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FEATURES
DIALOGUE
CLASS NOTES
Origin Point
Editor’s Column
Letters
Community Voices
Alumni News
and Events
Black Studies provides an
academic home for urgent
discussions on race.
by Elizabeth Redden ’05
36
United in Song
Swarthmore’s Alumni
Gospel Choir expands
musical possibilities at
the College.
by Queen Muse
40
Voice, Mind, Spirit
President Valerie Smith
Profiles
Studentwise
Sean Decatur ’90
Karama Neal ’93
Books
Looking Back
Joe Green ’21
Global Thinking
Their Light Lives On
Asahi Pompey ’94
76
SPOKEN WORD
9
COMMON GOOD
Swarthmore Stories
Quiz’more
Learning Curve
Assistant Professor of
Sociology Nina Johnson
Taylor Tucker ’20
Liberal Arts Lives
Garikai Campbell ’90
Elizabeth Lindsey ’02
The Chester Children’s
Chorus celebrates 25 years
of love and strength.
by Ryan Dougherty
ON THE COVER
The Black Cultural Center and Black
Studies Program celebrate 50 years.
Illustration by Monica Ahanonu.
TERRY CHAPIN ’66, H’16 was awarded the
Volvo Environment Prize 2019 for his work in Earth
stewardship. See pg. 9.
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
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dialogue
EDITOR’S COLUMN
Talk About the Journey
SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN
Interim Editor
Kate Campbell
Senior Writer/Editor
Ryan Dougherty
Designer
Phillip Stern ’84
FRIENDS HISTORICAL LIBRARY SPA 200/B8/094
Photographer
Laurence Kesterson
Administrative Assistant
Lauren McAloon
Editorial Assistant
Eishna Ranganathan ’20
Editor Emerita
Maralyn Orbison Gillespie ’49
KATE
CAMPBELL
Interim Editor
CONTRIBUTORS
Redden is a freelance
writer and journalist.
She holds an MFA in
nonfiction writing from
Columbia. She lives in
Delaware, where she
and her husband help
run an animal rescue in their free time.
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
Send address changes to
records@swarthmore.edu
The Swarthmore College Bulletin (ISSN
0888-2126), of which this is volume
CXVII, number II, 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.
THAT’S OK STUFF
I was happy to see the swing in the fall 2019 Quiz’more. This may
be an item for a future quiz: Who put up the first swing, being on
a huge tree on the front lawn below Clothier? From my limited
knowledge, I believe it would be me.
I, living in Wharton, went to the hardware store in the Ville and
bought 50 feet or more of strong, large-diameter rope, somehow
built the seat, climbed the tree to tie the rope, and soon began to
see many students enjoying the long, graceful ride.
That was spring 1958. The swing was still being enjoyed when I
returned as assistant dean of admissions in 1965–66.
However, perhaps there was an earlier swing, before my time. A
quiz might ferret out an earlier swing raised by an earlier student.
Then the following question: How did the swing become a
tradition, and who continued to maintain the swing? The College
landscape crew?
—JOHN SCHUCHARDT ’61, Ipswich Mass.
Missed Opportunity
Reading Fred Pryor’s obit in the Washington Post brought back
a great memory. (Read more about Fred on pg. 14.) When I was
Swarthmore’s associate vice president for external affairs in the
’90s, I invited Fred and wife Zora to be the guest lecturers on an
Alumni College Abroad trip to Germany. In East Berlin, I took a
group to see I-forget-what. Fred was in charge of another group.
Not until we reunited on our bus did I learn that he’d taken his
group to the old Stasi headquarters to look at his files. What a
missed opportunity for my group!
—BARBARA HADDAD RYAN ’59, Cary, N.C.
+ WRITE TO US: bulletin@swarthmore.edu
Queen Muse writer
Printed with agri-based inks.
Please recycle after reading.
©2020 Swarthmore College.
Printed in USA.
pr inted w
i
th
Ahanonu is a freelance
illustrator based in Los
Angeles. She has
worked with companies
such as The New York
Times, InStyle
Magazine, Adidas,
Sprite, Salvatore Ferragamo, and
DreamWorks Animation.
Send letters and story ideas to
bulletin@swarthmore.edu
nd
e
Elizabeth Redden ’05 writer
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.
e c o-fri
2
Monica Ahanonu artist
bulletin.swarthmore.edu
facebook.com/SwarthmoreBulletin
instagram.com/SwarthmoreBulletin
Email: bulletin@swarthmore.edu
Telephone: 610-328-8533
ly
H-UV
ks
“PERHAPS TO LOSE a sense of where you are
implies the danger of losing a sense of who you are.”
That quote from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
speaks to the themes explored in this robust winter
Bulletin. As we celebrate Black Excellence at
Swarthmore, we share the singular experiences
of more than 40 Black alumni, the formation of
two choirs, the evolution of Black studies, and the
history of how “the House” became a home. Each
story—whether detailing the pain of isolation, the
conflict in forging new paths, or the joy of building
community—is part of Swarthmore’s history: how it
has changed its alumni, and how it’s been changed
by them. With guest poets, writers, historians, civil
rights leaders, artists, and scientists joining in the
College’s celebrations, explore the great work being
accomplished on this small campus, and meet the
Swarthmoreans who are carrying their experiences
and knowledge out into the world.
A LONG, GRACEFUL RIDE
A New York Times obit of Samuel Hynes, a longtime professor at
Swarthmore, reminded me of this regret: Students rarely know
much about their professors, even at a relatively small college
like Swarthmore.
I was lucky that Hynes (pg. 13) taught me in 1951–1952;
he was then figuring out how to teach, and I was figuring out
how to study. I did not know he was a heroic fighter pilot
who endured 78 missions during World War II. Obviously, I
didn’t know he would go on to be a brilliant writer (Flights
of Passage, The Soldiers’ Tale, etc). I went on to write
nine books; I would have enjoyed knowing of his literary
aspirations. Or knowing him.
I remember Hynes as a brilliant guy, a little gruff and
remote. Reading his obit underscored this reality: I wish
students could have more insight into the lives and interests
of their professors. We students are strangers to them; it
doesn’t need to be mutual.
By the way, when Hynes liked something I wrote, he would
say something ebullient, like “That’s OK stuff.”
—PETER BART ’54, Palm Springs, Calif.
Class Notes Editor
Elizabeth Slocum
by
LETTERS
in
Muse writes about
medicine, health, and
science. She holds an
M.A. in strategic
communication from
La Salle University, where
she is a visiting assistant
professor of communication teaching
courses in journalism and public relations.
WHERE’S THE FIRE?
My mother, Lydia Cooper Lewis Rickman, Class of 1906,
used to tell me that a student was expelled from the College
“for putting out a fire in Trotter,” and that even in her day
Trotter was considered “not fit for purpose.”
Fact or fiction?
—LUCY RICKMAN BARUCH ’42, Marlow, England
College Archivist David Obermayer did some digging and
shares the following information:
There was a fire in Trotter Hall, then called the Science Hall,
in 1905. Trotter Hall was originally built in 1881 and called
the Science Hall since it housed the lecture and laboratory
spaces for all of the sciences. In the early 1900s, the building
was only 20 years old, but due to the ever-increasing interest
in the sciences among the student body, the administration
made plans to build a new chemistry building. When a fire
broke out in one of the chemistry lecture halls in 1905, the
plans were pushed up and the new chemistry building opened
in 1906.
+ EXPLORE FURTHER: swarthmore.edu/friends-historical-library
Elizabeth Bryant ’13 writer
Bryant is a writer and
multimedia creative from
St. Peter, Minn. She
works in marketing and
publicity at Graywolf
Press.
Roy Greim ’14 writer
reim is Swarthmore’s
G
assistant director of
communications. He
graduated from
Swarthmore College with
an honors major in history
and a minor in German
studies.
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
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dialogue
COMMUNITY VOICES
GLOBAL
AMBASSADORS
LAURENCE KESTERSON
From New York to Ghana,
alumni are changing the world
A
S PRESIDENT of
multidisciplinary core curriculum
Swarthmore College, I
with degree programs in computer
treasure opportunities
science, business administration,
to meet with alumni
management information systems, and
across the globe and
engineering.
learn about their lives.
Patrick was able to attend
These visits affirm the exponential
Swarthmore because of the College’s
impacts of a Swarthmore education; our
generous financial aid. He benefited
alumni are indeed changing the world.
from a range of curricular and
In October, I spent an evening with
cocurricular opportunities that led
more than 125 alumni, parents, and
him to earn degrees in engineering
friends who gathered in New York City
and economics and launch his career
for “Liberal Arts Lives:
as a software engineer
Swarthmore in Fashion.”
and program manager for
The event featured
Microsoft.
a conversation with
Swarthmore inspired
by
fashion designer Joseph
Patrick to take the
Altuzarra ’05; journalist
lessons he had learned
and longtime editor of
home to Ghana and
Glamour Cindi Leive
create an institution
’88; and Cathy Polinsky
that would forge ethical,
’99, chief technology
entrepreneurial leaders of
officer for Stitch Fix, the
the future. I’m delighted
online personal style service. The
to say that he and his team are
discussion of the intersections of
achieving nothing less—encouraging
fashion, technology, and the liberal
students to think critically, work
arts was fascinating; their experiences
collaboratively, communicate
exemplify the types of opportunities a
effectively, and hold themselves and
Swarthmore education makes possible.
others to the highest ethical standards.
Farther from home, I was similarly
Although this was my first visit
thrilled to visit Ashesi University
to Ashesi, its campus felt somehow
in Ghana with a group that included
familiar. Like Swarthmore, Ashesi
representatives from higher education,
is landscaped with beautiful native
business, and nonprofit organizations.
trees and plants and features an
Patrick Awuah ’89, H’04 founded
amphitheater and outdoor gathering
the liberal arts institution in 2002
spaces and classrooms, supporting
with the vision of combining a
its vision of a holistic residential
VALERIE SMITH
President
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
experience.
On day two of my visit, I met
Sebastian, who had been a visiting
student at Swarthmore in fall 2018
studying mathematics and music
theory. Enthusiastic and insightful,
Sebastian shared compelling
reflections about his time both
inside and beyond the classroom at
Swarthmore.
Sebastian represents a community
of Ashesi students and alumni who
confidently articulate the ways their
coursework, commitment to problem
solving, and entrepreneurial spirit
prepare them to confront grand
challenges—those facing Ghana, the
African continent, or the world as a
whole.
I often think about the values
that help define Swarthmore:
extending the liberal arts to the
world beyond our campus; providing
a transformative educational
experience; serving the common
good; and removing socioeconomic
barriers to a Swarthmore education.
My journeys on behalf of the College
continue to reinforce this message
and demonstrate that our alumni
embody these values across seemingly
disparate fields, including technology,
fashion, entrepreneurship, and higher
education. That is the power of a
Swarthmore education—an education
that changes lives that change the
world.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
President Valerie Smith enjoys a conversation with Cindi Leive ’88 and
Joseph Altuzarra ’05 at an alumni gathering in New York.
“I have been able to discuss my identities on a deeper level,”
says Joe Green ’21, co-president of Students of Caribbean Ancestry.
STUDENTWISE:
SENSE OF SELF
How student groups at Swarthmore
helped me affirm my identities
by Joe Green ’21
SINCE COMING to Swarthmore as a shy freshman in the
fall of 2017, many experiences have shaped me into the proud
Afro-Latinx queer man I am today. I arrived just starting my
gender transition, trying to figure out who I wanted to be as I
became more independent.
I was attracted to Swarthmore after seeing my cousin and
brother thrive here and continue their graduate education at
Yale and Howard. That exemplified what this college can do
to prepare students for life after graduation. I knew this was
the right place for me as a curious and eager young adult.
Now a junior, I am a Black studies and music major.
Without Swarthmore’s liberal arts education, I would not
have been able to experiment with different disciplines
and find what worked best for me. I have taken classes in
many departments, including psychology, art history, Latin
American and Latino studies, astronomy, history, and
English. These courses allowed me to explore many of my
academic interests and opened my mind to the different
routes of study available.
Without becoming involved in student groups like the
Swarthmore African-American Student Society, Students
of Caribbean Ancestry, and ENLACE, I would not have been
able to embrace my many identities. SASS and ENLACE
provided spaces for me to explore my Black and Latinx
backgrounds, and I am now co-president of SOCA with one
of my closest friends.
The dinners, parties, discussions, and large TriCo
events held by these groups helped me embrace my
cultural background in a way I had not been able to in high
school. SOCA gave me a perfect middle ground between
my identities and provided a space for me to explore my
Jamaican and Puerto Rican roots with other Caribbean
Swatties.
But I also had to accept that as a primarily White
institution, Swarthmore can sometimes feel less than
inclusive. A range of my personal experiences—from the
sense of being unwelcome, to hostility—have also shaped my
time here.
I am at a place in my college career where I want to apply
what I am learning to my communities as much as possible.
This is where Black studies comes in. By combining cultural
studies and music, my goal is to do ethnomusicological
research in graduate school on my way to a career in
education.
Between academics and student groups, I am finding
a balance that allows me to be engaged with my own
communities within the College. I have been able to discuss
my identities on a deeper level, as my classes have given me
the knowledge to reflect on my experiences in a way I could
not have when I was younger. Swarthmore has given me the
opportunity to engage intellectually, not only with others
but, more importantly, with myself.
This has helped me discover who I want to be in this
world—and how to apply my knowledge in my communities.
I am hopeful about this year of Celebrating Black
Excellence, which should be about acknowledging and
giving back to Swarthmore College’s Black community.
And although I believe Swarthmore has more work to do to
become a space of true inclusivity and acceptance, I also
have hope that this celebratory year can help bring about
some needed change.
WINTER 2020
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5
dialogue
Submit your publication for consideration: books@swarthmore.edu
BEHIND THE BOOK
HOT TYPE: New releases by Swarthmoreans
INTRIGUE AND ARCHITECTURE
by Tom Kertscher
PERHAPS THE BIGGEST mystery of Marga Jann ’72’s new novel is
where the truth ends and the hypothetical begins.
A semiautobigraphical account stemming from her 2017 Fulbright
to Sri Lanka and other academic assignments, The Architect:
Four Countries, Four Faces (Arrow Gate Publishing) follows Jann
as she “unwittingly finds herself embroiled in a dangerous and
diplomatically sensitive battle between MI6/CIA operatives and
Saudi Intelligence.”
Jann, a French-American research fellow at the University of
Cambridge (both in real life and in literary form), devotes a chapter
to each of the four “faces” she visits—Sri Lanka, Korea, Cyprus,
and Uganda—and the encounters she has in each country, sharing
sociocultural and geopolitical insights while also highlighting the
power of prayer.
“As I glanced back, there was no longer a vague party in black
chasing me but a whole gang,” begins a particularly dramatic
moment in Korea.
“I could not imagine what their interest in an architecture
professor could be.”
As the chapter concludes, Jann ponders if they were ISIS cell
members or random punks.
Though the threat diminishes, the intrigue builds—to be played out
over two more novels.
6
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
Burke, a biographer, writes a captivating
tale about the intense relationship
among four 20th-century artists and the
works they influenced, drawing upon
correspondence from the four to reveal
how they each inspired and provoked one
another.
Le Ke Son & Charles Bailey ’67
William Armstrong ’54
and Fisseha G. Demoze
Harry Margolis ’77
Get Your Ducks in a Row: The Baby
Boomers Guide to Estate Planning
Ducks in a Row Publishing
A founding and co-managing partner at
a revered elder-care and special-needs
law firm, Margolis shares comprehensive
knowledge on all aspects of estate
planning. “I knew there needed to be a
simple way to approach estate planning
that was digestible, relatable and would
ultimately drive people to plan their futures
without running into all the devastating
pitfalls that can occur when nothing or
very little is planned,” Margolis writes.
Navigating a New Life
IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY,
Ram Singh is fleeing Oregon after a
traumatic incident and accepts his
friend Karak’s offer to work on a small
cantaloupe farm. This is the sweeping
landscape of Passage West (Harper
Collins), the debut novel by Rishi
Reddi ’88.
The story follows a family of Indian
sharecroppers as anti-immigrant
sentiments begin to rise in 1914. Ram
struggles among other immigrants to
farm in the desert while missing his
wife and new son.
As he navigates his new life, a rivalry
simmers between Ram and Karak
until the tensions of life in the West
threaten to erupt.
education, work, family—and her alma
mater. “Swarthmore opened up the world
to me,” she writes. “The first two years
was a wide variety of courses in both
sciences and humanities. That is when I
got interested in economics. In the second
half of my undergraduate degree, we
started learning to change the world.”
Reddi, author of the award-winning
2007 collection Karma and Other
Stories, explores the complexities of
identity for South Asians and their
role in American history. In writing
Passage West, she says she processed
her own gradual assimilation: “Many
immigrants live betwixt and between
countries and cultures for a very long
time, which most nonimmigrants don’t
realize.”
In this moving portrait of a man’s
search for belonging, Reddi asks the
question Who is welcome in America?
Robin Ridington ’62
Spaghetti Must Be Ambidextrous:
Sonnets 2008–2019
Plume of Cockatoo Press
A sonnet writer since his Swarthmore
days—when he fondly remembers
spending a whole day speaking in iambic
pentameter—Ridington covers themes as
varied as turning 80 and Donald Trump
in this new book of poetry. “The sonnets
in this collection luxuriate in the richness
of English vocabulary and excoriate the
decline of language and civility in the
world around us,” he writes.
From Enemies to Partners: Vietnam,
the U.S. and Agent Orange
G. Anton Publishing
By pulling their notes together, Son
and Bailey address the aftermath of
Agent Orange and the current scientific
understandings of the chemical while
considering the solutions to addressing
the consequences of its use—advancing
the conversations around dioxin and the
legacies of the Vietnam War.
Ethiopian Amharic Proverbs
Tigray Development Association
Armstrong was an associate director of
the U.S. Peace Corps in Ethiopia in the
late ’60s when Fisseha Demoze taught
him Arabic and the two began to collect
and translate Ethiopian proverbs. This
book represents their collaboration and
offers a fascinating insight into Ethiopian
customs and culture through centuries of
philosophical wisdom. Consider proverb
No. 124: The wasting away of an elephant
and the losses of a rich man are not
noticeable.
—LAUREN McALOON
Lucy Bunzi Mallan ’54, with assistance from
Phil Shapiro and Jeff Edelstein
Memoirs
Lulu Press
In this autobiography dedicated to her
children and grandchildren, Mallan
writes about her childhood, marriages,
Carolyn Goldberg Burke ’61
Foursome: Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia
O’Keeffe, Paul Strand, Rebecca Salsbury
Penguin Randomhouse
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
7
common good
dialogue
SHARING SUCCESS AND STORIES OF SWARTHMORE
GLOBAL THINKING
PATHWAYS TO POSSIBILITIES
ON
THE
WEB
GOLDMAN SACHS
“There’s a catalytic impact of investing in women entrepreneurs,” says Asahi
Pompey ’94, shown with graduates in Beijing. “They reinvest their savings in health
and education for families. They create new jobs and products and services in their
communities, resulting in growth in those communities.”
WINTER 2020
bit.ly/MellonMays
WELCOME MAT
Read a Q&A with Imaani
El-Burki, the new
director of Swarthmore’s
Intercultural Center.
bit.ly/ImaaniEB
Similarly, 10,000 Women has
provided a world-class business
education to 10,000+ women in
more than 100 countries, also at no
cost to participants. The program
was informed by
research showing that
investing in education
for women could help
close a range of gender
gaps and contribute to
higher global economic growth.
Through Community TeamWorks,
the talent, energy, and experience of
the company’s 38,000 employees are
harnessed to make a tangible impact
in their own communities. Under
Pompey’s leadership, the program
achieved a milestone 150,000 hours of
service in honor of Goldman Sachs’s
150th anniversary in 2019, supporting
more than 900 nonprofits globally.
Pompey has seen first-hand the
transformative power of philanthropy
Executive
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
+ DIVERSIFY
+ MEET HER
ASAHI POMPEY ’94
8
‘DEFINING ROLE’
Swarthmore hosted
aspiring academics
of color at the regional
Mellon Mays
conference.
on communities, families, and
individuals—including in her own life,
she says. Thanks to a scholarship from
the American Field Service—a grantee
of the Goldman Sachs Gives program—
she was able to attend high school in
Japan. Closer to home, a scholarship
from the Coca-Cola Scholars
Foundation in part financed Pompey’s
Swarthmore education.
“I am privileged to have a family
support system—my mother, Edith,
and my father, Theodore—that
value education tremendously and
recognize how it is a pivotal pathway
to economic mobility and intellectual
advancement,” she says. “I now try
to pass that ethic on to my two sons,
Maximilian, 11, and Sebastian, 9.
“Along my path, I encountered so
many teachers and professors, in
particular at Swarthmore, whose
dreams for me were bigger than my
dreams were for myself.”
ENGINEERING
EXCELLENCE
Rose Ridder ’20 was
named a laureate of
Tau Beta Pi engineering
honor society.
+ CELEBRATE
LAURENCE KESTERSON
“MY LIFE HAS REALLY BEEN
marked by opportunity,” says Asahi
Pompey ’94, who emigrated from
Guyana to Brooklyn, N.Y., with her
family at age 9. “I fundamentally know
that talent is everywhere but, all too
often, opportunity is not.”
Over the past 14 years, Pompey has
risen through the ranks at the financial
firm Goldman Sachs, culminating
last year with a promotion to partner
and a new position as global head of
corporate engagement and president
of the Goldman Sachs Foundation.
In her current role, Pompey oversees
the firm’s signature 10,000 Small
Businesses and 10,000 Women
programs; its global employee
engagement activities; and Goldman
Sachs Gives, a donor-advised fund.
“We have a mission to leverage our
expertise and longstanding culture of
service to promote economic progress
in communities,” says Pompey, a
political science major at Swarthmore
with a J.D. from Columbia Law.
“Collectively, we’ve deployed more than
$2.5 billion over the last decade through
our philanthropic efforts.”
Since launching in 2009, the 10,000
Small Businesses program has reached
more than 9,100
businesses across
the U.S. and 1,700 in
the U.K., providing
practical business
education, support
services, and access to capital, at
no cost to participants. In the U.S.,
participants consistently outperform
national averages, with more than 50%
creating net new jobs and more than
70% increasing revenues 18 months
after the program.
“From Baltimore to Brooklyn, from
Detroit to Dayton, from Cleveland to
Kalamazoo—I am continually struck by
our business owners’ grit, hustle, and
dedication to not only their employees
but to their communities,” says Pompey.
bit.ly/RoseRidder
PHYSICS LESSON
Physicist Tristan Smith
discusses Einstein,
gravity, and his Cottrell
Scholarship.
+ EXPLORE
bit.ly/TristanSmith
Mind the Light, day and night: Parrish casts a soft glow on campus on a chilly fall evening.
LIGHTING THE WAY
Global
Guardian
TERRY CHAPIN ’66, H’16, an ecologist and founder of the
concept of Earth stewardship, was awarded the 2019 Volvo
Environment Prize. Chapin’s published work over the past 30
years has influenced the understanding of biological diversity
that underpins human well-being. His focus has been on the
global Arctic, where ecology meets climate change in the
carbon-rich expanses of tundra, permafrost, and boreal forest.
“I think the stewardship framework has some potential to
move society from creating a planet in peril, to one in which
people can live more sustainably with nature,” Chapin says.
“So I’m glad to see that framework recognized.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
9
common good
Nikki Giovanni
Shares Creative
Inspiration
NEW PLANS AHEAD
by Roy Greim ’14
said. “There is no map that takes us
far around it. This is our fate, to move
with a poet-pilot’s guidance, despite
the lightning, heart beating with the
thunder, knowing that after darkness
eventually comes dawn and the
poet-pilot has guided us to a smooth
landing, a new place, a wonder with the
chance to begin again.”
After discussing politics, religion,
and Nashville’s history as “Music City,”
Giovanni read her poem “Tennessean
by Birth,” about her home state, which
she left as a child when her family
moved to Cincinnati. She also read
SPELMAN COLLEGE
EDUCATION AND ACCESS: Spelman College President Mary Schmidt
Campbell ’69, H’09 visited campus in October during Garnet Weekend to give
the 2019 McCabe Lecture, “Education: The New Civil Rights? What Is the Role
of America’s Colleges and Universities in Expanding Access to Educational
Excellence?” (Watch: bit.ly/CampbellMcCabe.) In her talk—part of the College’s
Celebrating Black Excellence programming—Campbell spoke about the work
Spelman is doing in Atlanta to increase literacy among middle schoolers and how
liberal arts colleges can do more to support nontraditional students. Campbell
has been a leader in education, the arts, and the public sector for more than four
decades. She is dean emerita of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts,
former vice chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and a
fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
For upcoming Black Excellence events, visit swarthmore.edu/blackexcellence.
10
her 1968 work “Ego Tripping (there
may be a reason why)” before ending
with a poem from her forthcoming
book, Make Me Rain. Entitled “A
Bench for Toni Morrison,” the poem
is dedicated to her friend and fellow
writer, who died before the two could
collaborate on a book about benches
commemorating slavery in America.
A Q&A session with Giovanni
rounded out the event as she shared
insights about her creative inspiration,
fashion sense, and advice for future
generations of activists.
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
BUILDING COMMUNITY:
SHARPLES IS REIMAGINED
Preliminary designs for a new Dining and Community Commons were
shared during campuswide town-hall meetings this fall. The project, which
was approved by the Board of Managers in December, will bring to life the
College’s vision for a reimagined central dining experience complemented
by social space to foster and encourage community. Informed by extensive
input from the campus community, including more than 500 student
interviews and an additional 575 survey responses by students, faculty, and
staff, the project also will significantly expand space for students to relax,
socialize, and connect with one another and with faculty and staff—helping
fulfill the College’s mission of educating the whole student. Such space has
been missing since 1983 when a fire all but destroyed Old Tarble.
The new addition will also enable the College to increase the variety and
availability of food options, lead to shorter lines, and better accommodate
the size of the student body, which has grown from 1,064 students in 1964,
when Sharples first opened, to 1,647 students today.
The design aims for the Dining and Community Commons to be a netzero building. It is also a strategic piece of the College’s energy master
plan: The design of the building includes a basement that can house a
geothermal exchange plant to service the entire campus and enable the
College to transition away from the use of fossil fuels for heating and
cooling campus buildings. The new facility will be completely accessible to
all members of the community. To improve delivery and emergency access
to the site, the building that formerly housed the Phi Psi fraternity will be
torn down; the stone will be saved and used in future projects. The building
formerly housing Delta Upsilon will be used as a construction office for the
duration of the project work.
The Dining and Community Commons project has already received
significant donor support, including through the allocation of a $7 million
gift from Gil Kemp ’72 and Barbara Guss. If you’re interested in supporting
the project, contact Senior Director of Individual Giving and Donor
Relations Mike Gillum at mgillum1@swarthmore.edu or 610-328-8334.
DLR GROUP IN COLLABORATION WITH RAYFORD LAW
Celebrated writer and poet Nikki Giovanni spoke on campus in the
fall. Dean of First-Year Students Karen Henry ’87 was one of many to get an
autograph from Giovanni.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
LAURENCE KESTERSON
A
CCLAIMED poet
and essayist Nikki
Giovanni gave a wideranging, moving,
insightful, and often
uproarious talk this
fall entitled “Grit,
Grace, and Glow: Celebrating Black
Excellence” at the Lang Performing
Arts Center.
Giovanni read multiple poems and
fielded questions from the audience,
before signing copies of her books.
After listing Giovanni’s extensive
accolades, which include an Emmy
nomination, “Woman of the Year”
honors from numerous publications
and associations, and the keys to more
than two-dozen North American
cities, Provost Sarah Willie-LeBreton
introduced her as a “poet and a pilot.”
“We’re unsure exactly where
[Giovanni] will land with metaphor
or rhyme, taking us on a bumpy ride,
because at some point we must fly
through the storm,” Willie-LeBreton
The Dining and Community Commons project—
shown in architect renderings with an inset photo of the
existing structure—was made possible by a significant
gift from Gil Kemp ’72 and Barbara Guss. The project
is part of the Changing Lives, Changing the World
campaign.
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
11
common good
WENDY CHMIELEWSKI, the George R.
Cooley Curator of the Swarthmore College Peace
Collection, received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Peace History Society (PHS) for
outstanding service to the society and for exemplary
scholarship. Chmielewski has served as president,
vice president, and board and committee member of
PHS and published on the topics of women’s peace
activism, political activity, and diplomacy from the
19th through the 21st centuries.
Her current projects include a monograph
with Jill Norgren on women who campaigned
for political office before they could vote, and
a digital database of the
biographical records of
nearly 4,000 U.S. women who
ran for public office before
1920—a crucial contribution
to future generations of peace
researchers. Chmielewski
has greatly expanded the
archive’s manuscript collections; won grants to
digitize audio-visual recordings on women’s peace
activism, the anti-nuclear movement, and the
movement against the Vietnam War; and, along with
other Peace Collection staff, developed websites,
databases, and an award-winning research guide.
“I am deeply honored to have received the
award and the recognition of my colleagues in the
profession,” says Chmielewski, who has worked
at Swarthmore for 33 years. “It affirms my own
scholarship and what I have accomplished in the
Peace Collection over many years.”
12
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
May 29–31
alumniweekend.swarthmore.edu
Come home to Swarthmore!
Reconnect with former
classmates, celebrate with
friends, and enjoy a full
weekend of activities as we
honor milestone reunions for
classes ending in 5 and 0—with
a special invitation to all Black
alumni.
Highlights include:
• All-Alumni Welcome
Reception and Dinner
• Black Alumni Art Exhibit
• Alumni Musical Performances
• Chester Children’s Chorus
Concert
• Parade of Classes
• Alumni Collection
• Family Carnival
• Reunion Banquets
• Special reunion events
hosted by the Swarthmore
Black Alumni Network
Future Alumni Weekends:
• May 28–30, 2021
• May 27–29, 2022
• May 26–28, 2023
HELP MAKE A SOCIAL IMPACT
The Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility invites
interested Swarthmore alumni to apply for the Lang Social Impact
Fellowship (LSIF), a program supporting engagement in systemschange activities that close the gaps between social challenges
and solutions. Key features of the LSIF include mentoring,
training, and funding.
For the first three years after its 2016 launch, the LSIF was
designed as a postbaccalaureate program to help recent alumni
(within 1–3 years of graduation) work on scaling their direct
service projects. This year, the Lang Center is opening the
fellowship to all alumni, encouraging applicants to propose socialimpact projects and activities that advance systems change.
The alumni fellows will be expected to lend their experience
and expertise in mentoring Lang Scholars, a cohort of current
Swarthmore students working to design and implement
social-impact projects in the U.S. and abroad, as well as other
Swarthmore social innovators. The deadline to apply is March 31.
+ LEARN MORE: bit.ly/LangSocialImpact
MATTIE WEISS ’01
Preserving
Peace
ALUMNI WEEKEND 2020
SAMUEL HYNES, a distinguished
scholar of British literature who taught
at Swarthmore from 1949 to 1968, died
Oct. 9 in Princeton, N.J. He was 95.
Since 1976, Sam had been a faculty
member at Princeton University,
retiring in 1990 as the Woodrow Wilson
Professor of Literature Emeritus. His
course material and research focused
primarily on 18th-century English
literature,
modern British
poetry, and the
literature of war.
A Marine Air
Corps veteran
of World
War II and
recipient of the
Distinguished
Flying Cross,
Sam drew upon
his military experience in writing a
number of popular books, including
Flights of Passage: Reflections of a World
War II Aviator and The Soldier’s Tale:
Bearing Witness to Modern War.
Sam returned from the war to
complete a bachelor’s degree from the
University of Minnesota. After earning
a master’s and Ph.D. from Columbia
University under the GI Bill, Sam joined
the faculty of Swarthmore’s Department
of English Literature.
Peter Bart ’54, a political science
major and former student of Sam,
remembered him as “a brilliant guy, a
little gruff and remote.”
“I was lucky that Hynes taught me
in 1951–1952,” Bart wrote in a tribute
(pg. 3). “He was then figuring out how
to teach, and I was figuring out how to
study.”
Sam spent eight years at
Northwestern University before moving
to Princeton. He is survived by two
daughters, three grandchildren, and
three great-grandchildren.
BIGGER, BOLDER, BRIGHTER: Mattie Weiss ’01 and Camila Leiva ’09 were
among a cohort of 12 artists who collaborated on a 4,000-square-foot mural in the
Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, where the American Indian Movement
began in 1968. Led by the Power of Vision Mural Project, the mural was developed
in collaboration with more than 80 community members to highlight the history,
voices, and priorities of neighborhood residents. Friends Weiss and Leiva are longtime
organizers and educators, and both balance work in the nonprofit sector with their art.
Learn more about the mural at powerofvision.art.
MARTIN TOMLINSON ’23
LAURENCE KESTERSON
REMEMBERING
SAM HYNES
SWARTHMORE’S FELIX
LANIYAN ’20 (#6) passes the
ball as a player from Connecticut
College closes in during their
Sweet 16 game of the NCAA soccer
tournament, hosted at Clothier
Field on Nov. 23. The Garnet fell
to the Camels in overtime, 1-0,
ending their incredible Cinderella
story. The men’s soccer team,
which finished with an 11-4-5
record, upset two nationally
ranked teams in penalty kicks
to reach the Sweet 16 for the
sixth time in program history
(1974, 1991, 2008, 2009, 2012,
2019). After putting away No. 17
Roanoke College in the first
round then eliminating No. 23 Christopher Newport University in the second, the
Garnet had the privilege of hosting the NCAA Sectionals at home. Senior captain Joey
Bradley ’20 had just one word to sum up the season: “Unforgettable.” Meanwhile,
Swarthmore women’s soccer reached the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight
year and advanced to the second round after a thrilling 1-0 OT victory over Arcadia.
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
13
common good
Frederic Pryor, a professor emeritus of economics
known for the broad scope of his interests, the vitality of
his scholarship, and his keen wit, died Sept. 2 in Newtown
Square, Pa. He was 86.
Reared in Mansfield, Ohio, with his twin brother, Millard,
Fred (above, left) received a B.A. in chemistry from Oberlin
College in 1955. After spending a year living and working in
South America and Europe—including a three-month stint
on a commune—he enrolled at Yale University to pursue a
Ph.D. in economics.
Focusing his doctoral thesis on communist foreign trade,
Fred moved to West Berlin. After finishing his dissertation
in 1961, he drove to East Berlin to deliver a copy to a
professor. By then the Berlin Wall was under construction,
and Fred was arrested by the Stasi (the East German secret
police) on suspicion of espionage. After nearly six months
in an East German prison, Fred was released as part of a
prisoner exchange. The experience was later dramatized in
the Steven Spielberg film Bridge of Spies.
Fred had hoped that, after earning his Ph.D., he could
work for the U.S. government. But those jobs, along with
those in the private sector, were closed to him because of his
espionage arrest.
“The only places that didn’t pay mind to my prison
experience were colleges and universities,” he said.
“Swarthmore didn’t care. In fact, I think the students kind of
got a kick out of having an ex-con teaching them.”
Fred joined the Swarthmore faculty in 1967 and attained
the rank of full professor. After retiring in 1998, he
maintained a campus office for many years, noting in 2015
14
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
Thompson Bradley, a professor emeritus of Russian
admired for his devotion to justice in all of his pursuits, died
Sept. 22 in Rose Valley, Pa. He was 85.
Tom (above, right) was born in New Haven, Conn. In
high school, he was introduced to Russian, an encounter
that ignited his love of the language and its literature. This
passion took on literary and historical dimension at Yale
University, where Tom earned a B.A. in Russian, and later
at Columbia University, where he pursued graduate work in
Slavic languages and literatures.
In 1956, Tom married Anne Cushman Noble, graduated
from Yale, and was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served
for two years at an American base in Germany, where
he had been recruited for military intelligence for his
language skills. After completing his service, Tom resumed
his academic career at Columbia and then spent a year in
Moscow as part of a cultural exchange.
Tom joined Swarthmore’s faculty in 1962, finding students
whom he described as having a “real commitment” to
living the intellectual life. His Russian novel class became
legendary, invariably drawing the most students of any
Modern Languages & Literatures course at the time.
Throughout his career, Tom never separated his teaching
from his social and political activism. He spoke of this
when he retired in 2001: “I think there are fewer and fewer
people in academia today who think of their lives as having
to do with a practice outside of academia. I can’t imagine
only doing activism, or only teaching. To me they seem as
indivisible as literature and history.”
His political activity included mobilizing the College
against the Vietnam War, mentoring conscientious
objectors, and participating in Veterans for Peace. He was
also instrumental in organizing College events for the first
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, developing a faculty exchange
program with a university in El Salvador, and creating the
Chester-Swarthmore College Community Coalition, among
other initiatives.
Tom is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Anne;
their three daughters; and two grandchildren.
The Name
Game
An extinct
leviathan gets
an update
ODE TO TRUTH, FAIRNESS
Bill Ehrhart ’73, a celebrated poet and
veteran of the Vietnam War, first became
friends with Tom Bradley in September
1969, when Bill arrived at Swarthmore after
three years in the Marines; the two later
worked together with Veterans for Peace
Philadelphia, Chapter 31. In tribute to his
friend, Bill wrote the following poem, which
was read at Tom’s funeral Dec. 21.
by Ryan Dougherty
THOMPSON BRADLEY
(1934–2019)
He looked like Lenin. Really.
I’ve never forgotten the first time
I saw him, fifty years ago; I had
to do a double-take, knowing Lenin
had been dead for nearly fifty years.
He’d pace back and forth, gesticulating
to a classroom full of college kids
while rolling a cigarette, explaining
Russian Thought and Literature
in the Quest for Truth.
What Lenin took for truth, I’ve
no idea, but through the years
I came to know that truth meant
justice, peace, honesty and fairness,
decency and generosity to Tom.
You name the issue, Tom was always
on the side you wanted to be on:
wars in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East;
civil rights, prisoners’ rights, women’s rights,
gay rights, the right to live with dignity.
He looked like Lenin, but he lived
a life that Lenin would have envied,
or certainly should have. If Tom had led
the Revolution, I’d have followed him
to hell and back and on into heaven.
ALEX BOERSMA 2019
HONORING TWO FRIENDS:
PROFESSORS FRED PRYOR
& THOMPSON BRADLEY
that it “keeps me happy.”
Fred loved to experience new cultures,
and he often combined service and
vacation. For many years he served as a
trustee at historically Black institutions
including Miles College, Wilberforce
University, and Tougaloo College. He
also worked as a research director for the
Pennsylvania Tax Commission and twice
served as judge of elections.
Fred’s wife of 44 years, fellow
economist Zora Prochazka Pryor, died
in 2008. He is survived by a son, Daniel
Pryor, and three grandchildren, Kathleen,
Thomas, and Zora.
A research team led by
Visiting Assistant Professor of
Biology Matt Leslie recently
redescribed and renamed an
extinct whale species, capping
a journey of personal and
professional resonance for
Leslie.
The newly described
Norrisanima miocaena
was first noted in the early
1920s and thought to be an
ancient relative of the modern
humpback whale, within the
genus Megaptera. But in their
research, published this fall
in the scientific journal PeerJ,
Leslie and his co-authors show
that Norrisanima came from a
group of ancient baleen whales
that branched away from those
we know today.
“We estimate that this whale was 12.5 meters long, or around 41
feet,” says Leslie. “That is really big for a whale from the Miocene, a
time before whales truly became the giants they are today. In fact,
Norrisanima is the largest whale species ever found from this early time
period. Although it is hard to be certain, we are pretty sure Norrisanima
fed much like modern-day whales that engulf a huge volume of
prey-laden water into their mouths and then strain out small fish and
crustaceans through baleen.”
Thanks to advances in evolutionary understanding over the past 100
years, the research team—which also included Carlos Mauricio Peredo,
paleontologist at the University of Michigan, and Nicholas D. Pyenson,
curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s
National Museum of Natural History—knew that the link between
Norrisanima and the modern humpback whale didn’t hold water.
“We had to do something about it,” says Leslie. “We couldn’t
just let one of the most important pieces of evidence for the recent
evolutionary history of whales just sit around with a lackluster
description and misleading name.”
+
READ MORE: bit.ly/SwatWhale
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
15
common good
QUIZ’MORE
LEARNING CURVE
HOME BASE
She looks at links between incarceration and academics
How well do you know
your alma mater? Give
this the ol’ College try!
MONICA AHANONU
?
Who was the first Black faculty member to receive tenure? This Swarthmore
professor also served as the first coordinator of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate
Fellowship Program. Discover his identity in the Answer Key.
by Lauren McAloon
1
2
3
4
What folk legend
headlined the studentorganized Swarthmore
Folk Festival in 1958?
What was the
Robinson House before
it became the Black
Cultural Center?
Who was the
Baccalaureate speaker
in 2005?
What do Cynthia Jetter
’74, Keith Reeves ’88,
and Delvin Dinkins ’93
have in common?
5
When did the Alumni
Gospel Choir issue its
first CD?
Know any fascinating Swarthmore trivia? Send your question/answer to quiz@swarthmore.edu. If we use it, we’ll send you a prize!
Learn more about Black Excellence at the College on the timeline at swarthmore.edu/blackexcellence
2. It was a women’s residence hall until the spring of 1970.
1. Odetta, the singer-songwriter, actress, and human rights activist known
as the “voice of the Civil Rights Movement.” She returned to the College in
1997 as a visiting professor of music; her class, Music as Social History,
blended folk music with discussions on how the genre makes connections
among diverse peoples and societies.
5. In 1996. Hallelujah! Amen was followed in 2000 by Star Gazer, a
collection of Advent music. The net proceeds of their sales fund two
College scholarships.
4. All three participated in Swarthmore’s Upward Bound. The program,
which continued for more than 40 years, provided year-round, rigorous
academic instruction from College faculty members, assessment of
individualized needs, counseling, and exposure to a variety of cultural and
historical enrichment experiences.
(1919–2010), the Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor Emerita of History,
joined the faculty in 1970. She was granted tenure after a contentious
period and with the support of students.
WINTER 2020
3. Professor Charles “Chuck” James, the first Black faculty member to
receive tenure. James expanded Black studies and served as the first
coordinator of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program.
During his speech, he reflected on the changes he had experienced in
his time at the College. The first Black professor, Kathryn Morgan
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
ANSWER KEY
16
TAYLOR TUCKER ’20 and her
mother, Tracy, agreed on one thing
before either of them ever said it out
loud: Tucker belonged at Swarthmore.
“I remember visiting the school
and sitting with her in an admission
meeting where we heard about the
Black Studies Program and clubs
like Swarthmore African-American
Student Society (SASS), and the Black
Cultural Center,” says Tucker, who
moved to Pennsylvania from Delaware
when she was in elementary school.
“After that meeting, we both agreed I
needed to come here.”
At the small private high school
she attended, Tucker was often the
only Black student in the class. The
experience was alienating.
“I’d feel like I had to answer any
questions relating to being Black, no
matter what the question was,” says
Taylor, now co-president of SASS with
Wrenn Odim ’20.
But Swarthmore felt different as
soon as she arrived.
“SASS made me feel more at home
here, and made transitioning to
Swarthmore easier,” she says. “The BCC
was a home away from home. I didn’t
feel like I was the only one anymore. I
could be myself with a steady group of
people and just hang out.”
In the classroom, faculty, including
LAURENCE KETSERSON
by Kate Campbell
Assistant Professor of Sociology Nina
Johnson (see p. 76) and Assistant
Professor of Educational Studies
Edwin Mayorga, inspired Tucker’s
creativity and scholarship. This led
to her senior-year research, “Into
the Masters’ Hands: The Carceral
Captivity and Exploitation of Black
Female Bodies in Schools and Beyond,”
which she presented at a Welcome
Back Black Studies event in the fall.
Tucker plans to continue her
exploration of the ways in which
Black girls’ experiences of education
are affected when they have a family
member in the criminal justice system.
As part of her research process last
summer, Tucker spent time exploring
youth-led movements in Philadelphia,
and she hopes to formally work in a
youth advocacy environment after she
graduates.
“These groups are very concerned
with the well-being of Black and
Brown kids in Philadelphia schools
and the importance of access to arts,”
says Tucker. “It’s definitely something
I would want to be a part of.”
“The BCC was a home away from home. I didn’t
feel like I was the only one anymore.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
17
common good
LIBERAL ARTS LIVES
GARIKAI CAMPBELL ’90
PETER BAILLEY
“I was pushed hard and challenged throughout all my time at Swarthmore, but that
was precisely what made the experience so great,” says Garikai Campbell ’90, one of the
first participants of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (along with Sean
Decatur ’90, pg. 61). “I really am tremendously fortunate to have had so many opportunities
to grow and develop.”
LIBERAL ARTS LIVES
HIGH STAKES
IN HIGHER ED
Swarthmore was a proving ground—
and he’s grateful
by Kate Campbell
18
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
Garikai Campbell ’90 has kept a piece
of Swarthmore tucked away in his
files for decades. The paper is one he
wrote for a Literature of Conscience
course he took with Professor Nathalie
Anderson. Her hand-written notes line
the margins. It’s a reminder, he says,
of the singular nurturing quality of his
Swarthmore education. “I’ve always held
her thoughtful critiques in that course as
a model and a symbol of what I got from
Swarthmore,” says Campbell, provost
and vice chancellor for academic affairs
at the University of North Carolina
Asheville and professor of mathematics.
“Swarthmore pays incredible attention
to the development of its students, in all
aspects of their lives.”
Through demanding work, high
expectations, and a community of care
and support, Swarthmore raised the
bar, he says. The former Mellon Mays
Undergraduate Fellow and Academic
All-American wrestler has spent most of
his career in higher education leadership
working to diversify the sciences and
“improve the conditions that allow for
greater student success, whatever a
student’s passion,” and strengthen
the liberal arts institutions at which
he worked. “The lessons I learned at
Swarthmore have been as much about
the values of community and academic
excellence generally, as anything about
my particular major,” he says. “I give the
faculty who mentored and guided me
a healthy portion of the credit for any
success I claim now.”
Still, articulating the strengths of
higher education—and in particular,
a liberal arts education—a critical
component of his work, is increasingly
challenging. “The stakes are incredibly
high, making it all the more imperative
to be clear about the value of what we
do at liberal arts institutions—to think
creatively about our work, how higher
education is structured, with whom we
partner, and how our institutions have the
impact that we claim to have and ought to
be having.”
BYTE BACK
Leader in Education
“I hope we are able to move the needle so that eventually there are fewer adults who
need our training,” says Elizabeth Lindsey ’02. As executive director of the nonprofit Byte
Back, Lindsey advances digital equity for Americans who fall under the radar.
ROOTED IN
EXCELLENCE
She wants to open doors
to technology-based
careers
by Elizabeth Bryant ’13
WHEN ASKED about her definition of
Black excellence, Elizabeth Lindsey ’02
doesn’t hesitate: “I was just listening to
Beyoncé’s Homecoming album earlier
today,” she says. Perhaps not surprisingly, this isn’t Lindsey’s only interface with
the star as of late.
As executive director of the
nonprofit Byte Back, Lindsey is
advancing digital equity for the
thousands of Americans often
excluded from an increasingly techbased society—by and large lowincome adults, folks over age 50, those
without college degrees, and people of
color. For Lindsey, social and economic
prosperity is defined by universal
access to technology. Byte Back offers
free tech training and workforce
development to adults as a pathway to
living-wage careers.
Lindsey’s passion for fostering
inclusion in tech is rooted in her
experience at Swarthmore. As an
undergrad, Lindsey held leadership
positions in the Swarthmore
African-American Student Society
and the Swarthmore Queer Union,
and engaged in anti-death penalty
activism. She credits the financial
support she received from Swarthmore
for her ability to participate fully in her
education.
“I am a first-generation college
student,” says Lindsey. “That I was
able to go to school for free really
changed my life.”
Lindsey strives to re-create that
experience of full access through her
work at Byte Back, and her vision is
aligning with conversations happening
on a national level. Just this year,
lawmakers introduced a Digital Equity
Act in the U.S. House. Days later,
Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington,
D.C., proclaimed Oct. 9 Byte Back Day.
“There are a number of cities and
states and organizations across the
country who have reached out to us, to
learn from us,” says Lindsey. “I hope
we are able to move the needle, so that
eventually there are fewer adults who
need our training.”
In September, Lindsey was honored
among the Root 100’s most influential
African Americans, a list that includes
the likes of Serena Williams, Colin
Kaepernick, Stacey Abrams, and, yes,
Beyoncé.
As for the way Homecoming
embodies Black excellence? “It’s
a combination [of ] believing in
ourselves, knowing what we love and
what our passion is, and investing all of
us into it,” says Lindsey. “That’s why I
do what I do.”
ELIZABETH LINDSEY
’02
Tech Entrepreneur
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
19
DEDICATED
SPACE
As the Black Cultural Center marks its 50th anniversary, a reflection on what
makes ‘the House’ a cornerstone of Swarthmore’s Black community
L
OCATED IN the
140-year-old
Robinson House,
the Black Cultural
Center is just minutes
away from the flow
of Parrish Hall and McCabe Library.
With its kitchen, carpeted floors,
armchairs, and art depicting Black life
at Swarthmore, “the House,” as it’s
often called, is something of an oasis.
20
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
It exudes comfort, community, and a
space to negotiate the complexities
of Black identity free from
misunderstanding and hostility.
“It is definitely a sanctuary in many
ways,” says Delvin Dinkins ’93, an
assistant headmaster at a private school
in New Jersey. “It was true for me and a
lot of people, given that Swarthmore is
such a wonderful community, but also a
challenging one.”
Engaging with so many different
backgrounds at Swarthmore, while
fun, can be taxing, says Woodjerry
Etienne ’20. “People ask questions
that often display a level of ignorance,”
says Etienne, a psychology major. “It’s
nice to be able to go to the BCC and be
with people who understand me more
intimately.”
Since 1970, the House has been a
hub for Black life at Swarthmore and
Fifty years after the birth of the Black
Cultural Center, there’s still work to be done,
says Associate Dean of the Junior Class and
BCC Director Dion Lewis.
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
21
LAURENCE KESTERSON
by Roy Greim ’14
served as an educational space, both
formal and informal, for the entire
community with its academic offerings
and extensive library.
And yet, there is often a perception
that the BCC is separate from campus,
reserved exclusively for a specific
group and closed off entirely to others.
“In a sense, this was our home,”
says Davirah Timm-Dinkins ’93,
an associate director of college
counseling who connected with her
husband, Delvin, through the BCC.
“And like a home, there are times when
you want to spend time with family
and unpack the day, and other times
when it’s fine to have ‘company’ come
over to share the space.”
‘BROUGHT TO A HALT’
Since the 1960s, accusations of “selfsegregation” have been levied against
similar institutions across the country.
The BCC has not escaped criticism. In
1970, a Delaware County Daily Times
editorial argued that “the races will
be kept apart” because of the center
and that Black student protesters at
Swarthmore contributed as much
to racial division as White rioters
THE BCC: 50 YEARS
IN THE LIFE OF
“THE HOUSE”
opposing desegregation busing in
Lamar, S.C.
Who were these student protesters
and what were their goals? In January
1969, roughly 20 members of the
Swarthmore Afro-American Student
Society (SASS) took over the admissions
office, starting a sit-in that lasted for
eight days. The protest highlighted
their frustrations over the low
number of Black students, faculty, and
administrators at the College, a lack of a
Black studies program, and institutional
indifference toward these issues.
“We have brought to a halt the
admissions process which in
decision-making has refused Black
participation,” reads a letter from
SASS dated Jan. 9, 1969. “Until the
college submits to us an acceptable
program with specific plans for the
inclusion of Black interests on all
levels, there will be a discontinuation
of the college’s ruthless activities.”
The death of President Courtney
Smith after a heart attack led SASS
to end the sit-in as the shocked
campus community mourned his
sudden passing. Though there was a
moratorium on dialogue regarding
1969
Students lead a sit-in
to protest low numbers
of Black students and
faculty, the lack of a Black
studies program, and the
need for a Black cultural
center.
22
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
1970
the demands, tensions remained,
as many blamed the protesters for
causing Smith’s death. A few months
later, the College addressed one of
the group’s demands by hiring two
Black administrators—Assistant Dean
of Admissions William P. Cline and
counselor Horace Woodland—in an
effort to identify and enroll more Black
students. There was, however, much
left to be done.
But still paramount was a physical
space in which Black students could
define and assert their identities in
the context of Swarthmore, and the
students led the efforts to claim one.
In the summer of 1969, SASS member
Don Mizell ’71 wrote about the need
for a dedicated Black cultural center
on campus. Calling it an “anchor
in a White sea, a psychological and
geographical point of reference,” he
argued that a center would not prevent
Black students from integrating, but
rather make them feel more involved
and less isolated.
For Mizell and other BCC
supporters, it was more about selfpreservation than self-segregation,
especially in the face of “powerful
SASS members identify
the Robinson House
as the only acceptable
location for the BCC.
James Michener ’29, H’54
pledges support.
1986
Students charge
administrators with doing
too little to increase the
number of Black students
and faculty members.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
—WINDSOR JORDAN JR. ’07
deculturation forces at work on
the Black psyche,” he wrote. SASS
members like Mizell felt that Black
students on predominantly White
campuses were expected to downplay
their Black identities, and responded
by demanding from the College a
pluralistic, institutionally supported
environment in which these identities
could be nurtured.
At the height of the Civil Rights Era,
student protests with similar demands
were being staged across the country.
In December 1968, 65 Black students
at Brown University walked off campus
in protest of the institution’s low
enrollment of African Americans, who
comprised less than 3% of the student
body. At Columbia University, students
occupied an administrative building as
they protested university construction
of a segregated gymnasium in nearby
Harlem.
“The desire on the part of Black
students to have a culturally relevant
social space on Swarthmore’s and
many other elite, White college
campuses is tied directly to the effort
to expand the College’s curriculum,
to grow the number of Black students
in the student body, and to recognize
the transformation in our national
identity as part of the Civil Rights
Movement,” says Professor of History
Allison Dorsey. In 2014, Dorsey taught
a course, Black Liberation 1969:
Black Studies in History Theory and
Praxis, in which Swarthmore students
created an archive of documents,
correspondence, and interviews—“as
a bulwark,” she once said, “against the
College losing or forgetting the story of
Black student activism.”
In March 1970, SASS members
identified the Robinson House,
a women’s dormitory housing 15
students at the time (see sidebar),
as the only acceptable location for
the BCC after the temporary site,
Lodge 4, was deemed inadequate.
SASS demanded from President
Robert Cross that Swarthmore’s
Black community have control
over the center’s programming and
participants, while guaranteeing that it
would be open to the entire College on
a regular basis.
A March 13 sit-in by 50 students
LAURENCE KESTERSON
“THE HOUSE IS A PLACE WHERE YOU’RE SURROUNDED BY THE HISTORY
OF THOSE THAT CAME BEFORE YOU AND PAVED THE WAY.”
In 2014, Professor of History Allison Dorsey (top) led a course in which students
created an archive of documents and interviews “as a bulwark against the College losing
or forgetting the story of Black student activism.” For Woodjerry Etienne ’20 (bottom), the
BCC has been a space to unwind “and be with people who understand me more intimately.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
23
and employment arbitrator and
mediator. “We didn’t trust the College
to maintain it until it became more
viable. There was always a crunch
for dorm space, and we felt that if it
became logical for the College to use
the house for some other reason, they
would do so.”
Kathryn Morgan, Sara
Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor
Emerita of History, was the first
Black professor at Swarthmore.
led Cross to authorize a steering
committee—consisting of five Black
administration members and five
SASS leaders—to direct and coordinate
BCC programming and access and to
develop an operating budget.
By the fall of 1970, organization of
the BCC was underway, but there was
no guarantee that it would become a
permanent fixture on Swarthmore’s
campus.
“Every student was very concerned
about how long this was going to
last,” says former BCC director
Alan Symonette ’76, who is a labor
1992
The Intercultural Center
is created as a result
of student activism in
support of students of
color and queer students.
24
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
SOLID FOUNDATION
The transformation of the Robinson
House from a women’s dormitory
into the BCC was made possible by
a $100,000 gift from Pulitzer Prizewinning author James Michener ’29,
H’54. Michener pledged the money
to the College in 1970 for the express
purpose of improving “race relations”
through the development of the BCC
and a Black studies program.
These developments corresponded
with a drive by the Black community to
institutionalize the BCC into the life of
the College, through the transferring
of McCabe Library materials,
the teaching of seminars, and the
centering of performance groups in
that space.
Among those was the Gospel
Choir, which began in 1971 to fulfill a
need not met by the College chorus,
1996
In the admitted
Class of 2000, 40% of
students identify as a
racial minority, including
11% as African American.
2009
whose repertoire consisted almost
exclusively of Western European
music. The group was initially
composed of 10 members who
would gather and sing in the BCC or
anywhere else a piano could be found.
“The Gospel Choir was really
necessary to ground me and a lot of
other students,” says recording artist
Vaneese Thomas ’74, H’14, one of the
group’s “Founding Mothers,” along
with Lynette Hunkins ’71 and Chiquita
Davidson Hayes ’74. “Not only in a
religious sense, but culturally, too.”
Much like the BCC, the Gospel
Choir’s policy of excluding nonBlack students was criticized as
discriminatory and divisive. (The
policy was eventually phased out.)
By 1986, the Student Council and the
Budget Committee actively debated
whether to continue funding the choir.
Proponents argued that the policy
was necessary because it situated
the choir as a cultural and emotional
refuge from the challenges faced at
a predominantly White institution.
By this time, it had grown to
include alumni, faculty, dormitory
housekeepers, and other members of
the Black community.
The number of student
organizations affiliated
with the BCC increases to
11, up from seven in 1997.
2019
The Celebration of Black
Excellence lifts up the
BCC as one of its
primary focal points.
CENTER OF DIALOGUE
The BCC also served as an important
meeting place to organize around
addressing wrongs on campus and
beyond, recalls Linda Echols, retired
director of the Worth Health Center
and former interim director of the
BCC.
“There were issues around
discrimination, harassment, and
things that we had to take a position
on,” she says. “A lot of times, the faculty
and the staff and the students would
plan from the BCC.”
As the center grew and became ever
more intertwined into the fabric of the
campus, Black students continued to
express frustration over a perceived
lack of understanding of racial
dynamics by College leadership. An
open letter published in The Phoenix
in 1986 charged administrators with
doing too little to increase the number
of Black students and faculty members,
and to involve Black community
members in that process.
Socially, some Black students were
tired of being expected to answer
for the phenomenon of “Sharples
Syndrome,” by which they were
accused of isolating themselves by
sitting together in the dining hall.
“No one ever asked, ‘Why are all
the white students sitting together?
Why are all the football players sitting
together?’” says Dean of First-Year
Students Karen Henry ’87. “For me,
it was really important to know that I
could go to Sharples at any time and
LAURENCE KESTERSON
—MARISSA COLSTON ’00
Like the choir, the BCC did not just
serve the student population; faculty
and staff members were also deeply
involved in the center’s day-to-day.
“Faculty and staff would often get
together with students for dinners
at the BCC,” says Jane James, who
worked at the College for 30 years,
primarily in Information Technology
Services, while her husband, Chuck
James, professor emeritus of English
literature and the first Black professor
to receive tenure at Swarthmore,
taught and mentored students. “We
would also make care packages for the
incoming students and connect them
with older students who helped them
to adjust to the community.”
LAURENCE KESTERSON
“THE BCC WAS A SPACE WHERE YOU COULD
ORGANIZE AROUND MAKING REAL CHANGE,
AND YOU WOULD FEEL SUPPORTED AND SAFE.”
Top: Students relaxing and studying at the Black Cultural Center. Bottom: Former BCC
Director Alan Symonette ’76.
find a group of Black people there who
would welcome me and who I would
have fun with.”
Nearly 20 years after the creation of
the BCC, these accusations persisted.
Race-relations workshops and open
events at the BCC, including social
gatherings, lectures, and exhibitions
of Black art, helped address the divide.
And non-Black students, such as
Elizabeth Campbell ’92, a native of the
West Indies, began to feel welcome
at the BCC thanks to encouragement
from their friends and peers.
“My first-year roommate, Christina
Bolden [Smith] ’92, reached out and
invited me to the BCC when I was still
trying to adjust to a new environment,”
says Campbell, a research associate
professor in molecular biophysics at
the Rockefeller University. “I really
admired the BCC community; the
students were compassionate, smart,
and fun.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
25
THE HOUSE ON A HILL
Many know the Black Cultural Center simply as “The House,” a
reference to the Robinson House in which it resides, but few know
that the official title is the Caroline Hadley Robinson House. The
first resident of the building located at 411 College Avenue was not
its eponym, a member of the Class of 1906, but rather Professor
of Civil and Mechanical Engineering Arthur Beardsley. Built
around 1880, it served as Beardsley’s residence and appeared in
photographer Charles Doron’s 1881 “Views of Swarthmore” series.
(See photo above.)
Hicksite Quaker Alice Paxson Hadley moved to Swarthmore
from New Mexico with her only daughter, Caroline, after the death
of her husband in 1896. She purchased the house from Beardsley
sometime between 1902 and 1909 and lived next door to her older
brother, Charles, and his in-laws.
Caroline, who later wrote a survey and analysis of 70 birthcontrol clinics in the U.S., married Louis N. Robinson, Class of
1905, at Swarthmore Monthly Meeting in 1908. Louis was a
prominent economist who taught the subject alongside Caroline at
the College and then pursued a career in criminology, advocating
for prison reform in his 1921 work Penology in the United States.
Caroline died in 1946 and was followed by her husband in
1952. The latter’s will bequeathed the house to the College on
the condition that it be named in honor of Caroline. By the fall of
1955, it was a dormitory for 15 female students, and it fulfilled that
purpose until the formal establishment of the BCC in 1970.
26
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
“OUR COMMUNITY
WOULD BE MISTAKEN
TO THINK THAT HAVING
THIS IDENTITY CENTER
FOR 50 YEARS HAS
FULLY RESOLVED ISSUES
OF RACIAL EQUITY AND
MEANINGFUL INCLUSION
AT SWARTHMORE.”
—DION LEWIS, BCC DIRECTOR
what extent this discussion occurred
at Swarthmore, but the vision of a
postracial world in which the BCC or
even the would-be IC would no longer
be necessary was not far from the
minds of some community members.
It was, however, far from reality.
A mock lynching, defacement of
a Malcolm X portrait, chalking of
a racial slur on Magill Walk, and
presence of racist skinheads near
campus all contributed to a hostile
climate for Black students in the 1990s.
Simultaneously, Swarthmore admitted
its most diverse group ever in the
Class of 2000, with 40% of students
identifying as a racial minority,
including 11% as African American.
“It sometimes felt as though the
College wasn’t ready for us, even
though they accepted us,” says Marissa
Colston ’00, now a dean for diversity
and inclusion at the Westtown School
in Pennsylvania. “The BCC was a space
where you could organize around
making real change, and you would
feel supported and safe. We could do
that and not be interrupted or have to
explain ourselves.”
WORK TO BE DONE
Over the next decade, the BCC grew
both figuratively and literally. By
2009, the number of affiliated student
organizations had increased to 11, up
from seven in 1997, reflecting greater
diversity within the community and
an effort to engage students from
African and Caribbean backgrounds.
Renovations included updates to the
kitchen, a one-story addition at the
rear, and other modifications that made
the House more accessible.
Though certain areas of Black
life at Swarthmore underwent
positive change, other aspects
were static. A study of Black social
life conducted in 2009 found that
students felt Swarthmore misled
prospective students by purposefully
downplaying racial tension on campus.
Respondents often felt they had to
choose between proudly expressing
their Black identities and pursuing
friendship with White peers who might
perceive involvement with the BCC as
threatening.
Even now, there’s work to be done,
LAURENCE KESTERSON
FRIENDS HISTORICAL LIBRARY
Hicksite Quaker Alice Paxson Hadley purchased the house from
Professor Arthur Beardsley sometime between 1902 and 1909.
Events of the next decade,
however, would bring about intense
conversations about diversity,
multiculturalism, hate speech, and
more that strained relations and
reinforced the need for the BCC.
In 1990, students proposed the
creation of an Intercultural Center
(IC) to reflect and serve the needs
of the growing number of minority
students. It was meant to coexist
alongside the BCC. However, students
accused administrators of using
tactics to divide groups by regularly
suggesting “that the BCC be converted
into the IC when they are clearly
aware that IC supporters strongly
rejected this idea,” according to an IC
proponent writing in The Phoenix.
Fears that an IC would ultimately
replace the BCC were not unfounded;
across the country, college
administrators debated whether
race-specific affinity centers were a
cost-effective method of promoting
inclusivity, and whether such
centers were the product of a bygone
historical moment. It is unclear to
Swarthmore faculty and staff members have long been involved in the BCC’s day-to-day.
Above, at the House: Dean of First-Year Students Karen Henry ’87 (left) and Shá Duncan
Smith, assistant vice president and dean of inclusive excellence and community development.
says Associate Dean of the Junior
Class and BCC Director Dion Lewis.
“We have not arrived,” Lewis says.
“Our community would be mistaken to
think that having this identity center
for 50 years has fully resolved issues of
racial equity and meaningful inclusion
at Swarthmore.”
“These questions remain in America
at large,” he continues. “There was a
time when our society had a desire
to confront a history that made
it challenging for many to be an
American, but these past few years
have seen increased division and
hatred that prevent such healing.”
The emboldening of White
nationalists by elected officials,
political commentators, and other
influential figures—both national
and international—has reinforced
the importance of the BCC as a safe,
supportive space perhaps more than
ever before, students and alumni say.
It endures not only because of these
pressing external circumstances, but
also because of its significance to those
who have passed through its walls, sat
on its couches, and found comfort in
its sense of community.
“The House is a place where you’re
surrounded by the history of those
that came before you and paved the
way,” says Windsor Jordan Jr. ’07,
senior assistant dean of admissions
and director of multicultural
recruitment at Swarthmore. “It’s a
place of belonging, and its legacy is the
continued feeling of home when you
return.”
“Black students and alumni who
understand the relevance of the BCC
will come to its defense—anytime,
on any day,” echoes Keith Benjamin
’09, founder of the student group
Achieving Black and Latino Leaders
of Excellence (ABLLE) and current
director of the Department of Traffic
and Transportation for Charleston,
S.C. “Because the truth is, without
the BCC, we wouldn’t have survived
Swarthmore. And so we defend it, and
we uphold it, and we honor that space
because of what it did for us.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
27
ORIGIN POINT
Black Studies provides an academic home for urgent discussions on race
by Elizabeth Redden ’05
illustrations by Monica Ahanonu
28
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
29
inequity. “Once I identified that there’s a system around it,
then I became empowered to do something about it.”
ROWING UP in a racially
segregated town in
Maryland, Patrice Berry ’06
says her public school education lacked any meaningful
exploration of Black history, stories, or experiences.
That changed when she got to Swarthmore.
“I read the catalog and saw all of these exciting courses
that resonated with my interests and also my personal
identity,” says Berry, a political science major and Black
Studies minor.
For Berry and others, experiences in the Black Studies
Program were eye-opening and helped set the course for
their careers. Celebrating 50 years at Swarthmore, Black
Studies has offered an academic home for Swarthmore students
to consider urgent questions of race, representation, and power,
and to study the contributions of Black people the world over.
“The first passion I discovered at Swarthmore was
education, but one of the reasons I was drawn to education
was because I was actually learning for the first time how
systemic some of the barriers and gaps I experienced or
observed as a student were,” says Berry, a FUSE Corps
executive adviser in the mayoral office of Oakland, Calif.,
where she is focused on college affordability and completion.
“To become aware that my experience, my observation,
was ‘a thing’—there’s so much power in that discovery,”
adds Berry, who has spent her career disrupting education
30
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
FORGING A PROGRAM
The interdisciplinary Black Studies Program started in
1969, thanks to the efforts of activists who saw that the
perspectives and contributions of Black people were largely
unrepresented in Swarthmore’s curriculum.
Indeed, the first students to graduate with what was then a
Black Studies concentration had to build a program on their
own.
“It really was a process of self-education,” says Marilyn
Allman Maye ’69, one of the nine original Black Studies
concentrators. “We petitioned to have a student-led
course—I guess you could say it was our version of an honors
seminar. We petitioned for more opportunities to bring in
visiting professors. We went to Haverford College, Lincoln
University, and other colleges that may have had one course
on African history or politics, and we petitioned the College
to give us credit for those off-campus courses.”
Before the program launched, Swarthmore’s curriculum
was not addressing the stories or voices of Black people—and
neither were its activities, says Maye, who recently retired
as an associate professor of educational leadership at New
Jersey City University.
“I was active in the choir, and all the things we sang were
European,” she says. “There was absolutely nothing, nothing
that would suggest that Black people had any musical
heritage.”
Harold Buchanan ’69, a math major with a concentration
in Black Studies, was longing for classes that could speak to
Black people’s experiences.
“I grew up in Long Island, in a small Black community, so
I had very little exposure to Black anything,” says Buchanan,
who went on to co-found the Swarthmore Black Alumni
Network. “We didn’t have any Blacks in government.
Throughout high school there was one Black teacher, the
only Black teacher I ever encountered. I felt that I was
missing something. I was missing so much of my heritage, so
I was really hungry for filling in those gaps.”
FINDING THEIR WAY TO BLACK STUDIES
The Black Studies Program, formalized over the years, now
includes a number of its own classes, as well as courses
cross-listed with dance, history, sociology & anthropology,
and multiple other departments. Students who minor
or special major in the program are required to take
Introduction to Black Studies, and honors students must
also complete a two-credit thesis.
“Black Studies at Swarthmore is distinctive because it
brings students and faculty together from across the campus
blST
50
“To become aware
that my experience,
my observation, was
‘a thing’—there’s
so much power
in that discovery.”
—Patrice Berry ’06,
executive fellow, mayoral office of
Oakland, Calif.
“I was missing so much of my heritage, so I was really hungry for filling in
those gaps,” says Harold Buchanan ’69 (top), one of the first to concentrate in Black
Studies. Adds Patrice Berry ’06 (bottom): “I read the catalog and saw all of these
exciting courses that resonated with my interests and also my personal identity.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
31
A LANDMARK APPOINTMENT
blST
50
“The Black Studies
Program was the
origin point for what
I’m doing now in
terms of fusing my
commitment to
social justice with
my intellectual
ambitions.”
— Cecilia Márquez ’11,
assistant professor of history,
Duke University
to study and speak about race—and, in particular, about Black
peoples, cultures, and histories—in thoughtful and critical
ways,” says Carina Yervasi, an associate professor of French
and a member of the Black Studies Program committee.
“The program engages with race, but also the specific and
important ways global Black diasporas have shaped and
continue to shape our world,” she adds. “Speaking about
Black diaspora opens up dialogue about ancient and modern
mobilities, artistic and cultural representations, social
movements, transnationalism, economic issues, political
stakes, and the practice of art-making.”
Ja’Dell Davis ’06, who earned a Black Studies minor,
took sociology and history courses and an introductory
jazz course under the program’s umbrella, in addition to
studying Umfundalai, an African dance technique. She also
participated in weekly noncredit seminars at the Black
Cultural Center.
“At a place like Swarthmore,” says Davis, “a very White,
elite institution, it was important for me to be in classes with
knowledge that was being disseminated that resonated with
me, but also helped me understand and be in dialogue with
other people about Blackness, especially in that context, [to
consider] what did it mean for me to be a Black woman at
Swarthmore College.”
As a sociology Ph.D. student at the University of
Wisconsin–Madison, Davis researches the transition from
high school to college for students who are racial minorities,
and the ways in which college advisers prepare them for the
racial dimension of that transition.
“Because of the professors who were leading the courses,
Black Studies was a space where we could ask good
questions,” Davis says. “Those were the places where people
who cared about the topic were. There were always people
who were there to be antagonistic, or who weren’t actually
interested in understanding the nuances of Black life, but
they were few and far between.
“They were places where we could genuinely show up ...
and get some deeper understanding about representations of
Black life in different disciplines.”
FROM CLASSROOM TO CAREER
Black Studies alumni have gone on to careers across a variety
of fields, including law, public policy, and education. For
Cecilia Márquez ’11, the program helped set her on a course
for academia.
“The Black Studies Program was the origin point for what
I’m doing now in terms of fusing my commitment to social
justice with my intellectual ambitions,” she says.
Now an assistant professor of history at Duke University,
Márquez remembers a class she took with Professor of
History Allison Dorsey about the Black freedom struggle,
from civil rights to hip-hop.
32
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
As the Black Studies Program commemorates its 50th
anniversary, it marks an important first: a tenure-track
line.
Swarthmore has long hired faculty in other
departments who also teach courses in Black Studies,
but this academic year is the first time the College will
hire a faculty member based in Black Studies. The
position will concentrate on African American and
African-diasporic music and culture, especially jazz.
“This is a real landmark for us, having a faculty
member whose curricular home is wholly in Black
Studies to anchor the program,” says program
coordinator Anthony Foy, an associate professor of
English literature.
Provost Sarah Willie-LeBreton, a former head of
Black Studies, says the new hire is “unprecedented, and
it’s thrilling.”
“To hire somebody in the program is a signal to
students that the College is investing in the program,”
she says. “The College sees how many students are
minors and special majors and acknowledges that
the program needs greater stability and more faculty
resources.”
Students in the Black Studies Program take a range
of classes across the humanities and social sciences.
Although a regular major is not offered, students can
minor in Black Studies or design a special major around
their interests.
“What’s special about our program is the
interdisciplinarity of it,” says Professor of Studio Art Syd
Carpenter, a Black Studies committee member. “That’s
the key to the program—that students themselves can
create and structure this with the insights of the range
of faculty who are making offerings that become part of
the Black Studies Program.”
In recent years, Black Studies has also begun offering
classes with a study-abroad component.
“The future of most interdisciplinary programs
is with embedded study and experiential learning,”
says Associate Professor of French Carina Yervasi, a
Black Studies committee member. “Black Studies has
benefited from experiential learning by taking students
to Brazil and Cuba, and continuing support for this
kind of programming is crucial to helping students
understand Black diasporas.”
However, that Black Studies remains a program, as
opposed to a department, is a source of disappointment
to some.
“The question is, why is Black Studies still a program
50 years later when, in my time here, I have watched
programs move from programs to departments?” asks
Allison Dorsey, a professor of history who coordinated
the program from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2008
to 2010. “I find that a failure of imagination and will on
the part of the College.”
Program committee member Nina Johnson, an
assistant professor of sociology, hopes the tenured
position will be an important step in terms of the College
making a commitment to the long-term sustainability
and viability of a thriving Black Studies program.
“Swarthmore’s Black Studies Program has been able to
thrive because of faculty who have been committed to
it, but those faculty are also in their home departments
required to do all kinds of work and service,” she
says. “We do great with what we have, but it would be
amazing to do more.”
Among those committed faculty members is President
Valerie Smith, who holds appointments in Black Studies
and the English Department. An opportunity to teach
a cross-listed course on Toni Morrison this spring is
especially important to her, she says.
“Black Studies faculty have contributed in a variety
of significant ways to the intellectual and cultural life
of the College,” Smith says. “I am delighted that with
support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we will
be adding a new faculty position in Black Studies and
music that will enhance our cross-disciplinary curricular
offerings.”
“Black Studies offers a cross-disciplinary approach
to some of the most urgent, persistent and intractable
challenges we have confronted over time,” adds Smith.
Through curriculum, research, performance, and forms
of creative expression, she says, Black Studies explores
“the complex interplay between the political, economic,
and cultural forces that shape our understanding of the
historic and contemporary achievements and struggles
of African-descended people in this country and around
the world.”
The opportunity to explore Black culture, history,
music, and literature is an ever-expansive journey
for all Swarthmore students. Participants of Black
Studies have expanded on the wealth of information
and knowledge they absorbed as students, sharing it in
their own organizations, communities, and classrooms.
The original stories reverberate, enriching each new
generation and the world as a whole.
—ELIZABETH REDDEN ’05
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
33
blST
50
“We really didn’t
know that much
about African
American history
and culture, even
in our most elite
institutions. There
was just a lot of
ignorance.”
—Andrea Young ’76,
executive director,
ACLU of Georgia
“It was mind-blowing,” Márquez says. “The urgency with
which she taught that class really shaped me.
“Working with her, I realized that scholarship could be
really meaningful and powerful, and could shape not only
how we think about the past, but how we approach our
current moment—all the questions of power and inequality
that we are dealing with today and have always been dealing
with.”
In 2010, Márquez joined Dorsey and others on a field trip
to North Carolina for a conference on the 50th anniversary
of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Márquez’s dissertation—a history of Latino/as in the South
since 1940—emerged out of that trip and the interviews she
conducted at the SNNC conference.
Michael Jeffries ’02 also traces a direct line between
his Black Studies classes at Swarthmore and his academic
career. The program “taught me that anything I wanted
to study was intellectually viable,” says the Class of 1949
Professor in Ethics and associate professor of American
studies at Wellesley College.
“I remember reading Tricia Rose’s Black Noise, which
I think remains the best academic book written on rap
music,” he says, fondly recalling Sarah Willie-LeBreton’s
Intro to Black Studies class. “I never knew you could write
an academic book on hip-hop. I was so fascinated and
captivated by that book, and the first book I wrote was a book
on hip-hop.”
He has since written two other books on race and class—
one that uses President Barack Obama as a lens to look at
race in America, and another on inequalities in the world
of professional comedians—and is working on a book about
Black LGBTQ+ students.
Monica Patterson ’97 says one of the first classes that
captivated her at Swarthmore was a course on the Harlem
Renaissance taught by Chuck James, the Sara LawrenceLightfoot Professor Emeritus of English Literature.
“I just fell in love with the writing,” says Patterson, a Black
Studies Program alum. “It was so lyrical and evocative, and
that got me very interested in Africa. Of course the Africa
that is written about in a lot of that Harlem Renaissance
literature is almost a fantastical one. It was a mythological
abstraction that ran counter to some of what I was starting
to learn in anthropology, which focused on the thick and fine
detail of everyday life.”
Patterson, now an assistant professor at the Institute of
Interdisciplinary Studies at Carleton University in Canada,
researches the experience of childhood in apartheid South
Africa. She spent her junior year at Swarthmore studying
abroad in Zimbabwe.
“It was a really powerful experience,” she says, “that
shaped the rest of my life to come.”
PAST AND FUTURE
Though just one student earned a special major in Black
Studies in the Class of 2019 and five students earned
minors, about 40% of 2019 graduates took a course that was
eligible for Black Studies Program credit, College data show.
Black Studies was not always infused into the Swarthmore
curriculum in this way.
“The African American studies classes were about me in
a way that other classes were not,” says Andrea Young ’76,
executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union
of Georgia, where her work centers around issues of voting
rights, reproductive rights, and free speech. “To the extent to
which African American history, literature, and so forth are a
part of classes that people take today, that was not true then.
We really didn’t know that much about African American
history and culture, even in our most elite institutions. There
was just a lot of ignorance.”
Young recalls her classes with Kathryn Morgan, the Sara
Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor Emerita of History and
the first Black woman to earn tenure at Swarthmore, after
initially being denied.
“One of the great things about Kathryn Morgan—I was a
part of the student movement to get her tenure—is that she
was one of the early proponents of how you use primary
sources to reclaim this kind of hidden history,” Young says.
“That’s been so essential to reclaiming women’s history,
to reclaiming African American history—going back to the
primary sources because the so-called official record left us
out.”
That’s something that will be needed as long as there is a
power imbalance in society, says Maye, one of the original
Black Studies concentrators from 1969.
“The winners in these power struggles get to tell the
stories, they get to write the books, they get to be honored
and venerated,” she says. “The people who are on the
margins, their stories always get buried, and their truths get
buried.
“Once we broke the door open to say that the European
canon was not the sole thing that was worth studying, other
groups started saying, ‘What about our history?’ Now you
have a lot of diversity—that was won through what the Black
students did.”
Black Studies “taught me that anything I wanted to study was intellectually
viable,” says Michael Jeffries ’02 (top), a professor at Wellesley College. For
Andrea Young ’76 (bottom), “the African American studies classes were about me
in a way that other classes were not.”
34
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
35
B
UNITED
IN
SONG
Alumni Gospel Choir
expands musical
possibilities at
Swarthmore
“There were a lot of misconceptions
among the faculty and staff about who we
were and what we could achieve,” says
Vaneese Thomas ’74, H’14, a founding
member of Swarthmore’s first gospel choir.
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
LAURENCE KESTERSON
by Queen Muse
OTH a connecting
point and a
fundamental
expression of faith,
gospel music brought
together some of
the first Black students who arrived
at Swarthmore in the late 1960s and
early ’70s. Beyond the joy of a shared
experience, the energy and emotion
of singing gospel music connected
students to their faith and to fond
memories of home.
“It became a reason to gather,”
says Cynthia Hunter Spann ’75, a
Swarthmore College Alumni Gospel
Choir member, reflecting on her first
singing experiences at the College.
“The choir became the corporate
worship experience that I missed.
It was more than singing—it was
spiritual.”
Over the past 50 years, the
Swarthmore College Alumni Gospel
Choir has recorded two albums, toured
five countries, and held concerts in
cities across the United States and
the Virgin Islands. But the choir’s
beginning and the enduring bond
among its roughly 100 members
remain connected to the struggle and
transformation that came before them.
The gospel choir wasn’t formed,
members say—it was born out of
necessity.
In January 1969, a protest and
occupation of the Admissions Office
ultimately resulted in Black students
securing a place of their own on
campus, the Black Cultural Center.
Swarthmore at that time was one
of many places across the country
embroiled in a national debate over
civil rights and racial inequality.
Tension and uncertainty lingered
on campus in fall 1970 when members
of the Class of ’74 arrived—still very
much struggling to find solace in the
wake of much unrest.
“We were the largest class of African
American students that they had ever
had, and it was as traumatic for us as it
was for them,” says Vaneese Thomas
’74, H’14, a renowned jazz vocalist and
founding member of Swarthmore’s
gospel choir. “There were a lot of
misconceptions among the faculty and
staff about who we were and what we
could achieve.”
Despite being among a growing
Black student body, Thomas says
she and her Black peers often felt
as though they didn’t fully belong.
“People always wanted to know why
Black students sat against the wall in
the dining hall,” Thomas says. “It was
because we were uncomfortable in the
general population at Swarthmore,
just as we were uncomfortable in
the general population in the United
States. It was just a microcosm of what
was going on at the time.”
On a campus that had only recently
gained a meeting place for Black
students, others, like Spann, felt the
gospel choir became an additional
place of refuge.
“I wouldn’t say it was a culture
shock, but it was a very unique
experience for me,” she says about
her early days at Swarthmore. “I still
needed a place on campus where
I could feel relaxed and be myself
without worrying about political
correctness.”
Spann discovered that singular place
around the piano in the Black Cultural
Center, where she bonded with
Thomas and other Black students over
a shared love of gospel music. Many
of them had been raised in Baptist,
Methodist, or Pentecostal homes and
had grown up singing gospel music in
their hometown church choirs.
But they felt the dominant vocals,
strong harmonies, and vibrant
spiritual lyrics of gospel music did not
yet have a place at Swarthmore. At
that time, the College chorus was the
only option for students who wanted
to sing and—as Thomas learned
when she briefly joined—the music
they performed was strictly Western
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
37
LAURENCE KESTERSON
The Alumni Gospel Choir has performed
in cities across the U.S. and the Virgin Islands,
including in 2000 (top). Above: Sam Brackeen
’68 attends a rehearsal on campus this fall.
“AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER, I HAVE
SUNG IN CHURCH CHOIRS. IT’S WHAT I DO.
IT’S WHO I AM. IT’S A PART OF ME.”
—CYNTHIA HUNTER SPANN ’75
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WINTER 2020
new members, including NiYa Costley
’97, who despite having joined many
years after the choir’s inception, found
it still met a critical need for Black
students.
“The choir was a safe space,
emotionally and socially,” Costley says.
“It was a place where you could find
people who understood your story.”
In 1986, Thomas and other members
returned to Swarthmore for a reunion
concert. Reunited, they rediscovered
the joy and connection they’d forged
long ago and made a plan to carry it
forward with the formation of the
Swarthmore Alumni Gospel Choir.
News of the group spread quickly,
attracting alums like Sam Brackeen ’68
to join.
Brackeen came to Swarthmore in
1964 as one of fewer than 20 Black
students in his class and as the only
Black student in his civil engineering
program. When he first heard about
the Alumni Gospel Choir, he thought it
might be a hoax.
“I was probably in disbelief because
that was not the kind of thing you’d
find at Swarthmore back then,”
Brackeen says. “But the one thing you
do find at Swarthmore is that one or a
few people can make a difference.”
For many members of the gospel
choir, Thomas made that difference. As
director, she’s been the driving force
that not only redefined the musical
possibilities at Swarthmore but also
helped countless students explore
and perfect their passion for song.
Members like Joan Cargill ’89 say it’s
what has kept the choir going strong
for so many years.
“The thing that inspires me most
is that, despite what’s going on in our
lives, when we get the call to perform,
we jump up and come, and many of us
do that because Vaneese is leading us,”
Cargill says. “We’re in her vortex when
we get there because we know we’re
going to have a good time, we’re going
to be cared for, she’s going to be helping
us as we are growing and learning,
doing something that we love and with
a leader that is so dynamic.”
Under Thomas’ tutelage, the Alumni
Gospel Choir recorded and released
its first album, Hallelujah! Amen, in
LAURENCE KESTERSON
European. Driven by the need for a
musical outlet of their own, the Black
students who wanted to sing gospel
turned their informal gatherings
around the piano into rehearsals.
Those singers—Karen Shropshire
Yancey ’75, Carolyn Mitchell ’74, Beth
McMillan-McCartney ’75, Patrice
Harris Pompa ’75, Lynette Hunkins
’74, Cheryl Sanders ’74, Chiquita
Davidson Hayes ’74, James Batton ’72,
Terry Hicks ’73, Thomas, and Spann—
became the founding members of
Swarthmore’s first gospel choir.
They began hosting concerts that
attracted wide audiences from the
Swarthmore community, their songs
of spirit and faith helping the choir to
form a bridge on a divided campus.
“We were ministering to members
of the campus who were not African
American, but who appreciated
and accepted our form of ministry,”
Spann says. “That was an affirming
experience for a lot of our members.”
In the years that followed, the choir’s
founding members graduated and went
back to their respective hometowns.
Thomas, the daughter of the musical
legend Rufus Thomas, returned to
Memphis and launched a successful
career, earning invitations to perform
in concerts and festivals around the
world, including several Pavarotti &
Friends concerts in Modena, Italy,
and the Montreux Jazz Festival in
Switzerland. She went on to write and
produce songs for well-known artists
such as Patti Austin, Freddie Jackson,
Melba Moore, and Diana Ross.
Meanwhile, the student gospel choir
continued performing and recruited
Choir members including Lynette Hunkins ’74 and Joan Cargill ’89 manage to travel to Swarthmore several times a year
for performances and rehearsals, like this one in October at the Black Cultural Center. “It’s an intergenerational bond,” says
Cargill. “The choir brings us together in ways that other activities just don’t.”
1996, and another, Star Gazer, in 2000.
Proceeds from the album sales funded
two student scholarships. The choir
performed concert tours in China,
Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic,
and South Africa.
In 2014, Swarthmore honored
Thomas’s “faith and commitment to
those in need of musical uplift” with an
honorary doctor of arts degree.
The alumni choir continues to
rehearse and perform, with members
across the country managing to travel
to Swarthmore several times a year.
They’ve fostered a depth in their
relationships across generations—a
rarity in alumni organizations where
affinity can wane with distance and
time.
“It’s an intergenerational bond,”
Cargill says. “It creates this connection
that otherwise would not exist. We
sing together; we’ve traveled together.
The choir brings us together in ways
that other activities just don’t.”
They don’t just sing together—they
share life’s joys and sorrows together,
too.
When the choir learned of the 2010
death of Kathryn Morgan, the Sara
Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor Emerita
of History and a dedicated supporter
who “had never missed an Alumni
Gospel Choir performance,” they
returned to Swarthmore to sing for her
Celebration of Life ceremony.
They commemorate milestones in
each other’s lives, too. It’s all part of
using gospel music to express the love
of God to others.
“This experience resonates with me
very personally because my father’s
philosophy on ministry was to emulate
the love that God has shown us and
to try to give that back to others. And
that’s what this choir is all about,”
Brackeen says. “It’s a ministry that’s
founded on love.”
When longtime choir member Beth
McMillan-McCartney ’75 got married
in California, Spann and Yancey
trekked across country to attend
her wedding. And recently, when
McMillan-McCartney’s daughter got
married, five gospel choir members
attended the ceremony, four sang and
one officiated.
“We’ve maintained contact,”
McMillan-McCartney says. “We
maintained those friendships we
developed in college because those
relationships really meant a lot to us—
and still do.”
After leading the gospel choir as
her labor of love for more than four
decades, Thomas plans to pass the
torch to a new director by 2021. She
hopes the choir will continue to thrive
because she believes it’s as vital now as
it was 50 years ago.
“We still live in a very disturbing
world,” she says. “The friendships
that we made during those times were
really important to keeping your head
on straight. When we started, it was
filling this great need, and I don’t think
that need ever went away. I don’t think
it ever will.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
39
VOICE,
MIND,
SPIRIT
Chester Children’s Chorus celebrates
25 years of love and strength
by Ryan Dougherty
40
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
LAURENCE KESTERSON
T
WENTY-FIVE YEARS is a significant
anniversary, but Chester Children’s Chorus
Director John Alston H’15 isn’t counting
years.
He’s counting measures and listening for
just the right note.
“I want the children to sing wonderfully,” says Alston, an
energetic director who isn’t afraid to use humor to encourage
the students, who range from third-graders to high school
seniors.
“I want them to have the best time when they’re in
rehearsal, to have a blast when they’re on stage, to continue
to grow and teach people that Chester children have the
same extraordinary abilities as your children and my
children, and that, with the right combination of love, humor,
and rigor, they can become the best versions of themselves.”
It’s an ambitious plan. And it’s working.
Since 1994, the CCC has embodied its mission: Strong
Voice, Strong Mind, Strong Spirit. It opens its doors to all
Chester students with the aim to create a vigorous and joyful
choral music experience. Aside from a fine music education,
students have the opportunity to learn from Swarthmore
College faculty, staff, and students in the arts, athletics,
science, and math.
“I want them to have the best time when
they’re in rehearsal, to have a blast when they’re
on stage, to continue to grow and teach people that
Chester children have the same extraordinary
abilities as your children and my children,”
says John Alston H’15, director of the Chester
WINTER 2020 / Swarthmore College Bulletin
Children’s Chorus.
41
LAURENCE KESTERSON
The Chester Children’s Chorus represents family to Director
John Alston H’15, who has a “CCC” tattoo and last year let the kids
vote on the naming of his son, Nathan Jay.
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
“Family-style music making,” he says, smiling widely. “As
informal as possible.”
That balance of seriousness and inclusiveness appeals
to the students, some of whom navigate chaos in their daily
lives.
“I used to get really nervous when we’d perform, but now I
feel fine—I know I’ve got my people behind me,” says A’Najah
Jones-Dowling, a soprano from Archbishop Carroll High
School. “We really are one big family.”
That mindset has fueled the chorus since its start.
Recalling those early days, Alston laughs.
“I had no idea what I was getting into,” he says.
He wanted to start a boys’ chorus in Chester, like the
one he had been part of in Newark, N.J., and considers the
brightest light of his childhood. Alston, then an associate
professor of music, visited the office of Maurice Eldridge ’61,
then vice president for community and college relations, who
helped him procure a keyboard and other necessities. Within
a week, Alston had seven boys in the choir. He knew that
without the experience of teaching music to elementary-age
kids, there would be a learning curve. But as it is with most
grand visions, it took the required leap of faith.
“The kids and I loved each other almost immediately,”
Alston says. “We were coming from the same place,
recognizing so much in each other.”
Before long, girls were welcomed to rehearsals, too, and it
dawned on Alston that Swarthmore could have a children’s
chorus. A place not of charity, but discovery.
“And so it went,” Eldridge says, “and here we are, 25 years
later, celebrating its success. It has done so much good in
the lives of the youngsters who have participated, and their
families.”
Among them is Deondre Jordan ’19, who spent 10 years in
the chorus and will soon embark on a research position with
the National Institutes of Health.
“The chorus was the anchor,” Jordan said in a video
that delighted the crowd at the chorus’ 25th anniversary
gala in October. (See the video at swarthmore.edu/
chester-childrens-chorus.)
Reveling in the response that night was Dana Semos,
the chorus’ managing and education director, whose top
takeaway in her first year on the job is the eagerness of the
entire College community—from the President’s Office on
down—to do anything it can for the chorus.
“You just can’t help but be inspired and impressed by
the kids,” says Semos. “It’s beautiful to be a part of the
community that is the CCC.”
That community is on full display at rehearsals, too,
which begin with the students and Alston catching up over
pizza and teasing (or “burning”) one another. The banter
reverberates through the lesson, as the students sway side
to side while they sing and Alston pops up and down from
LAURENCE KESTERSON
The goal is to empower the student singers to improve
their communities and the world, achieved through a
rigorous, by-audition-only program. Weekly rehearsals
involve an intricate van route that collects each student as it
winds through Chester and then delivers the kids to the CCC
office in the Ville of Swarthmore.
Alston knows the role that poverty plays in many of the
children’s lives, and the sacrifices that their families make to
keep their kids in the program. He favors a light approach to
coax the best out of every singer.
The Chester Children’s Chorus has grown from an ensemble of seven boys to a large coed organization with students in third through 12th grades.
“Every time they step on stage, these children get the opportunity to be excellent,” says Alston—including at their 25th anniversary celebration gala
(above), held at The Matchbox in October.
behind the keys. He’s explaining a fine point of Handel’s
Messiah one moment and taking—or dishing—a playful jab
the next.
“Go ’head, girl,” he teases one soprano who gets a little
carried away on the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” “That’s
your gift.”
Other nights, the mood is tense. The children at times
carry struggles, from typical school and family issues up to
losing loved ones to gun violence. Sometimes Alston stops
rehearsal to take a child aside or to hash something out
as a group. It’s not the high note of the job, but it’s one he
embraces.
“The children are so, so important,” Alston says. “There’s
so much humanity and wonder and humor and wit and
sorrow and anguish. It’s all there. They deserve to be seen
and appreciated.”
That’s especially true at the chorus’ public performances
across the Delaware Valley each year. Last summer, they
shook the room with a version of Queen’s Bohemian
Rhapsody, among more traditional choral selections.
“That’s a night I will never forget,” says My’Rell Stone,
a soprano from Chester Charter Scholars Academy. “How
many people from somewhere like Chester can say they sang
Mozart’s Requiem with a full orchestra?”
“Every time they step on stage, these children get the
opportunity to be excellent,” adds Alston. “And the audience
gets the opportunity to see that with the right structures in
place and barriers broken down, all children can flourish.”
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43
FAMILY IN FOCUS
Black alumni leave a lasting legacy
on Swarthmore’s campus and culture
by Michael Agresta
Clockwise from top left: The Lawrence sisters and their mother, Margaret, then and now; Cecily Bumbray ’12
and her mother, Sherry Bellamy ’74; the Dinkins family: Davirah ’93, Delvin ’93, and Bria ’21.
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
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SARA LAWRENCE-LIGHTFOOT ’66,
H’89 attended Swarthmore at a time
just before the institution made its
first serious commitments to diversity
and inclusion.
She recalls a campus with no
Black professors and a Black student
population that could be counted on
one hand. A place where her freshman
roommate had received a letter asking
if she’d mind rooming with a “Negro.”
“Tokenism is distorting, the
paradoxical experience of being
both hyper-visible and invisible,”
says Lawrence-Lightfoot, the
Emily Hargroves Fisher Research
Professor of Education at Harvard
University. “Although I made close
friendships and felt deeply embedded
in the Swarthmore community,
there was always this nagging
feeling of loneliness, isolation, and
marginalization. My involvement
in the civil rights and social justice
movements—both on and off campus—
was central to my education, identity,
and sense of belonging.”
Lawrence-Lightfoot’s sentiments
get to the core of the institutionaltering events of 1969, which called
for an increase in Black admissions
and creation of a Black Cultural Center
at Swarthmore. The paths forged by
activist groups of the late ’60s—and
by Black students like LawrenceLightfoot who came even earlier—
cleared the way for younger family
members and others to experience
a more inclusive Swarthmore. Over
the past 50 years, Black family
connections have grown and continue
to be nurtured at Swarthmore.
Those relationships have rippled
out, inspiring legacy and community.
An important solace for LawrenceLightfoot as she navigated her
education was the presence on
campus of her sister Paula LawrenceWehmiller ’67, who followed her
older sibling to Swarthmore at the
encouragement of their parents,
Charles Radford Lawrence II and
Margaret Morgan Lawrence H’03. The
elder Lawrences were devoted civil
rights and peace activists.
Growing up, Lawrence-Wehmiller
says, family stories centered on
Black people who were committed to
education and who were deeply rooted
in the struggle for justice.
Their home was a hub and haven
for humanists, activists, and artists—
leaders and luminaries of the time, like
the Rev. Martin Luther King, Ralph
Abernathy, Dr. John Hope Franklin, Dr.
Kenneth Clark, A.J. Muste, and Philip
and Dan Berrigan, the sisters say
about the home they grew up in. The
family was active in local, national,
and international movements. “We
all marched, picketed, and raised our
voices for social justice and peace,”
says Lawrence-Wehmiller.
The Lawrence sisters’ 105-year-old
mother, Dr. Margaret Lawrence, was
the first Black psychoanalyst trained
in the United States, served as chief of
the Developmental Psychiatry Service
for Children at Harlem Hospital, and
became professor at the Columbia
University College of Physicians and
Surgeons.
The sisters also made names for
themselves: Lawrence-Lightfoot as
winner of a 1984 MacArthur “Genius”
Fellowship and the first AfricanAmerican woman in Harvard’s history
to have an endowed professorship
named in her honor, and LawrenceWehmiller as an educator, Episcopal
priest, and consultant to communities
of faith, learning, and service.
Lawrence-Lightfoot and
Lawrence-Wehmiller have remained
connected to Swarthmore, serving
in various advisory capacities since
their graduations. Paula and her
husband, John Wehmiller ’66, have
been major supporters and mentors
of the Chester Children’s Chorus for
most of its 25 years. Sara served on the
Board of Managers and received an
honorary degree in 1989, and in 1993
the Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot endowed
professorship was established at the
College. Their mother’s 2003 honorary
degree further deepened the family’s
ties to the College.
The choice to go to Swarthmore
reflected their parents’ dedication to
education, Lawrence-Wehmiller says.
“But it was their having raised us
in the ways of justice and peace that
were the gifts that my sister, Sara and
I brought with us when we came to
Swarthmore,” she says. “The stories
we had learned, and the stories we had
lived, sustained us at this place that at
the time did not have the capacity to
acknowledge the struggle.”
Having her sister at Swarthmore
(and their brother Charles Lawrence
one year ahead at Haverford) was a
constant reminder that “our parents
had raised us to know both the
strength and the joy in the struggle—a
gift I believe Sara and I passed on to
the Black students who came after
us,” says Lawrence-Wehmiller. Black
alumni of the late ’60s recall “the
Lawrence sisters” who went before
them and on whose shoulders they
stood.
As the number of Black Swarthmore
“I was fortunate to have a lot of
great mentors who played a role
in my increasingly deep interest
in education.”
—Delvin Dinkins ’93
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45
legacy families has grown over the
past five decades, the Black Cultural
Center has become a touchstone that
connects generations. Such has been
the experience of singer-songwriter
Cecily Bumbray ’12 and her mother,
Sherry Bellamy ’74, a lawyer with the
Washington, D.C., law office of Parker
Poe.
Bellamy’s class, admitted in 1970,
was the first with a relatively sizable
Black student population of 20 men
and 20 women.
“My mom’s experience as a Black
student on campus was really a unique
one, because it was a time of a lot of
change,” Bumbray says. “When I came
along, the strong community was
something that was really attractive to
me—having the Black Cultural Center,
a place to get together to laugh and do
homework and volunteer work. I feel
really blessed that my mom was part of
that effort to have a strong community
at Swarthmore that I could eventually
benefit from.”
The values that Swarthmore
helped to instill, says Bellamy, are
ones of liberal thinking, acceptance
of everybody, and “being a lot less
judgmental.”
“One thing that was great about
Cecily and I having Swarthmore in
common was her first reaction when
she first visited Swarthmore: ‘I don’t
know, Mom. I’m not a big a nerd as you
are. I might not like it,’” Bellamy says.
“Then she spent a weekend, and she
loved it.”
Swarthmore, to Bellamy, was an
open, diverse, and comfortable place.
The BCC especially was a “home away
from home.”
“Whenever I felt overwhelmed by
the Swarthmore environment, or just
needed a place to be, that’s where I
went,” she says. “I can’t imagine having
spent my four years there without
the BCC. We needed that space to
re-energize and regroup and be
together.”
For Delvin Dinkins ’93 and Davirah
46
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
Timm-Dinkins ’93, who met outside
Sharples as freshmen and later
married, being a Swarthmore family
has meant carrying values learned at
the College on to other institutions.
Davirah has worked at Penn State
and elsewhere on student support
and faculty relations surrounding
multicultural issues, while Delvin has
held leadership roles at private and
public K–12 schools.
“At Swarthmore, I was fortunate
to have a lot of great mentors who
played a role in my increasingly deep
interest in education—people who
gave me a sense of how dynamic
and honorable a profession it could
be,” Delvin says. “They really played
a part in awakening me to not just
opportunities, but also a lot of the work
that education has to do, in terms of
the social mission.”
Their daughter, Bria Dinkins ’21,
chose to attend Swarthmore as well,
sealing their fate as a legacy family.
Like her parents before her, Bria has
been active with the Swarthmore
African-American Student Society,
serving on the executive board.
Though they’ve been careful not to
give their daughter too much advice
about navigating college life, trusting
her to find her own way, the elder
Dinkinses sometimes observe in Bria’s
campus life both a reflection and a
carrying-forward of their own earlier
Swarthmore stories.
“When she shares the experiences
she’s had with people, or challenges,
we listen to them with an open mind,
but we also can relate,” Davirah says.
“While some are specific to this time
and her journey, some are universal.
What matters is, at Swarthmore, you
can find your own experience, however
it looks. That’s the beauty of it—that
you are around people as engaged and
passionate as you are, and at the same
time, there’s support from students,
from faculty, and from staff.”
“I feel really blessed that my mom was part of that effort to have a strong community at
Swarthmore that I could eventually benefit from,” says Cecily Bumbray ’12, with her family.
class notes
A TREASURY OF ALUMNI-RELATED ITEMS
ALUMNI
EVENTS
SWATTALKS
Feb. 19, March 3, April 22
SwatTalks is an Alumni Council
initiative to engage the broader
Swarthmore community in
live, online seminars featuring
professors, students, and
alumni excelling in their fields.
bit.ly/SwatTalks
CELEBRATING “THE HOUSE”
March and April
Stay tuned for campus and
regional celebrations in honor
of the 50th anniversary of the
Black Cultural Center.
swarthmore.edu/
blackexcellence
ALUMNI WEEKEND
May 29–31
Reconnect with former
classmates, celebrate with
friends, and enjoy a full
weekend of activities as we
honor milestone reunions for
classes ending in 5 and 0—
with a special invitation to all
Black alumni.
alumniweekend.swarthmore.
edu
MARTIN TOMLINSON ’23
ALUMNI COLLEGE ABROAD
Trips to Sicily, Berlin, and
Iceland and on the TransSiberian Railway from
Mongolia to Moscow are
booking now.
bit.ly/SwatAbroad
Swarthmore fans cheered on the Garnet in November as the men’s soccer team took on Connecticut College at
home during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. Read more on pg. 13.
1941
Libby Murch Livingston
lizliv33@gmail.com
Happy birthday to us!
Barbara Ferguson Young just
told me that she is 100 years old!
This led me to realize that we
’41ers are all celebrating our big
one sometime around this year.
Barbara was thrilled with a big
bash put on by family and friends.
We, too, cheer Barbara and all the
rest of us.
Another phone talk with Walt
Steuber’s son revealed that Walt
(at age 103) still lives in his home
of 68 years, now with said son’s
help and that of his other son, who
has built a home next door. I would
like to hear from other ’41ers about
their homes and management.
For me, there have been other
family celebrations. Two weddings:
one on a gorgeous September
day in Maryland, in the beautiful
countryside by a lovely lake. And
there were all those handsome
young people—my gorgeous
granddaughter, dressed in lace,
dancing with the little boys and
girls. Then a couple of weeks later,
another gathering of the clan, in
Denver, for another wedding—
another granddaughter to her
Peruvian groom.
I am fortunate to have both my
daughters and one of my sons
living nearby. They do so much
for me! That and our views of the
ocean and all that Maine air … I’ll
settle for all this!
1943
Betty Glenn Webber
bettywebber22@yahoo.com
616-245-2687
I’m sorry to say that I have received
zero feedback from you dear
remaining ’43ers. Our editor might
frown on creative fiction from me,
so give thought to contributing
next time. It would be interesting
to hear from the seldom-or-never
responders about their lives and
interests.
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
47
class notes
1945
75th Reunion! Our reunion is just
a few months away! May 29–31 is
Alumni Weekend, when all classes
return for reunions. Please mark
your calendar and save the date!
Join us in planning a memorable
reunion at Swarthmore with much
reminiscing and seeing life on
campus today.
Co-chairs: Margie Slocum Bearn
(mbearn1@gmail.com) and Mary
Stewart Hafer (maryhafer24@
gmail.com) have agreed to co-chair
the event and look forward to being
in touch with everyone in the hope
that we can enjoy an enthusiastic
final hurrah together. Hard to
believe we are all in our mid-90s,
but travel, though difficult, is
possible, especially in the company
of a son, daughter, or grandchild.
All things considered (i.e. the
passage of time), Mary and Margie
are still active. Mary has lived in a
retirement community in Lexington,
Mass., for 15 years. In September,
Mary joined family members to
camp in northern Maine. She
attended a granddaughter’s
wedding in Idaho with plans to
attend a grandson’s wedding in
Colorado in November.
Margie lives in New York, adjacent
to the U.N., and regularly attends
the opera and other musical
events. She spent last summer in
England and France, as she has
for many years. Husband Alick, a
medical scientist, was English, so
Margie has not only friends in the
U.K. but an array of nieces and
nephews there, as well. She also
travels to Florida in the winter for
warm weather—and some serious
croquet.
Reunion plans: Early plans
include conversation and coffee
with President Valerie Smith on
Saturday morning, with our class
and perhaps some others near our
vintage. That’s followed by our
lead position in the Alumni Parade.
After Collection, we plan to have
students join us for lunch to give us
a picture of life on campus today.
We think they may be interested,
48
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
too, in hearing about campus life
as we knew it in the long-ago ’40s.
Saturday evening, we will join
fellow Garnet Sages for dinner after
some special class activities in the
afternoon. We will have golf carts
at our disposal to keep walking
at a minimum, and, inasmuch as
possible, door-to-door service
will be supplied. Swarthmore has
guaranteed us priority housing with
air conditioning.
Please plan to come. We all want
to see you!
1947
Marshall Schmidt
kinmarshal@aol.com
Greetings, ’47ers. I asked the
College for a class list and found
about 60 names, half of which
showed email addresses. An
email experiment produced two
responses, from Barbara Norfleet
and Marilyn Rosen Oliensis.
My remaining challenge is to
reach the half of classmates with
no listed email. Two had addresses
only, and three showed neither
an address nor a phone number.
The rest all showed addresses and
phone numbers. I would like to
communicate with you by email, if
possible.
Bobbie’s note included a photo
of herself and her son at the
beach: “Right now I’m on Martha’s
Vineyard waiting to see if ferries
are running again. Lovely summer
of daily ocean swimming and
being with my children and
grandchildren.”
Lyn shared this wonderful update:
“I am happy to hear so many of
us are still alive! I am now 92, and
feeling OK if not exactly athletic.
My son, who is a computer vision
person, and two grandsons have
lived with me for about 10 years.
(He has been a mostly single
father.) The boys are 16 and 18, so
you can imagine that life continues
to be eventful. I retired as a lawyer
17 years ago when my husband
died, and have kept quite busy ever
since with book clubs, opera, and
WINTER 2020
all the usual, plus pushing people’s
furniture around (no charge … in
fact it is hard to protect oneself
from my determination to do it).
“I have heard with sadness over
time about the death of many old
friends. I particularly mourn Claire
Croft Dudley ’49, but her children
kindly treat me as a substitute
grandmother and visit when
they come to town. One of my
daughters and her husband live in
Berkeley, Calif., where she is chair
of classics/comp lit, and he is a
poet and creative writing teacher.
Their filmmaker daughter lives in
New York, to my great pleasure and
delight. My middle daughter lives in
Assisi, Italy, and her elder daughter
lives in Bologna. My daughter is
also a poet (!) who supports her
habit in various creative ways. Her
younger daughter is a senior at
Sarah Lawrence.
“My New York apartment is called
the Oliensis Hotel by my children,
grandchildren, and many of their
friends. It is only a couple of
blocks away from the Metropolitan
museum, and I usually have a spare
bed for visitors. This is probably
more news than you care to hear,
but I was so pleased to get your
unexpected communication!”
Speaking for Kinnie Clarke
Schmidt ’46 and myself, we
have enjoyed life in a hybrid (no
medical) senior community near
Princeton for 20 years. Dick Esrey
’50, Naomi Lichtman Rose ’54, and
Helen “Greenie” Green Neuburg ’48
reside here also. (Ned Neuburg ’48
lives in a nursing home nearby.)
As we have no upfront medical
expense, our monthly fees would
appear to be half of the monthlies
at a CCRC. We own our own villas
and apartments (which will go in
due course to our kids), and we are
the trustees managing our daily
lives.
I’m sorry to report the death
of two friends. Virginia Butts
Cryer ’48, a psychology major at
Swarthmore, died Sept. 3. Postwar
classes had veterans coming
home, getting married, having
babies, and socializing in homes in
Swarthmore, Rose Valley, Media,
and Drexel Hill. Included in this
bunch besides Kinnie and me were
the Dick Cryers, the Charlie Cryers,
the Haydens, the Leimbachs, the
Ungers, the Barclay Whites, the
Mifflins, the Willises, and so on.
The poker nights and dinners at
Howard Johnson’s in Media were
inexpensive but favorite social
outings. Ginny and Dick Cryer were
a big part of these happy times.
Nancy Fitts Donaldson ’46 died
in September. Kinnie writes: “For
many years, Fittsy was our class
secretary and president, and
was always helpful in planning
reunions. On the occasion of our
50th, she was instrumental in
establishing our ’46 scholarship
‘in recognition of the Swarthmore
tradition that so influenced its
members.’ It was often awarded
to a junior majoring in peace &
conflict studies. Fittsy would visit
with the student and then give a
report in the ’46 class notes.
“Fittsy’s daughter is Signe
Wilkinson, a Pulitzer-winning
cartoonist with the Philadelphia
Daily News. Again for our 50th,
Fittsy asked Signe to draw a
cartoon of Life at Swarthmore that
we could put on our T-shirts. That
is what we proudly wore in 1996
and for the reunions that followed.
“Fittsy was a longtime Quaker
school educator throughout the
Philadelphia area. This included
supervising Swarthmore education
student-teachers. She also tutored
pupils in Chester and supported
the Chester Children’s Chorus.
“It has been our good fortune that
Fittsy was a classmate and friend.”
1949
ALUMNI COUNCIL NEWS
Greetings from your Alumni Council! We hope
that you had a terrific fall and that many of
you were able to join us in October for Garnet
Weekend (above), where we welcomed new
members Ted Abel ’85, Twan Claiborne ’07,
Natalie Flores Semyonova ’19, Emily Mindel
Gottlieb ’95, Ayanna Johnson ’09, David
Kaufman ’94, Maria Mello ’08, Jim Sailer ’90,
Peter Schoenbach ’62, Jamie Stiehm ’82,
Charlie Sussman ’05, and Dina Zingaro ’13.
Alumni Council hosted several events
throughout Alumni Weekend, including our
terrific annual Career Networking Reception,
with Council members and current students
plus alumni, parents, and other Swarthmore
volunteers. Student attendees were able to
connect with even more diverse professionals
than in years past.
Other news:
• We are seeking donations for students as
part of our annual Professional Clothing
Drive in March. Contact Anne Richards
’97 at aer9cornell@yahoo.com for details.
• Know an amazing Swattie who deserves
recognition? Alumni Council is seeking
nominations for the annual Eugene
Lang Impact Award and the Arabella
Carter Community Service Award (bit.ly/
SwatAwards). Presented during Alumni
Weekend (with primarily classes ending
in 0 and 5 returning this year), the Carter
award honors an alum who has been
an unsung hero working for peace and
justice, and the Lang award one who
has made an impact on society at large
through their vocation. Send nominations
to LShafer1@swarthmore.edu by March 1!
• Although the full Council meets on
campus every March and October, we
stay connected with alumni, students,
and faculty between meetings in many
other ways. We look forward to seeing
you around, whether on campus or
through a virtual SwatTalk (bit.ly/
SwatTalks).
As always, if you have any questions about
Council, please contact us at acpresident@
swarthmore.edu.
alumni@swarthmore.edu
Marjorie Merwin Daggett
mmdaggett@verizon.net
Bill Hirsch, now living in a
continuing-care community in
Haverford, Pa., has been musing
on the wonderful mix that was at
Swarthmore for the Class of ’49; it
included vets like Walt Carel, Bill
Will, Katashi Oita, Herb Kaiser,
Chris Pedersen, Jack Chapman,
and others; European refugees
like the Wertheimers, brothers
Rolf ’48 and Heinz Valtin, Rudy
Hirsch ’50, and professors Hans
Wallach, Wolfgang Köhler, and
Wolfgang Stolper; and the V-12
still on campus. He remembers a
lively campus, meals in Parrish, fun
thrown in (especially the annual
Hamburg Show), and that the
people are now more memorable
than class content. Bill has been
in touch with Chris Pedersen,
who lives in a continuing-care
community near Oxford, Pa.,
and also with Lise Wertheimer
Wallach, who writes from Durham,
N.C., that she and her family are
“OK and active.” Bill also had a
long email from Lise’s brother,
Michael Wertheimer ’47, who is
in reasonably good health and
living with his wife in a retirement
community near Boulder, Colo.,
where he taught for 40 years.
Mike, a professor emeritus of
psychology at CU–Boulder,
reflected on his rewarding career.
He has published more than 40
books, mostly on psychology, and is
almost finished with a memoir and
a “little textbook” on the history of
psychology.
Our sympathies to the family of
Michael Fabrikant, who died in
July at his NYC home. His years
at Swarthmore were interrupted
when he was drafted during World
War II and stationed in Panama
to guard the canal. Mike earned a
history degree from Swarthmore
and an MBA from Columbia. He
spent the majority of his career
in IBM’s White Plains office. For
more than 50 years, Mike and his
family were summer residents of
Martha’s Vineyard in the home he
had bought in Chilmark; an avid
bike rider, he was often seen on his
yellow bicycle there.
Our sympathy also to the family
of Elizabeth Disney Baker, who
died in July at her home in Friday
Harbor, San Juan Island, Wash.
Beth was born in Oklahoma, and
after graduating from Swarthmore
she earned an English literature
master’s from the University of
Oklahoma. She married Donald
Baker in 1952, and together they
had six children. Beth raised the
children and occasionally taught
classes. She and her husband
loved to travel; they took their
entire family to Finland, England,
and Ireland, where they lived for
extended periods. Their children
fondly remember summer road
trips across America and Europe
in their beloved Volkswagen vans.
After Donald’s retirement, the
couple traveled widely and taught
in China, Macau, Jordan, and
Tunisia. Throughout her life Beth
loved art, architecture, and design,
and she enjoyed painting.
1951
Elisabeth “Liesje”
Boessenkool Ketchel
eketchel@netscape.com
Anne Ashbaugh Kamrin wrote with
the sad news that her husband
died in August. Her family is well,
and she is at the Quadrangle in
Haverford, Pa., where she sees
other Swarthmoreans.
Ralph Lee Smith writes: “Long
ago, in the 1960s and early 1970s,
I lived on Jones Street, in the heart
of Greenwich Village. On Saturday
afternoons, I often stepped across
the street to the Allan Block Sandal
Shop, where folkies gathered to
jam. I played dulcimer and
harmonica, and Allan played the
fiddle and banjo. In the early 1970s,
a little record company called
Meadowlands issued an LP of me
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
49
class notes
and Allan, simply called Allan Block
& Ralph Lee Smith. … I have been
notified by Smithsonian Folkways,
the recording subsidiary of the
Smithsonian Institution, that they
plan to reissue the record on their
label. Smithsonian Folkways keeps
the records on its label in print
permanently. This little product of
the folk revival will live!”
From Clarkson Palmer: “In June,
Andrea Wilcox Palmer moved into
the skilled-nursing part of our
Crosslands retirement community,
for better help with her aging
and low vision. In May, she and
I visited our son Carl ’86 and
Andrea’s sister Caroly Wilcox ’52,
sightseeing the ‘Grand Canyons’ of
Pennsylvania and New York on the
way. Then in July we celebrated
our 60th wedding anniversary with
all four children, plus a luncheon
with Barbara ‘Bunty’ Marshall,
widow of late engineering professor
Carl Barus. Bunty had attended our
wedding.”
Eleonore Zimmermann writes:
“‘Traveling’ will be to a great
beyond sometime soon. Yes,
fortunately, the many ‘great books’
I have read still are around me,
sometimes but not always digitized,
and I do my best still to think
‘creatively.’” Eleonore, so sorry
to have misspelled your name in
the past! Hope I got it right this
time. Unfortunately, my fonts don’t
include accents.
Dick Frost: “Central New York
is lovely this time of year, rich in
early fall colors. In Hamilton, I had
a glass of wine with an old friend,
formerly rector of the Episcopal
parish here, at the Colgate Inn. I
taught for 30 years in Colgate’s
history department. We talked
mostly about the presidential
candidacy of Elizabeth Warren,
for whom I have been a donor
and self-appointed adviser for a
year and a half. It’s time we had
a woman to replace the Trump
nightmare. … With Elizabeth
Warren as president, we will have
a different view of what the federal
government is for.”
Nancy Robinson Posel writes:
“I’ve been in touch with dear
friend Jack Hoffmeister, in the
throes of Alzheimer’s. He can
no longer walk or speak, but his
devoted caregivers would read a
50
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
message or hold the phone to his
ear (845-613-7238). I have moved
to Foulkeways at Gwynedd, Pa.,
where our new CEO is Phil DeBaun
’85.” Nancy is involved with the
League of Women Voters, focusing
on juveniles in the justice system,
voter suppression, and lobbying
against gerrymandering. “And
worst: Pennsylvania is the only
state that does not fund public
defenders!”
Miriam Strasburger Moss
and husband Sidney “will
again participate in the Annual
Conference of the Gerontological
Society of America—our paper will
be presented in a symposium of
retired long-term gerontological
researchers about personal
experience in making choices of
how we are living in old age. (We’re
the only ones now up in the 90s.)”
They’re involved in a weekly peace
vigil in Northampton, Mass., and
groups against nuclear weapons.
Gerald Pollack “went on a
Road Scholar tour to Glacier
National Park with wife Pat in
September. I had been there
once before, in 1951, when Don
Blough, Bob Eisinger, and I took a
postgraduation tour through the
Southwest, up the West Coast, and
to the northwestern national parks.
Fewer glaciers now. Steeper trails,
though. Now back, working on
coming municipal elections.”
And some poesy from Lew Rivlin:
Having defended Alabama / from
the forces of Nature / By sheer
power of will, / The King said
“send me more of a challenge; /
Something I would be proud to
Kill.” / His trolls and Moscow Mitch
/ Scratched where there was no
itch / but couldn’t find a super
worthy trophy. / “Do I have to do
EVERYTHING myself? / I will go
to war (for a fee or for no fee) /
against my own Army and Air Force
and Space Force and Navy / to
steal from their budgets enough
to start building my wall / that
NOBODY wants at all at all at all. …
/ I am the very FIRST President in
all of History / To steal the power
of appropriation from the Congress
and the voters, / and I did it all
myself, Dad, without the help of my
sons and of my doters.”
Sadly, we have lost classmates
Patricia Meyer Batin, Wallace
WINTER 2020
Francis, Ariel Cahill Hollinshead
Hyun, David Wesson, and William
Saul Jr. Please see their obituaries
in “Their Light Lives On.”
1953
Carol Lange Davis
cldavis1105@gmail.com
When I sold my home this
summer, I put most of my
belongings, including files, into
storage. I expected to move
shortly thereafter. That has not
happened. As you can see, my
email address has changed. At
the moment, I am living with my
daughter in Stratford, Conn., with
every intention of moving back
to Norwalk soon. When my next
Bulletin column appears, my new
address should be there. Please
keep the news coming.
Tedd Osgood writes: “About seven
years ago, Bruce and Mary Sloat
moved into Kendal at Hanover,
the continuing-care retirement
community in New Hampshire at
which my wife, Dorothy, and I had
settled in 2001. The Sloats soon
proved to be a delightful addition
to Kendal; and, most importantly
for this narrative, they were
inveterate travelers. Since Dorothy
had lost interest in foreign travel
at this point (we had lived abroad
for many of our married years)
and was rapidly approaching the
point when she would move into
assisted living, I was delighted
when the Sloats invited me to join
them on a trip to Indonesia in 2013.
That proved to be such a happy
adventure that we went together
to Mongolia a year later, and to
Iceland the following summer.
“Dorothy moved into Kendal’s
JOIN THE
LEGACY CHALLENGE
Learn more on
pg. 54 or at
swarthmore.edu/
legacychallenge
health center the year of our
65th [high school] reunion. She
was happy there and frequently
came up to our independent
living apartment for the day. Also,
despite her gradually worsening
cognitive condition, we continued
to dine together with our Kendal
friends and to enjoy many of the
programs (lectures, concerts,
films) offered here. Early in 2017,
Dorothy came down with a severe
cold, which led to pneumonia and
a brief hospitalization. Following
her discharge, Dorothy’s recovery
proved short-lived; she died
peacefully in her own bed at Kendal
shortly before what would have
been our 60th wedding anniversary
in April 2017.
“By the time Dorothy died two
years ago and Bruce later that
same year, Mary and I were
well-acquainted. We both enjoy
travel. Consequently, we have
had no difficulty in finding places
to go together. Our foreign trips
have included a week on Bonaire;
two weeks in Germany, Russia,
and Finland; and, more recently,
10 days in Britain, where we
joined the spring gathering of the
British World Bank retirees. In
between trips abroad and to my
summer cottage on Silver Lake in
Madison, N.H., we have struggled
(successfully for the most part)
to combine our most treasured
possessions into one Kendal
apartment. Also, when the Sloats
came to Kendal, they sold their
Snowmass, Colo., condominium
to their son, who has generously
allowed his mother, an excellent
skier, to use that pad for weeks at a
time. Although I no longer ski, Mary
has kindly taken me west with
her these past two winters. And,
hopefully, we shall go on living and
loving together for many more.”
Barbara Jackson Hazard died
July 28 in Berkeley, Calif. Her
marriage to Geoffrey Hazard ended
in divorce in 1971, after which
Barbara moved back to California
to pursue a career as an artist. For
many years she summered in the
Thousand Islands. She traveled
to Russia in the 1980s as an antinuclear activist and befriended
many unofficial artists in St.
Petersburg, learning the Russian
language. Her brilliantly colorful
paintings, quilts, and needlepoints
have been shown in the U.S. and
Russia. She published books of her
poetry and drawings, as well as a
memoir of her association with the
Russian artists during Glasnost.
Bob Fetter’s wife of 58 years,
Susie Hutcheson Fetter, died March
21 at Broadmead in Cockeysville,
Md. The sister of Eleanor
Hutcheson Epler, Susie had visited
Swarthmore for our 65th Reunion
and also attended a November
2018 talk on campus given by
Ramina Abilova on research based
on the letters, papers, and photos
of Bob’s father, Frank Whitson
Fetter, Class of 1920.
Joan Price Spencer died April 7 in
Santa Fe, N.M. A beloved teacher
of remedial reading and ESL,
Joan was committed to making
the world a better place: She had
been a caseworker for U.S. Rep.
Morris Udall and was instrumental
in the N.M. Coalition to Repeal
the Death Penalty. Joan was
predeceased by husband Steve
’51 and brother Doug ’53, and is
survived by four daughters and
seven grandchildren.
1954
Elizabeth Dun Colten
36 Hampshire Hill Road
Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
lizcolten@aol.com
Autumn 2019 as I write these
notes; winter 2020 when you read
them.
Ed Wallach was the recipient of
the 2019 Suheil J. Muasher, M.D.,
Distinguished Service Award of the
American Society for Reproductive
Medicine, in recognition of his
“outstanding achievements …
as a scientist, teacher, editor,
administrator, and teacher.”
When Bill Armstrong was in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, as an associate
director of the Peace Corps
(1966–68), Fisseha G. Demoze
taught him Amharic, and together
they began to collect and translate
Ethiopian proverbs. Their new
book, Ethiopian Amharic Proverbs
(pg. 7), gives useful insights into
customs of that country. Bill, a
retired Protestant minister, lives
in Ohio.
Ann Holt, David Rubinstein’s
wife, informed Tom Greene that
David died peacefully at their
home July 28 in York, England. He
was a social historian who wrote
on education, housing, the labor
movement, and women’s history,
and also was an inspiring teacher.
He had a Ph.D. from the London
School of Economics and, after
leaving Hull University in 1988,
taught at three French universities.
Survivors include Ann, three
children, six grandchildren, and two
step-grandchildren.
Dolores Webster Clark died June
28. Dee met husband Steve ’52
at Swarthmore. Married for 64
years, they had three children,
five grandchildren, and three
great-grands. Dee taught English
at Severn School in Maryland
and coached girls’ lacrosse and
field hockey. She later obtained
a master’s in counseling from
Johns Hopkins. In retirement, she
and Steve traveled extensively;
Steve died in 2018. Dee will be
remembered for her energy,
positive attitude, love of friends,
devotion to family, and zest for life.
The Classes of 1955 and 1956
are planning a joint 64th/65th
Reunion in May, and we are invited
to join them! Stay tuned for further
information.
1955
Bernard Webb
71 Johns Brook Lane
Keene Valley, NY 12943
bethel4684@gmail.com
My freshman-year roommate,
Paul Resnick, claims he has not
changed a bit, and a picture
taken during a trip to China in
2018 seems to confirm. He and
Deborah (wife of 52+ years) live
in Alexandria, Va., across the river
from D.C. He wants to write an
expanded version of his story at a
later date, since he does not rush
into things quickly.
It was good to hear from Janet
Bushman Spencer: “Doug ’53 and
I live at Kendal, a Quaker-based
retirement community in Kennett
Square, Pa. We love it here—lots
to do, and wonderful people to
do it with. I am ‘manager’ of the
pottery studio, and Doug is active
in Democratic politics. We each
have an ESL student from Mexico.
We moved here from Carlisle, Pa.,
our first retirement location, where
we had rescue horses and enjoyed
country life. Plenty of work, which
became too much eventually, and
so we moved to Kendal in 2008.”
Tom Preston writes: “I’m doing
fairly well, except for some little
things, like forgetting too many
names. [Isn’t this true of all of
us.] My good wife, Molly, and I
moved into a CCRC (everything
available, when/if needed, as far
as full nursing care), which is good
insurance. The place is about a
quarter-mile up the hill from center
Seattle, to which we can walk
easily. I walk about 3 miles a day,
and often take a local bus to a park
away from the tall buildings.”
Congratulations to Gerd
Rosenblatt, who scored a major
accomplishment on his beloved
recumbent (reclining) bicycle. He
successfully completed the socalled Grand Tour in California—a
“double century” event (oldest in
America) involving 200 miles and
major ascent, all in one day. With
the support of a cycling partner, he
had gone to France for preparatory
training, including cycling along
a famed Robert Louis Stevenson
Trail. Gerd acknowledges some
physical limitation here in his
mid-80s but continues to engage
in competitive cycling. Keep it up,
Gerd. You are the pride of your
classmates!
Nice to get your response, Paul
Baumgarten, and your reassurance
about my aged appearance. Do
think about something you can
share: good books read or travels
made?
Nice to hear from Mike Dukakis,
who still teaches at Northeastern
in Boston for much of the year and
heads west for the winter months
to teach at UCLA. He expects to
work hard to see the right results
in the next presidential election.
The current challenge for me,
Bernard, is to find senior housing
here that replicates in a small
way what the typical retirement
communities are like. This is such a
fine town where everybody seems
to know and like each other. The
thought of leaving it is unbearable.
We have been trying for a decade
to develop such a project. The
plan’s being completed—all we
need now is funding! Have some of
you gone through this, or are you
“aging at home”? Let’s create some
dialogue about this. Thanks.
It is with sadness that we honor
three classmates who have
passed:
Susan Lepper died in May. She
received a doctorate from Yale and
went on to be an economist for the
U.S. Treasury Department in D.C.
Her Quaker friends were said to be
warmly supportive at the time of
her passing.
Jane Woodbridge Sieverts died
in July from natural causes. A
resident of D.C. for 60 years, she
enriched her life through broader
education, foreign languages,
and extensive traveling, including
a visit to the caves of Lascaux.
She also had a long ministry to
homeless people in her city.
Nancy Sturtevant Burleson died
in September after a short illness.
Her life was rewarded with family
relationships and many interests,
and she had a lengthy career in
book editing. She was well-known
as a good conversationalist and
had a wonderful sense of humor.
There will be a joint reunion for
the Classes of ’55 and ’56 in May.
Among other reunion events,
Mike Dukakis and Carl Levin ’56
will lead us in a discussion of the
state of U.S. politics. Please put
it on your calendars and consider
attending.
1957
Minna Newman Nathanson
jm@nathansons.net
The Classes of ’55 and ’56 are
planning a joint reunion (it’s the
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
51
class notes
65th Reunion for the Class of ’55)
during Alumni Weekend in May
and are inviting the Class of ’57 to
participate. If you are interested
in attending this three-class
reunion or have suggestions
about activities to add to the
schedule, contact Gretchen Mann
Handwerger ’56, ghandwerg@aol.
com, for more information.
The College sent word of the
death of classmates Wesley Argo,
Louis Rowley, and Sara Coxe Levi.
The second recipient of the
McCabe Achievement Award, Wes
later served as chairman of the
award’s selection committee for
31 years and was also a lifelong
member of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers. He is
survived by his wife of 63 years,
Marjorie Thom Argo; children
Deborah, Sharon, and Carolyn;
four grandchildren; and a greatgrandchild.
Employed by Scott Paper Co.
his entire professional career, as
vice president of international
affiliate services, Wes combined
his passion for engineering with
his love of travel. Later, he formed
two engineering and research
consulting ventures. He was a
longtime Presbyterian Church
elder and served his community
as judge of elections. In
pursuit of his lifelong hobby
of genealogical research, Wes
authored several books on family
history, including The Argo
Family in America and The Argo
Family Revisited. He dearly loved
organizing vacations that brought
family together for fun, learning,
and creation of special memories
and traditions. His most treasured
writing, Remembrances, was a
collection of short personal stories.
Lou Rowley is survived by his
wife of 56 years, Mary Lou;
sons James ’85, John ’87, and
Peter; seven grandchildren; and
brothers Robert ’61 and David ’65.
Lou attended Drew University
Theological School and served
as pastor of the First United
Methodist Church of Astoria, N.Y.,
from 1960 to 1975, and the First
UMC of Mount Vernon, N.Y., from
1975 to 2004. In retirement, Lou
moved first to Drexel Hill, Pa.,
where he volunteered pastoral
duties and organ playing at Garden
52
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
Church Lansdowne, and in then
in 2017 to Simpson House, a
Methodist community in Philly,
where he continued his volunteer
activities. A strong believer in
community involvement, he
participated in or chaired many
organizational boards, including
antipoverty programs, Meals on
Wheels, Council of Churches,
Mount Vernon Hospital, and the
Salvation Army.
Following her Swarthmore
psychology B.A., Sara Coxe Levi
continued her education at the
University of Kansas, where she
met future husband Mark. They
settled in Utica, N.Y., where they
raised five boys. In 1978, she
received a J.D. from Syracuse
and began working at a private
law firm. Sara later worked for
the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New
York and opened an estate law
practice, becoming one of the few
female attorneys who appeared in
court in rural upstate New York.
A member of Grace Church Utica,
she served on the vestry and,
with her sons, was involved in
the choir and musicals. She was
also active in the Utica Chamber
Music Society and Utica Opera. In
retirement, Sara and Mark moved
to Richmond, Va. Sara is survived
by sons Andrew, Daniel ’85,
Michael, David, and Alan, and nine
grandchildren.
1958
Vera Lundy Jones
549 East Ave.
Bay Head, NJ 08742
verajonesbayhead@comcast.net
I received a lovely letter from
Nancy and Tex Wyndham. They
enjoy seeing home movies and
travelogues among unidentified
films. They will definitely, of
course, be seeing more. I usually
get a message from Tex, but I
received a lovely letter from Nancy,
too!
I hope more of you get in touch
with me. Your classmates like to
hear from you!
1960
Jeanette Strasser Pfaff
jfalk2@mac.com
Plans for our 60th Reunion are
being fine-tuned. Our class is
sponsoring an “Intergenerational
Discussion on the Growing
Inequality in Wealth.” Michael
Westgate reports that Professor
Ben Berger, director of the
Lang Center for Civic & Social
Responsibility, will participate. He
will be joined by several students
and, possibly, one or two other
professors. John Harbeson has
agreed to moderate the discussion,
which will be divided into three
segments: 1) How did we get
where we are? 2) What are the
current impacts of the disparity in
wealth? 3) What can we do going
forward? Mike adds: “We had a
good turnout for our panel at our
55th Reunion, not just from our
class, but from every generation
of alumni including some current
students. We will not solve the
problems of the world in 90
minutes but will hear and discuss
a range of points of view.” He
invites you to share your thoughts:
vickgate@aol.com.
Last summer, Sara Bolyard
Chase and Elise Landau heard Heli
Spiegel Meltsner speak about her
latest book, The Arts and Crafts
Houses of Massachusetts: A Style
Rediscovered. “Heli has couched
her architectural history in a wider
and deeper social frame, as she did
with her book on the poorhouses
of Massachusetts,” Sara writes.
“She sets architectural history in
its social context, giving it an added
dimension.”
Sara included the last line
of Heli’s introduction, which
followed a comment about
these houses sometimes being
described as charming: “Most look
inviting rather than intimidating,
and thus democratic instead
of aristocratic, suggesting the
hominess and freshness of
approach that were the goals of
the Massachusetts Arts and Crafts
architects and their clients.”
As another critic put it: “The Arts
and Crafts home was a treasure
hiding in plain sight, and this book
provides the eyeglasses to see it for
what it is: the American realization
of ‘a longing for a new architecture
to go with a new century.’”
Andries van Dam received the
2019 Distinguished Educator
Award from ACM SIGGRAPH
(the Association for Computer
Machinery’s Special Interest Group
on Computer Graphics). The annual
award recognizes outstanding
pedagogical contributions to
computer graphics and interactive
techniques. “He has helped define
what computer graphics means
through his pioneering research
contributions and the research
contributions of the many students
he has mentored. He also had a
tremendous role in defining how
we teach computer graphics.”
Congrats, Andy!
Sue Willis Ruff writes: “There’s
a scholarship in Chuck’s name at
Columbia Law School (The Charles
F. Carson Ruff Scholarship), and
the law school does something
wonderful: The recipients have all
(or almost all) been Swarthmore
alums. The current recipients are
Joseph Catalanotto ’14, and Hung
Due Ho ’13. Congratulations to
them, and way to go, Columbia.”
I had a surprise message from
Reinhart Wettmann, who was a
Fulbright student with our class
our freshman year. He wrote
to ask if I remembered Bridget
Hayward. He had only recently
heard of her death in 1960, and he
related fond memories of working
with her in the College snack bar:
“We produced the finest doubledip black-and-white milkshakes
on campus, mixing vanilla and
chocolate ice cream with syrup
from the coffee machine.” Reinhart
and his wife live in the German
Black Forest area during the
skiing season and in Paris for the
rest of the year (unless they are
called to babysit grandchildren in
London or Barcelona!). He kept
up a years-long correspondence
with the late Chuck Miller ’59,
who was his roommate. They
exchanged “hundreds of letters,
mails, essays, books, and phone
calls over 60 years.” Visits from
all Swarthmoreans are welcome:
rwettmann@gmail.com or
0049.172.77.306.77. He adds that
he always reads our class notes.
I, Jeanette, attended a show at a
Hillsborough, N.C., gallery featuring
the work of Lolette Sudaka Guthrie.
As always, I was struck by the
beauty of her paintings. She
captures the color and light and,
seemingly, even the humidity of
her scenes. Especially wonderful
is her rendering of sky and clouds,
for which, she says, she has a
special fondness. She transfers
this same luminous color and light
into her abstract paintings. At the
exhibition, I had the added pleasure
of seeing Georgetta Harrar
Denhardt, who had driven from
Greensboro to see the exhibit. The
three of us chatted for a short time,
before Lolette was called away to
gallery duties.
It saddens me to report the death
of Donald Tucker. Please see “Their
Light Lives On” for an appreciation
of Don’s life.
1961
Pat Myers Westine
pat@westinefamily.com
As we get closer to our 60th
Reunion, two years from now, I
continue to report a plethora of
classmates’ activities, both in and
out of retirement, but this round of
notes celebrates the lives of two
classmates who recently died.
Katharine Nicely Emsden’s
daughter Pamela wrote that the
entire town of LaVeta, Colo.,
poured into Kathy’s house after
her death in November 2018. Her
family never realized how many
lives she had touched in the 20
years she had lived there, doing
such things as reading her own
poetry (even in old English),
having poster nights at her house
for fracking protests, and hosting
a Quaker meeting, a traveling
Buddhist, and Latter-day Saints,
all within two days. At Swarthmore,
Kathy was a history honors major
with minors in English, art history,
and philosophy, and she earned
an English literature M.A. from
the University of Denver. In her
50th Reunion yearbook write-up,
she wrote of 34 years of teaching
and administration in public and
private elementary schools, and
then becoming director of LaVeta’s
Francisco Fort Museum, where
she “turned tours into a painless
hour’s history lesson in the West.”
We send our sympathy to her three
children and five grandchildren.
Ellie Wehmiller Fernald died in
July in Seattle. A St. Louis native,
Ellie majored in psychology at
Swarthmore and earned a master’s
in education at Harvard. In the
’60s, she taught at Swarthmore
Elementary and the School in
Rose Valley, and at the same time
was herself a pottery student in
Wallingford and the Philly area. She
moved to the West Coast in 1971
and then settled in Seattle, where
she established her own studio and
taught art. I asked Bill Stell, who’s
on sabbatical from the University
of Calgary’s medical school, to
share his thoughts about Ellie, as
I’ve enjoyed seeing her art through
the years through his Facebook
contact with her. Bill’s tribute:
“As her brother John ’66 wrote,
‘She lived her life as an artform.’
She mastered many media, often
using them to create stunning
but outrageous artistic puns. She
wrote, ‘I attend to what’s beautiful
or what’s moving but also to what’s
absurd in the world around me and
in my own skewed imagination.’
She lived her life undaunted, full of
sass, imagination, and bravery. She
died this summer, leaving us, as
she wished, without being a bother.
Although slowed recently by illness,
she created new work right to the
end.”
I had the opportunity to tour
Singer Hall, the new biology,
engineering, and psychology
building at Swarthmore, when my
granddaughter began her senior
year over Labor Day weekend. It is
state of the art, very large, and was
named for Maxine Frank Singer
’52, a world-famous biologist. Hicks
is no more, and physical changes
to the campus are planned to
continue in the future.
Please send me your news,
updates, travel summaries, holiday
letters, etc. I had knee replacement
(my second) in September; anyone
else dealing with replacements?
We’ve all used our joints for a long
time. My next deadline will be in the
early New Year; I look forward to
hearing from you.
1963
Diana Judd Stevens
djsteven1@verizon.net
Through class emails, most of
you are aware of the deaths of
our friends Terry Spruance, CPA,
CFP, chess and bridge enthusiast;
Edwenna Rosser Werner, ESL
teacher, community activist,
devoted family member; and
Marty Weitzman, pioneering
environmental economist,
economic theorist, and free thinker.
Read more about them in “Their
Light Lives On.”
After reading about Terry’s
passing, Abby Pollak wrote: “I
know we’re all at an age where
these kinds of deaths happen with
sad and increasing frequency,
but all the more reason to stay in
touch and continue to remember
one another.” Our class notes are
one way to stay in touch, as are
class emails I send. If you are not
receiving these infrequent emails
and want them, please provide me
with your email address.
After reading Dick Kittredge’s
obituary, Alison Archibald Anderson
realized they had been in the same
department at Penn. She finished
a Ph.D. in formal linguistics in
1966 while Dick received a Ph.D. in
formal linguistics and mathematical
logic in 1969.
John Cratsley, Beth Welfling King,
Sunny Handwerk Noragon, and
Abby Pollak attended their 60th
high school reunions. John enjoyed
seeing John Thurman’s widow,
Claire, at his reunion. Gail MacColl
stays connected to Garfield High
School, her alma mater, as she
gathers historical material at the
Seattle Public Library for its 100th
anniversary in 2020. The library
has also provided Gail with books
of popular, folk, and Broadway
songs, which she plays along with
classical music for supported-living
residents of Horizon House, her
retirement community. Gail and
Seth Armstrong are members of
the Seattle-area Swarthmore book
group.
On the move: Jack and Sunny
Handwerk Noragon to a retirement
community in Orange County,
Calif., that is close to their daughter
and grandchildren; Marty McKee
Keyser and husband Raymond
Wheatley to Tucson, Ariz.; Pius
Igharo to NYC; Maria Russell Warth
to Nashville, Tenn.; and Jack and
Nancy Hall Colburn Farrell to a
retirement community in Boulder,
Colo. Nancy has great piano
teachers and digital pianos in both
Boulder and Fort Myers, Fla., their
winter home.
Last May, Bruce Leimsidor
lectured at two Russian universities
on EU asylum, human rights law
and practice, and the Caspian
Sea accords, which will probably
have a significant influence on
migratory flows between Iran and
Russia. While in Russia, Bruce
also investigated the effects of the
2013 anti-gay propaganda law on
the lives of gay men and women
in Russia, especially the law’s
prohibition of gay groups’ reaching
out to adolescents struggling with
their sexual and gender identity.
Bruce spent the summer in Paris,
Venice, and Vienna.
Pat and Kevin Cornell celebrated
their 18th anniversary in Paris. On
iTunes, David Gelber launched his
weekly podcast, Climate 2020,
which focuses on climate and the
2020 election. Al and Helen Rees
Lessner’s daughter and son-inlaw’s musical, Einstein’s Dreams
(based on Alan Lightman’s book),
had an off-Broadway run. After
Alice Handsaker Kidder oversaw
the move of Solutions at Work
to Cambridge, Mass., she and
husband Dave ’62 visited son Steve
and his family in Guam.
Jerry Gelles remains committed
to helping build a movement
capable of getting rid of this
capitalist system before it destroys
our beautiful planet. Phil Wion
notes there is a lot of musical
talent in his family as his grandson
has started violin studies at
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
53
class notes
the University of Cincinnati’s
College-Conservatory of Music.
On Facebook, Phil regularly posts
news of daughter Jennifer’s
musical accomplishments.
Polly Glennan Watts took a cruise
to Grand Cayman and Cozumel
in January 2019. She still walks,
swims, bakes, and sings. “Life is
good!”
I continue to love our small
world. The July 4 edition of the
Lincoln County News in Maine
had an article announcing that
Arlie Russell Hochschild ’62 would
speak at the Damariscotta library’s
weekly Chats with Champions.
The focus of Arlie’s talk was her
book Strangers in Their Own
Land: Anger and Mourning on
the American Right. Despite the
standing-room-only crowd, I
was able to say a quick hello to
Arlie and learn that she, too, has
the good fortune to summer in
Maine. At various times during our
summer, Paul ’65 and I saw Abbie
and Dave Rowley ’65, Nate ’65 and
Geri Kelly Smith ’64, Penny Berrier
’89, our daughter Kathy ’89, and
Libby Murch Livingston ’41.
Let me know your small-world
stories and how you stay in touch
with Swarthmore friends and
classmates.
1965
Kiki Skagen Munshi
kiki@skagenranch.com
smore65.com
By now, you should have received
a letter from the College about our
55th Reunion. We hope you are
planning to come. Ron Hale has
agreed to lead an informal folksinging session one evening, similar
to the one we had at our 50th, and
we’re thinking of doing a memorial
again for our lost classmates. We
also have an opportunity for semistructured discussions. Please
write me with your suggestions or
thoughts about topics.
Another class initiative is a
“visitors’ list” of classmates who
would like to meet or host other
54
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
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
S’more ’65 members passing
through their areas. Some are
only equipped to meet for coffee
or a meal while others have room
for overnight visits, so the list has
two categories. If you would like
to be listed or would simply like to
receive a copy, write me.
Some of our politicians talk
about universal health care,
but David George lives with it in
British Columbia. “Growing older
in Canada may present fewer
challenges” than in the U.S., he
writes. Their health care “is free to
lower income people, and free to all
in the province of British Columbia.
Dental care usually is part of heath
care packages from employers.
Our extended medical and dental
plan … also covers prescriptions
and purchase of walkers, etc. We
are a little short of family doctors,
but our local health clinic has three
doctors who are there one day
a week each. Emergency care is
good, and local hospitals have been
upgraded recently. David has also
“been writing a column for our local
monthly newspaper here on the
East Shore of Kootenay Lake. The
paper is the East Shore Mainstreet,
and my column, Hidden Taxes,
has appeared for more than six
years. I am about to begin writing
memoirs.”
In her retirement, Linda Townes
Rosenwein is “assistant producer/
reporter for a radio show on the
environment, Planet Philadelphia
WINTER 2020
(planetphiladelphia.com). We
interview people of local, national,
and sometimes international scope,
plus give environmental news and
context. This is an all-volunteer
and nonprofit operation on a
community-based radio station.
Only two of us, Kay Wood [the host
and originator] and I, work on the
show, and we’re both seniors. The
show has been broadcast since
September 2015.
“Recently, Planet Philadelphia
had the opportunity to interview
Anthony Rodgers-Wright, an
environmental justice advocate
plus community organizer and
member of the Climate Justice
Alliance, when he was in town from
Seattle. It turned out that Anthony
had been at Swarthmore earlier
in the year to give talks, and it
happened to be a time when the
students were working to resolve
the issue of whether to shut down
the fraternities. Anthony said he
provided assistance to students
in thinking about how to deal in a
nonviolent and social activist way
with this situation.
“Planet Philadelphia is always
looking for new interesting stories
and angles on environmental
issues and people who could
speak knowledgeably about these
issues. Please send ideas and/
or speaker suggestions to me at
lr.planetphiladelphia@gmail.com.”
Some emails on volunteerism
came in too late for the last
Bulletin. Cindy Wilbern Wilmoth
has a wonderful neighbor “who
drags me to the Seattle airport USO
… where we try to help traveling
military and their families. We
cook (mostly hot dogs), make
sandwiches and serve lots of food
donated by local businesses and
airport restaurants. We then take
any oversupply to food banks to
be distributed.” Cindy has also
volunteered for several years with
the Seattle Opera. “We coordinate
the meet, greet, and buffet for the
artists coming in from out of town
to perform in the various operas
through the season.” Joyce Klein
Perry has led a book discussion
group at her library in New
Hampshire going on four years.
She is also beginning her second
term as president of the Hancock
Woman’s Club, which raises money
for local charities and provides
scholarships for women in need of
career or academic advancement.
And Elizabeth “Elly” Rosenberg
Rumelt volunteers as a community
representative on Massachusetts’s
foster care review panels. “It
is a limited but interesting role
representing the best interests of
the child in foster care from the
perspective of someone involved
neither with the family nor with the
department. … My experience as
director of child-abuse treatment
services for a mental health agency
can be useful in this role, despite
its limitations, and I have been
enjoying this way of keeping up
with my field of social work.”
Finally, Diana Burgin’s latest
book, Double Concerto, “a real-life
love story in letters; the personal
correspondence of Ruth Posselt
and Richard Burgin,” is now out
and available. Kudos!
1967
Donald Marritz
dmarritz@gmail.com
swarthmore67.com
Mark Sherkow is moving into a
new condo (same building) with
husband Bob. He still serves as
condo board president, sings in
a chorus, and attends a monthly
book group, where he has read
and highly recommends There
There by Tommy Orange, a novel
about urban Native Americans
living in Oakland, Calif., and Circe
by Madeline Miller, an imaginative
re-creation of the life of this Greek
goddess. Mark and Bob plan to visit
Kent Sate in 2020 for programming
on the 50th anniversary of the
shooting of the four students by
the National Guard.
Marc Hofstadter’s eighth and
newest poetry book, Autumnal, is
available on Amazon.
Randall Warner (helped by
husband Barry Feldman ’68) will
serve through the 2020 election
as the Thessaloniki, Greece,
representative of Democrats
Abroad (DA), a global network of
U.S. citizens in 55 countries who
are registered Democrats and who
elect delegates to the Democratic
National Convention. The
nonpartisan voter registration tool
developed by DA—votefromabroad.
org—makes it easy to request a
ballot and vote absentee from any
place on the planet. Know any
Americans living in Greece? Or
anywhere else? Have them contact
randallvictoriawarner@gmail.
com—she’ll take it from there.
Last summer, Bill Jacobs selfpublished his first book, Whence
These Special Places?, on the
geology of an area in western
North Carolina where he has lived
or visited for many years. It’s
part layman’s geology text, part
guidebook to features of geological
interest, and part coffee-table
book. Bill is “having fun with talks
at area clubs and nonprofits,
somewhat less fun figuring
out how to sell enough of a ton
(almost) of books to recover outof-pocket costs. Picked up lots of
new skills along the way, including
print-quality layouts and website
design. (If curious, you can learn
more about both the book and
how I came to be its author at
GreatRockPress.com.)”
Jane Lang wrote from the balcony
of her new apartment, in the heart
of D.C.’s Capitol Hill. “I’ve never
before lived in an apartment—it
is a gift from the gods who repair
plumbing and replace lightbulbs
at the drop of an email. With a
Trader Joe’s in the basement,
metro and bus stops on my corner,
an abundance of restaurants, flea
market and farmers market on the
weekends, and historic Eastern
Market across the street—well, life
is good” for her and partner Bob
Kapp. “Bob is sweet and generous
and close to a soulmate. He reads
the papers in silence at breakfast,
a critical element of compatibility.
… We have between us 24
grandchildren and nine children,
so we don’t lack for occasions to
celebrate. I am so lucky!” Jane is
adjusting to being the oldest in
the Lang family—an “unfamiliar
vantage point. The challenge I
still have is to figure out what
making the most of these years
looks like. At the moment, I’ll defer
considering existential issues and
return to an FDR biography, which
is an exhilarating reminder that
there once were great men and
women leaders in this country and
there is reason to hope there are
more to come.”
Ellen Churchill Murray thanks
Class Notes Editor Elizabeth
Slocum for her profile as a bus
driver (bit.ly/EllenMurray). Ellen
is “still looking for revolution. The
political life at Swarthmore and
the mass movements of the day
started me down this road.”
Edward Fei is “anticipating
big events in my financial and
social life that will finally trigger”
his retirement. “I talk regularly
with Jan Vandersande about
investments. At work I continue to
foster international cooperation
in nuclear forensics and try to
be healthy. I eat keto (almost no
carbs), and my weekly routine
includes workouts with a trainer,
swing dance, boating, and tennis.
My dance partners now say I’m
too thin! I’m keeping the faith and
rediscovered Rod Stewart, Bruce
Springsteen, and Billy Vera via
iTunes for my commute!”
Warren Gifford and co-author
David Turock have published
Driving Tomorrow: Our Roadmap
to Sustainable Transportation,
Infrastructure and Cities. More
information, including results,
is available at DrivingTomorrow.
net. The book posits a system
of “continuous convoys” and
“autonomous ways” using “enroute sequencing techniques” that
make transportation faster, easier,
safer, cleaner, and more affordable.
… Does this sound like science
fiction? In fact, all the technologies
needed to realize this vision either
exist, or are on the drawing boards
and within reach. “We show how
such a transportation system
would work and how you can be
part of creating this future.”
1969
Jeffrey Hart
hartj@indiana.edu
Thanks, everyone, for updates to
the class mailing list.
Last column, I failed to credit
Ron Thomas and Felix Rogers for
organizing the reunion session
“Tracking Our Spiritual Journeys.”
My apologies.
I also neglected to mention
that Fran Hostettler Putnam
organized an activism session.
She’s committed to supporting
divestment from fossil fuels at
Swarthmore and hopes to work
with likeminded classmates.
At the reunion, wife Joan
Goldhammer Hart and I spent a
few hours with Carl Kendall and
wife Ligia Kerr. Carl divides his
time between New Orleans and
Fortaleza, Brazil. We also chatted
with John McDowell and wife Pat
Glushko. John returned to Indiana
from his sabbatical in Berkeley.
It was a pleasure, too, meeting
Class of 1969 Scholarship recipient
Lee Martin ’19.
Joan and I hiked with Kristin
Wilson this summer in California’s
Redwood Regional Park. Kristin
retired from Kaiser, where
she dealt with health-care IT
challenges.
I also lunched with John
Wong-Rolle, who retired from the
President’s Office at UC–Berkeley
but still backpacks in the Northern
California wilderness.
Sadly, Richard Laquer died Jan. 2
after a short battle with cancer.
Marilyn Holifield received
the 2019 David W. Dyer
Professionalism Award, the Dade
County (Fla.) Bar Association’s
highest honor.
Anaïs Mitchell, daughter of Don
and Cheryl Warfield Mitchell
’71, won a Tony Award for Best
Original Score as the composer of
Hadestown. Congrats!
Frank Weissbarth and wife
Randy moved to a co-housing
community in Santa Fe, N.M.
When he isn’t seeking out native
trout, Frank works part time with
the law firm Brennan & Sullivan
and occasionally serves as a New
Mexico Medical Board hearing
officer.
Terry Drayman-Weisser enjoys
retirement after 46 years at
Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum,
where she was director of
conservation and technical
research. Terry now gardens,
takes classes, teaches, works with
a university program combining
science and art, and serves on
an advisory council for the Iraqi
Institute for Conservation of
Antiquities and Heritage.
Janet Kennedy and husband
Howard live in beautiful Gap,
France, and recently visited
England’s Lake District.
Darwin Stapleton had a kidney
transplant June 18 at Penn. He is
doing well, as is the gracious living
donor.
Ellen Daniell’s granddaughter
Brydie started a nursing program
at St. Olaf College. “One of the
most gratifying texts I have ever
received was, ‘Grandma, could
we go backpacking together
before I start college?’ So in late
August, I introduced her to my
favorite outdoor activity, with
two nights out in California’s
Desolation Wilderness and some
pretty strenuous hiking. Being
a grandparent keeps on having
unexpected joys.”
Cathy and Tom O’Donnell are
new grandparents to Ellie Grace
O’Donnell, born Dec. 5 to son Dave
and wife Kami. Tom enjoyed seeing
familiar faces at the reunion. It’s
been a busy travel year for the
O’Donnells: They visited Orkney
and Shetland in July; Tom joined
Alan Hollister in August to play
music with friends in Scottsdale,
Ariz.; and Tom and Cathy were
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
55
class notes
on a Swarthmore-sponsored
Aegean cruise when he wrote.
They house-hunted this fall in Las
Vegas, where they plan to winter.
“We have an en suite guestroom in
our English home and will have the
same in Las Vegas. All are invited!”
Sarah Barton followed reunion
events online as she tended
vegetables on an Alaskan
mountainside, 100 miles northeast
of Anchorage. She still experiments
in the hyperlocal in a community of
about 300.
In June, Ron Thomas completed
a five-year program of study
and meditation retreats in the
Karma Kagyu lineage of Vajrayana
Buddhism, receiving the title of
“Drupon” (Master of the Practice).
Kristin Camitta Zimet’s work
was featured at the photography
show InSight X 3, which opened to
a packed crowd at the Lawrence
Gallery in Winchester, Va., and ran
through Nov. 3.
In July, Belle Brett had a solo
exhibition of artwork—inspired
by her novel, Gina in the Floating
World—at the Great Bay Art
Gallery in Somers Point, N.J.
Fred and Karen Spitulnik Peiffer,
George Caplan, and Bruce Draine
and wife Dina attended one of
Belle’s book talks.
Seven Sisters and a Brother,
celebrating the Swarthmore
African-American Student
Society’s 50th anniversary,
debuted at the 2019 Miami
Book Fair in November. The
choral memoir was authored
by Marilyn Allman Maye, Harold
Buchanan, Jannette Domingo ’70,
Joyce Frisby Baynes ’68, Marilyn
Holifield, Myra Rose ’70, Bridget
Van Gronigen-Warren ’70, and
Aundrea White Kelley ’72. Join
them at the official launch Jan. 15
at NYC’s 92nd Street Y.
Mary Schmidt Campbell’s An
American Odyssey: The Life and
Work of Romare Bearden won
the Hooks National Book Award
from the University of Memphis.
Mary (pg. 10) was also a finalist
for Georgia Author of the Year in
the biography category and for the
Stone Book Award from Boston’s
Museum of African American
History. Her grandson recently
signed with the Atlanta United pro
soccer team.
56
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
1971
Bob Abrahams
bobabrahams@yahoo.com
swarthmore71.org
In the summer notes, Skip Atkins
was looking for advice to navigate
a course to retirement. Sadly, Skip
died in August. He had a long, busy
life, helping people as a medical
doctor and in so many other ways.
We also lost Rick Reitze in
August, following complications
from a bicycling accident. Rick
was an avid book collector, a
biking enthusiast, and a successful
inventor and entrepreneur. Read
more about Rick and Skip in “Their
Light Lives On.”
Now on to happier news: The
American Studies Association
(ASA) created an award named
for Shelley Fisher Fishkin: the
Shelley Fisher Fishkin Prize for
International Scholarship in
Transnational American Studies.
The ASA noted that Shelley’s
“leadership in creating crossroads
for international scholarly
collaboration and exchange has
transformed the field of American
Studies in both theory and
practice.”
David Inouye writes: “The National
Science Foundation is contributing
to support my long-term research
at the Rocky Mountain Biological
Laboratory, to pay for a postdoc
who will help keep the 47-yearlong study of wildflowers and their
responses to climate change going
for another year. We have a 10-year
record of bee pollinator abundance,
too: There are about 150 species of
native bees visiting those flowers.”
Jinx Kuehn called turning 70
“a blast!” Daughter Laule’a got
married in June to Teddy Tablante
and lives in Boston, teaching
seventh-grade math to students
in a low-income neighborhood.
Jinx writes: “For 18 months I
filled in for someone ill at my
old work, covering engineering
on stormwater cleanup and fish
passage for Oregon DOT.” She
also attended demonstrations in
WINTER 2020
Portland, Ore., where they stood up
to protest the “Proud Boys” (White
nationalists).
Tina Tolins and her husband
are acquiring an apartment near
Philly’s Rittenhouse Square, while
keeping their other places in
Wellsboro, Pa., and NYC’s West
Village. “I realize this is a bit much,
but our youngest dentist daughter
has asked for help with her new
young family. We like Philly so far
and would enjoy being contacted
by people in the area.” (Email her at
tinatolins@gmail.com.)
Barbara Atkin “retired at the
end of 2011 as the deputy general
counsel for the National Treasury
Employees Union and immediately
started volunteering as a docent
at the Supreme Court. It’s been
great fun.” She and husband John
Hornbeck have two grandchildren
in Chicago, so they split their
time between D.C. and Illinois.
Barbara would love to connect with
Chicago-area Swarthmoreans.
In March, she helped Barbara
Boardman, her freshman-year
roommate, celebrate her 70th
birthday and retirement from active
practice as a pediatrician. Other
party attendees included Robin
Potter ’72, Linda TsuWong, and
Karen Simmons Gillian. “We are all
holding up pretty well, we agreed.”
Sonny Dorlan and his wife are
also both retired now, and moved
to Texas to be closer to their kids.
Part of that included downsizing
and “the problem of what to do
with all the stuff we have collected
through the years.” So they are
doing attic storage and charity
donations. “Probably a normal rite
of retirement passage.”
Don’t forget our 50th Reunion,
May 27–30, 2021. Save the dates!
Many of us will be 71 that weekend.
1973
Martha Shirk
swarthmore73@gmail.com
swarthmorecollege73.com
Grandbabies galore! More and
more of us are entering that stage
of life and enjoying it.
Hugh Stephenson’s
granddaughter, Florence Luna
Stephenson, was born Sept. 3,
and both of his twin sons, Adam
and Daniel, married nontwins
this summer in San Diego. “I am
overjoyed by all of those events,”
he writes. As many of you will
remember, Hugh was a runner
during college; he is now in his
53rd year of running, though “it
may not technically be called
running anymore.” He plans to
work as a psychologist at San
Diego Juvenile Hall for two more
years and then retire.
Joe and Lana Everett Turner
’74 welcomed second grandchild
Everett Turner in April, the first
child of son Dave. “Our daughter,
Patti Smith, has a wonderful,
rambunctious 4-year-old daughter,
Zoë,” Joe reports. “With two
happily married kids and two
healthy grandkids, we are truly
fortunate.” Since retiring, Joe has
served on boards, mostly in biotech
but including Swarthmore’s Board
of Managers. His Swarthmore
service ends in June, and he is
winding down other board roles to
devote himself to his and Lana’s
current passion, photography.
Angela Mercer and husband Regi
Corinaldi ’75 were in San Francisco
on Aug. 26 for the birth of their first
grandchild, born to their middle
son Taj and his wife. “This truly
begins a new chapter in our lives,”
Angela writes. “I am retired from
my internal medicine practice and
have become used to living a more
balanced life. I am still president
of a local medical society that
mentors minority medical students
at Eastern Virginia Medical School
and am also serving on various
nonprofit boards, such as the
United Way of South Hampton
Roads.”
Bill Yarrow welcomed two
grandchildren, Sadie and Dean,
born nine days apart in August.
“Exciting month for us!” Bill still
teaching and publishes books
of poems. Nixes Mate Books
published his latest, Accelerant,
last March.
Ann Lindsay and Alan Glaseroff
’74 are lucky enough to have
their son, daughter-in-law, and
granddaughter living in the
guesthouse of their Humboldt
County, Calif., home. Ann and Alan
moved back there two years ago
after six years as professors at
Stanford School of Medicine. “I am
setting my sights on staying in this
rural community where we have
built up social capital (i.e., lots of
good friends and connections)
for the rest of my life,” Ann writes.
“Since there are no continuingcare retirement communities
for 200 miles, I am looking into
getting a Kendal-type (Quaker)
nonprofit community going. It
may take a number of years, but
I have time! The goal is to plan a
community so fun and communityconnected that people will want to
leave their homes and join up.”
Jeff Schon obtained financing
for Akili Network, which will bring
free educational TV programming
to Kenya’s 18 million children, and
will relocate to Nairobi by January,
with a launch date of March. Visit
akilinetwork.com.
Bill Ehrhart retired after 18 years
at the Haverford School, though
he plans to continue writing. “The
school’s senior crew captains
chose to name the school’s newest
racing shell ‘W. D. Ehrhart,’ which
was way cool.”
Ann Benjamin is a staff director
at Thirteen, the PBS station in
New York, directing Firing Line
With Margaret Hoover, Amanpour
& Company, and many original
productions for the station’s new
All Arts initiative. Ann recently
bought an apartment on the Upper
East Side.
And in what is surely one of the
more unusual life developments,
Steve Rood-Ojalvo has filed the
paperwork to become a dual citizen
of Spain, taking advantage of the
country’s Law of Return, which
welcomes citizenship applications
from Jews whose ancestors were
treated badly during the Inquisition.
The process was arduous and
involved obtaining a “certificate
of Sephardic heritage,” taking a
Spanish immersion course in Costa
Rica, passing a Spanish civics
and culture test, hiring a lawyer
knowledgeable about Spanish
immigration law, and going to
Spain. “All of this was expensive
in time, effort, and money, so why
do it?” Steve writes. “For me it
GARNET SNAPSHOT
From left: Matt Reckard ’76, Henry Floyd ’74, Chris Melson
’74, Bob Haring-Smith ’74, and Whitney Saunders ’75 met up
in Alaska, where they made a visit to Denali.
meant reclaiming a little of my
heritage and acting as a model for
my children.” For his six children,
all of whom are completing the
process, it means the right to work
anywhere in the EU. For more
details about Steve’s journey, visit
swarthmorecollege73.com.
1975
Sam Agger
sam.agger@gmail.com
Barb Sieck Taylor reports
that husband Mark released
Embody the Skeleton: A Guide
For Conscious Movement (bit.
ly/EmbodySkeleton), useful
for anyone interested in
mindful movement. “The book
draws upon Mark’s years as a
somatic movement educator, a
choreographer and dance teacher,
and a dancer—which all began in
the basement studio of the former
Hall Gym.” Learn about Mark’s
trainings at bodymindmovement.
com.
Mark Schwartz succeeded in his
bucket-list case, “freeing Robert
Wideman from a life sentence
without parole—a case I began
in 1984. Now I can get hit by a
bus. The problem is that there are
more and more civil rights and
whistleblower cases coming across
my desk. The relationship between
Robby and his writer brother John
Edgar Wideman was memorialized
in the book Brothers and Keepers.
He was in jail for 43 years. Now
I am writing about what has
transpired during my watch, which
includes prosecutorial misconduct
and threats to a judge who ruled for
us 20 years ago and was reversed
within days thereafter. Lots of
intrigue, but ultimately the right
outcome.”
Curtis and Caroline Butler
Roberts’s daughter Jane ’19 works
in Warner Bros.’ creative services
postproduction department in
Burbank, Calif., while living in
Hollywood. Curtis writes: “We’re
really proud of everything she
accomplished in college (both her
coursework and lots of internships
focused on different aspects of
film and television) and amazed
at her industriousness, which far
surpassed my own at her age.”
Curtis practices law, working
mostly on TV productions, and
he and Caroline live in Berwyn,
Pa. “We visit [Swarthmore] pretty
regularly with our dog Edie, who
enjoys it and doesn’t seem to mind
seeing new buildings added and old
buildings subtracted from campus.”
David Gold writes from Napa,
Calif., for his youngest son’s
wedding. “Our fourth grandchild
arrived four months ago. After
three boys and three grandboys,
finally a girl. First Gold girl in 33
years!”
Tom Casey and wife Beth
“downsized (mostly yard) in May
and moved into a rowhouse in
the middle of Baltimore. She can
walk to work, I take the subway,
so we are feeling quite liberated.
All our children are nearby, but
no grandchildren yet. I am still
practicing architecture and the
violin.”
David Briggs and his partner for
the last 20 years, Elizabeth Wiesen,
“will make it official this fall. It’s
good to tend to these things. I have
started the first year of a phased
retirement plan at the University of
Southern Maine. Looking forward
to more time for other interests.”
John Deshong moved from San
Francisco to D.C. last year when
Bechtel moved its headquarters,
and he now spends more time
on tax policy. “My wife, Fran,
chaired the Orange County, Calif.,
Democratic Party, which captured
all seven congressional seats in
2018.” John’s grown kids remain in
California, and he will likely return
to O.C. when he stops working.
Whitney Saunders, Henry Floyd
’74, Chris Melson ’74, and Bob
Haring-Smith ’74 finally visited
Matt Reckard ’76 in Ester, Alaska,
after many years of unfulfilled
promises. “We gathered together
previously in Sandbridge, Va.,
with Rod Mebane ’74, who will
undoubtedly join us again for
future adventures,” Whitney
writes. “I leave any description
of our activities entirely to your
discretion.”
Annette DiMedio performed as a
soloist and with opera singer Sara
Catarine at the Teatro de Bogatá,
Colombia, and gave master classes
at the Universidad Central in July.
Steve Dichter is based in Santa
Fe, N.M,., but now has a small
place in Marblehead, Mass., “to
be ‘closer’ to work in Switzerland
and get a taste of salt air. Biggest
preoccupation is November 2020
and the stresses on our lives
and society. If there is one key to
turning things around, it is fighting
voter suppression and turnout in
a few key states. If anyone knows
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
57
class notes
Stacey Abrams (Fair Fight 2020),
please let me know. Been trying to
get in touch and help!”
Steve Stutman’s son is studying
aerospace, while his daughter
enjoys her first year of high school,
especially math and science—as
well as music and some unique
environmental activism. “I am doing
a good bit of intellectual property
work and building a system to
provide memory support to people
with Alzheimer’s and related
conditions.”
Larry Schall will end his service
as Oglethorpe University president,
effective June 30. Larry has been
in the role since 2005 and is the
longest-serving sitting college or
university president in Georgia.
In October, the 1974 men’s soccer
team was inducted into the Garnet
Athletics Hall of Fame, including
classmates Gary Albright, Ken
Andres, David Bachman, Dave
Dougherty, Dan Gordon, Dave
McElhinny, John McKitterick,
Larry Schall, and me.
Please plan to join our 45th
Reunion this spring!
1977
Terri-Jean Pyer
tpyer@montereybay.com
Greetings, everyone!
I write while counting off the
days to retiring as chief human
resources officer at a California
community college, ready for
a different creative adventure.
Little did I know that the skills and
perspectives earned from all these
disparate jobs I’ve held—eighthgrade history teacher, lawyer,
mediator, writer, library associate,
newspaper editor, communications
director—would combine to
inform the way I approached labor
negotiations, employee relations,
and the challenges of administering
a human resources program in
an institution whose mission is
nothing short of transforming
lives and communities. What a
wonderful capstone experience!
The highlight of my summer was
58
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
a surprise visit from Mary Lou
Dymski and husband David Boyce,
their grandson Leon, and his friend
Gabriella. Their California coast
vacation was a great opportunity
to reconnect with a more youthful
perspective on the natural beauty
of this state.
Lou Ann Matossian is a financial
adviser with Morgan Stanley
Wealth Management. In addition to
her professional designation as a
Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy,
she also earned a designation as
a Certified Fundraising Executive.
Look for her co-edited volume of
Armenian immigrant short stories
from the Press at California State
University Fresno.
Robert George wrote that he
would be receiving a Doctor of
Letters (D.Litt.) degree from Oxford
University in November. “It’s one
of Oxford’s ‘higher doctorates,’
that is, doctorates above the
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. or, in
Oxford parlance, D.Phil.). In 2016,
I received a different one of these,
the Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.).
Since my D.Phil. is from Oxford, the
D.Litt. will be Oxford doctorate No.
3.” As a bluegrass banjo picker, of
course, he’s aspiring to a “better”
doctorate No. 4: the Doctor of
Music (D.Mus.).
Finally, I know that so many
of us were devastated to hear
of the death of Eva Travers (bit.
ly/TraversDarkow) in July, a
master teacher, mentor, and
friend. Like many of you, I feel so
fortunate to have had her wise
and compassionate guidance as I
embarked on my lifelong journey as
an educator. Sincere condolences
to her family and friends.
1979
Laurie Stearns Trescott
sundncr88@comcast.net
John Bartle, Brenda Perkins, Andy
Schultz, and Jeff Toner were
instrumental in the success of our
40th Reunion. (My apologies if
I’ve left any committee members
out.) John very kindly shared some
appreciative words from a few of
the 90-plus in attendance and
some news from a few classmates
unable to attend. Sabina “Beaner”
Brady has been in China for nearly
40 years and had a speaking
engagement in Manila that
conflicted with the reunion. She
sends greetings to all. Alan Ford
teaches at American University in
D.C. and volunteers with a number
of environmentally oriented groups.
Those who wrote to John included
Leslie DeLong Duncan, John Etter,
Christiana Figueres, Steve Labrum,
Cynthia Miller, Gretchen Miller,
Paula Goulden Naitove, Roy Parvin,
Peter Plocki, Mary Rubin, Lee
Quinby, and Lesley Wright. If you
have stories to share, please write
me so I can include them in our
next column.
After 31 years, Darryl Gore retired
from State Farm and joined the
Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust
as VP of development, working
with his sister, the trust’s president,
Denise Dennis ’72. They continue
to develop their ancestor’s
200-plus-year-old-homestead
in northeast Pennsylvania as
a historical, educational, and
cultural site. Last March, the trust
was awarded a matching grant
from the National Endowment for
the Humanities to transform the
195-year-old farmhouse into a
museum. Public tours are offered,
and Darryl encourages visits. Visit
thedennisfarm.org.
Sadly, Margaret Thomas Redmon
died peacefully Aug. 22. After
Swarthmore, she obtained an MBA
from the University of Louisville.
She was well-known for her work
with organizations in Louisville,
and had a special admiration for
the Lincoln Foundation and Peace
Education Program, serving on
their boards. She was also the
director at Friends School and
an avid ballroom dancer. Margie
attended Louisville Friends Meeting
JOIN THE
LEGACY CHALLENGE
Learn more on
pg. 54 or at
swarthmore.edu/
legacychallenge
for many years. Our condolences to
her family and friends.
That’s it this time around—hope
you all had a wonderful holiday
season.
1981
Karen Oliver
karen.oliver.01@gmail.com
Beau ’82 and Susan Perkins
Weston spent a month in May, a
week in July, and a week in August
with their glorious grandbaby. I’m
guessing that between this note
and publication there have been
several more weeks. Susan gave
him a full briefing on the fight for
women’s suffrage, starting (of
course) with Lucretia Mott.
Cathy Srygley and husband
Gary Evans look forward to the
“Expedition to Antarctica” tour
organized by Swarthmore Alumni
College Abroad (Jan. 28–Feb. 10).
It will be a bucket-list trip!
Leslie Baker ’82 and Tom
Ribadeneyra returned to the U.S. in
summer 2018. Tom, my freshman
neighbor in Willets, says they
are in Tampa, Fla., at Berkeley
Preparatory School, where Leslie
is the lower-division librarian and
he coaches middle-division soccer.
“We love being 20 minutes from
the Gulf beaches in Dunedin and
Clearwater and the wonderful
Florida state parks system.”
David Ochroch is retired in
Claremont, Calif., where he teaches
bridge to seniors in support of the
American Contract Bridge League’s
efforts to combat the impact of
Alzheimer’s and dementia—“and
besides, bridge is wickedly fun!
Claremont is widely known as
the ‘City of Trees and Ph.D.s,’
and there’s plenty of both in this
charming L.A. exurb.”
In Haverford, Pa., Ken Leith
is CEO of an international
family office helping develop its
institutions and grow its private
equity portfolio. Ken dons a kilt
occasionally as president of St.
Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia,
one of North America’s oldest
charities. The society sends college
students in the region to Scotland
to attend universities there—Howie
Muir was the recipient of a St.
Andrew’s Society scholarship as
an undergrad. Ken has a daughter
doing nursing in Seattle, a son
in his final year of cybersecurity
studies at the University of Miami,
and enough extended family
around Philly to give him a house
full of kids, grandkids, and dogs.
Ken sends a shout-out to John
Fischer for sharing his connections
at the Culinary Institute of America,
who helped Ken’s team win first
place for Best Tiki Bar at the
Muddy Chef, a competitive Land
Rover tailgate competition.
Sadly, Scott ’82 and Elaine
O’Connell Jordan’s daughter Vicky
died in April 2018. Elaine says
the past year has been one of
adjustments—trying to figure out
what she wants to do when she
grows up. Last spring, she was
an election judge for the primary
and the general election, and she
started volunteering at a food
bank. “Our other two children are
fine. One is still at home, and the
other has moved to Brooklyn—and
yes, he is a hipster.” Elaine is also
working for the Census, getting
paid “for walking.” She doubts she
will ever go back to full-time work
as she has found too many other
things to do, including helping
her brother move to Arkansas by
volunteering(?) to sell his house
after he left Maryland.
Jeff Gordon sent an update
from the NYC wedding of Adam
Emmerich’s daughter Sarah. Also
in attendance was Steve Kargman
’82. Jeff is still at Duff & Phelps,
now 35 years, with no end in sight!
In November 2018, first grandson
Elliot was born—Jeff says there is
nothing more rewarding than being
a grandparent. He’ll share photos if
you ask! Jeff also looks forward to
his son’s wedding in May.
Alan Gordon and Judy Downer’s
son, Robert, is engaged to his
longtime girlfriend, Adriana. Alan
hit 35 years at the Legal Aid
Society and has a new mystery
series under a pseudonym. He’s
signed through Book 4, which
would give him 13 in print lifetime.
Lili Cole left the East Coast for
the Bay Area in summer 2018,
following partner Mark Cohen, who
resigned from the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office to teach Chinese
intellectual property law and trade
policy at the University of California
School of Law. “I never get tired of
wandering around Berkeley and
San Francisco on foot. I found a job
after some looking (thanks for the
encouragement and suggestions,
Karen!) at a small human rights
organization that focuses on
political and religious prisoners in
China. It’s been great to reconnect
with Becky Joseph in Berkeley. If
any classmates come through the
Bay Area, I’d love to get together.”
Stephen ’84 and Sharon Roseman
Buckingham’s daughter, Sophie,
is a senior at Tufts, majoring in
environmental engineering. The
couple have finally adjusted to
being empty nesters—trying to
downsize rather than continue to
collect things. (Me, too!) Sharon
saw Ben ’84 and Julie Lewis
Langhinrichs twice last year,
once near Philly, and again when
the Buckinghams visited the
Langhinrichses in Cleveland to
celebrate daughter Sara’s marriage.
Finally, Elizabeth Anderson was
named a 2019 MacArthur Fellow—
what an opportunity! Learn about
what she’s been up to and why she
qualified for a “genius grant” at bit.
ly/LizGenius.
1983
John Bowe
john@bowe.us
Robert Frumkin, who lives in a
giant brownstone in Prospect
Heights, Brooklyn, retired from
teaching English—and “reading
James Joyce’s Ulysses”—at
NYU. His kids and stepkids are at
Emerson College and GWU, while
his wife works at the World Bank
on global tourism projects. They
have a Labradoodle, Laska—
“points for identifying where the
name is from!”
Congrats to Andrea Davis on
getting married last year to
Steve Salinda! She now has two
wonderful stepdaughters. Her son
finished UC–Davis vet school (did
he know Patty Pesavento?) and is
interning at Ohio State Veterinary
Hospital, while her daughter works
toward an architecture master’s at
Harvard.
Anna Reedy Rain: “Eva Travers’s
death (bit.ly/TraversDarkow)
brought me some tender
conversations with people I care
about. … I recommit to keep in
relationships with cool folks in my
life.” Anna teaches Iyengar yoga
and is nearly recovered from a
shattered vertebra—done in Upper
Tarble in 2014!
Best buds Diane Wilder, Diane
Dietzen, and Sara Tjossem enjoyed
a weekend together in Philly at the
Fringe Festival.
Leslie Johnson Nielsen is taking a
leap and going back to playing cello
in her local symphony—hoping her
fingers will be able to hack it!
Donald Twomey joins us empty
nesters. Both freshman sons are
off to college—Seth flying planes
in Florida, and Luke riding his
motorcycle to the North Shore
(from Boston) IT. I, John Bowe,
was thrilled to join their graduation
party in June. Don is a tax lawyer
for Massachusetts.
Alexandra Troy Beattie says “life
is basically still the same, owning
Culinary Architect Catering and
creating fabulous parties for two to
2,000 people in New York area. It is
always a pleasure to cater to fellow
Swarthmoreans.”
Last summer, Shoshana Kerewsky
walked the 500-mile Camino
Francés route of the Camino de
Santiago (St. James Way) from
France and across Spain. She got
“a lot of reflective time and good
meditation practice.”
Beth Varcoe happily works at
SOWN (Supportive Older Women’s
Network) in Philly, assisting
clients from home-bound older
adults to grandparents raising
their grandchildren. Husband Rod
Wolfson is happy as Swarthmore’s
in-house architect.
Chris GoGwilt is in his 30th year
of teaching at Fordham, and Siu
Li GoGwilt “is about to re-retire.”
Their elder son, 30, and is cofounder of the legal tech startup
Ironclad, which does contract
management for corporate legal
departments. Their younger son,
28, is finishing an integrative
studies Ph.D. thesis at UC–San
Diego and playing violin.
U.K. resident Ellen Singer is
a private orthopedic surgery
consultant for horses, after years
at the University of Liverpool.
“Don’t ask about Brexit …” She met
up with Suellen Heath Riffkin and
Sue Kost in the summer.
About 10 years ago, Diane Carle
started a second career as a
veterinarian, and finished training
in veterinary dentistry. “I mostly
see dogs and cats, but have done
root canals on a few tigers and a
bear.” She moved to Seattle and
would love to hear from anyone in
the Pacific Northwest.
Dave Gertler started his third
career, as an editor for a popular
math curriculum published by
the nonprofit Great Minds. That
combines his first two careers of
teacher and editor. “It’s stimulating
work, but I do miss interacting with
students—sometimes.”
Dan Werther’s new partnership
purchased famous N.Y. boxing
brand G&S Fight Supply and is
trying to break into the “boxing-forfitness category” with gloves and
newly designed apparel. His wife is
on the board of Penn’s Institute of
Contemporary Art—“a great, small
museum for Swat students to visit
when on Penn’s campus.”
Heidi Goldstein and husband
Richard Thomason ’84 celebrated
28 years of marriage. Their elder
daughter graduated from Bryn
Mawr last year, while the younger
one is at Scripps. Heidi joined
the board of Stop Sexual Assault
in Schools, to improve Title IX
protections and sexual assault
protocols on K–12 campuses.
Deb Felix moved back “home”
to Wellfleet, Mass., and loves it!
She keeps Cape Cod safe from
sharks. Husband Dave Hawver ’85
splits time between there and their
former home in Maryland. Deb still
helps kids pick and get into the
right colleges.
Kathie Clark Hager is in her sixth
year as a school counselor and was
honored to be named Albuquerque
Public Schools Elementary School
Counselor of the Year last spring.
Her daughter is a Dartmouth senior,
son is a 10th-grader, and husband,
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
59
class notes
Doug, works for the Air Force.
Dan Mont’s NGO, the Center for
Inclusive Policy, was awarded
a grant from the Open Society
Foundation to help governments
and other organizations build
capacity to develop and monitor
inclusive policies.
1985
Tim Kinnel
kinnel@swarthmore.warpmail.net
Maria Tikoff Vargas
maria@chrisandmaria.com
Our class’s 35th Reunion is May
29–31. Mark your calendars!
As we watch current events,
we can’t help but think of the job
security for the newly minted
Swarthmore grads who go on to do
poli sci and history Ph.D.s.
And although we’re older, future
concerns are still firmly in mind
and action—as is the Swarthmore
way. To raise awareness about
environmental threats to Bristol
Bay, Alaska, “the largest wild
sockeye salmon fishery on
Earth,” Seattle resident Zachary
Lyons spent much of his summer
organizing Bristol Bay Salmon
Week in D.C. As part of a larger
awareness campaign, Zach
encouraged restaurants to serve
Bristol Bay sockeye. Learn more at
savebristolbay.org.
Another Seattleite, Sarah
Hufbauer, writes: “We’re trying
to figure out, like many of you,
how to live life productively and
happily while acknowledging and
acting on the climate emergency in
which we’re living. In that context,
it was poignant to celebrate the
marriage of my eldest daughter,
Naomi, with nearby friends and
Mexico City family of her beloved.”
Sarah is a family physician in a
community clinic, often serving the
“disenfranchised and desperate.”
And yet the life events that are
familiar to us continue to flow.
Laura Markowitz reports that
Volume 1 of a textbook she coauthored, Voices on the Economy:
60
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
How Open-Minded Exploration
of Rival Perspectives Can Spark
Solutions to Our Urgent Economic
Problems (thevotetextbook.
org), came out last summer. “For
someone who never took an econ
class, it was an eye-opening
experience to work on this project,
which compares economic policies
from the conservative, liberal, and
radical economic perspectives in
an unbiased way.” Work on Volume
2 is upcoming, but meantime
Laura will be kayaking, hiking,
and traveling with her wife, and
finishing a term on Alumni Council.
Ted Abel, on the other hand, just
became a member of the Alumni
Council. “Let me know if [you] have
any suggestions about what we
might do to build the Swarthmore
alumni community and support
current undergraduates.” Ted is
chair of the University of Iowa’s
Department of Neuroscience and
Pharmacology. In other academic
news, Marian Evans is in her next
phase of teaching in public health
as a full-time tenured professor, as
well as the master in public health
graduate coordinator for Southern
Connecticut State University.
In big life events, “Drew ’86 and
I celebrated 30 years of marriage
and the end of (new) college
tuition bills,” writes Jen Wilson
Newitt, “by taking a dream trip
to Austria, Switzerland, and Italy
in the summer.” Their kids also
found matches at non-Swarthmore
colleges, “carrying on the tradition
of their parents, who fell in love in
Willets 36 years ago!”
And Joan Differding, who
retired Sept. 26 from NASA’s
Ames Research Center, also won
NASA’s Silver Snoopy award
“for outstanding achievements
related to human flight safety or
mission success.” Congrats, Joan!
We’ll certainly be reporting more
retirements as time goes on.
But not everything is momentous:
“Paula Rockovich Cannon Gable
here. Nothing of importance to
report except that I’ve been in
Denver for almost a year now
and I’m enjoying concerts at Red
Rocks and serving as the volunteer
president of Denver’s startup
chapter of Conscious Capitalism.
“And, we’ve been exploring the
West. I caught up to Kristen Kann
WINTER 2020
Yawitz in Santa Fe, N.M., this
summer, and that was very fun.”
Please let us know about the
things momentous and not, fun and
not, that you’d like to share. We
regularly hear that people love to
see what classmates are up to.
1987
Sarah Wilson
swarthmore87@gmail.com
After a yearlong hiatus, our class
is back! Mini-reunions seem more
popular than ever as we get to the
age when many of our children are
heading off to college themselves.
Sarah Shirk enjoyed live jazz with
Nancy Lehman and Ellen Walsh,
who helped celebrate her big
55th birthday while rolling on the
Chicago River. She happily reports
that the dance moves learned at
Swarthmore are alive and well.
Jenny Olson Putnam was in
Chicago with Jodi Rosenblatt
Galin, and from there they set off
on a road trip to visit John Davine
and wife Kathleen. Together, they
saw Hamilton, caught up, and
reminisced.
Abby Feder-Kane’s 1994 article on
overdetermined femininity in ladies’
figure skating was cited in the
February 2018 issue of The Atlantic
(bit.ly/AbbyAtlantic). Abby, too, is
keeping her Class of ’87 friendships
alive: “Not long ago, I called on
Julia Stein for her professional
point of view on the challenges
faced by college counseling
centers. Carolyn Rouse and I have
delved into the nitty gritty of higher
ed politics at Princeton and Sarah
Lawrence, our respective places
of employment. Margaret Huang—
who started her career on the
opposite end of the world (in Hong
Kong) from me, working in the
for-profit world while I was always
in nonprofit—has for the past few
years been working in my arena,
raising funds for mission-driven
work from foundations. We talk
shop frequently.
“Even more than the professional
advice, I find myself turning again
and again to Swarthmore friends
for emotional support. We have
seen each other through the illness
and death of spouses and parents
and siblings and children, through
cancer and concussions, through
upheaval and career changes.
We’ve enjoyed great meals and
late-night talks; we’ve harmonized
and reminisced and laughed. We’ve
laughed a lot.”
Abby accompanied Julia Stein
and John Goldsborough ’88’s
college-age daughter on a tour of
Barnard, where Abby was formerly
employed, and their 13-year-old
spent a week at her house to
attend Dungeons & Dragons camp
with her son. “Margaret’s teen and
mine share a passion for cosplay
and bold hair-dye choices, and
she’s given him great advice about
navigating the treacherous waters
of middle school. I had a great talk
last year with Carolyn’s daughter
about the practical steps she can
take to pursue a theater career
(although I suspect she was far
more excited by the talk she had
with Darko Tresnjak ’88 the day
after his Met Opera debut!). And I
can’t get over that Pauli Amornkul,
my sister in harmony from the
Grapevine, dances regularly in Bay
Area theater productions. Or that
Nancy Lehman is a long-distance
bicycle rider.”
Julie Shay has lived near
Annapolis, Md., for 17 years. “A
number of years ago, I realized how
we are all drowning in our ‘stuff,’
and I started a group to give people
an opportunity to help one another,
build up our sense of community,
reduce waste, and have an
environmental impact.” In 2017,
the initiative blossomed into the
nonprofit Good Neighbors Group.
“Focusing on what each of us can
do to make a difference has been
a good consolation in recent times.
My son is a high school sophomore,
and my daughter [Olivia ’23] is
a Swarthmore freshman. It has
been fun to share this with her,
but I couldn’t have anticipated the
deluge of memories about my time
there since moving her in.”
Susan Swearer has migrated west
since college, having completed
a master’s degree at Penn State
and a Ph.D. at UT–Austin. She
and husband Scott Napolitano
KENYON COLLEGE
ALUMNI PROFILE
“The most effective mentors were folks who took interest in me as a person and were
willing to share their own experiences,” says Sean Decatur ’90, president of Kenyon College.
LIVING THE LIBERAL ARTS
He knows the meaning of mentorship
by Holly Leber Simmons
SEAN DECATUR ’90 credits his
intellectual awakening to Swarthmore.
“I got incredibly excited about
learning as a student there,” he says. “I
left with the notion that I wanted to be
in a liberal arts environment and have
the opportunity to influence the lives
of students.”
And that’s precisely what he did.
First as a professor and associate
dean at Mount Holyoke College, then
as a dean at Oberlin College before
taking his current position in 2013 as
president of Kenyon College, Decatur
has devoted his career to higher
education.
His Swarthmore experience
continues to shape his perspective.
A biology and chemistry major
and Black studies minor, he says
his science courses taught him the
importance of persistence and close
observation, while his Introduction to
African American Studies class was a
“transformative” experience.
“It was the first time I began to make
deep personal connections between
texts and personal experience,” says
Decatur, one of the first participants
(with Garikai Campbell ’90, pg. 18)
in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate
Fellowship Program, which supports
minority students who wish to
enter doctoral programs and pursue
professorships.
“The Mellon Mays scholarship was a
wonderful opportunity that introduced
me to what academic life could be,”
he says. “The program supported my
summer research in the Chemistry
Department, and connected me
with others on campus and at other
institutions who were considering
graduate study.”
As an undergraduate, Decatur
founded a volunteer literacy program
in Chester. The program was a rich
learning environment, he says, that
pushed him out of his comfort zone:
“It was powerful to build relationships
with folks that were different from my
classmates.”
His relationships with mentors,
too, have been essential to his life
experience. “You need to collect
mentors who can impact different
aspects of your life,” he says. “The
most effective mentors were folks
who took interest in me as a person
and were willing to share their own
experiences.”
One particular influence at
Swarthmore was Chuck James, now
the Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor
Emeritus of English Literature,
who taught a course on the Harlem
Renaissance that Decatur called
“fantastic.” James was also Decatur’s
first adviser in the Mellon Mays
program.
“[Dr. James] and his wife, Jane, were
incredibly gracious and supportive
to me and the other Mellon fellows,”
Decatur says, “and his advice was
very important to my future career
choices.”
Decatur recalls, as a student, how
much he relished getting to know
professors, like James, outside the
classroom. Those types of connections
are something he’s worked to continue
with student leaders at Kenyon.
Decatur is dedicated to making
Kenyon a “truly inclusive” place where
all students can thrive—identifying
places of hidden bias and unfair
advantage that serve as barriers to
student success.
“The biggest challenge for
higher education today is cost
and accessibility,” he says. “Many
very talented students are finding
themselves shut out from financial
opportunities to get a quality education.
“There is a huge value in the basics
of a liberal arts education,” he adds.
“The ability to solve problems, to
understand information from a
range of different sources, to write
effectively, and communicate well:
These are things that serve students
well regardless of where they find
themselves in the future.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
61
class notes
completed internships with the
Nebraska Internship Consortium
in Professional Psychology—Scott
at the medical center in Omaha,
and Susan at Boys Town. In 1997,
they moved to Lincoln, Neb., where
Susan is the Willa Cather Professor
of Educational Psychology and
Director of Faculty Development
at the University of Nebraska–
Lincoln. Daughter Catherine is a
junior in Brown’s Program in Liberal
Medical Education, and daughter
Alexandra is an 11th-grader. Susan
was selected as a fellow in the Big
10 Academic Leadership Program
for 2018–2019. In spare time, she
jogs half-marathons and spends
as much time skiing as she can
(without getting fired) in Colorado.
Thomas Jones and wife Sara
celebrated 26 years of marriage
on July 31. Eldest son Tom is a
Bowdoin senior, middle son Shane
’22 is a Swarthmore sophomore,
and youngest son David is an 11thgrader. Thomas retired and enjoys
time as board vice chairman at the
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford,
Conn. “I just completed a hike of
Vermont’s Long Trail, a long-held
ambition that delivered all the
challenge I sought and more—a
truly awesome experience.”
1989
Kathy Stevens
stevkath@gmail.com
Martha Easton
measton@elmira.edu
Many classmates enjoyed catching
up at our 30th Reunion in June. I
am sure a lot was shared during the
time on campus.
I, Kathy, caught up with Steve
Toy at the ProLiteracy conference
in San Diego. Steve is on the
organization’s board, and I was
there as an attendee for the work
I do as executive director of the
Montgomery Coalition for Adult
English Literacy.
Steve caught me up on a few
classmates, including Steve
Sell, who writes: “We are almost
62
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
two months into a sabbatical/
adult gap year in Madrid. Five of
us—Molly, Emma, 22, Luke, 14,
Lucy (our dog), and I—are here.
Our middle two boys—Jackson,
20, and Lance, 18—are in college
on the East Coast. This has been
a long-planned dream to live in
Europe. It’s early, but so far we are
quite enjoying the food, culture,
and walkable nature of the city
while ramping up our Spanish.
There are definitely some transition
challenges, but it only makes it that
much more of an adventure.”
Lee Fineman received a Bronze
Medal for superior performance
at the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, where she has worked
for 17 years. She and wife Alison
Smith keep busy shuttling their two
boys to baseball games and violin
lessons.
Gretchen Alger Lin’s whole family
is now scuba certified. Gretchen
met her husband of 20 years
through scuba, and now—after a
family trip in June—her two sons
are certified Open Water Divers.
It was a special summer trip for
the Lins, as son Jason started at
Rensselaer Polytechnic this fall.
Bob and Betsy Witt Bein write:
“Our older son, Charley, graduated
from Juniata College in May with a
computer science degree. He just
started work as a programmer with
Acumen Solutions in Cleveland.
Our younger son, Will ’21, is a
Swarthmore junior, majoring in
political science. We’re having a
wonderful time vicariously reliving
our own college experience.” Betsy
completed an MLIS and is a userservices librarian at Gettysburg
College. Bob is a VP in the legal
department at Select Medical in
Mechanicsburg, Pa., overseeing
transactions.
Hannah Galantino-Homer
and Dave Homer ’86 are
at Swarthmore regularly these days
because daughter Dana Homer ’21
is a junior. Hannah writes: “It’s been
great to have firsthand news from
her about life at ML (where she’s
been since freshman year), classes,
and last spring’s protests to remove
the fraternities, and to go see wind
ensemble concerts.” Hannah does
equine laminitis research at Penn
Vet’s New Bolton Center, and son
Davy is a 12th-grader.
WINTER 2020
1991
Nick Jesdanun
me@anick.org
We’re old enough to have kids in
college—or even finished.
Sertaç Yeltekin’s daughter Dafne
graduated from Barnard and works
at B Lab, which certifies for-profit
companies with a mission for social
good. Daughter Leila is a UC–Davis
sophomore. Two of Thad Wengert’s
children are full-fledged adults.
Each has a kid, making Thad
twice a grandparent. He insists he
doesn’t do diapers, though. Thad
runs a data science consultancy in
Charlotte, N.C.
Hannah Watkins ’21, daughter
of Sandy ’93 and Maeve Juran
Watkins, is a Swarthmore junior.
Three other children are in seventh
to 12th grades. Maeve and Sandy
are in Alaska, the one state I have
yet to visit—unless you count the
airport.
“A mind-bending experience”
is how Kirsten Wild describes
bringing daughter Sophie Works
’23 to start at Swarthmore. Kirsten
is a principal at an architectural
firm and gets up for 5:30 a.m.
rowing—early enough to enjoy it,
without questioning her sanity.
Jennifer Yeoh Schneller’s
daughter, Grace, is a Mount Union
sophomore and wants to major
in Japanese. Son Christopher is
a 12th-grader who competes in
underwater robotics and takes AP
physics “just for fun.” A landscape
architect in Columbus, Ohio, Jen
speaks on the intersection of
people and plants. Please send
healing vibes to husband David,
who is struggling with his health.
Chris Lyford runs triathlons
and, with Matt Murphy, seeks out
protest rocker Billy Bragg on tour.
Matt and wife Susan are empty
nesters, with both sons in college.
In L.A., David Loughran became
head of product for the insurance
tech company Praedicat. Alison
Carter Marlow is director of
programs and operations at
YouthBuild Boston. Her mom
lives with her and her husband,
while son James is at college. As
her daughter checked out D.C.area colleges, Alison saw Robin
Bennefield and Tamara King.
Bill Karunaratne passed 25
years in NYC, between stints at
Morgan Stanley and Goldman
Sachs. Heather Rigney Shumaker
reached 20 years in Traverse City,
Mich., where she writes and her
husband “timber-frames,” old-style
construction using wooden pegs.
An author of four books, Heather
visits schools to inspire kids to
write and read. Her sons are in
sixth and 10th grades.
Georgia Rucker designs and
illustrates books in the Generation
Girl series. Kirsten Wild and
Jennifer Ruth—PPR roomies—
visited her and hung out “as if no
time or centuries had passed.”
Julie Plastino runs a biophysics
research team at Paris’s Institut
Curie. Her kids are 11 and 15.
UChicago economics professor
Michael Greenstone received a
Carnegie Fellowship.
Karen Hales started her 20th year
as a Davidson biology professor.
She adopted dogs Huxley and
Darrow, named after Charles
Darwin’s defenders. Karen’s
parents moved near Sacramento,
Calif., after their Santa Rosa home
burned down in the Tubbs wildfire.
They are now closer to Karen’s
nieces.
Josh Room and his wife split
amicably after 20 years together.
He and current partner Beth
Houghton run Yama Kids Yoga in
Berkeley, Calif. Beth’s daughter is
applying for college, while Josh’s
two middle-school sons are on
the verge of growing taller than
Josh. Growth charts project 6 feet
5. Josh works in the California
attorney general’s office.
Josh celebrated his 50th
birthday with Beth in Kauai,
Hawaii. David Loughran, Dave
Philhower, Roger Jansson, and
Kevin Hood celebrated with hiking
and backpacking in Montana’s Bob
Marshall Wilderness. The group
has hiked together since 1997. “We
enjoyed wiffleball and libations
in the shadow of the Continental
Divide, with lots of wildflowers and
liberal arts-fueled conversation,”
Dave Philhower writes. Catherine
Rich, Johanna Davis Werbach,
Marcia Landesman, and Sandy
Falk ’90 celebrated with a boat ride
down Boston’s Charles River.
Catherine’s daughter, secondgrader Emily, started ukulele
lessons, while Catherine took up
the mandolin. Catherine enjoys
watching Emily “do crazy things on
the monkey bars.”
Johanna’s children are both at
Lower Merion High, which Johanna
and her mom attended. How’s that
for legacy? She often sees David
Zaring ’92, a Wharton colleague
of Johanna’s husband, Kevin.
Johanna left Moody’s to focus on
the “last call for parenting,” while
tending an organic vegetable
garden.
Naomi Zikmund-Fisher ran her
first four 5Ks and signed up for two
more. She also was arrested for
the first time, as her activism group
protested immigration policy by
blocking a tunnel between Detroit
and Windsor, Ontario. Naomi is a
therapist specializing in trauma.
Ali Usman lives in Northampton,
Mass., and brunched with Laurel
Hester. He’s also seen Martin
Krusin-Elbaum, Karan Madan,
Rustom Khandalavala, Bill
Karunaratne, Anu Murgai ’90,
Arbin Sherchan ’96, and Mel
Okudo ’03 during New York visits.
Jim Ellis lunched with Mark
Duckenfield ’92, a fellow military
school professor. Jim is at National
Defense University, Mark at Army
War College.
Helder Melendez will soon have
two kids in college, two to go. He
got a modeling gig—appearing
with his wife in an online ad for
a mouthpiece to help with sleep
apnea. See it at bit.ly/HelderM.
1993
Andrés Versage
andres_versage@hotmail.com
Noah Salamon
nbsalamon@gmail.com
After a brief hiatus, we are back,
brimming with exciting news from
all corners of the world—or at least
a handful of states.
Many moons ago, Eli Spevak
wrote to us from Portland, Ore.,
where he lives with wife Noelle
Studer-Spevak and kiddos Ozora,
8, and Sidney, 4. (Editors’ note:
The kids may be a year older
now, so plan accordingly if you
are buying clothes for their
birthdays.) Eli is “building small
communities of homes through
my company, Orange Splot LLC;
wonking out on the zoning code
(serving on Portland’s Planning
and Sustainability Commission);
helping locally and across the
country to make accessory
dwellings more broadly available;
and playing cello for the past few
years following a 30-year break.”
Brigitte Fink also checked in from
Oregon. She and James Martin
celebrated their 25th anniversary
by going to Hawaii for a week,
“leaving all three kids at home.”
Brigette is “still in full-time OB-GYN
practice (for 15 years now), and
James passed the Oregon bar
and has an office again after a
15-year hiatus from law. He ran the
campaign that got our $54 million
school bond passed last spring, by
1%!” Brigette and James’s twins
are now at Whitman and Bowdoin,
with one child home to help their
parents stave off empty-nest
syndrome.
Last year, Micheline Murphy
McManus and husband Tom moved
their clan from the island paradise
of Hawaii to the landlocked
paradise of Swarthmore. (Way to
trade up, McManus clan!) “Tom
is a founding member of a new
high school in Philadelphia, The
Revolution School. I am back
teaching English at Wilmington
Friends School. Our oldest is now
at—wait for it—Swarthmore. He
adores living blocks away from
parents he thought he was moving
5,000 miles away from, or at least
that’s how our theater-major son
would have us believe.”
Also dropping off a child at Swat
was Lani Horn, whose daughter
Naomi ’22 is a sophomore. Lani
“got to be an honors examiner
last May, which made me feel like
I ‘made it’ in my field more than
almost any other thing I have
done. The most exciting thing I got
to do this summer was make an
audiobook of Motivated, a book I
wrote for math teachers. Academia
has never felt so cool!”
Michelle Ostrander Potter reports
that the Quaker matchbox is still
working its magic, as she and
Whitney Potter ’92 celebrated 21
years of marriage this summer.
Michelle followed Hadley Wilson
Horch’s lead and dropped her
eldest daughter off at Occidental
College this fall. Michelle and
Whitney remain busy with teaching
(Michelle is an adjunct instructor
for early childhood development
at a community college), writing,
podcasting (3D Printing Today),
and parenting their two younger
teenagers in Northern California,
where they have lived for 18 years.
Back in the “moving closer to
the alma mater” category, Ryan
Roderick announced: “I’ve been
traded! I accepted a teaching
position at West Chester University
from Hofstra University. Still
working with international students
in ESL.” Davirah Timm-Dinkins and
Delvin Dinkins, who live nearby,
have already paid Roddy a visit,
making sure “I at least put some
curtains up and wasn’t using milk
crates as seating.” Dorm-room chic
not accepted! Roddy acknowledges
the move “eliminates any excuses
for missing reunions since WCU is
basically a tri-campus shuttle bus
ride away from Swat!”
Meghan Clancy-Hepburn Hayes
released her latest album, Seen
Enough Leavers, which made
it onto the folk charts. “Anyone
wishing to contribute to the care
and maintenance of the beloved
rescued greyhound of a recently
divorced singer-songwriter can
purchase my CDs (or download
them) at meghanhayes.com/
shop.” She has been touring and
released a music video (cameo by
Scott Field ’90). Her side hustles
include sitting for her Healing
Touch certification, starting a
landscaping company (OCD
Weeding and Landscape Design),
and advocating for decent mental
health care in Tennessee. “Proud to
be putting that Swarthmore degree
to excellent use these days!”
Meghan added: “Being on tour is
usually a lot of stress interrupted
by moments of sheer bliss and
connection. Imagine a family
vacation, only with no family, a
trunk full of CDs and gear, and
a front seat full of mini carrots
and trail mix. Get to the venue,
set up. Wish you’d remembered
to go over the lyrics to that new
song one more time before you
have to get on stage, but what
the hell—no one will know the
difference if you change the lyrics
anyhow. Introduce yourself, test
the audience a little, start slow, and
build. …
“Some nights are without fanfare,
but you luck into good acoustics or
the wind coming through the door
is a reminder that you are, in fact,
doing this damn thing and loving it.
Some nights are pure sorrow—total
strangers spill their secrets all over
me because one of my songs has
touched a part of them that they
can no longer bear to hide. … I’m
home now about to dive into the
chaos that is Americana Fest in
Nashville, learning a new song I’ll
duet on with a songwriter I met
two days ago. I recorded a couple
demos of songs I’m real proud of.
I have a friend who is teaching me
new guitar licks. And I’m back to
booking the next round of shows.”
Keep up the great work, Class of
’93, and keep the notes coming!
1995
Erik Thoen
erik_thoen@alum.swarthmore.edu
Sally Chin
sallypchin@gmail.com
Congrats to Rebecca Katz, who
was promoted to full professor at
Georgetown, where she is director
of the Center for Global Health
Science and Security. Her youngest
plays soccer with the son of two
other Swarthmoreans. Perhaps
we have some Swarthmore soccer
stars in the making!
Lisa Hibler is in her 10th year as
a licensed professional counselor
with a private psychotherapy
practice in Asheville, N.C., where
she’s lived for 13 years. She
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
63
class notes
graduated from Naropa University
with a master’s in transpersonal
counseling psychology. Lisa studies
body-centered and mindfulnessbased forms of therapy and loves
her work with adult clients on
relationship and attachment issues.
She spends time hiking in the
beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains,
practicing yoga and mindfulness,
listening to Tara Brach podcasts,
reading Daniel Siegel, and spending
time with friends and community.
Beyond working as a sociology
professor at Drew University in
New Jersey, Caitlin Killian has
been consulting for the U.N. on
gender mainstreaming in livelihood
initiatives for Syrian refugees. She’s
traveled to Turkey to interview
local NGOs and U.N. entities, and
is now working on a report of
recommendations. Outside of work,
her family vacationed in Canada,
visiting Ottawa, Niagara Falls,
and Montreal, where she highly
recommends jet-boating on the
Lachine rapids of the St. Lawrence
River. Elder son Gabriel started at
American University, and Caitlin
is “finding it odd to be a college
professor and the parent of a
college student.”
On that note, don’t forget to come
reminisce about when we were
new college students at our 25th
Reunion, May 29–31!
1997
Lauren Jacobi
laurenjacobi@hotmail.com
A short column this round as I
recover from back surgery.
Lara Estroff was named a full
professor in Cornell’s Materials
Science and Engineering
Department—the first woman to
achieve that position in department
history. Way to go, Lara!
Congrats, too, to Vlado Bilčík,
who was elected to the European
Parliament as a representative of
Slovakia, part of the coalition of
Progressive Slovakia and Spolu.
And Ben Henwood, an associate
professor of social work at USC,
64
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
was interviewed by L.A.’s NBC
news station in connection with his
work on homelessness. View the
segment at bit.ly/BHenwood.
1999
Melissa Morrell
melrel99@hotmail.com
Edward Gonzalez, after taking a 15year hiatus from writing updates,
finds himself working for USAID in
North Macedonia, where he has
been for the past three years; he
had previously worked with USAID
in D.C., Pakistan, Guatemala,
Afghanistan, and El Salvador.
In 2009, Edward completed a
politics Ph.D. at the New School
for Social Research. Despite these
accomplishments, the highlights of
these past years, and his life, are
his boys, Santi, Nico, and Lucca.
Mason Astley visited Michael
Schall at Mike’s restaurant
Locanda Vini E Olii in Brooklyn.
Mike has also been part of opening
another restaurant, Camillo.
In a Man’s World, which premiered
on Bravo in October, was executive
produced by Kate Bernstein. The
limited series follows four women
as they temporarily morph into men
to see how the other sex lives.
Ed Cohn is an associate
professor of Russian history at
Grinnell College, where he taught
a new course on the history of
surveillance this fall. “I spent a
month in Lithuania and Latvia
this summer doing research on
the KGB in the Baltic republics.”
As Grinnell is in Iowa, Ed has
enjoyed being a resident of the
first caucus state—“I’ve seen 17
presidential candidates so far, and
I’m volunteering for the Elizabeth
Warren campaign.” Ed writes on
Facebook about his encounters
with each of the candidates
and I, Melissa, have found him
more insightful than many paid
reporters.
Lynne Steuerle Schofield,
Swarthmore associate dean of
faculty for diversity, recruitment,
and retention, and associate
WINTER 2020
professor of statistics, was
written about in the Chronicle of
Higher Education for her work
in fostering an interdisciplinary
approach to community
engagement. Specifically, Lynne
has her students use their budding
statistical knowledge to solve realworld problems in their community
with great results for both the
students, who learn the impact
they can have, and the groups that
they work with, who get the benefit
of their hard work. One example
analyzed data from an asthma
research study, where students’
analysis showed there were
significant improvements when
carpets and cleaning products
were changed. Lynne’s approach
showed the students that data is
often messy and introduced them
to the privacy and ethical issues
around big data. If you haven’t
read about her work, especially
if you are in education, I highly
recommend it.
Jonathan Pyle was written up as
a “Legal Rebel” in the American Bar
Association Journal in September
for his work on an open-source
platform, Docassemble, which
automates guided client interviews
and document assembly for
complex legal cases. This project
started when Jonathan found
he was spending a lot of time
interviewing family-law clients and
he felt more could be done than
what was offered. His program
is being used in a variety of legal
applications, including divorce,
eviction, and Chapter 7 bankruptcy,
and has applications beyond the
legal realm. Check it out!
Ashwin Rao had an enjoyable
summer, with visits from Bob
Griffin, Stephanie Herring, Carl
Wellington, and Jenny Briggs.
Ashwin is the editor-in-chief of a
new textbook on mental health in
athletes and is in his sixth year as
program director of the University
of Washington’s Sports Medicine
Fellowship.
Julia Berkman lives near
Boston, working as a barista
at Starbucks and as a nanny/
home-organizer extraordinaire
for her three nephews. “I’m also
doing my artwork; check me out at
juliaberkman.com.”
Darragh Paradiso completed a
four-year assignment in Hong Kong
and will spend this school year in
the D.C. area learning French.
After 12 years at the Wing Luke
Museum of the Asian Pacific
American Experience, Margaret
Su took a job at the University
of Washington doing marketing
and communications for their
fundraising campaign.
Stacey Bearden enjoyed seeing
everyone at the reunion. Son Glen,
a kindergartener, keeps saying he
wants to go back. Stacey chalks
that up to playing with Maria
Krisch’s son and the feeling of
freedom on such a green, spacious
campus. Stacey is pursuing selfemployment as a consultant and
interim leader in human resources
and total rewards. “Staying home
seems like it would give me lots
of free time, but it feels like I get
home from dropping him off, eat
breakfast, shower, do dishes and
laundry, and then it’s time to pick
him up.” She is working on her
balancing act—aren’t we all!
If you’d like to see your name in
print or if you have news to share,
please write me!
2001
Claudia Zambra
claudiazambra@gmail.com
Upon reading Darren Wood’s note
in the summer Bulletin—that “he
welcomed son Owen Harcourt
Wood on Oct. 4”—Caitlin SchlappGilgoff Wood privately offered
some reasonable objections to this
characterization. Darren would
like to present this clarification
and apology: Caitlin, too, was quite
involved in the act of welcoming
Owen into the world.
Kate Fama and Alexander
Tzschentke delightedly announce
the arrival of daughter Hannah
Margaret in January 2019. They
look forward to welcoming more
Swatties to Ireland for visits and
introductions.
Ryan Neiheiser’s architecture
firm, Neiheiser Argyros, completed
the first phase of the Tide, a large
CHRIS CRANFORD
ALUMNI PROFILE
“It has been a joy to do this work because of the positive impact it has for people and for
communities,” says Karama Neal ’93.
POWER LIFT
She’s an advocate for Arkansas landowners
by Alexandra Sastre ’05
IN WHAT WAYS—large and small—can
we each have a positive impact on the
world around us? Karama Neal ’93 is
devoted to answering this question, and
to helping others make positive changes
in their communities.
Neal serves as president of Southern
Bancorp Community Partners, an
organization that economically
empowers communities in rural
Arkansas and Mississippi through
public policy, development lending,
and financial services. She is also
the founder of Heirs of Arkansas, an
advocacy group that collaborates with
attorneys, development organizations,
and government agencies to help
families retain the land and properties
they have inherited. From 2004 to 2010,
she authored the popular blog So What
Can I Do?, which promoted “ethics in
action” by offering information and
resources on service opportunities
locally and globally.
By helping people “generate funding
for a rural library, start a small business,
purchase their first home, or achieve
a savings goal” through Southern
Bancorp’s development lending, Neal
encourages others to lift themselves up
by looking for opportunities to invest in
their communities.
Neal came to Swarthmore with
a passion for research in genetics
and soon “became intrigued by the
connections between science and
society, and how each influences the
other.” Through her studies in biology,
she found herself drawn to scholars
who “put their research in the context
of their social positions in American
society.”
That the work of science could
be entwined with the work of social
justice was eye-opening, she recalls: “It
revealed new ways of thinking for me.”
This insight eventually led her to a
Ph.D. in genetics and molecular biology
from Emory University, more than two
decades “in and around biology labs,”
and “many years of volunteering with
humanitarian, community, and child
development organizations.”
It also led to an eventual career
change—away from the lab and
toward more immediate work in her
community. Neal founded Heirs of
Arkansas in 2013, in response to a
challenge faced by her family and her
community.
Growing up, Neal remembers her
grandmother discussing her own
formerly enslaved grandfather, Griffin
Henry Belk, who purchased the land in
Arkansas where multiple generations
of Neal’s family were born and raised.
Although the land is still collectively
owned by her family, Neal says,
“because it has been informally passed
down for multiple generations, it has a
legal status known as ‘heir property.’”
Heir property, Neal says, “can be a
very unstable form of real property
ownership, often associated with
unintentional, predatory land loss.”
Low-income communities and
communities of color are particularly
vulnerable to losing such inherited
assets, she notes, “because of a lack
of access to trusted legal services and
estate planning.”
Thanks in part to the work of Heirs
of Arkansas, the Uniform Partition of
Heirs Property Act was successfully
passed in 2015, helping families
maintain land ownership, and ensuring
that property that is sold is done so at
a fair market rate so that family wealth
isn’t lost.
As she inspires others to apply their
skills to a common good, Neal sees
“a direct line” from her Swarthmore
experiences to her current work.
“I learned how to identify and
transfer skills across disciplines,
refined my ability to ask and answer
questions independently, and
demonstrated how academic and
related work could (and often should)
be rooted in social justice,” she says.
“I expect whatever is next for me will
again be connected to my formative
experiences at Swarthmore.”
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
65
class notes
elevated linear park in east London
near the O2 arena. The 1-kilometerlong project (of a planned total of
5 kilometers for the full project)
stitches together culture and
nature, creating a kind of charm
bracelet of cafes, performance
spaces, art, and gardens along
the Thames. Learn more at
neiheiserargyros.com.
Julie Levin Russo has settled
in Olympia, Wash., as a faculty
member at the Evergreen State
College. She and partner Melissa
welcomed first child Vega on Aug. 1.
Kristen Panfilio was tenured
as an associate professor at the
University of Warwick, England,
yet still keeps lab and life running
in Cologne, Germany. With so
much back-and-forth travel, she
occasionally forgets which type of
bike and helmet she’s using for her
daily commute in each place.
Lynne DeSilva-Johnson returned
from showing their work as
part of Ars Electronica in Linz,
Austria. They have forthcoming
performance/work in many exciting
new shows and publications,
including Matters of Feminist
Practice, Choice Words: Writers
on Abortion, and Performing
Knowledge at NYC’s Segal Center
this fall. Perhaps most exciting
is that the Operating System, the
arts nonprofit Lynne founded/
runs, signed a long lease on a
new project hub, Liminal Lab (in
Bushwick, Brooklyn), and has
brought on brilliant partners to
create future programming. NYCarea folks interested in radical
pedagogy, DIY making, collective
organizing, publishing, disability,
LGBTQ community, the arts,
healing trauma, and more should
follow @liminallab and @the_
operating_system on Instagram.
In early 2018, Laura Farra
Myers became audience
engagement coordinator at the
Heinz History Center, and she’s
been tackling the challenge of
museum accessibility. In 2019,
Eben Myers joined an autonomous
vehicle safety startup, Edge Case
Research, as product manager. The
couple have had two foster kids in
their home since December 2018,
along with daughters Lucy and
Sadie. A kitten, Henry, also joined
the family.
66
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
Reporting from Hotlanta, Lisa
Adler, Marisa Chavez, and Cristina
Cardemil went yurt camping in the
North Georgia Mountains with kids
Eli, Emma, Luis, Jonas, Nicolas,
and Lucas, ranging in age from
5 to 8. When not chasing their
rambunctious families around, Lisa
fights the good fight at the ACLU,
Marisa works as an OB-GYN, and
Cristina researches and tracks
viral gastroenteritis in the U.S. and
abroad with the CDC.
Rich Aleong and Terry sent their
youngest, Christian, off to Coe
College in Iowa this fall, and they
are feeling a bit of empty-nest
syndrome.
Finally, on a recent layover in
Istanbul, I, Claudia, caught up with
Yasemin Sirali after many years
and shared a delightful Turkish
dinner overlooking the Bosporus.
2003
Robin Smith Petruzielo
robinleslie@alum.swarthmore.edu
John Anderson moved into a
new quality-support position at
the World Bank in D.C., which
will allow him to travel less. He’s
excited to be home more with his
three elementary-school-age kids,
especially as his wife gears up to
cover the presidential election.
The news from Seattle is that
Jack Hébert and Nori Heikkinen
had second son Étienne Max
Hébert in April. Everyone is happy
and healthy, though Nori is a bit
surprised by just how much of a
circus it is to have two kids.
Stella Cousins and Jeff Regier
were married Aug. 10, with Michael
Morse in attendance. Three days
later, Stella and Jeff moved from
Berkeley, Calif., to Ann Arbor, Mich.,
where Jeff started as an assistant
professor in the University of
Michigan’s statistics department.
Veronica Herrera and Ben
Wiles relocated last summer
from the bucolic New England
pastures of Storrs, Conn., to the
L.A. area. Veronica accepted a
tenure-track position in UCLA’s
WINTER 2020
Luskin School of Public Policy, and
Ben joined the partnership of LKP
Global Law, a venture capitalfocused boutique firm. Along with
their kids, ages 8 and 5, they live
in Culver City and are gradually
readjusting to city life.
Kate Hurster and husband Al
Espinosa welcomed son Gustavo
Tomas on May 30. Like sister
Esperanza, Gus was born at home
in Ashland, Ore. Kate and Al are
actors at the Tony Award-winning
Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Joan Javier-Duval started
her fifth year as minister of the
Unitarian Church of Montpelier
in Vermont. Son Liam, 5, started
kindergarten. Joan enjoys seeing
Jenny Lunstead on her visits to
Vermont, and it’s great to have
Becca Van Fleet Webb just down
the interstate in Bethel, where she
has built a beautiful pottery studio
and home with her partner.
Amid Hong Kong’s social
upheaval, Hofan Chau is returning
to her roots as a peace & conflict/
education major. Stepping away
from theater work for a bit, she is
teaching tai chi, energy healing,
and heart-imagery meditation.
2005
Emiliano Rodriguez
erodrig1@gmail.com
I’m covering for Jessica Zagory
for a bit, and it was great to hear
from so many ’05ers. We’re well
into adulthood and overall having a
good time of it.
After graduation, Bpantamars
“Sang” Phadungchob completed a
plant biology master’s at UC–Davis.
Upon the death of King Bhumibol
Adulyadej, Sang joined the science
education department at Bangkok’s
Dhonburi Rajabhat University
to train science teachers for
Thailand’s future generations.
Rachel Thomas is founding
director of the University of San
Francisco Center for Applied
Data Ethics, which works to
address racial and gender bias,
surveillance/privacy issues,
disinformation, and other harms
due to data misuse.
The New York Times featured Sam
Bell for his work on the Federal
Reserve as founder of Employ
America.
Matt Wallaert’s book Start at the
End: How to Build Products that
Create Change debuted in June.
Son Bear is now 4.
Raghu Karnad spent early 2019
as bureau chief at The Wire in New
Delhi. In the fall, he lectured across
the U.S. on India’s national election.
Carmen Barron, Anna Morgan
’04, Andrew Sniderman ’07, and
Professor James Kurth attended
his Swarthmore talk.
Jake and Kristen Lee Berger
moved to Williamsport, Pa., after
five years in Idaho. Jake is a
professor at Lycoming College,
and Kristen teaches middle
school. They’re busy working and
parenting their kindergartner and
2-year-old but excited to catch up
with Northeast folks.
Rachel Scott, Aaron
Wasserman, and son Nathan, 2,
moved to Rachel’s hometown,
Columbus, Ohio. Rachel kept
her management-consulting job,
and Aaron started an affordable
housing development position
at Ohio Capital Corporation for
Housing. Any Columbus-area
alums? Drop a line.
Tanya Aydelott received an MFA
in writing for children and young
adults from Vermont College of
Fine Arts and moved to Houston
to join the Kinkaid School’s college
counseling team. She published
a short story in Foreshadow, an
online anthology.
KD Davenport is the School
District of Philadelphia’s director
of science and visited Professor
Emerita Rachel Merz while
vacationing in Washington state.
KD taught a science methods
seminar for a Swarthmore studentteacher last fall.
Jesse Young was promoted
to associate at BuroHappold
Engineering in NYC. He still
woodworks in a basement shop in
Alphabet City.
Julie Lindenberg is senior
therapist at BronxConnect, an
alternative-to-incarceration
program for young adults with
felony charges. She spent the
summer playing softball in Central
Park and Westchester leagues.
Jason Mui is in Chicago figuring
out his acrobatic future while
relearning magic. He has two kids,
Harley and Kai. Wife Elizabeth
Gorgas is recovering well.
Jody Fisher is the dual-language
coordinator at a Chicago
elementary school. With spouse
Jessica Petertil and son Judah,
1, he moved to a house in Portage
Park. Jody also joined thousands
of teachers striking for the schools
Chicago’s students deserve.
Richard Ocampo enjoys life
with wife Luzmary and daughter
Jaslynne, 2. He teaches in Miami,
opening minds and planting seeds
of rebellion among youth. In the
fall, he traveled to Chicago with his
union to support striking teachers.
In Texas, Jacob Cortes owns
Vagomundo Adventure Ecotours,
is the Austin region representative
for Source Coffee Traders, and cofounded the nonprofit Worldwide
Nomads.
Nicola Wells Chin opened a
community art and power-building
space, Co-Lab Create, in Lewiston,
Maine. She’s dancing up a storm
with husband Ben and kiddos Anju,
4, and Rari, 2, and welcomes folks
to stop by.
Former Wharton quadmates
Britta Ingebretson, Elisabeth
Oppenheimer, Hannah Carney, and
Sarah Cohodes enjoyed a weekend
in the woods last summer with
spouses (including Elisabeth’s
wife, Cat Vanderwaart ’03) and
children. Sarah was promoted to
associate professor of economics
and education at Teachers College,
Columbia University. Britta and
family moved to NYC, where
she started a sociolinguistics
and Chinese faculty position at
Fordham.
Eugene Palatulan is a physical
medicine and rehabilitation
resident at N.Y. Presbyterian–
Columbia/Cornell. He bought a
house in the Bronx with a little
backyard, something he never had
growing up.
Matt Draper is in his fifth year as
a farmer at North Valley Organics in
Albuquerque, N.M., trying to figure
everything out next to an acequia.
He met his wife in Ecuador in 2010.
They have two children, Adela, 6,
and Elias, 2.
In October, Joy Mills married
Daniel Worth, her partner of nine
years, atop a mesa in Chimayo,
N.M. Joining in the festivities were
Zach Pezzementi, Nick Guerette,
Elizabeth McDonald, Susan Wilker,
Katie McAlister, Kate Groner, Ben
Carlisle, Matthew Draper, Josh
Hudner, Thomas Showalter ’06,
Caroline Carlson ’06, Autumn
Quinn ’04, Emily Thomforde
’04, Sarah Crane Newman ’04,
Maria Alvarez ’04, and Elinore
Kaufman ’04. Joy finished a
psycholinguistics master’s at the
University of York and is moving
back to Melbourne, Australia.
2007
Kristin Leitzel Hoy
kleitzel@gmail.com
Katie Crawford Cohen lives in L.A.
with husband Nim ’06. She has
worked at RAND for two years
and loves it—it’s a great place for
Swatties! This summer, Katie and
Nim welcomed a second matchbox
baby, Ronan Alexander. Son Ilian
is happy as a toddler can be to
become a big brother.
Sonya Reynolds and her wife had
a baby! She doesn’t know what
time or day it is. Luckily, the folks
at the Movement Cooperative,
where she’s a senior data and
technology strategist, have been
very understanding of this inability.
Hopefully, by the time you read this,
her situation will have improved.
The family is spending the first
half of 2020 traveling the U.S.
and Canada. Significant stops
include Atlanta, New Orleans,
Texas, California (Palm Springs and
Oakland), Portland, Ore., British
Columbia (Victoria and Vancouver),
Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Detroit,
Toronto, and Amherst Island,
Ontario. If you have queer-familyfriendly recommendations on this
route, let them know! They happily
reside in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Juliet Braslow, Carlos Villafuerte
’08, and 1-year-old Orion moved
to Bangkok in August. Juliet
works at the U.N. Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific, where she supports
the use of space applications
and digital innovations to help
countries achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals. They look
forward to exploring the region and
welcome Swattie visitors.
James Kalafus moved to the
Detroit metro area, where he began
his tenure in software development
at Thomson Reuters.
Samantha Graffeo Gardner
graduated from the University
of Colorado School of Dental
Medicine in May and moved with
her family to Naples, Fla., for a twoyear pediatric dentistry residency
with the University of Florida.
They’re adjusting to the humidity,
enjoying the beach, and looking
forward to moving back to Colorado
just as soon as they’re able. They
welcome any Swatties visiting the
Sunshine State!
After living in his home state of
New Jersey since 2007, Timothy
Johnson III relocated to sunny
Southern California for a new job
in July. He lives in Orange County
and is adjusting to the perpetual
summer weather. Timothy would
love to reconnect with ’07ers in
the area.
Sarah Cotcamp McGrew finished
an education Ph.D. at Stanford
in June and is now an assistant
professor at the University of
Maryland–College Park. She and
Dillon McGrew are happy to be
back living in D.C.
Kayley Whalen was featured on
MCV Media in Vietnam in a halfhour episode of the show “Come
Out” (bit.ly/KayleyW), where she
shared her story of coming out as a
transgender woman and her work
interviewing transgender people
for her blog, TransWorldView.
com. Kayley is in Saigon and has
conducted interviews in Cambodia,
Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.
Caleb Ward is in Berlin, where he
splits his time between dissertation
writing and adventuring through
the toddler lifeworld.
Maria Maciá finished a federal
clerkship in Phoenix in July.
Although she didn’t clerk for
Judge Mary Murphy Schroeder
’62, she enjoyed working a few
doors down from her office and
hearing stories about her time at
Swarthmore. Maria graduated
with an economics Ph.D. in August
from UChicago—thanks to a lot
of help from Eric Zwick, who was
on her committee—and started
a two-year position as a visiting
associate professor at Notre Dame
Law School, researching and
teaching corporate law. She and
her family—which now includes
Hector, 2—enjoy the slower pace of
life in South Bend, Ind.
Maggie Elwell finished a religion
and society Ph.D. in May and is
now an assistant professor in the
University of Maryland Honors
College. She teaches topics related
to truth, memory, and authority in
literature and religion, and would
love to meet up with D.C.-area
alums to discuss.
2009
Melanie Spaulding
maspauld1@gmail.com
Some ’09ers are going back to
school! Shandra B.P.-Weeks began
grad school at the University of
Michigan. Philip Issa started law
school at Stanford, where he’s
the second-oldest (read: wisest)
student in his class. “Sure, there’s a
lot of reading, but it’s a nice change
of pace from my previous line of
work, reporting the news from Iraq
and Lebanon for the Associated
Press.”
Tom ’07 and Reina Chano Murray
bought a house in Baltimore in
April. It’s walking distance to
Reina’s job at Johns Hopkins, and
it’s a cool rowhouse in a national
register historic district, which
makes the historic preservationist
in her happy. Reina writes: “The old
owners unfortunately loved vines
(I think they were going for an
English country home look, which
an urban rowhouse in Baltimore
most decidedly is not), and we’ve
ripped off, dug out, and killed over
60 giant bags of wisteria, English
ivy, clematis, and grapevines that
were crawling on the facade and
damaging the brick. That’s been
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
67
class notes
fun. But we’re relatively settled
and welcome any Swatties to come
visit!”
Cristian Nunez and wife Heather
moved to Greensboro, N.C.,
ending their five-year adventure
in Anchorage, Alaska. Heather
accepted a position with UNC–
Greensboro, and Cristian manages
the private equity portfolio for
the tribal organization of the
Prince William Sound region
of Alaska. They bought an old
home so have been dabbling in
historic preservation work on the
weekends.
Katherine Hicks-Courant
and husband Aaron Schwartz
welcomed daughter Dina Schwartz
in April. Katherine finished an
OB-GYN residency, and in June,
she and Dina moved to the Philly
area for Katherine to start a
gynecologic oncology fellowship at
Penn. Aaron is in Boston but will
join Katherine and Dina next year;
they’re excited to get reacquainted
with Philly! In other news from
our medical contingent, Aleta
Hong graduated from emergency
medicine residency this June
and is now an attending at the
University of Maryland, Baltimore.
She frequently looks around for
the attending before remembering
that she is the attending. When
not working, Aleta can be found
hiking, planning her next vacation,
or coordinating trips to D.C. to hang
out with Peter Evangelakis, Lin Gyi,
and Eric Loui.
Teddy Pozo, in Providence, R.I.,
is in their second year of teaching
modern culture and media at
Brown: “Come say hi if you are
in New England!” Christopher
Compton has been “bouncing
around NYC, moving from Harlem
to Brooklyn to Queens. Just
this month I started studying
social work at Hunter College in
Manhattan. I still spend a lot of
time with Niccolo Aeed ’10 and
keep in close contact with Brendan
Work ’10.”
After graduation, Louis Rosenberg
earned a J.D. from Georgetown,
clerked for a federal judge in
Delaware, studied ethics in a
yeshiva in Jerusalem for two years,
structured real estate transactions
at a Manhattan law firm for four
years (and counting), married wife
68
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
Aliza, and is the proud father of the
cutest angel, Rafael (“Rafi”), born
on Mother’s Day 2019. Mazel tov!
2011
Debbie Nguyen
dnguyen616@gmail.com
Ming Cai
mcai223@gmail.com
Sarah Pearlstein is in her last year
of clinical psychology grad school
in Long Beach, Calif., where she
passed her dissertation defense
and is doing a rotation in women’s
mental health and trauma. Amber
Kavka-Warren started her seventh
year at UCLA. She finished her
law degree and is working on
completing a philosophy Ph.D.
Candice Nguyen finished a
clerkship with Judge Allyson K.
Duncan of the 4th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in Raleigh, N.C.,
and started as an associate at the
law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters
in San Francisco. Rebecca Woo
entered her fifth year of graduate
school, trudging away through a
school psychology Ph.D. program.
She is still married to a nonSwattie.
Kathryn Stockbower moved to
Denver for a primary care sports
medicine fellowship at Children’s
Hospital Colorado. She loves
the proximity to the Rockies and
outdoorsy culture—maybe she
will even get over her fear of
downhill skiing! Jake Mrozewski
finished a neurology residency
at the University of Colorado and
started a fellowship in behavioral
neurology and neuropsychiatry.
His second fellowship, in epilepsy,
begins in July.
Karen Shen is finishing an
internal medicine residency at
Washington University in St.
Louis and will be a hospitalist next
year! Jonah Bernhard completed
a physics Ph.D. at Duke and is
now a data scientist at Lowe’s
in Mooresville, N.C. Jonathan
Jaquette received a mathematics
Ph.D. from Rutgers in 2018.
WINTER 2020
Cecilia Marquez left her NYU job
to teach Latinx history in Duke’s
history department. Bill Beck got
married and started as a visiting
assistant professor of classics at
Indiana University Bloomington.
Scott Weiss started teaching in
the classics department at Knox
College in Galesburg, Ill.
Shilpa Boppana is (still!) in
graduate school in Oxford, Miss.,
working on her dissertation. She
is learning about beekeeping
and made her first hive visits last
summer. She also caught up with
Zoe Davis and Lucas Janes in NYC
in August.
Ray Zuniga teaches in Virginia
Tech’s Center for Public
Administration and Policy. He still
wears Kansas City-related things
most days (nice KC dress socks
when he is in the classroom).
After working in electrical
engineering in Boston for a few
years, Trevor Rizzolo entered
Carnegie Mellon for an M.S. in
circuit design. He graduated and
moved to the San Francisco area
to job-hunt. Brendan McVeigh is
completing a statistics Ph.D. at
Carnegie Mellon and lives only a
few blocks from former Wharton EF
co-RA Summer Miller-Walfish.
Dan Hwang is finishing school
at Johns Hopkins, studying
cryptography and researching
distributed systems. He started a
blockchain onboarding platform
in Korea and has been building a
decentralized exchange.
Eva McKend moved to D.C. to
cover Congress for Spectrum
News. She misses the community
and the outdoors that her old home
in Burlington, Vt., afforded, but she
is slowly discovering good hiking in
the mountains in Virginia. Calvin Ho
enjoys life in the D.C. area, where
he designs clinical trials.
Nell Bang-Jensen was named the
new artistic director of Theatre
Horizon in Norristown, Pa. She lives
in Philly. Dina Kopansky just bought
a house in West Philly.
Stephan Lefebvre is still in his
economics Ph.D. program, but
he is on fellowship for the year
teaching undergrads at Ithaca.
Since graduating from Penn Dental
Medicine in June, Joanie Jean
has moved to Hartford to start a
pediatric dental residency program
at the University of Connecticut
Health Center.
Brian Ratcliffe graduated last
year from the SUNY College
of Environmental Science and
Forestry with an applied ecology
master’s and from Syracuse’s
Maxwell School of Citizenship
and Public Affairs with a master’s
in public administration. He
is completing a Presidential
Management Fellowship at the U.S.
Forest Service’s D.C. headquarters
in the Recreation, Heritage, and
Volunteer Resources office. Brian
lives in Arlington, Va., with partner
Rachel Camp.
Niki Machac married Andy Lim in
NYC, and Amelia Kidd was among
the bridesmaids. Also in attendance
were Eva Amessé, Althea Gaffney,
Arik Davidson, Abe Bae, Sally
Chang, Amlan Bhattacharjee,
and Jason Bronstein ’05. Niki is
generally surviving an OB-GYN
residency at Rutgers New Jersey
Medical School in Newark.
Eva Amessé is manager of
learning and development at
Sony Music. In April, she was
a facilitator for the Coca-Cola
Scholars Foundation’s Leadership
Development Institute. Amelia
Kidd, Peter Liebenson, Sara
Lipshutz, Niki Machac, and Dante
Fuoco ’12 celebrated Eva’s marriage
to Matt Diogenes Hamilton.
Alex Hollender lives in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and is a
designer for Wikipedia. He hopes
to move to the Hudson Valley in
the next few months to experiment
with non-city life and learn about
farming.
Ruby Bhattacharya was elected
the International Association for
College Admission Counseling’s
vice president for admissions and
enrollment practices.
After graduating from law school
and moving from Massachusetts
to L.A. to clerk for two years, Noah
Marks got married, moved to
Brooklyn, and spent the past year
working on grant-tax compliance
at the Open Society Foundations.
In September, he started as an
associate at Paul, Weiss in NYC. He
would love to reconnect with area
Swatties.
Andrew Loh started a dual degree
program: a master in public policy
at the Harvard Kennedy School
and an MBA at Stanford. Susanna
Mitro started what she hopes to
be the last year of an epidemiology
Ph.D. at Harvard’s School of Public
Health. She’s crossing things off
her Boston bucket list and looks
forward to finishing!
Law student Sam Barrows spent
last summer working for Judge
Indira Talwani and will work at
Latham & Watkins next semester.
Laura Keeler has worked in
acquisitions at MIT Press for four
years and still moonlights as a
quasi-caterer for large groups of
hippies convening in woods.
Josh Abel started a new job at
Analysis Group in Boston in August
after receiving an economics Ph.D.
And I, Debbie Nguyen, started
a new job at Foster America, a
nonprofit recruiting cross-sector
leaders to help transform the child
welfare system. Josh and I live in
Cambridge, Mass.
2013
J. Paige Grand Pré
jpgrandpre@gmail.com
Another season, another round of
exciting announcements from our
peers! First, it’s time to celebrate
a few newly minted graduates:
Becca Roelofs graduated from UC–
Berkeley with a computer science
Ph.D., so she’s now Dr. Roelofs!
She is looking for opportunities.
Lucas Zullo graduated from UT
Southwestern Medical Center with
a clinical psychology Ph.D. He
started a postdoctoral fellowship
in UCLA’s Youth Stress and Mood
Program, where he conducts
research on adolescent suicide
prevention. Elliot Padgett finished
a Ph.D. at Cornell and moved to
D.C. for a fellowship in the U.S.
Department of Energy Fuel Cell
Technologies Office. Elliot would
love to meet up with Swatties
in the area. Farther north, Ariel
Finegold graduated from Harvard
Business School. Congrats to all of
the above!
Meanwhile, classmates continue
to make exciting career moves.
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languages. Log in or activate your account to continue
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Vishaal Chhabria moved to San
Francisco for a job as senior
engineer at SafelyYou, an earlystage startup that prevents falls in
dementia patients. Kyle Erf left his
job at Google to make video games
for a living. His company’s first
game, Dodo Peak, is available on
Apple Arcade. Moses Harding left
his job at Agio, a managed service
provider, and started as a solutions
architect at Neota Logic, a no-code
software platform empowering
clients to create their own web
applications without the need for
developers. Brian Huser moved
to his hometown of Cleveland
and is happily teaching high
school mathematics again. Taryn
Colonnese moved to southern
Vermont and is teaching a third-/
fourth-grade combo class at a tiny
public school in Marlboro. She
would love to connect with other
Swatties in the region.
Throughout the country and
beyond, classmates celebrated
exciting milestones and look
forward to future opportunities.
Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya
welcomed daughter Sophia on
May 21. Sophia is doing fine, but
Eugenia notes that parenting is
by far the hardest class she’s ever
taken. Kai Tucker is a third-year
med student at Michigan State
University College of Human
Medicine in Flint, helping to care
for and volunteer with the families
affected by the water crisis. Sydni
Adler has become Rabbi Sydni
Adler Rubinstein, as she married
(now Rabbi) Feivel Rubinstein
in April and was ordained at the
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
in May. Swarthmore guests
included Joanna Venator, who
was a bridesmaid. Sydni and Feivel
moved from L.A. to Shreveport, La.,
in June for Sydni’s new position
at Agudath Achim Synagogue.
Alejandro Sills celebrated five years
with his virtual communications
company and is training for his
third marathon. In between,
Alejandro still plays cello and
composes. After his equity vested,
Andrew Greenblatt phased himself
out of his New York startup to
harvest dates on a kibbutz in Israel.
His trip is delightfully open-ended.
And last, but certainly not least,
Anna Shechtman was featured in
the Daily Beast article “She’s One
of the Youngest Puzzle Designers
in America. Can She Save
Crosswords?” (bit.ly/AShechtman).
Stay tuned to find out!
2015
Abigail Frank
abigail.cr.frank@gmail.com
Nate Cheek
nathan.n.cheek@gmail.com
Chelsea Matzko got married in
July in Miami with more than 20
Swatties in attendance! She is a
clinical research coordinator in
orthopedic surgery in NYC, and is
applying to medical school.
Danielle Fitzgerald started as an
assistant director of admissions
at Penn on the marketing and
communications team. She is the
territory manager for South SF Bay
and Central Valley in California.
Tally Erickson spent the past
two years in the Twin Cities,
working at College Possible as an
adviser for low-income students,
and just moved to California with
Scoop Ruxin, who started an MBA
program at Stanford this fall.
Despite disliking almost every
second of it, Ruth Talbot watched
the entirety of Falling Inn Love
and then cried herself to sleep
wondering why she isn’t living a
more fulfilling life.
Kate Wiseman is in her fifth (!)
year as a teacher. In addition to
teaching an amazing literature
class to 140 sophomores, she is
living her dream of teaching improv
to high schoolers. She still dabbles
in triathlons and performs onstage
about four times a month.
Lauren Barlow is alive and well in
Chicago, despite not responding
to her best friends’ call for class
notes. When not enjoying theater
with Kate Wiseman or pretending
to know what Julia Murphy does
in medical school, she is traveling
to her territories for her UChicago
admissions job and promises to be
better at fulfilling her friendship
obligations in the future.
After a few sunny years teaching
English in Spain, Natalia Choi is
back to winters with her new job
in Minnesota as a family programs
educator at the Minneapolis
Institute of Art.
Hannah Armbruster lives in
D.C. and is a federal regulator of
individual and small-group health
insurance plans (aka Obamacare).
She is heartbroken that Netflix’s
Tuca & Bertie was canceled.
Karl Barkley moved back from
Chengdu, China, in April and landed
in San Francisco. In August, he had
the distinct pleasure of marrying
two of his best friends, Matt
Sharma and Ellen Bachmannhuff.
Danielle Delpeche lives in Osaka,
Japan, and hopes to enter grad
school in 2020–21 for a master’s
degree. She got into Japanese
archery after a trip to Tamba,
WINTER 2020
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
69
class notes
Hyogo, and is looking to join a good
dojo.
Patrick Ross is a speechwriter at
West Wing Writers and lives in D.C.
After completing a business
master’s in India, Shashwati Rao
moved to London for a yearlong
assignment with Apple. Aside
from selling phones, she hopes to
explore Europe and meet Swatties
in that part of the world.
Neil Macfarland married Michelle
Etchison and planned to tour
Tuscany before returning home to
their cat in Detroit.
Channeling Elle Woods, the Class
of 2015 is thriving in law school!
After four years of wallowing as
a D.C. swamp creature, Natalie
Giotta moved to New Haven, Conn.,
to attend Yale Law. She encourages
everyone to go to law school,
because the fancy firms sponsor
keggers, the profs drop F-bombs in
morning lecture, and all the pizza
is free.
Ray Lefco graduated from Boston
University with a neuroscience
M.A. in August and moved to
Cambridge, Mass., to start at
Harvard Law (where they plan to
get involved in bioethics research).
Ray just adopted three pet rats,
and is watching Star Trek TNG on
Netflix, reading The Last Unicorn
by Peter S. Beagle, and doing
laundry right now.
Amanda Epstein started her
second year of law school, after
spending the summer working at
the New Orleans public defenders’
office. She looks forward to a
year of studying the (fascinating)
federal rules of evidence, and
spending many a long night
thinking about how to abolish
prisons/whether progressive
federalism is really a thing.
Cole Turner is a 2L at
Northwestern Law and lives in
Chicago, where he plans to practice
when he graduates. Sabrina Singh
is in her final year at Harvard Law.
Swatties are also doing great
things in grad school! Ari Gewirtz
is in her fifth year at Princeton and
gives a loving shout-out to Martin
Mathay in Seattle for late-night
commiserating over Ph.D. journeys.
Peter Amadeo is completing an
organic chemistry dissertation at
Penn. He is in desperate need of
warm wishes—and also a job.
70
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
Alexander Noyes is finishing
a Ph.D. at Yale, studying
developmental and cognitive
psychology. His research
can be read paywall-free at
AlexanderNoyes.com.
Josh Gregory graduated from
Harvard Divinity School and began
as an instructor of record in the
University of Houston’s English
lit department, where he’s also a
poetry MFA student in the creative
writing program.
Sofia Gabriel completed a marine
biology master’s at UMass–
Dartmouth on the movement and
behavior of white sharks and will
continue her study off the coasts of
eastern Australia and Mossel Bay,
South Africa, as a Ph.D. student at
the University of Tasmania.
David Lin moved back to L.A. to
pursue an MBA at UCLA Anderson
School of Management.
Andrew Karas moved back to
Philly from New York to start a
two-year MBA at Wharton, focused
on real estate development. As per
Wharton custom, he lives in Center
City and reports it is almost as
good as Crown Heights.
Joe Hagedorn defied predictions,
moved to Scranton, Pa., and
started at Geisinger Commonwealth
School of Medicine. So far, class
has definitely and extensively
established that the mitochondrion
is the powerhouse of the cell.
Last in more ways than one,
Abigail Frank and Nate Cheek
continue to thrive (depending on
how you define “thrive”—let’s not
get technical). Abigail has thrilling
adventures in the Big Apple, and
Nate has thrilling adventures
buying big apples from the
ShopRite in Princeton, N.J.
2017
Isabel Clay
isabelmarieclay@gmail.com
Emily Wu
emilywu1456@gmail.com
Many classmates began their law
careers this year. Patrick Holland
WINTER 2020
finished hiking the Appalachian
Trail in August and started his
first year at Yale Law School. He is
joined at Yale by Irene Kwon and
Timmy Hirschel-Burns, who just
finished a two-year Peace Corps
commitment in Benin. Michael
Rubayo began at Georgetown Law
this fall. If anyone is in D.C., feel
free to reach out to him! Drew
Langan began Duke Law School
this fall. Peter Daniels is in his
second year at Harvard Law; he
will pursue an environmental
law career in the Bay Area next
summer and, hopefully, after
graduation.
Also pursuing advanced
degrees, Tushar Kundu started
an economics Ph.D. at Columbia,
while Joshua Goldstein started
a mathematics Ph.D. program at
Texas A&M. Briana Cox is studying
speech-language pathology at
Purdue, where she received the
Students Pursuing Academic
Research Careers scholarship
and a position in the American
Speech-Language-Hearing
Association’s Minority Student
Leadership Program. She is also
finalizing the staged reading for
her first theater piece, Big Dry
Run, premiering in Nashville,
Tenn. Drew Mullins began at Penn
State College of Medicine this
summer. He is thankful to be close
to Philly, where he stays in touch
with Robert Abishek and Tyler
Alexander.
Outside of academia, Olivia
Cheng lives in San Francisco and
is a product manager at Earnin.
She spends a lot of time watching
The Great British Bake Off. Amit
Schwalb works with teenagers,
farmers, and the great outdoors
at Saul Agricultural High School
in Philly. In spare time, Amit is
organizing for a more powerful
teachers’ union alongside many
fellow Swatties in the district.
Isabel Clay completed a master’s
in urban education policy from
Loyola Marymount and is the ESL
program coordinator at University
Prep High School in L.A.
In November 2018, Margaret
Hughes finished 17 months of
organizing on Massachusetts’s
Yes on 3 campaign, the first to
successfully uphold a statewide
trans-nondiscrimination law at the
ballot. A big shout-out to Canaan
Breiss ’16, Christen Boas Hayes ’16,
Aaron Wagener, Wesley Han ’18,
Gabe Benjamin ’15, Caroline Batten
’14, Lang Haynes ’12, Ben “Books”
Schwartz ’13, Shelly Wen ’14, and
Jay Wu ’15, who all phone-banked
and canvassed! Margaret, Jay, and
Malt the cat moved in together in
D.C. in February.
Abroad, Maddy Feldman visited
Heitor Santos in São Paulo (and
watched him teach his middle
schoolers!) during her year as
a Fulbright English teaching
assistant at a federal university in
Goiânia, Brazil. Eduard Saakashvili
and Adina Spertus-Melhus moved
to Berlin, where Adina is pursuing
a public policy degree from the
Hertie School of Governance while
Eduard works as an editor for Coda
Story, a crisis reporting outlet. If
you’re passing through Berlin, visit
them. (Email eduardsaakashvili@
gmail.com.)
This summer also marked
milestones for new Swarthmore
households. Rebecca Mayeda and
Jonathan Saltzman got married in
Kauai this summer with Katherine
Ianni and Ursula Monaghan as
co-maids of honor, Sierra Spencer
’18 and Nicole Phalen ’18 as
bridesmaids, and Dylan Gerstel
as best man. Jon’s mom, Audrey
Newell ’74, brother David Saltzman
’12, and friend Chris Bourne were
also present to celebrate with the
newlyweds. Two months later,
Becca started medical school
at Temple. Meg Bost and Isaac
Little visited Iceland this summer
and adopted a black Lab/German
shepherd mix named Bo (short for
Bilbo Waggins).
Congrats, Class of 2017, on the
achievements made in academic,
professional, and personal lives!
2019
Editor’s note: Your class needs
a scribe! If you’re interested in
becoming 2019’s class secretary,
please contact Class Notes Editor
Elizabeth Slocum at classnotes@
swarthmore.edu.
their light lives on
our friends will never be forgotten
expanded tributes at bulletin.swarthmore.edu
Johanna Davies Freiler ’45
Johanna, whose career included
secretarial positions in law,
government, and corporate research,
died Aug. 2, 2019.
“Jon” left Swarthmore to assist with
the war effort as a secretary in New
York and later earned a degree from
the University of Connecticut. Her
interests included history, world and
national news, cats, and family, and she
learned to dance as a child in a studio
run by Gene Kelly.
Edmund Jones ’39
Edmund, a military veteran,
lawyer, bank founder, and public
official, died Sept. 14, 2019.
A Swarthmore resident for
almost nine decades, Edmund
served in numerous elected
roles, including mayor, state
representative, and Delaware
County Council member.
Patricia Montenyohl Bostian ’46
Patricia, a scientific librarian who
dedicated much of her time to serving
others, died April 27, 2018.
A Spanish major at Swarthmore,
Patricia later worked at the Forrestal
Research Center, drawn by her love of
reading. An avid traveler and gardener,
Patricia also enjoyed volunteering with
the Junior League, Meals on Wheels,
and other groups, through which she
typed braille, taught English, testing
hearing, and repaired hymnals and
prayer books.
Nancy Fitts Donaldson ’46
A longtime Quaker school educator and
mentor known to Swarthmore friends
as “Fittsy,” Nancy died Sept. 26, 2019.
Nancy began her career as a fourthgrade teacher and later took on
administrative roles in Philadelphiaarea Quaker schools, including
Lansdowne Friends, Abington Friends,
and the Shipley School.
A proud supporter of the Chester
Children’s Chorus, she also supervised
student-teachers in Swarthmore’s
Educational Studies Department.
William Wright NV
William, a veteran and surgeon who
enjoyed golfing, skiing, and sailing, died
July 26, 2019.
A Penn grad, William received an
M.D. from Temple Medical School and
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in memoriam
later earned a Ph.D. for his work with
the development of an early heart-lung
machine. He was also a single-engine,
multi-engine, and instrument-rated
pilot, and spent many enjoyable hours
flying.
Dale Shoup Mayer ’47
Dale, an economics major and
entrepreneur committed to bettering
her community, died Oct. 2, 2019.
Dale received a master of
international affairs degree from
Columbia and worked as an economic
analyst for Standard Oil before
opening the independent bookstore
Paperbacks Plus in Riverdale, N.Y. She
also co-founded a mail-order clothing
craft business, served two terms as
selectman of Sandwich, N.H., and took
part in numerous civic committees.
Volkert Veeder ’47
A Navy veteran of World War II who
ultimately graduated from Rutgers,
Volkert died Aug. 23, 2019.
Volkert taught physics at Admiral
Farragut Academy in New Jersey and
then worked for Poultrymen’s Service
Corp. for many years. He was also a
Life Master of the Master American
Contract Bridge League and an avid
Philadelphia Eagles fan, with the
distinction of being the longest seasonticket holder.
Virginia Butts Cryer ’48
A homemaker, psychometrician, and
mother of three, Virginia died Sept. 3,
2019.
Ginny was a psychology major at
Swarthmore, where she met husband
Richard ’49, and had served as class
treasurer and class agent.
Michael Fabrikant ’49
A political science major who received
an MBA from Columbia, Michael died
July 27, 2019.
Michael was drafted into World
War II during his sophomore year at
Swarthmore and stationed in Panama
to guard the canal. He spent the
majority of his career at IBM and was
an avid bike rider, often seen tackling
tough hills on Martha’s Vineyard on his
yellow bicycle.
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Kathryn Wolfe Roether ’49
David Rubinstein ’54
Kathryn, an English literature major
who went on to receive a master of
education from Temple, died Oct. 28,
2019.
A mother of two, Kathryn was onehalf of a Quaker matchbox marriage to
Hermann Roether ’50, who died in 1999.
Heinz Valtin ’49
Heinz, a revered professor emeritus of
physiology who had long, stellar career
in academic medicine, died Oct. 11,
2019.
Born in Germany, Heinz fled the
Nazis with his mother and two brothers
(including Rolf ’48) just before
Kristallnacht in 1938. He majored
in biology at Swarthmore, where for
many years he held the Garnet pole
vault record. As a faculty member at
Dartmouth Medical School, which he
joined in 1957, Heinz made pioneering
kidney observations and wrote three
highly influential textbooks on renal
function that were translated into
several languages.
Warren Geary ’50
Warren, a Navy commander who
served during World War II and in the
reserves, died Feb. 28, 2018.
An avid ham radio operator, Warren
received a chemistry degree from
Rutgers University.
Wallace Francis ’51
Wallace, who had a long career at the
U.S. State Department heading the
Information Systems Office, died Sept.
3, 2019.
Wally served in the Navy as an ensign
and earned a master’s from Columbia
University Graduate School. In his later
years, he brought wit, intelligence, and
hard work to bear on many projects in
New Hampshire, chief among them the
conservation of forested land to protect
the state’s watershed.
Dolores Webster Clark ’54
Dolores, an English teacher who lived
life with joy, exuberance, and gratitude,
died June 28, 2019.
An athlete at Swarthmore, where she
met her husband of 64 years, Steve ’52,
“Dee” later coached the girls’ lacrosse
Ariel Hollinshead Hyun ’51
Ariel, a pioneering cancer scientist
and professor emerita of medicine
at George Washington University,
died Sept. 10, 2019.
A former national president of
Graduate Women in Science, Ariel
carried out groundbreaking clinical
research on tumor antigens, cancer
vaccines, and immunotherapy,
much of which is of ongoing
foundational significance today.
Among many honors, she was
named the USA Bicentennial
Medical Woman of the Year in
1976 by the Joint Board of Medical
Colleges.
and field hockey teams at Severn School
in Maryland. She loved to snow ski,
especially in Breckinridge, Colo., and
enjoyed traveling, dancing, and playing
tennis and bridge.
Jared Darlington ’54
A computer scientist and logician with
a keen wit and skill for writing, Jared
died Oct. 25, 2019.
After receiving a Ph.D. from Yale
in 1957, Jared taught philosophy at
Connecticut College and Wellesley
before eventually moving to Bonn,
Germany, where he spent 33 years
as a computer science researcher.
Jared enjoyed scenic drives in the
German countryside, fine cuisine,
classical music, and books from his
large and varied library, and his Quaker
upbringing instilled in him a strong
sense of justice.
A social historian who wrote on
education, housing, the labor
movement, and women’s history, David
died July 28, 2019.
Born in Ohio, David completed
a Ph.D. at the London School of
Economics, and became a British
citizen in 1964. While teaching at Hull
University, David was also active with
the walkers’-rights organization the
Ramblers, serving on its executive
committee from 1967 to 1988 and
pioneering the route of the Wolds Way
national trail.
Jane Woodbridge Sieverts ’55
Jane, whose professional career
took her into editing and publishing,
bookselling, and nursing, died July 23,
2019.
A lifelong reader with wide-ranging
interests, including history, archeology,
and geology, Jane earned a degree
in history from Swarthmore and in
nursing from American University.
Writes daughter Lisa: “She was
known for her unending intellectual
curiosities, her Christmas cookies, her
passion for dance, music, theater, and
the arts, her devotion to her family, and
the joy she took in being a grandmother.
… She drew added enjoyment from her
travels, as they went in tandem with her
intellectual passions, visiting the cave
paintings in Lascoux, archaeological
digs in Italy and France, and the Vasa
ship in Stockholm, Sweden.”
Elizabeth Murphey
von Frankenberg ’55
Elizabeth, a social worker who gave
her time to numerous social service
organizations, died Oct. 18, 2019.
A psychology major at Swarthmore,
“Bettie” received a master of social
work in psychiatric casework from
Bryn Mawr and worked for numerous
agencies in Philadelphia, Ithaca,
N.Y., and Delaware. She was an active
member of the New Castle County
Master Gardeners, the Newark Area
Welfare Committee, the Arthritis
Foundation, and other groups, and
in 1993 received the University of
Delaware Women’s Club Woman of the
Year Award.
Craig Ash ’56
A literature lover who taught English
for more than 35 years, Craig died Oct.
11, 2019.
Craig, who spent most of his career at
Adelphi University, also had a passion
for music, playing piano and organ for
almost his entire life. An avid train
enthusiast, he enjoyed building model
railroads and visiting any location that
had a steam engine, subway car, or
trolley.
Wesley Argo ’57
Wesley, a recipient of Swarthmore’s
McCabe Achievement Award who later
chaired its selection committee for 31
years, died Aug. 11, 2019.
Employed by Scott Paper Co. his
entire professional career, Wes rose to
become vice president of international
affiliate services, which combined his
passion for engineering with his love of
travel. He later formed two engineering
and research consulting ventures
and pursued his lifelong hobby of
genealogical research.
Donald Tucker ’60
A retired economist who worked for the
Federal Reserve Board and Congress,
Donald died Aug. 28, 2019.
Don received an economics Ph.D.
from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and, after working at the
Fed, served as chief economist of the
House Subcommittee on Commerce,
Consumer and Monetary Affairs until
1994.
Katharine Nicely Emsden ’61
Katharine, an educator, adventurer, and
advocate for many, died Nov. 25, 2018.
Writes daughter Pamela: “Though
I knew she was always busy, I did not
know she read at the poetry reading
each month, that she had postermaking nights at her house for fracking
protests, that she would host a Quaker
meeting and a traveling Buddhist and
Latter-day Saints at her house all
within two days, that she helped dig a
trail system, that she volunteered each
week to take out the trash for the local
gallery, that she wrote articles for the
paper, that she tutored some of the most
challenging students, and on and on—
each one of equal importance to her.”
Eleanor Wehmiller Fernald ’61
Eleanor, a former teacher who lived her
life as an art form, died July 19, 2019.
A psychology major, Ellie received a
master’s in education from Harvard and
taught in Swarthmore public schools
and at the School in Rose Valley in
Pennsylvania. Though she enjoyed
many rewarding years of teaching, she
would come to feel that her greatest
love was using her hands “to make
stuff,” including pottery, papier maché,
ceramics, and paintings, which she
created in her own studio in Seattle.
John Oglesby II ’62
John, a pioneer in interventional
radiology and co-inventor of the WillsOglesby Percutaneous Gastrostomy Set,
died Oct. 3, 2019.
Nancy Sturtevant Burleson ’55
A freelance editor and development
director for the Wardlaw-Hartridge
School in New Jersey, Nancy died
Sept. 6, 2019.
Nancy was committed to supporting
nonprofits, serving on the boards of
Wardlaw-Hartridge, the Skidompha
Public Library, the Genesis
Community Loan Fund, and the Inn
Along the Way. She was a lay leader
in the Methodist Church and enjoyed
opera, classical, and sacred music.
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73
A history major and conscientious
objector to the draft during his time
at Swarthmore, “Skip” later earned a
medical degree from the University
of Connecticut and a master of public
health from Harvard. Proficient in five
languages, Skip was a fierce advocate
for immigrant and refugee patients
at Massachusetts General Hospital’s
Chelsea Healthcare Center, where
he spent most of his career. In 2009,
he received a Partners in Excellence
Award for Outstanding Performance
and Commitment to Excellence.
Palin Spruance III ’63
Palin, a certified public accountant and
financial planner, died Aug. 13, 2019.
A psychology major and football
player at Swarthmore, “Terry” went
on to receive a master’s in medieval
English history from the University of
Delaware before studying accounting
at UNC–Asheville. He enjoyed chess,
bridge, and sports, and completed at
least one Sudoku puzzle a day.
Edwenna Rosser Werner ’63
Edwenna, a wife, mother, grandma, and
friend, died Sept. 11, 2019.
“She lived a full life of family,
music, friendship, and service to her
community,” her obituary reads. “All of
us who were lucky enough to know her
miss her terribly. We will never forget
how she touched our lives, and how she
brought us together.”
Richard Laquer ’69
A passionate lawyer who lived by
the motto “Nothing in moderation,”
Richard died Jan. 2, 2019.
Richard finished his undergrad at
Temple University, then received a
joint J.D. and MBA from the University
of Oklahoma. He practiced law in
Oklahoma City for almost 40 years
as both a prosecutor and defense
attorney, where one of his proudest
accomplishments was the litigation
of a class action lawsuit that benefited
thousands who’d had their driver’s
licenses unfairly suspended.
Alexandra O’Karma ’70
Alexandra, an actress who appeared
in plays across the U.S., Canada, and
Britain, died Sept. 6, 2019.
An English literature major at
Swarthmore, Alexandra could also
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Martin Weitzman ’63
A lauded economist who warned
of the threats of climate change,
Martin died Aug. 27, 2019.
Martin taught at Yale and MIT
before joining Harvard in 1989
as a professor of economics. He
published widely, was elected
as a fellow of the Econometric
Society and the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences,
served as a Faculty Fellow at
the Harvard Environmental
Economics Program (HEEP),
and for more than 25 years cohosted the Harvard Seminar in
Environmental Economics and
Policy.
be seen in films such as Terms of
Endearment and Refuge. “She was
a woman of rare beauty, wit, and
intellectual curiosity,” her loved ones
wrote, “and bore a long illness with
unimaginable courage.”
Elisha Atkins ’71
Elisha, a physician whose commitment
to social causes led him to primary care
and community medicine, died Aug. 7,
2019.
Submit an obituary
Rick Reitze ’71
Rick, a successful inventor and
entrepreneur, died Aug. 24, 2019.
A biology major at Swarthmore,
Rick served in the U.S. Army and
participated in several archaeological
digs in England. He was also an
avid book collector and a bicycling
enthusiast.
Donald Roberson ’74
Donald, a political science and
engineering major at Swarthmore, died
Nov. 29, 2018.
Margaret Thomas Redmon ’79
A Quaker who served as director at
Friends School of Louisville, Ky.,
Margaret died Aug. 22, 2019.
Margie received a master’s in
business from the University of
Louisville and was well-known
for her work with numerous local
organizations, including the Lincoln
Foundation and Peace Education
Program, on whose boards she served. A
loving mother and doting grandmother,
Margie was also an avid ballroom
dancer. “She touched the lives of many
with her generosity and compassion,”
loved ones wrote, “and will be
remembered for her easy friendship
and giving spirit.”
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.
looking back
GIFTED ARTIST. Devoted
educator. Cherished wife,
mother, and friend.
When Debra Pinder
Symonette ’78 died of
endometrial cancer in
2009, her husband, Alan
’76, sought to memorialize
her on Swarthmore’s
campus, where the pair
met as students through
the Black Cultural Center.
Rather than dedicating
a tree or bench, Alan—
the second director of the
BCC—envisioned an artful
tribute to his creative late
wife, an art history major
and trained architect with a
talent for crafting.
This memorial was
manifested through a
ceramic pot marking the
front of the Robinson
House. Lovingly created by
Professor of Studio Art Syd
Carpenter, the Symonette
Vessel aims to recognize
the life and spirit of Debra,
as well as the supportive
family that is the BCC.
“Our best relationships
came out of that community
in particular and
Swarthmore in general,”
says Alan, who has since
remarried. “This piece is
my honor and memory to
Debra, and it’s our honor
to what that community
represented to both of us.”
After Swarthmore,
Debra earned a master’s
in architecture from Rice
University and worked at
several Philadelphia-area
firms. She later became a
teacher in Friends schools,
a return to the Quaker
education of her youth.
Though it all, Debra
crafted—drawing, knitting,
crocheting, quilting, and
generally working with her
SYMONETTE FAMILY
A graduate of Temple Medical
School, “Tom” was part of the Berry
Plan as an inactive lieutenant
commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
He was elected a fellow of the American
College of Radiology in 1990, and
retired in 1999 from the Medical Center
of Delaware, where he had served
as section chief of the Vascular and
Interventional Radiology Department
since 1975.
“If there is anything that I hope both of us are remembered for, it’s that spot in the House,” Alan Symonette
’76 (with sons Matthew, Andrew, and Jason in 2011) says of his late wife, Debra Pinder Symonette ’78.
hands. She made shawls as
part of a ministry program
and taught crafts through
her church-based Paper
Crane Studio.
These details and others
are highlighted in her
memorial piece.
“In many African
cultures, the ceramic pot
has powerful symbolic
meaning,” says Carpenter,
who completed the artwork
in 2011. “The handles are in
the form of the lower half
of a seated figure, as seen
on an Egyptian statue. The
absence of the upper body is
evocative of a physical but
not a spiritual absence.”
Debra is present in the
form of the vessel—and
in its embellishments,
Carpenter adds: Carvings of
folded paper cranes adorn
the surface, representing
good fortune and longevity.
It’s a fitting tribute to a
matchbox love, and to the
House where it all began.
—ELIZABETH SLOCUM
LAURENCE KESTERSON
in memoriam
“The vessel has been sited at the entrance to the BCC to signify
the House as a protected space of creativity and peace,” says Professor
of Studio Art Syd Carpenter. “It was my intention that the Symonette
Vessel embody this message, and I hope that it will be joined by other
creative works representing the vitality of the Black Cultural Center on
Swarthmore’s campus.”
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75
spoken word
CHANGING
PERSPECTIVES
by Kate Campbell
AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR of
sociology and a 2019–2020 Engaged
Scholars Initiative Fellow, Nina
Johnson researches the impacts of
mass incarceration and public policy
on Philadelphia neighborhoods. She
talked with the Bulletin about her
studies of race, class, and inequality,
her role in the Black Studies Program,
and who inspires her.
You’re a member of the Graterford
Think Tank and a newly formed
think tank at the State Correctional
Institution in Chester, Pa. Why is
this work on mass incarceration
important?
In the United States, 2.2 million people
are incarcerated—a 500% increase
over the last 40 years. These numbers
are not evenly distributed across the
population. Though people of color are
37% of the U.S. population, they are
67% of the incarcerated population.
Low-income African American men
and women are more likely to be
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
WINTER 2020
arrested, once arrested more likely
to be convicted, and once convicted
more likely to be given a harsher
sentence. This program changes their
perspectives.
We train faculty in a pedagogy that
foregrounds peer-to-peer learning
and facilitate workshops for new
DAs in Philadelphia. Most of these
prosecutors have never been inside a
prison and have never spoken to nor
heard the stories of the people on the
other side of their case. Similarly,
many voters and supporters of
punitive carceral policy have no idea
of the devastating impacts it has on
communities and families. That is
our work—to educate us all toward a
reduction of suffering in the present
and a better, more equitable, more
humane future where we can all be
free.
What do you mean when you talk
about creativity as a strategy with
your students?
My time as coordinator allowed me to
think through the questions around
experiential learning. We’ve had more
and more students interested in going
abroad and interested in learning
about the global Black political
community beyond the boundaries of
nation state. They explore questions of
culture and meaning-making around
Do your students ever change your
views or surprise you?
My students challenge me all the time.
What strikes me the most is the pace
at which they work. I’m struck by
their sense of urgency. They’re deeply
committed to making a more just, fair
world. Part of what I try to encourage
them to do is to prioritize joy, take
time to rest and reflect, think about
how we can all work together and how
they can best use their time, talent,
and resources to create the world they
envision.
Tell us about your upcoming book
Black Privilege: The Paradox of
Status and Stigma in the Lives of
Black Elites.
Everyone who I interviewed for the
book attended elite institutions, and
they were often part of a very small
community of Black students. They
went on to high levels of income
and occupational prestige, but they
have complicated relationships with
their own success, and with the elite
institutions that educate and employ
them, and they still navigate the
isolation and the social distances
within their own families because
they were the ones who “made
it.” Through my observations and
interviews with them, I was able to
uncover the impacts of the Brown v.
Board ruling and other desegregation
policies and programs at the level
of interaction, within relationships,
families, neighborhoods, and political
communities.
TRISTAN ALSTON ’22
LAURENCE KESTERSON
Blackness in its multiplicity of forms.
Students like Brandon Ekweonu ’20,
who presented his work “Hip Hop
Influence: The Fluency of Hip Hop
as a Language for Communicating
Consciousness and History,” along
with Taylor Tucker ’20, who looks at
questions of childhood development
with “Into the Masters’ Hands: The
Carceral Captivity and Exploitation of
Black Female Bodies in Schools and
Beyond.” Those are just two examples
of students who are researching Black
folks in cities and Afrofuturism—they
are looking at creativity as a strategy,
and where they see themselves in the
future.
Swarthmore College Alumni Bulletin 2020-01-01
The Swarthmore College Bulletin is the official alumni magazine of the college. It evolved from the Garnet Letter, a newsletter published by the Alumni Association beginning in 1935. After World War II, college staff assumed responsibility for the periodical, and in 1952 it was renamed the Swarthmore College Bulletin. (The renaming apparently had more to do with postal regulations than an editorial decision. Since 1902, the College had been calling all of its mailed periodicals the Swarthmore College Bulletin, with each volume spanning an academic year and typically including a course catalog issue and an annual report issue, with a varying number of other special issues.)
The first editor of the Swarthmore College Bulletin alumni issue was Kathryn “Kay” Bassett ’35. After a few years, Maralyn Orbison Gillespie ’49 was appointed editor and held the position for 36 years, during which she reshaped the mission of the magazine from focusing narrowly on Swarthmore College to reporting broadly on the college's impact on the world at large. Gillespie currently appears on the masthead as Editor Emerita.
Today, the quarterly Swarthmore College Bulletin is an award-winning alumni magazine sent to all alumni, parents, faculty, staff, friends of the College, and members of the senior class. This searchable collection spans every issue from 1935 to the present.
Swarthmore College
2020-01-01
reformatted digital
The class notes section of The Bulletin has been extracted in this collection to protect the privacy of alumni. To view the complete version of The Bulletin, contact Friends Historical Library.