. The

Class president Howard Vickery
writes: “Mary and I have completed
our five-year transition from
Connecticut to Annapolis, Md., the
sailing capital of the U.S. We love it
here, and we are busier than ever.
One good thing that we had not
anticipated is that Annapolis is a
destination town, so we have been
blessed with visitors, something
that rarely happened in Westport.
Starting last year, I scaled back
my hours with my firm’s approval
and have worked primarily on a
pro bono matter for the Maryland
attorney general. This year I am
retiring from active law practice; all
I have to do is figure out when to
pull the plug.
“Our three kids are well-launched:
Will, our oldest, is married and lives
in Portland, Ore., where he works
on Ernst & Young’s consulting side;
middle child Amy is a secondyear Harvard Law student; and
our youngest, Dorothy, works
for Nickelodeon in New York and
writes on the side. Life is good—so
far the horizon is clear, except for
the storm clouds brewing over
Washington.
“Margaret Nordstrom and I had
a wonderful time at 1969’s 50th
Reunion. It was a joy to catch up
with friends in the class, many
of whom we had not seen for
half a century. We took careful
notes, which we will share with
our reunion committee. Please
encourage your friends to return to
campus next year for our glorious
reunion. It will be difficult, but we
will try to one-up the Class of 1969.
I can’t wait to see everyone again.”
John Byers is retired and shared
this memory: “In the late 1960s,
I took Comparative Vertebrate
Anatomy from Professor Norm
Meinkoth. Typically, Norm was
lecturing as he walked into the

classroom. He then would continue
nonstop, even while creating
anatomical drawings on the board,
at a rapid pace until the bell rang
45 minutes later. He used no notes.
As Norm walked out, we would look
ruefully at one another, shaking out
our hands to relieve writer’s cramp.
A year later, I took Cell Biology and
then Cytology from the popular
new biology professor Bob Savage.
One afternoon, in a Cytology lab,
a student asked Bob to identify
something on his slide. Bob could
not. Just then, the shadow of Norm
passed in the hall. Bob called out,
‘Hey, Norm, could you come in here
for a moment”? Norm entered, and
Bob asked him if he could identify
the cable-like thing on the slide.
Norm bent over the microscope
for a moment, straightened, and
in a slightly disgusted tone said,
‘It’s a wool fiber,’ and stalked out.
Implicit in Norm’s behavior was
that the realm of knowledge that
Bob purveyed was merely new
and, unfortunately, ungrounded in
basic biology. I remember thinking
at the time that I had just seen an
example in which one arena of
knowledge was replacing another.
That process is inevitable in biology.
Ideally, professors would carefully
think about what old material to
sacrifice so that new material can
be added. But in my experience as
a university biology professor, the
process is much more haphazard
and is hostage to novelty. That
is probably what most annoyed
Norm.”
Sarah Sproul Cotterill and her
husband were interviewed on a
Maryland TV station about a road
project that could jeopardize their
house (bit.ly/SarahBeltway). The
state of Maryland is proposing
to widen the Beltway in Silver
Spring. Several alternatives are
under consideration. As I write, the
state is holding public workshops
where heavy turnout is expected.
These projects are rough on people
because no one knows how much is
written in stone. I wish the Cotterills
the best and invite Sarah to update
us for the next Bulletin.
I, Margaret, retired from state
government last August, but was
bored after about a month. So now
I am an administrator for a small
town in northern New Jersey,

Chester Borough. It’s part time, at
least in theory. I also am certified
to teach Pilates, so that may be my
next job, but not for a while.
Congrats again to the Class of ’69
for a fabulous 50th Reunion! We
plan to borrow shamelessly from
you for ours.

1972

Nan Waksman Schanbacher
nanschanbacher@comcast.net
Jonathan Betz-Zall continues his
involvement with the Nakani Native
Program supporting cultural revival,
treaty rights, and broader social
support for indigenous people in
the Pacific Northwest. He remains
active with Friends meetings and
the American Friends Service
Committee.
Kevin Chu and Marshall Hoyler
hiked together in the White
Mountains four times last winter,
summiting eight 4,000-footers. “I
often wondered why people would
deliberately leave cozy fires to sleep
outside in sub-zero weather. Now I
am hooked!” Kevin writes. “Marshall
is a great teacher and careful
planner.” The friends hope to tackle
the remaining 40.
Judy Fletcher’s granddaughters in
Scotland are “a great source of joy”
for Judy and husband John, “and
very good motivation to travel.”
After teaching at the Bronx’s
Riverdale Country School for 38
years, Judy is taking a sabbatical
before retiring in 2020.
Ken DeFontes has been busy
with Swarthmore’s Council on
Presidential Initiatives. “It’s been
fun and enlightening to reconnect.”
Ken still flies and teaches others.
John Goldsmith plans to retire
from UChicago’s linguistics and
computer science departments.
John published the book Battle in
the Mind Fields, looking at ruptures
and continuities in linguistics,
psychology, and philosophy over
more than a century. “There’ll be a
Volume 2 one of these days.”
Warren Hazen (“Brother
James”) is a novice at Holy Trinity

Monastery near tiny Jordanville,
N.Y. He “asks the prayers of all my
classmates. God bless you all.”
Michael Hucles retired from
teaching at Old Dominion
University. To celebrate, he and
wife Janis Sanchez-Hucles ’73 took
a cruise and held a recommitment
ceremony after 45 years of
marriage. Joining them were Angela
Mercer ’73 and Regi Corinaldi ’75.
Mike is on a committee for Virginia
Beach to make recommendations
over Confederate monuments. He
also accepted an invitation to join
the city’s Historic Preservation
Commission.
Bibi Jordan lost everything
when her home, organic farm,
and Airbnb livelihood “burnt to
a crisp in the Woolsey Fire in
Malibu.” Summoning her passion
for travel and languages (she’s
learning Quechua), she set up
nomadchictravel.com to take
kindred spirits—particularly
women of our generation—on
transformational trips to Bibi’s
favorite places, “like African
safaris, shamanic journeys to the
Andes, and self-drive barge trips in
Europe.”
Paul Lauenstein is promoting
a Constitutional amendment
(HJR.48) to overturn Supreme
Court decisions like Citizens United.
“Our country has been downgraded
from a ‘full democracy’ to a ‘flawed
democracy,’ [according to] The
Economist’s annual democracy
index. This year the U.S. ranked
25th behind Chile and Estonia.”
Paul advocates for reduction of
CO2 emissions, and he helps curate
and contributes photos to an
inventory of wildlife in his town to
“raise awareness of what we have
to lose by failing to deal effectively
with climate change.”
Saralinda Bernstein Lichtblau
received a 2019 Recognition Award
from the Bank Street College
Alumni Association, for outstanding
education career accomplishments
exemplifying BSC’s spirit and
philosophy. Saralinda spoke
at the awards ceremony about the
power and potential of museum
education, building relationships,
and how to embrace the not
knowing.
Colleen Lucey Montgomery still
happily works as a CPA in the firm

FALL 2019

/ Swarthmore College Bulletin

57

class notes
she started in 1994. Last October,
Colleen had a great visit with
Irmgard Flaschka “that involved
talking later into the night than
intended—very reminiscent of
college days!”
Patty O’Connor has added to
her private piano lessons—now
teaching 22 kids and adults. She
also sings and plays flute in
two bands. After many hours
of prepping and planting, Patty
reports that her garden looks great.
Linda Valleroy and Jon Gavrin
“spent two weeks together on a
most exotic, beautiful, and nontouristy vacation: canoeing and
kayaking gorgeous natural springs
all over northern Florida.”
Cigus Vanni, the College Fairy,
provides individual help and nocost workshops on understanding
college admissions. He is also a
college coach for Settlement Music
School and the Philadelphia Music
Alliance for Youth. Cigus haunts
“far too many thrift stores” and
has accumulated a substantial
collection of plastic dinosaurs. He
also “had a wonderful renewal with
Patty Granfield, a math professor at
George Mason,” over a student they
had in common.
Sam Wilson retired from general
surgery practice but works part
time at a wound center and as his
hospital’s medical director. “This
year marked the 50th year I’ve had
the 1910 upright piano that I bought
from a math professor at the end
of freshman year, and which was
borrowed senior year by Phaedra.”

1974

Randall Grometstein
rgrometstein@verizon.net
Thanks to all who organized
our 45th(!) Reunion, especially
Rosanne McTyre, Joann Bodurtha,
and Dave Hoyt. Peter Jaquette
writes: “The musical gathering on
Friday night was wonderful, with
songs from Vaneese Thomas and
Jim Kelly—even Tom Sahagian
joined in. Alex Aleinikoff gave
a fabulous Collection talk on

58

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

Saturday, with many musical
references in addition to serious
discussion of immigration and
refugee issues. Davia Temin’s
session on #MeToo was a good
retrospective and contemporary
look at the issues around sexual
harassment. And, not to be too
modest, the Narwhals rocked
out Saturday night, with many
attendees dancing to the musical
efforts of Tom Sahagian, Dan
Gibbon, and yours truly. Hope to
see even more classmates at our
50th Reunion in 2024.”
Joann Bodurtha, husband Tom,
and daughter Anna work at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Joann has started to docent at
Baltimore’s Clifton Mansion and
keeps resolving to take a second
yoga class weekly.
Scheryl Williams Glanton, a
Realtor in Philly, celebrated
her birthday with friends and
significant other Robert Mitchell
in Jamaica. “I have been doing
this since 1974, when I wrote a
proposal to launch a Swarthmore
College–University of West Indies
Exchange Program. Along with
Janet Hart and William Kirk,
we were the first students in the
program, fall 1973.”
After 25 years at the University of
Michigan, Laurel Fisher is a Penn
professor of clinical medicine in
gastroenterology, specializing in
small bowel imaging. “I remarried
in 2012 and moved back to Philly
four years ago to shorten the
commute with my husband, who
is in D.C.” Her two sets of twins
are scattered, with two completing
medical training (in L.A. and New
Haven, Conn.), one supporting the
“Moon Shot,” and one headed to
law school in Boston.
Rich King practices pediatrics
in southern New Jersey, “but
retirement is looking enticing.” He
plays tennis 1–2 times a week and
dabbles in golf. He and wife Erica
are spending two weeks in France’s
Languedoc region this fall, and
they travel regularly to visit
their two grandkids in Chicago.
“Grandchildren are so much more
fun than your own kids.”
Kitty Bryant is in Shenandoah
County, Va., “where Donald
Trump is more popular than the
Democratic Party. I like living here.

I left Philly having failed to make a
real dent in consciousness about
the wrongness of the invasion of
Iraq. We forget that now—now it’s
all Trump. … I keep reading and
learning and trying to figure out
how to be part of something better,
which is hard to imagine here
inside the U.S.” Thanks, Kitty, for
keeping the spirit of the ’60s alive!
After 42 years in entertainment
law, Karen Fairbank has “almost
entirely quit without any regret.”
She and her husband (who also
has mostly quit producing and
directing) run a daycare for their
two adorable grandchildren. “I feel
fortunate that both of my children
and their families live within 15
minutes of our home so we can
spend lots of time with all of them.”
Leonard Roseman and Liz Taylor
’75 are living in Walnut Creek,
Calif., to be close to daughter
Rebecca and Leonard’s credit
card startup, MissionLane, both in
San Francisco. Liz works on food
access in Flagstaff, Ariz., where
they have their primary home, and
on a state food advisory council.
Richard Sager is “proud that
Swarthmore has continued LGBTQ
programming from my namesake
fund since 1991.” He lives happily
in San Diego with boyfriend Louie
and Manchester terriers Jake and
Capers. Though he’s pretty much
stopped doing art (“I spent a lot of
years doing large-scale ceramics
and oil paintings”), he’s still doing
a couple of real estate projects.
Andy Dannenberg retired from
the CDC in Atlanta and now
teaches part time at the University
of Washington in Seattle. “My
focus is on the impacts of the
built environment on health, with
increasing interests in climate
change and equity issues.” He also
hosts a nonfiction book club that
includes John ’73 and D.D. Smith
Hilke ’73, Anke Vanhilst Gray ’73,
and Seth Armstrong ’63.

JOIN THE
LEGACY CHALLENGE
Learn more on
pg. 55 or at
swarthmore.edu/
legacychallenge

Lana Everett Turner had a great
time at our 45th, and joined Patty
Gilles Winpenny on a road trip from
New Mexico to Colorado. “Patty is
working and thriving in Singapore,
and has discovered a passion for
making batik fabric art.” Lana and
husband Joe ’73 live in Steamboat
Springs, Colo., and are happy
grandparents of Zoë (born April
2015) and Everett (born this April).
“They live in Alabama and Ohio,
respectively, but we visit as often
as we can!”
Sadly, Sherman Kreiner died
July 1 after a battle with leukemia.
Survivors include wife Cindy Coker
’75 and children Meta and Corey.
We also learned that Jonathan
Wolfe died Feb. 14, 2018, leaving
wife Amal and children Michael
and Rachel. Our condolences to
Sherman’s and Jonathan’s loved
ones.
Closing words from Don Venes:
I have been practicing shovel
yoga.
It works like this: put yourself in
an uncomfortable position on a
hillside.
Start shoveling heavy clods of dirt
until it hurts.
Now breathe …
Breathe, my friends, and keep
writing to us!

1976
Fran Brokaw
fran.brokaw@gmail.com

Daniel Jinich, known to us as
Danny and to his community as
“Dr. Dan,” died March 27 after a
fall at his Colorado home. Danny
specialized in family medicine
and was known and respected
as a caring doctor who listened
closely and helped patients heal.
He had a private practice in Fort
Collins for 36 years and was team
physician for the Colorado Eagles
hockey team. Daughter Johanna
died unexpectedly 10 years ago,
and the loss led to his involvement
with 3Hopeful Hearts, a nonprofit
dedicated to supporting families
after the loss of a child. He will be

greatly missed by all who knew
him.
A number of ’76ers report
variations of the 3 R’s—retirement,
remarriage, relocation (credit Zev
Elias!). Zev retires in October after
37 years as a neurosurgeon, and
will move to Florida with new wife
Judy. Kelly Tillery reconnected
with Jennifer Hansen (Haverford
’79), and they will marry in the
spring. Kelly’s second book,
Sidebar, Too: More Reflections
of a Philadelphia Lawyer, will
be published this year. Bruce
Robertson retired as professor
of history of art and architecture
at UC–Santa Barbara, where he
also directed the Art, Design,
and Architecture Museum. Faced
with consolidating his work and
home libraries, he held a party
for all graduate students, past
and present, and made each take
books home. He chaired more than
30 Ph.D. committees and sat on
an additional 45 or more, so he
managed to get rid of many books!
John Irwin will retire from Penn
this year so that he can focus full
time on mitigating climate-change
effects. “I want to have time to do
more with local organizing to elect
progressive candidates, get better
government policies, and build
a diverse grass-roots movement
further … to seriously address this
and other related social problems,
like exploitation of working people,
environmental racism, restricted
health care, and others.” Gina
Doggett married partner Gégé Le
Fur last October after 20 years
together. Gina is at Agence FrancePresse in Paris and hopes to retire
in about two years. Gina and Gégé
escape often to their house on
the river in the Loire Valley, in the
lovely town of Amboise, where
Leonardo da Vinci spent his last
three years of life.
Rather than retire, Brian Smiga
signed on as general partner/cofounder of Alpha Venture Partners,
a midstage tech-investment fund
that partners with 400 early-stage
venture capital funds. Marty
Spanninger and Kathy Leser
went to Swarthmore’s DonorScholar Luncheon this spring and
connected with Scott Ma ’19, the
first recipient of the Class of ’76
scholarship. Marty is working but

imagining what’s beyond, including
the possibility that she and
husband Bob Mueller ’68 might
actually be able to cohabitate!
Gilda Kramer won the Democratic
primary for commissioner in
Lower Merion Township, Pa. She
continues her law practice from
a new location in Narberth, a few
minutes from home. Joanie Rogers
Leopold’s new children’s book, Do
You Like Snow?, was released
this summer. The book is from the
same team that created Herbert
Loves Sherbet, now in its second
printing.
Ken Moskowitz began his fourth
year teaching U.S. foreign policy at
Temple University Japan. He plays
piano and rides his bicycle for
transportation and pleasure.
Nancy Roberts enjoys working
as director and professor of
journalism in SUNY–Albany’s
communication department. Her
creative side is blossoming: She
took up mosaic art a year ago and
displays her work at the Valley
Artisans Market in Cambridge, N.Y.
Susan Rudisill and family joined
Workaway International, a program
connecting hosts with travelers
who receive room and board
in exchange for work. “So far a
French family and individuals from
Afghanistan, England, Maine, and
Missouri not only helped with our
8 acres, but also enriched our lives
culturally.” Most delightful this
year was welcoming first grandson
Sylas Kalani.
Monica Heller reports publication
of her book Language, Capitalism,
Colonialism: Toward a Critical
History, with co-author Bonnie
McIlhenny. She also edits the
Journal of Sociolinguistics and
looks forward to retiring someday.
Arthur Bryant is stepping down
as chairman of Public Justice,
but he is not retiring—he’s
returning to law practice. In July,
Artie joined Bailey & Glasser
LLP, the firm of a Public Justice
Foundation Board member, to
open its first California office.
Artie was also added to the Trial
Lawyer National Portrait Gallery,
celebrating his 35 years of fighting
for consumers’ rights, workers’
rights, civil rights and liberties,
environmental protection, the
poor and powerless, and access to

1982
1978
justice for all.
That’s all for now—keep in touch!

David Chapman
dchapman29@gmail.com

Donna Caliendo Devlin
dmcdevlin@aol.com

Congrats to Ann Platzer, who
retired from HSBC last December
after 32 years there. Ann now
volunteers for the dog rescue
that connected her family with
their new pet. She also serves her
church as a council member and
head of its Ministry of Christian
Education. She and husband Neal
Heriaud, who is “still working long
hours at his estates and trusts
law firm in downtown Chicago,”
have two sons. Ann visited with
Rosa and John Koppel in Chicago
last fall.
Congrats, too, to Tom Spock on
his induction into the Wall of Honor
at his alma mater, Strath Haven
High School, in Wallingford, Pa.

1980
Martin Fleisher
marty@meflaw.com

There is little to say this issue,
since no one actually sent in any
news. (Come on, people!) There
was a really nice article in The
New York Times about Marc
Freedman (pg. 42) and his latest
book, How to Live Forever: The
Enduring Power of Connecting
the Generations. (I am more
interested in living forever in the
more straightforward way, but I
see the appeal of Marc’s, given the
impracticality of mine.) I gather it
expands on his longtime interest
and career in matching up older
and younger people to mutual
advantage. Of course, when he
embarked on this project we were
in the younger group …
Until next time.

Kate Rittenhouse Belczyk got
married June 1! Congrats to Kate
and husband Steve Dugan. (Kate
is now Kate R. Dugan.) Many of
you already congratulated them
personally, but it is my pleasure to
do so on behalf of our entire class.
William Kirby published a book!
Your White Coat is Waiting (pg. 7)
“is co-authored by my daughter,
Kirsten Kirby, who worked as a prehealth adviser at schools including
Johns Hopkins and Franklin &
Marshall. The information provided
in this book would be useful to high
school and college students, as
well as postgraduates and people
considering a career change into
medicine.” Although Kirsten is a
Smith graduate, she has strong
Swarthmore connections: Many of
us remember her attending classes
as an infant in 1980! She was also
an intern in Swarthmore’s Career
Services Office while she was
completing her M.S.Ed. at Penn.
Sherry Jordon is “celebrating
several milestones in 2019: 60
years old, 30 years of marriage to
United Methodist pastor Bill Eaves,
and 25 years of teaching theology
and women’s studies at the
University of St. Thomas in St. Paul,
Minn. Life is good!”
Nicholas Apostoleris and wife
Cathy live in western New York,
near where she grew up. Nicholas
is CEO of a community health
center organization (facebook.
com/TriCountyFamilyMedicine).
Youngest child Eleni started
kindergarten this fall, while Leander
dons catcher’s gear twice a week
in community youth baseball. The
“elders” keep in close touch with
their younger sibs despite their
distances. (Lucas is in Miami, Ana
’13 in NYC, and Harry ’12 in Abu
Dhabi.) “Family, nature, and music
make for much richness and joy.”
Jim DiFalco has lived in the Bay
Area since 2000, about 20 minutes
north of San Francisco. He visited

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59

class notes
with Dorian and Bill Sailer and Pat
“Hondo” and Sylvia Crowley Holmes
’80 at Bill’s house in San Diego in
June 2018. “Enjoyed conversation,
a long walk, good food, some board
games, and several exciting World
Cup soccer matches.” Jim just
passed 25 years of marriage with
Ipek Serifsoy. Daughter Sema, 16,
an 11th-grader, “loves riding horses
and likes playing soccer (although I
think she is sticking to soccer only
because I am coaching).”
After a long health-care
career—on the business side
of medical products and health
insurance—Jim is partnering with
Ipek on a couple of small humandevelopment businesses. “We run
an advanced training school called
Deep Coaching Institute, and we
(mostly Ipek) offer coaching and
Women’s Leadership Circles in the
Bay Area and Boston. The transition
to this side of the business has
been an eye-opener for me.” In
addition to Bill and Hondo, Jim
keeps in regular touch with Bob
Coe (with whom he’s skied in
Breckenridge, Colo., most years
since graduation), Dan Federman,
Sue Spalding, Leslie Sheriff Bishop,
Dante DiPirro ’83, David Pazer ’83,
Dan Melnick ’81, David Jacoby ’81,
and Tom Scholz ’81.
“For what it’s worth,” Jim adds,
“I was shocked, disappointed,
appalled, heartbroken, pissed-off,
etc., when I read about the scandal
at Phi Psi Fraternity. Not at all upset
at the end result for the fraternity—
just truly saddened to learn of the
accepted behavior of the members
and that the behavior was tolerated
by members for an extended period
of time. I hope our classmates,
especially our female classmates,
did not view Phi Psi members like
me in the same light when we were
at Swarthmore.”
Among Bruce Weinstein’s many
(many) activities, he still writes for
Forbes, and he always welcomes
ideas from classmates.
Henry Yaffe “decided that $55
every week to ‘harvest’ a crop of
grass wasn’t making sense. So,
I turned about a quarter-acre of
lawn into a permaculture food
forest. (What was I thinking?)
Fifteen months into it, I spend every
weekend (10 months of the year)
laboring to create my vision. Thank

60

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FALL 2019

God for YouTube DIY videos. Trees,
shrubs, vines, and herbaceous
layers are starting to settle in.
Fighting deer, insects, and plant
diseases on a regular basis.” Henry
and wife Amit are empty-nesters,
with both boys grown, formally
educated, and living in NYC; their
elder son got married in July. Henry
enjoyed a visit with Jan and John
Meriwether in Portland, Ore., last
fall. The Yaffes live near Baltimore—
“if anyone is passing through the
area, give a holler.”
I, David, am always happy to
welcome Swarthmore visitors to
Charlottesville, Va. It is a (large)
town that has much to offer a
casual traveler, in addition to the
university. In the last few years, I
have enjoyed a beverage with Joe
Valis ’83 and Hans Hurdle ’85.
Paul Malik, a senior foreign
service officer in the State
Department, died July 23. Please
share your remembrances with me.

1984
Karen Linnea Searle
swat84notes@gmail.com

I’m just back from a spectacular
weekend at Swarthmore, where we
celebrated our 35th Reunion. Visit
our Facebook page (Swarthmore
Class of 1984) to see beautiful
photos of the weekend. It was great
to reconnect with the campus and
with our amazing classmates. We
hope many more of you will gather
in 2024 for our 40th!
Class events kicked off with
a discussion featuring Salem
Shuchman, Liz Economy, and
Bryan Wolf, all of whom sit on
Swarthmore’s Board of Managers.
Following this discussion, we held
a Class of ’84 Salon, where we
heard from seven classmates: Steve
Schwartz gave us an overview of
his TEDx talk, in which he shared
his idea of creating a kind of Peace
Corps for first responders. Jocelyn
Roberts Davis read an excerpt from
her new book, The Art of Quiet
Influence. Max Mulhern described
the Celestial Navigation class he

teaches at Harvard. Lacy James
serenaded us with two original
songs, accompanying herself
on mandolin. Neil Fisher spoke
movingly of his work with The
Children’s Room, which supports
those dealing with grief. Susie
Lloyd-Jones Dickinson spoke of
the organization she heads, which
provides research and support
for people with a rare form of
dementia. And Peter Fritschel told
us in surprisingly clear terms of his
work as a scientist for the Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Observatory, which validated a
major implication of Einstein’s
general theory of relativity and won
the team a Nobel Prize in 2017. We
closed the session with a group
sing-along of “Hey Jude,” led by
the intrepid Martha Foote, which
Josh Rubinstein caught on camera
and posted under the headline
“Swarthmore’s Got Talent?”
Our last event was a wonderful
session on Sunday morning led by
Jessie Winer, where we drew our
class tree. Knowing that she had
to find the tree first, Jessie, along
with Erika Siegel, Dave Pomper,
Tia Swanson, Martha Foote, Max
Mulhern, Deb Winer ’83, and
Carolyn Morgan Hayden ’83, went
on a search for it Saturday night by
cellphone light. “Finally found it,”
says Jessie. “So surprised it was
such a big tree (as I for one was
looking for the little one we planted
in 1984). Dave Google-searched
the translation, which meant
something like ‘A long time growing,
a moment to uproot.’ We weren’t
sure what that meant until Tia and
others reminded us about the giant
tree with the swing that had been
uprooted in the storm. Our gift of
the tree was to replace it. (Maybe
five years from now we should give
a class gift of a swing!)”
We also had lots of social time
to catch up with classmates. I had
wonderful conversations with Brad
Roth, Mark Reynolds, Pam Nelson,
and Chris DeMoulin. We had visits
from some local alums, including
Peter Schiano, Lisa Wildman, and
Susie Lloyd-Jones Dickinson. Kit
Mendelson, Beth Armington, Lisa
Baldwin, and Ethan Landis all
joined from D.C., and Jorge Munoz
brought his whole family (one of
the few who dared!). We also saw

Dreux Patton and Katy Roth ’83,
and had visits from Dante DiPirro
’83 and Julie Felice Marcus ’87.
I heard that George Hartzell, Tim
Short, Elizabeth Carter, and Joanne
Sandberg took their traditional
reunion photo in front of Parrish,
and we send our thanks to Neil
Ottenstein, who took wonderful
photos that he posted on our class
Facebook page. One final shout-out
to the amazing class artists who
were able to capture the beauty of
our class tree, including Jan Clark
and Laura Neiswanger Ottenstein.
Thanks again to our fabulous
reunion committee for pulling
everything together. The committee
included Gwyneth Jones Cote,
Donna Marchesani Cronin, Liz
Economy, Jim Weber, Jessie Winer,
Colette Mull, Mike Dreyer, and me.
Special thanks to Colette and Mike,
who put in a tremendous effort
and made sure we had plenty of
refreshments at every stop!
One final note: Congrats to
Kevin Hassett as he concludes his
tenure as chairman of the Council
of Economic Advisers (bit.ly/
KevinH84). And a personal thanks
for resigning right before deadline
so I could include this in the notes!

1986
Karen Leidy Gerstel
kgerstel@msn.com

Jessica Russo Perez-Mesa
jessicaperezmesa@yahoo.com
I, Karen, love when we hear from a
classmate after years of absence.
I hope Rachel Crowther’s email
serves as inspiration to all of you
still too shy to send a missive! She
lives in Surrey, south of London,
with husband Richard, a teacher;
their two youngest daughters, 16
and 13; and numerous animals,
adjacent to woodland where
nightingales still sing in the early
summer (in other words, heaven!).
Their three eldest children are in
their 20s, making their way in law
and academia. Rachel practiced as
a public health physician for many

years but now divides her time
between writing novels, homeschooling her youngest daughter,
gardening, and making pottery.
Jamie Stiehm ’82 is godmother
to Rachel’s eldest daughter and
came over for her wedding last
fall. Rachel is touring the U.S. this
spring with the Bach Choir; they will
sing in New Haven, Boston, New
York, Baltimore, and D.C., March
8–15. Let’s look her up and put her
on our calendars.
Carl Palmer got married! Again! To
wife Rukhsana! Carl and Rukhsana
held a marriage celebration last
summer at Hurds Orchards near
Rochester, N.Y. He also celebrates
14 years with his company, now
owned by Sikorsky Aircraft. (No
details on what that company was
… all very hush-hush, perhaps?)
He enjoys being in a technical role,
where he creates algorithms to
assess the performance of aircraft
subsystems. Son Reid received a
history master’s from the University
of Wisconsin–Madison. Carl still
kicks it on the track, winning “at
least one race a year since 2014.”
This year he became president
of the Rochester Orienteering
Club (“It’s like a treasure hunt in
the woods—an advanced hike”)
and encourages everyone to give
orienteering a try.
Danielle Casher Ascher reports
from the Philly area that her second
child is off to college. She and her
husband are planning international
trips, biking, and hiking with the
dog—finding joy in the everyday.
She was elected president of the
medical staff at St. Christopher’s
Hospital for Children. Congrats!
Lucy Collier is back from the
Ecuadorian adventure she
announced in 2017. The group’s stay
with a Secoya family in the Amazon
allowed them to learn about the
ecological and plant wisdom of that
indigenous group, and witness their
superb health in psychological,
spiritual, and physical realms.
In Pedro Gregorio’s missives from
the world of automobiles, his latest
project involves the Jeep Gladiator
pickup truck being built in Toledo,
Ohio: “Looks like a four-door
Wrangler that has sprouted a bed.”
Jonathan Alger is president of
James Madison University and
serves on the national boards of the

GARNET SNAPSHOT

Brian Thompson ’89 and Theresa Flanagan Murtagh ’88 were
honored in May by the Delaware County Hi-Q Foundation.
Theresa was inducted into the Hi-Q hall of honor, while Brian
received the Delaware County Excellence in Teaching Award.

American Council on Education and
Campus Compact. He co-teaches a
leadership seminar and credits his
Swarthmore poli sci major for his
passion for the public good.
Norman Wright attended Alumni
Weekend in June to participate in
the reunion of the Sophisticated
Gents. The a cappella group
got back together for the first
time in 30 years to perform,
capture a documentary on shared
experiences, and reconnect.
Norman was also promoted to
chief customer officer at Optum
(UnitedHealth Group). Congrats!
Don Lloyd-Jones’s second son,
Adam ’22, is at Swarthmore. Don
found it “interesting to see it again
so many years later, and from a
different angle.” He’s on the faculty
of Northwestern’s med school.
And now a word from Dave
Allgeier, your (esteemed, illustrious,
etc., etc.) class president! “It is part
of my job (maybe my only job?)
to remind classmates to reserve
Alumni Weekend 2021 for our 35th
Reunion. Mark it on your calendar/
iPhone that May 28–30, 2021, you
are scheduled to return to campus
and see ‘old’ friends. If you have
never been to a reunion, this is the
one to attend. If you always come,
call someone who doesn’t and get
them to reserve the weekend now.”
Dave is taking suggestions, ideas,
and volunteers for panels, talks, or

other events at allgvet@comcast.
net. We’re starting early this time.
And that’s all for now from me and
Jessica Russo Perez-Mesa. Neither
of us had much to update you on
since the last writing, but we love to
hear from all of you!

1988
Mallory Easter Polk
malloryepolk@gmail.com

Great to hear from so many
classmates!
Peggy O’Brien-Strain lives with
her husband of 26 years, Eammon,
in San Francisco, where she runs a
20-person health-policy research
firm. Peggy made the trek back
to campus for Marjorie Murphy’s
Swarthmore retirement party May 4
with Fred Joseph and Teresa Scott.
Jon Biran and David Engerman
were there, as well—so almost half
of her 1984 freshman Cold War
history seminar!
Lisa Youngling Howard is
anticipating the empty nest as she
lives in Williamstown, Mass., with
her daughter, a 12th-grader. Lisa
is the supervising psychiatrist at
Smith College Counseling Services

and at Gould Farm, a residential
psychiatric treatment program.
“I am feeling very lucky with my
current positions and as though
I finally found the right fit!” Lisa
is planning trips to Colorado this
year to visit her son, who will be in
college there. She sees Rishi Reddi
and Kathy Seidl fairly regularly,
and they try to take an annual
trip together, “though it can be
challenging working around the
schedules of six kids and jobs!”
Magdalen Lindeberg writes: “Keith
and I are amazed to realize we will
have an empty nest here in Ithaca,
N.Y., as our younger son, Julian,
heads to Tufts in August. Get in
touch if you have a child at Tufts
or attending/considering Cornell.
I’ve enjoyed seeing classmates on
college visits in recent years!”
Dawn Porter began shooting a
documentary on civil rights icon
and U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
Preston Polk ’87 and I had the
pleasure of watching our twin sons
graduate from college (Pomona
and Pitzer) on two consecutive
days in May. As parents, this was
a first for us, and I must admit, I
teared up a little during “Pomp and
Circumstance.” Last fall, I swung
through the East Coast for my
daughter’s Parents Weekend at Yale
and managed visits—separately—
with former Willets roommates
Patricia Willens and Nina
Livingston, great fun as always.
Till next time!

1990
Jim Sailer
jim.sailer@gmail.com

Christine Lehman joined the firm
of Reichman Jorgensen LLP as
managing partner of the D.C.
office. Christine is a patent trial
lawyer who most recently headed
the litigation section at Finnegan
Henderson. Reichman Jorgensen
was launched in October 2018 by
Courtland Reichman and Sarah
Jorgensen with 13 trial lawyers from
offices in Silicon Valley, Atlanta,
and New York. This is the only firm

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61

class notes
in the country that has a Class
of ’90 reunion at every partners’
gathering. Congrats to all!
Kai Campbell continues his stellar
academic administration career—
he was named provost and vice
chancellor for academic affairs at
UNC–Asheville, serving more than
3,800 students. Kai has had senior
posts at Knox College, Morehouse
College, and a certain liberal arts
college on the Crum. Way to go, Kai!
Rachel Spratt is finishing a marine
science Ph.D. with a focus on
climate at UC–Santa Barbara. After
25 years in film and video, Marc
Walkow has entered a two-year
accelerated program at New York
Law School and hopes to take the
bar by 2020. While Marc’s goal is to
work in civil rights and civil liberties,
he spent this summer at a big firm,
which prompted his 9-year-old
daughter to remark that his work
apparel is his “law suit.”
Congrats to Parke Wilde and
wife Sarah Huber, who celebrated
their 20th wedding anniversary!
Their son is an undergrad at
Tufts, where Parke teaches in the
nutrition school. Their daughter
is a 12th-grader, a poet, and an
ultimate Frisbee player. Parke’s
textbook, Food Policy in the United
States, just had its second edition
published. In his “free time,” Parke
has launched a petition initiative
at flyingless.org. Parke and
family have forgone flying “as an
expression of climate grief,” and
he says his initiative “may be less
austere, less finicky, less holierthan-thou, and more reasonable
than you might expect.”
Rebecca “Bik” Parker is director
of student finance at Northwestern
University. (Bik explains that
financial aid gives the money,
whereas her group collects the
money.). She is still learning and
growing, having just completed
a graduate certificate in learning
and organizational change. Bik and
husband Joel’s son, George, 15, just
completed ninth grade, prompting
Mom to begin “freaking out” about
the college search. Daughter
Maggie, 13, says she is the “only
normal person in a house of nerds.”
Christy Ruff Wagner est magister!
She loves teaching middle
schoolers Latin at the Blake School
in Minnesota. After a six-year

62

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FALL 2019

ALUMNI COUNCIL NEWS
Greetings from your Alumni Council! Although the full
Council meets on campus every October and March, we
stay connected with alumni, students, and faculty between
meetings in many other ways.
One wonderful Council initiative to engage the broader
Swarthmore community is SwatTalks, a series of onehour webinars featuring professors, students, and alumni
sharing knowledge and experience in their fields. Upcoming
SwatTalks, which will run from 9 to 10 p.m. ET, include:
• Oct. 29: “The Importance
of a Learning Mindset,”
with Phil Weiser ’90,
attorney general of
Colorado
• Nov. 20: “Black Women & the Carceral State,” with
Erin Corbett ’99, director of policy at Katal Center
for Health, Equity, and Justice
• Dec. 12: “Housing is Healthcare, Homeless Solutions,”
with Josh Green ’92, lieutenant governor of Hawaii
Council has received great feedback on SwatTalks and is
working hard to plan even more fantastic webinars in the
upcoming year. To register, suggest a panelist, or learn more,
visit swarthmore.edu/alumni-resources-events/swattalks.
As always, if you have any questions about Alumni Council,
please contact us at acpresident@swarthmore.edu.
We look forward to seeing you around—both on campus and
at a SwatTalk!
alumni@swarthmore.edu

break, she’s coaching swimming
again. Daughter Sammy ’21 is a
Swarthmore junior, and Christy has
another college-age child, whom
she did not name, presumably
because that one goes to Bowdoin.
Christine Roy Yoder gave a
two-for-one update with husband
Reinald. They have lived in Decatur,
Ga., for 20 years—Reinald teaches
computer science at Marist School,
and Christine teaches Hebrew
Bible/Old Testament at Columbia
Theological Seminary, where she
was named the first J. McDowell
Richards Professor of Biblical
Interpretation. Christine will give
her inaugural lecture in that role
next spring. Congrats, Christine!
Sharon Marroquin is a bilingual
cluster specialist in Austin, Texas,
in charge of training and coaching
dual-language teachers in biliteracy
instructional practices. You may
remember Sharon’s wonderful

dancing at Swarthmore—she still
choreographs and performs, most
recently as part of a contemporary
dance evening centering on Latinx
narratives. If that wasn’t enough,
Sharon reports that her two
teenage sons keep her extra busy!
What to say about Scott Field?
That he has a bushy, reasonably
unattractive beard? (Yes.) That
he has managed to raise two kids
(Henry and Oscar) who seem
great? (Yes, but we give credit
to their mother, Jessica Rabb
’92). That he has started both
a comedy club and a nonprofit?
(OK, fine, but I have it on good
authority that the nonprofit makes
no money.) That he still works
out? (Indeed he does, although he
made point of mentioning that he
used to do triathlons, so I would
say he’s slacking off). Scott and
wife Gabrielle are magnets for
animals—they have adopted a stray

dog, countless cats, a somewhatwelcome family of raccoons (in
the chimney), and an opossum
who shares the cat food. Starting
a business and raising teenagers
brings its share of stresses (not
to mention worrying what the
class secretary will say about
you), but Scott reports that he
has “discovered” Buddhism, that
practice and philosophy has been
enormously helpful, and that he is
genuinely content and happy. He
also claims to be normal, but I’ll be
the judge of that. Thanks for the
update, Scott and all classmates!
Are you getting ready for reunion
in 2020? See you there!

1992

Libby Starling
libbystarling@comcast.net
We’re in that lull between our 25th
and 30th reunions. Our careers are
stable. We seem to be done having
children (but no grandchildren
yet?), and those of us with kids are
joyfully watching them grow into
young adults we’d actually like to
hang out with (or maybe just after
they head off to college)! Although
the weddings have subsided,
we are not yet going to funerals
(except those of our parents; my
sympathies to all who have lost
one or more, as I did last fall). Our
lives are busy! There are many
reasons—and many reasons for
which we are grateful—that we are
producing no news for your friendly
class secretary.
(I will note, however, that the
Bulletin does still send me regular
clippings on the elected officials
in our class. However, lest this
become the Lt. Gov. Josh Green/
County Commissioner Marion
Greene/Councilor Stephanie Hirsch
newsletter—are there others?—I
am not printing them. Just know
that they are doing well, doing good,
and making us proud. I will publish
updates when they win their next
higher offices.)
And, in case you need an example
of news to submit to Class Notes, I

am happy to report that after more
than 20 years in state and regional
government, I’m beginning a new
position with the Federal Reserve
Bank of Minneapolis. (Imagine your
news in print in our next issue!)
See you at our next reunion in
2022!

1996

Melissa Clark
melissa.a.clark@gmail.com
Gerardo Aquino
aquinonyc@yahoo.com
After 10 fantastic years in Mumbai,
Sreeja Nedungadi quit her job at
India School Leadership Institute
and is returning to London with
her husband and two girls. “While
moving countries, jobs, and
lifestyles at our age is quite an
emotional challenge, we are looking
forward to this new adventure.
Hope to see some of you Swatties
in London!”
After 13 years in Chicago, Ruth
Blatt and her husband and three
children are moving to Tel Aviv,
where Ruth will attend graduate
school for gender studies and also
hopes to meet Swatties.
Jason Zengerle and Claire Farel
’97 live in Chapel Hill, N.C., with
children Asa, 12, and Georgia,
9. Jason writes: “We all enjoyed
live-streaming the men’s basketball
team’s deep run in the NCAA
tournament in March, which was
the first time either one of our
hoops-crazy kids showed even the
slightest interest in Swarthmore.
They’re big-time UNC fans, but
Georgia could be heard during
the D3 Final Four cheering, ‘Go
Scotties!’ (We obviously still have
some work to do.)”
Elizabeth Armstrong is a primary
care physician (internal medicine
and pediatrics) in a large group
practice. She lives in Northampton,
Mass., with wife Stacey Dakai
(environmental scientist and family
logistics coordinator) and their
8-year-old twin sons. Elizabeth is in
her second year of Indonesian silat,

which she encountered accidentally
when she signed her kids up for
a martial arts class. “It’s been a
surprising antidote to the stressors
of primary care work. After a
day of trying to remain kind and
empathetic while hearing a lot of
angst, human misery, and insurance
company shenanigans, it feels
amazing to yell loudly while hitting
and kicking well-padded objects as
hard as possible.”
Joel Johnson lives in D.C. with
wife Kyong and daughter Yunah,
6. Joel started the ad agency
Admirable Devil in 2016, and it’s
doing well. His latest campaign is
for Orvis, combining his passions
for storytelling and fishing.
Liz and Chris Marin looked
forward to a trip west in August,
starting in Salt Lake City and
working their way to Las Vegas, via
Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Grand
Canyon, and Zion national parks.
Jim Hunt was named to the 2019
New Jersey Super Lawyers list for
his business litigation work.
Congrats to Justin Paulson
and partner Julie Tomiak, who
welcomed baby Rosa on March 7 in
Ottawa, Ontario.
Nazanin Moghbeli has been back
in Philly for almost a year after a
sabbatical in Paris, during which
she made art, had exhibits, and
spent time with her husband and
three kids. She had an interesting,
productive, and reflective year, and
is now back as medical director
of Einstein Medical Center’s
cardiac care unit. “I am fortunate
to continue my artwork as well in
my studio in the Mill in Manayunk,
so stop if you are in the area.” Her
website is nmoghbeli.com.
Alex Volin Avelin finished her
20th year teaching English in Philly
public schools, including 13 years
at an academic magnet school that
is sending an increasing number
of kids to Swarthmore. She had
a fantastic Swarthmore studentteacher last year and the wonderful
experience of reconnecting with
Professor Lisa Smulyan, her former
adviser. Alex and her family had to
move out of their house temporarily
during a renovation and are living
in a few rooms atop her spouse’s
bookstore. “Luckily, the store is
next door to our house, so we didn’t
have to go far. So if anyone wants

to visit me and check out Big Blue
Marble Bookstore in Mount Airy, it’s
even more one-stop shopping than
usual.”
Maria Barker lives with
partner Jacques outside D.C.
She has worked in affordable
housing finance for 20 years
and is a director in Fannie Mae’s
Sustainable Communities Initiative.
This summer she took a Moth-style
storytelling workshop.
Tari Suprapto is in San Diego and
has returned to telecommuting, as a
technology scout for Elanco Animal
Health. This is her first position in
the for-profit world after working in
nonprofits for 17 years. She travels
a lot but has more time to be with
family, especially her daughters,
ages 8 and 11. She picked up
kickboxing to complement her yoga
practice and teaching, and has
become a bit of a fitness addict.
I, Melissa, live in Princeton,
N.J., with husband Josh and kids
Matthew, 11, and Zoe, 9. I work at
Mathematica, where I help oversee
our education research, and spend
my free time enjoying youth soccer
and basketball games.
Thanks, everyone, for the updates,
and enjoy the rest of 2019!

1998

Rachel Breitman
rachellbreitman@yahoo.com
Shirley Salmeron Dugan
shirleysalmeron@yahoo.com
Sam Schulhofer-Wohl was named
senior vice president and director
of financial policy at the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago, where he
leads the insurance and financial
markets teams in the economic
research department, heads the
bank’s financial stability council,
and serves on its loan committee.
Sam joined the Chicago Fed in 2016
as a senior economist and research
adviser after six years with the
Minneapolis Fed, where he was
research director and a member of
the management committee.
For nine years, Jessica Howington

had been a behavior analyst in her
childhood hometown of Louisville,
Ky., training parents and staff
on how to work with people with
disabilities. She also swam on a
masters team. In July, she relocated
to St. Croix for a job with Island
Therapy Solutions. Email her if
you want to visit and scuba dive
(jessicaalwes@gmail.com). Jessica
returned to her former home of
Eleuthera, Bahamas, in March and
dived with Jeremy Taylor during his
first trip to the island. She writes:
“We enjoyed a week of diving
while staying at a small resort
owned by Betsy DeVos and her
family (unbeknownst to me when I
booked). Indeed, her yacht showed
up and stayed several days, but—
alas—Betsy wasn’t on it.”
In New York, fellow class secretary
Shirley Salmeron Dugan enjoys
sharing in family celebrations and
swim-team carpools with Shilpi
Chandra ’97, and their children
are also in middle school together.
Shirley celebrated her birthday in
Las Vegas with Vincent Jones at
Janet Jackson’s Metamorphosis
concert residency.
Vincent also blew through D.C. on
a work trip for his new company,
Citizen Jones Travel, and brought
some L.A. fabulosity with him,
convincing me (Rachel) to do a
SoulCycle class with him.
I saw Shirley in NYC in April
when celebrating my birthday.
I also shared a tequila shot for
the occasion with Cat Laine, who
visited from Woonsocket, R.I., and
Na’im Tyson, who lives in the Bronx,
and Tamala Montgomery came in
from Philadelphia to meet me for
lunch. In June, my sons and I went
to Philly to celebrate birthdays with
Tamala, and had lots of delicious
dim sum with her husband,
Ambrose, and son, Aaron.
Cat visited Stephanie Herring ’99
and Steph’s two younger daughters,
Quinn Yumiko and Madalyn Midori,
in June in Colorado and saw
Steph’s brother Justin Herring ’97.
In March, my school, Washington
Latin Public Charter School, hosted
its inaugural Swarthmore vs.
Haverford alumni basketball game,
the brainchild of my boss, Peter
Anderson (Haverford ’92), and we
won, 34–33, thanks to the efforts
of Giridhar Srinivasan, Vi Truong

FALL 2019

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63

class notes
’00 and her husband and kids, Nia
West-Bey ’00, and Kurt Fernstrom
’92. Such a fun way to celebrate
March Madness! If you live near
D.C., come play with us next year.
Finally, on the subject of sports, I
must give a huge heartfelt shoutout to my D.C. neighbor Herrin
Hopper for keeping me company at
our kids’ interminable Little League
games. Nothing makes six very
slow innings with 6-year-olds go by
faster than catching up on religion,
politics, and reproductive rights.

2000
Michaela DeSoucey
mdesoucey@gmail.com
Emily Shu
emily.n.snu@gmail.com
Thank you for sending in updates
big and small! We are always extra
pleased to share news from people
we haven’t heard from in a while.
Dana Liu moved to Palo Alto, Calif.,
where she enjoys the sun with her
family and four dogs. She closed
her organic beauty business and is
doing marketing analytics for the
education field. Kat Vidal Loveless
finished her 13th year of teaching
and is working on integrating social
justice and service learning with her
Spanish curriculum. She is joining
Jeannie Gallego and Marissa
Colston to help plan some fun for
our 20th Reunion in June—coming
up soon!
Gil Rosenberg went to Brent
Wasser’s wedding in Gardiner,
N.Y. Gil’s first book, Ancestral
Queerness: The Normal and the
Deviant in the Abraham and Sarah
Narrative, was just published.
He is also involved in a Morris
dancing community that includes
a surprising number of Swatties,
including Will Quale ’99.
Fatima Jaffer Shah and family
welcomed son Yutaka this summer.
In academic-job news, Dan Kraut
took over as director of Villanova’s
chemistry master’s program.
Daughter Tessa graduated from
kindergarten, and son Zachary from

64

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FALL 2019

elementary school. Rochelle Arms
Almengor completed her first year
as assistant professor in John Jay
College’s sociology department,
focusing on conflict resolution. She
loves the students and the chance
to explore questions for a living. I,
Michaela DeSoucey, earned tenure
in sociology at North Carolina State
University. My husband, John, did
as well (in anthropology), and we
are figuring out how to celebrate,
besides finally getting Netflix.
Samira Mehta also has academic
news: She is moving to Colorado,
with her dog and kitten, to begin a
Women & Gender Studies position
at CU–Boulder. Her book, Beyond
Chrismukkah: The ChristianJewish Interfaith Family in the
United States, was a finalist for the
National Jewish Book Award. She is
looking to connect with Swatties in
Denver/Boulder, so get in touch!
Otavia Propper is also prepping
for a big move. She, with husband
David and daughter Theodora
(a second-grader), are leaving
the Boston area for Waterloo,
Ontario—a couple of hours west of
Toronto—and would love to connect
with Swatties. Otavia finished a
clinical psychology doctorate in
2018 and is working on getting
licensed in Ontario. Several Bostonarea Swatties helped her prepare
for the move, including Diana Hunt
’99 and Chaos Golubitsky, and she
is excited to be a day trip away from
Darius Ornston and his family.
We were excited to hear for the
first time from Prince Achime,
who lives in Southern California
and just completed producing his
first movie, Malibu Road, which
premiered in September in about 75
theaters nationally. Check out the
film’s website, maliburoad.movie,
and its trailer on YouTube!

2002

Tanyaporn Wansom
swarthmore2002@gmail.com
After teaching for two years in
Boulder, Colo., Jae Won Chung
relocated to Hoboken, N.J., to be

an assistant professor of Korean
studies at Rutgers. Christine
Crumley Nay relocated from
Cupertino, Calif., to Austin, Texas,
in April for a new job at Facebook.
She says moving twice in one year
was quite an adventure, but well
worth it! Nadav Tanners left his job
as an environmental economics
consultant in July 2018, embarking
on a new career as a software
engineer for Wayfair. Despite the
worse commute, he enjoys Phase
2 of his professional life. Keetje
Kuipers’s third collection of poems,
All Its Charms, was published this
spring (bit.ly/SwatBooks0719).
While promoting the book on the
East Coast, she spent quality time
with Jon Stancato, Kiran Rikhye,
and Shannon McGrael Bartner ’03.
Jeff Heckelman married Jennifer
Blumenthal at the Davenport
Mansion in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Guests included Andrea Kussack
Berman ’01. Dan Finkel and wife
Katherine welcomed daughter Asa
Pascal Finkel on May 3.
Michael Wollenberg earned
tenure as an associate professor
of biology at Kalamazoo College,
where he teaches evolution and
genetics, symbiosis, computer use
for biologists, and microbiology. He
also received a 2018–2022 National
Science Foundation grant.
I, Tanyaporn Wansom, caught up
with Judy Chen in March at the
Conference on Retroviruses and
Opportunistic Infections in Seattle.
I also ran into Christine Hancock
at Reagan National Airport, where
we were both headed home after
attending D.C. meetings. Christine
returned from three months in
Christchurch, New Zealand, where
she was taking a break from being
a family doctor in Bellingham,
Wash., and her husband was
doing a geology fellowship. While
on sabbatical, she worked on
an organization-wide policy to
combat opioid-use disorder, and
enjoyed hiking, eating, and traveling
throughout the South Island with
her family, including children
Calder, 5, and June, 2.
I live in Bangkok with my husband
and two sons. My work focuses on
community-based treatment of drug
users and their life partners for
HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C in
central and southern Thailand.

Please contact me if you have
news to share, or would like to
be added to the email list for
semiannual calls for class notes. I
enjoy hearing from everyone and
know that my list is incomplete.

2004

Rebecca Rogers
Danny Loss
swat04classnotes@gmail.com
Kathy Liu met a life achievement
this past year: She made a trip
to North Dakota, which marked
her 50th state visited! Theodore
Roosevelt National Park was a
highlight.
Amir Jaima gave a lecture
hosted by the African American
Professional Organization at Texas
A&M, “On the Culturally Cultivated
Ignorance Concerning the Care &
Presentation of Black Hair” (bit.ly/
AmirJaima).
After 10 years of volunteering
with the humanitarian aid group No
More Deaths, Catherine Gaffney
has dedicated most of her energy
to the campaign fighting the
outrageous federal felony charges
filed against colleague Scott
Warren. The Tucson, Ariz.-based
trial asked whether he should be
convicted for providing food, water,
clean clothes, and beds to two
migrants who sought his help in
the border town of Ajo. The recent
result was a hung jury, and the
future of the case is uncertain. In
July, Catherine moved to Atlanta to
start Emory’s physician assistant
program, and she would love to
meet other ATL Swatties.
Along the lines of health care and
social justice, Cadelba Lomeli-Loibl
writes from Oakland, Calif., where’s
she’s lived the past 12 years: “I have
been working as a family nurse
practitioner for five years, in a
community clinic and a free clinic,
serving mostly immigrant and lowincome communities. This summer,
I am starting a part-time position
doing gender-affirming care for
transgender immigrant communities
as part of a collaboration with UC–

CROSSWORD: MOVING BOXES
by Roy Greim ’14
ACROSS
1. Bill for drinking
4. Mao’s successor
8. Low-maintenance “pet”
12. Word of greeting or
farewell
15. Final option
16. Start of a children’s
rhyme
17. Cave __ (“beware of
dog”)
18. Cold War competition
20. See 45-Down
22. Italian money replaced
by Euros
23. Take to court
24. Month after juillet
25. Exodus of intelligentsia
31. Some Wharton grads
34. Torched
35. Poet Pound and others
37. Doldrums
38. Tolkien race
39. Pertaining to touch
41. “I” piece?
42. Slangy approval
43. Half of the Philly duo
behind “You Make My
Dreams”
44. Rapper who
popularized Auto-Tune
effect
46. Narrow opening
48. Repetitive dance
50. Gives a lift, in a way
52. Pronoun heard in
3-Down

53. Concert site
55. Bare bones?
60. Retrace one’s steps
62. Heartless
64. Singer James
65. Royal or Dodger
follower
66. Watching with interest
67. Titular character in a
Thomas Hardy novel
68. Empty spaces
69. Large body of water
DOWN
1. Word between “tic”
and “toe”
2. Jai ____
3. Former West German
capital
4. Lucy’s co-star
5. Bygone Montreal
baseball player
6. Flatbread from a
tandoor
7. SUV manufacturer
founded in 1911
8. Element with atomic
number 58
9. Sensation for a jilted
lover
10. Native Peruvian
11. Words of support
13. Corners
14. Total
19. “Mr. Blue Sky” band,
shortly
21. Talk series featuring

Barry Schwartz
24. Fastidious
25. Some break-dancers
26. Pastoral
27. Ones with grand
designs
28. On the right-hand side
29. Mid-2000s Pontiac
model know for its ugly
design
30. Angelou’s “And Still
_____”
32. “_____ Doggie”
(Hanna-Barbera
character)
33. Unmoved in expression
36. Bit of stage scenery
40. They follow oohs
45. With 20-Across, a
description for 18-, 25-,
48-, and 60-Across?
47. Trucks for tykes
49. Fashionable initials
51. Angkor ___
53. Partner in crime?
54. Wage, e.g.
55. Casa part
56. Single-use coffee pod
57. Gets by
58. Affirmations in
Avignon
59. Hawaii’s state bird
61. Second female
Supreme Court justice,
familiarly
63. JFK alternative

ANSWERS AT BULLETIN.SWARTHMORE.EDU

San Francisco. I recently presented
at UCSF on providing health care
in solidarity with undocumented
immigrants, and was excited to
be approached by a 2014 Swattie
at the end of the presentation.
We talked about how we wished
Swarthmore would promote careers
in nursing as much as they do
premed courses. I’m happy to talk
with anyone interested in advanced
practice nursing. I am also part
of a two-year fellowship through
the Academy of Integrative Health
& Medicine, where I combine my
passions in botanical healing and
non-Western systems of care with
my daily work as a primary care
provider. In my free time, I love
being an auntie to my 4-year-old
niece and spending time with my
sweetie. I look forward to visiting
Alana Price and Amanda Armstrong
’05 in New York this summer.”
Morgan Simon is also in Oakland,
working hard to shut down the
private prison industry. She helped
lead coalition efforts through a new
nonprofit, Real Money Moves, to
persuade Wells Fargo and Chase to
stop financing prison companies.
Brendan Moriarty and his wife
welcomed second child Eloise
last year, joining son Avery, 3, and
moving them all into a new Oakland
home. Brendan is on his ninth year
managing the Bay Area program for
the Trust for Public Land, protecting
land and creating parks.
Kent Bassett is finishing a
documentary about chronic pain
and mind-body medicine, This
Might Hurt (bit.ly/ThisMightHurt).
The story began his senior year
when he developed debilitating
chronic tendinitis, forcing him to
drop out of Swarthmore. After
seeing a dozen doctors and
enduring a year of worsening
pain, he discovered the book The
Mindbody Prescription by the late
Dr. John Sarno, which suggested
that pain could be caused by
underlying anxiety, and could be
cured by dealing with the stress and
trauma manifesting physically. This
insight led to a rapid recovery, and
so Kent set off to film with Howard
Schubiner, a leading physician and
researcher in Detroit, as he treats
chronic-pain patients from a similar
mind-body approach. The film looks
at intergenerational stress and

trauma that may be at the heart of
the chronic-pain epidemic and the
ongoing opioid crisis. Kent is also a
film editor in Brooklyn.
Abroad, Esther Zeledon was
promoted to office director at
USAID/Dominican Republic. The
position includes the management
of a large staff and portfolio
consisting of biodiversity, water and
sanitation, agriculture, energy and
resilience, and cross-border (D.R./
Haiti) funding and programs.

2006
Wee Chua
wchua1@gmail.com

Congrats to Casey Baines, who
was recognized by the Improper
Bostonian as one of the city’s most
eligible singles, for her dedication
to improving Boston with a focus on
affordable housing, inclusion, and
supporting young leaders.
Miriam Zoila Pérez—Cuban
American activist, author (The
Radical Doula Guide), and
blogger since 2007 (radicaldoula.
com)—wrote for The Guardian
on the insidious effects of racism
on reproductive health (bit.ly/
MiriamZP).
Emily Remus’s book A Shoppers’
Paradise (pg. 7) was published.
Brian Park’s research was
featured by NBC 10 Philadelphia.
Brian is a resident at Penn, where
all the hours invested in Nintendo’s
Virtual Boy are finally paying off.
Congrats to Caroline Carlson,
whose new novel was released by
HarperCollins Children’s Books.
“It’s called The Door at the End of
the World, about three kids who
have to explore eight magically
interconnected worlds to find the
truth about who’s trying to destroy
those worlds—and why.”
In 2017, Ben Ewen-Campen
married sweetheart Alex Feinstein
and—with the help of many
others—was elected to the
Somerville (Mass.) City Council as
a Democratic Socialist. Weirdly, he’s
only one of three Swarthmoreans
serving in local government there.

FALL 2019

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65

class notes
(Stephanie Hirsch ’92 is also a city
councilor, and Pat Deats Jehlen ’65
is a state senator.)
Jillian Waldman enjoys teaching
physics at Friends Select School
in Philly, where she completed her
third year. She and Michael Noda
’04 welcomed daughter Sasha last
October, and they enjoy discovering
the world through her eyes.
Martyna Pospieszalska and her
husband welcomed daughter
Ewalina on Dec. 18.
Jon Greenberg’s clan grew by
one in February, as he and wife Kat
welcomed baby Athena (Thea). Jon
has embraced Bay Area dad life
and enjoys playing silly games with
Penny, 2, and making Thea laugh.
Mae Tobin-Hochstadt and
husband Ben welcomed daughter
Susanna to the family. Daughter
Vera is adjusting to the new normal.
Mae and her family live in Boston’s
Roslindale neighborhood, where
Mae works for Year Up, a national
nonprofit connecting motivated,
low-income young adults to
professional careers.
Ana Chiu and David Palsgrove
celebrated their wedding in August
2018 on the banks of the Hudson
River. James Madden and the rest
of the wedding party rowed Ana to
shore, where Kenan Jaffe officiated
with aplomb. Other Swatties from
’04 to ’09 also attended.

2008
Mark Dlugash
mark.dlugash@gmail.com

Milestones: Andrew Fieldhouse
finished an economics Ph.D. from
Cornell and joined Middlebury’s
faculty this summer.
This spring, Bryce Wiedenbeck
completed four more years at Swat,
as a visiting assistant professor of
computer science. He’s sad to leave
but excited to start a tenure-track
job in Davidson’s math/computer
science department.
Jonathan Harris finished an MBA
at Georgetown in May and moved
to East Hampton while looking for
a full-time role in NYC. He races

66

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FALL 2019

sailboats in Sag Harbor when he
isn’t recruiting.
Ishita Kharode finished a pediatric
endocrinology fellowship in June
and started a new job (her first
as an attending physician!) at
Richmond University Medical
Center on Staten Island this
summer. Relatedly, she is excited to
move to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
Kyle White and wife Whitney
moved back to NYC last November
after five years in London.
After four years of teaching at
the University of Alabama, Mairin
Odle has not yet attended a football
game, but she does enjoy promoting
Birmingham and its excellent food
scene. In June she had a monthlong
writing residency at the National
Humanities Center in North
Carolina and caught up with Lauren
Irizarry, who recently moved to
Raleigh.
Yusha Hu’s farm-to-table fooddistribution company was acquired
last fall, and she’s moved to L.A.
to join Sweetgreen’s supply-chain
team.
Any hopes Joanna Wright had
of participating in the Quaker
matchbox were dashed when
she got married May 25 to nonSwattie Stefan Bemelmans. The
couple moved from Austin, Texas,
to western Massachusetts in
August. Joanna plans to teach and
continue her role as a circus school
administrator.
In the news: Attorney Melina
Healey (bit.ly/MelinaH) represents
the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes
in Montana (bit.ly/MelinaNYT)
and has been waging an uphill
fight against the Wolf Point School
District and U.S. Department of
Education since 2017.
Matthew Armstead is always one
to roll up his sleeves and do the real
work: bit.ly/ArmsteadWHYY
Celebrations: Christina Baik and
Seth Donoughe welcomed son Joon
in April. Sister Mina plays songs for
him on her ukulele. Drop them a line
if you’re ever in Chicago!
Chris and Laura Cass Caruso
welcomed Bradley Lawrence
Caruso, born May 6.
Allison Barlow Chaney and her
family welcomed Samuel Edward
Chaney in March. Despite having
recently acquired many trappings
of adulthood, Allison’s heart

belongs to childhood, which makes
parenting a joy.
Tristan and Alyssa Van Thoen
Lawson welcomed their first child
May 10. Miles Nicholas Lawson was
born in Cambridge, Mass., with a
full head of hair and is working on
becoming as tall as his parents.
After a year in southwestern
China, Susannah Bien-Gund and
spouse Cedric moved to West Philly
in July 2018. Then in February,
Susannah gave birth to Skylar
Yunfeng Bien-Gund, a smiley
large-headed cutie pie who has
already been lucky enough to meet
many Swattie aunties and uncles.
Susannah works at Haverford and is
excited to continue connecting with
Philly-area folks!
Finally, Rahul D’Silva joined the
team at ROOM (getroom.com), a
workplace-design startup in SoHo
where Brian Chen ’07 is co-founder
and CEO (a professional version of
the Quaker matchbox, if you will). In
between trying to fill ROOM’s open
positions, he’s browsing profiles
and visiting animal shelters to
finally get that dog he’s been talking
about getting for years.

2010
Brendan Work
theworkzone@gmail.com

Step right up, collectors! On
this special episode of Antiques
Swarthshow, we’re appraising 37
very special 2010-edition alumni.
Believe it or not, these beautiful
heirlooms have been in circulation
for more than nine years, and
each one’s retail value is at least
$43,000 a year. Let’s go antiquing!
We’ll start with a vintage alum
who’s writing in for the first time
in eight years: Reid Wilkening
spent that time completing an
M.D./Ph.D. program in Chicago;
romancing wife Lizzy Magarian,
whom he married June 1; and then
relocating to Denver. Reid is about
to start a pediatrics residency at
Children’s Hospital Colorado and is
thrilled to be in the same town as
Julia Wrobel, a fellow ’10 swimmer

who is starting a biostatistics
faculty position at the University
of Colorado. What really makes
Reid’s valuation is that his original
accessories haven’t been lost over
the years: Casey Osborn, Anne
Miller-Uueda, and Daniel Friel
’09 were all at his Truro, Mass.,
wedding.
Over here with the slightly droolcovered finishes are Mattie Gregor
MacDonald, who with husband Ian
welcomed first child Dale in April,
and Elizabeth Calvert-Kilbane, the
Bronx public high school teacher
who gave birth to son Jack,
accompanied by husband Thomas
Kelleher ’09. Baby fluids don’t come
cheap—that kind of lacquer really
wins over the folks at Sotheby’s,
where the astonishing Joslyn
Hunscher-Young was recently seen.
As the mother of 2-year-old twins
and a social studies teacher at a
Ypsilanti, Mich., school where she
is its first-ever diversity, equity,
and inclusion coordinator, Joslyn
carries the kind of durability that
appraisers look for. From the same
collection, but in somewhat worse
condition, is this rickety old notes
compiler Brendan Work, who still
teaches Arabic in Missoula, Mont.,
and will probably not potty train son
Everett over the summer.
Here at Antiques Swarthshow, we
get a lot of fakes and counterfeiters.
But the official wedding verification
committee has gotten back to us
about Travis Rothbloom, and he
did marry his wife at the Bronx
Zoo in late May, boasting in
attendance Jimmy Jin, Eugene
Kim, Kyle Skolfield, Heidi Wong,
Helen Hougen, Ed Dewey, Omari
Faakye, and Tane Remington. We
can also authenticate this 100%
mint-condition Nicole Singer and
her 100% mint-condition home that
she bought in Easthampton, Mass.
The house is only a couple of towns
over from the elementary school
where she teaches in Amherst,
only five minutes away from the
apartment she used to share with
Becky Wright ’11 and Leland Kusmer
’11, and in possession of a riot of
strawberries, which altogether
make Nicole a rare find. What we
unfortunately cannot authenticate
is the identity of a mystery Swattie,
possibly named Sam, who played
baseball with Hoa Pham, Gina

LAURENCE KESTERSON

ALUMNI PROFILE

“I feel blessed to have this experience of being able to find mentors, and having access to
the things that I’ve needed to feel empowered,” says Sheveen Greene-Adenaike ’07.

NURTURE AND CARE

Devoted mentors led her to nursing
by Alexandra Sastre ’05
THE PATH FORWARD isn’t always
a straight line. With the right mix
of support, curiosity, and creative
wandering, you can sometimes get
exactly where you need to go.
During her time at Swarthmore,
Sheveen Greene-Adenaike ’07 wasn’t
sure what would come next.
“I always had an interest in the health
field,” she says, “but was still trying to
figure out what would be the right fit for
me.”
She took classes in everything from
statistics to French, and—as many
students do—she searched for a job
on campus. The role she took on as
a student associate at Worth Health
Center would turn out to have a lasting,
if unexpected, impact.
“I found a mentor and friend in
former director Linda Echols. It was
my first experience with what a nurse
practitioner does,” she says. “While I
had plenty of nurses in my family … I
didn’t know of the limitless possibilities
that existed in advanced practice

nursing.”
Though Greene-Adenaike would
carry this lesson with her well past
graduation, she didn’t immediately
pursue advanced nursing opportunities.
Instead, she explored other, unique ways
of engaging with the fields of medicine
and science, including two years with
Harlem Children’s Society, a nonprofit
that pairs students from underserved
communities with scientists, engineers,
and doctors willing to serve as mentors
and provide opportunities for hands-on
research.
Eventually, Greene-Adenaike
enrolled in an accelerated program at
Columbia University, earning a master’s
in nursing. Now a nurse practitioner
specializing in geriatrics, she provides
primary vital care that helps her
elderly patients safely navigate their
environment. Her role requires both
medical acumen and the creativity to
see the challenges—and possibilities—
that her patients face.
“There’s a lot of time spent

building rapport, having someone feel
comfortable with you,” says GreeneAdenaike. To build this foundation
of trust, she draws from her diverse
academic and professional experiences.
“My humanities education
positioned me to be able to connect
with people across the generations,
across socioeconomic status, across
educational levels,” she says. “It has
certainly contributed to a more holistic
approach in my nursing practice. I can
pull from all those experiences to build
that person-to-person connection so
that someone is more comfortable
opening up to me.”
Being able to talk to patients, for
example, about “their favorite European
destination or museum, which I may
have been able to go to because of a field
trip at Swarthmore, breaks down a lot of
barriers that might be there at the start
of the encounter.”
As her career as a nurse practitioner
progresses, Greene-Adenaike
continues to explore new ways to foster
opportunities and connections in the
medical field. She is in the process of
launching her own nonprofit, Nurses
Empowered, focused on supporting and
mentoring nursing students graduating
from schools in her native Jamaica.
“We’re starting small, giving out
the simple tools they need to feel
empowered in their role and build their
skills,” she says. “The hope is that each
new generation of nurses will grow to
possibly mentor other nurses as they are
coming out of programs on the island.”
This forward-thinking approach
reflects Greene-Adenaike’s
commitment to providing access to the
mentorship and care she received as
her own professional journey began.
Even when unsure of the path ahead,
she reflects on where she’s been and
relationships she’s built along the way.
“I always felt like I had support, like
I had someone to turn to, and I can
imagine how much more difficult it
would have been” without that network,
she says. “People like Linda Echols and
so many other wonderful, experienced
providers I’ve come across through
this journey—they’ve really made a
difference, and I’m hoping to make a
difference for new nurses, as well.”

FALL 2019

/ Swarthmore College Bulletin

67

class notes
Grubb Fisher, Abbe Muller, and
Maryanne Tomazic ’09. This find
could potentially be worth millions,
so if you know or are this Sam, call
in today!
For nine long years old, this Wiley
Archibald remains in remarkably
good condition, having gotten
married to Lindsay Kneen in
Cleveland and then moved to
Columbus to start veterinary school
at Ohio State. Or would you perhaps
be interested in this signed,
Brooklyn-scented Matt Thurm,
who just finished four months in
L.A. producing Sylvie, a feature film
starring Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi
Asomugha, and Eva Longoria? If
not, this Robert Manduca is sure to
catch your eye. He lives in Chicago
with Roseanna Sommers, where
she has a fellowship teaching legal
writing to first-year UChicago law
students and Robert is remotely
finishing a Harvard sociology Ph.D.,
studying the problems income
inequality causes for U.S. society.
The craftsmanship on this
Nathaniel Erskine really increases
his collectability: After eight years,
he completed the M.D./Ph.D.
program at UMass Medical School
in Worcester; moved to Durham,
N.C., to start an anesthesiology
residency at Duke, and hopes to be
done with all his training by age 40.
What longevity! What attention to
detail! You’ll only find that kind of
painstaking handiwork in artifacts
like Daniel Chung, who spent
those same eight years working in
Swarthmore admissions and will
now move to work with students
as a college counselor at Sacred
Heart Preparatory in Atherton,
Calif. Or like Caitlin O’Neil, who
does capoeira, gardens, and works
on prison issues in Sacramento.
Caitlin saw Ben Good and Ramya
Gopal in Berkeley this year,
and they assessed her value as
“incalculable.”
In today’s market, you want
antiques with legends, a little bit
of history. And nothing beats the
backstory of this Melinda Yang, who
has lived in Beijing for the last three
years as a postdoctoral scholar at
the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology
and Paleoanthropology. Melinda
studied the ancient DNA of humans
from East Asia and returned to

68

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

the U.S. this summer to start a
faculty position at the University of
Richmond in Virginia; she also saw
Colin Schimmelfing and Monica
Joshi in China!
Occasionally, precious
memorabilia will turn up here in our
own Antiques Swarthshow storage,
like 20X class officer Erin Scanlon
Resch, who finished a pediatrics
residency at Tufts Medical Center
in Boston and began a pediatric
hematology/oncology fellowship
at Johns Hopkins in July. Don’t
confuse Erin with this equally
exceptional Ashley Miniet, who
is finishing a general pediatrics
residency at Emory and starting a
fellowship in pediatric critical care.
To wrap up today’s appraisals,
let’s take a look at the devotion
and workmanship on the very
fine Justin DiFeliciantonio, who is
going to south India for a month
of hatha yoga school and wants to
integrate spiritual techniques into
a high-performance tennis context.
If you think you might have a family
relic with that kind of price tag,
have one of our experts assess it by
emailing theworkzone@gmail.com
or classnotes@swarthmore.edu.
And remember, s’worth more than
you think!
Arthur Stewart tragically died in
July. Known affectionately as Mo,
he will be remembered for the good
times we spent with him and missed
always. The class’s thoughts are
with his family and loved ones.

2012

Maia Gerlinger
maiagerlinger@gmail.com
Lots of weddings and pets in
this edition! It’s time to be adults
now. Quick correction: In the
spring notes, Adriana Patricia
Aldgate (formerly Adriana Popa)
was incorrectly listed as “Adriana
Popa Aldgate.” Adriana changed
her name through naturalization,
selecting a new middle name and
last name.
Boston: David D’Annunzio and
Emilia Thurber ’11 moved north

for Emilia’s residency at Brigham
& Women’s Hospital. David
will do software engineering
and management remotely for
Baltimore-based ZeroFOX.
Gabriela Morales is an associate at
Goodwin Procter LLP, specializing
in biotech companies. Her cat,
Bergen, is named after the city in
Norway, not New Jersey. Emily
Coleman matched into dermatology
residency and will spend her intern
year in Connecticut before moving
to Boston. “I can’t wait to ponder
rashes and spread heliophobia
throughout my career. Formal
reminder to all my Swatties to wear
sunscreen (with zinc!) and widebrimmed hats always.”
New York: Jessie Cannizzaro
played the title role in the world
premiere of Ken Ludwig’s The Gods
of Comedy at McCarter Theatre
Center in Princeton, N.J., and the
Old Globe in San Diego.
Dante Fuoco has been in New
York for a year, where he is in two
plays, auditioning for more, and
writing drama and nonfiction.
He also does conflict resolution/
restorative justice work in NYC
public schools, and coaches an
LGBTQIA+ adult swim team. Arsean
Maqami moved back to NYC to
manage development, design, and a
construction company as a territory
director for WeWork. Fabian Castro
lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and
is a strategist at Vayner Media. He
runs a record label called Homage,
manages a few party series
(Homage, Kontainer, Cabronis),
and DJs (notably as a resident at
Bushwick’s House of Yes). William
Campbell is back from Singapore.
Max Chomet married Melissa
Mejias Parker on June 29, after
finishing his third year of teaching
at Bronx Science (fourth year as
a teacher overall). He is enjoying
finally feeling good at teaching and
writes music in his spare time.
Mid-Atlantic: John “Wes”
Willison graduated from Princeton
Theological Seminary and is
thinking about the intersections of
design, architecture, and theology.
Wife Hana Lehmann ’13 is a doula.
Wystan “Neil” Palmer is finishing
the second year of a postdoc (“I
like to think of it as ‘23rd grade’”)
and then will move from Brooklyn
Heights back to Princeton, claiming

a “strange twist of fate,” where he
will make OLED materials. He is
most excited about having two-day
weekends for the first time in his
adult life. Elissa Wong finished a
postdoc and began as a reviewer
at the FDA (ophthalmic medical
devices). She lives in Silver Spring,
Md. Charlotte Gaw married Sarah
Berlin on June 15. Sarah is the
“longtime BFF” of Anna Levine, who
introduced Sarah and Charlotte
seven years ago when they both
lived in Boston. The wedding party
included Anna, Nicholas Gaw ’09,
Harold Blum, Genevieve McGahey,
Elizabeth “Bess” Matlock, and
Arielle Bernhardt.
Midwest & West: Eleanor Glewwe
received a linguistics Ph.D. from
UCLA and began a two-year
postdoc at Grinnell College. Marie
Mutryn lives with Sean Mangus ’13
in Denver, where she is a vascular
biology researcher at CU School of
Medicine. She has an Australian
shepherd puppy named Butters.
Both Marie and Emily Coleman
wrote to me separately to say
that Emily is “actively trying” to
kidnap Butters, which perhaps is
why she has not yet succeeded.
(The first step is secrecy, Emily!)
Linnet Davis-Stermitz is moving
from Brooklyn to the Bay Area for a
clerkship. She will miss “the bounty
of the New York public library
system”; Saturday rock climbing
with Colin Schimmelfing ’10, Seth
Green ’10, Chris Sawyer ’10, and
Lorand Laskai ’13; and trivia nights
with Urooj Khan ’10, Chris Sawyer
’10, and Will Treece ’11.
South: Margret Lenfest graduated
from Penn vet school and is now
a rotating intern at Coral Springs
Animal Hospital in Florida. She
intends to pursue a residency
in canine sports medicine in the
fall. Michael Xu lived in Tokyo
for the summer before starting
architecture grad school at Rice.
Anastasia “Tasha” Lewis and
McFeely Sam Goodman ’10 are
moving to Knoxville, where Tasha
will start a sculpture MFA at the
University of Tennessee. Tasha’s
work will be shown in a big solo
show in January at the Parthenon
in Nashville. Ayman Abunimer
graduated from Virginia Tech
Carilion School of Medicine and
began an interventional radiology

residency at Emory in July. Hannah
“Alex” Younger moved to Tennessee
for a yearlong residency at the
Arrowmont School of Arts and
Crafts. “It pays almost $0, but on
the plus side, I’ll be down the road
from Dollywood and the Smokey
Mountain National Park.” Alex
showed her work in the two-person
show “Built from Obliterated
Places” at Siblings Collective in
Chicago. A piece of hers was also
accepted to the 16th International
Triennial of Tapestry in Poland.
Jennifer Yi successfully defended a
dissertation and is doing a one-year
clinical psychology internship/
residency at the Durham Veterans
Affairs. She lives in Durham, N.C.,
with her dog, Toby.
Abroad: Majandra Rodriguez Acha
loves her new role as co-executive
director of FRIDA The Young
Feminist Fund, which provides
resources for young women- and
transgender-led groups across
the Global South using a unique
participatory grantmaking model.
Although Majandra is based in
Lima, Peru, her work is virtually
based, so she is often elsewhere!
Pierre Dyer spent his MBA summer
with Hilton’s corporate strategy
group in D.C.; he will finish his
second year in London and São
Paulo, Brazil. A Ghanaian startup
that Bridget Boakye co-founded
has been selected as a top
African innovator by the Harambe
Entrepreneur Alliance. Talents in
Africa is a skills accelerator and
recruitment platform that seeks to
address youth unemployment. I,
Maia Gerlinger, live in Paris, where I
just finished the first year of a twoyear comparative literature master’s
at Paris IV–Sorbonne Université.
I am doing a lot of budget airline
traveling and have seen a fair
number of Swatties abroad already!

2014
Brone Lobichusky
blobichusky@gmail.com

My semiannual updates are my two
favorite times of the year because I

truly enjoy learning about the lives
of my talented classmates. This
batch doesn’t disappoint!
Patricia Zarate found the love
of her life, Veronica Van Buren,
and got married last November!
She is grateful to Naudia Williams
and Aaron Jackson ’16 for making
the trek to Idaho to be in the
bridal party. Congrats, Patricia
and Veronica! Patricia enjoys her
work in the wastewater treatment,
regulation, and analysis fields; has
been training for a half-marathon;
and loves life on the snowboard
slopes. Eleanor Pratt is midway
through a master of public affairs
in Madison, Wis. This summer, she
was a mayoral fellow in Chicago,
living in Ukrainian Village with
Pat Walsh. Pat finished the first
year of a mathematics Ph.D. at the
University of Illinois–Chicago. They
were both super excited to see
Sasha Ruby when he visited in July
before starting an economics Ph.D.
at the University of Virginia.
Kimisha Cassidy moved to Chicago
for a project manager job with
University of Chicago Medicine.
She is excited to support research
to improve the quality of patient
care. Paul Cato is working toward a
Ph.D. at UChicago’s Committee on
Social Thought (along with Danielle
Charette). He received an M.A. and
is focused on writing a dissertation
about James Baldwin, Audre Lorde,
Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison
and their philosophies of love.
For about a year, Paloma Perez
was a domestic practice associate
at a social change communications
firm. However, she started a new
job in June as communications
director for U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres
Small, representing New Mexico’s
2nd District. Paloma is excited to
work for such a genuine public
servant. Akunna Uka is “living the
dream,” teaching in L.A. She took
partner David to Swarthmore for
the first time over Alumni Weekend.
This summer, Akunna graduated
from UCLA with a master’s in
education and now spends her
free time weeding the gardens
of their new house. Congrats,
Akunna! Shawn Kim is in his fourth
(and last!) year of med school at
UC–San Diego after completing a
research fellowship studying novel
immunotherapeutics. He will apply

for a radiation oncology residency
this cycle. Good luck, Shawn! Nick
Borkowski graduated from UC–
Irvine School of Law in May and
is preparing for the California bar
exam. Best of luck, Nick!
Antonio Farias ’13 completed
an MBA at NYU Stern and got
married in Cartagena, Colombia.
Melissa O’Connor, Aaron Freedman,
Alex Cannon, and Kenny Ning
were among the Swatties there.
Meanwhile, the four of them also
completed a dramatic playing of
Settlers of Catan, where Melissa’s
isolationist road-building ambitions
proved fruitless in the end against
Kenny’s diversified portfolio
of resources, numbers, and
development cards. Congrats, Tony,
on your marriage, and congrats,
Kenny, on your conquests.
Jen Hu finished her first year of
psychiatry residency at Cambridge
Health Alliance.
Upon submission of this column,
I, Brone, experienced my very first
day of a general surgery intern year
at Temple University Hospital. The

feelings of writing my first official
orders for a patient and answering
my phone as “Doctor” will be ones
I’ll remember forever. I am getting
used to the feeling of the long white
coat, waiting for someone to tell the
med student to stop playing dress
up. However, it is a very exciting
time, and I am amazed at the
amount of information I can learn in
only one day on the hospital floors.
I look forward to the rest of this
sleepless year!
I end with a note about the legacy
of Ravi Thackurdeen. A bipartisan
bill named in honor of Ravi, who
died in 2012 while studying abroad
in Costa Rica, has been introduced
by U.S. Sens. Rob Portman and
Tina Smith, and Rep. Sean Patrick
Maloney. It is designed to increase
the amount of information available
to students regarding the risks they
may face when studying abroad,
by requiring institutions to issue
biennial safety-incident reports
and also to report on their efforts
to protect these students. Rest in
peace, Ravi.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP,
MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
Title: Swarthmore College
Bulletin
Publication Number: 0530-620
Date of Filing: 8/27/19
No. of Issues Annually: 4
Mailing Address of Known Office
of Publications and Headquarters
Office:
500 College Ave.
Swarthmore, Delaware County,
PA 19081-1397
Publisher: Swarthmore College
Editor: Kate Campbell
Average No. of Copies of Each
Issue Published During Preceding
12 Months:
A. Total No. Copies
25,893
B. Paid and/or Requested
Circulation
1. Sales through Dealers and
Carriers, Street Vendors and
Counter Sales
None
2. Mail Subscription
22,826
C. Total Paid and/or Requested
Circulation
22,826
D. Free Distribution Outside the
Mail, Carrier or Other Means,

Samples, Complimentary and
other Free Copies
1,589
E. Total Distribution
24,415
F. Copies Not Distributed 1,539
G. Total
25,954
H. Percent Paid
93%
Average No. of Copies of Single
Issue Published Nearest to Filing
Date:
A. Total No. Copies
25,860
B. Paid and/or Requested
Circulation
1. Sales through Dealers and
Carriers, Street Vendors and
Counter Sales
None
2. Mail Subscription
22,807
C. Total Paid and/or Requested
Circulation
22,807
D. Free Distribution Outside the
Mail, Carrier or Other Means,
Samples, Complimentary and
other Free Copies
1,665
E. Total Distribution
24,472
F. Copies Not Distributed
1,615
G. Total
26,087
H. Percent Paid
93%

FALL 2019

/ Swarthmore College Bulletin

69

class notes

2016

Stephanie Kestelman
stephaniekestelman@gmail.com
Z.L. Zhou
zzlzhou@gmail.com
Lewis Esposito, Bill Fedullo,
Veda Khadka, and Adriana Obiols
congratulate Sarah Babinski on
advancing to ABD status on a
linguistics Ph.D. at Yale. Sarah
traveled to Australia this summer
for research and a conference.
Lewis finished the second year
of a linguistics Ph.D. at Stanford,
studying the interaction of semantic
and social meaning. Veda finished
the first year of a Ph.D. at MIT,
where she studies the microbiome
and is training for a 10K, having
begrudgingly overcome her dislike
of exercise. Bill received a J.D.
from Penn and planned to take the
bar this summer. Adriana finished
an art history M.A. at Tulane and
planned to movie to UChicago for
a Ph.D. Bill and Adriana looked
forward to visiting Spriha Dhanuka
’17 in Brussels this summer. Sarah,
Lewis, Bill, Veda, and Adriana thank
Doc Spo for keeping them in touch.
A’Dorian Murray-Thomas was
elected to the school board of
Newark, N.J.
Julian Randall’s “Moon Cricket”
was published in the spring 2019
issue of Ploughshares. Julian is a
poetry MFA candidate at Ole Miss
and has received fellowships from
Callaloo, BOAAT, and the Watering
Hole. He is the recipient of a
Pushcart Prize, and his first book,
Refuse, won the 2017 Cave Canem
Poetry Prize (bit.ly/JRandall15). He
talks about poems on Twitter,
@JulianThePoet.
Raven Graf (recently Nathan)
is moving on from Swarthmore’s
Office of Sustainability. After seven
years on campus, Raven is heading
to Boston for a master’s in public
policy at Harvard.
Stephanie Kestelman went to
France to see the FIFA Women’s
World Cup with McCleary Philbin
’14, Lauren Barlow ’15, Rehana

70

Swarthmore College Bulletin /

FALL 2019

Omardeen ’15, and Megan Brock ’14.
She then trekked the Portuguese
Camino de Santiago, reaching
the Catedral de Santiago de
Compostela on her birthday! She
started an economics Ph.D. at
Harvard this fall, and could not have
been more excited to reunite with
Catricia Morris ’16. The two of them
planned to see the Jonas Brothers
in concert this August, after many a
dance party in Wharton EF 3rd.
After two wonderful years as
curatorial assistant at the Delaware
Art Museum, Deborah Krieger
started working toward a public
humanities M.A. at Brown. She is
also a curatorial fellow at Brown’s
David Winton Bell Gallery.
Rainie Oet has three poetry books
coming out in the next couple of
years: Porcupine in Freefall (winner
of the 2018 Bright Hill Press Poetry
Book Competition), Inside Ball
Lightning, and Glorious Veils of
Diane. Rainie is a digital content
specialist for Terakeet, an SEO
company in Syracuse, N.Y., and
in late summer taught a fiction
workshop for high schoolers at
Syracuse University. Rainie is also
leading a Syracuse-based team
on the creation of a poetry-driven
open-world video game about grief.
Muriel Carpenter started at NYU
Law this fall as a Root-Tilden-Kern
public interest scholar.
Tania Uruchima is finishing a year
of teaching English in a Madrid
high school. Though she won’t miss
yelling over 30 15-year-olds, she
will miss their energy and laughter,
and the Spanish pace of life (the
siesta is real!). This August she
started a master of public affairs at
UT–Austin—visitors welcome!
Elaine Zhou is finishing a year of
teaching in Seville and is excited
for upcoming jobs in Morocco and
Madrid. She was visited by Cole
Harbeck ’15, who played a number
of escape rooms in Spanish, and
Annie Tvetenstrand, who checked
out a number of Game of Thrones
filming locations. Elaine will work
one more year in Spain and then
perhaps move to China to teach.
Maria Vieytez began her first year
in Northwestern’s English Ph.D.
program, focused on medieval
romance and gender studies.
Tara Giangrande started a
sociocultural anthropology master’s

at Columbia. She was sad to leave
Philly, but excited to see Cosmo
Alto more often. Hannah Joo moved
back to California after more than
two years in New York, and started
a dual master’s in Asian American
studies and social work at UCLA.
Molly Petchenik spent her first
summer of law school in New
Orleans, clerking with Orleans
Public Defenders, where Amanda
Epstein ’15 also clerked for the
summer. She had a great time
exploring the city with Al Brooks,
who was there clerking with the
Capital Appeals Project.

2018
Min Cheng
mindcheng@gmail.com

Katherine Kwok
katherinekwokhk@gmail.com
Hello, Class of 2018! What a year
it’s been.
Some classmates have gone
global since graduation. Rachel
Hottle, studying music theory at
McGill University in Montreal, has a
new cat named Toady. Bobby Zipp
finished a postgraduate fellowship
in Thessaloniki, Greece. He moved
to the Bay Area in July for a job in
annual giving at San Jose State,
and is doing part-time coursework
for a computer science master’s
from Northeastern. Jinjie Dong is
deep-frying his brain in Edinburgh,
Scotland’s fine weather, pursuing
a theoretical physics master’s,
and ploughing through summer
research on wee corrections.
Amber Maria Sheth completed a
year of med school in Madison, Wis.
She befriended Swatties in town
and had a grand-old time chortling
over the fact that they went from a
school with zero student unions to
a school with two student unions.
She spent summer doing global
health research in Guatemala.
Other classmates have stayed
closer to our alma mater. Jeremy
Seitz-Brown was field director for
Michael Fedor for Cumberland
County (Pa.) Commissioner,

and the campaign took first
place in the May 21 primary
by a razor-thin margin of 338
votes. Katie Vuu is a support and
implementation analyst at a Philly
software company. She works
on the front end, interfacing with
clients. Together with roommate
Linda Bo Lim Lee, she has been
learning to appreciate cooking,
cleaning, and various other “adult”
responsibilities. Rajnish Yadav
moved to Philly for his first job.
And others still have scattered
across the rest of the U.S. Leon
Chen has moved three times since
graduating. Sydney Andersen
moved to Seattle to begin as
a radar systems engineer at
Honeywell. Colin McLeish lives in
Hanover, N.H., pursuing an M.D. at
Dartmouth. Jennifer Lin finished
her first year at the University of
Rochester School of Medicine and
Dentistry. She spent the summer
researching neurology on clinical
biomarkers for seizures. Michael
Tinti started his first year at
Columbia Law School this fall, and
is moving to Queens with fiancée
Jess. Sam Wallach Hanson is a
research assistant in professor Eric
Zwick ’07’s office at UChicago’s
Booth School of Business. Also
at UChicago is Josh Mundinger,
who finished the first year of a
mathematics Ph.D. Leila Selchaif
started her 1L in September at
Northeastern University School of
Law. Amanda Lee moved back to
Colorado, where she works full time
and has her own place. If anyone
wants to visit, please let her know,
as she has room for you to sleep
and will feed you.
As for your class secretaries? Min
Cheng has moved six times since
graduating, and can now tell you
about almost every neighborhood
in Northwest D.C. After a brief stint
at Nick Martin ’04’s e-learning
international development
company, she now works in the
federal higher education policy
space, doing communications,
social media, and press for a leftleaning think tank. Katherine Kwok
is a research assistant for two labor
economists at Yale. She’s been busy
visiting Swatties, learning how to
boulder, and figuring out how to
keep a compost bin with roommate
Nicole Phalen.

their light lives on
our friends will never be forgotten
expanded tributes at bulletin.swarthmore.edu

Margaret Stenstrom Richards ’45

Jane Topping Hoar ’47

A Minnesota Museum of Art employee
with a background in and passion for
architecture and Asian art history,
Margaret died May 4, 2019.
Peggy studied and spoke French and
Swedish, and was an accomplished
ballet dancer and an excellent cook. A
nature lover, Peggy enjoyed gardening,
cross country skiing, and boating with
her beloved golden retrievers on Lake
Superior.

Jane, an herbarium curator, mother of
four, and widow of Verne Hoar Jr. ’46,
died Jan. 3, 2019.
A varsity badminton player and
former class secretary, Jane was “that
rare combination of executive efficiency
and smooth femininity,” friends wrote
in the 1947 Halcyon, for which Jane
also served as editor.

Marie Failla Campbell ’48

Francis Cahill NV

Francis, who followed his Navy service
with a career in sales and a devotion to
helping the less fortunate, died Jan. 22,
2018.
A caring husband and father of
seven, Frank was also a well-known
automobile salesman in his hometown.
He was a longtime communicant at
Holy Family Church in Rockland,
Mass., and an active member of the St.
Vincent de Paul Society.

Helen Hollingsworth Hartman ’46
Helen, a homemaker and loving
mother of five, died June 22, 2019.
An English literature major,
Helen was raised in Clifton, N.J.,
and spent summers in Seaside
Park. She enjoyed cooking, sewing,
caring for her family, and reading
and playing games on her iPad.

A psychology major at Swarthmore,
Marie died Nov. 22, 2015.
“Understanding and considerate, she
gets along with anyone and everyone,”
friends wrote in the 1948 Halcyon. “A
fascinated spectator of life in general.”

Elizabeth Disney Baker ’49

An avid traveler who loved architecture,
interior design, and art, Elizabeth died
July 6, 2019.
Beth received a master’s in English
literature from the University of

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in memoriam
stability and geophysical flows. A
generous collaborator and mentor,
Louis published widely with
colleagues, postdocs, and students,
and he continued his research long
after retirement, with his final paper
appearing posthumously in the Journal
of Fluid Mechanics.

Oklahoma and taught classes while
raising her six children. With husband
Donald, she took her entire family on
trips to Finland, England, and Ireland,
and on road trips across America and
Europe in their beloved Volkswagen
vans.

Morton Gollub ’49

Morton, a physician and loving father of
two, died March 30, 2014.
A biology major at Swarthmore,
Morton received an M.D. at Chicago
Medical School, focusing on internal
medicine.

Millard Beatty Jr. ’50

A World War II veteran and father of
two, Millard died Dec. 1, 2018.
Millard served in the Army’s 623rd
Quartermaster Railhead Company,
stationed in the Philippines and Japan,
and received two Bronze Stars for his
service.

Richard Curtin ’50

Richard, a surgeon and lung association
volunteer, died June 19, 2019.
An Army veteran of World War
II, Dick attended Swarthmore and
Harvard Medical School with help of
the GI Bill, eventually serving as chief
of surgery at Exeter Hospital in New
Hampshire. A 10-year representative
to the national board of the American
Lung Association, Dick also served
a term as president of the New
Hampshire Lung Association, and in
1986 received the Robert B. Kerr Award,
the state organization’s highest honor.

Priscilla Peirce deVeer ’50

Priscilla, a devoted Quaker with
a passion for gardening and the
environment, died May 17, 2019.
A flower show judge for the state
of New York, Priscilla served on the
Environmental Education committee
of the New York State Garden Club,
and was instrumental in persuading
the New York State Thruway to plant
vast expanses of perennial wildflowers.
She was also an editor of Stewards
of the Land: A Survey of Landscape
Architecture and Design in America and
served as board chair of Sandy Spring
Friends School in Maryland.

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Paul, a civil rights activist and
noted historian of the American
South, died June 14, 2019.
A history professor emeritus,
Paul joined the University of
Virginia in 1957 and taught
generations of students for 40
years. He was instrumental in the
forming of the Carter G. Woodson
Institute of African-American
and African Studies, in bringing
the Rev. Martin Luther King
Jr. to speak at the university in
1963, and in the desegregation of
Charlottesville and UVa during the
civil rights movement.

James Hayes ’50

James, a paper industry executive and
an independent bookstore owner, died
July 24, 2019.
A World War II Navy veteran, Jim
attended Swarthmore on the GI Bill,
working part time at Scott Paper.
He later rose to become president of
Parsons & Whittemore, where he had
a hand in building paper mills and
recycling plants in the U.S. and abroad.
Upon retirement, he and wife Libby
bought a small bookstore on Sanibel
Island, Fla., which they ran with help
from their daughter and son-in-law.

Louis Howard ’50

An applied mathematician and
professor emeritus at MIT and Florida
State, Louis died June 28, 2015.
Louis made fundamental
contributions to a broad range of
subjects, including hydrodynamic

Russell Snyder ’54

A geography teacher who became a
middle school guidance counselor,
William died July 2, 2019.
Bill served in the Army Air Forces
in World War II before entering
Swarthmore and meeting his future
wife, Jacqueline Smythe Saul ’51. He
enjoyed gardening, bridge, golf, history
books, and bowling, and was forever
loyal to the Philadelphia Phillies,
Buffalo Bills, and Buffalo Sabres.

A pioneering pediatric neurologist
known for his wise and witty
“Snyderisms,” Russell died May 22,
2019.
Russ joined the University of New
Mexico Medical School in 1967 as the
first pediatric neurologist in the state.
He was an examiner for the American
Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
for 36 years, and received a Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Child
Neurology Society in 2010 for his
contributions to research, ethics,
and medical textbooks and for his
constructive leadership.

David Wesson ’51

William Bosbyshell ’55

William Saul Jr. ’51

Paul Gaston ’52

Frances received a Ph.D. from
Northwestern University and later
taught at MacMurray College in
Jacksonville, Ill.

David, an economics major who met
wife Anita Dabrohua Wesson ’51 during
his first week at Swarthmore, died June
3, 2019.
A Navy veteran of the Korean War,
Dave worked for 34 years at Western
Electric, then volunteered with Crisis
Control Ministry in retirement. A
multitalented musician, Dave was a
longstanding member of his church
choir, played French horn in the
Winston-Salem (N.C.) Symphony
Orchestra in the late 1950s and early
1960s, served as keyboardist in a jazz
band, and accompanied family singalongs with his Italian accordion.

Barbara Jackson Hazard ’53

An artist whose brilliantly colorful
paintings, quilts, and needlepoint had
been shown in the U.S. and Russia,
Barbara died July 28, 2019.
Barbara traveled to Russia in the
1980s as an anti-nuclear activist and
befriended many unofficial artists in
St. Petersburg, learning the Russian
language. She published books of
her poetry and drawings, as well as a
memoir of her association with the
Russian artists during Glasnost.

Frances Leland ’54

A chemistry professor emerita, Frances
died July 3, 2019.

An ordained priest who dedicated his
life to the Episcopal Church, William
died May 10, 2019.
Bill graduated from the General
Theological Seminary in 1958 and
received a Ph.D. from the University
of Florida in 1970. A member of
Clearwater (Fla.) Chapter of the Sons of
the American Revolution, Bill enjoyed
playing bridge, sailing, and vacationing
in the mountains of North Carolina.

Susan Lepper ’55

A noted economist, Susan died May 14,
2019.
Susan received an economics
Ph.D. from Yale and served in the

U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of
Economic Policy.

Sara Coxe Levi ’57

Sara, a lawyer who, at the time, was one
of the few female attorneys to appear in
court in rural upstate New York, died
July 22, 2019.
A psychology major at Swarthmore,
Sara continued her education at the
University of Kansas and later earned
a J.D. from Syracuse. She worked with
the private firm Foley & Frye and the
Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York
before opening her own estate law
practice.

Louis Rowley ’57

A beloved Methodist pastor and active
community volunteer, Louis died May
19, 2019.
After Swarthmore, “Reverend Lou”
attended Drew University Theological
School, then led churches in Astoria
and Mount Vernon, N.Y. A firm believer
in community involvement, Lou worked
with the Martin de Porres Center,
Rotary Club, Salvation Army, Meals on
Wheels, and many other organizations.

Paul Corddry ’58

A successful businessman and former
member of Swarthmore’s Board of
Managers, Paul died July 1, 2019.
Paul received an MBA from the
University of Chicago and served as
president of Ore-Ida Foods from 1977 to
1986 and then as senior vice president
of the H.J. Heinz Co. in Europe until
his retirement in 1992. An avid art

Carol Getz Tucker ’56

An educator who founded a school
that helps students overcome learning
obstacles, Carol died June 20, 2019.
Carol received a Ph.D. from Bryn
Mawr and worked as a high school
teacher and private tutor, including for
artist Jamie Wyeth. In 1972, inspired
by her talent for helping children
learn, Carol started The Concept
School in Westtown, Pa., where she
devoted the rest of her life as a teacher,
school director, and board member.

collector, he and wife Charlotte enjoyed
finding unique pieces, attending
auctions, working with galleries, and
meeting artists, and in 2016, they
donated a significant portion of their
collection to the Baker Museum at
Artis-Naples in Florida.

Richard Kersey ’58

Richard, a professional in the
petrochemical and water treatment
industries who loved to travel the
world, died July 12, 2019.
Dick studied chemistry at
Swarthmore before enlisting in the
Army, where he served as a sergeant
with an explosive ordnance disposal
unit. Prior to his 2010 retirement, Dick
owned Orenda Technologies, producing
and selling treatment products to the
pool industry, and served two terms on
the Water Commission in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Mary Stuart Gaskill ’61

A psychology major who ultimately
graduated from George Washington
University, Mary died May 25, 2019.
Mary was born to two veteran
war correspondents and schooled in
England and Switzerland. She was
passionate about green politics and
social justice, and found friendship,
guidance, and inspiration throughout
her life through members of her
community garden.

Richard Kittredge ’63

Richard, a pioneer in the computerassisted translation of language, died
April 1, 2019.
Dick loved his time at Swarthmore,
developing lifelong friendships and
playing on the lacrosse team, serving
as co-captain senior year. He later
earned a Ph.D. from Penn and became a
linguistics professor at the University
of Montreal. In 1989, Dick co-founded
CoGenTex, one of the first research and
development startups for computergenerated language. His many hobbies
included genealogy, ingenious home
repairs, nature conservancy, traveling,
bird-watching, and music.

Stephen Livernash ’63

Stephen, a longtime projectionist at
the Harvard Film Archive and the

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looking back

in memoriam

Patricia McGinley Balsamini ’87

Patricia, a compassionate health care
fundraiser, died July 13, 2019.
Tricia earned a master’s in nonprofit
management from The New School
and rose to become vice president
for development at St. Barnabas
Medical Center in Livingston, N.J.,
spearheading fundraising for the
hospital’s historic campuswise
expansion. She was a voracious
reader, a patron of the arts, and an avid
runner, kickboxer, and spinner.

Joy Kolehmainen Reynolds ’66

Joy, who spent 30 years as an industrial
relations specialist with the U.S.
Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor
Management Relations, died June 16,
2019.
A political science major at
Swarthmore, Joy made such an
impression that the department
chair recommended her for a Labor
position previously held by a lawyer.
Fluent in Finnish, the language of her
grandparents, Joy was also a talented
cook and jewelry maker, a passionate
letter-to-the-editor writer, and a
voracious reader.

Frank Ackerman ’67

An environmentalist, prolific writer,
and critic of mainstream economic
theory, Frank died July 15, 2019.
Frank earned an economics Ph.D.
from Harvard University and cofounded Dollars & Sense, a progressive
economics magazine, early in his career.
Through his work with the Tellus
Institute, the Global Development and

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Environment Institute, Stockholm
Environment Institute, and Synapse
Energy Economics, he advised
government agencies and NGOs
on energy, waste management, and
climate policy initiatives. He was also a
longtime trumpet player in the Second
Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society
Brass Band.

Sherman Kreiner ’74

Sherman, a community economic
development practitioner and Philly
sports “Phanatic,” died July 1, 2019.
Following a law degree from the
University of Pennsylvania, Sherman
worked tirelessly for democracy and
social justice through PACE, the Crocus
Investment Fund, the University of
Winnipeg Community Renewal Corp.,
Sholem Aleichem Community, and
numerous volunteer organizations.
He was the father of two children with
wife Cindy Coker ’75, whom he met at
Swarthmore.

George Roache Jr. ’74

An Air Force veteran and former
Swarthmore class president, George
died in May 2019.
George served in many roles over

THE ROOF DECK of Maxine Frank
Singer ’52 Hall—which partially opened
to classes this semester—offers sweeping
views of Swarthmore’s campus … and its
curiosities.
Across the courtyard from the College’s
newest building sits one of its oldest:
Trotter Hall, home to History (among
other departments) and a west-wing bell
tower whose history isn’t easy to pin down.
Originally known as Science Hall,
Trotter was built in phases starting
in 1881, the year of the fire that gutted
Parrish. The west wing—and its cupola—
opened in 1895, with the east wing
following a couple of decades later.
So why the bell?
A 2007 Phoenix article posits a practical
theory: that it served as a warning system
in the event of another fire, a valid concern
considering the modern machinery housed
inside the high-tech building.
But College archives recall other reasons
for which, or whom, the bell tolled.
The December 1997 Bulletin notes how
the fixture “once signaled classes and
called students to Quaker meeting.” By
the late ’20s, however, its sound marked
the end of the “fussing hour,” the postdinner period when men and women
were permitted to spend time with each
other, Barbara Pearson Lange Godfrey ’31
recollected in the March 1999 issue.
A September 1958 Phoenix article—
itself exploring the relic, which by then
had long been silent—described the “good
old days” of Swarthmore football, when
the bell would chime in honor of Garnet
victories. President Courtney Smith
had proposed a renewal of the ringing,
instead celebrating the start of freshman
orientation.
That tradition didn’t last. But Trotter
Bell, nevertheless, still reverberates
through Swarthmore lore.
—ELIZABETH SLOCUM

Jonathan Wolfe ’74

A former grocery industry executive in
Canada, Jonathan died Feb. 14, 2018.
Jonathan, as president, oversaw
the sale of publicly traded Oshawa
Group Limited to Sobeys in 1998.
Upon completion of the sale, he left the
organization and eventually formed
High Wycombe Capital, a venture
capital fund.

Armanda Squadrilli ’78

Armanda, a successful New York real
estate broker, died May 5, 2018.
Wrote her loved ones: “Beloved
daughter, sister, aunt, partner, friend,
and devoted mom to each of her
pooches, [Armanda] will be painfully
missed by all who knew and loved her.”

Paul Malik ’82

A career member of the U.S. Senior
Foreign Service, having served for 23
years in the Middle East, North Africa,
and Europe, Paul died July 23, 2019.
Paul, who spoke Arabic, French, and
Greek, pursued graduate studies at
Georgetown University. He served as
U.S. consul general in Dubai from 2015
to 2018 and, most recently, had been the
charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in
Amman, Jordan.

Arthur Stewart ’10

Arthur, an economics major at
Swarthmore, died July 17, 2019.
A lifetime resident of Piscataway,
N.J., Arthur was employed by MetLife
in Bridgewater.

Submit an obituary

To report the death of an alum, email obituaries@swarthmore.edu. Please
provide the class year (if known), the date of death, and a short biography or link
to a published obituary.
Newspaper obituaries may also be mailed to Elizabeth Slocum, Swarthmore
College Bulletin, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081.

LAURENCE KESTERSON

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts,
died May 14, 2019.
Steve received a master’s in cinema
studies from New York University,
then sought a position with the Boston
projectionists union; his career took
him to nearly every movie theater in
the Boston area. In retirement, Steve
enjoyed vacationing at his family’s
cottage in Maine and attending
concerts presented by the Boston Early
Music Festival.

his varied career, including corporate
executive, academic, journalist,
public official, and deputy director of
a homeless shelter for U.S. military
veterans in Philadelphia. “Confident,
articulate, and professional, he handled
himself with aplomb,” a friend wrote in
a tribute.

+

RINGING A BELL? Share your memories:
bulletin@swarthmore.edu

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spoken word
focused—they know what they want
to do.”
What’s the hardest part of your job?
“Believe it or not, the challenges of the
snow when you’re going down Harvard.
You’re braking. And last thing I want
to do is go down Yale. With the shuttle,
you get used to it. There’s a big hump
by facilities—that’s the worst!”

TWISTS AND
TURNS
by Kate Campbell

WHETHER it’s raining or snowing,
or you’re running late for class, the
Garnet Shuttle is a lifesaver. Two of its
longtime drivers—who are also good
friends—have become well-known on
the circuit. Rob Bennett (above, left)
was a sheet metal worker before being
trained as a crane operator at Chester’s
Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.
Joe McSwiggan (right), a decorated
Vietnam War veteran, drove a truck for
22 years before coming to Swarthmore.
The men, both grandfathers, talked
with the Bulletin about what their work
means to them. A lot can be learned, it
turns out, in a 10-minute ride.

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ROB BENNETT
Why do you think the students
connect with you?
“I meet students when they come
in as freshmen, and because I am a
grandpop, I can relate to them. I tell
them, if you ride my shuttle you’re
going to do well, and you’re going to
do good. As long as you’re thinking
positive, you’re going to be OK.”

What do the students talk to you
about?
“Everything. They talk about their
families, or the test they just took,
or the test they are about to take.
They miss cooking and they miss
their family. I think because I’m a
grandfather, they know they can talk to
me. I listen. I like being around people
and the students. It’s really nice,
especially getting to know students
from all over the world.”
How do you keep the job fun?
“It’s not a drudgery. I play jokes. … If
they ask me if they can run back in the
building and get something, I say OK,
and then I back the truck out a little
bit and they think I drove away. They
laugh, too, especially when they see I’m
still there.”

You and Joe grew up in same
neighborhood. Were you friends
back then?
“Joe and I grew up in South
Philadelphia around the same time.
We didn’t know each other then. It’s
a small world and we work together
now—that’s the way life is.”

How do they connect with you?
“They want you to meet their
parents, they invite you to their home
countries. … I’ve been given maple
syrup cookies from Canada, donuts
from Dunkin’, candies and coffee from
all the over the world. But the nicest
thing is the notes and cards they give
you. I have a whole collection of them.”

What are some highlights of driving
the shuttle?
“I talk with the students and enjoy
what I’m doing. A long time ago, I read
something that said, ‘Think young, do
young things, be around young people,’
and I try to do that with my work as a
wrestling coach and with umpiring,
too.”

Why is your job important to you?
“When I came back from the war, I
didn’t want to talk about it for a long
time. But meeting all these nice people
has helped me heal. We look out for
the students to see if they are OK. It’s
been a neat experience, and it’s fun
watching them grow. I try to put a
helping hand out.”

How would you describe your
passengers?
“The majority are respectful and

Any downsides?
“That darn traffic circle!”

INTENSIVE, SOPHISTICATED, JOYFUL.
Members of the Chester Children’s Chorus
sing during a rehearsal
this summer in Lang Concert Hall.

+
LAURENCE KESTERSON

LAURENCE KESTERSON

JOE MCSWIGGAN

READ MORE: bit.ly/ChesterChildrenSing

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