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SPRING 2021
Periodical Postage
PAID
Philadelphia, PA
and Additional
Mailing Offices
SPACE EXPLORERS
p28
500 College Ave.
Swarthmore, PA 19081–1306
www.swarthmore.edu
SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN
SWARTHMORE IS ANYWHERE YOU ARE.
Connect with our community through online SwatTalks, virtual networking, and home-based
learning opportunities. Visit swarthmore.edu/alumni to learn more.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
CREDIT
FA
S
P LR LI N2G0 2 0 2 1
a stitch in time
MYTH MAKERS
p34
TEAM PLAYERS
p44
in this issue
QUACKING UP
NEW JOURNEYS
44
Away Games
After one year of suspended sports,
three student-athletes share what
they’ve learned.
JAMES POULSON
by Roy Greim ’14
Swimmer Anna Kottakis ’22 traded
Swarthmore’s Ware Pool for Alaska’s
Sitka Sound after COVID-19 canceled
student athletics.
Zane Meyer ’21 prepares to throw a rubber duck from
the roof of Singer Hall into the Science Quad as part of
the Engineering Department’s annual April Fools’ Day
prank on campus. See him in action: bit.ly/SwatDuck
20
2
51
FEATURES
DIALOGUE
CLASS NOTES
Power of Place
Editor’s Column
Alumni News
and Events
A once-neglected Quaker
cemetery in Philadelphia
has grown into an oasis of
community building.
by Sherry L. Howard
34
Winging It
How a student prank led
to one of the College’s
quirkiest traditions.
by Elizabeth Slocum
38
Letters
Community Voices
Johanna Bond ’10
Studentwise
Maya Zimmerman ’21
Books
Global Thinking
Leonard Nakamura ’69
9
COMMON GOOD
84
SPOKEN WORD
Andy Feick
Liberal Arts Lives
Ansa Yiadom ’02
Pinar Karaca-Mandic ’98
Jon Ehrenfeld ’04
WRITE FOR THE FUTURE: In a world
of screens, a well-crafted children’s book, like
The Wheatfield, by Stephen Lang ’73, H’10,
can still hold center stage.
p48
Swarthmore economists
share their perspectives
on how the pandemic has
affected the U.S. economy.
ON THE COVER
Hannah Watkins ’21 created
this vibrant quilt using fabric
donated by students, faculty,
and staff. The concept plays on
the traditional Tree of Life quilt
block. (More, pg. 9)
Looking Back
Swarthmore Stories
Ripple Effect
by Ryan Dougherty
Their Light Lives On
COMBINING
FORCES: Exploring
new heights with John
Mather ’68, H’94 and
his work at NASA with
the James Webb Space
Telescope, set to launch
this October.
p28
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
1
dialogue
ON OUR RADAR
EDITOR’S COLUMN
Walk With Me ...
SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN
Editor
Kate Campbell
Re: Joel Jaffe ’65’s letter (winter 2021), I would vehemently
disagree. We cannot all agree that the endowment should be
apolitical. Many of us don’t believe there is such a thing —
refusing to take a side is taking a side. One of the reasons I
have not donated to the College lately (except to the specific
fund aimed at bridging the gap for low-income students)
is that I do worry about the money being used for causes I
oppose.
— WILLA BANDLER ’01, Walpole, Mass.
Managing Editor
Elizabeth Slocum
Senior Editor
Ryan Dougherty
Staff Writer
Roy Greim ’14
Class Notes Editor
Heidi Hormel
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
Designer
Phillip Stern ’84
Photographer
Laurence Kesterson
KATE
CAMPBELL
Editor
SPRING 2021
Send letters and story ideas to
bulletin@swarthmore.edu
I arrived at Swarthmore in 1974 with a lively interest in the great
Mexican muralists and their depictions of the Mexican Revolution
and in murals generally. Sadly, having no reason to visit Hicks Hall
when I was a student, I didn’t know until I read the winter 2021
Bulletin that the Egleson murals even existed. I’m very grateful
that they’ve been preserved, and with such care. The article does
an admirable job of describing the huge and meticulous task of
transferring the fragile paintings to their new home in Old Tarble.
It is more ambivalent about the paintings themselves, leaving it
largely to the fine reproductions that accompany the text to make
the case for them as art. One really has to read between the lines
to discover any enthusiasm for the murals. I wish someone had
come out and said that these murals are real art and form a living
part of a wonderful epoch in American painting, when, in large
part through the offices of the Works Progress Administration, the
art of Diego Rivera and his peers inspired vibrant, monumental,
politically conscious murals in public buildings across the U.S.
— ANTHONY DANGERFIELD ’78, Medford, Mass.
The Disease of Gun
Violence
There’s a virus afflicting our country that has claimed the
lives of more Americans in the last 50 years than all of our
wars combined. It is equivalent to having a coronavirus-level
pandemic nearly every decade. This virus has nothing to do
with our immune systems: It’s our toxic gun culture. Over 100
Americans are killed by a gun every day, with an additional
230 shot and wounded. Only 1 in 3 Americans own a firearm,
but that’s enough to own 40% of the total civilian-owned
firearms in the world, meaning there are more guns than
there are people in the United States. All this despite the
fact that America doesn’t have a crime problem noticeably
different from other developed countries. If our disillusioned
attitude toward guns is the virus, then gun violence is the
resulting disease. Americans are 25 times more likely to
die from a firearm than people in other developed nations.
We are 10 times more likely to die by suicide with a firearm
(accounting for 60% of all gun deaths). In the last five
years, we’ve averaged nearly 40,000 gun deaths annually.
Addressing gun violence is recognizing that guns are a
problem to begin with: They are the means of violence, not
the prevention. They are the disease, not the cure. This is not
to say guns have no place in society — after all, achieving
viral immunity requires at least some exposure. But a public
health approach rooted in data and empathy, supported by
engaged stakeholders, and leveraging proven measures is a
good place to start. It’s time to get healthy. It’s time to beat
this virus.
— OLIVER HICKS ’22, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
BRUSHSTROKE
Send address changes to
records@swarthmore.edu
The Swarthmore College Bulletin (ISSN
0888-2126), of which this is volume
CXVIII, number III, is published in October,
January, and May by Swarthmore
College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore,
PA 19081-1390. Periodicals postage
paid at Philadelphia, PA, and additional
mailing offices. Permit No. 0530-620.
Postmaster: Send address changes
to Alumni Records, 500 College Ave.,
Swarthmore, PA 19081-1390.
Printed with agri-based inks.
Please recycle after reading.
©2021 Swarthmore College.
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pr inted w
i
th
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
We welcome letters on articles 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. Read the full letters policy at
swarthmore.edu/bulletin.
nd
e
2
swarthmore.edu/bulletin
Email: bulletin@swarthmore.edu
Telephone: 610-328-8533
e c o-fri
“TRULY PAYING ATTENTION to each other
amounts to listening with our hearts, allowing
empathy to guide our steps,” says Professor of
Linguistics and Social Justice Donna Jo Napoli,
a children’s book author. We continue stepping
forward. Moving into spring with a measure of hope
in our hearts. Sharing stories that offer a resounding
chorus to the ideas of resilience, collaboration, and growth. We meet
Swarthmore alumni who are tending a once-neglected Quaker resting place
and helping to turn it into a garden of hope for the Philadelphia neighborhood
surrounding it. We turn our eyes skyward while waiting in anticipation for
the James Webb Space Telescope to launch. Dana Mackenzie ’79’s story about
John Mather ’68, H’94 helps us learn about the inspiration behind decades
of research that has made this NASA mission possible. Back on Earth, we
take a whimsical peek into a Swarthmore tradition that’s lasted decades:
The Pterodactyl Hunt reminds us that daydreaming often leads to creative
enterprise or, in this case, a quirky prank with staying power. And as we
pass the one-year mark of the pandemic, a team of Swarthmore economists
offers insight into how COVID-19 has and will continue to influence cities,
industries, and, most notably, children living in poverty. As the College plans
for a fall semester that will bring more students back to campus, we wanted to
talk with Swarthmore athletes whose seasons of play were halted because of
the pandemic. In Roy Greim ’14’s article, we discover what they learned about
themselves during a year when competition became mostly a solo endeavor.
Finally, Heather Rigney Shumaker ’91’s exploration of the expanding world of
children’s literature leaves us with both the certainty of the relevance of this
medium and a comforting thought: We’re still telling each other stories. What
more powerful way to learn from one another?
Editor Emerita
Maralyn Orbison Gillespie ’49
ly
H-UV
ks
LAURENCE KESTERSON
Administrative Coordinator
Lauren McAloon
by
AN ASIDE ON TAKING SIDES
in
I was very pleased to receive the digital copy of the winter 2021
Bulletin, and startled to see the cover. Here is why (right). Is
this not very, very reminiscent of the image you published? It
is a painting by my wife, Yvonne Schaelchlin Palka ’60, one of
her last. She died tragically
following an accident in
which we were both struck
down while crossing a street
in Minneapolis by a young
driver who was momentarily
distracted by the headlights
of a car coming from the
opposite side. We used
this painting in all of the
celebrations of Yvonne’s life.
I simply wanted to share it
with you.
— JOHNNY PALKA ’60,
Maple Grove, Minn.
We were awestruck by the artistic parallels of the cover photo
of water and food coloring by Laurence Kesterson and this painting
by Yvonne Schaelchlin Palka ’60, who died in November 2019.
Thank you, Mr. Palka, for sharing your wife’s beautiful artwork.
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
3
“We can’t go back to our lives before COVID-19 tore through our communities
and our bodies,” says Johanna Bond ’10, a mental health counselor.
COMMUNITY VOICES
HEALING THROUGH
CURIOSITY
Instilling Swarthmore’s deep listening in the
process of recovery
by Johanna Bond ’10
I FIRST LEARNED the art of deep
listening at Swarthmore. Every space
I picture on campus, I associate
with meaningful, introspective
conversation (and a few lighter
ones, too): midnight chats about the
meaning of life in Willets basement
with Lauren DeLuca ’10 and Carey
Pietsch ’10; whispered discussions
about the process of writing poetry in
McCabe’s corners; relating the daily
events from The New York Times to
the latest psychology lecture while
lounging in a deep Kohlberg chair; and,
of course, the occasional debate about
whether the soccer goalie liked me
back after our brief conversation by
4
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
the tray return in Sharples.
As a licensed mental health
counselor, I’m grateful for the
listening skills that first took root
at Swarthmore. As an individual
continuing to grow, I wish I could go
back to Swarthmore and sit at different
tables in Sharples and start listening
all over again. I’d join in conversations
that feel uncomfortable, about race
and about class; if I could go back, I
might listen more than I talk.
Once we leave Swarthmore, we take
our ability to hear and our curiosity all
over the world. There’s an approach
to therapy called Internal Family
Systems that focuses on healing
through curiosity. By increasing
understanding of and healing internal
parts, individuals allow for self-led
healing and leadership. In getting
curious about our internal parts, we
can understand ourselves better and
hold space for differing emotions.
In getting curious about our
neighbors, our colleagues, and people
we don’t yet know, we can also hold
space for one another and even for
conflict. In 2021, we are coming
face to face with the inequalities of
our society — founded in racism,
highlighted by the COVID-19
pandemic, and further complicated by
political polarization.
The first step of any forgiveness
or reconciliation process is to
acknowledge the extent of the pain and
hurt one side has experienced. It relies
on the ability to deeply hear the other
side, something, I would argue, that
is deeply ingrained in the academic
culture of Swarthmore. As we address
the inequalities caused by racism
and wealth disparities and the chasm
between political parties, I believe
that deep listening is a necessary first
step in our society as well as in our
interpersonal relationships.
We can’t go back to our lives
before COVID-19 tore through
our communities and our bodies,
isolating us from our families, our
work environments, our plans, and
the stalwart elements of community,
such as schools. We also can’t go back
and undo the history of slavery or the
establishment of structural racism
in the United States. Following a
traumatic event (or series of events),
there is no going back — only the
ability to move forward. Healing from
trauma involves grieving the loss that
occurred because of the trauma and
then beginning to reconnect with the
world in a new way.
As we engage in these steps, we are
uniquely poised to take our foundation
of deep listening and curiosity into
all aspects of our lives, including
those in which we may wish we had
started engaging during our time at
Swarthmore.
STUDENTWISE:
CREATING
A PERFECT
ATMOSPHERE
A biology and
environmental science
major comes down
to earth (science)
by Maya Zimmerman ’21
F
OR THIS born-andraised California girl,
the first time I heard
the name Swarthmore,
I thought, How do
you pronounce it
again? But research and a campus visit
“Our days were filled with completing hands-on studies and experiments, climbing
where I encountered a supportive and
glaciers, and trekking to hidden waterfalls and geysers,” Maya Zimmerman ’21 says about
her study-abroad experience in Keflavík, Iceland.
hardworking student body convinced me
that this was where I wanted to spend my
college years.
During my first semester, the cross-country team helped
me acclimate socially, but it was up to me to find my place
academically. I selected courses from diverse subjects
felt more directed and passionate about continuing this type
including biology, statistics, and education, then narrowed
of work and research in the future.
my focus as a sophomore to pursue a pre-med track with
Building on my abroad experience, I was selected to
a neuroscience major. That lasted about … one semester,
participate in NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program
before I frantically changed plans and decided to double(SARP) for summer 2020. While NASA is known for its
major in biology and environmental studies.
research in outer space, it turns out NASA does earth
As I looked to study abroad my junior fall, the possibilities
science, too!
seemed endless. With guidance from my advisers, friends,
SARP created the perfect atmosphere (no pun intended)
and family, I chose “Iceland: Climate Change and the Arctic.”
for my earth science career to take shape. With the support
This program offered hands-on environmental research in
of my amazing mentors and peers, I completed a research
the company of like-minded peers and mentors.
project on the climate effects of the 2020 Saharan Air
I arrived in the martian landscape of Keflavík, Iceland,
Layer. I also took part in an air-sample collection program
in August 2019. During my three months there, I immersed
and co-authored two papers tracking changes in emissions
myself in the culture, engaged with foreign scientists and
during the COVID-19 lockdown. Over the course of the
politicians, and learned firsthand about the future of the
summer, we had the opportunity to engage with several
Arctic in our rapidly changing world. Our days were filled
NASA scientists, including current astronaut Jonny Kim.
with studies and experiments, climbing glaciers, and
What lies beyond Swarthmore? I don’t feel fully qualified
trekking to hidden waterfalls and geysers.
to answer that yet. My ultimate goal is to conduct valuable
My short time spent in the land of ice and snow was full
research that can be used to educate others, spread awareness,
of endless learning and exploration, culminating with my
and make a difference in the world. I know that the people I’ve
final paper and presentation, “The Impacts of Anthropogenic
met, the knowledge I’ve gained, and the experiences I’ve had
Activity on the Distribution of Microplastics in the Ocean.” I
here will guide me in that next phase of life.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
DICK SZEMBROT
dialogue
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
5
dialogue
Submit your publication for consideration: books@swarthmore.edu
HOT TYPE: New releases by Swarthmoreans
Laura Ascenzi-Moreno ’94
(with Cecilia Espinosa)
Rooted in Strength: Using
Translanguaging to Grow Readers
and Writers
Scholastic
Ascenzi-Moreno
and Espinosa
demonstrate how
students who
speak two or more
languages in their
daily lives thrive
when they are able
to use
“translanguaging”
to tap the power of
their entire linguistic and
sociocultural repertoires. The authors
present rich and thoughtful literacy
practices that propel emergent
bilinguals into reading and writing
success. Knowing more than one
language is, indeed, a gift to the
classroom.
Deborah Bacharach ’88
Shake and Tremor
Grayson Books
Named runner-up
in Grayson Books’
annual poetry
contest, this
contemporary
book of poetry
uses references to
biblical stories to
illuminate the
relationships
between men and
women, their difficulties and
complications. It’s a bold book of loss
and survival, betrayal and love — a
book about work and about humanity.
Abraham and Sarah are here, as well as
modern-day lovers, along with
struggles and satisfactions that are
universal.
6
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Ann Lubin Buttenwieser ’57
The Floating Pool Lady: A Quest to
Bring a Public Pool to New York City’s
Waterfront
Cornell University Press
Why on earth would anyone want to
float a pool up the Atlantic coastline
to bring it to rest at a pier on the
New York City waterfront? From
dusty archives in the historic Battery
Maritime Building to high-stakes
community board meetings to tense
negotiations in a Louisiana shipyard,
Buttenwieser retells her improbable
process that led to a pool tying up to
a pier at Barretto Point Park in the
Bronx, ready for summer swimmers.
Justin Deabler ’97
Lone Stars
St. Martin’s Press
Julian Warner, a
father at last,
wrestles with a
question his
husband posed:
What will you tell
our son about the
people you came
from, now that
they’re gone?
Finding the
answers takes Julian back in time,
from Eisenhower’s immigration
border raids to the disorienting
polarization of Obama’s second term.
And in these answers lies a hope: that
by uncloseting ourselves — as
immigrants, smart women, gay people
— we find power in empathy.
Paul Frishkoff ’60
Dr. Chuckle’s Original Cinema:
555 Puns
Wild Ginger Press
Movie addicts and pun devotees: Are
you Oscar-mired? A red carpetbagger?
Seeking more than run-of-DeMille?
In this book you’ll find 555 totally
original puns, each inspired by the
title of a best-picture nominee, from
Wings (1927) to Parasite (2019). The
culmination of three years’ work,
Frishkoff ’s latest humor book is
guaranteed to send readers “reeling.”
Diana Furchtgott-Roth ’79
United States Income, Consumption,
Wealth, and Inequality
Oxford University Press
Over the past 75 years, household
income in the United States has
increased substantially. Still, by some
measures, income inequality has
increased as well. Within each chapter
of this book, edited by economist
Furchtgott-Roth, distinguished
experts explain how income and
wealth — and the way we measure
them — have changed in the United
States, which demographic groups
have benefited from these changes, and
how mobility has changed over time
and over generations.
Michele Gamburd ’87
Linked Lives: Elder Care, Migration,
and Kinship in Sri Lanka
Rutgers University Press
When youth shake
off their rural roots
and middle-aged
people migrate for
economic
opportunities, what
happens to the
grandparents left at
home? Linked Lives
provides readers
with intimate
glimpses into homes in a Sri Lankan
Buddhist village, where elders wisely
use their moral authority and their
control over valuable property to assure
that they receive both physical and
spiritual care when they need it.
Daniel Headrick ’62
Humans Versus Nature
Oxford University Press
Since the appearance of Homo sapiens
on the planet, human beings have
sought to exploit their environments,
extracting as many resources as their
technological ingenuity allowed. As
technologies have advanced in recent
centuries, that impulse has remained
largely unchecked, exponentially
accelerating the human impact on the
environment. Headrick tells the story
of the global environment from the
Stone Age to the present, emphasizing
the adversarial relationship between
humans and the natural world.
Carl Levin ’56, H ’80
Getting to the Heart of the Matter:
My 36 Years in the Senate
Wayne State University Press
The longestserving U.S.
senator in
Michigan history,
Levin was known
for his dogged
pursuit of the
truth, his
commitment to
holding
government
accountable, and his basic decency.
Getting to the Heart of the Matter is his
story — from his early days in Detroit
as the son of a respected lawyer to the
capstone of his career as chair of the
Senate Armed Services Committee
and the Senate Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigations.
Edward Melillo ’97
The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the
Making of the Modern World
Knopf
Insects might
make us shudder,
but they are also
responsible for
many of the things
we take for
granted in our
daily lives.
Drawing on
research in
laboratory science,
agriculture, fashion, and international
cuisine, Melillo weaves a vibrant world
history that illustrates the inextricable
and fascinating bonds between
humans and insects.
Linda Barrett Osborne ’71
Guardians of Liberty: Freedom of the
Press and the Nature of News
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Named one of 2020’s best children’s
books by the New York Public
Library and Kirkus, Guardians of
Liberty explores the essential and
basic American ideal of a free press.
Citing numerous examples from the
country’s past, from the American
Revolution to the Vietnam War to
the Obama and Trump presidencies,
Osborne shows how freedom of the
press has played an essential role in
the growth of this nation, allowing
democracy to flourish.
Clyde Prestowitz ’63
The World Turned Upside Down:
America, China, and the Struggle for
Global Leadership
Yale University Press
When China joined the World
Trade Organization in 2001, most
experts expected that WTO rules
and procedures would make China “a
responsible stakeholder in the liberal
world order.” But Prestowitz contends
the experts guessed wrong; if anything,
China has become more authoritarian
and mercantilist. Prestowitz, a labor
economist and founder and president
of the Economic Strategy Institute,
describes the key challenges posed by
China and the strategies America and
the Free World must adopt to meet
them.
Jed Rakoff ’64, H ’03
Why the Innocent Plead Guilty
and the Guilty Go Free
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
How can we be proud of a justice
system that often pressures the
innocent to plead guilty? How can
we claim that justice is equal when
we imprison thousands of poor Black
men for relatively modest crimes but
rarely prosecute rich white executives
who commit crimes having far greater
impact? Rakoff explores these and
other puzzles in this account of the
U.S. legal system, grounded in his 24
years as a federal trial judge in New
York.
John Strauss ’54
To Understand a Person:
An Autobiography (of Sorts)
Epigraph Publishing
How do you truly
understand what it
means to be a
person — any
person —
struggling with
mental illness?
Strauss explores
that question in
this semiautobiography, not
only from his perspective as a
psychiatrist, but also as the son of a
mother afflicted with a longstanding
severe mental illness, and as someone
with dedicated interest in both the
sciences and the humanities.
Anand Yang ’70
Empire of Convicts: Indian Penal Labor
in Colonial Southeast Asia
University of California Press
From the
17th century
onward, penal
transportation was
a key strategy of
British imperial
rule, exemplified
by deportations
first to the
Americas and later
to Australia. A
major contribution to histories of
crime and punishment, prisons, law,
labor, transportation, migration,
colonialism, and the Indian Ocean
world, Empire of Convicts examines
the experiences of Indian bandwars
(convicts) and shows how they
exercised agency in difficult situations,
fashioning their own worlds and even
becoming “their own warders.”
The Bulletin receives numerous submissions of new publications from the talented Swarthmore community and can feature only a fraction of those
submissions here. Please note that work represented in Hot Type does not necessarily reflect the views of the College.
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
7
common good
dialogue
SHARING SUCCESS AND STORIES OF SWARTHMORE
NEW WAYS
TO MEASURE
LAURENCE KESTERSON
How much is innovation costing us?
by Tara Smith
WHEN THINKING about how to
measure investment in innovation,
economist Leonard Nakamura ’69
wonders about the costs of being an
innovative society. We are, he says, in
an age of “creative destruction.”
Corporations are in a relentless
race to change the ways we live
and work — from smartphones and
messenger RNA vaccines to space
commercialization and self-driving
cars. Those who win this race can earn
disproportionate wealth by destroying
the competition. “What a lot of
innovation does,” Nakamura says, “is
put businesses out of business.”
The late Bernie
Saffran, a legendary
Swarthmore
professor and
Nakamura’s longtime
mentor, fanned his
interest in economics during the late
’60s, an era of intellectual ferment on
campus.
“The student rebellion, including
the Black student sit-in my senior year,
created special bonds in the Class of
1969,” says Nakamura, who still Zooms
with classmates. He spent 30 years in
the Economics Research Department
of the Federal Reserve Bank of
Philadelphia, ultimately as a vice
president. Now as economist emeritus,
he’s charting a course into economics’
postindustrial frontier.
The industrial era focused on
producing goods in great quantity, but
that focus of production has run its
course, Nakamura says: “Our bodies,
closets, and cars are increasingly all
obese.”
In the 21st century, we demand
new goods — more knowledge, better
products, cutting-edge medical
treatments. But this growth poses
a measurement conundrum for
economists. “We may love or hate
Google Search or Facebook, but they
deliver valuable
assets for free and
economics gives
us no guidance
on what they’re
worth — and we
don’t include them in our price or
output measures,” Nakamura says.
Electronic pricing, subscription tiers,
and complicated pricing strategies
make it even harder to track the value
of workers’ paychecks. How valuable
is an unlimited data plan, or what’s the
value of Spotify relative to iTunes?
Innovation does, of course, bring
extraordinary benefits. Nakamura’s
improved eyesight after recent
LEONARD NAKAMURA ’69
Economist
“Might we be better off with
a slower pace of innovation?
Maybe we should tax innovators
more.”
8
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
“We’re good at measuring more, but not
at measuring new,” says Leonard Nakamura
’69, economist emeritus at the Federal Reserve
Bank of Philadelphia.
cataract surgery is one example.
“We have these medical miracles,”
he says, “but it’s all very expensive.”
Most Americans can barely afford
health care and first-rate education.
“Most of us are in debt, and that makes
people feel poor, although the value of
what they get is awesome.” The pace of
innovation also makes a college degree
more and more necessary. “Might
we be better off with a slower pace of
innovation?” Nakamura asks. “Maybe
we should tax innovators more.”
We think the economy is doing
poorly because our statistics show
slow growth, “so we’re told we need
more growth,” Nakamura says. “We
can’t tax or raise the minimum
wage because it might slow down
innovation. Obama and Biden, Bush
and Trump — all say we need to
innovate more.” But is that really true,
Nakamura wonders, when our world
is changing so fast that none of us can
keep up?
“Innovation is here to stay,”
Nakamura says, “but do entrepreneurs
need to earn $60 billion to get it done?
Perhaps we should tax wealth and put
it back to work to redress our power
imbalances, making health care and
education cheaper so we can all take
advantage of, and keep abreast of, our
changing world.
“This could slow innovation, but
that might be good.”
ON
THE
WEB
PHILLY TECH SISTAS
Academic technologist
Ashley Turner helps
women of color navigate
success in tech.
+ SUPPORT
bit.ly/TechSistas
PEACE WORKERS
Lucy Jones ’20 and
Vanessa Meng ’20
each earned a national
award for their work in
peace & conflict studies.
+ CELEBRATE
bit.ly/PeaceConflict
OFF TO THE U.K.
Matthew Salah ’21 is
one of just 46 students
from across the U.S. to
be named a Marshall
Scholar.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
GLOBAL THINKING
+ EMBARK
bit.ly/MSalah21
CHANGING THE WORLD
Linguist K. David
Harrison and his former
student Robbie Hart ’04
made the inaugural list
of the Explorers Club 50.
+ EXPLORE
bit.ly/HarrisonHart
Hannah Watkins ’21 used cloth donations to piece together the main section of the quilt. The concept art is a
striking play on the traditional Tree of Life quilt block. “This year,” Watkins says, “we visualize our community as a
tree in a terrible storm, struggling to remain rooted amid gale-force winds.”
COMMUNITY QUILT
Picking Up
the Threads
by Madeleine Palden ’22
HANNAH WATKINS ’21 is working hard to stitch
together aspects of the Swarthmore community —
quite literally. This semester, Watkins, a biology major
from Anchorage, Alaska, has been making a community
quilt, a tactile reminder of this unusual year. The quilt’s
main section uses fabric from T-shirts donated by
students, faculty, and staff members. For the border,
which will feature embroidery squares, Watkins
collaborated with the Sewing, Upcycling, Crafting, and
Knitting group on campus to send free kits home to
participants. Watkins hopes to complete the quilt by
Commencement.
+ MORE: bit.ly/SwatQuilt
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
9
common good
Sharing
Expertise
in the Fight
Against
COVID-19
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
Board. She continues to support the
Biden administration as a senior adviser
to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s
team working on the COVID response and
global health security and diplomacy.
“I’m honored to be back working with
the government and hoping to translate
my research and experiences into global
health security and diplomacy policy and
actions,” says Katz.
“Pandemic preparedness has always
been political, but it had never been
partisan,” she adds. “I was asked to join
the team based on my years of experience
focused on public health preparedness,
pandemics, and global health security.
It’s a way to contribute and help ensure
the team would be in a good place at the
start of the administration in order to
effectively respond to the pandemic.”
The priority continues to be ending
COVID-19.
“We must do everything we can to
contain the virus and end the pandemic,
save lives, and get our society back to
normal,” says Katz. “We must focus on
the systems that need to be rebuilt and
strengthened in order to ‘build back better
bio-preparedness.’ It is not either-or. It is
both. Now.”
TAKING A SHOT: The College
hosted a series of COVID-19
vaccination clinics this spring, made
possible thanks to the efforts of
Worth Health Center staff members
and others, in partnership with
Rite Aid Pharmacy. Hundreds
of College community members
were vaccinated during the events,
including Men’s Tennis Coach Jason
Box (left), who received his shot
in April during Swarthmore’s first
clinic.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
10
Collaborating with other Swatties has been a high point in the work on
fighting the coronavirus, says Rebecca Katz ’95, who majored in political
science and economics at Swarthmore. Through the COVID-19 Advisory
Board, she reconnected with Marcella Nunez-Smith ’96, the committee’s
co-chair. She has also worked with Sam Berger ’05, a member of the White
House response team, and Kim Crusey ’95, an employee of the Department
of Defense — and Katz’s former tennis partner at Swarthmore.
SPRING 2021
NATAVAN WERBOCK
When Georgetown University professor
Rebecca Katz ’95 was asked in March
2020 to become a public health adviser
to the Biden campaign, she was eager to
share her knowledge and experience. As
director of the Center for Global Health
Science and Security at Georgetown
University Medical Center, Katz has
spent 20 years working on pandemic
preparedness.
“I couldn’t not help when asked,” says
Katz, who received a master’s from the
Yale School of Public Health in 1998 and
a Ph.D. from Princeton in 2005. For 15
years, from 2004 to 2019, she was an
expert consultant to the Department
of State while building her scholarship,
research, and teaching as a faculty
member, first at George Washington
University, then at Georgetown. “I’ve
been very fortunate to be able to work in
academia and also contribute directly to
the policy process,” she says.
In November, Katz was named to
President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory
THE ASIA GROUP
by Kate Campbell
Swarthmore’s energy plan will help eliminate 98% of on-site and purchased-electricity greenhouse gas emissions.
ROADMAP TO
ZERO CARBON
by Roy Greim ’14
In March, Swarthmore’s Board of Managers approved the
implementation of a $69 million energy plan, an ambitious
environmental vision to help the College eliminate 98% of on-site
and purchased-electricity greenhouse gas emissions and reach
its carbon-neutrality goal by 2035.
“Swarthmore has long believed in the importance of being
responsible stewards for the natural environment,” says
President Valerie Smith. “We recognize that the climate crisis is
an existential threat, and we must take decisive action now to
ensure we are leaving a healthy planet for future generations.
This new energy master plan creates conditions that will allow us
to fulfill our earlier promise of carbon neutrality by 2035.”
Adopting and implementing the energy plan, known as the
“Roadmap to Zero Carbon,” positions Swarthmore as one of the
leading higher education institutions in climate and sustainability
efforts.
“This is a significant and exciting undertaking for the College
— one that serves as an expression of the College’s values and
that will result in tangible, measurable results in our community’s
efforts to address the global climate crisis,” says Salem
Shuchman ’84, chair of the Board of Managers.
“Having a fully comprehensive energy master plan that
truly eliminates on-site and purchased-energy greenhouse
gas emissions puts Swarthmore among a select few,” adds
Sustainability Director Aurora Winslade.
The plan includes an overhaul of the campus heating and
cooling infrastructure, which relies on a steam system that was
built in 1911 and is powered by fossil fuels. In its place will be a
series of geothermal wells deep beneath the campus grounds,
with a centralized geo-exchange plant housed in the basement of
the Dining and Community Commons, a project made possible by
a gift from Rosamund Stone Zander ’64.
“Instead of investing more in a very old and inefficient steam
system that uses last century’s technology, we can replace it with
a new, highly efficient zero-carbon energy system on campus,”
says Andy Feick, associate vice president for sustainable facilities
operation and capital planning. (Read a Q&A with Feick on pg. 84.)
Winslade describes the system, similar to one now used to heat
and cool PPR Apartments and Whittier Hall, as a kind of “giant
rechargeable heat battery.”
The plan enables the College to improve power reliability,
making the campus more resilient during power outages. It is the
culmination of a multiyear effort that included Capital Planning
and Project Management, the Finance and Investment Office, the
Office of Sustainability, an external advisory board of experts,
students, and faculty and graduates from the Environmental
Studies and Engineering departments.
“It is important to us to take this leadership position, because we
believe that it’s necessary to show peer institutions that this can
be done,” says Feick. “We want them to see that we can support
our communities through renewable sources and still have the
comfort and programmatic support that we require in order to
operate our campuses.”
+
MORE: bit.ly/SwatEnergyPlan
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
11
common good
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
President Valerie Smith was elected to the board of the American Council of
Education (ACE), the largest higher education advocacy organization in the
country.
“It is a privilege to represent the collaborative, diverse, and intellectually
rich Swarthmore community as a board member of the American Council on
Education,” says Smith, who will serve through March 2023. “As our nation
grapples with the intersecting crises of inequality, racial justice, the financial
and public health implications of COVID-19, and the very meaning of democracy
itself, the transformative power of education has never been more important.
I’m looking forward to serving in this role and advocating on behalf of students
and institutions working to make higher education more inclusive and
accessible.”
With a mission of mobilizing the higher education community to shape
effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practices, ACE
represents more than 1,700 two- and four-year public and private institutions.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
CAMPUSQUICKLY
President Smith Joins ACE Board
LAURENCE KESTERSON
+ MORE: bit.ly/SmithACE
Mellon Grant
for Diversity
Program
Associate Professor and Chair of Computer
Science Ameet Soni was named Swarthmore’s
next associate dean of the faculty for diversity,
recruitment, and retention.
“One of my priorities as associate dean
of the faculty is to bolster our mentoring
programs for new faculty and to bring to the
forefront challenges that face young faculty
— particularly those from marginalized and
underrepresented backgrounds — such as
student debt, income insecurity, and limited
access to child care,” says Soni, who has
served on the Faculty Committee on Diversity
and Excellence and the Ad-Hoc Child Care
Committee.
Soni’s new role begins July 1. He succeeds
Associate Professor of Statistics Lynne
Steuerle Schofield ’99.
+ MORE: bit.ly/DeanSoni
12
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
LAURENCE KESTERSON
New Associate Dean
of the Faculty
MAKING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
AGAIN: Thanks to a yearlong restoration
project funded by a 2019 Lang family gift
and donor challenge, the centerpiece organ
in Lang Concert Hall is ready to show off its
pipes once again. Built in the mid-1970s by
the Holtkamp Organ Co., the instrument
had been unplayable for at least 10 years. Its
restoration was part of a full renovation of
the 48-year-old Lang Music Building, which
was named for the late College benefactor
Eugene Lang ’38, H’81. Read more about the
organ and watch as Senior Music Lecturer
Andrew Hauze ’04 plays: bit.ly/LangOrgan
Swarthmore received an
$871,000 Mellon Foundation
grant to expand a pilot program
on academic leadership with a
focus on diversity.
The grant supports the
College’s vision for a leadershipdevelopment program for faculty
in the arts and humanities from
underrepresented institutions
of higher education. The College
will design and implement the
program over the next four
years, partnering with the
University of Pennsylvania
in the initial phase of the
effort. The program is planned
as a series of conferences,
workshops, and guest lectures
on leadership in the humanities.
+ MORE: bit.ly/SwatMellon
“It’s a privilege to not just be renting [materials], to actually own them and have them
as reference books,” says Edna Olvera ’21, an astrophysics and educational studies major.
“It’s great not to have to worry about it at all, just to know that the cost was taken care of.”
Tapping into Affordability
Textbook program opens options for students
while closing course-materials gap
by Elizabeth Slocum
W
HEN ALEINA DUME
’23 was preparing
for her first year at
Swarthmore, she
knew she needed to
have money saved to
buy books and other course materials
— an expense that typically costs
hundreds of dollars a semester.
“I had taken a summer job before
Swarthmore, preparing for all those
costs,” says Dume, a first-generation
college student from Queens, N.Y. “At
the same time, I didn’t want to spend all
my money on books because there were
so many other things to buy for college.”
Situations like Dume’s are not
unique to Swarthmore, especially
as textbook prices have soared. For
years, Swarthmore’s libraries have
helped to cover this gap by making
textbooks available to borrow. But
a new College initiative will further
narrow the divide by assisting students
in purchasing course materials.
Launched this fall, the Textbook
Affordability Program (TAP) provides
every Swarthmore student with a
$700 annual credit that can be used on
required materials at the Swarthmore
Campus & Community Store. Besides
textbooks, the money can be applied
toward other supplies deemed required
for a course as noted in the syllabus.
“It’s one less thing to worry about,”
Dume says. “There are so many things
happening right now beyond normal
college-life responsibilities. It’s nice to
not have that pressure.”
Historically, textbook costs have
been listed in financial aid packages as
a “non-billed” out-of-pocket expense,
with Swarthmore students and
families expected to contribute up to
$1,400 annually for required course
materials. But work-study programs
that could help cover these costs don’t
typically start until after courses begin,
notes Greg Brown, vice president of
finance and administration.
To explore options, the College
convened the Textbook Affordability
Committee in 2016. The panel
reviewed textbook-assistance
programs at peer institutions
to develop a pilot program for
Swarthmore. Partnering with the
Swarthmore Summer Scholars
Program (S3P), the pilot provided
62 S3P students with a $400 credit
for each of four semesters to spend
on required course materials at
Swarthmore’s bookstore. In exchange,
the students were surveyed while their
expenses were tracked.
The feedback was overwhelmingly
positive, says S3P Director Amy Cheng
Vollmer, the Isaac H. Clothier Jr.
Professor of Biology. In survey results
after two semesters, with an 80%
response rate, 100% of responding
S3P students said they were satisfied
with the program, with only five or
six having required materials that
exceeded their $400 allotment.
The fully launched TAP is now
provided to all Swarthmore students,
regardless of whether they receive
financial aid. Although the total annual
credit was reduced slightly to help
it stretch across the student body,
any leftover balance from the $700
allotment carries over from fall to
spring, allowing for greater flexibility
in covering semester costs.
The College had planned to roll
the additional expenses for TAP into
student tuition. However, even with
tuition frozen due to the coronavirus,
TAP was fully approved for the 2020–
21 school year.
Above all, Brown says, TAP is about
diversity, equity, and inclusion — and
about helping all Swarthmore students
thrive. “It’s not enough to get into
Swarthmore; it’s more important that
we make sure that students succeed,”
he says. “The barriers created by not
having textbooks just goes in the face
of who we say we are as an institution,
so it was absolutely essential for us to
get up in front of this.
“It was a problem, and it was within
our bandwidth to fix it.”
+
MORE: bit.ly/SwatTAP
SPRING 2021
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common good
NOW A DEPARTMENT,
SPANISH DELIVERING
NUANCED STUDENT
EXPERIENCES
RON TARVER
Legends, a portrait of a Philadelphia Black cowboy by Ron Tarver, associate professor of art.
In Pursuit of Scholarship
TWO SWARTHMORE FACULTY MEMBERS received coveted Guggenheim
Fellowships, joining just 182 other artists, writers, scholars, and scientists from
across the U.S. and Canada this year.
Steven P. Hopkins, the Mari S. Michener Professor of
Religion, and Ron Tarver, associate professor of art, enter
the decorated and diverse ranks of fellows. The Guggenheim
Foundation selected the fellows from almost 3,000
applications through a rigorous peer-review process.
For Hopkins, the fellowship will allow him to expand into
a book a project he has been developing on lament as an
ethical witness to particular love and loss, including female
laments in the poetry and prophecies of the English poet
William Blake and in early Greek, Greek Christian, Hindu,
and Buddhist literature.
The fellowship represents the culmination of decades of
Steven Hopkins
intense creative work for Tarver, who will use the funding
from the fellowship to continue a project based on his
father’s photo archive and to produce a book and exhibit on
Black Cowboys.
This year’s Guggenheim winners also include Tara Zahra
’98, the Homer J. Livingston Professor of History at the
University of Chicago, and Seth Koven ’78, the G.E. Lessing
Distinguished Professor of History and Poetics at Rutgers
University.
— RYAN DOUGHERTY
Ron Tarver
14
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
+
MORE: bit.ly/SwatGugg
SPRING 2021
+
MORE: bit.ly/SwatSpanish
LAURENCE KESTERSON
When Associate Professor Luciano
Martínez announced in spring 2019
that Spanish was becoming its
own department at Swarthmore, it
was met with a mix of delight and
surprise.
“Many of our students grew
up in bilingual homes, and others
have been studying Spanish since
childhood,” says Martínez. “Spanish
is not ‘foreign’ to them: It is part
of their lives. That is why it was so
personal for many of them. It was a
very joyous moment.”
Adds Salima Bourguiba ’19, who
majored in economics and Spanish:
“It truly never occurred to me that
it wasn’t already a department,
because it always felt like one.”
As the Spanish program grew
within the Modern Languages
and Literature Department, it
became increasingly difficult to
manage. Martínez, now chair of
the new department, and MaríaLuisa Guardiola, professor of
Spanish, worked for many years to
establish Spanish as a department
— improving learning goals and
assessment, honing the structure
of the curriculum, finding smarter
models of teaching intensive
Spanish language courses, and
more.
There’s been a sharp increase in
students combining Spanish with
another major, such as biology
or engineering. The department
aims for students to be able to
communicate fluently in Spanish,
with a nuanced understanding
of the literatures and cultures
of Spain, Latin America and the
Caribbean, and Latinos in the U.S.,
says Martínez. The goal is a vibrant
community of Spanish learners and
speakers on campus.
COURTESY OF RYAN ARAZI ’21
by Ryan Dougherty
Atinuke Lardner ’22 says partnering
with Laura Markowitz ’85 as a beta reader
helped her to learn about “effective
pedagogical writing techniques.”
NEW PATHS AND
PARTNERSHIPS
by Ryan Dougherty
THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC disrupted
but did not deter Swarthmore’s
popular Extern Program over the
past year. The Career Services office
pivoted to a program of virtual microinternships, connecting 79 students
with alumni across an array of fields
last summer, and an additional 98
students this winter and spring.
“The students pursued incredibly
diverse projects, reflecting the myriad
ways alumni make an impact in the
world,” says Nancy Burkett, director
of Career Services, whose team began
developing the new SwatWorks
program last year amid disruptions
to students’ summer plans caused by
COVID-19.
Just as in past years, students
worked closely with alumni partners
to gain a glimpse of professions that
interest them. They still gleaned career
insights and developed professional
skills, but this year students were also
able to complete substantive projects.
Thanks to the Advancement Office,
the alumni and parent councils, alumni
affinity groups, and former extern
sponsors, students had a wide swath
“I feel like a more well-informed
citizen with a deeper understanding of the
economic underpinnings of points of view
that are not my own,” says Ryan Arazi ’21.
of opportunities, and with the support
of alumni donors, they even received
funding for undertaking projects.
For their micro-internships, Ryan
Arazi ’21 and Atinuke Lardner ’22 each
partnered with Laura Markowitz ’85,
serving as beta readers for a textbook
she’s writing for Voices on the
Economy (VOTE).
“The work was a cutting-edge
introduction to economics that
emphasized the importance of
learning multiple viewpoints in
order to enhance how our democracy
functions,” says Arazi, a peace &
conflict studies major from Staten
Island, N.Y. “After reading the textbook
and adding my own comments to it, I
feel like a more well-informed citizen
with a deeper understanding of the
economic underpinnings of points of
view that are not my own.”
“I completed practice exercises
and interpreted graphics as if I
were a student, all while learning
about effective pedagogical writing
techniques,” adds Lardner, a political
science, philosophy, and economics
special major from South Orange, N.J.
“I thoroughly enjoyed this project and
am grateful to Laura.”
Career Services plans to relaunch
the SwatWorks program in the 2021–
22 academic year and invites ideas for
micro-internships.
+ MORE: bit.ly/SwatWorks
Meaningful
Mentorships
The Lang Center for Civic & Social
Responsibility has named Mark
Hanis ’05 and Pukar Malla ’02
— alumni with a track record of
successful innovation — as its Lang
Senior Fellows.
As senior fellows, Hanis and
Malla will engage students as
mentors, internship hosts, and
co-instructors or guest lecturers
in Swarthmore courses during the
2021 calendar year.
“We are always grateful for the
robust engagement of Swarthmore
College alumni, but are especially
thrilled to have two social
innovators actively supporting
current Swarthmore students in
both curricular and co-curricular
ways,” says Jennifer Magee, senior
associate director of the Lang
Center.
A social entrepreneur, Hanis is
the co-founder of two startups:
Inclusive America, a nonprofit that
aims to increase diversity, equity,
and inclusion in government, and
Progressive Shopper, a technology
company that harnesses conscious
consumption. He is also an
associate fellow at the European
campus of the Johns Hopkins
School of Advanced International
Studies.
Malla is a community organizer,
leadership coach, and policy
entrepreneur who has been leading
with a vision of an enterprising
Nepal. He spearheads the Daayitwa
Campaign, which promotes youth
employment in Nepal through
collaboration among four startups
that he co-founded: Daayitwa,
Governance Lab, Nepal Leadership
Academy, and Nepal Rising.
+
MORE: bit.ly/SeniorFellows
SPRING 2021
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15
common good
Joe Phillips, Pete Thompson,
Lin Urban, and Bernard Smith
THE COLLEGE MOURNS the recent losses of four
community members: a beloved member of the Public Safety
staff and three esteemed emeritus faculty members.
Joe Phillips, a Public Safety
shuttle driver, died Dec. 15 at
age 57.
A Ridley Township native
known by his friends as
“Porkchop,” Phillips had driven
for the College on the 5 p.m.
to 2 a.m. shift since joining
Swarthmore in 2008. An avid
local sports enthusiast, he
supported Ridley Area Little
League, Monsignor Bonner
High School baseball, and
Joe Phillips
Ridley JR ABA, which helps
children develop basketball as
well as life skills.
“Joe’s joy of life was contagious,” says Public Safety Office
Manager Mary Lou Lawless. “He had such pride and joy in
his family; there was always a story or an update that was
followed by his great laugh. Joe represented his Ridley spirit
with an enthusiasm that was impressive.”
Pete Thompson, a professor emeritus of chemistry, died
Jan. 13 at age 91.
Thompson joined
Swarthmore’s faculty in 1958,
having published a number
of articles on the behavior of
aqueous electrolyte solutions.
At that time, quantum
mechanics was not taught as
part of the physical chemistry
curriculum, nor had it been part
of Thompson’s own training.
Recognizing this notable
deficiency, he learned the
material on his own and taught
Pete Thompson
the College’s first courses
on the topic, reshaping the
department’s curriculum in the process.
“In all of his work, Pete remained laser-focused on the
question, ‘What is in the best interests of the students?’”
says Tom Stephenson, the James H. Hammons Professor
of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “This dedication drove his
famous, or infamous, commitment to rigor in his courses,
his development of beautifully elegant and meticulous
lab experiments, and his long hours spent working side by
16
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
+ MORE: bit.ly/PeteThompson, bit.ly/LinUrban, bit.ly/SmithBernard
ART OF REFLECTION
ANSA YIADOM ’02
Enterprising Leader
LAURENCE KESTERSON
HONORING FOUR FRIENDS:
side with research students on exacting thermodynamic
measurements and calculations.”
P. Linwood Urban, the Charles and Harriett Cox
McDowell Professor Emeritus of Religion, died Jan. 29 at
age 96.
An ordained Episcopal priest, Urban joined Swarthmore’s
faculty as an instructor in philosophy in 1957, and his
persistent efforts to establish religion as its own department
began soon after his arrival.
Urban taught a wide range of
courses in Western religious
thought, spanning periods
from Constantine to Martin
Luther King Jr., as well as in
the philosophy of religion,
the Bible, and comparative
theology. He also taught a
seminar in non-Western
thought that included archaic
and classical Indian traditions.
“When I think of Lin, I think
of his love of teaching and of
P. Linwood Urban
his dedication to Swarthmore,”
says Ellen Ross, the Howard
M. and Charles F. Jenkins Professor of Quakerism and
Peace Studies. “Lin was always gracious, welcoming, and
supportive. Graduates returning to the College over the years
speak of how much he meant to them.”
Bernard Smith, a professor emeritus of history and a key
inspiration to the College’s Medieval Studies Program, died
Jan. 31 at age 95.
A medievalist with a reputation as a demanding yet
inspiring teacher, Smith joined Swarthmore in 1967 after
having worked at the British Foreign Office and the BBC. His
research and courses centered on 11th- and 12th-century
monasticism, medieval intellectual history, German
medieval history, and late-medieval Europe. The Medieval
Studies Program, drawing from history as well as classics,
art history, and religion, among
other subjects, offered its first
major in the 1971–72 academic
year.
“Bernard was a brilliant
medieval historian who knew
early British and European
history intimately and taught
it with a keen intellect and wry
wit,” says Craig Williamson,
the Alfred H. and Peggi Bloom
Professor of English Literature.
“He was a mentor to me and to
Bernard Smith
other medievalists who came
to Swarthmore and was a good
friend and guiding light to many of us.”
“Swarthmore was 2021 long before 2021 was here,” says Ansa Yiadom ’02, vice president
of enterprise services within Pfizer’s Global Business Services division. He majored in
economics and says he’s thankful for his “total education.”
Seeing the Bigger Picture
He’s continuing a quest to leverage lifelong
learning
by Tara Smith
THE CAREER PATH of Ansa Yiadom
’02 appears to be a sprint straight
up Pfizer’s corporate ladder — from
contracts analyst to vice president
of enterprise services within Pfizer’s
Global Business Services (GBS)
division. But a closer look shows
that Yiadom pursued roles in various
divisions in terms of a larger quest: to
make an impact in society.
Over the years, he’s traveled,
managed teams globally, and “learned
the world through hard work and
reflection.”
Yiadom’s focus has deep roots. His
parents immigrated to the U.S. from
Ghana in the 1970s. “I’m a product of
generations of sacrifice,” he says, and
he’s relied on a strong will, grace from
a higher power, and the support of all
who have been part of his journey.
Yiadom earned a master’s in public
administration and continues to apply
strategic intentionality to everything
he does. In addition to parenting
his three children with Kelly Hines
Yiadom ’01, he mentors youth in the
community and co-leads the Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion Council in
Pfizer’s GBS division.
When Yiadom arrived at a college
where everyone was a top student and
sports were not prioritized, he refined
his focus on making an impact beyond
himself. It was a tough but fulfilling
process. Campuswide assumptions
about diversity and inclusion opened
Yiadom’s eyes.
“My experiences and discussions
with professors and fellow students all
helped sophisticate my understanding
of myself and the world,” he says.
Yiadom still remembers learning
in his first class with Professor Mark
Kuperberg that economics is the study
of allocating scarce resources among
competing uses.
“In some ways, economics has
nothing to do with what I’ve done at
Pfizer,” he says. “But this liberal arts
lens and the way I was trained to think
inform so many of my choices as I lead
hundreds of colleagues in different
countries and manage multimilliondollar budgets — even if I don’t express
them in terms of indifference curves
and production-possibility frontiers.”
Focusing on making a global impact
has been key over the past year at
Pfizer. “It’s been all vaccine, all the
time,” Yiadom says, as colleagues
across divisions work tirelessly to
move the COVID-19 pandemic into the
history books. “It wasn’t about Pfizer
winning, but about an opportunity
to save lives and restore the world to
interactive living.”
In much the same way, Yiadom says,
the current climate of social division
offers an opportunity for us all to
move beyond self and focus on ethical
impact. “Swarthmore challenged me
to look at the whole world and strive to
make a valuable contribution,” he says.
“I always think about the impact of my
actions and whether or not they’re of
benefit to society.”
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
17
common good
MATH IN MOTION
by John Tibbetts
Shutting down her computer late each
evening, Pinar Karaca-Mandic ’98 thinks
about the next round of hospitalizations
and deaths from COVID-19.
Over the past year, she and her
research team have analyzed daily
hospital data streaming in from across
the country. Now they can accurately
forecast the number of Americans likely
to die from COVID-19 over the next week
by tracking and comparing key data from
U.S. hospitals.
“That kind of knowledge, that
kind of weight, can be hard to carry,”
says Karaca-Mandic, the C. Arthur
Williams Jr. Professor in Healthcare
Risk Management at the University
of Minnesota’s Carlson School of
Management.
Karaca-Mandic double-majored
in mathematics and economics and
completed a Ph.D. in economics at
the University of California, Berkeley.
In March 2020, she co-founded the
University of Minnesota’s COVID-19
Hospitalization Tracking Project to collect,
track, and trend daily hospitalization data
from each state’s health department.
From hospital updates, Karaca-Mandic
and her colleagues gain “snapshots”
18
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
KRISTIN TINSLEY
How data can help
prevent strained
hospital systems
Proactive Provider
CARLSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
TRACKING
MORTALITY
IN THE WAKE
OF COVID-19
JON EHRENFELD ’04
“My Swarthmore education showed me why it’s so important to embrace situations with
an important social need, and dive in to address them,” says Pinar Karaca-Mandic ’98.
indicating how much strain hospitals and
their staffs are enduring. The researchers
identify COVID-19 hospital impacts in
each state and post them on a single
online site. The project also created a
first-of-its-kind interactive dashboard to
visualize county-level hospital capacities
for the entire country based on weekly
data from the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.
Government agencies, news media,
and citizens can use this information
to identify which health care facilities,
communities, and regions are COVID-19
hot zones. Public health agencies can use
it to forecast changes in disease severity.
The percentage of total intensivecare beds filled in each state is a crucial
indicator of pressure on hospitals,
Karaca-Mandic says. “I was shocked to
observe from the data that during the first
few weeks of January 2021, the number
of people who lived in areas with ICU beds
90% or more filled reached to more than
89 million,” she says.
In one study, the research team
identified considerable disparities in the
prevalence of hospitalizations across
racial and ethnic groups. In another study,
they estimated that the association of
hospitalization rate with mortality was
almost double the early estimates from
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
“We can track these data points and
conduct statistical analyses to predict
mortality rates in the next week in those
states,” Karaca-Mandic says. “That is
the human aspect to our work. Our goal
is to provide information that can help
prevent the overburdening of hospital
systems. We want to avoid running out of
beds and critical staff so we can continue
responding to the pandemic.”
PINAR KARACA-MANDIC
’98
Trend Tracker
Jon Ehrenfeld ’04’s Mobile Integrated Health Program provides a model for police and
fire departments. He was recently named Civilian of the Year by the Seattle Fire Department.
CARE IN CRISIS
RESCUING 911
Program fills a need
for community aid
by Tara Smith
JON EHRENFELD ’04 is leading a
new kind of emergency service team
in Seattle. As manager of the Mobile
Integrated Health Program at the Seattle
Fire Department, he sees his role as an
opportunity to help people in crisis.
“911 is a safety net for people who
fall through every other gap in our
system,” says Ehrenfeld, explaining
that about 40% of 911 calls turn out to
be “low-acuity,” meaning a lights-andsiren response isn’t necessary.
That’s where the Mobile Integrated
Health Program comes in. With an
aging population and a huge need for
nonemergency medical care and social
services among, for example, those
with mental health and substanceuse disorders, the service can be
particularly helpful, Ehrenfeld says.
“Two firefighters and a social
worker, with their combined
multidisciplinary knowledge and
skills, can solve almost any problem
and de-escalate any situation,” he says.
“This model really works — and it’s
replicable.”
Community paramedicine is a
new and rapidly evolving field in
fire services. “We are a reflection
of systemic failure in multiple
overlapping systems, but we have
an opportunity to be proactive
instead of reactive,” Ehrenfeld says.
Programs like this save tax dollars,
free equipment and personnel for
other responses, and alleviate the
disproportionate burden placed on the
health care system, he says. They also
benefit people by providing holistic
care that can address the root causes of
their distress.
“There’s a direct line from my
experience at Swarthmore to what I’m
doing now,” Ehrenfeld says. His service
at the Swarthmore Fire Department
ultimately changed the course of his
career — and his life: He and his wife,
Emily Ford ’04, met while volunteering
at the fire station. In another
Swarthmore connection, Paul Atwater
’95, who also volunteered with the
Swarthmore Fire Department, is a fire
battalion chief in Seattle. Atwater was
heavily involved with the launch of
the Mobile Integrated Health Program
— just three and a half months before
COVID-19 hit.
“I apply a lot of the principles I
learned at Swarthmore — as I look
at issues of socioeconomic disparity
and theoretically equitable systems,
for example,” Ehrenfeld says. The
pandemic has only widened those
equity gaps. “We’re connectors,” he
adds. “We connect people with the
resources, experts, and providers they
need. COVID has brought a titanic
upswell of need, but so many of the
partners we rely on are unavailable
now due to COVID.”
The national focus on crisis
response has also created a catalyst
moment, and many cities have taken
quick, bold actions to implement
proactive, integrated services.
Ehrenfeld’s unit has experienced a
steady rise in use and has had such a
positive impact that a second unit has
now launched.
The Seattle Fire Department
recently honored Ehrenfeld as Civilian
of the Year. “I feel fortunate to be in
this position, and I like going to work.”
He smiles. “It’s a privilege to serve.”
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
19
POWER
OF
PLACE
A once-neglected Quaker cemetery in
Philadelphia has grown into a center of
community building
by Sherry L. Howard
photography by Laurence Kesterson
Inspired by their Quaker roots, Jean Murdock Warrington ’71 (above)
and her husband, Peter ’69, are helping residents in Philadelphia’s Fairhill
20
Swarthmore
College
/ SPRING
2021
neighborhood
as they
workBulletin
to improve
access
to education and public health.
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
21
O
N DEC. 24, 2004, Jean Murdock Warrington ’71 rode with a
Quaker friend to deliver Christmas cookies in Philadelphia’s
Fairhill section.
It was the first time Jean had been to this North
Philadelphia neighborhood. She saw loads of trash and
abandoned houses, but also strings of bright Christmas lights
on people’s homes.
After that visit, she never quite left.
For more than 16 years, Jean has been a presence in
Fairhill, an area once notoriously known as “The Badlands.”
At the corner of Ninth and Indiana streets during the crack
epidemic in the 1980s, dealers openly sold drugs, and addicts
shot up and slept in an adjacent derelict Quaker cemetery. By
the time Jean visited, community and Quaker activists had
spent 10 years clearing out the dealers and cleaning up the
cemetery.
Today, Jean is executive director of Historic Fair Hill
(HFH), a Quaker nonprofit that has maintained the Fair
Hill Burial Ground since 1993. Her husband, Peter ’69,
volunteered with HFH on weekends until 2015 when he
retired as a doctor. Now he volunteers full time. The Quakers
from HFH were the backup team for community activists
from the predominantly Hispanic and Black neighborhood,
including Peaches Ramos Bautista and the Rev. Beatrice
Streeter, as they worked to rid the corner of the biggest openair cocaine market in the city.
“I was touched by their story,” Jean says, “so Peter and I
started working with the project.”
Ramos Bautista, of Puerto Rican heritage, has lived in
Fairhill for 33 years. Streeter was the African American
pastor of the Quaker meetinghouse-turned-Baptist church
near the burial ground.
The 5-acre fenced graveyard is an oasis of green in the
middle of concrete, rowhouses, and newly built low-income
and senior housing. It takes up a city block, sprinkled
with shade trees and rows of tiny, weathered headstones
protruding like gray half-moons out of the ground. Plain
grave markers are common to Quakers, who espouse equality
among people.
Buried in this national historic site are Swarthmore
co-founder Lucretia Mott, a white Quaker who in the 19th
century advocated equal rights for women and enslaved
Africans; Robert Purvis, a Black abolitionist with ties
to the Underground Railroad; and Edward Parrish, the
College’s first president. Jean and Peter, Quakers who live
in Northwest Philadelphia, are carrying on Mott’s legacy
and the original purpose of the 300-year-old space: burial
ground, playground for children, and gardens.
“We’re not as brave as Lucretia Mott,” says Jean.
“We aren’t going after major public policy change or
overthrowing major institutions. We’re doing more service.
We’re inspired by her and ask, ‘WWLD: What Would
Lucretia Do?’
“She believed in education. She thought it was the way to
freedom. We’re trying to help kids learn how to read well.
And we’re trying to make gardens where people come outside
to a safe place and they get to know each other.”
“We aren’t going after major public policy
change or overthrowing major institutions.
We’re doing more service ... and ask,
‘WWLD: What Would Lucretia Do?’”
— Jean Murdock Warrington ’71
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Swarthmore
co-founder Lucretia
Mott is among the
Quakers buried at
Fair Hill. Illustration
by Melanie Phillpot
Humble ’86.
“Peaches Ramos was our leader like Lucretia Mott was earlier,” says Jean Murdock Warrington ’71, standing behind community leader Ramos
Bautista and with neighbor Hector Colon at Ninth and Indiana streets in Philadelphia. “She was a peaceful warrior. She was fearless.”
A CONSTANT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
The burial ground has been both sustained and neglected,
surrounded by a community of changing fortunes and
demographics.
In the 17th century, it was part of a larger site that William
Penn gave to his English friend George Fox, founder of
the Religious Society of Friends, of which Penn was a
member. When Fox died in 1691, he willed the property to
Philadelphia Quakers for stables, a meetinghouse, a school, a
burial ground, a playground, and gardens.
A meetinghouse was built around 1703, and the burial
grounds opened about 1707. The cemetery was not used
often until the mid-1800s, when it was enlarged; Mott
and her husband, James, helped raise money for it. Mott
biographer Margaret Hope Bacon H’81 applied for historic
designation for the burial ground, which was named to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
The cemetery is no different from others owned by the
Quakers, with its small cookie-cutter headstones and
indistinguishable graves. But it is notable because of who lie
beneath the soil: some of the stalwarts of the 19th-century
abolitionist movement in Philadelphia.
Mott is perhaps the best-known. She spoke against slavery
and supported equality for women, African Americans, and
Native Americans. She and her husband were among the
co-founders of Swarthmore College, as was Parrish. Purvis
opened up his home to enslaved Africans and shuttled them
through the Underground Railroad. Bacon has written that
he likely bought his family plot through his friendship with
the Motts. All Quakers were not so tolerant; some were slave
owners before 1776, when the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
prohibited members from enslaving people.
Purvis’s wife, Harriet, was a co-founder with Mott of the
Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. They were among
the women who had met for an anti-slavery convention
in the newly built Pennsylvania Hall in 1830 before a proslavery mob set it on fire. Mott was also an organizer of the
1848 Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y.,
which started the women’s movement.
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
23
A FORGOTTEN CEMETERY GETS NEW NEIGHBORS
Throughout much of the 20th century, Fairhill was
largely a working-class, Catholic neighborhood, with a
bustling commercial strip along Germantown Avenue.
St. Bonaventure Church stood out with its stately clock
tower and spire.
But by the 1980s, Fairhill had fallen into despair, marked
by consistently high poverty, distressingly low student
test scores, and entrenched crime. Contributing to the
neighborhood’s plight was the cemetery.
“No one came around to maintain it,” recalls Ramos
Bautista, the community activist. For years, she and
neighbors thought it was a pet cemetery because of the small
headstones. Bacon noted in a 1999 article in Friends Journal:
“It was a tangle of weeds, discarded tires, trash, and garbage,
surrounded by a gap-toothed fence and gutted sidewalks, a
menace to an already decaying neighborhood.” Bacon, who
helped restore the cemetery, died in 2011.
“We had people shooting up on the corner,” says Ramos
Bautista. “We had people laying around. You don’t see that
around the cemetery no more.”
The change began when neighbors started challenging
the dealers and reached out to the Quakers to clean up their
cemetery.
“I would stand on the corner and disperse them and call
911 because a lot of the kids got killed around here,” says
Ramos Bautista. “We used to have vigils out there every
night so the drug dealers wouldn’t sell. We would give coffee
to the cops to come sit out there with us. The neighbors
pulled together to take the community back. It was hard, but
we did it.”
Mural Arts Philadelphia painted eight murals in the
neighborhood with such figures as Mott, Purvis, Harriet
Tubman, and Martin Luther King Jr. Ramos Bautista made
such a difference that a mural was painted in her honor
overlooking Ninth and Indiana. “Peaches Ramos was our
leader like Lucretia Mott was earlier,” says Jean. “She was a
peaceful warrior. She was fearless.”
A HISTORIC INFLUENCE
Green Street Meeting in nearby Germantown was
responsible for the upkeep of the cemetery when Bacon went
looking for Lucretia Mott’s grave for a book project. (Her
Mott biograhy, Valiant Friend, was published in 1980). The
cemetery wasn’t as unkempt as it would become, she said in
an interview with QuakerBooks of FGC, but it needed help.
It took her 15 years of agitating her fellow Quakers about
the condition of the cemetery and the neighborhood before
anything happened, she said. In 1985, the meetinghouse and
cemetery property were sold to Ephesians Baptist Church.
Friends from Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting, which
represents the eight monthly meetings in the city, purchased
the cemetery in 1993, and Fair Hill Burial Ground Corp. was
formed to maintain it. In 2009, it was renamed Historic Fair
Hill. The meetinghouse remained separate and is now owned
by St. John Memorial Baptist Church.
For several years, Quakers from Philadelphia and other
areas worked to clean up the burial ground and raised money
24
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Historic Fair Hill’s work includes a focus on literacy. Peter
Warrington ’69, a retired doctor, also tutors students in reading.
“It’s very satisfying to get to know the neighbors,” he says, “to care
about the community like teachers and others who work here.”
to replace missing sections of a wrought-iron fence. By the
time Jean arrived in 2004, the revival of the cemetery and
the surrounding community were intertwined. She was
named program director of HFH that year and executive
director in 2016.
The goal of HFH, Jean says, is “to preserve the historical
site, to carry forward the ideals of those great reformers, and
to work with partners to revitalize the neighborhood.”
Fair Hill staff members and volunteers carved out gardens
where children now grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
They joined with residents to plant 135 trees and build seven
satellite gardens in the community, and they created green
spaces for play. HFH now hosts tours and festivals in the
cemetery, and partners with schools in the area.
Even with the pandemic, Jean and Peter continue to work
in the gardens and donate the bounty to local residents. They
set up free-book tables at the neighborhood’s Julia de Burgos
Elementary School — named after a Puerto Rican poet and
civil rights activist.
“It’s very satisfying,” Peter says, “to get to know the
neighbors, to care about the community like teachers and
others who work here.”
HFH provides books and reading tutors at the school.
Among the supporters are parents and teachers at the
suburban Plymouth Meeting Friends School. As part of a
project called “Building Bridges,” books and supplies were
donated and letters were written advocating fair state funding
“At Swarthmore, I learned that our job is to help make the world better,” says Jean Murdock Warrington ’71, opening the gate to the community
garden. “George Fox saw an ocean of darkness and death, but over that an infinite ocean of light and love. At Historic Fair Hill, friends and neighbors
across cultures are trying to create a more just and peaceful world.”
for education. Since the school upholds the Quaker values of
social justice and activism, the group felt that “we should be
trying to engage parents and families acting on those values,”
says Rebecca Smith Heider ’96, a project member.
These days, Peter uses Zoom to tutor second and third
graders at de Burgos School in reading. A few years ago
when he noticed the library was closed, he had asked the
vice principal if he would be interested in reopening it. “He
looked at me like I’d asked a very stupid question,” Peter
recalls. “He said, ‘Of course.’”
So staff members and volunteers dusted off the
bookshelves, cleaned up the room, and bought and cataloged
new books. In 2016, the library reopened with 12,000 books.
It welcomed classes four days a week before school was
closed because of the pandemic.
The goal of HFH is “to preserve the
historical site, to carry forward the
ideals of those great reformers, and
to work with partners to revitalize
the neighborhood.”
— Jean Murdock Warrington ’71
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
25
COURTESY OF FRIENDS HISTORICAL LIBRARY
RESTING IN
PLAIN SITE
The disabling issues facing poor communities like Fairhill are deep-rooted, the Warringtons say. “These are Philadelphia
problems, these are United States problems, and solving them is going to be a long process,” Peter says.
WHEN QUAKERS BEGAN restoring North
Philadelphia’s overgrown and dilapidated
Fair Hill Burial Ground in 1993, neighbors
were confused. Why waste all that effort
on a pet cemetery?
It wasn’t a pet cemetery, of course.
Early Quakers were strictly committed to
simplicity and equality, and they abhorred
the intricate, aggrandizing monuments
common at the time. Most Quaker
communities did not use any grave
markers at all until the mid-19th century.
When they did begin to use them, Quaker
burial grounds placed restrictions on the
stones within their boundaries: the size,
shape, and even what could be engraved
thereon. While Victorian cemeteries burst
with soaring obelisks, realistic statuary,
and lengthy inscriptions, Quaker burial
grounds sprouted short, rectangular
stones, briefly identified with names and
dates.
Though neighbors thought Fair Hill
was a pet cemetery because of the
simple headstones, on the contrary, some
of Philadelphia’s — and Swarthmore
College’s — most notable 19th-century
activists are buried there. The most
famous grave at Fair Hill belongs to
Lucretia Mott. Renowned in her own
time, Mott was an influential reformer
26
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
When Lucretia Mott’s descendants
replaced her burial stone (right), they
gifted the original marker (above) to
Friends Historical Library. Top right:
Robert Purvis and Lucretia Mott
(seated), on the executive committee of
the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society.
Courtesy of Friends Historical Library
(#A000064). Top left: Jean Murdock
Warrington ’71 touches the grave marker
of Swarthmore’s first president, Edward
Parrish.
promoting abolition, women’s rights, and
peace; she is also counted as a founder
of Swarthmore College. Swarthmore’s
first president, Edward Parrish, who was
also a pharmacist by trade, a Quaker by
faith, and an abolitionist by conviction,
is interred there as well. So are Robert
and Harriet Forten Purvis —
prominent
members of Philadelphia’s free Black
community who, like their friends the
Motts, were active in anti-slavery work
and supported women’s suffrage.
To learn more about Fair Hill Burial
Ground, come visit us at the Friends
Historical Library, as we hold Fair Hill’s
archives (archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/
resources/4069fahi). There were a few
burials on the land as early as 1707, but it
wasn’t until 1843 that a Joint Committee
on Interments was formed and burials
began on a more regular basis.
The College has burial registers, lot
records, publications, and other related
items documenting more than a century of
active use. Don’t get confused when you
learn that the first burial after interments
resumed in 1843 was one “John Hare.” He
was a man, not a rabbit — take it from me,
your Friendly archivist.
— Celia Caust-Ellenbogen ’09,
Friends Historical Library Archivist
Jean has been an English teacher in rural Missouri, a
social worker in Detroit, and head of a Montessori school
their children attended in upstate Pennsylvania. “When we
moved back to Philadelphia, we said, ‘Enough time in the
private schools. Let’s work in the public schools,’” she says.
Their efforts here have been varied. Once, the school’s
police officer and baseball coach told Peter that he couldn’t
get physicals for some seventh graders who needed them
to play baseball. Peter, a doctor, conducted not only their
physicals but also those for members of a running club and
basketball team, and for softball teams at a nearby junior
high school. At de Burgos, Jean raised money to pay bilingual
parents $15 an hour to work as aides for kindergarten to
second-grade classes. These women, trained by teachers,
help translate and provide a comforting presence.
“The more money we can raise, the more hours, the more
people we can bring in to support our neighborhood schools,”
Jean says.
Adds Ramos Bautista: “They take the time to come over
here and help the kids from the neighborhood. They don’t have
to do that.”
MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
The Warringtons’ years at Swarthmore played a role in their
mission. Peter majored in sociology, and he later earned
a medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic
Medicine in Missouri. Jean’s degree is in English.
Recently, Peter was corresponding with his Swarthmore
roommate, Felix Rogers ’69, also a physician. “He was
ruminating about why he’s still working,” Peter says. “He’s
working for the same reason he started and for the same
reason I did. He was saying, ‘I’m still working because I want
to make the world a better place in any way I can.’”
Says Jean: “At Swarthmore, I learned that our job is to help
make the world better. George Fox saw an ocean of darkness
and death, but over that an infinite ocean of light and love. At
Historic Fair Hill, friends and neighbors across cultures are
trying to create a more just and peaceful world.”
Although the area around the cemetery has improved, the
“Badlands” epithet still clings to Fairhill.
“I hate that name,” Ramos Bautista says. “We’re human
beings. There are decent people out here.”
The disabling issues facing poor communities like Fairhill
are deep-rooted: racial and health disparities, inadequate
schools, poverty, unemployment. It is a community
of contrasts: rich with churches, three of them across
Germantown Avenue from the cemetery; tidy and untidy
blocks, new and old housing stock, abandoned factories,
empty lots littered with trash, gutters with hypodermic
needles, a commercial strip.
Jean and Peter are frustrated at the forces that allow
communities like Fairhill to be neglected.
“These are systemic problems that don’t get better
quickly,” says Peter, who also helps with voter registration
with the Fair Hill Neighbors. “These are Philadelphia
problems, these are United States problems, and solving
them is going to be a long process.”
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
27
COM
BINING
FORCES
John Mather ’68, H’94, NASA’s first Nobel laureate,
has made a career of coordinating projects that
involve thousands of scientists and engineers. His
latest: the most ambitious space telescope ever, due
to launch this fall.
28
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Some said the scheduled launch for the Webb
telescope in 2007 was overly optimistic, says John
Mather ’68, H’94. “People laughed at us right away and
said that we couldn’t do that. But they did not tell us to
stop, because it was really clear that NASA headquarters
wanted to do this.”
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
COURTESY OF NASA
by Dana Mackenzie ’79
29
30
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Webb telescope. He told me that the
spacecraft was going through testing
on the shake table the next week.”
The shake table simulates the violent
vibrations of a launch, and a lot of
delicate science instruments break on
their first try. “I asked him if he was
nervous or worried,” continues Jensen.
“I still remember his answer, because
it’s been an inspiration to me. He said,
‘No, I’m not worried because I don’t
take it personally. If there’s a problem,
we’ll find out what it is and fix it.’ He is
super calm and pragmatic.”
The future Nobel laureate grew up in
rural northern New Jersey in a family
that strongly encouraged his interest
in science. He had a small telescope
as a child, which he built himself from
lenses and then a mirror he ordered
from Edmund Scientific. He did
extremely well in math and science
competitions and attended a summer
physics program at Cornell University.
But, as he wrote in his Nobel Prize bio,
“My parents reminded me frequently
that I would still have to work hard in
college.”
At Swarthmore, Mather did work
hard. Freshman physics was too easy,
so he asked if he could take sophomore
physics instead. “They gave me
the sophomore physics book, and I
spent the whole Christmas vacation
doing every problem in it,” he says.
But he didn’t succeed in everything.
He remembers struggling to pass
art history and music history, and
he avoided courses that prioritized
writing. (He has, in fact, written a book
about the COBE mission, 2008’s The
Very First Light.)
As a student, Mather idolized the
physicist Richard Feynman, but in
graduate school at the University of
California, Berkeley, he figured out that
not everybody could be a Feynman.
The most crucial experiment for
his dissertation — an attempt to
measure the spectrum of the recently
discovered cosmic microwave
background from a balloon — ended in
COURTESY OF NASA
I
T’S BEEN 12 MONTHS
since John Mather ’68,
H ’94 worked in his office at
the Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Twelve months since he saw
the crocheted model of the Cosmic
Background Explorer (COBE), the
spacecraft that took the first picture of
the Big Bang’s microwave afterglow.
Twelve months since he looked at
the model of his next career-defining
project, the James Webb Space
Telescope.
Though the coronavirus pandemic
has kept Mather at home, it hasn’t
stopped the Webb telescope, a quartercentury in the making, from inching
toward its date with destiny. Later this
year — on Halloween, if the schedule
holds — the successor to the Hubble
Space Telescope will launch from
French Guiana, unfurl its 18-faceted
fly-eye mirror, and then travel to a
point a million miles from Earth.
From there, it will peer deeper into
space and time than Hubble could: to
the era when, like fireflies coming out
at twilight, stars first started to light
up one by one against the universe’s
deepening dark.
A second goal, which has become
much more topical in recent years, is
to discover exoplanets (i.e., planets
orbiting other stars) and look in their
atmospheres for chemicals that could
be indicators of life. Although the
search for the first stars and images
of habitable worlds may be the most
likely headline-grabbers, it’s the lure
of the unknown that really excites
Mather. “I would consider it a success
if the big discovery was something we
weren’t expecting,” he says. “I would
place my bet on ‘none of the above.’”
THE CALM LEADER
What if Mister Rogers had commanded
the starship Enterprise? The question
comes to mind when talking with
Mather about the upcoming mission.
Everything about the Webb telescope
seems overwhelmingly out of the
ordinary, from the giant beryllium
mirrors plated in gold to the origamilike structure that will blossom into
the most powerful infrared telescope
ever; from the $10 billion price tag to
the near-cancellation of the project 10
years ago; from the orbital gymnastics
that will take it to the second
Lagrangian point (beyond the moon)
to the slow-moving boat that will carry
it through the Panama Canal.
The only thing that seems
refreshingly ordinary about the Webb
telescope is the man at the (scientific)
helm. Mather takes every opportunity
to downplay his personal importance.
“We have a very large team of younger
people, and I don’t tell them what to
do,” he says. (So far, several thousand
people have worked on the Webb
telescope.) “My job these days is
mostly to get out of their way, because
they already know what to do.”
Maggie Masetti, who leads the
Webb telescope’s social media team,
says, “John is the nicest, humblest
person you’ll ever meet.” Once, she
says, a tour guide was showing some
visitors around the Goddard Space
Flight Center when they happened to
run into Mather in the hall. “D.J. [the
tour guide] asked him to introduce
himself, and John said that he was the
senior project scientist for the Webb
telescope. Then D.J. said no, tell them
who you really are. He practically had
to force it out of him that he was not
just the project scientist but a Nobel
Prize winner.”
Swarthmore Professor of Astronomy
Eric Jensen has a John Mather story,
too. “Three or four years ago, we
happened to be riding up the escalator
together at a meeting, and I asked
him how things were going with the
The Optical Telescope Simulator, part of the testing process for the Webb telescope. Its job was to feed in a beam of light, like the
one the telescope will produce, and make sure that the scientific instruments recorded it correctly. The colorful blankets were designed
to keep some parts of the testing equipment warm, while the rest was chilled to minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit.
failure. That disappointment planted
the seeds of an amazingly successful
career. He learned two important
things. First, the experiment had to
be done in space. Second, the team
had been in too much of a hurry and
had cut corners. The lesson would
serve him well on COBE, which took
16 years to get off the ground, and the
Webb telescope, which has taken 26. A
large part of that time has been spent
making sure everything works right. In
space, you don’t get second chances.
COLD, GOLD, AND BIG —
THE STORY OF A TELESCOPE
To understand what the James Webb
Telescope is and what it is supposed to
do, you have to start at the beginning.
Almost 14 billion years ago, the
universe began expanding in an
event called the Big Bang that can be
described but not explained. After
378,000 years, the universe had cooled
enough for hydrogen atoms to form.
Space became transparent, because
there were hardly any stray ions
left for light to bounce off of. COBE
brought us a snapshot of that moment.
We discovered that the universe was
colorless but not featureless; it had
slight density fluctuations, which have
condensed into the stars and galaxies
of today.
The next snapshot we have, thanks
to Hubble, is a billion years later. At
that point we see a universe already
filled with adolescent stars and
galaxies. We are missing the formative
years, and that is what Mather and
other astronomers are hoping to see
with Webb. To capture the universe
in its childhood, we need a telescope
that is sensitive to infrared light. The
older a star is, the more its light has
been stretched out by the universe’s
expansion; this makes the light redder,
a phenomenon called “redshift.”
For stars 14 billion years old, it is a
huge effect: Light that was initially
ultraviolet would be shifted clear over
to the infrared spectrum, completely
bypassing the range of visible light.
This infrared telescope needs to
be cold, gold, and big. Cold, because
anything warm produces its own
infrared light, which swamps the faint
light coming from the heavens. Gold,
because gold is a near-perfect reflector
of infrared. (It’s a poor reflector of blue
“OUR JOB IS NOT TO FIND ANSWERS, BUT TO FIND EVIDENCE.”
—John Mather ’68, H’94
SPRING 2021
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31
ALWAYS — ANOTHER
SWARTHMORE CONNECTION
32
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Artist’s conception of the Webb telescope deployed in space. Note the 18 hexagonal goldplated primary mirrors, the secondary mirror at the apex of the support structure, and the fivelayer sunscreen that blocks sunlight, earthlight, and moonlight from hitting the telescope. The
spacecraft orbits at a special point, the L2, which allows it to stay aligned with the sun and Earth
at all times. In reality, Earth would appear much smaller to the Webb telescope than it does in this
picture, because Earth is a million miles away.
light, which is why it looks yellow-red
to us.) Big, because these first stars
are more than 13 billion light years
away from us, and therefore very faint.
Webb’s 18 primary mirrors have more
than six times the total light-collecting
area of Hubble’s single mirror.
To make the Webb telescope cold,
Mather and NASA needed to put it
far away from Earth’s atmosphere.
They had to shield it not only from
sunlight, but also from earthlight and
moonlight. The second Lagrange point,
L2, is the perfect location. At that
point, a satellite takes exactly one year
to complete an orbit around Earth and
the sun at the same time. Thus, Earth
will always be between Webb and the
sun, so Webb needs to be shielded
from one direction only. Unlike
Hubble, which had to be enclosed in a
tube, Webb can spread its photogenic
mirrors wide.
Webb has been very expensive,
because it pushes the limits of
feasibility in so many ways. (The
current price tag is about $10 billion.)
In 2011, Congress began to balk at
the continued delays and increasing
cost, and at one point the House
“I THINK OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EARLY
UNIVERSE IS REALLY EMPTY. …
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE COSMIC
DARK AGES, THE FORMATION OF THE FIRST
OBJECTS IS A MYSTERY.”
— John Mather ’68, H’94
COURTESY OF NASA
as a science writer, I went to a talk
by the astronomer Geoffrey Marcy,
one of the first people to discover
planets orbiting other stars. At the
end of the talk, Marcy said that
in 10 years or so, there would be
an amazing new space telescope
that would be able to photograph
these planets directly. At that
time, in 1997, the evidence was
only indirect: The existence of the
planets was inferred from wobbles
in their host star’s movement, or
dimming of the star as the planet
passed in front.
Twenty-five years later, Marcy’s
prediction will finally come true,
and two of the people who will
make it so are from Swarthmore.
Beth Biller ’00 and Andy Skemer
’06 are co-principal investigators
of “High-Contrast Imaging of
Exoplanets and Exoplanetary
Systems.” It is one of 13 projects
designated for the Early Release
Science phase of the Webb
mission, a sort of shakedown
period when the telescope will
both do high-quality science and
test out the four instruments on
board, making sure they work and
giving astronomers a chance to
practice using them.
Although a few exoplanets
have been photographed from
ground-based observatories, the
photos from Webb will have higher
resolution, and they will have full
infrared spectra. That is, they will
be in color (though not the kind
we can see). The photos might, for
example, show if these Jupiter-like
planets have clouds or perhaps
even rings. Biller and Skemer
will be in a very similar position
to 17th-century astronomers like
Galileo and Huygens, looking at
Jupiter and Saturn through the
very first telescopes. There is no
telling what they will find, and
everything is possible.
—Dana Mackenzie ’79
COURTESY OF NASA
WHEN I WAS JUST STARTING OUT
Clean-room technicians inspect one of the Webb telescope’s 18 mirrors. Gold is an ideal coating for Webb’s mirrors
because it is a particularly good reflector of infrared light. The mirror’s gentle curvature will concentrate light onto Webb’s
secondary mirror (not shown), and in the lab it also creates a funhouse-style distortion of the technician’s face.
Appropriations Committee zeroed
out the telescope’s budget. “Congress
was interested in whether there was
a plan or whether this was spiraling
out of control,” says deputy mission
scientist Jonathan Gardner. “I think
that [eliminating the budget] was part
of the process to make sure that NASA
would come up with a plan.”
The threat was serious enough to
catch a lot of attention. A grassroots
#SaveJWST effort sprang up online.
Contractors, such as Northrop
Grumman, most likely whispered into
their U.S. representatives’ ears. “If
your prime contractor is the largest
defense contractor in the world, that’s
an awful lot of expertise and heft
and contacts,” says Robert Smith, a
historian at the University of Alberta,
who is writing a book about the
mission.
As a NASA employee, Mather
was not allowed to lobby Congress,
but he did write a letter to The New
York Times, signed by 31 other Nobel
Prize winners. “Everyone I contacted
wanted to help,” Mather says. The
Nobel laureates, the contractors, and
the public prevailed. Congress restored
and, in fact, increased the funding, and
the launch date was pushed to 2018.
The last of Webb’s many delays
was due to the coronavirus pandemic,
which suspended assembly and testing
for a few weeks last year. Gardner
says Webb actually got lucky, because
all the hardware was in one place, at
Northrop Grumman. “If it had been
five or 10 years ago, the pieces would
have been all over the country and all
over the world,” he says.
In view of the history of delays,
it’s reasonable to ask whether the
launch will really happen this fall, as
scheduled. Mather says the answer is
yes. “The list of things we have left to
accomplish is not that long,” he says.
“We’ll have it all buttoned up and ready
to go by July or August.” At that point,
the telescope will be packed aboard a
ship and sailed through the Panama
Canal to French Guiana.
There’s a story about that, too.
Mather always saw this mission as
an international venture, and the
European Space Agency signed on
for 15% of the cost. (Canada has
also provided 5%.) NASA and ESA
agreed that the latter would provide
the launch vehicle, an Ariane rocket.
That is why the mission will launch
from the ESA spaceport in French
Guiana, and it’s why this 21st-century
technology has to take such an early
20th-century route to outer space.
It’s not surprising that Mather would
want to make it the world’s telescope.
If one value has dominated his career,
it’s collaboration. Nothing this big
gets done without the contributions
of many people. “How do we know all
these things about the universe and the
Big Bang?” he asks. “Not because we’re
individually brilliant, but because
we have been thinking about them
for a hundred years, and because we
combine forces.”
SPRING 2021
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33
WINGING IT
How a
student
prank led to
one of the
College’s
quirkiest
traditions
by Elizabeth
Slocum
illustrations by
Jamie Coe
34
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
O
NE EVENING a
year, as a chill hits
the air, Swarthmore’s
campus transforms
to a mystical land
of fanciful beings
and prehistoric beasts. Armed
with the finest in foam weaponry,
Swarthmoreans don trash bags
to prepare for battle against their
longtime foe: the pterodactyl.
Part treasure hunt, part live-action
role-playing game, the Pterodactyl
Hunt is wholly Swarthmore, drawing
students of all stripes on a mission to
slay monsters — or to serve as mythical
creatures themselves. Creative and
quirky, the Hunt has grown into a
beloved College tradition since its
inception in the early ’80s.
However, the original event was
less a Pterodactyl Hunt than a wild
goose chase. It began as an elaborate
prank that duped the student body
while roping in an unwitting resident
assistant. At the heart of the hoax was
a firm reminder to balance college
seriousness with occasional silliness.
A HOLE WAITING TO BE FILLED
Memories have grown hazy in the four
decades since James LaTourrette ’81
was on campus, yet he distinctly recalls
being annoyed that his friend group
had been displaced from their regular
Sharples Dining Hall seats. To get back
at the underclassmen who had taken
their table, the pre-med-turned-history
major concocted an elaborate diversion.
That’s not how Cathy Jump Russell
’81 and Steve Daniels ’81 remember
it, though: Instead, they say, the hoax
was the culmination of years of pranks
against their friend Bill Taibi ’81.
Either way, in spring 1980,
LaTourrette and several others devised
a plan to lead students on a campus
“Pterodactyl Hunt” — a scavenger
hunt of sorts that would end at Taibi’s
room on Parrish Third. Pterodactyls
had become a motif of LaTourrette’s
time at Swarthmore, as he sometimes
SPRING 2021
imagined them circling the skies above
Crum Woods.
To spread the word about their
event, the crew launched a stealth
marketing campaign, plastering
the campus with cryptic signs.
Their pièce de résistance: a bedsheet banner on Clothier Tower.
LaTourrette employed the artistic
help of Russell — “an exceptional
artist for an astronomy major,” he
notes — to paint a pterodactyl with a
plea to “Join the Hunt.”
“James was the instigator of most
everything,” says Russell, of Dracut,
Mass. Late one night, LaTourrette
brought the banner up the tower,
accompanied by Russell’s nowhusband, Greg ’81.
Practical jokes were popular on
campus at the time “as a way to
let loose and blow off steam,” says
LaTourrette, a former lawyer from
Loveland, Colo. It wasn’t uncommon
for rogue banners like theirs to make
their way onto Clothier. Daniels,
now physics chair at Eastern Illinois
University, heard stories from his
older brother Dave ’76 about students
hiding McCabe Library’s card-catalog
drawers. Russell recalls transforming
Old Tarble’s clock into a Mickey
Mouse fixture, complete with ticking
arms and legs.
Among this group of friends,
largely science majors and members
of Swarthmore’s Folk Dance Club,
LaTourrette was often the ringleader
behind lighthearted pranks, with Taibi
usually the target. A onetime R.A.,
Taibi recalls returning to his room
one night to find his door missing,
completely removed from its hinges.
On another occasion, his room was
transformed into a pirate ship, with a
plank going out the window.
“Maybe it was jealousy?” Taibi says
with a laugh. “I honestly don’t know
what I did to deserve all the love and
attention.”
Part treasure hunt, part live-action
role-playing game, the Pterodactyl Hunt
is a 40-year-old campus tradition that is
wholly Swarthmore.
SPRING 2021
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35
The pranks were never meanspirited, LaTourrette insists, but they
got a rise out of Taibi. Now a physician
from Mount Sinai, N.Y., Taibi was
known for his loud tirades … followed
by deep laughter. As Taibi grew more
focused on his pre-med studies,
LaTourrette says, the group simply
tried to remind him to let loose and
have fun.
The “Pterodactyl Hunt,” however,
took their pranking to a new level.
LaTourrette hoped the scam
would dupe about a half-dozen
underclassmen. “Instead,” he says,
“you couldn’t walk into Sharples
without hearing some group asking
about what it was or where they could
find out about it.”
“There
was a hole in
campus life that
our Pterodactyl
Hunt was just
waiting to fill.”
— James LaTourette ’81
36
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
On the night of the “Hunt,” plagued
with fear and a little guilt, LaTourrette
stayed far away from the scene as
throngs of students made their way to
Scott Amphitheater. From there, the
deceived participants followed a series
of signs pointing “This way to the
Pterodactyl Hunt!” At the end of the
trail was one final sign: “Hunt canceled
due to pterodactylian difficulties. For
complaints, see Bill Taibi on Parrish
Third.”
“When the first person knocked
on Bill’s door, his comment was
something to the effect of, ‘James is
dead meat,’” says Daniels, who heard
the commotion from his room. But
Taibi ultimately took things in stride.
“It was just one in a series,”
Taibi laughs, “and it didn’t
take me nearly as long to get
rid of them as it did to find my
door.”
Only a few students made
their way to the Hunt’s final
destination, but the group
learned two things from their
ambitious stunt.
“The first was that running
this big a hoax was quite
stressful and not nearly as
much fun as we thought it
would be,” LaTourrette says. “The
second was that there was a hole in
campus life that our Pterodactyl Hunt
was just waiting to fill.”
FUN TAKES FLIGHT
LaTourrette spent the summer
corresponding with Russell and
Daniels on how he could redeem
himself, and repair his karma, by
holding an actual Pterodactyl Hunt
that fall. Borrowing elements from the
newly popular Dungeons and Dragons,
the group planned a role-playing
treasure hunt in Crum Woods, where
participants would battle monsters
and the other “hunters.” “Dragons”
would guard the treasure in the
Cloisters, while “pterodactyls” would
attack the hunters before revealing
where the bounty lay.
“Steve came up with the idea for the
first weapons to arm our hunters —
rolled-up newspapers taped together,”
LaTourrette says. “I bought some
garbage bags to armor our pterodactyls
and a little aluminum foil for
decoration. All told, I think we spent
less than $10.”
To spread the word among
a skeptical student body, the
friends publicized the Hunt’s rules
“A troll was to
be avoided at all
costs because if he
started talking to
you, you were stuck
there listening to
him until something
happened.”
— Robin Hayden ’83
beforehand, along with details of when
and where it would take place. They
also recruited participants from the
Folk Dance Club and other groups, who
would work in teams of six to retrieve
the treasure.
Daniels, a cross-country star, was
one of two pterodactyls. Robin Hayden
’83, a sophomore, filled the role of a
dragon, armed with acid breath (i.e.,
squirt guns) to slow the hunters down.
“The one clear memory I have
is James telling me that one of the
characters would be a troll, who was
to be avoided at all costs because if he
started talking to you, you were stuck
there listening to him until something
happened,” Hayden says.
To the friends’ surprise, roughly
60 students showed up to slay the
pterodactyls. The treasure was taken,
students had a good time, and no
one got hurt. “I was hugely relieved,”
LaTourrette says. “To this day, I’m still
surprised that we pulled it off.”
LaTourrette planned a second Hunt
in spring 1981 at the request of Student
Council. Though fewer students took
part and a new choice of weaponry
ultimately failed, it too was a success.
“What I had not realized,”
LaTourrette says, “is that I had given
the Hunt enough of a foothold to start
a tradition.”
PASSING THE FOAM SWORD
LaTourrette faintly remembers a third
Hunt being planned after he graduated,
organized by the science-fiction and
fantasy club, the Swarthmore Warders
of Imaginative Literature (SWIL).
But he didn’t give it another thought
for years, until an issue of the Bulletin
caught his attention in 2005.
“There was an article about the 100
things you should do before you leave
Swarthmore, and one was ‘Go on a
Pterodactyl Hunt,’” he says. “On a scale
of 1 to 10, my surprise level was about
a 14.”
Russell had a similar reaction on a
tour of Swarthmore with her daughter
in the early 2000s. In one of the
student lounges, Russell picked up a
flyer ... for a Pterodactyl Hunt. “I just
about fell over,” she says. “I had a vague
recollection that SWIL had taken
it over, but I had no idea that it had
blossomed and grown.”
These days, the annual Pterodactyl
Hunt is organized by Psi Phi, a sci-fi
club (get it?) that evolved from
SWIL. The basic premise remains
the same: fight the enemies, slay the
pterodactyls, retrieve the treasure.
A typical Hunt draws from 50 to 125
participants, cutting across a wide
swath of Swarthmore’s student body.
And that’s not including the 30 or so
Psi Phi members who help make it
happen, preparing costumes, creating
set pieces, and filling fantasy roles.
“There’s something for everyone,”
says Psi Phi regent (i.e., co-president)
Lux Barton ’21. Fake combat, roleplay,
and riddles are all draws — as is “the
amount of stress relief that you can
get from just running around hitting
people with a foam sword.”
In hindsight, LaTourrette says he
shouldn’t have been surprised that
Swarthmore took to the Pterodactyl
Hunt — a chance to succumb to makebelieve, to fight stress along with
mythical monsters, to put worries
aside and act like a kid again, if only for
a night.
“I had always thought it would
be a one-and-done kind of thing,”
LaTourrette says. “Establishing a
tradition was never part of our goal.
“The coolest part is that the Hunt
has adapted and changed with all the
generations of Swarthmore students,”
he adds. “It is a living tradition now,
and not something that is mine
anymore.”
SPRING 2021
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37
THE FIELD CLUSTER
How has the pandemic affected American
cities?
You look at all of these empty white-collar
office buildings in downtown cities across
the country and wonder if everything will
bounce back to where it was.
Will working from home become a more
permanent feature of the economy? No one
knows. But a fascinating angle of this will
be any lasting effects on our traditionally
congregated work in downtown office
buildings. And if there are, what are you
going to do with all that space? Some
property owners in New York have already
moved to convert them to apartments,
thinking they can make more money that
way now.
RIPPLE EFFECT
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs over the past year. Across industries, people in small
towns and cities have watched their prospects dim. But others are faring better than ever, with their
spending reduced and 401(k) statements on the rise. Any discussion surrounding the short- and
long-term prospects of the national economy is now rooted in the global pandemic.
To help untangle the complexities of how the U.S. economy will be affected for years to come,
Swarthmore economists share perspectives from their areas of expertise. They examine how the
pandemic has widened income inequality, the toll it has taken on America’s most vulnerable workers,
and how it has frayed at the fabric of the American city.
by Ryan Dougherty
illustrations by Phillip Stern ’84
38
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
What would be the repercussions of that?
There’s a concept urban economists
John Caskey, the Joseph Wharton Professor of Economics, takes a walk near the Art
Museum in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia this spring. “A fascinating angle of
call agglomeration economies, which is
this will be any lasting effects on our traditionally congregated work in downtown office
basically just that cities and geographic
buildings,” Caskey says. “And if there are, what are you going to do with all that space?”
groups do better when people who are
experts in a field cluster together.
So, you’ve had medical researchers in Boston or
Philadelphia, and obviously the financial cluster in New York
City and tech in Silicon Valley. The argument is that there’s
knowledge spillover. For young people especially, there’s the
suburbs, temporarily or even permanently. Will it be a lasting
prospect of learning from people in their field and making
effect? You can talk to our students who are graduating. I
contacts. Aspiring corporate lawyers want to get into the
always used to joke with them; you’d never hear a student
best corporate law offices as soon as they can, to be around
say, “I’m going to go live in Reading, Pennsylvania.” They
people they can learn from. It’s almost like there’s something
just don’t do that. They all want to go to Boston, Washington,
in the water: “Here, I can learn to master this.” The argument
New York, Philadelphia, whatever. They all go to big cities.
is that these clusters make the people and the institutions
But now they might be inclined to go somewhere with more
more productive. Now with COVID, with people working at
natural beauty, more solace, more space.
home, you have to wonder whether that can be replicated.
I talked about cities and productivity that comes from
density or agglomeration, this interaction. The other
IN SEARCH OF SOLITUDE
thing that comes from density are the consumer benefits.
What will continue to draw people to cities?
Dense cities can support music venues, theaters, unique
Ultimately, it’s the density of cities that make them exciting,
restaurants, and other places people like to go. Those
and that means an emphasis on mass transit. We’ve had a
amenities attract people to cities, especially walkable
revival of downtown life that has been drawing more and
neighborhoods. Of course, that’s not happening right now.
more people — young people, in particular, but also empty
I’m optimistic it will come back. It may take time, but I
nesters who like the density because of all the restaurants
think that while the suburbs are wonderful for parking your
and arts, the people out and about, the energy.
car, they’re not the most exciting place for a young person
That got lost during the pandemic. People avoided mass
or people who want to surround themselves with vibrancy.
transit, and many left their apartments to move to the
There’s still no competition for a dense city.
SPRING 2021
LAURENCE KESTERSON
John Caskey, the Joseph
Wharton Professor of
Economics, specializes
in urban economics and
teaches a course called
The American City.
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
39
get back to work. I’m very optimistic that the economy will
bounce back — that this whole thing was really a medical
problem, not an economics problem. In fact, with the new
stimulus package, my biggest worry is that the economy will
bounce back too fast and generate inflation.
40
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
LAURENCE KESTERSON
It’s one thing to read about economics but
quite another to apply what you’re learning in
real time, in the real world.
So say the students in Behavioral
Economics, a course taught this January
by Associate Professor of Economics Syon
Bhanot. The students (in groups of four or five)
designed behavioral economics experiments
that will be implemented with real subjects by
the Busara Center for Behavioral Economics, a
research partner in Nairobi, Kenya.
“I had done research at Swarthmore, but it
was all theoretical,” says Martin Rakowszczyk
’22, an economics and linguistics major from
Rockville, Md. “I’ll definitely look back fondly
on getting a chance to design experiments that
are actually carried out in real life.”
“I think this sort of material, and methods,
are hard to learn purely in the abstract,” says
Bhanot. “Especially in the remote environment,
I feel it is important to apply the concepts
in a concrete way — even if it does require
students to think fast.”
Faster than ever, in this case. The course
took place in Swarthmore’s January term
(J-Term), an optional and online-only term
offered for the first time this year to help
bridge the gap between the fall and spring
semesters that was widened by the global
pandemic.
More than 120 students enrolled in the
course, which mixed prerecorded and live
lectures with guest speakers (including faculty
from Harvard University, the University of
Chicago, and Stanford University) to foster
immersive experience.
In designing experiments, some students
focused on the familiar, from the economics
of risky decisions people make in the age of
COVID-19 to how best to encourage healthy
food choices. Others veered from areas of
personal experience to study things like how
Nairobi residents process information about
crime in the city, or how to encourage the use
of energy-efficient cook stoves in Kenya.
This far-flung collaboration would not have
been possible without support from the Lang
Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, the
Provost’s Office, the Economics Department,
and the Global Studies Program — a collection
that speaks volumes about the College’s
willingness to support students, advance
pedagogy, and engage with communities, says
Bhanot. — RYAN DOUGHERTY
The coronavirus has widened the economic divide, says Professor
of Economics Mark Kuperberg, on campus this spring. “There’s a lot of
people who lost their jobs and are living hand to mouth,” he says.
Mark Kuperberg is a professor of
economics whose areas of expertise
include macroeconomics.
INCOME INEQUALITY
The Congressional Budget Office recently predicted that the U.S.
economy will return to its pre-pandemic size by the middle of
this year. And yet many experts worry about a “pandemic divide”:
tens of millions of Americans in as good or better financial shape
than they were at this time last year, and just as many or more
devastated by the virus. What is top of mind for you in measuring
this economic impact?
Income inequality has been rising for 40 years, and the
coronavirus has split the economy even more. There are
people like me who still have their income and haven’t really
gone out in a year. They’re not spending money. As a result,
the personal savings rate is the highest it’s been since 1975.
Consumer debt is relatively low, and most Americans have
received stimulus checks.
And then there are a lot of people who lost their jobs and
are living hand to mouth. For many of us, the most dangerous
thing we’ve done this year is go shopping. But there are
millions of people whose jobs have put them at great risk.
Going forward, there is the possibility of long-term medical
and physical ramifications for those who have been infected,
which disproportionately affected low-wage workers and
minorities. I worry this could be a problem as the economy
recovers.
But on the economic front, the hope is that once the
vaccines are widely distributed, people with reserve savings
will start spending again. That way the people in the hardesthit sectors, such as waiters and flight attendants, can at least
A PHENOMENAL DISCONNECT
How do we understand the tremendous rise of the stock market
in the past year, even as cities and town centers closed up and
millions were losing their jobs?
Just as the virus put a massive spotlight on inequality, it
has done the same with the stock market. People can see
that the stock market is not the real economy, that it’s really
disconnected.
That was always true, but now it’s right in everybody’s
face. There are a lot of reasons for this disconnect, some of
them pretty technical. But there is a phenomenal disconnect.
Stocks are a very imperfect barometer of future profits, and
future corporate profits do not bear a close relationship
to the well-being of the average American. Stocks are
overwhelmingly owned by the wealthy and mutual funds.
The low interest rates have helped the financial sector, too,
big time, more than they have mainstream Americans. Then
there are the corporate tax cuts: Companies just took the
money and bought back their stock, raising prices. And some
of the stocks have just gone gangbusters.
That leaves us with two things to be confronted in the U.S.
economy: inequality and slow growth. While inequality may
be politically difficult to deal with, slow economic growth is
a much more complicated thing; you can’t pinpoint the exact
reasons for it. Even when the economy is fully employed,
it is not growing fast enough in terms of per capita GDP
to raise people’s standard of living. So once the economy
recovers, these should be the two priorities of the Biden
administration.
Marcela Escobari ’96 is a senior fellow
in global economy and development
at the Brookings Institution’s Center
for Sustainable Development. She also
leads the U.S. Agency for International
Development’s operations in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
A LABOR FORCE IN JEOPARDY
In a recent article in The New York Times, you said that even
if the economy adds jobs as the coronavirus risk fades, “the
rebound won’t help the people that have been hurt the most,”
who might have a difficult time reinventing themselves. Where
might we expect to see this most?
The article is based on research where we showed that the
economy’s current potential to absorb displaced workers is
the lowest it has been since at least 2004. Some occupations,
especially those that are tech-heavy, are growing. But our
data show that these jobs are largely inaccessible to folks
displaced from the hardest-hit occupations, such as those
in the food service, education, or health care industries. The
unique nature of this economic shock was that it directly
interfered with the work of the most precarious populations,
those working in high-customer-contact occupations.
For example, the hospitality industry has long had a high
percentage of vulnerable workers, with lower incomes and
lesser protections.
As the economy recovers, it’s important that we address
the bigger issues of a segmented labor market and of the
churning that happens in low-wage work: People can move
to new jobs, but usually that happens within a closed cluster
of similar occupations.
Restaurant workers,
domestic workers, and
workers in many other
occupations have a
difficult time steadily
moving up; they hit
a dead end. This
economic immobility
is a consequence of
trends that have been
a long time in the
making and that have
steadily bifurcated
the economy. And
then there are newer
phenomena like the
rise of gig work and
contract workers,
which increases the
Post-COVID-19, Marcela Escobari
’96 wants companies to measure two
precariousness of the
things: “whether they are contributing
labor force, and these
to creating good jobs and are
folks are often the
promoting mobility, particularly on
first ones fired in a
the lower end of the wage spectrum.”
downturn.
Worryingly, we have
started to see companies forced to learn how to operate and
do business with fewer employees. That’s going to be hard to
unlearn, and it means that many workers who lost their jobs
are going to have a difficult time getting back to their same
jobs. And the longer they are out, the harder it becomes to
re-enter, and the more detrimental it becomes for them and
the next generation.
COURTESY OF MARCELA ESCOBARI ’96
LEARNING BY DESIGN
RD:
HERE, THERE, ANYWHERE
Is it possible this economic downturn may prove unique in terms
of offering these vulnerable workers new opportunities?
There’s going to be an opportunity for companies to rethink
how they fill jobs that require relatively few technical
skills and run on relatively easy-to-learn platforms such as
jobs in IT support or HR administration. We’re hoping for
companies to shift their focus to re-skilling infrastructure,
including community colleges, and be intentional about
trying to recruit vulnerable or recently displaced workers.
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41
A WIN FOR THE WAR ON CHILD POVERTY
The American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden,
includes monthly payments to families with kids 17 and younger with
no strings attached. As a result, low- and middle-income families
with children will receive a yearly total of $3,000 per child age 6
to 17, and $3,600 per child under 6. Some economists say that the
expansions to the child tax credit are expected to cut child poverty
roughly in half, together with other policies included in the package.
Given that the pandemic disproportionately hit low-income
and low-resourced households, exacerbating the already large
disparity in the economy, this relief package has been called
a game-changer as it is expected to have a larger reduction in
poverty for Black and Hispanic children.
More than 10 million children live below the poverty line in the
United States, 3 out of 4 of whom are children of color. Living in
poverty is associated with a number of health risks as well as poor
cognitive skills, depression, and food insecurity. When a child
is exposed to such a disadvantaged environment while growing
up, the negative consequences carry over to adulthood, making
it harder to leave the poverty cycle and undermining overall
intergenerational mobility.
Unconditional cash directly transferred to struggling families
with children can be the most powerful anti-poverty policy
during this unprecedented time. Low-income households face a
multitude of problems — food insecurity, difficulty paying rent/
utilities, lack of transportation, lack of child care resources,
unstable employment, etc. The U.S. government has attempted to
solve these problems one by one with either in-kind transfers or
conditional cash transfers — such as the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance
Program, transportation subsidies, rent relief, or unemployment
benefits — each with different eligibility criteria and requirements,
adding administrative complexity. By simply getting cash with no
strings attached, low-income households have their full discretion
to use it according to their best needs.
More than 10 million children
live below the poverty line in the
United States, 3 out of 4 of whom
are children of color. Living
under poverty is associated
with a number of health risks
as well as poor cognitive skills,
depression, and food insecurity.
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
JAMES WHITCRAFT
by Jiyoon Kim, Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics
Unconditional cash transferred to struggling families
with children can be the most powerful anti-poverty
policy during this unprecedented time, says Jiyoon Kim.
It seems evident that this new child tax credit will slash the
child poverty rate significantly. Then what would be the impact
on outcomes for children? Two strands of economic papers
are helpful to answer this question. The first, published in the
American Economic Review, estimated the long-run impact of
cash transfers to poor families on children’s longevity, educational
attainment, nutritional status, and income in adulthood by
studying the Mother’s Pension program, which ran from 1911 to
1935 as the first government-sponsored welfare program in the
U.S. The study found that male children of accepted applicants
lived longer, obtained more years of schooling, were less likely to
be underweight, and had higher income in adulthood than children
of rejected mothers. Second, we could reflect on previous studies
examining the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which is given
to low- and middle-income individuals with children, conditional
on working. These studies found that childhood exposure to the
EITC had substantial long-term effects on children’s educational
attainment, earnings, and employment status.
Combined with the existing evidence in economics, the
expanded child tax credit would not only combat child poverty
immediately, but also win the long-term war on poverty and
improve intergenerational mobility.
“We want people to see that with a little bit of training, folks displaced from their jobs by the virus are candidates for growing jobs that can be
done remotely,” says Marcela Escobari ’96, who examines workforce issues related to COVID-19.
Companies, especially in growing tech, digital, and financial
industries, need to be willing to give a chance to folks they
normally wouldn’t consider because they lack certain
credentials.
Brookings created an interactive mobility-pathways
tool, to make all this data behind our research on job-tojob transitions widely available. We want to show that if
you’re looking for a computer network administrator, sure,
you can consider a computer scientist, but that you should
also consider a printer-repair person, who our data show
can make a successful transition to network administrator.
We want people to see that with a little bit of training, folks
displaced from their jobs by the virus are candidates for
growing jobs that can be done remotely.
What about the need for a “demand shock” to help dislocated
workers reposition themselves in the economy?
Infrastructure investments, tackling the nation’s long list
of projects, could get people back to work. The key there
will be considering what specific help workers will need to
Web exclusive: To read more, including from Caskey on
the impact that the pandemic has had on pawn shops,
which many low-income people use as banks, and
from Escobari on why the pandemic hit U.S. workers
harder than those of other industrialized countries, visit
swarthmore.edu/bulletin.
transition from occupation X to occupation Y. You might
look at a town in Pennsylvania, with many middle-aged
workers in oil or coal — industries that cause environmental
damage and in which job security is fading. The right
infrastructure project, one to cap leaky oil wells or one to
weatherize buildings and install solar panels, could very
quickly absorb that workforce. These are two examples of
strategic moves to create or build a public good while also
generating more sustainable employment opportunities. As
an infrastructure package is discussed in Congress, we can
be a lot more purposeful on how it can have the most positive
effect on local workers.
What else can be done to help workers?
There are other things the private sector can do that can
have dramatic effects on the quality of work, while also
contributing to their own long-term success. Higher worker
retention improves the bottom line and engages employees.
We want companies to measure two things internally —
whether they are contributing to creating good jobs and are
promoting mobility, particularly on the lower end of the
wage spectrum. And public policy needs to play a role. Take
the discussions about minimum wage — I don’t know if $15
an hour is the right number, but I know the right number
is definitely higher than $7.25. Raising minimum pay is an
issue that you don’t just want some companies to do out of
their goodwill; you really need everybody to align minimum
wages and benefits.
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THE NEXT TIME the Swarthmore Garnet compete in any
manner of intercollegiate athletics, more than 500 days will
have passed since contests were canceled in March 2020.
Many student-athletes have already relinquished half of
their college athletic careers to the pandemic, while others
have been unable to close out their final seasons. Across
sports, Swarthmoreans have navigated these challenges
in their own ways, demonstrating the resilience cultivated
through years of practice and competition.
JUST KEEP SWIMMING
Swimming in Sitka Sound off the coast of southeastern Alaska
is a little bit different from doing laps in Swarthmore’s Ware
Pool. For one thing, there is a higher probability of sharing the
lane in the frigid sound with seals and sea lions.
“I had a run-in with the sea lions in October, which was
very frightening,” says Anna Kottakis ’22. The neuroscience
and English double
major from Clarence
Center, N.Y., has been
living in the remote
community of Sitka this
year as an AmeriCorps
volunteer. And the
lifelong swimmer
hasn’t let wildlife or
the 50-degree water
temperatures keep
her from her favorite
pastime.
“The seals are much sweeter, and they’re really curious,”
she says. “They’ll swim up next to you just to check you out,
which is very off-putting, but you get used to it.”
Kottakis, who won a bronze medal for the Garnet in the
100-yard backstroke at the 2020 Centennial Conference
Championships, decided to take a leave of absence this
school year after struggling with remote learning last
spring. She applied to and was placed with AmeriCorps for
a 10-month program in Sitka working at a boarding high
school that predominantly serves Alaska Native students.
“It’s been a really humbling experience,” says Kottakis,
who leads after-school activities for the recreation
department, supervising groups like the creative writing
club, the environmental club, and one of several Native
dance groups on campus. As she’s learned more about the
culture through observing dances and bonding with her
students, Kottakis has broadened her horizons.
“It’s taught me not to get too hung up on academics,” says
the scholar who has always made academics a priority. In
her new community, she’s become aware of all the life skills
that she needs to learn: “I still don’t know what to do if a bear
approaches me, and I can’t fish.”
AWAY GAMES
After one year of suspended sports, three student-athletes
share what they’ve learned
JAMES POULSON
by Roy Greim ’14
44
“One thing I am really grateful for is that both of my
coaches, when I asked them about AmeriCorps, really
encouraged me to do this,” says Anna Kottakis ’22. “Even
though they knew it might not be the best thing for me
as a swimmer, they knew it was the best thing for me as
Swarthmore
a person.”College Bulletin / SPRING 2021
SPRING 2021
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— MATT MIDKIFF, SWARTHMORE BASEBALL COACH
SWARTHMORE ATHLETICS
But Kottakis has found time to swim, both in open water
and the school’s indoor pool. Her regimen is less intense than
it would be if Swarthmore’s team were competing, but she
credits the change in landscape and routine with helping her
better appreciate the sport. Time in Alaska has also helped
her prioritize her mental health, she says, shaping the way
she approaches her Swarthmore commitments.
“I’ve been swimming since I was 4 years old, so it’s nice to
have a little time away to recharge and be reminded why I like
it,” she says. “I’ve also learned that it’s healthiest to know how
to compartmentalize and when to mentally put something
away. I can’t endlessly stress about dual meets or qualifying
“You see everybody else working hard, and you don’t want to be
the guy who lets the team down,” says outfielder Josh Bein ’23. “So
on those days when you don’t feel like it, you just have to step up
and do what you have to do.”
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
times; I have to work hard at practice and be a good teammate,
and then trust that it’s going to take me where I need to be.”
THROWN A CURVEBALL
During the 2020 MLB season, Josh Bein ’23 watched an
average of two games every night, intently studying hitters
during their at-bats, trying to keep himself mentally sharp
off the diamond.
Bein, an outfielder from Delmar, N.Y., was 12 games into
his Swarthmore baseball career when he received the news
that the final game of the Garnet’s spring break trip would be
the last time he’d take the field that season. The squad, which
was 10-2 overall with wins over nationally ranked teams, was
poised to be one of the strongest head coach Matt Midkiff
had led in years.
“I was in a much better position than the seniors, but it
was tough to see them have their careers end so abruptly,”
Bein says. “As athletes, we take a lot of comfort in the fact
that we can somewhat control when our careers are over, so
it’s jarring, to say the least.”
Since then, Bein has been doing all he can to stay in shape
— from sending Snapchat videos of himself practicing his
swing to his teammates, to traveling to Myrtle Beach, S.C.,
for a month to participate in the Beach Collegiate Baseball
League with Zach Camp ’22 and Cole Hebble ’21.
When the time comes to don a Swarthmore uniform again,
he wants to be as prepared as possible.
“We are really motivated because we see other Division
III teams around the country playing right now and we don’t
want to lag behind,” he says. “We can’t let all the hard work
we put in when we were on campus fall by the wayside.”
Bein, who plans to play collegiately after graduation with
additional eligibility granted by the NCAA, has learned from
the experience that he can’t take for granted the time spent
with his “brotherhood” of teammates.
“I wish that I could have told myself a year ago that the
season was going to end soon and I wouldn’t see some people
for a while,” he says. “Going forward, I have to cherish the
few opportunities that I do have and realize that nothing is
guaranteed.”
ABROAD, AND THEN SUDDENLY BACK
Josephine Thrasher ’21 had big plans for 2020: The biology
major was going to study abroad in Switzerland, using the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reach a higher level of
French comprehension. Then, in the
fall, she was to complete her collegiate
volleyball career as a co-captain
with good friend Alyssa Nathan ’21,
cultivating a positive culture for a team
bringing in a large class of first-years.
Instead, Thrasher was forced to
return to the United States early and to
juggle summer opportunities with the
Swiss academic calendar. Though she
was able to secure housing on campus
in the fall to conduct thesis research on
plant responses to stress, the middle
blocker found herself practicing
volleyball for the first time without
Nathan by her side. She felt isolated,
likening Swarthmore to the Upside
Down from Stranger Things: a place
that is both intimately familiar yet
uncanny in its emptiness.
Rather than dwelling on what was
different, Thrasher saw her sport as
an outlet — and a chance to mentor
younger student-athletes and escape
from the chaos of the outside world.
Despite the added challenge of
having to wear a mask during practices
interrupted by periodic sanitizing
breaks, volleyball was a constant, an
anchor in the Upside Down.
“I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed
being part of a team until it was taken
away from me,” Thrasher says. “One of
the most amazing things in the world
is being in a hard workout, weight-lift,
or practice with your team and having
everybody cheer each other on. There’s
so much camaraderie, and that’s
refreshing when you’ve been isolated
for a while.”
Thrasher had been offered a
Fulbright but decided instead to accept
“a really amazing job at the Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia to work in an
epigenetics lab.” In the meantime, she
is not mourning the loss of her final
collegiate season. As a walk-on who
didn’t intend to compete in college, she
hoped to have a career as “the happiest
benchwarmer” in the NCAA.
“Whenever I’d get really stressed
out during the season or so sore that
I couldn’t walk,” she says, “I’d always
remind myself, every minute I got on
the court is one more than I thought I
was going to have in my life.”
LAURENCE KESTERSON
“IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLD COULD JUST SEE HOW OUR TEAM DOES IT,
HOW OUR GUYS FROM VERY DIFFERENT BELIEF SYSTEMS AND
BACKGROUNDS BECOME BEST FRIENDS — WOULDN’T THE WORLD
BE A BETTER PLACE, IF THAT MODEL GREW?”
“What I keep trying to tell myself is, ‘The only thing that you can control when it comes
to the uncontrollable is how you respond to it,’” says Josephine Thrasher ’21. Since the
pandemic cut short her study-abroad experience in Switzerland and eliminated her senior
volleyball season, the biology major has found comfort in the routine of working out.
SPRING 2021
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In a world of screens, a well-crafted children’s book
can still hold center stage
by Heather Rigney Shumaker ’91
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
C
DESIGNER AND ARTIST: RICH DEAS
“The question is,” says Liao, “whose
voices are you lifting up?”
Editors want authentic stories,
books that “get it right” when
portraying an underrepresented group.
In the past, white authors might have
written these tales trying to explore
marginalized experiences. Today’s
editors ask: Who’s telling the story? Is
it their own story?
“For a while, people were asking,
Why do we need diverse books?” says
Liao, who is Taiwanese American. She
credits groups like We Need Diverse
Books, founded in 2014, for their
diversity efforts. “Now we definitely
know we need them. The question is,
how?”
The “how” sometimes concerns
Napoli.
“There’s this whole issue of lived
experience,” she says. “If you push that
to the extreme, it means authors can
only write about themselves, which is
incredibly boring and has nothing to do
with a diverse society. Books need to be
populated by all kinds of people.”
Can a white author write about
a character of color, or vice versa?
Should they? Liao takes a nuanced
approach.
“There are no ‘rules,’” Liao says.
“People try to cleave to rules. Instead,
we truly talk to the author. What are
our blind spots? Where do we need
to hire an authenticity reader?” Liao
says most authors welcome this extra
level of care. “They’re incredibly
enthusiastic. They want their books to
be better.”
Accuracy is always important, but
with children’s books it’s vital. Young
readers are in a formative time — Liao
can still remember childhood books
line by line — and these books may
be the first or only impression a child
gets about another culture. “We really,
really want to get it right,” Liao says.
“We feel responsible.”
In the past, stories featuring a
character who is Black, queer, or
disabled might be tagged as an “issue”
DESIGNER: RICH DEAS; ARTIST: MOSES LUNHAM
WRITE FOR THE
FUTURE
RAFTING a
compelling story for
kids is not as easy as
it looks.
Just ask Professor
of Linguistics and
Social Justice Donna Jo Napoli. In
addition to teaching and research,
she’s authored more than 80 children’s
books.
“People read them and think, Boy,
that’s simple! I could do that,” says
Napoli. “Anybody and their aunt can
write a children’s book. That’s a huge
myth. It took me 13 years to sell my
first story.”
Storytelling remains front and
center in children’s books, but more
people are asking: Whose stories are
we telling?
“It’s an exciting time,” says Tiffany
Liao ’10, a senior editor at Henry
Holt Books for Young Readers.
“Authors, educators, and others are
pushing for more inclusive publishing
— publishing that reflects our
readership.” In the U.S., the under-10
age set is more than half non-white.
“Our demographic is changing so much
more rapidly than the adult side,” Liao
adds. “The majority-minority shift
happened earlier. The kids’ side is
leading the charge.”
It’s a hard truth that children’s books
still greatly favor white characters.
According to the Cooperative
Children’s Book Center at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison,
there are more books about bears and
bunnies (27%) than Black or Brown
main characters.
“As a child, I didn’t see my identity,”
says Liao. “There’s a hunger for those
stories, for richer, truer, stronger
stories.”
Author Emma Otheguy ’09 agrees.
“The books I read at school were
very formative to me, but they
certainly did not represent a culturally
or racially diverse perspective,” says
Otheguy, who grew up in a Cuban
American home. “I felt the absence
very strongly as a kid.” Otheguy
adored stories about hideaways, like
The Secret Garden, but repeatedly
encountering books with British main
characters made her wonder where she
fit in: “This is only something that can
happen to people who live on a British
moor.”
That single-perspective narrative is
changing, and Swarthmore alums have
their hands in the mix.
For Otheguy, who writes books
with Latinx characters, it’s all
about expanding what’s considered
mainstream and acceptable. Her
newest book, A Sled for Gabo, has been
likened to Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy
Day. In some families, when the kids
troop home from sledding, they make
hot chocolate. “We never made hot
chocolate,” Otheguy says. “We made
dulce de leche.”
JON MILLER
LAURENCE KESTERSON
Children’s book writing?
Easy? Hardly! says Professor of
Linguistics and Social Justice
Donna Jo Napoli, shown in her
Swarthmore garden. She’s the
author of more than 80 books for
children.
“It’s an exciting time,” says Tiffany
Liao ’10, a senior editor at Henry Holt
Books for Young Readers, who acquired
and edited both books pictured above.
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Swarthmore College Bulletin /
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THE BROS. SMITH
book. Today, kids can find Black heroes
in their fantasy books or a Native
detective in their mystery book. “It’s
diversity within diversity,” says Liao.
“Identity informs the narrative, but it’s
not always the central drive.”
“These voices and perspectives
belong, and there is space for them
everywhere,” says Otheguy, who
grew up reading mainly about white
families. “It’s time to read from a
greater range of perspective.”
And it’s not just new voices. Topics
that used to be off-limits for younger
children — sexual assault, race,
gender — are increasingly part of
stories for preschool and elementary
children. Titles include Fighting
Words, Antiracist Baby, and Gracefully
Grayson.
“There’s been a cultural shift with
the #MeToo movement,” says Sara
Sargent ’07, a senior executive editor
at Penguin Random House who works
on picture books as well as books for
older children dealing with issues like
consent and anxiety. “In the last two
years, we’ve also been increasingly
moving away from gendered books.
There’s a realization that kids are
understanding gender at a younger
and younger age, and studies and
anecdotes show that many kids in Gen
Z identify as gender-nonconforming.”
Though these new stories and
authors are welcome, systemic
barriers to change remain.
The publishing industry is 76%
white, according to a 2019 diversity
survey by Lee & Low Books. This affects
decisions on every level, from which
books get acquired to the marketing
language on the book flap. New, more
inclusive hires are beginning to trickle
in, but they start at the junior level.
“The next focus is retention,”
says Liao, who was one of only two
editors of color when she started as
an editorial assistant in 2013. “Are we
laying the foundation that allows us to
sustain this?”
Actor-turned-author Stephen Lang ’73, H’10 says a good story is essential to any
children’s book. “If you’re just trying to impart a lesson,” he says, “forget it.” Lang’s Civil
War story, The Wheatfield, highlights our shared humanity.
Then there’s book access.
“When I go to schools, they’re
reading the same Beverly Cleary books
I read as a kid,” says Otheguy, who
visits many campuses with outdated
libraries. “Schools aren’t updating
their book collections more than
once every quarter-century. I think of
myself as an author, but also as a book
advocate. Kids need new books.”
For authors, editors, and literary
agents in the children’s book world,
these challenges are hard, but worth
it. In a world of screens, nothing quite
compares to the power of a wellwritten children’s novel, or snuggling
with a favorite adult who’s reading
aloud.
“A picture book is a concert of
illustrations and words,” Napoli says.
When it comes to literacy and language
acquisition, the shared reading
experience with a child on your lap is
irreplaceable.
“We become partners with whoever
is reading to us,” she says. “Child and
adult share in creating the event. It’s
a linguistic event, it’s an imagination
event, it’s a bonding event.”
Actor Stephen Lang ’73, H’10 has
portrayed Civil War generals in films
like Gettysburg, so the subject of his
first children’s book is a natural fit.
The illustrated book The Wheatfield
tells the true story of James Purman,
a Union soldier who fights in the
Wheatfield of Gettysburg and risks his
life to save a comrade. In a turnabout,
a Confederate soldier poignantly saves
him. Lang teamed up with brothers
Adrian and Alexander Smith, who
illustrated the book.
Lang says the Civil War story has
increasing relevance today. “It goes
beyond North and South, it goes
beyond blue and gray, or red and blue.
It goes to the core of being human,”
he says. “Despite our differences, we
share a basic, common humanity.”
While The Wheatfield spotlights
kindness and compassion, Lang says
authors shouldn’t force a message
when it comes to children’s books.
“The obligation is to tell a good story,”
says Lang, who has performed stories
like Purman’s on Broadway. “If you’re
just trying to impart a lesson, forget it.”
Children’s books can be
revolutionary. At a time when many
people wonder how to bridge divisions
and promote tolerance and diversity,
Lang points to the arts.
“Art can subvert that whole process”
of injustice, says Lang. “It’s a way to
disarm hatred. It’s a way to penetrate
cynicism. It’s a way in.”
class notes
A TREASURY OF ALUMNI-RELATED ITEMS
ALUMNI
EVENTS
SWATTALKS
Watch recordings from the
Racial Justice series or browse
the full catalog of SwatTalks.
bit.ly/SwatTalks
VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
Explore recorded events,
upcoming programs, and
resources for the Swarthmore
community.
swarthmore.edu/alumni
RECOGNIZING
OUR VOLUNTEERS
Thank you to the alumni,
families, and friends who
do so much for Swarthmore
as volunteers. Your
creativity, thoughtfulness,
and enthusiasm in this
challenging year are deeply
appreciated.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
SWARTHMORE
DISCUSSION GROUP
Become a member for the
2021–22 series to hear
knowledgeable speakers and
engage in lively conversation
with local community members
as well as Swarthmore College
staff, faculty, and alumni.
swarthmore.edu/
discussion-group
Amy Marcalle ’22 beautifies the windows of the Swarthmore Campus & Community Store during the College’s
spring break “Staycation” in March.
1945
Janet McCombs Baldwin
jrmb23@verizon.net
I, Janet, have missed the class
notes provided for so many years
by the late Verdi Hoag Johnson. I
think we should start again, and I
will help with permission from class
president Margie Slocum Bearn. At
97, I live with daughter Nancy Long
in Chester County, Pa., about 45
minutes from Swarthmore. After
retiring as a librarian, I worked on
local history and township affairs.
Now, I stay very happy reading on
my Kindle in my recliner. I have
been using a walker since 2005.
I would like all of you to answer
a few simple questions about your
life situations. Do you: Live in a
retirement complex? With a family
member? Or in an apartment with
personal help? Do you travel? How
many grandchildren or greatgrandchildren do you have? Are
you enjoying old age? Please send
me your answers for the next issue
of the Bulletin.
it. It is a senior community but is
not a continuing-care retirement
community since they don’t do
assisted living, etc. Helen “Greenie”
Green Neuburg ’48 and Naomi
Lichtman Rose ’54 welcomed the
arrival of Barbara Tracy Ross ’57 to
Princeton Windrows.
1949
1947
Marshall Schmidt
kinmarshal@aol.com
Cornelia “Kinnie” Clarke Schmidt
’46 and I, Marshall, have lived in
Princeton Windrows since 1999
and have enjoyed every minute of
Marjorie Merwin Daggett
mmdaggett@verizon.net
Our sympathy to the wife and
family of David Chalmers, who
died Oct. 25. He taught American
history at the University of Florida
in Gainesville for 39 years and
received a national award for
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
51
class notes
“gifted teaching.” Dave wrote many
books on American social and
intellectual history and taught as
a Fulbright scholar or professor/
lecturer. Around Gainesville, he
and his wife were active in the
civil rights movement, even getting
jailed in the 1960s. He also served
as head of the local American Civil
Liberties Union chapter. Dave is
survived by wife Jean, children
Kim and Henry, and grandchildren
David and Sarina.
Dave’s death saddened Bill
Hirsch, who sent me a couple of
essays he had written over these
past few coronavirus-ridden
months. Bill has been pondering
his remembrance of a 1948
discussion in the Wharton men’s
dorm about why Nazi extermination
camps were not bombed. He also
wrote a charming story about a
childhood trip to the horse races.
Bill has been creating while I have
been spending hours and hours
watching the DVDs of the seven
seasons of A French Village, which
has spurred me to read a historical
analysis of those Vichy years.
1951
Elisabeth “Liesje”
Boessenkool Ketchel
lizketchel30@gmail.com
Robin Cooley Krivanek “spent
the year reading, gardening, and
writing campaign checks.”
Ken Kurtz “turned 91 over the
holidays, and I’m living in a senior
residence center in Lexington, Ky.
I moved into a larger apartment
with my 87-year-old girlfriend.
I’m planning a new film course to
teach through the University of
Kentucky.”
Diana Ginzburg Stein has been
editing her community newsletter
in Virginia for 17 years. “My
daughter and her husband live
35 minutes away; one son lives
in Minnesota, and one is in New
Mexico.”
Walter Blass fell in August,
rupturing a ligament in his foot,
which was repaired and is almost
52
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
healed. He lectured by Zoom to a
graduate class at Brown University
and spoke several times at Brevard
College in North Carolina. He
planned to go back to Europe this
September.
Nancy Robinson Posel writes:
“Reading gives us someplace to
go when we have to stay where
we are.”
Faith Woodward Eckler lives
in a continuing-care retirement
community in New Jersey where
she oversees a more-than-4,000book library. She was missing
hiking and looking forward to
receiving the vaccine.
In September, Mary Johnson
moved to be closer to family in
Elmira, N.Y. She has a one-bedroom
apartment that allows her to see a
lot of wildlife and birds.
Jim and Maggie MacCollum
Lincoln ’56 take walks in the woods
on their Concord, Mass., property.
Their children, ages 59 and 57,
are in health care and received
the vaccine. In the 17 years since
retirement, Jim learned to paint
watercolors, play the Baroque flute,
and build model airplanes.
Bob McCarthy writes: “We live in
a retirement community in Santa
Fe, N.M., after selling our house
eight years ago. Every few days we
comment on our incredible good
luck” that they are still together,
have two children in their 60s
who are doing well, and have
grandchildren who are moving
along with their careers.
Kathy Adams writes: “My son
Jeffrey Kirn died Easter weekend
[2020] of cancer after a two-year
battle. He had no children. I’m still
managing the family farm. Eight
of us played tennis, May through
September, but there was no
vacation this summer and no visit
to my daughter in Florida.”
Clarkson Palmer retired as
co-clerk of the Crosslands
Friends Worship Group in Kennett
Square, Pa., but still takes part in
Swarthmore Meeting’s Peace and
Social Concerns Committee, the
Friends Peace Teams Council, and
the U.S. Nonviolent Peaceforce
Chapters Association, all via Zoom.
Andrea Wilcox Palmer resides in
Crosslands’ skilled nursing unit and
enjoys phone and Zoom contact
with family.
Lotte Lazarsfeld Bailyn shared
that Bernard, her husband of 68
years, died in August. Despite a
recent heart attack, she is part of
the Retirement Transition Study,
a joint project with four other
retired professors. “Our interest
is in the subjective experience of
retirement.” Lotte asked me to
add a warning that women having
heart attacks do not present in the
expected way. She had none of
the usual symptoms, so take any
unusual signs seriously and call 911
immediately.
1952
Barbara Wolff Searle
bsearle70@msn.com
Let me start with an interesting
statistic using numbers I got from
Swarthmore: About 30% of our
graduating class is still alive.
Elspeth Monro Reagan writes: “I
am one of the fortunate ones who
remain reasonably well and able to
do many things, such as gardening,
swimming, and walking in the
Sandia foothills in Albuquerque,
N.M.; writing autobiographically
(and occasionally otherwise);
enjoying time for more friendships
than I’ve ever had before; having
my youngest daughter and family
directly across the street while
enjoying my own little house;
keeping in close touch with the
rest of my children, grandchildren,
and great-grandchild, scattered
across the continent, from Oregon
to Nova Scotia, and continuing to
grow on a spiritual level through
the Self-Realization Fellowship.
I haven’t missed my professional
work at all, perhaps because I
find myself using the knowledge
I gained through the years
enriching my life and relationships
effortlessly.
“I am forever grateful for those
four Swarthmore years, which laid
such a solid base for the life that
followed. It’s interesting that as
I wrote autobiographically about
those years, I realized it was more
the living around the academics
than the academics themselves
that I recalled most vividly.”
Perhaps you saw an obituary
for Lucia Langthorn Sutton,
who died in 2019. Husband Bill
Sutton writes: “Lucia and I were
married just two months after we
graduated from Swarthmore — a
marriage that lasted happily for
67 years until her death. Lucia
was the singular most important
influence on my life.” He was three
years older than Lucia because of
being in the U.S. Army between
high school and Swarthmore.
“I live alone in one of 50
independent-living townhouses
at the King-Bruwaert House in
Burr Ridge, Ill. I am very pleased
that the Class of 1952 Evan H.
Burn Memorial Scholarship Fund
is doing well and continues to
fund very promising Swarthmore
students.”
Sadly, Nancy Boden Sargent
died Oct. 17 at the Phoenix Senior
Living facility in Milton, Ga. She is
survived by four daughters, seven
grandchildren, and one greatgranddaughter.
1953
Carol Lange Davis
cldavis1105@gmail.com
It is always good to receive
Tedd Osgood’s Christmas letter.
He wrote that while 20-20
suggests perfect vision, 2020
was not a perfect year. He has
continued his recovery from last
year’s procedure and resumed
participating in activities at Kendal
at Hanover, N.H. The COVID-19
restrictions interfered with his and
Mary’s planned trips to Snowmass,
Colo., England, Norway, and
France. During the summer, they
spent time at Silver Lake, N.H., but
because of the coronavirus, they
were unable to join other family
members there for extended visits.
The letter concludes that
Tedd “continues to bedevil the
monumental Dartmouth medical
establishment, which, for some
months, has been trying to
determine whether he suffers from
Parkinson’s disease, a mild cerebral
‘accident,’ or perhaps both.”
Brice Harris writes: “Here’s a
unique take on the lockdowns,
isolation, and masking. I had a
melanoma operation on my head
(successful), which required a fullbandaged head cover tied under
my neck. I escaped the ‘prison’ of
my retirement community every
day for a walk,” and one afternoon,
he passed an elderly man who
appeared to be homeless. He
looked at Brice’s bandages before
he asked with great concern if
Brice was OK.
1954
Elizabeth Dun Colten
lizcolten@aol.com
Judy Kahlenberg Hestoft’s new
address is: 2505 E. Bradford
Ave., Apt. 4302, Milwaukee, WI
53211. Coincidentally, this is the
retirement home where Judy
worked as a Sunday receptionist
for eight winters.
Eight years ago, Jim and Mary
“Tay” Taylor Adelstein moved
from the suburbs to an apartment
in Boston’s East Fenway section.
They no longer feel they can winter
in their apartment in Tasmania.
Tay’s interests include natural
history and global warming. She
serves on the Wastewater Advisory
Committee to the Massachusetts
Water Resources Authority.
John Strauss has a new book,
To Understand a Person: An
Autobiography (of Sorts). He is an
emeritus professor of psychiatry
at Yale, and although technically
retired, works with, advises, and
meets with many of Yale’s junior
faculty and some students.
Holiday mail yielded little news.
Naomi Lichtman Rose has a
new shih-tzu and planned to get
the vaccine. Elena Sogan Kyle
had no news to report and was
somewhat bored. Beth Wood
Bowers missed activities, friends,
and travel but resumed an interest
in bird watching and photography.
Dee Brock Partridge’s Vermont
community was closed to visitors.
I nominated Sheldon Weeks as
traveler of the year. Despite being
hospitalized in January 2020 with
pneumonia and heart failure, he
spent February and early March
2020 in India. Back in Vermont, he
is active in the West Brattleboro
Quaker worship group. Sadly, wife
Gudrun died in 2018. Between
them, they have eight children, 14
grandchildren, and five greatgrandchildren. A class record?
Susan Weil Nessen died Dec.
7 and is survived by husband
Robert, three children, and five
grandchildren.
Herbert Bruch of State College,
Pa., died Dec. 5. Does any
classmate have more information
or memories?
After several years of declining
health, Carl “Punky” Fristrom
’55 died Jan. 3. We send sincere
condolences to Anne Chandler
Fristrom and their sons Carl ’80
and David ’83.
1955
Bernard Webb
bethel4684@gmail.com
Please let me know how you’re
handling the crisis. Certainly, most
of us know what a Zoom account is
and what a blessing that has been.
We are having an easy winter
in upstate New York. The winter
birds have been massing around
our birdfeeder. In an endless
search for a small Christmas tree, I
purchased an artificial one, which
I said I would never do. Ethel ’58
and I have been spiritually uplifted
by the weekly Zoom service of our
Congregational church. A group
of us are involved in a study and
practice of “pilgrimage” using the
book Without Oars. Meanwhile, we
look forward to what may transpire
this spring during a reunion for
the classes of ’55 and ’56. Hope to
“see” you all then.
Jean Elliott Golden retired from
her many mountain tours. A 45year resident of Mobile, Ala., Jean
welcomes anyone who might be in
her area.
Ron Decker shared a portrait
of life in the pandemic from his
and Anne’s 18th-floor Chicago
apartment. “We walk to nearby
stores to buy what we need, and I
meet friends for coffee at outdoor
locations.” They have also taken
advantage of online intellectual
activities, particularly history
courses from Yale and art and
music courses offered by Chicago
organizations. “Of course, TV
news took up two or more hours a
day during the November election
campaign and the shameful events
afterward. We have not traveled
or been to theaters since March
[2020]. Last March, we departed
from San Diego on a cruise to
Hawaii, but left it at Honolulu and
flew home as the virus started to
afflict cruise ships.”
A Christmas letter from Ted
Phillips said he was comfortable in
his retirement community. He and
I commiserated about the loss of
contact with our beloved vacation
spots due to the pandemic. He
walks in the woods and plays golf
weekly. Lionel Friedman wrote
from warm, sunny Florida: “My
string quartet ensemble is on hold
due to COVID-19 [he plays the
violin], and contacts with our sons
and grandkids are via Zoom.”
Sally Schneckenburger Rumbaugh
writes from San Diego: “I am
still in my own home and still
functioning, if slowly. Since March
2020, no one has been allowed
in except daughter Karen and
granddaughter Jennifer.” The
two women regularly visit with
leftovers and groceries. Some
Sundays, Karen and Sally take
drives to explore neighborhoods or
to watch the sunset on the beach.
Her granddaughter is taking her
University of California−Santa
Cruz classes from home. “Just
before Christmas, Jennifer asked
if she could move in with me
weekdays. This was a request I
could not resist. This sunny, kind
young woman fills the house with
love. Suddenly, I have instant tech
support and things on high shelves
are available to me.”
A brief note from Dieter Gump (he
lives just across Lake Champlain
from me) said he and his wife were
proud of son Brooks ’86, who is
the Falk Family Endowed Professor
of Public Health in the Falk College
at Syracuse University.
1956
Caro Luhrs
celuhrs@verizon.net
We mourn the continuing loss of
our classmates.
Hank Bassin ’57 notified me of
Dick Osband’s death in October
2019. We have heard little from
Dick since graduation. He was a
math major and a brilliant systems
engineer during the computer
revolution. Friends told of his
tremendous creativity, inventing
things in his house, knowing how
everything mechanical worked,
telling wonderful stories of faraway places he visited, and being
“absolutely charming.”
George Popky died in December
in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. He
was another of our biology/zoology
classmates who went right into
medicine. He was a classmate
of the late Bernie Sarachek and
the late Barbara Stiefbold Sax at
Temple medical school. George
became a radiologist. A long,
interesting career included his
own imaging practice with offices
across the Delaware Valley as
well as impressive academic
positions. George’s love of golf
that we knew at Swarthmore
continued throughout his life,
and he apparently remained a car
nut. George was predeceased by
wife Janet. He leaves daughters
Deborah, Jennifer, and Donna, and
three grandsons.
Jeanette Lust Wilson died in
early January. She was blessed
with a large, loving family. In
addition to her husband, she leaves
children Sarah and John, four
grandchildren, two siblings, and 10
nieces and nephews.
Christmas 2020 included another
beautiful card with a painting by
Mary Lou Jones Toal. This year
it was the Chapel by the Sea
in Captiva, Fla. Mary Lou and
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
53
class notes
husband John are “chugging
along.”
Edna Apfel Casman fell in love
with painting in third grade. Her
move to New Mexico in 1973
led to her taking art classes
and becoming an artist. In
1994, after raising a family and
taking on diverse, interesting
jobs, Edna started a full-time
business, Casman Paintings, at
casmanpaintings.com.
1957
Minna Newman Nathanson
jm@nathansons.net
I’ve received no new news from
classmates. Understandably, many
of us are confined to our homes
and find our activities limited by
the virus. I most miss volunteering.
Some of us, as evidenced by the
emails I get regarding Daniel
Aubry’s Hudson Valley, N.Y.,
real estate business, manage to
continue on. Let us know how you
are meeting the challenges of aging
during a pandemic, like what keeps
you active and what new talents
you’ve discovered.
1958
Marianne Wertheim Makman
maynardmakman@gmail.com
Linda Howard Zonana
lhzonana@yahoo.com
It is our great honor to replace the
inimitable and loyal Vera Lundy
Jones as class secretaries. We are
fortunate that Vera took care of our
news for six decades! Do please
contact us. We are especially
interested in hearing your brief
reflections and experiences during
these trying times. We will try to
model briefly for you.
From Marianne: Husband
Maynard and I, long retired from
54
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
science and medicine, are occupied
and staying sane in these perilous
times with music making, walking,
and supporting those making
“good trouble.” We are involved
in the lives of our daughters, their
spouses, and our six grandchildren,
ages 13–28. Our parent-children
have struggled with online work,
while the lives of their younger
children are disrupted by lack
of normal school. We try to be
supportive.
From Linda: Husband Howard
and I are still in our Connecticut
home — a converted barn built
45 years ago. There are trails and
the village of Stony Creek at hand,
so we have not felt as trapped as
many have. I retired as a clinical
social worker four years ago, but
Howard works full time as director
of a law and psychiatry fellowship.
Our three kids and their spouses
have struggled with working
partly via Zoom, and our three
grandchildren have found learning
virtually isn’t as much fun as they
thought. Despite the sameness of
most days, and having less to do,
I feel busy, yet at bedtime feel I’ve
accomplished little. Friends have
noted similar experiences, along
with how a quiet anxiety underlies
much of every day.
Marcia Dunn wrote that she was
interested in news of the class and
Nicole Hackel ’59. Marcia retired
about 15 years ago, having worked
at a variety of jobs, including in a
state mental hospital as a social
worker and correction counselor of
a state prison. “I have volunteered
with Democrats and at Planned
Parenthood. I married a fellow
social worker from Barbados, and
we have a son and two daughters.
I have three grands and three
great-grands with one in college.
Several years ago my husband
died, and last year my health began
to deteriorate and I moved in with
my younger daughter, Robin, who
has seen to it that I am doing much
better.
“I have a few hundred books to
read, am attempting a centurylong
family photo album, working on
semi-impossible 1,000-piece
puzzles, helping with housekeeping
and cooking for my working
daughter and teen grandson, and
discovering a new joy in art.”
1960
Jeanette Strasser Pfaff
jfalk2@mac.com
I suggested that you send me six
words (not five, not seven) that
related to Swarthmore. As will not
surprise you, some independent
souls pushed back at this arbitrary
restriction. (Are we S’more grads
or what.) But I held firm; a game is
a game.
Some notes reflected a personal
mood or moment from undergrad
days:
Sunday afternoon. Tea. Music in
Bond. (Linda Habas Mantel)
Sneaking out for sunrise: Joan’s
birthday. (Peter Faber)
Honors orals done. Daffodils in
bloom. (Will Fairley)
Sunday evening sings, Crum
Frisbee, friends. (John Harbeson)
Lilacs, magnolias, peonies; my
future life. (Catherine Pinkney
Armington)
Train to Philly. Glorious orchestral
sounds. And, Walking with Peter
in Crum Woods. (Joan Schuster
Faber)
Chem lab finished. Outdoors, lilac’s
scent. (Jeanette Strasser Pfaff)
Wrapping lunch roll for library
snack. And, Philosophy 1
assignment creates freshman
headache. (Peter Filene)
Cherry blossoms, labs, Phi Sig,
bagpipes. (John Urey)
Library tower. Chimes ringing.
Life awakening. (Norm Sarachek;
see his inspiration below.)
Some classmates summarized
their four-year experience:
Ann, lacrosse, bridge, Commons,
Somerville, Frisbee. (Bob Heaton)
We came; we studied; we
commenced. And, Architectural
dignity; horticultural beauty;
intellectual abundance. (Sara
Bolyard Chase)
Community, friendship, challenge,
struggle, ethics, beauty. (Marcia
Montin Grant)
One reflected on a more recent
experience: Alumni Council. Many
updates. New friends. (John
Goodman)
Some had words about their
current lives:
Squirrel acrobatics — live
performance during COVID.
And, Sudden lockdown. Craving
friendship — Swarthmore family.
(Joan Stadler Martin, inspired by
an address by Marcia)
Wheelchair, mobility scooter;
I zoom — wheee! (Pat Roulston
Williams)
Quakers still here, still for peace.
(Judith Fetterley)
Family, community, gratitude,
Zoom, longer days. (Joan Bond
Sax)
I read; I nap. Cause; effect.
(Jeanette, inspired by Joan
Schuster Faber)
And, a perfect summation: We’ve
been friends for 65 years. (Mimi
Siegmeister Koren)
Feel free to send me your six
words for the fall issue.
Norm Sarachek writes: “In my last
two years at the College, I switched
my major from bio to philosophy,
which I found incredibly exciting.
I spent evening study hours in the
library basement, next to the boiler
that exploded periodically. Every
quarter-hour, the library chimes
would ring, vibrating my innards,
but keeping me awake. That is the
inspiration for my humble offering.”
Gordon Adams writes: “I’m staying
home in Seattle, comfortable with
gardens and maintenance projects.
The community garden and work
for my local watershed keep me
busy. I’m reading Ambrose’s Lewis
and Clark book.” Gordon visited
friends in Montana for two weeks,
“taking back roads when possible
— my kind of adventure.”
John Harbeson said groups
of 16 from the Cathedral Choral
Society, distanced and masked in
an otherwise empty Washington
National Cathedral, rehearsed and
recorded a Christmas concert.
Joan Bond Sax sold her Vermont
home, which she and her
husband bought in 1976, to rent
a “small” three-bedroom ranch in
Framingham, Mass., 20 minutes
from her oldest daughter. “It is
strange to not own my property but
nice not to worry about repairs,
etc.”
Joan Schuster Faber says: “I’ve
been enjoying the overwhelming
variety of high-quality
performances, both musical and
theatrical. For my online piano
lessons, I’m working on Debussy
preludes. Otherwise, I’m taking
long walks in Central Park, cooking
a lot, and enjoying more time to
read and nap (the former too
frequently leads to the latter).”
1961
Pat Myers Westine
pat@westinefamily.com
As all reunion activity will take
place virtually, the 1961 committee
hopes to organize several Zoom
panels and a round of Zoom gettogethers. Do take part in these
events.
Jean Geil wrote that the residents
of her retirement community in
Honolulu were due to receive
the Moderna vaccine in March.
She was thankful for delivered
meals and the amenities within
her community so that she never
had to go out, except for doctors’
appointments.
Sheila Maginniss Bell was
disappointed when the College
closed the campus to community
walkers in August, but she and
others found new parks and trails
nearby. Her participation with Art
Goes to the Schools of Delaware
Valley was by video with lessons
created, produced, and distributed
by the volunteer arts group.
I’m sorry to report the deaths of
two classmates. Marilyn “Emmi”
Emerson Lanctot died Aug. 3,
and Judy Davis Riggle died Nov.
25. Marilyn was a bridesmaid in
my wedding, and we stayed in
touch through the years. I spoke
with her several times during her
18-month cancer battle. We send
our sympathy to husband Paul,
sons Gregory and Paul, daughters
Heather and Francine, and four
grandchildren. Her parents and
maternal grandparents all attended
Swarthmore.
Judy, Ohio Librarian of the Year
in 1999, was a longtime member
of the League of Women Voters,
so she, with the help of Kendal at
Oberlin staff, organized a tea to
celebrate the election of six new
congresswomen several years ago.
I remember Judy winning a white
blazer for playing several sports at
Swarthmore, our commiserating
over Shakespeare, as well as final
English papers our senior year and
her wedding shower at Robinson
House during senior week. We send
our sympathy to husband Tom and
children Troy, Ken, Joyce, and Terri.
Last summer, four students
benefited from grants from our
50th Reunion Fund for the Arts
and Social Change. They studied
or did research 1) about the
impact of mass incarceration on
Philly neighborhoods; 2) through
development of a podcast for the
Philadelphia Folklore Project;
3) writing a final draft for a
theatrical adaptation of a novel;
and 4) looking at Latin American
environmental activism in art.
As Gwen Gilfond ’22 said in her
final report letter: “I am grateful
to the donors of the Class of ’61
for providing me the resources to
complete work I am passionate
about.”
The College is going to publish
the Bulletin three times a year, and
class notes for every class can
appear in each issue, so please
keep me posted with your updates.
1962
Evelyn Edson
eedson@pvcc.edu
I wrote this amid the invasion of
the U.S. Capitol and the general
malaise of COVID-19. Not much
news, as most of us are staying
home, being in a high-risk group
due to our advanced age (80plus). I hope you are staying well.
Nancy Gardner Currier and
husband Al moved to Asbury
Methodist Village in Gaithersburg,
Md. Nancy reports: “Dinners are
signed up for and delivered to the
residents’ apartments.”
This year has seen the death of
another classmate, Mary Gilruth
Butler of Battle Creek, Mich. Mary
founded Heritage Publications,
which produced 11 books on local
history, and she wrote a biography
of Sojourner Truth for middle
school students. One of her friends
referred to her as a “walking
encyclopedia of local history.” For
more information about her life, see
Their Light Lives On (p. 81).
Also lost this year was Vincent,
beloved husband of Betsy Rodman
Salandria. “He considered the
Class of 1962 to be the best of
humankind and would have wanted
to be considered an honorary
alumnus, as he had to make do
with Penn.” Betsy still rents and
manages apartments in Philly.
Walter Carter’s annual newsletter
included an account of his July 4
fall when he was distracted by the
Blue Angels flying overhead while
going down his front steps. The
injury seemed minor but failed to
heal properly; he had to spend five
days in the hospital with erysipelas
(a bacterial infection of the skin).
This is a reminder to all of us: Don’t
fall down!
Oliver Fein writes: “I still work
full time at Weill Cornell Medical
College as associate dean for
affiliations and part time in general
internal medicine. In March
[2020], the clinic I work in was
converted into one where patients
with COVID-19 symptoms were sent
to be triaged. I was judged to be too
old to work on the front lines and
pivoted to do all my patient visits
on the phone. The pandemic has
exposed the deficiencies of the
American health care ‘non’system.
Linking health insurance to
employment meant a huge increase
ATTENTION,
1960s ALUMNI!
Did you or someone you
know participate in Operation
Match or any other “computer
dating” service in the 1960s?
If so, please contact Hanna
Kozlowska ’12, a journalist
who has written for Quartz,
The New York Times, and
The Guardian, who is looking
for sources for a reporting
project (hannakozlowska@
protonmail.com). Thanks!
in the uninsured as more people
lost their jobs. In my role as
chair of the NY-Metro chapter of
Physicians for a National Health
Program, I expanded my advocacy
for a Medicare for All, single-payer
program. Hopefully, post-COVID-19,
we will create a universal, publicly
financed, single-payer health care
system in the United States.”
1963
Diana Judd Stevens
djsteven1@verizon.net
Here is the news in alphabetical
order by first name. On Dec. 31,
Atala Perry Toy retired and sold
Crystal Life Technology to three
staff members. Also in December,
Bruce Leimsidor was stuck in
Paris separated from his partner in
Venice by lockdowns and perilous
travel. After years of teaching in
Russia, Bruce is not sure he will
return there due to its changing
politics.
Carl and Elizabeth Northrop
Jockusch ’64 enjoy life in Urbana,
Ill. Until the pandemic, they had
wintered in Maui for a couple
of years. Carl stays active with
math and Spanish-conversation
groups; Elizabeth is a gardener.
David Gelber notes, “The virus
has more patience than we do,”
and commented that it is toughest
for his teenage daughters.
David’s company, The Years
Project, continues to produce
videos on climate change. Arlene
and Evan Deardorff have been
surviving and thriving by playing
pickleball, tennis, and golf, walking,
hiking, cross-country skiing,
and learning the many forms of
teleconferencing.
In 2020, Jane Jonas Srivastava
did not travel or dance. Instead,
she hiked new trails, explored
local parks, and spent time at her
favorite rocky beach. In January
2020, Janet Oestreich Bernstein
retired as a psychiatrist. In
retirement, she has sewn more
than 2,000 masks and donated
them to a hospital serving the
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
55
class notes
Navajo Nation and to Central
American refugees at the Mexican
border. At the end of 2020,
Jean Posner Gordon retired as
a neuropsychiatrist. Widowed
for eight years, she sold their big
house and moved to a condo. Many
might agree that the thousands
of postcards and letters Holly and
John Cratsley’s team sent to voters
before the November election
and to Georgia voters before Jan.
5 made a difference. John’s law
school teaching was hybrid last fall
and all remote in spring 2021. In
2012, Judith Aitken Ramaley retired
from the presidency of Winona
State University in Minnesota
and moved back to Portland,
Ore. She is president of Portland
Audubon and a trustee for Portland
State University, where she was
president in the 1990s.
Kelly Ann Lister volunteers at
a local golf course, which gives
her the opportunity to be outside,
play golf, and enjoy fellowship.
With the pandemic, Larry Phillips
uses telemedicine and Zoom to
doctor. Laurie Daniels Blazich
retired from social work and began
part-time work for a nonprofit
assisting people with disabilities
in the workplace, which she had to
quit because of COVID-19. During
the pandemic, Linda Greenfield
Baldwin added a roof over her
deck so she could play chamber
music and Scrabble outdoors,
and she returned to pickleball.
Early in 2020, Marke Woodward
Talley was in the depressive
phase of bipolar disease. As
COVID-19 progressed and her son
caught the virus, she realized her
depression was irrelevant. Marke
takes piano lessons and enjoys
her time in San Ildefonso Pueblo,
N.M. Mary Kay Dewees Pietris
had eye surgeries in 2019–20 and
improved the classification system
in her community’s library. Since
March 2020, Mike Manove, Boston
University economics professor,
has worked from home. He thinks
it might be time to retire, though he
isn’t sure what he would do with his
time. Harry and Monica Pannwitt
Bradsher were scheduled to teach
Zoom classes this spring.
Pete ’62 and Pat Horan Latham
divide their time between D.C.
and Florida. Sally Moore Warren
56
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
teaches Buddhism on Zoom and
administers an online Buddhist
program out of Kathmandu,
while Dick continues to create
public trail systems in Vermont.
Sandy McConnell Condry misses
in-person social activities, Zooms
a lot, and has explored the
impressive number of Rochester,
N.Y.-area trails. Being homebound
has not affected Sucheng Chan
since she stopped driving three
years ago. Her husband teaches
via Zoom, while she continues
writing Ethnicity and Power:
Constructing Majority and Minority
Groups in Asia. Ted Nyquist flies
for Angels Flight West, a nonprofit
that transports patients living in
remote areas to care facilities in
the Phoenix area and provides air
services to Indian reservations
needing supplies or patient care.
1964
Diana Bailey Harris
harris.diana@gmail.com
Joe Peterson writes: “The year
2020 has been one like no other,
but our blessings are many,
including the arrival of new
grandson Jack Napier.”
Nancy Nickerson Stassinopoulos
retired at the end of 2019 and
enrolled in the trail guide class
at Mission Trails Regional Park
in San Diego. COVID-19 ended
the classes on March 14, 2020.
The park reopened but the visitor
center remained closed, so Nancy
began weekly Zoom sessions for
her fellow students and veteran
trail guides.
Alan Feingold and his wife
work three to four hours a day
in the garden. “It looks better
than ever, my physical condition
has improved, and I have lost 15
unneeded pounds.”
After months of COVID-related
delays, Ned and Lydia Razran Stone
moved to a Quaker-associated
retirement community in Maryland
near children and grandchildren.
“I have not felt so at home with a
group of people since 1964.”
Peter Freedman still struggles
with complications from gum
cancer. Using a mindfulness
trainer and the tools of meditation,
he has a new approach to life, feels
closer to family and friends, and
has re-engaged in politics.
Peter Linebaugh says: “If I’m not
walking and masking, I’m having
a cuppa tea and biscuit, reading,
or Zooming and wondering what
utopian high jinks to write up for a
future that certainly could be a lot
worse than what we have unless
we do something about it.”
John Pollock has been editing
two books on international
approaches to COVID-19. Scholars
around the world showed that
most other countries followed
the science and “got it right.” He
wonders, “Why don’t Hollywood
and our cultural leaders pitch in
and contribute to accurate warning
messaging about pandemic safety
precautions?”
Mike Meeropol increased his
radio commentaries, mostly about
the Trump administration’s failures
during the pandemic and the threat
of fascism, from once to twice a
month.
Al and Meg Hodgkin Lippert have
been in Honolulu since mid-March
caring for granddaughter Lily, 2,
whose favorite words include Lilydo-it, Nana, and cockamamie.
After a busy 2019, Barbara and
Peter Setlow have been watching
their two young grandchildren
growing up via Zoom. “Eben, in
particular, continues to amuse
us — throwing his arms up and
yelling ‘no pie’ in response to the
custard pie his mother made for
his birthday, having a long talk with
a spider, and spitting out peach pie
at Thanksgiving dinner.”
Edith Twombly Eddy reported that
watercolor painting and riding an
electric bike has kept her sane.
She and husband Jeb ’63 have
enjoyed the great bike trails in and
around the Stanford University
campus and the foothills of the
Santa Cruz mountains.
Steve and Sue Zinn Eisinger had
NYC “COVID refugees” from midMarch to mid-May 2020, tripling
the size of their household. Sue’s
meetings since March 2020 have
been by Zoom or similar. Her latest
medical adventure began in May
2020, when a routine mammogram
revealed a “very treatable”
cancerous lump; the treatment has
been slow and tedious.
Jerry Blum had Zoom family
gatherings for Thanksgiving and
Christmas. He added that they also
lit a menorah since they were in
every evening because of canceled
live performances.
In sad news, we learned Bob
Gordon died Jan. 10. His full
obituary is in Their Light Lives On
(p. 81).
1965
Kiki Skagen Munshi
kiki@skagenranch.com
At this point in January when
I write, there is hope life will
become more “normal” over the
coming year, though it is not yet
clear what “normal” might be.
Leonard Barkan spent his
sabbatical year in Princeton,
rather than in New York and
overseas, but was able to see
one book about food through to
print — The Hungry Eye. That
not being enough, Leonard wrote
another book with the working title
Reading Shakespeare Reading
Me. Peter Meyer stayed busy by
working on a brief to convince
Pennsylvania that it should join
the Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative, the Northeast’s trading
scheme to reduce emissions and
fight climate change. Somewhat
paradoxically, he also chaired the
committee that is trying to bring a
new parking garage to his town.
Earl Tarble and Linda did much
less traveling than planned. “Our
big excitement has been a new
elliptical, a new water heater, and
a new garbage disposal. Woohoo.”
Dave Darby remained on the public
library board and joined Rotary
meetings by Zoom. “Otherwise,
we putter at home and watch a
lot of old movies.” Ron Hale was
board chair of the annual Santa
Fe Traditional Music Festival,
which was held online in 2020
(santafetradfest.org). “I’ve learned
how to create and prerecord radio
shows in my home studio, using
digital technology that is still
largely a mystery to me.”
Tom Kramer continued to suffer
the effects of a June copperhead
snake bite on his left index finger.
The fingertip has pins and needles,
which he calls an “annoyance” that
makes typing difficult, but he was
still able to throw pots. Tom also
did the Marine Corps Marathon
(MCM) “virtually” by walking the
26.2 miles on neighborhood roads.
That extended his record for the
most MCM finishes from 43 to 44
years. He’s still working half time at
programming and his user manual
for a software system he’s been
involved with appeared recently
as well.
Planet Philadelphia, the
environmental radio show that
Linda Townes Rosenwein works
on, is carried on Villanova
University’s radio station on a
weekly basis.
Ginger Blake-Harris says she’s
never been busier than during
COVID. Since January 2020, she
and Mark built a studio apartment
inside their Acton, Mass., garage;
replaced their one raised bed with
a much larger fenced-in garden;
and repaired and re-landscaped
their home on Cape Cod, Mass., in
order to sell it. Their library book
club has held monthly meetings,
outdoors during the summer and
via Zoom since October. They also
took time to work for candidates.
Dick and Gay Sise Grossman
wandered the Colorado mountains
and Utah in their little camper.
In September, they went down
the Ruby-Horsethief section of
the Colorado River in a canoe
while other family members plus
their two dogs were on standup
paddleboards.
1966
Jill Robinson Grubb
jillgrubb44@gmail.com
Roy Van Til celebrated Elvis’s 86th
birthday in January by blasting
the King’s Sun Sessions across
the homestead.
Janaki Patrik received the Selma
Jeanne Cohen Lecture Award from
the Fulbright Association, which
recognized her as a “pioneering
dance researcher and practitioner
with a focus on international
exchange and impact.” Janaki
writes, “I think the Quaker spirit
is reflected in my work, in the
Fulbright Association’s goals, and
in the criteria of the Selma Jeanne
Cohen award.”
1967
Donald Marritz
dmarritz@gmail.com
As president of the federal Fallen
Journalists Memorial Foundation,
Barbara Stubbs Cochran has
been working with the National
Park Service, the journalism
community, freedom of the press
advocates, members of the public,
and the families, friends, and
colleagues of the fallen to build a
privately funded memorial to show
that our country values a free
press and honors the sacrifices of
journalists.
Warren and Leslie Foster Gifford
lost daughter Sharon to COVID-19
in October. She was a “COVID
long-hauler” who contracted a
“mild” case in February 2020 and
had symptoms that came and
went. She appeared to be getting
better, and the night before she
died, she was laughing and joking.
Warren advises us all to “please
take advantage of the time you
have with family and friends, and
please take COVID seriously.”
Amid all of this, Warren managed
to teach Towards an Economy of
Distributive Justice, a Lifelong
Learning course at the College.
Ken Guilmartin’s news since the
reunion includes, sadly, the 2018
passing of his second wife, Lyn
Ransom, a 14-year breast cancer
survivor; a knee fracture and
other physical challenges that he’s
managing with the help of daily qi
gong practice; lots of professional
and arts project challenges and
transitions; and the blessings
of a new long-term relationship.
Daughter Lauren (whose mother
is Karen Johnson ’69) gave birth
to a baby girl, all the while serving
as director of early learning for
Ken’s company, Music Together
Worldwide. He occasionally does
recordings and other projects for
his company.
Will and Edie DuBose Streams
have lived in Nashville, Tenn.,
since 2006, along with their
two sons, their wives, and five
grandchildren. They are both
retired, spend a lot of time reading,
and would be interested in book
recommendations.
Larry Arnstein joked about
a difficult choice of accepting
a Nobel Prize or attending
a conference of Brazilian
supermodels.
Chuck Rosenberg, professor
emeritus of art history at the
University of Notre Dame, started
a “cottage industry making
greeting and note cards” at
cardsbycharlot.etsy.com. Wife
Carol Weiss Rosenberg ’66
suggested he use the French form
of his name for the business. “Of
course, this means that everyone
assumes I’m Charlotte.”
Howie Brown has entered his
fourth year as executive director
of the grassroots Rhode Island
Coalition for Israel, which “pushes
back against the ‘defund the
police’ movement, advocates for
the local adoption of a law defining
‘anti-Semitism,’ and is gearing
up to deal with the possible
resumption of President Obama’s
dangerous Iran deal.”
Asimoula Julia Alissandratos
turned 75 in December and walked
around saying “three-quarters
of a century,” from an idea her
brothers gave her when she turned
25 and they said “a quarter of a
century.” She is back in her native
UPDATE
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Charleston, S.C., and wondered,
based on license plates, if the
Carolinas had become “New York
central.”
I am sorry to report the death of
Pamela Gore on Thanksgiving Day.
A report of her life is in Their Light
Lives On (p. 81).
1968
Kate Bode Darlington
katedarlington@gmail.com
“Life has been dominated by
COVID, Trump, and figuring out
how to think about and spend
whatever remaining years I have
in the best possible way,” writes
Mark Smith.
John Mather (pg. 28) reported
on the progress of the James
Webb Space Telescope, saying
the team was rehearsing with a
digital twin of the observatory. The
equipment survived a simulated
launch, and the actual launch is
planned for October in French
Guiana.
Marc Sonnenfeld retired as a
partner after 47 years with his law
firm in Philadelphia. He will miss
the camaraderie of the workplace,
the intellectual challenge of
solving clients’ problems, and
the theater and drama of the
courtroom. Marc planned to sail
his 30-foot sloop, Chapter 13, with
his son on the Penobscot and
Chesapeake bays. He volunteers
at Philly’s Fair Hill Burial Ground
(pg. 20), where College founders
are buried.
David Singleton is finishing
his 20th year on the Board of
Managers. “The College’s budget
has taken a hit with the loss of
more than half the expected room
and board revenue, but the faculty
and administration have risen
to the challenge of providing a
Swarthmore education virtually.
The hope is that everyone can be
back on campus for the 2021–22
academic year.”
Meanwhile, Paul Courant had
been “flirting with the idea of
retirement” with a furlough last
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
57
class notes
year. When the pandemic hit,
he stayed retired. “A colleague
suggested the trick to enjoying
retirement was to find things you
can get better at. I discovered that
golf, which I’d never played, was
just such a thing.”
Caroline Acker was part of the
“chase and cure” effort in Florida
for the November election. “I
telephoned voters to inform them
that the ballot they had mailed had
a problem (such as the signature
on the envelope not matching the
signature on the ballot) and telling
them how to fix it. Hal Kwalwasser
recruited me.”
Hal spent September through
Election Day performing voter
protection for the Florida
Democratic Party. “Although the
Florida elections ran smoothly,
reports from the ground about
what the local GOP was saying
about Biden and other Democratic
candidates were disturbing. The
parties need to find a way to talk
to each other again.”
Sue Almy, a Democrat in the
Republican-controlled New
Hampshire House, described the
remote opening-day session Jan.
6. House members were sworn in
on a field, then met in a parking lot
in their cars. As the news spread
about the insurrection in D.C., the
legislators approved a resolution
condemning what was happening
at the U.S. Capitol.
Glenna Giveans had the
opportunity to play with and
observe her granddaughter
“become a babbling, singing,
jiving, and sledding toddler.”
Jane Prichard Gaskell played lots
of games and puzzles with her
grandsons, ages 5 and 7.
Eleanor Lincoln Morse writes:
“Welcoming a new grandson
and holding that fierce new life
force was like embracing hope
for the future. My fourth novel,
Margreete’s Harbor, will be out in
April.”
Florence Battis Mini wrote that
although the pandemic meant
she hadn’t seen her children or
grandchildren since Christmas
2019, she and her husband were
reasonably content.
Please stay in touch on
swarthmore68.com or by writing
to me.
58
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
1969
Jeffrey Hart
hartj@indiana.edu
Belle Brett’s creative nonfiction
piece “United, Under John Prine”
was published in the online
magazine Cowboy Jamboree.
Marilyn Holifield said the Peter
London Global Dance Company
performed “Roses,” based on
excerpts of her chapter in Seven
Sisters and a Brother: Friendship,
Resistance, and Untold Truths
Behind Black Student Activism in
the 1960s.
Jeff Ruda is a postretirement art
consultant. “I tell people what I
think they should do, and they pay
me to shut up and go away.”
Barry Wohl is on the mend after
a serious bout of endocarditis. He
hopes to be back hiking the wilds
of Wyoming soon.
Elizabeth Coleman published a
poem in a new volume of poetry
titled Together in a Sudden
Strangeness: America’s Poets
Respond to the Pandemic.
Jean Bell self-published a book of
poems, Howling at 8 pm. “They are
a protest and a perspective on the
challenges and traumas we faced
in 2020. What a year to record in
poetry.”
John Edgar writes: “I’ve left
this out before because it’s very
hard to say. Our oldest daughter,
Danielle, died last year after a
45-year fight with FAP [familial
adenomatous polyposis] and
Gardner’s syndrome. She had
countless surgeries, many rounds
of chemo, and radiation therapies.
She earned a bachelor’s in nursing,
making the dean’s list while
undergoing chemo. We miss her
daily, but given an early diagnosis
(wrong) that we wouldn’t see her
first birthday, we were thankful to
be there for her 45th.”
Frank Weissbarth “officially”
retired in September 2019, after
having worked part time for 10
years at Brennan & Sullivan, a
small Santa Fe, N.M., law firm.
“One of our cases, Torres v.
Madrid, is set to be argued before
the U.S. Supreme Court. This was
my second retirement. The first
came after spending years working
in the New Mexico attorney
general’s office and as general
counsel for the New Mexico
Children, Youth, and Families
Department. Four years ago, my
wife, Randy, and I moved to the
Commons co-housing community
in Santa Fe.”
Randall Larrimore writes: “In
addition to being chair of the board
of the Chesapeake Conservancy,
I have been involved in trying to
establish a National Park Service
trailhead on the Nanticoke River
in Seaford, Del.” Ground has been
broken on the first phase of the
project.
of a town in northern New Jersey.
I’ve finished the coursework
for qualified purchasing agent
certification. However, if I ever
embark on a field of study again,
it’s going to be something fun,
like becoming more proficient in
Italian.
Unfortunately, there is also sad
news. If you’re a member of our
class Facebook page, you already
know that Patricia O’Regan died
Nov. 19 in Woodstock, Vt., after a
long illness. She is survived by son
Patrick, daughter-in-law Julia, and
grandson Robinson. I remember
her as a remarkable, vibrant
woman, as do many of you.
1971
1970
Bob Abrahams
bobabrahams@yahoo.com
Margaret Nordstrom
hon.margi@comcast.net
I hope we will have a chance to get
together on campus; it will not be
this year, so if you’d like another
Zoom experience in June, please
let me know. Also, in the interest
of better communication, every
class will have notes in all three
issues of the Bulletin. My next
deadline is June 21 if you want to
share your news.
Howard Vickery writes: “On New
Year’s Eve, I had a delightful Zoom
call with friends from my days as
a graduate student at Berkeley.
After 10 months of sheltering in
place, many of us are starving for
social interaction. And 2021 looks
promising once we get vaccinated.
“I have been working hard to
learn French, and have made
considerable progress thanks to
Duolingo and my French tutor, who
lives near Toulon, France. Next
time I go to Paris, which I hope
will be soon, je voudrais parler
Français couramment. It is not just
me. John Willett and Cathy are
taking online Spanish.”
I, Margaret, also have been
taking classes, but they’re related
to my work as the administrator
Even in 2021, life continues to be
unusual. I’ve not heard of anyone
I know personally who is ill from
COVID-19, but it’s still a pandemic,
so mostly I stay home. I used to
go to a lot of comedy and music
shows, and we won’t have our
class 50th Reunion in person.
Please stay connected with our
class and look for emails and other
notes about our virtual reunion
meetings. The Reunion Committee
welcomes all suggestions for
creating a terrific virtual reunion.
The coordinators include Martha
Meier Dean (martha.dean3201@
gmail.com) and Nancy Shoemaker
(nancy.e.shoemaker@gmail.
com). Visit swarthmore71.org for
the current schedule and other
information.
1972
Nan Waksman Schanbacher
nanschanbacher@comcast.net
Marcia Murakami died March 7,
2020, in her home surrounded by
family. Marcia was a consultant
and assistant professor of
radiology at the Mayo Clinic in
Jacksonville, Fla. She was an avid
international traveler and explorer.
Don Alexander has opened and
closed several bookstores over the
years. His latest in Alexandria, Va.,
where he lives, is a communitybased nonprofit to which 8,000
books were donated.
Jonathan Betz-Zall spends his
time on Quaker-related activities
including the Nakani Native
Program in Seattle, which provides
emergency food and supplies for
urban Natives. For fun, Jonathan
plays the ukulele and is studying
the local Indigenous language,
Lushootseed.
Kevin Chu sent around a little
neurological test to check if a
person has Alzheimer’s. “The more
we complain about memory loss,
the less likely we are to suffer
from memory sickness.”
Larry Clark reported that
Peter Canby retired after 40
years at The New Yorker. The
“OBC” enjoyed a “Zoom party
complete with drinks and holiday
attire, especially Carola [Sullam
Shepard] and her funny glasses.”
Ellen Campbell Cooper consults
on and writes FDA submissions for
small pharmaceutical and biotech
companies. Her principal “hobby”
is hiking/backpacking, which
included a trek to Mount Everest
base camp. Non-hiking travel
with husband Mike ’70 has been
to Italy, Spain, Portugal, England,
and India; she toured New Zealand
and Iceland sans Mike. Ellen is
planning to write a book about her
experiences at the FDA during the
early days of the AIDS epidemic.
Judy Fletcher retired last
September. She has been trying
“to heal the world in some small
way … working as co-chair of the
NYCD16 Indivisible Healthcare
Committee, canvassing and
postcard/letter writing for the
elections,” donating to some of the
causes she cares most about, and
trying to get TIAA to divest from
fossil fuels and unsustainable
palm oil practices.
Jim ’71 and Nancy Noble Holland
retired have. They were enjoying
hiking in the Sierras but had to
stop because of wildfires. They
look forward to traveling again.
Jo Lynne Johnson and her
husband were threatened by
wildfires and were evacuated
from their cabin in Wyoming.
Having sold their principal home
and downsized, they moved into
temporary quarters while waiting
for completion of a new home in
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
John Lubar retired from Fisheries
and Oceans Canada after 31 years.
He volunteers helping “seniors and
low-income people file their taxes,
provides well-off people with dock
space for their expensive floating
toys, provides running races for
the healthy and fit, and, finally,
as a member of the cemetery
committee, helps provide a final
resting place to the no longer
healthy and fit.”
Colleen Lucey Montgomery, while
working from home, “realized
she is more of an introvert than
previously acknowledged.” She
does yoga and Zumba and misses
her daughters and grandson.
Lee Walker Oxenham was
re-elected to a fourth term in
the New Hampshire House and
hoped to be reappointed to the
Science, Technology, and Energy
Committee to work on climate
issues. Lee and husband Evan had
a once-in-a-lifetime experience on
last year’s Swat-sponsored trip to
Costa Rica and the Panama Canal.
Linda Valleroy reports: “I am
blessed to have so many good
friends from my Swarthmore
years. And two husbands from the
Class of 1972, so far.”
Sam Wilson works part time at a
wound center and, “while taking
measures related to COVID-19,
has journeyed inward and read
more by James Cone and Howard
Thurman, who was a spiritual
leader to Martin Luther King Jr.”
Sam was also enjoying arts and
culture virtually.
Duncan Wright writes: “The
summary of the year that spoke
to me was a Solstice Eve Sound
Meditation event by Laurie
Anderson, which included a work
by Allen Ginsberg and music from
Philip Glass, along with a poem by
Rumi.”
Nan Waksman Schanbacher and
husband Walt moved permanently
to Cape Cod, Mass., last summer.
1973
Martha Shirk
swarthmorecollege73@gmail.com
By the time you read this, all of
us of a certain age should be
vaccinated, and judging from the
news you’ve sent, most of us have
come through this ordeal relatively
unscathed. It’s clear that the
events of the past year are likely to
shape our lives forever.
Ali Galip Ulsoy is the only
classmate who reported being
afflicted by COVID-19. “My wife,
Sue, and I had the virus in early
March 2020 and recovered after
a few miserable weeks. We are
eagerly awaiting the vaccine
while social distancing, wearing
masks, and frequently washing our
hands.”
Many of us were unable to
see children and grandchildren
through much of the past year, but
Andi Sasdi Howard felt lucky to
have daughter Lexie move in with
her in Santa Barbara, Calif., for six
months, and her other daughter,
Claire, lives nearby. Boris, a
3-year-old briard dog, also joined
her family. Granddaughter Naomi
was born in June to son Chris and
wife Alexis; she joins sister Lake.
COVID-19 interfered with
Lola Bogyo’s plans to return
to her professional life after
battling ovarian cancer in 2019.
“I underwent big-time surgery
and chemo. I’m still rebuilding
strength and endurance, but am
otherwise fine. The experience
has definitely helped me to cherish
each day. I returned to work as
a neuropsychologist in January
2020 and worked part time until
COVID hit. I hope to get vaccinated
and return to work relatively soon.”
In the category of “it’s never
too late,” Anne Lawrence ’74
reported that a manuscript she
wrote in 1972 will be published in
early fall and titled On Dark and
Bloody Ground. Based on Anne’s
taped interviews with retired coal
miners and their wives, it’s about
the battle of Blair Mountain, a
1921 workers’ insurrection aimed
at unionizing West Virginia coal
fields. The book has an afterword
by Cecil Roberts, president of
the United Mine Workers union,
whose grandmother was one of
the people Anne interviewed. Anne
retired in 2017 as a professor in
the San Jose State University
Graduate School of Business,
and husband Paul Roose ’74 is an
independent arbiter and mediator.
Longtime residents of Oakland,
Calif., they were temporarily living
in Boston to help take care of
granddaughters Vivian and Lucy.
Joe Turner stepped down
from Swarthmore’s Board of
Managers this spring after 12
years. “I will miss it. The Board
is composed of people I like and
respect without exception, and
it has been a fun group to work
with. Until this pesky pandemic
changed everything, I was able to
visit campus four times a year for
meetings, and it gave me a chance
to observe Val Smith, a superb,
calm, strategic leader. Over
the years, I became convinced
that Swarthmore is just like we
remember it. At the same time,
it is absolutely totally new and
different. I never quite figured
out how both of these statements
could be true simultaneously, but
they are.”
The magazine has started
publishing news from each class
in every issue. I’ll need your news
by June 14 to include it in the next
magazine, to be published in the
fall.
Visit swarthmorecollege73.com
or our Facebook page at facebook.
com/SwarthmoreClassOf1973.
1974
Randall Grometstein
rgrometstein@verizon.net
I am sorry to report that David
Shucker died in December after
a long illness. That’s all I know at
the moment; if more information
is forthcoming, I will report on it
next time.
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
59
class notes
Deb Johnson writes: “After
months of wildfire smoke, we
decided to leave California. Within
two weeks, we had put in an offer
on a house in Asheville, N.C.,
and listed and sold our house
in Silverado. As both sets of
negotiations finalized, we had to
flee our home when a large wildfire
broke out down the road. We never
went back. Friends and neighbors
finished packing the house after
the blockade ended. Three weeks
later, we are unpacked and living
in Asheville. John’s daughter lives
here, my best friend from grade
school is nearby, and my closest
family is only a few hours away.”
Jim Wilson survived COVID-19.
“Despite a hermit-like existence
in Alexandria, Va., I contracted
COVID-19 in early December.
It was a mild case and the
symptoms passed before I got my
positive test back. My lockdown
silver lining is that even virtual
play dates with my two young
granddaughters are awesome.”
What are other silver linings of
living through a lockdown? For
Susan Brown Lovenstein, it was
weeding her garden every morning
and that it reached a peak that
she may never see again. Joann
Bodurtha responds, “Reading
flourishes.”
Lois Polatnick writes: “I have
retired and spent the pandemic
with my husband in northern
Michigan, enjoying the outdoors
and weekly family Zoom parties
with our children — David, a
researcher and group leader at
Lincoln Lab in Massachusetts, and
Rachael, an assistant principal
in Chicago — and 2-year-old
grandchild.”
John Whyte says: “My husband,
Tom, and I survived almost a year
of working at home [in Philly].
Our daughter, Jesse, lives in
Philadelphia after finishing law
school at Penn — so we’re able to
see her at a distance — but only
virtual sightings of our son, Max.
I’m half-retired, which I enjoy,
though part of the reason for
working was to continue to enjoy
professional meetings and travel.
I’m taking my third studio arts
course after a life in science.”
From Kate Buttolph: “I’m working
from home for Massachusetts
60
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
ALUMNI COUNCIL NEWS
With spring in full bloom, the Alumni Council
has been actively advancing alumni initiatives.
Highlights include:
Mentors, Careers, Life After Swat, OH MY
Over three days of spring break, Alumni
Council hosted virtual drop-in careernetworking sessions for students. More
than 20 Council members participated,
sharing information on their careers and
unconventional wisdom on such issues as
starting a business, being a person of color in
STEM, breaking into nonprofit management,
excelling in a legal career, and more.
Spring SwatTalks
SwatTalks’ success continues, with May’s
virtual seminars showcasing Robert Putnam
’63, H’90 and his new book, The Upswing.
For Pride month in June, journalist Sasha
Issenberg ’02 will introduce his new book,
The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century
Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage. Alumni
are encouraged to join. View the calendar and
access recordings at bit.ly/SwatTalks.
Lang Scholars and Alumni Council
For five years running, Lang Scholars have
connected with Alumni Council members
Audubon and still doing land
conservation. I have spent a lot of
time hiking and many weekends
visiting with my son and his family.
I’m trying virtual chorus this
spring. I have spent many more
hours reading books and solving
crossword puzzles than sitting in
my car. That’s one silver lining.”
Gerald McKenzie writes:
“Along with the Grover and Sara
McKenzie Family Foundation, I
am running a two-year campaign
to raise money for the Chester
Children’s Chorus, which is
supported by the College. So far
we’ve donated $20,000.”
Pete Jaquette writes: “I’m still
employed, working less than
half-time in 2020 for Commoneo
as a consultant for S&P Global,
my former direct client. Our silver
lining in the last year was the
birth in November of our first
grandchild, Cassin Mark Jaquette,
through Spotlight Sessions to strengthen
and shape their projects to tackle societal
problems in the U.S. and abroad, thanks to
former Council member Way-Ting Chen ’94.
“In alignment with the vision of Gene Lang
’38, H’81, Lang Scholars are exceptional
scholar-practitioners: They connect
academics with action in communities
they care about,” says Lang Center Senior
Associate Director Jennifer Magee. “The
Spotlight Sessions allow them to road-test
their projects and benefit from the real-world
experience and wisdom of Alumni Council
members.”
About Your Alumni Council
As the governing body of the Alumni
Association, the Alumni Council represents
you, the alumni of Swarthmore. The Council
leads a number of initiatives to foster
connection and communication between
alumni and the College, plus to support
alumni, students, and the administration of
Swarthmore College.
Please email us at acpresident@swarthmore.
edu if you have ideas or questions. For other
alumni-related questions, please contact
alumni@swarthmore.edu.
to daughter Elisabeth Jaquette
’07 and husband Daniel Perelstein
’09. We were able to be in Tucson
where they live to see them all for
several weeks after Cassin was
born.”
Karellynne Wertheimer Watkins
had the most inspiring silver lining.
“Everyone is the same distance
away these days. I live less than
an hour’s drive from my father,
but we haven’t exchanged hugs
for months. On the other hand,
my grandkids are over 4,000
miles away, and we visit every
week. In fact, the eldest (age
9) has developed a taste for
Shakespeare. His favorite so far
is from Much Ado About Nothing.
I told him the tale of As You Like
It, and he wanders the house as
unrequited lover Silvius wailing
the name of his cruel-hearted
shepherdess: ‘O Phoebe! Phoebe!!
Phoebe!!!’”
1975
Sam Agger
sam.agger@gmail.com
Larry Schall writes: “In July, Betty
and I made a big move from Atlanta
to Cambridge, Mass. Moving during
the pandemic was a challenge.
After 15 years as a college
president, my new job is president
of the New England Commission of
Higher Education, the accreditation
agency for well over 200 colleges
and universities across New
England and a bunch abroad.”
David Gold writes: “Due to
COVID-19, we spent a lot of time
in Asheville [N.C.]. No flying, but
kids and grandkids drove up from
Florida and down from New York
for the holidays — an outstanding
and exhausting family gathering.”
Whitney Saunders writes: “I can
report that after more than 40
years in a land-use law practice,
I will begin a new life as the
president of a private foundation
dedicated to the provision of basic
human services and economic
and educational opportunity in the
communities of Hampton Roads
[Va.].” Any guidance about private
foundations and grant-making
would be welcome.
John Deshong says: “I keep in
touch with Mark Speed and also
caught up by Zoom with Mike Faust
’76 and Bill deGrouchy ’78, both in
New Jersey, and Wiley Ganey ’78
in California. I have spent time in
D.C. and at our house in Mission
Viejo, Calif., during the pandemic.
My daughter, son, grandson, and
significant others are nearby in San
Diego. Our company will transition
to a broad telework policy postpandemic — a brave new world of
work.”
Tony Camp writes: “After Temple
med school and family practice
residency in Abington, Pa., I helped
found a family medicine practice
in King of Prussia, Pa., where I
have lived ever since. It started as
a private practice, and then went
through several corporate stages.
As of Jan. 1, 2020, I retired. I
developed a distaste for corporate
medical practice. I have a 5-yearold granddaughter, Sydney, thanks
to Ben ’05 and Sarah Gladwin
Camp ’05.”
Anita Cava, Kip Davis, Ann
Yoklavich, and I had an awesome
Zoom conversation in December.
1976
Fran Brokaw
fran.brokaw@gmail.com
Starting off with sad news: Stan
Cutler died of an apparent heart
attack Jan. 10. He was a family
physician specializing in geriatrics
who lived in Wilmington, N.C.,
with wife Geri. Classmates will
remember Stan as the unicycleriding tennis player who majored in
math and linguistics and was warm
and friendly.
Pamela Casper was part of the
ecoartspace.org online panel “Tree
Talk: Artists Speak for Trees.” Since
the birth of her twins in 2002,
most of her art has focused on the
beauty of the natural world and its
fragile ecosystems. Check out her
work at pamelacasper.com.
Bruce Bond retired as Regents
Professor at the University of North
Texas, although he will continue to
teach as affiliate graduate faculty.
He still writes and is returning
to his musical career. His books
include Rise and Fall of the Lesser
Sun Gods (Elixir Press Poetry
Award); Gold Bee (Crab Orchard
and Helen C. Smith awards);
Blackout Starlight (L.E. Phillabaum
Poetry Award); Patmos (Juniper
Prize for Poetry); Behemoth (New
Criterion Poetry Prize), and Black
Anthem (Tampa Poetry Prize). “I
miss my friends from Swarthmore,”
Bruce says, “and would be happy
to give them a place to stay here
in Denton, Texas, once we all feel
safe.”
Liz Loeb McCane accomplished
the truly amazing feat of
completing the Ironman Florida
competition Nov. 7. She swam 2.4
miles, biked 112 miles, and then ran
26.2 miles, in a time of 15 hours, 52
minutes, and 17 seconds. She is not
planning another full Ironman but
has already signed up for two halfIronman competitions for 2021. You
can read more at bit.ly/IronmanLiz.
As for me, Fran, I’m thrilled to
have joined the Sacred Society of
Grandparents with the birth of my
grandson last May. I finally got to
meet him in July when I spent a
week with my daughter and her
family in Springfield, Mo. Then, I
went to see my son and his wife in
Madison, Wis. I drove out and back,
staying with dear friends along the
way, so that was an extra treat.
I will close with the suggestion
you check out Dave Scheiber’s
YouTube channel (youtube.com/
user/davescheiber/videos) for
some fun musical parodies of
hits, mostly related to our shared
COVID-19 experiences. Please
contact me with your updates and
exploits.
1977
Terri-Jean Pyer
terripyer@gmail.com
An unhappy first for the decadent
poets of the Class of 1977: No
news reported in the Bulletin for
two consecutive issues. Many
of us have been following fairly
strict stay-at-home orders, but
surely you have thoughts, news, or
reflections to share for our class
notes, which now are included in
every issue of the Bulletin.
I am writing shortly after the
presidential inauguration, where
I, like many of us, was inspired by
the poetry performance of National
Youth Poet Laureate Amanda
Gorman and her poem “The Hill
We Climb.” Her light imagery
felt appropriate to our Quaker
traditions, including: “When day
comes we step out of the shade,
/ Aflame and unafraid, / the new
dawn blooms as we free it. / For
there is always light, / if only we’re
brave enough to see it. / If only
we’re brave enough to be it.”
1978
Donna Caliendo Devlin
dmcdevlin@aol.com
Congrats to Art Bell on the 2020
publication of his memoir Constant
Comedy, “the story of how I started
Comedy Central (originally called
the Comedy Channel) in 1990, and
how I helped make the fledgling
channel a success.” Art was joined
by Michael Weithorn, himself an
Emmy-winning writer, director, and
producer, for a College-sponsored
Zoom conversation in December
called “Two Swarthmore Grads
Walk into a Bar … Comedy as a
Profession.”
Christiana Figueres-Ritter ’79,
who entered with our class, was
honored by the National Council
for Science and the Environment
with its 2021 Lifetime Achievement
Award for Science, Service, and
Leadership. A leader on climate
change, founding partner of Global
Optimism, and co-author of The
Future We Choose: Surviving the
Climate Crisis, she was executive
secretary of the U.N. Framework
Convention on Climate Change
from 2010 to 2016, bringing
together a range of governments
and organizations to deliver
the Paris Agreement on climate
change. This is the latest among
many honors for Christiana, who
even had a tropical moth, a wasp,
and an orchid named for her.
1979
Laurie Stearns Trescott
sundncr88@comcast.net
Katie Aiken Ritter started writing
a sequel to her debut novel, The
Green Land; it required so much
backstory that her Norse adventure
series grew by two prequel novels
instead: The Plains of Althing and
Thunder Horse. She is back to
work on the fourth novel, an actual
sequel this time, with a couple
more installments planned.
John Bartle is in his 11th year
as dean of his college at the
University of Nebraska Omaha. He
co-authored a book on innovative
ways to finance infrastructure
and is active on the board of
the National Academy of Public
Administration. John finally hung
up his softball glove but noted
that he surpassed Satchel Paige’s
baseball retirement age.
Jay Clark and his wife are
working out of their home offices
in Cincinnati. He is a regional sales
manager for a manufacturer of
electrical test equipment. Jay often
visited Delaware County for the
spring McCabe dinners and looks
forward to more normal times once
the virus is under control.
When the pandemic halted their
retirement agenda of international
travel, Louise Francis and hubby
got in their electric car and
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
61
class notes
camped at Kings Canyon, Sequoia,
Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons
national parks, along with an
Airbnb stop in Minneapolis to visit
their younger son. Pre-pandemic,
Louise reconnected with Laurie
Regan in Oregon and hiked in
ancient forests, now sadly burned.
A weekly Zoom call with Penne
Tompkins and Charlie Bullock and
their spouses keeps her sane.
In December, Dana Mackenzie’s
article about the U.S. blind chess
champion Jessica Lauser was
featured by The New York Times
(bit.ly/BlindChess). Dana was
unprepared for the immediate
response; by Christmas Day,
readers had set up a GoFundMe
account to support Jessica’s chess
dreams. As a writer, Dana believes
words have power, but this was
the first time he saw it with his
own writing. It made for one of the
happiest Christmases of his life.
(More from Dana, pg. 28.)
Max Trescott ’78 spent most of
this past year grounded instead of
flying, which allowed him to create
his third book, Max Trescott’s
G3000 and G5000 Glass Cockpit
Handbook. He also produced his
weekly Aviation News Talk, ranked
the No. 1 U.S. aviation podcast.
Allen Webb and his wife were
awarded research sabbaticals and
are at Cardiff University in Wales
and the Autonomous University
of the Yucatan in Mexico writing
about the climate crisis
Thanks, everyone, for your
contributions; please continue to
email me updates.
1981
Karen Oliver
karen.oliver01@gmail.com
We asked to hear from 40
classmates in honor of our 40th
Reunion, and you responded.
Gwen Aldridge is in L.A. with a dog
and a spouse-doctor.
Pete Alexander is living the dream
in Dallas with wife Gabriela, waiting
for lacrosse tourneys to resume.
Stephen ’84 and Sharon Roseman
62
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Buckingham of Philadelphia dream
of Vermont retirement.
Paul Carnahan continues his
30-year-career as head librarian at
the Vermont Historical Society and
is considering retirement.
Tom Crochunis said that
with Catherine ’23 at home in
Shippensburg, Pa., for the January
term, it was like being back at
Swarthmore, without the work.
Meena Desai, in Villanova, Pa.,
enjoys rewarding work and play in
many locations.
Sue Cole Domanico serves on
the Connecticut Adult Education
Racial Equity Task Force and the
Connecticut Association of Adult
Continuing Education executive
board.
New Jersey Rabbi Paula Mack
Drill became a bubbe in October.
John Duvivier ’82, who started
with our class, died Jan. 8, 2020.
Read more in Their Light Lives On
(pg. 82).
Adam Emmerich is busy with his
virtual, remote lawyering and would
love to hear from other empty
nesters who are first-time dog
owners.
Matthew Finston retired from
the Department of State, lives in
Jerusalem, and is a new empty
nester.
Marc and Tina Sandberg Forster,
in southeastern Connecticut,
were sad about not seeing their
daughters in California, but
discovered the pleasures of
Sunday-night Zoom card games
with Dan Melnick and Susan and
Todd Mayman.
Alan Gordon is a public defender
and is still with Judy Downer. Son
Robert got married, and Alan’s 12th
book is to be published.
Many thanks to Jeff Gordon in
Chicago and Tom Scholz in Iowa
City, Iowa, who are key members
of the 40th Virtual Reunion
Committee.
Bill Guerin of Philadelphia
anticipated his youngest son’s
college matriculation this fall, along
with less work and more RV travels.
David Hartney of Jerusalem,
N.Y., wants to learn more about
how teachers encourage (or
discourage) students’ questions.
Rawson and Sarah Groves Hobart
’82 moved to the Chicago area last
year. Sarah works for NASA on
the VIPER mission, and Rawson is
consulting for NetSuite.
Melissa Kelley of Golden, Colo.,
has given up reading dystopian
fiction.
Laura Kelsey loves life with Gus
McLeavy ’73 in Fitzwilliam, N.H.
Julia Knerr, an outpatient
psychiatrist at UNC–Chapel Hill,
spends her spare time fixing her
house and cooking.
Gwenn McLaughlin of Miami was
anticipating her first grandchild’s
arrival.
Susan Morrison / of Austin would
love to hear / From you in haiku.
Dan Newman lives in Italy and
caught up with his reading during
lockdown.
Karen Oliver of D.C. would
welcome hearing from others who
took up pandemic hiking.
Jennifer Pap feels lucky her
work at the University of Denver
continued during the pandemic.
Steve Podell of Piedmont, Calif.,
leads software projects and sails
on the weekends. He is married,
and all three kids are in college.
Jeremiah and Dorothy Silver
Reilly found meaning, friends,
and a home in Basel, Switzerland,
where they train with kettlebells
and heavy clubs.
Darius Rejali gained a
grandnephew this year, lost his
dad, mom, aunt, uncle, and close
cousin, and will retire after August.
Beth Saxon-Giles lives in
State College, Pa., and wants to
reconnect.
Ted Schadler of Lexington, Mass.,
is fully vested in family and career,
and enjoying bicycling most of all.
For 40 years, Tom Schuchart has
helped bring electricity to most of
the world from Oviedo, Fla.
Dan Slater, in San Diego, is doing
front-line primary care and looking
forward to reconnecting with
classmates in 2021.
Lalitha Vaidyanathan of Los Altos,
Calif., is especially grateful for
daughter Pia, who turns 9 in 2021.
Beau ’82 and Susan Perkins
Weston’s first grandchild finds
alumni magazines fascinating and
the Swarthmore calendar a delight.
They give mom Molly Weston
Williamson ’10 their copies as
backups.
David White, at the “Staycation
Ranch” in Benicia, Calif., has
started cooking with hot peppers.
Jonathan Willens of Manhattan
was looking out of his privileged
pandemic penthouse and hoping
for the city’s rebirth.
Monica Yriart is president
of Native and Tribal Human
Rights in Action and founder
of the international Movement
for the Abya Yala Protocols.
She specializes in comparative
constitutional law in the Americas
and international human rights.
1982
David Chapman
dchapman29@gmail.com
I have not received any specific
news, so I have focused on
three entries from the Class of
1982 Facebook page. When the
pandemic is over, I’d be happy
to meet up with anyone passing
through Charlottesville, Va.
Anne Bauman Wightman posted
that she moved to Nova Scotia from
Massachusetts to live at Treehouse
Village Ecohousing, a co-housing
community in Bridgewater. “I have
been working with Treehouse
Village for over a year planning
our intentional, multigenerational
community with 30 households.
Our apartments and common
house will be built to passive-house
standards and clustered in about
3 acres of our 15 acres of wooded
land. It has been wonderful to see
my daughters, Evelyn ’16 and Leslie,
who both live in Nova Scotia.”
While we all watched the events
of Jan. 6 with shock, horror,
and outrage, Jamie Stiehm lived
through it and then wrote about
it in the San Francisco Chronicle
(bit.ly/Jan6Stiehm) and was
interviewed by the BBC.
On Jan. 12, John Duvivier’s
family shared that he had died
Jan. 8. The note they shared with
John’s Facebook friends was
beautiful and life-affirming, even
as they dealt with tremendous
grief: “[John] died by suicide and
went peacefully in his sleep. Off
and on in his life he had times of
depression, and he was facing
health issues exacerbated by the
isolation of lockdown.” Jamie put it
this way: “Kind, thoughtful, curious,
a Whitmanesque soul that walked
so gentle in this harder and harder
world.”
Deb Choi Bartlett (pg. 82) died at
her home in Salt Lake City on Dec.
19, after a brief illness. Her obituary
said that she and husband Henry,
who died in 2006, were married 16
years. Many called Deb a kindred
and generous spirit, and she leaves
a community of family and friends
who loved her fiercely. All who
knew Deb will miss her vibrant
laughter, joie de vivre, radiant
smile, and huge heart for others.
1983
John Bowe
john@bowe.us
Before travel screeched to a halt,
Emily Ingalls and wife Tracey Lind,
an Episcopal minister, spoke to
congregations, medical schools,
and senior communities where
“Tracey talks about what it is like
to have early-onset, early-stage
fronto-temporal degeneration with
primary progressive aphasia, and I
talk about what it is like to live with
someone with that.”
Linda Estes retired five years ago,
intending to teach college part time
and open a photography business.
Since her dad died, she has worked
to increase access, awareness,
and support for Washington state’s
Death with Dignity Law.
Shoshana Kerewsky, a retired
University of Oregon senior
lecturer, was recognized by
the American Psychological
Association for Outstanding
Contributions to Ethics Education.
The award is given annually to
an APA member psychologist
who demonstrates outstanding
contributions to the profession
through ethics education.
Elizabeth McCrary Asselin moved
back to Paris to live with her
husband. She left Shell and has a
new career as a personal Pilates
coach. She will focus on 50-plus
folks to keep us active and healthy
and accommodate our changing
(aging) bodies.
In normal times, Dan Mont
constantly travels for work, “but
I have to say it’s been nice to be
home for the past nine months.”
He was a member of the Biden
campaign’s Disability Policy
Committee.
Andrea Davis-Griffin reported that
her therapy center in Pasadena,
Calif., was growing, despite the
switch to all remote work. The
staff has been innovative with
new approaches to serving adults,
teens, and kids.
Congrats to Arthur and Carol
Merten Upshur on their first
grandchild, born in October to
daughter Elizabeth ’07. Last year,
they shifted to part-time farming,
and Arthur began part-time,
nonprofit work in local land
conservation.
Deb Felix lives on Cape Cod,
Mass., and husband Dave
Hawver ’85 has finally joined
her permanently. She has nearly
finished an index for Black
students of private colleges based
on their culture. “It’s been eyeopening to say the least.”
Barry Datlof wrote that after all
his children “flew the coop … we
bought a sailboat to cruise the
Chesapeake called Poulet de la
Mer.’”
Dave Gertler left teaching three
years ago and edits math lessons
that are turned into videos and
distributed to classroom teachers.
Wife Sue Kost is considering
retirement after commuting from
Wilmington, Del., to Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia for the
past three years.
Betsey Dodd Buckheit said
COVID-19 put a damper on planned
travel, but major home-remodeling
projects were way up. She said her
running routine makes her feel as if
she’s 45 again.
Bill and Amanda Cheetham
Green ’85 and their youngest son
have been working from home in
different rooms since mid-March
2020. The pandemic was very
tough on their oldest son, who is
disabled and lives alone. Bill wrote
that about half his MIT graduate
students were doing well, and the
other half had difficulties because
of the pandemic.
Wilfrid Csaplar notes, “Old
things tend to break,” which
included a meniscus in his knee,
the foundation of his house, a
sewer line, TV, car, and fridge. This
summer, he will be partially retired
as professor emeritus of economics
at Bethany College in West Virginia.
Nee Dalal and husband Grant are
empty nesters. Both sons are at
Temple med school, one finishing
this year and the other just starting.
They had thought about retiring,
Nee as an anesthesiologist and
Grant as a general surgeon, “but
now is not the time.”
Siu Li and Chris GoGwilt
celebrated their 35th wedding
anniversary via a Zoom call with
guests who visited Edinburgh,
Scotland, for the wedding,
including Lynn Fryer Stein, Laura
Dent, Holt Meyer, and Amy
Robertson.
1984
Karen Linnea Searle
linnea.searle@gmail.com
Marsha Young Koger received a
Ph.D. from Morgan State University
in Baltimore in December 2018.
“I serve as a fundraiser for a
Baltimore city public school, as an
executive director of a nonprofit
coding organization, and as an
adjunct professor at the University
of Baltimore. Also, I host a weekly
radio show on Radio One called
Granted in Style.”
Miriam Latane Wallace wrote
that she was in her fifth year of a
six-year term as division chair of
humanities and arts at the New
College of Florida in Sarasota
and was co-editor of a series at
Bucknell University Press. She felt
lucky to be in Florida this winter
where outdoor exercise was an
option.
Adrianne Pierce was busy juggling
school for everyone in the family
(teaching and learning). Colette
Mull and Mike Dreyer managed to
fit in travel to Barbados before the
pandemic closed everything.
Beth Armington writes: “From
my kitchen-table office working
for the Department of Justice, I’m
very much looking forward to the
new administration. It’s a great
time to be an introverted empty
nester. I’m fortunate to be in a pod
with my nearby sister and parents
(Paul ’62 and Catherine Pinkney
Armington ’60).”
Brad Roth started his 25th year at
Wayne State University in Detroit,
where he teaches courses in
political theory and international
law. His scholarly work focuses on
crises of legitimate governmental
authority. Among his recent
projects was co-editing a
compendium on Democracy and
International Law.
Max Mulhern sent his greetings
from Oaxaca Ciudad, Mexico.
“In early 2020, I asked Peter
Fritschel and Pam Nelson, my
then-neighbors in Cambridge,
Mass., if they would like to take
turns reading a story out loud with
me. They agreed, and I showed up
with a copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s
The Masque of the Red Death. … It
was the last time I was invited into
their house.”
Elizabeth Ure Saul lives with
husband Moises in Bellevue,
Wash., where she runs a small
executive function coaching
business while making masks,
managing an aging father,
supporting the daughter who
postponed her wedding, and losing
a neighbor to COVID.
Elena Ferretti (pg. 82) died
unexpectedly Oct. 20. She is
survived by daughter Elliot. Tia
Swanson wrote that she met
Elena “because we were put in
off-campus housing. It was a
lucky break for me since I’m not
sure I would have made it through
Swarthmore without Elena’s
irreverence, wit, and refusal to take
any of it too seriously. She was
generous and perceptive and made
friends easily. I feel blessed to have
been one.”
Martha Foote writes: “Elena was
my first friend at Swarthmore. She
lived across the hall on thirdfloor Palmer, and we bonded over
the Beatles and Bowie.” Pelle
Wertheimer adds: “Elena had a
wicked sense of humor that cut to
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
63
class notes
the heart and laid bare the truth
of many a situation. I often lived
the absurd, and Elena was always
there to point it out, crack me up,
and back me up. When my first
son was born, Elena came with a
jade bracelet for him to bestow
protection and good fortune. I’m
holding that green circle in my
hand now, and I think of our years
of laughter and friendship.”
1985
Timothy Kinnel
kinnel@warpmail.net
Maria Tikoff Vargas
maria@chrisandmaria.com
Richard Wetzell lives in D.C. with
husband Larry and works for the
German Historical Institute.
Barbara Weene Rooks and
husband Ben live in Sonoma, Calif.,
after years of splitting their time
between there and San Francisco.
They celebrated their 30th wedding
anniversary. Barbara has been
adapting to the realities of the retail
wine business during a pandemic,
writing marketing material, and
holding virtual tastings.
Now that our class notes will be
included in every Bulletin (which
comes out three times a year),
please keep your updates coming.
1986
Jessica Russo Perez-Mesa
jessicaperezmesa@yahoo.com
Karen Leidy Gerstel
kgerstel@msn.com
Maija Bell Samei, a scholar of
Chinese literature and author of
Gendered Persona and the Poetic
Voice: The Abandoned Woman in
Early Chinese Song Lyrics, reported
that with everyone home, she
has gotten very little done during
64
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
FEARLESS LEADER
SUSAN POSER ’85
Susan Poser ’85 was selected as the ninth president — the first
female — of Hofstra University, joining the school from the
University of Illinois Chicago, where she was provost and vice
chancellor for academic affairs. “It will be a privilege to work
with the Hofstra faculty, who provide an outstanding liberal arts
education and a wide array of graduate and professional degrees that
lead to satisfying and successful careers for Hofstra graduates,” says
Poser, who starts in August. A classics major at Swarthmore, Poser
earned a J.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
quarantine. The family did get a
dog — a first for her kids.
Aaron Weissblum has been
drawing cartoons, and Ed
Gooding has been writing poetry,
while Norman Wright, in his
administrative leadership role at
UnitedHealth Group, has been
amazed by front-line clinicians
performing heroic acts every
day. Norman and his wife moved
to Scottsdale, Ariz., realizing a
20-plus-year dream.
Lise Nielsen Blackburn and her
family moved from the Pittsburgh
area to near Swarthmore. She
started a civil engineering Ph.D.
at Rowan University’s Sustainable
Facilities Center, combining her
engineering background with her
master’s in global sustainability.
She works with the New Jersey
National Guard to maintain their
facilities in a more energy-efficient
and sustainable manner.
Joanne Wood Dexter has
reconnected with classmates
on Zoom, in particular fellow
Grapevine alums with a song-splice
recording in the works, including
Becky Kaufmann Crowley, Amy
McMichael, and Hilary Hochman.
Catherine Paplin’s work as a
consulting architect at a building
and energy consulting firm focuses
on embodied carbon, which is the
carbon emissions associated with
construction and/or demolition of a
building, as opposed to operational
carbon emissions, which are
those associated with using and
occupying a structure.
Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput has
been appointed governor of the
Bank of Thailand.
Jessica Russo Perez-Mesa had
fun catching up with Swatties
during the virtual reunion and
especially enjoyed David Shutte’s
sharing his Cygnet with everyone.
She works at a biotech company
and is staying safe in Hawaii.
Jeff and I, Karen, continue to
shelter various family members as
we all work remotely from upstate
New York. The grassroots efforts
that sprang up last March to feed
and support those who were
hungry, ill, alone, or financially
devastated by COVID-19 has
continued to grow. The NYC
public school art class program I
volunteer with has gone online, and
I adapted my lessons to add music
to get kids to jump around their
living rooms. Anything to keep them
from falling asleep while staring at
a computer screen.
1987
Sarah Wilson
sarah_nw35qg@yahoo.com
After his mother died in December
2019 in Brasilia, Brazil, Rasheed
Abou-Alsamh and his two dogs
and three cats planned to move
closer to relatives in Houston. “As
a newspaper journalist, I’ve sadly
witnessed the closing of so many
newspapers around the globe, so
I find myself practically retired at
this stage of my life.” In October,
Rasheed was in D.C. and had
dinner with Michael North.
Keara Connolly runs the Caye
Caulker Food Pantry in Belize, a
branch of the larger Caye Caulker
Strong initiative, which received
a national award for outstanding
contribution to the community.
The organization provides food
and eco-based employment
opportunities for Caye Caulker
islanders. The pantry was feeding
around half of the population of
the island. “It has been incredibly
inspiring to see how this small
village of locals and expats have
worked so hard, joined forces, and
found resources to keep everyone
safe, well, and fed.”
Courtney Austrian and family
moved from London to Vienna,
taking advantage of the brief threeweek period when all the borders
were open to load the car and drive
across four countries. Courtney
is deputy chief of mission at the
U.S. Mission to the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in
Europe; on weekends she, her
husband, and their two daughters
were exploring the Austrian
countryside.
Reid Neureiter lives in Denver
with wife Nora; they are close to
being empty nesters. Their eldest,
Austin, lives in Berlin. Daughter
Darcy began her first job with a
startup in Pittsburgh after having
been a Venture for America
fellow. Their youngest, Luke ’22,
is studying engineering and peace
& conflict studies at Swarthmore.
Reid enjoys his work as a federal
magistrate for the District of
Colorado, and takes sports pictures
and writes articles for his local
newspaper. From his motorcycle,
he takes action shots for Colorado
bike rides, including the infamous
Triple Bypass and the Mount Evans
Bicycle Hill Climb.
Abby Feder-Kane started as
director of development and
external relations at the Colin
Powell School for Civic and Global
Leadership at City College of
New York on March 23, 2020, a
week after all work went remote.
“Although I live only 40 blocks from
my office, I have only been there
for my interview. My late father
was a City College graduate. It was
due to that excellent (and, at the
time, free) public higher education
that he was able to provide me
and my sibs with the opportunities
we had. The college still educates
a population that is largely firstgeneration students.
“Margaret Huang, Carolyn Rouse,
and I maintain a SwatBFFs text
chain where we shared articles,
jokes, and live commentary on the
debates. Julia Stein and I have
periodic long phone calls.” The
Swarthmore Walkaholics Enablers
Facebook group, organized
by Margaret, has cheered on
members’ healthier habits and has
been a place to share photos of the
beauty found in each day.
Joseph Ruff reports from the
West Coast: “After losing our
neighborhood to the Camp Fire,
we relocated for a second time” to
Tucson, Ariz., just before COVID-19.
“We’re weathering the pandemic
in this beautiful desert oasis, while
we work on our art and computer
projects at home.”
1990
Jim Sailer
jim.sailer@gmail.com
Tracey Patillo
tepatillo1@gmail.com
Tracey Patillo has agreed to be
co-class secretary. She has been
a longtime College volunteer —
planning some of our previous
reunions and serving with the
Swarthmore Black Alumni Network.
Cheri Walker is president and
CEO of Rhinostics Inc., founded by
two Harvard professors to provide
automated sample-collection
solutions for more efficient
laboratory workflows.
Rachael Henriques Porter’s sons
are in college — a junior at Stony
Brook, a freshman at Swat, and
a freshman at Brown. “We’ve
repurposed spaces in our house
to accommodate working and
teaching from home. Teaching
hybrid has been challenging; Zoom,
Kaltura, and CamScanner are
new additions to my vocabulary. I
rediscovered my sewing skills for
mask-making and found out our
10-year-old bread machine still
works. Kevin’s pandemic hobby has
been board games. He manages to
play regularly virtually with friends
and family.”
Liz Clarke O’Neil writes: “In May
2020, I graduated from law school.
I attended evenings while working
full time and raising my children. I
was sworn into the Massachusetts
Bar and am practicing law in
Lexington. I work in estate planning
and administration and elder
law.” Liz has four children — two
in college, and two graduated.
Son Harry played basketball at
Johns Hopkins, so Liz had trips
to Swarthmore to watch him play,
and she ran into Jim Bock, Martin
Hunt, and Annie Fetter ’88.
Tracey has news, too. “After
nearly 20 years at the same
employer, I resigned for another
job as the global finance and
accounting director/deputy CFO
at the World Resources Institute.”
Because of COVID-19, she had to
give up volunteering after 15 years
of working with So Others Might
Eat, and also had to stop teaching
at the Arlington (Va.) Jazzercise
Center. She was back to being a
student in virtual exercise classes,
after 21 years as an instructor.
Phil Weiser, Colorado’s attorney
general, will run for re-election in
2022.
I, Jim, can report that son Henry
is a first-year student at Yale and
had a terrific first semester despite
everything. Unlike his father, he
has great proficiency in math.
We enjoyed having him home for
December and January.
1992
Libby Starling
libbystarling@comcast.net
Good news and bad news, folks.
The good news is that with this
issue of the Bulletin, all class years
will be included in every issue, so
you will have the opportunity to
read about fellow members of the
Class of 1992 three times a year.
The bad news is that as many
of us have been staying under
metaphorical rocks, I have no news
to report. All (or very nearly all) of
us have hit the half-century mark,
so happy 50th birthdays all around.
And, with this challenge, send in
some news; I have an extra issue to
write each year. I hope to see all of
you at our reunion in 2022.
1994
Kevin Babitz
kevinbabitz@gmail.com
I write this in the first week of
January from D.C., having just
witnessed history that will fill
shelves in McCabe and be the
subject of many conversations
around campus.
Todd Kim lives with partner Tracy,
daughter Leia, and son Miles
and is an orthopedic surgeon in
Burlingame, Calif. He credits his
Swattie liberal arts background for
helping him with his side hobby of
teaching communication skills to
fellow surgeons.
Tara Webb shared that after 10
years as Swarthmore’s costume
shop manager, she is a lecturer
in costume technology at UNC–
Greensboro’s School of Theater.
“It has been an adventure to
begin a middle-aged life in North
Carolina. The larger university
system is amazing after many years
in Swarthmore’s conclave. I’m
learning a ton about educational
technology. It’s also very nice to be
closer to family. (My parents all live
in the Asheville area.)”
Ron Groenendaal in Oregon
welcomed daughter Sienna.
David Shimoni lives in upper
Manhattan with his wife and
daughter, teaching piano and
performing. Since the pandemic
began, they have been having
dinner/brunch virtually with former
housemates Nicole Kaufman Kahn,
David Kahn Kaufman, and Daniel
Kamin. He teaches his students
virtually, including a fellow Swattie
and the children of two others in
various geographical locations.
“Also, since the pandemic began,
my wife, who is an opera singer,
and I have been giving one-on-one
telephone performances of a song
cycle by Beethoven through New
York’s On Site Opera.”
Dito van Reigersberg reported
that nephew Luke Bastiaansen
’23 is the family’s third generation
of Swatties. Dito participated in a
weekly Zoom “seminar” with Susan
Tinsley Daily, Sanda Balaban, Scott
Rankin, Daniel Kamin, Helen Fox,
Nicole Kaufman Kahn, David Kahn
Kaufman, Nicole Merola, Kate
Stanton, Ethan Borg, Jen Leigh,
and Julia Moore. “I have done a
few live-stream shows as my drag
alter ego, Martha Graham Cracker,
with Plexiglas walls and other
social distancing strategies with my
band and an online-only audience
— making music is a balm.” Dito
also was in a Zoom version of the
play Zero Cost House by Japanese
playwright Toshiki Okada, directed
by Dan Rothenberg ’95 and
produced by Pig Iron Theatre
Company. You can read a review at
bit.ly/ZCHouse.
Helen “started a new job as
conservation science director for
the Coral Reef Alliance, a smaller,
single-mission nongovernmental
organization” based in Oakland,
Calif. She remained in the D.C.
area to facilitate making alliances.
She’s also an adviser to National
Geographic Society’s field
engagement team for the Allen
Coral Atlas. Firstborn Caroline was
accepted early decision to Tufts
School of Engineering. Younger
sister Julia will start high school
next year. “While Rex and I aren’t
empty nesters yet, this year feels
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
65
class notes
like a major transition.”
Don Easley and I, Kevin, are going
strong with our Hank and Bernie
podcast, the new version of our
WSRN show of yesteryear. The
undoubted highlight of 2020 was
discussing the financial impact
of COVID on sports with two
Glenn Hubbards, one an eminent
economist and the other an Atlanta
Braves legend.
As for me, I’m still lawyering
at the Department of Treasury
and continuing my long-distance
graduate studies in classics at BarIlan University in Israel. Wishing all
of our classmates near and far a
great MMXXI.
1996
Melissa Clark
melissa.a.clark@gmail.com
Gerardo Aquino
tony.aquino@united.com
Happy 25th anniversary to the
Class of 1996. Although we are
unable to meet for an in-person
campus reunion, it has been a
pleasure catching up during the
Zoom events. We look forward to
the day we are able to reunite at
Swarthmore.
Elizabeth Armstrong lives in
Northampton, Mass., with wife
Stacey Dakai and their 10-year-old
twin boys. Elizabeth is a primarycare doctor in a large group
practice. She practices martial arts
via Zoom in her free time, which
she believes was a sanity saver
this past year. “Like many other
people this year, we’ve acquired
backyard chickens, so our yard
is full of feathers, chicken poop,
and paranoid feathered dinosaurs
of questionable intellect. They’ve
been highly entertaining, and
occasionally we get eggs.”
Sarah Wise and her colleagues
published a book, Facilitating
Change in Higher Education: The
Departmental Action Team Model,
on their methods for guiding
departmental groups in making
sustainable curricular or cultural
66
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
changes that benefit students.
Join our private Facebook group,
Swarthmore College Class of 1996,
and stay connected throughout
the year.
1998
Rachel Breitman
rachellbreitman@yahoo.com
Shirley Salmeron Dugan
shirleysalmeron@yahoo.com
Pinar Karaca-Mandic (pg. 18)
co-founded the University
of Minnesota COVID-19
Hospitalization Tracking Project,
which traced hospitalizations
across all states, published peerreviewed papers and posts, and
provided visualization of trends
and rates. “We were able to
analyze new hospital facility data
from Health and Human Services
and release a county-level
visualization of the percent of beds
occupied by COVID for the first
time in the country. I have been
meeting top national news outlets
such as The New York Times and
NPR, and helping their teams
work with these data as well.”
Pinar is a professor in the finance
department handling health
care risk management and is the
academic director of the Medical
Industry Leadership Institute at
the university’s Carlson School of
Management.
Andrew Robbins was named
president and CEO of Cogent
Biosciences Inc., which is focused
on developing precision therapies
for genetically defined diseases.
He will also serve as a member of
its board of directors. Previously,
he was COO at Array Biopharma,
which worked on novel precision
oncology products. Andrew also
serves on the board of directors
for Harpoon Therapeutics and
Turmeric Acquisition Corp.
Lynn Chosiad is a clinical
psychologist in Massachusetts.
“My services definitely seem to
be in high demand. My husband
and I have been able to work from
home, and our 9-year-old son,
Joshua, has been able to manage
online-only and hybrid school.”
Lynn was missing annual travel
to see relatives in Florida, but
was relishing the memories of the
cruise her family took from Seattle
to Alaska in August 2019 when
she visited with Kristin Vitalich.
This year she enjoyed mini-reunion
Zooms with Ashley Flynn Ward,
Joan Hoffmann, Mandy Hourihan
Eppley, Kristin, and Beth Wiles.
Vincent Jones celebrated
Christmas in Egypt as part of a
solo journey through Africa. He
sent photos of himself riding a
camel, climbing mountains, and
rappelling off a mountain. “While
the pandemic devastated my
burgeoning travel business, my
political consulting business has
been on fire. I’ve even developed
expertise producing virtual events.
In an unexpected twist, I’ve been
able to perfect the art of working
while traveling in the age of COVID
and take advantage of experiencing
places without hordes of tourists.
You can follow my adventures on
Instagram at @citizenjonestravel.”
Kelli Tennent Griffis says:
“With the kids’ schools online,
I left one type of classroom for
another, helping them get through
the semester while launching a
freelance service as a manuscript
editor and private tutor. I also
started distance running again
and have completed two halfmarathons so far.” Kelli saw
Jordan Hay and Amy Albert over
Zoom on Thanksgiving.
In the summer, Tamala
Montgomery and husband
Ambrose Liu had second child
Ava Joy. As her name suggests,
she brought a lot of smiles to their
Pennsylvania household and big
brother Aaron. From her home in
Washington state, Delila Leber
hosted a baby shower via Zoom
before Ava’s birth, which Cat Laine
and I, Rachel, attended.
Jessica Howington is back in
Kentucky in the house she bought
in 2007, missing the open water
of the Caribbean. She returned in
August, after a year in St. Croix,
Virgin Islands. She’s in her 10th
year as an independent behavior
analyst. “I’m back with my beloved
swim team, where practices
are modified to meet COVID
guidelines.”
Meanwhile, celebratory news
abounds from Solimar Salas
Rodriguez, who lives in Long
Beach, Calif., and is the vice
president of museum content
and programming at the Museum
of Latin American Art. This fall,
she celebrated her engagement
to Ramon Ynzunza and looked
forward to a wedding in Puerto
Rico in late 2021.
1999
Melissa Morrell
melrel99@hotmail.com
Jenna Tiitsman Supp-Montgomerie
reported that in February, NYU
Press published her book, When
the Medium Was the Mission:
The Atlantic Telegraph and the
Religious Origins of Network
Culture. It illuminates the deep
influence of religion on the first
cabled network that continues to
resonate in today’s digital culture.
She and her family live in Iowa
City, Iowa, where she’s found Swat
connections through her children
with Dana Foster ’92 and Eric
Freedman, and she shares an office
building with Andy Owens ’08
(once in-person work returns).
Darragh Jones Paradiso started
a new post in Strasbourg, France,
as consul general and U.S. deputy
permanent representative to the
Council of Europe. She looks
forward to having Swatties come
through Alsace.
Anne Holland and her partner had
son Max Robin Holland on March
13, 2020, just as Quebec closed
down for quarantine. “Max’s very
enthusiastic big sister, Delphine,
spent three months home from
day care, so a lot of bonding took
place.” The couple bought a home
in Lennoxville, near Montreal, and
moved in August. Anne got a new
job with a tech startup.
Matthew Kahn, a partner at
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in San
Francisco, spent 2020 practicing
law from a desk in his bedroom
while his two sons “enjoyed”
remote school. Wife Abigail
Stewart-Kahn ’01 was appointed
interim director of San Francisco’s
Department of Homeless and
Supportive Housing. One bright
spot was a weekly Saturday night
video call that included, among
others, Matt Menendez, Drew
Mast, Adrian Wilson, Scott Timm,
Gerry Kaufman, Tony Sturm,
Dan Green, Mason Tootell, Kelley
Hauser, and Tarek Radwan ’01.
Tobie Barton, director of product
development, and her team were
awarded a grant to run the National
Center on Health, Behavioral
Health, and Safety for Head
Start programs. Her family had
to postpone a sabbatical year in
Edinburgh, Scotland. If all goes
well, she’ll move there this summer
with husband Ian and daughters
Zoa, 13, and Polly, 8. David Mimno
had to postpone a planned
sabbatical year in Berlin and
instead stayed in Ithaca, N.Y.
Stacey Bearden managed to put
together a birthday party during
the pandemic for her 7-year-old
son with distanced-and-masked
fun like a water balloon toss and
pumpkin decorating. They finished
by singing “Happy Birthday”
and eating individually wrapped
cupcakes. Stacey has been working
from home in California, creating
new family traditions, and looking
forward to seeing her parents in
person again.
Ashwin Rao published his first
book, Mental Health in the Athlete:
Modern Perspectives and Novel
Challenges for the Sports Medicine
Provider, last summer, while
completing his 12th year as a team
physician for the Seattle Seahawks.
He also created a national online
didactic program for all sports
medicine trainees. On a personal
note, even though we live in the
same city, I , Melissa, miss seeing
Ashwin on a regular basis.
Chloe Dowley reported a bonfire
to celebrate the new year as well
as a role of increased leadership at
the Maine Coast Waldorf School.
“I’m working towards equity and
inclusion by doing anti-racist work
in myself, my home, school, and
community. I am learning about the
joys and pitfalls of parenting a teen
and tween.”
Roger Bock took advantage of not
having a commute by moving to
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., to
be near the ocean and family. He
appreciates that his kids, 11 and 14,
are old enough that he can watch
shows like Stranger Things with
them.
I have been surviving the
pandemic by tutoring elementary
school math remotely, using
Dan Finkel ’02’s Math for Love
curriculum materials; volunteering
with a rent emergency fund
nonprofit; and taking occasional
trips into the desert with my
significant other. In December, I
discovered that Leslie Yen ’98’s son
and my daughter are in the same
class in elementary school.
2000
Michaela DeSoucey
mdesoucey@gmail.com
Emily Shu
emily.n.shu@gmail.com
We assembled this column in the
early days of 2021, and we hope
that by the time it reaches your
mailbox, we’ll be on the road to a
healthier and more just world.
Geoff Anisman has a new corona
hobby: designing and printing
T-shirts. He also is studying the
Azerbaijani language for a family
move this summer to Baku, where
he and wife Naomi will work at the
American Embassy.
As a high-risk family, Rebecca
Schmitt Smirk in Yardley, Pa.,
has been spending a lot of time
with husband Jim and ninthgrade daughter Emma hiking
and canoeing. The year ended
on a high note, as Rebecca made
partner at Servilla Whitney,
an intellectual property firm
that focuses on patents and
trademarks.
Eva Allan practiced harp and
played for her Berkeley, Calif.,
neighbors through open windows
while her kids attended virtual
school.
Writer Kim Foote (bit.ly/
SceneChangeSwat) had a
short story published in Prairie
Schooner in the fall, and another
of her stories appeared in Green
Mountains Review. Desiree
Peterkin Bell worked to support
the Biden-Harris campaign
and a number of candidates in
congressional races as well as
Virginia’s Breonna’s Law, which
prohibits no-knock warrants. She
also co-authored a book, Lose
the Cape, which discusses raising
socially conscious kids.
Corey Datz-Greenberg completed
a master’s at Smith College’s
School for Social Work and is in
the second year of a postgrad
fellowship as a therapist at the
Access Institute in San Francisco.
He was looking forward to starting
a private practice this 2021.
Early in 2020, Christina SornitoCarter, an assistant professor of
anthropology at Appalachian State
University in Boone, N.C., and her
partner welcomed baby Adrian
Laurel. In Northampton, Mass.,
Adam Stern and his wife had son
Louis in July. “Older sisters Dorey,
6, and Ramona, 3, take particular
delight in seeing him grow.”
John Leary and his team at
Trees for the Future (trees.org)
celebrated the planting of their
200 millionth tree, with plans to
plant 50 million more trees in 2021.
John will be studying in Wharton’s
executive program for socialimpact strategy this spring.
Gabe Cumming and partner Carla
Norwood run Working Landscapes,
a community-based nonprofit
organization/food hub in Warren
County, N.C. They’ve fed folks in
the community and supported
farmers by preparing meals and
distributing boxes full of locally
grown vegetables and meats.
“Along with kids Juniper, 12, and
twins Sam and Silas, 6, we have
also been working on getting out
Southern votes as best we can.”
Dan Kraut is an associate
professor and director of the
chemistry master’s program at
Villanova University. In December,
he wrote, “I’ve survived a semester
of teaching in person with masks
without major incident,” while his
kids continued their education,
sometimes in person and
sometimes online. Dan was looking
forward to seeing folks at our tobe-rescheduled reunion.
2001
Claudia Zambra
claudiazambra@gmail.com
These spring 2021 class notes
are dedicated to the memory of
Leah Zallman, who died Nov. 5.
She is survived by husband Nadav
Tanners ’02, children Eli Zallman
and Kai Tanners, sister Shana
Zallman, niece Isa Zallman, and
mother Marcia Bernbaum. She is
also survived by her mother-inlaw and father-in-law, Dina and
Paul Tanners; her sister-in-law
and brother-in-law, Timna and
Avi Tanners; nephews Jonah
and Zeke; and nieces Talia and
Elizabeth. Leah’s enormously
successful career, legacy, and
accomplishments were detailed in
last issue’s Their Light Lives On.
Yasemin Sirali of Istanbul writes
about Leah: “She made me feel so
accepted, so cared for as a foreign
student with few social skills in a
whole new and demanding system
and culture. She actually tried to
understand me and made me feel
heard, was very responsive, very
helpful, and just always left me with
this warm feeling that I was safe
with her.”
Andrea Juncos adds: “I met Leah
at Swat’s prospective students’
weekend in 1997. We had an
instant connection. She was one
of the reasons I chose to come to
Swarthmore. We were hallmates
freshman year and roommates our
sophomore year — the year my
mom died. She was a huge source
of love, support, and wisdom
throughout. After graduation, we
lived together in NYC, where we
had plenty of adventures. We were
fortunate to end up in the same
neighborhood again when I moved
to Somerville, Mass., in 2013. When
I got married a couple of years
ago, she took me wedding-dress
shopping and helped with other
wedding plans. She and Sujatha
Srinivasan spoke at my wedding.
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
67
class notes
When my son was born, she drove
us all home from the hospital and
brought us homemade soups and
stews to ensure we were well-fed
and taken care of.
“Simply put: Leah was the best
person I knew. She always took
such good care of me, as she
did with everyone in her life. Her
friendship nourished my soul. She
always listened, asked thoughtful
questions, and offered a wise
perspective. I have always admired
her and wanted to be more like her.
I will carry the lessons I learned
from her with me. I miss her
acutely. And I’m so grateful and
honored to be her friend.”
Leah was featured in “Spreading
Their Wings” in the fall 2002
Bulletin, which you can access at
bit.ly/BulletinFall02.
In other news, Seth Steed was
elected Nov. 3 to serve as a judge in
NYC’s civil court. In August, Aisha
Talib and family moved to Bangkok
for a three-year assignment with
the Foreign Service.
Talia Young has a visiting teaching
gig in Haverford’s environmental
studies department this year,
which has been going amazingly
well, including teaching a Black
and Asian foodways class. Her
pandemic pod has included Elinore
Kaufman ’04 and Maria Alvarez
’04, who live around the corner.
Another of Talia’s endeavors,
Fishadelphia, is continuing strong;
the pandemic appears to have
increased interest in local seafood.
Ken Kim got recruited in July to
be the director of women’s cancer
at Cedars Sinai and the director
of training and education in the
Cedars Sinai Cancer Center, both
in Los Angeles. The cross-country
pandemic move was crazy, but
his 8-year-old twins are enjoying
Southern California.
2002
Tanyaporn Wansom
swarthmore2002@gmail.com
Three classmates wrote in from
Columbus, Ohio. Abby Lowther,
68
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
her husband, and her three kids,
ages 8, 5, and 2, have gotten
good at chilly outdoor meetups
and would love to be in touch with
anyone passing through central
Ohio. Abby is a physician in the
Grant Hospital Family Medicine
residency program and an abortion
provider at Planned Parenthood.
Dan Blim teaches music history
at Denison University. He hosts
an online weekly trivia game
with his boyfriend, plays online
board games, and watches a
lot of The Great British Baking
Show. Rebecca Paul Sela lives
in Columbus’s suburbs, works at
Chase, and manages a team of
data scientists who build models
to make operations and servicing
more efficient.
Hilary Rice became a homeowner
in late 2020, purchasing a house
literally steps from where her
sisters live in Denver. She was
still figuring out the logistics and
timing of a cross-country move
with nearly 1-year-old twins and a
5-year-old during a pandemic.
Kim Pinckney-Lewis defended
her dissertation, “Perceptions of
Burden in the Needs Assessment:
An Exploration of Measurement
Creation and Validation,” on Dec. 11
and earned a Ph.D. in instructional
design and technology from
Old Dominion University.
She and her family moved to
central Pennsylvania, and she
continues to work with the federal
government.
David Kamin will take a public
service leave from NYU, where
he is a law professor, to serve as
deputy director of the National
Economic Council at the White
House. Vice President Kamala
Harris announced his appointment
Dec. 21. He previously served in
the Obama administration before
joining NYU’s faculty.
Olga Rostapshova and her
husband had third child Adelina in
April 2020. Olga is the executive
director of UChicago’s Energy &
Environment Lab. It partners with
government agencies on evidencebased policymaking. Gil Jones ’01
and Loring Pfeiffer had third child
Wiley on May 2, 2020. “Doting on
him has been the main coronavirus
activity for our family.” Sisters Cleo
and Bess have especially enjoyed
having a baby around.
Shira Kost-Grant Brewer lives
in Seattle with her husband and
two children. She was teaching
high school math remotely in
Seattle public schools and waiting
anxiously to get back to school
in person. She has tried varying
methods of engaging her students,
including putting a sticker on
her face any time a student
participated. Sonia Mariano is
settled in Gisborne, New Zealand,
working as an emergency medicine
doctor, surfing, and watching
COVID-19 from the sidelines.
I, Tanya, live in Bangkok with
my husband and sons, ages 5
and 3. In November, I became
an independent health care and
clinical research consultant. I work
with a variety of partners on HIV
and infectious disease-related
issues, including FHI 360, the
Global Antibiotic Research and
Development Partnership, and
Dreamlopments. I am also a remote
medical adviser for International
SOS and do telework with the
Philadelphia Assistance Center.
Finally, it is devastating to report
that Leah Zallman ’01, wife of
Nadav Tanners, died Nov. 5, after
being struck by a vehicle while
walking home from voting on Nov.
3. At the time of her death, Leah
was an assistant professor at
Harvard Medical School, worked
at the Cambridge Health Alliance,
and was on the brink of her dream
to found a Center for Immigrant
Health Research. Her obituary
said: “Leah was an incredibly
giving person who left everyone
in her life feeling blessed, loved,
and improved by their contact with
her.” Additionally, a Boston Globe
column about her life includes
interviews with Swarthmore
friends (bit.ly/LeahBGlobe).
Nadav is grateful for all the love
and support he has received from
the Swarthmore community as
UPDATE
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Stay informed about
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and resources for alumni.
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he and children Eli, 9, and Kai,
6, cope with the loss of such an
amazing woman.
2003
Robin Smith Petruzielo
robinleslie@alum.swarthmore.edu
Eran Ganot, at the University of
Hawaii, was ranked No. 17 on
ESPN’s list of the top 40 college
basketball coaches under 40.
Sanya Carley, professor and
director of the Master of Public
Affairs program at Indiana
University, Bloomington, was
named Paul H. O’Neill Professor
for her research and teaching on
topics related to energy justice.
She has been e-schooling children
Maya, 8, and Solomon, 6, and
enjoying more frequent Zoom
happy hours with Swattie friends.
Susan Christensen Henz was
homeschooling her youngest child
and remote/hybrid-schooling
her two eldest children. She was
pondering what to do next in life —
once her kids are all in school for
fall 2021.
Laura Damerville and Sam Sadow
live in Silver Spring, Md., with
kids Mina, 10, and Bobby, 6. Over
the past year, Sam has been very
involved in organizing American
University’s academic affairs staff.
In November, they overwhelmingly
won their National Labor Relations
Board election to unionize with
SEIU Local 500. The new unit is
591 members strong, one of the
largest successful organizing
efforts of the year.
Blair Cochran and Chris Guttridge
are taking their kids and pandemic
cats and moving to the American
School of Kinshasa, Congo, in
August.
John Fort was excited to teach
AP chemistry at Chaffey High
School in Ontario, Calif. Daughter
Amelie graduated from high school
in May 2020 and took a gap year
to join AmeriCorps. She will start at
Carleton College in the fall.
In December, Sydney Beveridge
and husband Josh Wakesberg
had daughter Juniper Rose as
Paul Simon’s “Obvious Child” and
Neko Case’s “Winnie” played in the
delivery room. Sydney had to wear
a face mask throughout her labor.
2004
Rebecca Rogers
rebecca.ep.rogers@gmail.com
Danny Loss
danny.loss@gmail.com
At the time of writing (in January),
so much feels broken. Hearing
from our classmates gives us hope
for the future.
Abigail Frost lives and works in
Cairo. Her apartment is 1.5 blocks
from the Nile. On a good day, she
can see pyramids from her office.
On a bad day, the pollution is
suffocating.
Mark Hanis (pg. 15) co-founded
Inclusive America, a nonprofit that
aims to make the U.S. government
as diverse as the people of the
United States. Inclusive America’s
work has been discussed in The
New York Times; learn more at
inclusiveamerica.org.
Adrienne Mackey started as
assistant director of acting,
directing, and devising at the
University of Washington’s School
of Drama in Seattle. It’s an exciting
shift in the training methodology
toward a more artist-creatorgenerative model of theater
making, inspired by Swarthmore’s
program.
Morgan Simon has been an
outspoken critic of private prisons’
role in family separation and
was sued for defamation by one
of the world’s largest privateprison companies, which claimed
she’d caused them as much as
$60 million in damages. A judge
dismissed the case, but the prison
appealed, so the battle is ongoing.
Morgan hopes this calls national
attention to the broader need for
criminal justice and immigration
reform, and for investors to stop
funding companies that harm
people.
Alida Gertz and partner Mark live
with daughter Coraline, 4, Alida’s
mother, Caroline, 78, and their dog,
Tank, 14, in Atlanta. The couple
moved there to work as physicians
at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention after a few years
in Botswana. Their daughter
goes to a Friends school. After
the two recent rounds of election
results, they were all proud to call
themselves Georgians.
Bryn Rosenfeld and Ian Kysel live
with son Ezra, 4, in Ithaca, N.Y.,
where they are both on Cornell’s
faculty. Bryn’s first book, The
Autocratic Middle Class: How State
Dependency Reduced the Demand
for Democracy, was published
by Princeton University Press in
December. Ian continued to litigate
migrants-rights cases during the
pandemic; he also collaborated
with the Organization of American
States on the Inter-American
Principles on the Human Rights of
All Migrants, Refugees, Stateless
Persons, and Victims of Human
Trafficking.
Like so many others, we, Rebecca
and Danny, spent most of 2020
cobbling together work and child
care and supervising remote
school. Even amid the COVID-19
chaos, children continue to find
delight in the world (usually in the
form of dinosaurs).
2005
Jessica Zagory
jazagory@alum.swarthmore.edu
Kat Bridges, a post-anesthesia
care unit RN in NYC, deployed to a
temporary COVID-19 ICU that filled
operating rooms with 85 critical
patients. Jorge Aguilar and Eugene
Palatulan deployed to COVID units
in the Bronx in April 2020.
Taki Michaelidis was a virtual
home hospitalist for COVIDpositive and -negative patients
requiring higher acuity care in
Boston. Justin Tsui worked with
Chinese seniors in NYC. He set up
telephone support groups, worked
in a nursing home with COVID-19
patients, and supported homeless
seniors in Chinatown.
Addie Candib lives in Bellingham,
Wash., with partner Max Morange
and son Anatole. As the Pacific
Northwest regional director for
American Farmland Trust, she
created a pandemic-relief fund
that issued grants to farmers and
ranchers.
Caitlin Hildebrand-Turcik is a
nurse manager, nurse practitioner,
and yoga and mindfulness
teacher for the San Francisco
VA, and assessed patients in the
COVID-screening clinic. Her book,
Un-Less: Mindful Journaling for
Body-Positivity, Wellness, and
Unconditional Self-Love, was
released last May.
Katherine McAlister left California
for Seattle in 2019 to pursue a
master’s degree in library and
information science.
Elena Cuffari left her position
as philosophy chair at Worcester
State University in Massachusetts
and moved to Lancaster, Pa.,
to be an assistant professor of
psychology at Franklin & Marshall
College. Preety Sidhu received
a creative writing MFA from
Louisiana State University.
Ernest Le is the program analyst
for the Maryland Women, Infants,
and Children program. Dave Gentry
lives in Columbus, Ohio, with wife
Elissa and daughter Madeleine, and
is a transactional attorney focusing
on commercial real estate.
Shiva Thiagarajan escaped the
lockdown in Shanghai, traveled
through east and southeast Asia,
and returned to China as the rest
of us locked down. Jesse Young
closed on an apartment in Fort
Greene, Brooklyn.
The Wharton 1st Central quad,
Tafadzwa Muguwe, Brian Hwang,
Eugene Palatulan, and Jorge
Aguilar, all welcomed baby boys
last summer.
Celia Paris, Randall McAuley
’08, and daughter Ilsa live in Hyde
Park, Ill. Celia is a leadershipdevelopment coach at UChicago’s
Booth School of Business, and
Randall is a pediatrics resident
at UChicago’s Comer Children’s
Hospital.
Maya Schenwar and Ryan Croken
live in Chicago with toddler Kai and
cat Zams. She is editor-in-chief at
Truthout. Her second book, Prison
by Any Other Name: The Harmful
Consequences of Popular Reforms,
was released in July. Ryan teaches
writing in the University of Illinois
English department.
Chris Segal and wife Christen
Fornadel had Nathaniel Paul
Fornadel-Segal on May 19. He
and brother Alex love spending
time together. Fritz Heckel and
Sara Belt’s first child, Anna Sylvia
Heckel, was born Nov. 1, 2019. They
moved to Brooklyn. Lindsay Brin
and husband Aaron McFarlane had
Noah Cedar and Samuel River on
Feb. 27, 2020.
Jacob Ross and Reena Nadler
’06 juggled working from home in
D.C. with their toddler son. Jacob
is a network engineer, and Reena
works for the U.S. Agency for
International Development.
Rachel Scott and Aaron
Wasserman’s second son, Elliott
Lawrence Wasserman, was born
March 25, 2020, in Columbus,
Ohio. Brother Nathan is a trouper.
Joshua Hudner and Sarah Crane
Newman ’04 welcomed baby Shiloh
on April 14, 2020. Alan Smith and
Luned Palmer ’06 had pandemic
baby Joan Frances Isadora Smith.
Myra Vallianos is a freshmanseminar teacher in Oakland, Calif.,
while she and husband Cole chase
after twins Atreus and Athena.
Joanna Hess Kunz welcomed
Alma Rose Kunz to the family,
which includes siblings Henry
and Margot. She works in the
Philadelphia district attorney’s
office. George Petel and Marianne
Kies ’08 had son Christopher
on April 17, 2020. George is a
government contracts attorney in
private practice in D.C.
Jyoti Gupta completed a Ph.D. in
community research and action
at Vanderbilt University in 2019
and had son Bodhi. Bojun Hu
is a clinical psychologist at an
international hospital in Shanghai.
During COVID, she led online
psychological support groups; she
had daughter Tara in April 2019.
Sarah Bryan Fask welcomed son
Aaron Daniel Fask in November
2019. He joined brothers George
and Samuel. Sarah practices
labor and employment law at
Littler Mendelson and became a
shareholder while on maternity
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
69
class notes
leave. Jon Fombonne and Lauren
Stadler ’06 had Freya in June 2019,
whom brother Ozzie loves.
Blair and Caitlin Smith Haxel
moved from Denver to Burlington,
Vt. Caitlin is an attending pediatric
cardiologist at University of
Vermont Children’s Hospital.
Blair is a trader in permaculture.
Children Colette and William are
settling into their new home and
welcomed baby Oliver in winter
2019.
2007
Kristin Leitzel Hoy
kleitzel@gmail.com
Tim Roeper and Emma Otheguy
’09 had daughter Alaya Luz
Roeper in May 2020. Postpandemic, they are looking forward
to reconnecting in person and
introducing old friends to Alaya.
Katie Van Winkle and her fella,
Nathan, had Susannah Fiadh
Fulton Van Winkle on Thanksgiving
2020. Katie was teaching virtually
for Southwestern University, the
University of Texas at Austin, and
Austin Community College, while
celebrating various experiments
in online, drive-through, and
otherwise distanced performance
as a member of the B. Iden Payne
Awards Council.
Caleb Ward defended his
dissertation in November;
published his first journal article,
about Black feminist poet Audre
Lorde; and in December, received
a philosophy Ph.D. In January, he
and partner Michèle had Josias
Miles, who joined Béla, 3.
Nicole Betenia and Bradford
Taylor live in Chicago. She
graduated from residency and is
an OB-GYN at a federally qualified
health center. He is navigating
Diversey Wine and Ordinaire
amid the pandemic and cracked
out some super-dusty volumes
of Hegel and Adorno to finish his
dissertation. They had third child
Juana Inés at home last May with
siblings Francisco and Guadalupe
present.
70
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Eliza Blair married Ernest Bluford
in a lovely Zoom ceremony Aug.
14. She started a job in software
development at Progressive
Insurance, where Ernest already
worked.
In June, Julia Morrison
completed a child and adolescent
psychiatry fellowship at NYU. A
few months later, she started a
private practice; she splits her time
between that and working in the
psychiatric emergency room at
New York’s Bellevue Hospital. In
October, Julia married Ian David
in a small, outdoor wedding in his
parents’ backyard in Montclair,
N.J. They live in Astoria, Queens.
Sonya Reynolds is a senior
data and tech strategist at
the Movement Cooperative,
a network of more than 300
progressive organizations that
leverage collective bargaining
and cooperative open-source
tech to build political power and
data autonomy. After meeting
up with her parents in California
last spring, Sonya, her wife, their
new baby, and their dog were in
Victoria, British Columbia, until the
summer. They decided four adults
to one baby is the correct ratio.
In January 2020, Jen Roth
transferred to the day shift in her
role as an assistant director of
access and user services for the
New School Libraries and Archives
in New York.
Juliet Braslow and Carlos
Villafuerte ’08 are in Bangkok
with toddler Orion. She works
with the U.N. Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the
Pacific, which supports the use
of space applications and digital
innovations to help countries in
the region achieve sustainable
development goals.
Corey Baker left his school library
job in the Bay Area last spring to
explore Latin America this school
year. Because of the pandemic,
he’s instead virtually catching up
with friends, taking online dance
classes, and researching cities he
might want to try out next.
Brandy Monk-Payton lives, writes,
and teaches in NYC at Fordham
University. She started the podcast
Talking Television in a Pandemic,
which brings together media
scholars to discuss the importance
of TV amid the global health crisis
as well as the current social and
political climate.
Aaron Hollander is still muted on
Zoom.
Along with daughter Rose, 5,
son TJ, 2 1/2, and wife Colleen,
Jonathan Ference-Burke lives in
Arlington, Va., supplementing his
work as a litigator with a healthy
diet of pro bono work.
Jon Stott’s cats, Frank and Trina,
expect a leash walk each morning.
He is executive director at EcoRise,
a nonprofit that empowers youth
as sustainability and climatejustice leaders.
Joely Merriman married Rohan
Parikh ’09 on Oct. 24. She is an
emergency medicine resident
at Strong Memorial Hospital in
Rochester, N.Y.
Christine Costello Kensey was
named executive director of the
Humanizing Initiative. Her work
focuses on helping leaders and
organizations develop cultures
centered on equity, respectful
dialogue, reflection, mindfulness,
and learning in an effort to create
responsible organizations that
promote human dignity and wellbeing.
2008
Mark Dlugash
mark.dlugash@gmail.com
Anna Mello is going on her third
year as a science teacher at the
Chapin School in NYC, where
she works with Christine Stott
’10 and Alice McIntyre ’06. Anna
has gotten together on Zoom with
Lauren Kluz-Wisniewski Brennan,
Genna Robbins, Jamie Midyette,
and Katie Camillus Dawson.
Steph Duncan Karp lost her job
in the pandemic and became a
barista at the California coffee
chain Philz Coffee after eight
months of unemployment.
After quitting a Ph.D. program
seven years in, Rory Sykes had
been bartending full time at a
tavern that serves as a music
venue. Like all of her other music/
production-industry friends, she’s
been unemployed since March 14,
2020. Rory misses hearing the
same old stories from her regulars,
shushing people during Jeopardy,
and taking longer to change the
keg in the basement because
everyone at the bar had pissed her
off. While waiting for her bar to
reopen, she has been babysitting
to make ends meet.
Joanna Wright was “lucky”
enough to experience the epitome
of 2020. She started the year at
her dream job as an administrative
assistant at a performing arts
study abroad company and was
laid off less than two weeks
into the pandemic when the
company closed. She spent the
summer sewing more than 500
masks for family, friends, and
community members, attending
socially distanced protests in
Northampton, Mass., working a
few hours a week as marketing
director for a circus school, and
phone-banking leading up to
November. She was working as a
contact tracer, but the job ended
in March when state funding ran
out. She wasn’t sure what she was
going to do after that.
David Stifler finished a classics
Ph.D. at Duke in 2019 and became
a visiting assistant professor
of classics at the University of
Cincinnati. In December, David
and wife Elizabeth Clendinning
had daughter Sara Anne StiflerClendinning, which closed out a
difficult year on an exceptionally
positive note.
Laurie Tupper married Micah
Walter on Jan. 2. They live in
Northampton, Mass., where Laurie
teaches statistics at Williams
College and will be switching to
Mount Holyoke College in the fall.
In November, Shane Breitenstein
celebrated his two-year soberfrom-alcohol birthday. In June,
amid the pandemic and a medical
leave of absence, he left his Ph.D.
program (nine years in) to pursue
collegiate teaching with limited
credentialing. Shane was working
at Philz Coffee in Pasadena, Calif.,
while virtually teaching community
college students the value of an
affordable education (and film
history). Shane can be reached at
hairhorizons@gmail.com.
Cristina Schrum-Herrera was
living her best life in Sacramento,
Calif., on maternity leave, and
discovering Spotify. Baby boy
Joaquin Lewis Schrum-Herrera
was born on Halloween and loves
lights and doing squats, to sister
Nina’s delight. Cristina is in her
third year working at the Division
of Labor Standards Enforcement,
a state agency representing mostly
low-wage workers who have
been retaliated against by their
employers. Any Swatties living in
the area are encouraged to get
in touch through Facebook; she
hopes there are enough people for
someone else to start a Swattie
meetup next fall.
Jason Horne has been reexploring a lifelong passion for
music, which led him to create and
dedicate a song to Swarthmore.
Hear it at bit.ly/Jahmatics.
2010
Brendan Work
theworkzone@gmail.com
You’ve been selected for a topsecret mission with Swarth Team
10, an elite strike force of liberal
artists.
The leader is Lauren DeLuca,
whom we strategically placed near
campus in Wallingford, Pa., as
a labor and employment lawyer
with Delaware-based Connolly
Gallagher. Lauren walks Clare,
2, around campus and has made
contact with fellow agent Shaun
Kelly, partner at the same firm.
Spiritually, the team is guided by
Andrew VanBuren, Episcopal priest
in Douglassville, Pa. Andrew has
done community work throughout
the pandemic, hosting food
pantries, clothing giveaways, and
worship services online.
Sofia Saiyed, squad leader of two
mini-agents, added a third, Anisa.
Sofia’s disguise as a coalition
organizer for the new Virginia
majority is “meaningful” and “really
refreshing after being a stay-athome mom for the past four years.”
In Georgia, master spy Justin
DiFeliciantonio takes Zoom fictionwriting classes with the LA Writer’s
Lab, teaches Isha’s Hatha yoga
classes, and coaches tennis. He’s
also learning finance and Sanskrit
and is possibly headed to Mexico
to play in “very low-level minor
league [tennis] tournaments.”
Several assets are active in
Massachusetts. Nicole Singer
teaches virtual elementary-art
classes in Amherst. Deadly from
short range with a folk song,
Nicole raises quail to provide
reinforcements. She’s been
recording a nerdy-and-beautiful
album with Becky Wright ’11, who
lives with Nicole’s birthday buddy
Myles Dakan.
Carson Young and wife Cléo
welcomed baby Mirabelle on Nov.
6. All three live in the suburbs of
Rochester, N.Y., where Carson
is an assistant professor at
SUNY–Brockport, teaching ethics,
corporate social responsibility,
and sustainability. Next, meet
the medics: G Patrick, a generalsurgery resident at Westchester
Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y.,
and Ashley Miniet, in her second
year of a pediatric critical-care
fellowship at Emory University in
Atlanta. Ashley researches the
relationship between the gut and
sepsis and can bring you back
from the dead.
Our demolitions expert is Brigette
Davis, a health-policy researcher
in Providence, R.I., whose Harvard
public health Ph.D. dissertation
was about police violence and birth
outcomes in St. Louis. She also
has been working to change racist
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention policies. The team’s
other Harvardian heavy-hitter
is Simone Fried of the School of
Education, who roamed the U.S.
while coordinating the campus
writing center and doing her
dissertation. Follow Simone on
Instagram (@ararebits).
Elite combat units need
independent film producers.
Matthew Thurm’s latest feature,
Sylvie’s Love, starring Tessa
Thompson, was a New York Times
Critic’s Pick and is streaming on
Amazon Prime. Our other producer,
Noah Lang, is so covert that
he has not been seen since he
and his wife had Sonny Bernard
Lang on Aug. 20. Noah came to
Missoula, Mont., to show Red,
White, and Wasted at the Big
Sky Documentary Film Festival,
where he shared memories and
microbrews with this operative,
still Montana’s only high school
Arabic teacher and hostile-toddler
negotiator.
The Bay Area is crawling with
sleeper Swatties: contact Nancy
Chu, working on a Stanford
religious studies Ph.D., and Daniel
Chung, who started a college
admissions consulting firm and
a career in real estate. Warning:
Seth Green, who claims to enjoy
“lots of fun hikes in the area,” is
a double agent for the financial
tech company he works for in New
York. Swarth Team 10’s prison
budgeteer, Caitlin O’Neil, is known
to associate (and whitewaterraft) with a posse of wild cards
including Colin Schimmelfing,
Nadja Mencin, Ben Good, Ramya
Gopal, and Jamie Hansen-Lewis.
Our agents abroad are the
most dangerous. Claire Shelden
learned French, joined the Foreign
Service, and has made her home
in Kinshasa, Congo, while Katie
Becker Poinen moved to Nantes,
France, married a Mauritian,
finished a teaching master’s,
became an English teacher, had
baby Joshua, canceled her trip
back to the U.S., and recommends
France “because health care.”
Your mission, should you choose
to accept it, is to identify the other
280 members of this shadowy
battalion and persuade them, with
extreme prejudice, to write in to
theworkzone@gmail.com.
2011
Ming Cai
mcai223@gmail.com
Debbie Nguyen
dnguyen616@gmail.com
Sarah Bedolfe works at Oceana in
D.C. as a marine scientist. Because
of the transition to remote work
due to COVID-19, Sarah was able
to spend several months with her
parents in Southern California. In
the spring, Shameika Black started
a joint master’s of divinity and
MBA program at Eastern University
in St. David’s, Pa. Althea Gaffney
earned a Ph.D. in chemistry (in the
same cohort as Tori Barber ’13 and
Peter Amadeo ’15) at Penn. She is
the assistant director of education
programs at the American Institute
of Physics in the D.C. area, where
she regularly sees Sally Chang and
Jordan Bernhardt. In December,
Daniel Hwang finished graduate
school at John Hopkins, where
he focused on cryptography and
distributed systems. Now he is
at Stakefish, where he conducts
blockchain-protocol-related
research and directs governance
decisions.
Stephan Lefebvre finished a
Ph.D. and started as an assistant
professor of economics at Bucknell
University. Eva McKend lives in the
nation’s capital covering Congress
for Spectrum News. Amalia
Tsiongas lives in New Jersey with
her husband. During the pandemic,
she has been learning Quechua,
an Indigenous language of South
America, and having Zoom parties
with Diego Menéndez Estrada and
Isaac Han. Amalia also started
composting. Jean Dahlquist
(married to Jesse Liebman)
bought a house and adopted a
rescue dog from Houston.
Andrew Loh is a dual-degree
candidate at the Stanford
Graduate School of Business
and Harvard Kennedy School of
Government. Candice Nguyen lives
in Oakland, Calif., with partner
Jelmer and their pets, Soju and
Olive. She’s a litigator at Keker, Van
Nest and Peters. This past year,
Candice started selling her pottery
and donating a portion of sales to
organizations. Kathryn Stockbower
works alongside Rachel Baumann
Manzo as a pediatrician in
Portland, Ore.
Neena Cherayil married Mathew
Siebers last summer in Quincy,
Ill. The guest list was culled from
408 to 11, with an outdoor lunch
reception and several Swatties
in virtual attendance. The couple
live in Chicago after a five-year
stint in Philly. Gabriel Riccio’s new
book, King Crimson: The Discipline
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
71
class notes
Era Transcriptions, features full
sheet music for all three of the
band’s 1980s records. The book
is available at Bandcamp. Shilpa
Boppana is in Birmingham, Ala.,
working (mostly remotely) at the
VA and the University of Alabama–
Birmingham for her yearlong
clinical-psychology internship.
She hoped to graduate in 2021 and
planned to remain in Birmingham
for her postdoc to be near family.
Debbie Nguyen and Joshua Abel
are settling into suburban living
with two adopted pet rabbits,
Cookie and Freckles, after buying
a home outside Boston in August.
After moving to California in late
2019, Trevor Rizzolo got a job
working on audio circuits at Apple.
2012
Maia Gerlinger
maiagerlinger@gmail.com
Northeast: David D’Annunzio
lives in Boston with wife Emilia
Thurber ’11 and works remotely
for cybersecurity company
ZeroFOX as a software engineering
manager. Anthony Montalbano
lives in Edison, N.J., where he is a
physical therapist in an outpatient/
sports clinic in Matawan, N.J. The
company that Arsean Maqami
founded last summer, DB Partners,
has built more than 40 outdoor
dining structures in New York
and is repositioning malls and
two office buildings. Arsean
also founded a constructiontechnology startup, LeanFlow,
with Noah Sterngold ’14 and
non-Swattie Blake Berg, which
won the Columbia Venture Pitch
competition and has been accepted
into the IBM Accelerator program.
Arsean was pursuing an executive
MBA at Columbia. James Bannon
lives in NYC. Dante Fuoco lives
in Brooklyn with his boyfriend
and is publishing poems. Jessica
Cannizzaro is in NYC, where she
has a six-month comedy residency
at the off-Broadway Ars Nova
theater (along with Niccolo Moretti
’10 and Marina Tempelsman ’10).
72
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Jessica can be seen on screen in
several nationwide commercials.
She also recorded voice-overs and
wrote a song for Tayarisha Poe’s
Selah and the Spades. Tayarisha
lives in Brooklyn, where she was
working on her second movie and
adapting Lydia Millet’s A Children’s
Bible into a limited series. John
“Wes” Willison and Hannah
Lehmann ’13 live in Philly. Shawn
Doherty Gonzalez lives in the Philly
suburbs and teaches freshman
writing. Manuk Garg lives in Philly
and has a new role at Innovaccer,
a San Francisco-based health-tech
startup. Zack Gershenson lives in
Harleysville, Pa., with wife Karen.
He is a pharma/biotech consultant
for SAI MedPartners, providing
strategic advice to companies
developing cancer drugs. Linnet
Davis-Stermitz finished a clerkship
in San Jose, Calif., and moved to
D.C. last fall to start a fellowship
with a public-interest law firm.
Natalia Cote-Muñoz moved to D.C.
with partner David Weeks ’10. Sara
Blanco is in Arlington, Va., where
she trains young women to run for
political office with Running Start.
Southeast: Shiran Shen lives
in Charlottesville, Va., and is
an assistant professor at the
University of Virginia. She received
the Harold Lasswell Award from
the American Political Science
Association. Jennifer Yi finished
a clinical psychology Ph.D. from
UNC–Chapel Hill and is completing
a postdoc at the Durham Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, where
she provides treatment for PTSD.
Megan Long is a judicial law clerk
in state and local tax controversy
in Atlanta. Ayman Abu Nimer also
lives in Atlanta, where he is in an
interventional-radiology residency
at Emory University. Genevieve
McGahey lives in Charleston, S.C.,
and is a producer for the Spoleto
Festival USA.
Center: Zachary Wiener is a
inpatient oncology chaplain at
Rush University Medical Center in
Chicago. During the pandemic, his
responsibilities included providing
emotional and spiritual support to
COVID-19 families and patients.
Eleanor Glewwe is a linguistics
postdoc at Grinnell College in Iowa.
This past year, she had fantasy
short stories in publications such
as The Future Fire and Silver Blade.
Hillary Santana lives in western
Colorado with her husband and
works at the White River National
Forest for the U.S. Forest Service.
Jonathan Martin lives in Arvada,
Colo., and is a postdoctoral
researcher in fuels and combustion
science at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory. When he is able
to work remotely, he does so from
the apartment of partner Xiaofei
Pu, an instrument scientist at Idaho
National Laboratory in Idaho Falls.
West Coast: Andrew Cheng
finished a Ph.D. at UC–Berkeley
and works as a postdoc at
UC–Irvine. Miyuki Baker lives
in Oakland, Calif., with toddler
Maru; Miyuki taught a writing and
research course to UC–Berkeley
undergrads on Black feminist
theory. Rosalie Lawrence moved
from Berkeley to San Francisco
and is a postdoc at UCSF. Andrew
Stromme lives in San Francisco
and built a bouldering wall in his
garage. Molly Siegel is a resident
physician at Oregon Health &
Science University in Portland.
Abroad: Camila Osorio van Isschot
lives in Barcelona, Spain, and is a
copywriter at an ed-tech company.
Mary Jean Chan, based in London,
is a senior lecturer in creative
writing (poetry) at Oxford Brookes
University. She published her debut
poetry collection in 2019, which
won the 2019 Costa Book Award
for Poetry. She is co-editing an
anthology of queer poetry that will
be published in 2022. Brice Jordan
is finishing his tour as a political
officer at the U.S. Embassy in
Guatemala, and will then work as a
regional refugee officer at the U.S.
Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. I, Maia
Gerlinger, remain in Paris, waiting
for spring.
2013
Paige Grand Pré
jpgrandpre@gmail.com
Emily Dolson “survived her first
semester as an assistant professor
at Michigan State University,” while
Marjani Nairne graduated with an
MBA from MIT Sloan in June and
returned to New York to work at
Bain as a consultant.
Alejandro Sills is taking it steady
with his work-from-home routine
and enjoyed his holidays with his
family. In January, he ran 20 miles
on his own to inspire himself and
MICROBE MAVEN
LEAH GUTHRIE ’12
Leah Guthrie ’12, a postdoctoral research fellow in microbiology
and immunology at Stanford University, was awarded a Hanna H.
Gray Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The
prestigious award supports early career life scientists in academic
labs across the U.S. with a goal of increasing diversity in the
biomedical research community. At Stanford, Leah is mapping how
gut microbes break down acids in foods, which could offer insights
into kidney disease.
others to have a better New Year;
he hopes to run official races by
the end of 2021. Yin Guan works
part time remotely from Brazil for a
Boston-based tea company and is
taking baby steps toward realizing
her dream of opening a teahouse.
Elliot Padgett moved to Colorado to
work as a postdoctoral researcher
at the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory. A few states away,
Max Nesterak serves as deputy
editor of the Minnesota Reformer, a
nonprofit news site.
It was particularly lovely to hear
about moments of joy. Malik
Mubeen and Allison Ranshous
were married Dec. 5 in Chatham,
N.J., in a small backyard ceremony
officiated by Allison’s brother,
David Ranshous ’17. Preston Poon
’14 and Karan Padda ’14 attended
in person, while more Swatties
tuned in for the online ceremony,
including Taryn Colonnese and
Jacob Phillips. Zach and Erin Curtis
Nacev welcomed baby Evora “Evie”
Wynne in October and note that
“her first smile helped redeem
2020 just a little bit.” Erin is in
her last year of an M.D./MPH at
the University of Wisconsin and is
applying to OB-GYN residencies,
while Zach teaches history and
English to high schoolers at the
Prairie School in Racine, Wis.
Meanwhile, Madeline “Madge”
Ross and Wes Marcik married
a few years back and are in the
process of changing both of their
last names. Madge said she wanted
to have the same last name as her
spouse but didn’t want to follow the
patriarchal model of changing her
name to her husband’s. Instead,
the couple created a meaningful
last name that both will take. “Each
letter in it stands for a word that
has been paramount to us as a
couple, as best friends, and as
lifelong partners. As of Jan. 15, we
officially became Madge and Wes
Sawyer.”
As for me, Paige, I’ve stayed
sane in lockdown through a mix
of stress-baking and cooking. I’m
particularly grateful for quality time
spent with my “quarantine pod” —
largely composed of fellow Swatties
in the N.Y. metro area — and
proudly ran my first half-marathon
in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, this
past year.
2015
Abigail Frank
abigailcrfrank@gmail.com
Nathan Cheek
nncheek@princeton.edu
Cole Turner lives in Austin, Texas,
with his partner and their dog. He
was finishing law school (virtually)
before joining a boutique Texasbased corporate practice this fall.
At Northwestern law school, he
serves as the editor-in-chief of the
Journal of International Law and
Business and co-chairs the Careers
Committee.
Gabriela Campoverde was
wrapping up her first year
at Wharton, was loving the
opportunity to hang out with fellow
fintech nerds, and was a host for
the Wharton fintech podcast.
Anirban Ganguly started his
second semester at Tulane School
of Medicine in New Orleans. He
was elected as a student-faculty
academic liaison and selected to
be a student clinic leader in the
patient education program. He
hoped to get involved with research
soon.
Andrew Dorrance teaches fifth
grade at a bilingual school in
Puebla, Mexico. He is adapting to
the challenges of teaching English
as a second language online.
Treasure Tinsley moved to
Minneapolis to start a history
graduate program at the University
of Minnesota. She adopted a dog.
Kimaya Diggs is in western
Massachusetts teaching,
performing, and socializing, all on
Zoom. She’s also done consulting/
training in corporate anti-racism,
website building, writing, and work
on her second solo album.
In January, Hannah Armbruster
hit a work milestone: four years
with the federal government. She
will be working on Obamacare
under the Biden-Harris
administration.
Peera Songkunnatham has a
green card after about a year of
being married to Paul Bierman.
They live in Indianapolis.
Julia Murphy was discovering
new parks around Chicago.
Highlights included eating Beacon
doughnuts with Kate Wiseman and
walking/wandering with Lauren
Barlow. Meanwhile, Kate works
for a consulting group designing
curricula for Chicago public
schools and coaches youth-improv
classes. She enjoyed outdoor time
with Lauren and Julia, sometimes
with vegan doughnuts.
Abigail Frank has dedicated a
not-insignificant amount of time to
trying to make her own Taylor Swift
music videos, while Nate Cheek has
tried to memorize several of Nicki
Minaj’s 2011 pop songs. It’s been
a hard time for many reasons, but
Abigail and Nate send all their love
to the wonderful Class of 2015.
They tore down Papazian and
Hicks, but they can’t tear down our
spirits.
2017
Isabel Clay
isabelmarieclay@gmail.com
Emily Wu
emilywu1456@gmail.com
Olivia Cheng has been spending her
pandemic days on Seabrook Island,
S.C. Peter Daniels is finishing his
last year at Harvard Law School. In
the fall, he will start a clerkship at
the Oregon Supreme Court. David
Falk is a data analyst at Northrop
Grumman, while finishing an MBA
at UChicago. He married partner
Jason Dauer on Dec. 5 and hoped
to relocate to Pittsburgh in 2021.
Grace Farley finished her first
semester of teaching high school
biology. She lives with Charles
Kacir in Durham, N.C., and they
have been working from home
together. They have also been able
to enjoy the socially distanced
company of Indy Reid-Shaw
when she visited her home in
Hillsborough.
Liam Fitzstevens celebrated
the Buffalo Bills’ first playoff
win since he was born, although
this accomplishment paled in
comparison to Tom Brady’s seven
Super Bowl wins over the past 20
years. Josh Foster was deployed
to Japan as an officer in the U.S.
Marines. While there, he hoped
to compete in the Tokyo Olympic
Games in the “25-yard freestyle.”
Anna Jensen started an MBA at
UC–Davis in September. She has
been running a free online Discord
trivia game since March 2020 with
fiancé Andrew Conant. They’ve
had about 30 Swatties participate
and are always glad to have people
join. Last year, Becca Mayeda
and Jonathan Saltzman brought
home their first puppy, a miniature
goldendoodle they named Kuma
(which means “bear” in Japanese).
Last summer, the couple celebrated
their first wedding anniversary.
David Ranshous decided to pivot
out of tech and into the marriage
business. He officiated his first
wedding in December. (Congrats,
Allison Ranshous ’13 and Malik
Mubeen ’13!)
Luiza Santos started a psychology
Ph.D. program at Stanford a few
years ago and adopted a very cute
(and mischievous) beagle-mix.
Steve Sekula’s card game, Gem
Blenders, has been released.
He worked closely with former
roommate Sam Lebryk to develop
the game over the past three years.
Based in the low-fi internet world
of Gemlandia, Gem Blenders plays
a lot like games in the tradingcard game genre, such as Magic:
The Gathering or Pokémon. David
Wurtele has joined the team as
they seek to increase their player
base and expand their marketing
campaign. Steve extended an open
invitation to any Swattie curious
about card or strategy games to
check out gemblenders.com.
Sarah Tupchong is a third-year
medical student at Temple’s Lewis
Katz School of Medicine (with Brett
McLarney ’12 and Becca Mayeda).
Sarah has been vaccinated and is
ready to take on clinical rotations
starting in June. She still sings,
was president of the Tachychordia
a cappella group last year,
organized its virtual performance
for the medical school’s Class of
2020 graduation ceremony, and
oversaw and edited the virtual
holiday concert. In March 2020,
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
73
class notes
she also helped set up Temple’s
Liacouras Center as a COVID-19
overflow space. Finally, she cut 15
inches off her hair to donate.
Rachel Winchester built the site
ijma-on-slavery.org with legal
scholar Bernard Freamon this year.
The multifaceted website calls
attention to the extensive problem
of slavery in the modern Muslim
world and offers an innovative
solution. Sedinam Worlanyo
wrapped up a master’s in learning,
design, and technology from
Stanford and will transition into a
full-time role in the product team
at Coursera in California. Emily Wu
did not adopt a dog but brought her
beloved Maltese, Fiji, back to New
York with her after spending some
time with family in Michigan.
2018
Dorcas Tang
dorcastjy@gmail.com
Katherine Kwok
katherinekwokhk@gmail.com
Rajnish Yadav moved from Philly
to Minneapolis at the end of 2020.
Joseph DeBrine moved to Park
Slope, Brooklyn, with boyfriend
Rio Morales and took on the role of
assistant to TED’s head curator.
Isaac Lee found a new job and
moved to Singapore in 2020.
Emma Puranen moved to Scotland
to pursue an interdisciplinary Ph.D.
in exoplanet science and science
fiction at the University of St.
Andrews.
Amanda Lee is a member of Regis
University’s master’s in counseling
program in Denver. Rachel Hottle
finished a master’s in music theory
at McGill University in Montreal
and started a Ph.D. Damien Ding
will have a solo exhibition of
paintings done in 2020 at the
Braverman Gallery in Tel Aviv,
Israel.
David Xu’s turtle Gundam has a
new turtle friend, Poppy. Brandon
Torres teaches middle school in
Santa Ana, Calif., moved in with
his partner, and is slowly getting
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
2019
Laura Chen
laura.g.chen@gmail.com
Min Cheng
mindcheng@gmail.com
74
better at cooking. Istvan Cselotei
and Paroma Nandwani have been
marooned in London, and have
taken to applauding the National
Health Service, a humble roast, and
horseback riding.
Bobby Zipp has gone to virtual
trivia nights hosted by Anna
Jensen ’17 and Andrew Conant
’17 and hosted watch parties of
Drag Race’s Season 13 with the
Swat LGBTQ+ Alumnx Network.
He recovered from hip surgery
and started a new role at the U.N.
Population Fund.
SPRING 2021
Sarah Parks has been using
the skills she learned as a Scott
Arboretum gardener assistant
to keep her first-ever vegetable
garden thriving at her new
apartment. Last year, she built
a raised bed and planted sage,
oregano, onions, greens, and
cucumbers. She was very excited
to find what she believed to be
parenthesis ladybugs (somewhat
rare) helping protect her plants
from aphids. This year, she’s
planning to put together a trellis for
the bed and use a soil-testing kit to
get a better idea of how to fertilize
her plants and what may grow best.
Kyle Richmond-Crosset has made
pizza most Fridays with Lizzy
Stant and sometimes Amy Gilligan
’18. Serena Sung-Clarke and Jeff
Tse were baking excellent scones
and trying hard to win a game
of Wingspan without using any
barred owls.
After briefly living in “404 not
found” with Pascha Hokama and
Wendy Tan in Philly, Eriko Shrestha
is in Seattle. Lili Tobias has been
pursuing her life goal of tending her
own garden. Come spring, she will
have flowers on her roof.
Finally, your secretaries, Dorcas
and Laura, are vibin’ on opposite
sides of the world (California and
Australia). When we each put a
piece of bread to the earth, we can
make an Earth sandwich.
2020
Isabel “Izzy” McClean
izzy.mcclean@gmail.com
Mehra den Braven
mmehra.denbraven@gmail.com
Maya Kikuchi, Eleanor Naiman,
and Jasmine Xie moved into a D.C.
house where they’ve played a lot
of Spikeball to pass the pandemic.
Maya, along with bandmates
Jack Cote, Jonathan Solomon,
and Terrence Xiao, released
alt-rock/indie-pop singles on
Spotify and Bandcamp under the
name Neko Kā. The music was
produced remotely in bedrooms
in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New
York, Hawaii, and D.C., and centers
on themes of loneliness, confusion,
and human connection.
Molly Fennig, a clinical research
coordinator in eating disorder
treatment, published a young-adult
novel about mental health and
eating disorders called Starvation.
The book has garnered wide praise.
Gina Goosby and Khye “Renn”
Tan co-founded New Suns, a booksubscription box with a focus on
literature by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and
international writers. Subscribers
choose from four to five titles
every month, and they are mailed
the books along with two to three
creations by independent artists.
Follow them @newsunsbox on
social media.
Ziv Stern started a side hustle
as a genealogy researcher. He has
helped people build family trees,
learn about how their families came
to the U.S., and find their birth
families. To learn more, email Ziv at
nzivstern@gmail.com.
Alex Kingsley and fiancé Isaiah
White moved to Madrid, where they
teach English. Alex also became an
independent tabletop role-playing
game designer, selling their games
on Itch.io. After expanding into
a media-production company
called Strong Branch Productions
with Grace Griego ’22, they’ve
released a comedic narrative sci-fi
podcast, The Stench of Adventure,
starring Camryn Slosky ’22, Jake
Chanenson ’21, Wesley Han ’18,
Josie Ross ’21, and John Kingsley
’87. Learn more at alexjkingsley.
wordpress.com.
Along with working on musicrelated projects, Navdeep Maini
has been playing Call of Duty
Warzone with Peter Chong and
Jasiel Lopez-Juarez ’21. Navdeep
is impressed by Aqil “Tarzan”
MacMood’s improvement in Smash
from their time at Swarthmore.
In Philly, Brittany Weiderhold
is a research specialist in the
hematology/oncology department
at Penn’s Perelman School of
Medicine. Seneca Kinn-Gurzo and
Maddy Carens also landed jobs as
research assistants at Penn and
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia,
respectively. They’ve been living
in an apartment together since
August. Nearby, Sagnik Gayen
brutally and consistently beats
Oliver Steinglass at Catan.
Ariana Hoshino moved to L.A. and
lives with Rebecca Castillo and
her dog, Ruby. Ariana had been
working in the film-production
industry as an editor and assistant
camera but planned to start
shooting her own content in 2021.
Sawyer Lake married the love of
his life, Leah, right after graduation.
They met in high school and dated
long-distance throughout college
while she attended Marquette
University in Milwaukee. They live
in Princeton, N.J., where Sawyer
started a master’s program at
Princeton Theological Seminary.
We’re also celebrating Brandon
Zunin and his team’s success in the
$1M Next-Gen Mask Challenge with
their innovatively designed Merlin
(@merlinmask). Out of hundreds of
contestants from around the world,
the group earned a top-five finish.
Shreya Chattopadhyay and Citlali
Pizarro wrote “Carceral Crisis
in California” in Current Affairs.
It details the state’s failure to
adequately address the COVID-19
crisis in prisons and the work of
community organizers to help those
incarcerated during this time. Read
it at bit.ly/CarceralCrisis.
their light lives on
our friends will never be forgotten
Erika Teutsch ’44
Erika, an economist and public servant,
died Dec. 23, 2020.
After graduating from Swarthmore,
Erika worked overseas for the U.S.
government before moving to New York
City to study economics at Columbia
University; she lived in the same
apartment from 1948 until her death.
Erika worked for the Federal Reserve
and did research for the Rockefeller
family before moving into public service,
with a career highlight of serving as chief
of staff for U.S. Rep. Bill Ryan.
George Strauss ’44
George, who helped establish the
Haas School of Business at the
University of California, Berkeley,
died Nov. 28, 2020.
George earned a Ph.D. at MIT
and taught for 30 years at Berkeley;
he was director of the Institute of
Industrial Relations and editor of
the Industrial Relations journal.
Juergen Heberle ’45
Juergen, a physics professor and
Hawaii resident, died Oct. 23, 2020.
After immigrating to Louisiana
from Germany as a teen, Juergen
graduated from the College with a
physics degree, then served in the Army
before receiving a Ph.D. from Columbia
University. He was a researcher at
Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois
and a guest professor and researcher in
Germany. For 20 years, he was a physics
professor at the State University of New
York at Buffalo.
Ellen Williams Farber ’46
Ellen, an art lover and a dedicated
volunteer, died Nov. 20, 2020.
The daughter of the president of
Lehigh University, Ellen attended the
Moravian Seminary and Swarthmore
before receiving a bachelor’s in
interior design from the University of
Wisconsin. She enjoyed camping with
her family and participating in book
groups, and was a longtime volunteer
at the local library, among other
organizations, in Gainesville, Fla.
Margaret Wickes ’46
Margaret, an anthropologist, hospice
volunteer, and published writer, died
Nov. 3, 2020.
Margaret attended Swarthmore and
Syracuse University, receiving a Ph.D.
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in memoriam
Mary Lowens Rowe ’47
A leader in media literacy with a
passion for mountaineering, “Marieli”
died Dec. 13, 2020.
Marieli majored in biology as an
undergrad and served as president
of the Swarthmore Outing Club. A
1959 children’s film festival launched
her interest in the effects of TV and
other media on children; she led the
National Telemedia Council for more
than 50 years and was editor of the
group’s Journal of Media Literacy.
in anthropology. She held part-time
teaching appointments in New York at
Syracuse and Utica College, as well as
at the University of Maine at Augusta
and at Colby College, where she was
secretary of the art museum for 18
years and served as representative to
the American Association of University
Women.
Lawrence Yearke ’46
Larry, an engineer who helped improve
interstate highway design in New
Hampshire, died Aug. 26, 2019.
Larry entered the Navy during
World War II, enrolling in the ROTC
to become a civil engineer; his
accelerated study program included
time at Swarthmore, during which he
served as treasurer of Phi Sigma Kappa.
A longtime employee of the Federal
Bureau of Public Roads, Larry enjoyed
faculty & staff
Dorcas Allen, a former administrative
assistant at the College, died Dec. 29,
2020. She was 85.
Marceline Curtis, who retired from
the College’s bookstore, died Nov. 1,
2020. She was 92.
G. Michael Davis, a student-teaching
coordinator, died Feb. 25, 2021. He was
82.
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hunting, fishing, and boating and was a
32nd Degree Mason.
Elisabeth Chase Odum ’47
A biologist, ecologist, educator, and
Quaker, Betty died Feb. 18, 2021.
A zoology major, Betty was admitted
to medical school but eloped with J.
Morris Trimmer ’48; their marriage
lasted nearly three decades. After
raising four children, she earned a
master’s and taught biology at Santa
Fe Junior College in Gainesville, Fla.,
retiring after 30 years. In the early ’70s,
Betty married ecologist Howard Odum,
and the pair lectured around the world
and co-authored publications.
Betty Hummell Bullen ’48
A volunteer who enjoyed performing in
theater, Betty died Nov. 20, 2020.
Betty earned an economics degree
Valerie Jefferson, who was employed
by the College for 25 years before
retiring in 2015, died Oct. 15, 2020. She
was 71.
Helene McCann, a former secretary
at Swarthmore, died Nov. 9, 2020. She
was 79.
Joe Phillips, a Public Safety shuttle
driver since 2008, died Dec. 15, 2020.
He was 57.
Bernard Smith, a professor emeritus
from the College before moving with
husband Joe ’48 to Colorado, where
she served as director of the Pueblo
Planning and Zoning Commission,
as a member of the Zoning Board of
Appeals, and as president of the board
of Pueblo Planned Parenthood. Betty
also corresponded for decades with
the Round Robins, a group of College
buddies.
superconducting magnet that is used
in MRI machines. George worked
as assistant to the director of the
laboratory at United Technologies
before earning a law degree from the
University of Chicago in 1983; though
he he passed the bar, he never practiced.
Elizabeth Urey Baranger ’49
Joseph Bullen ’48
Joe, a lifetime Pueblo, Colo., resident
and businessman, died Feb. 4, 2021.
After graduating with honors in
political science, Joe joined the family
business, Fountain Sand and Gravel
Co.; in 1964, he and 10 investors
purchased the company, later selling it
to CF&I Steel Corp. Joe then worked
with businesses in solar energy,
homebuilding, and insurance. His
community service included work with
the chamber of commerce, the Kiwanis,
and Pueblo downtown revitalization.
Samuel Mason Jr. ’48
Sam, a physician who made house calls
until he retired, died Dec. 24, 2020.
Sam attended Swarthmore on a Navy
scholarship, and graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania’s medical
school. After his Navy service, he and
his wife settled in Homer, N.Y. He had a
private medical practice and worked at
Cortland Memorial Hospital, where he
was chief of cardiology and created the
first intensive care unit in upstate New
York, among other achievements.
of history who served on the faculty for
18 years, died Jan. 31, 2021. He was 95.
Pete Thompson, a professor
emeritus of chemistry who taught at
Swarthmore from 1967 to 1985, died
Jan. 13, 2021. He was 91.
P. Linwood Urban, the Charles and
Harriett Cox McDowell Professor
Emeritus of Religion, who served on
the faculty for 32 years, died Jan. 29,
2021. He was 96.
Joy Sundgaard Kaiser ’51, H’04
Joy, whose philanthropy helped
address injustices in South African
health care, died Feb. 3, 2021.
Joy and husband Herbert ’49, H’04
married in 1949, after which they
traveled to his first Foreign Service
assignment in Glasgow, Scotland,
where she finished her course work
and graduated from Swarthmore.
Later, while posted in apartheid
South Africa, they established
the Medical Education for South
African Blacks, which raised more
than $27 million to train more than
10,000 medical personnel.
Charles Roos ’48
Charlie, an emeritus physics professor
and inventor, died Feb. 20, 2021.
After starting college at age 15,
Charlie transferred from Swarthmore
to the University of Texas at Austin
and earned a Ph.D. in physics at Johns
Hopkins University. An instructor and
researcher at Vanderbilt University,
Charlie created National Recovery
Technologies to bring inventions to
market. After 30 years at Vanderbilt, he
“retired” to focus on NRT and its work
in sorting materials for recycling.
George Yntema ’48
George, a physicist and devout Buddhist
with an interest in extrasensory
perception, died Dec. 3, 2020.
After graduating from Swarthmore
and spending time in the military, he
earned a Ph.D. in physics from Yale
University; while there, he invented a
A nuclear physicist and university dean,
Elizabeth died May 30, 2019.
The daughter of a famed chemist
and Nobel laureate, Elizabeth earned
a mathematics degree at the College,
followed by a physics Ph.D. from
Cornell University. Most of her
career was spent at the University of
Pittsburgh, where Elizabeth taught;
she was only the second female physics
faculty member and the first female
member of the provost’s senior staff,
and she was honored with the Elizabeth
Baranger Teaching Awards.
New York–Albany, died Jan. 12, 2021.
Ted served in the Navy, graduated
with high honors from Swarthmore
with a political science degree, and
earned a master’s and Ph.D. at Yale
University. In addition to teaching,
Ted was a Fulbright senior research
professor in India and Pakistan, a
member of the American Political
Science Association, and a trustee of
the American Institute of Pakistan
Studies.
Thomas Montgomery ’50
A real estate expert who wrote
numerous articles pertaining to the
field, Tom died Feb. 5, 2021.
After serving in the Army and
earning an economics degree, Tom
worked for Travelers Insurance Co.,
becoming vice president of the Urban
Investment Division for Real Estate and
Mortgage Development. He completed
Eleanor Lacy Brightman ’49
A social worker and mother of six,
Eleanor died Nov. 30, 2020.
A psychology major, Eleanor
graduated from Swarthmore with
honors, received a master’s of social
work from Boston University, and
retired from Connecticut Valley
Hospital. At the College, she was a
member of the Folk Dance Club and
intramural field hockey. She was also
one-half of a Quaker matchbox couple
with the Rev. Robert Brightman ’50,
who died in 2012.
David Chalmers ’49
David, an American history professor
and scholarly authority on the Ku Klux
Klan, died Oct. 25, 2020.
David received his bachelor’s with
high honors and Phi Beta Kappa from
Swarthmore, earned a Ph.D. from the
University of Rochester, and taught
at the University of Florida. He and
wife Jean spent more than a decade in
the civil rights movement, and he was
the author of Hooded Americanism: A
History of the Ku Klux Klan, which has
been in print continuously since 1965.
Theodore Wright Jr. ’49
Ted, a retired professor and political
researcher at the State University of
Sumi Mitsudo Koide ’51
Sumi, a pediatric pathologist who
was interned at the Minidoka
Relocation Center during World
War II, died Feb. 15, 2021.
After Swarthmore, she attended
the Women’s Medical College
of Pennsylvania and became a
surgical pathologist at Montefiore
Medical Center and a clinical
professor at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, both in the
Bronx, N.Y. Sumi was president of
New York’s Japanese American
Citizens League and was a leader
in the Japanese American Redress
movement.
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in memoriam
the executive program at Dartmouth
College’s Tuck School of Business,
earned a master of real estate appraisal
credential, and served on multiple
boards in West Hartford, Conn.
Nancy Boden Sargent ’52
A social worker and voting advocate,
Nancy died Oct. 17, 2020.
Nancy earned a bachelor’s in
psychology at Swarthmore and a
master’s in social work from the
University of Kansas. A social worker
in Michigan and Kansas, and an active
member of the League of Women
Voters, Nancy was passionate about
equal rights for women, peace, and
preserving natural resources.
Richard Dole Jr. ’51
A retired Philadelphia teacher known
for his warmth, care, and sense of
humor, Dick died April 8, 2018.
Dick attended Swarthmore after
serving in the Army and earned a
master’s in education from Temple
University. He retired in 1994 after
teaching for 34 years, mostly sixth
grade in South Philadelphia. Dick
also volunteered as a docent at Arch
Street Friends Meeting, with Friends
Academy Westampton, and as a reader
for the BookMates Literacy Program.
Woodlief Thomas ’51
Woody, a filmmaker who created travel
movies on Yellowstone, France, Japan,
and New England, died Feb. 10, 2021.
Woody majored in physics at
Swarthmore, earned a master’s at the
University of Rochester, and worked at
Eastman Kodak for 33 years in product
development. Taking early retirement,
he and wife Merrillan Murray Thomas
’53 went into business making travel
movies and showing them around the
country; he retired for a second time in
2000.
Charles Warden ’52
Caroly Wilcox ’52
Caroly, an Emmy winner who
served as director of puppet
building at Muppets Inc., died Jan.
9, 2021.
Caroly majored in art at
Swarthmore and earned a master’s
in elementary education from
Harvard University. She then
taught modern, folk, and rhythm
dance for a few years and tried her
hand at Broadway and folk singing.
Caroly joined the Muppets in 1969,
earning an Emmy for her work
on Sesame Street, which included
creating an early version of Elmo;
she retired in 2012. Among her
favorite projects were traveling to
China with Big Bird and working
with singing African masks during
a show with Harry Belafonte.
Anita Dabrohua Wesson ’51
Anita, who was remembered in the
Halcyon as “dynamic and vivacious, a
good listener,” died Nov. 30, 2020.
Anita was a Spanish major at
Swarthmore and met husband David
’51 during freshman year. Later in life,
Anita worked with the Winston-Salem
(N.C.) Arts Council, volunteered for
many years at Crisis Control Ministries,
and tutored reading.
Joyce Powell Craig ’52
Joyce, a volunteer who enjoyed
traveling and collecting owl art, died
Jan. 7, 2021.
Joyce graduated from the College
with a bachelor’s in art and English, then
attended Parsons School of Design and
the New York School of Interior Design.
An avid golfer and tennis player, Joyce
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Michael Menaker ’55
Mike, a giant in the field of circadian
rhythms, died Feb. 14, 2021.
After earning a Ph.D. from Princeton,
Mike held academic appointments
at the University of Texas at Austin,
the University of Oregon, and the
University of Virginia, from which he
retired in 2020. Among his recognitions
were election to the American
Academy of Arts & Sciences and a
Lifetime Achievement Award from the
American Society of Photobiology.
volunteered with country clubs, golf
associations, and boards of hospitals in
the New York metro area before moving
to Charlottesville, Va., in 2001.
Morel Baquie Jones ’52
“Deede,” a mentor, nonprofit leader, and
mother of six, died Jan. 28, 2021.
In the 1980s, Deede became the first
woman to serve as board president of
Metro United Way in Louisville, Ky.,
while also serving as a trust officer for
First Kentucky Trust Co. In subsequent
years, she was president or on the board
of various Louisville organizations,
including Senior House, United
Crescent Hill Ministries, the Family
Relations Center, and the Louisville
Theatrical Association.
Charlie, a presidential economic
adviser and educator, died Feb. 7, 2021.
After earning a French degree from
Swarthmore and serving in Navy
intelligence, Charlie studied economics
at Georgetown and Harvard. He
served on President Lyndon Johnson’s
Council of Economic Advisers before
co-founding Data Resources; he also
taught and consulted, serving as a
University of New Hampshire dean. In
his “retirement,” Charlie taught high
school AP economics.
Robert Griest Jr. ’53
An engineer and Navy veteran, Robert
died Jan. 29, 2021.
After Swarthmore, Robert earned
a master’s in mechanical engineering
and an MBA, both from the University
of Southern California. He served in
the Navy and Reserve for 20 years
while applying his engineering skills
at Honeywell and Alliant Tech, Marine
Systems Division, in San Diego.
Gail Eaton Renner ’53
A teacher who enjoyed birdwatching
and nature, Gail died Feb. 1, 2021.
Gail attended Stephens College in
Missouri before earning a bachelor’s
from Swarthmore and a master’s
from what was then Western Reserve
University in Ohio. Before her marriage,
Gail taught in Cleveland elementary
schools, returning in the late 1960s to
the classroom, where she shared her
love of reading.
Deane Bellow Schneider ’53
Deane, an English literature major and
high school teacher, died June 16, 2019.
After Swarthmore, Deane received
a master’s in English from Columbia
University. She then taught English at
Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y.,
until her 1998 retirement.
Herbert Bruch ’54
Herbert, a mathematician, died Dec. 5,
2020.
A member of Swarthmore’s esteemed
chess team as an undergrad, Herbert
later worked for Unisys Corp. and was a
resident of State College, Pa.
Susan Weil Nessen ’54
Susan, an art historian who helped found
the Concord-Area Jewish Group in
Massachusetts, died Dec. 7, 2020.
A French major at Swarthmore, Susan
earned a Ph.D. in art history from Boston
University in 1986 with a specialty in
20th-century painting and sculpture.
She was on the faculty at Regis College
for 17 years and was also an instructor
at Boston College and Simmons
University. Her book, Yves Tanguy,
Visionary Surrealist, will be published
posthumously.
Judith Asch-Goodkin ’55
A longtime journalist, Judith died Jan.
18, 2019.
Judith graduated Phi Beta Kappa
from Swarthmore’s Honors Program
and followed in her father’s footsteps
to become a journalist; her first job was
at Time magazine. After her children
were grown, she rose to senior editor for
Thompson-Reuters’ medical division.
A consummate gardener, Judith also
sang for years in the Springfield (Vt.)
Community Chorus and served on the
Whiting (Vt.) Library board.
Carl Kermeen Fristrom ’55
A teacher and football coach, “Punky”
died Jan. 3, 2021.
Punky graduated with honors from
the College, where he was a member
of Phi Kappa Psi along with the varsity
football and baseball teams. He earned
a master’s from Harvard University
in 1956 before spending nearly three
decades at Point Loma (Calif.) High
School, where he taught advanced and
honors English literature classes and
also coached football.
Jane Boetcher Newitt ’55
Jane, a demographer and policy
researcher, died Dec. 27, 2020
After Swarthmore, Jane received a
master’s at Sarah Lawrence College. A
mother of three children with William
Newitt ’54, who died in 2018, she worked
for the Hudson Institute, a think tank,
for 20 years.
Alice Lund Norris ’55
Alice, who had a long career with the
federal government, retiring from Air
Force intelligence, died Oct. 29, 2020.
Alice ultimately received a bachelor’s
from the University of Wisconsin,
followed by a master’s from Georgetown
University. A longtime resident of
Capitol Hill, she was a member of Christ
Church, the Congressional Cemetery
board, and the Capitol Hill Village.
Edward Bright ’56
A carpenter and longtime resident of
Skibbereen, Ireland, “Ned” died Feb. 22,
2021.
After graduating from the College
with a degree in political science, Ned
worked in carpentry until 1998. He was
predeceased by wife Jill and son Adam
and is survived by daughter Phoebe.
Jeanette Lust Wilson ’56
Jeanette, a research administrator in
Cleveland, died Jan. 6, 2021.
A political science major, she worked
for many years at the Arena Clinic and
at Case Western Reserve School of
Medicine. In addition to her family, her
great passion was the Cleveland Indians
baseball team.
Deborah Gross Farrington ’57
Debby, a jewelry wholesaler and social
worker, died Oct. 24, 2020.
A fine arts major, Debby worked with
George Popky ’56
George, an interventional radiologist,
died Dec. 5, 2020.
After Swarthmore, George
graduated from Temple Medical
School before serving as a professor
and chair of radiology at the Medical
College of Pennsylvania and at the
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine. George also established
his own imaging practice and was a
pioneer in interventional radiology
and open MRI.
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in memoriam
public-welfare agencies while serving
as a wholesaler of hand-crafted and
imported jewelry. She also volunteered
in animal shelters, most recently at
Feline Hope Animal Shelter in Kitty
Hawk, N.C.
Gordon Power ’57
Gordon, a leading figure in fetal
physiology, died Jan. 8, 2021.
After Swarthmore, he graduated
from the University of Pennsylvania’s
medical school and trained at the
University of Virginia. In 1969, he
joined Loma Linda University in
California to help form the Center for
Perinatal Biology. Gordon received
multiple awards and honors, and was
a member of the Human Embryology
and Development Study Section of the
National Institutes of Health.
Ralph Rosser Jr. ’57
Ralph, an engineer, died March 2, 2021.
Ralph graduated from Swarthmore
with an engineering degree and was a
member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. A
longtime California resident, Ralph also
earned a master’s in civil engineering
from the University of Southern
California.
Moffett Beall Hall ’59
Moffett, a scholar, artist, and student
of Zen Buddhism, died Feb. 10, 2021.
An English major at Swarthmore,
Moffett spent her junior year in
Aix-en-Provence, France, and later
studied Russian at the University of
California, Berkeley, and German at
Yale University’s summer sessions.
She completed two book-length
French translations and mastered oil
painting, printmaking, wheel pottery,
line drawing, and watercolors.
Jonathan Shahn ’59
A nationally known sculptor, Jonathan
died Sept. 2, 2020.
Jonathan’s commissioned works
included the Franklin D. Roosevelt
Memorial in Roosevelt, N.J., and the
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
in Jersey City. His sculptures are
in numerous public and private
collections, including the Princeton
University Art Museum, New Jersey
Linea Sullivan Burke ’58
Linea, a skilled gardener and quilter,
died April 25, 2020.
Linea attended Swarthmore before
transferring to the University of
Chicago. In addition to her employment
in Connecticut with the Mystic River
Press, Cottrell Printing Press, and the
U.S. Post Office, she was a gardener,
quilter, prolific reader, and lifelong
learner.
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Josephine Weissman Hall ’59
Josephine, a pioneering physician
and mother of five, died Sept. 21,
2020.
A psychology major, Josephine
was the only woman in her class
at Chicago Medical School. She
completed an OB-GYN residency
at Albert Einstein College of
Medicine in New York before
opening private practices in
Hollywood and Glendale, Calif.,
and holding several academic
positions. She retired in 2012.
Richard Predmore ’65
Richard, a distinguished professor
emeritus of literature at the University
of South Carolina, died Feb. 15, 2021.
A standout tennis player, Richard
earned the title of Middle Atlantic
States Collegiate Athletic Conference
singles champion. He received a
master’s from the University of Virginia
and a Ph.D. from the University of
Florida before joining U of SC–Upstate,
where he was division chair of fine arts,
language, and literature.
Virginia Reeves Vishanoff ’59
“Dinny,” a compassionate literature
ministry worker, died Dec. 19, 2020.
Dinny received an English literature
degree from Swarthmore, where
she met husband Steve Vishanoff
’58. After receiving Bible training in
Dallas, the couple became members of
the North Africa Mission (now Arab
World Ministry of Pioneers), working
primarily in the mission’s media
center in France.
Hugh Nesbitt ’61
Hugh, a businessman and engineer,
died Jan. 27, 2021.
Hugh received a bachelor’s in
engineering from Swarthmore, where
he was a member of the varsity football
and lacrosse teams as well as Kappa
Sigma fraternity. After earning an
MBA at Harvard University in 1965,
Hugh had a varied professional career
that combined business with helping
others.
Judith Davis Riggle ’61
Catherine Glennan Borchert ’58
A Presbyterian minister who earned
a Ph.D. at age 72, “Kitty” died Jan. 23,
2021.
A history major at Swarthmore, Kitty
held a master’s in library science and
a Ph.D. in history from Case Western
Reserve University and a master’s of
divinity from McCormick Theological
Seminary in Chicago. She worked as a
librarian, a minister, and an educator,
with an overriding emphasis on serving
the greater good.
State Museum, National Portrait
Gallery in Washington, D.C., and Musei
Vaticani in Vatican City.
An socially minded activist named the
1999 Ohio Librarian of the Year, Judy
died Nov. 25, 2020.
Judy earned an English literature
degree at the College, followed by
a master’s in library science from
Case Western Reserve University.
A children’s librarian, Judy later
became director of Avon Lake Public
Library in Ohio, where she oversaw
the construction of an award-winning
library building.
Robert Rowley ’61
Robert, a physicist, engineer, and
musician, died Dec. 19, 2020.
After Swarthmore, Robert earned
a master’s from Columbia University
and worked for 40 years at Perkin
Elmer Corp. He was also the organist
and music director at Jesse Lee
Memorial Methodist Church of
Ridgefield, Conn., a member and
former president of the Fairfield
County Chorale, and a member of the
Berkshire Chorale.
Mary Gilruth Butler ’62
Mary, a historian and author, died Nov.
20, 2020.
Mary received a bachelor’s with
honors from Swarthmore and a
master’s from the University of
Delaware Winterthur Program in
American Material Culture. She
worked with the historical society
and the Sojourner Truth Institute in
Battle Creek, Mich., wrote a biography
of Truth for middle schoolers, and was
the founder and editor of Heritage
Publications.
Hedy Harris Lipez Burbank ’63
Hedy, a Peace Corps volunteer and
counselor, died Jan. 10, 2021.
A philosophy major at the College,
Hedy trained as a registered nurse
and nurse practitioner, and earned a
master’s in psychiatric nursing from
Yale University. She worked at Doyle
Detox and the Neighborhood Health
Center in Massachusetts, had a private
counseling practice, and was a lifelong
volunteer, serving with the Peace Corps
in Ethiopia and Zambia and with the
Elizabeth Freeman Center in Pittsfield,
Mass.
Robert Gordon ’64
A psychiatrist and psychoanalyst,
Robert died Jan. 10, 2021.
Robert followed his Swarthmore
biology degree with a medical degree
from the University of Pennsylvania,
then completed a psychiatric residency
at the University of Chicago. He became
a psychoanalyst through the Chicago
Psychoanalytic Institute, where
he joined the faculty and served as
assistant dean, dean, and director.
Barbara Sullivan Whitson ’65
Barbara, a Peace Corps volunteer and
special-needs teacher, died Feb. 1, 2021.
After Swarthmore, she and
husband Lish went to Afghanistan
with the Peace Corps, where Barbara
taught English at a girls’ high school.
She earned a master’s and Ph.D.
in educational psychology at the
University of Washington, teaching first
in a gifted education program in the
Seattle area before working for many
years with special-needs children and
their families.
Pamela Gore ’67
A talented vocalist who taught public
speaking and voice, Pamela died Nov.
26, 2020.
After Swarthmore, Pamela studied
voice at the New England Conservatory
and performed as a soloist with many
prominent organizations, such as
Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society and
the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The
composer Daniel Pinkham, music
director at King’s Chapel in Boston,
wrote many pieces for Pamela’s voice,
including “Death of the Witch of
Endor.”
Kathryn Hood ’70
Kathy, a psychology professor at
Pennsylvania State University, died
Dec. 15, 2020.
With an interest in human thought
and behavior, Kathy earned a
philosophy degree from the College
and a psychology Ph.D. from Temple
University before joining Penn State’s
Department of Health and Human
Development, from which she retired
in 2013. A fierce advocate for social
justice, she did community activist
work with the Rights of Women, the
Pennsylvania National Organization of
Women, and other groups.
Ruth Jones McNeill ’70
A Quaker, teacher, and devoted aunt
and friend, Ruth died Feb. 14, 2021.
An anthropology major at
Swarthmore, Ruth became a primary
school teacher in West Hartford, Conn.,
and then in and around Boston. After
her 1992 marriage, Ruth moved to
Oregon, where she taught preschool
and found community in the Corvallis
Friends Meeting.
Andrew DeGraffenreidt III ’73
Andrew, who served as city attorney
for a number of Florida communities,
died Feb. 2, 2021.
A political science major, Andrew
received a law degree from the
University of Miami, then practiced
law in numerous positions within
Florida government, as well as with
private firms. He was the first African
American on the board of the Palm
Beach County Bar Association, among
other firsts and accomplishments.
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
81
looking back
in memoriam
David Shucker ’74
Memorialized by loved ones as “a
kind and generous absent-minded
professor,” David died Dec. 20, 2020.
A mathematician, David graduated
from Swarthmore with high honors,
was Phi Beta Kappa, and was a
member of the Sigma Xi fraternity.
He later earned a master’s and Ph.D.
in mathematics from Princeton
University.
Stanley Cutler ’76
John, a philosopher with a deep love for
the Boston Red Sox, died Jan. 8, 2021.
After Swarthmore, where he
received the Ivy Award and the
Blanshard Prize in Philosophy, John
received a master’s in philosophy from
Harvard University and worked in
logistics. He loved the mountains, had
a knack for matchmaking couples, and,
pre-Google, delighted loved ones with
the parlor game “Stump the John.”
A compassionate geriatrician who loved
music, coffee, and tea, Stan died Jan. 10,
2021.
Stan special majored in math
linguistics at Swarthmore, where he
could often be seen riding a unicycle
to class. With a medical degree from
Temple University, Stan worked at
Mercy Hospital and St. Barnabas
Health System in the Pittsburgh area
before becoming chairman of family
medicine at New Hanover Regional
Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C.
Elena Ferretti ’84
Deborah Choi Bartlett ’82
Ann Roberts ’87
Deb, a real estate professional and
musician, died Dec. 19, 2020.
An English literature major at the
College and a gifted violinist and
vocalist, Deb performed with her
husband’s band in the D.C. area for 15
years. As a writer in the commercial
real estate industry, Deb served as
senior vice president at Cushman &
Wakefield in Washington, D.C., before
joining WeWork in Salt Lake City,
where she worked until her retirement.
82
John Duvivier ’82
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
Elena, an Emmy- and James Beardwinning TV producer and content
creator, died Oct. 20, 2020.
An English literature major and
varsity swimmer at Swarthmore, Elena
worked with such organizations as
Martha Stewart Living Television,
Vera Wang, and the Knot. Earlier in
her career, she produced hard news
and features at CBS News, including
the 1992 and 1996 Democratic
conventions.
A teacher and justice advocate, Ann
died Aug. 23, 2020.
Following graduation from
Submit an obituary
Daniel Kohn ’94
A serial entrepreneur and nonprofit
executive, Dan died Nov. 1, 2020.
The first company Dan founded,
NetMarket, conducted the first secure
commercial transaction on the web,
in 1994. Dan was the former executive
director at Cloud Native Computing
Foundation, which sustains and
integrates open-source cloud software,
and he led the Linux Foundation’s
Public Health initiative, which used
open-source software to help public
health authorities combat COVID-19.
Aaron Hirschhorn ’99
An entrepreneur who appeared on
Shark Tank, garnering a $500,000 deal
with two investors, Aaron died March
28, 2021.
After earning a neuroscience degree
from Swarthmore and an MBA from
the University of California, Los
Angeles, Aaron worked for venture
capitalists before launching DogVacay
in 2012, connecting dog owners
with pet-sitters; the startup merged
with Rover.com in 2017. Aaron later
founded Gallant, a service that collects
and stores stem cells from a pet’s spay
or neuter operation for potential use
in future medical procedures. The
company made an impression on Shark
Tank — and on the Bulletin, which
featured him in winter 2021 (bit.ly/
AHirschhorn).
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 Swarthmore College Bulletin,
500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081.
FRIENDS HISTORICAL LIBRARY
Christina Crosby ’74
Christina, a feminist and disabilities
scholar, died Jan. 5, 2021.
Christina was active in Swarthmore
Women’s Liberation and helped found
the Swarthmore Gay Liberation. She
was later instrumental in establishing
women’s studies as a major at
Wesleyan University, where she was
a professor. Christina is perhaps
best known for her memoir, A Body,
Undone, chronicling her life after
breaking her neck in a biking accident.
Swarthmore, Ann taught math in
Kenya via World Teach, then worked
for the Vera Institute of Justice
as an advocate for incarceration
alternatives. Later, Ann studied
community psychology at New York
University, where she received a
MacCracken Fellowship, completed all
her Ph.D. coursework, and co-authored
an article in The Journal of Early
Adolescence.
IT’S NOT UNCOMMON
for famous figures to
pop up at Swarthmore’s
Commencement
ceremonies, including
Nobel Peace Prize winners
(Jane Addams in 1932),
renowned artists (Andrew
Wyeth in 1958), and sitting
U.S. presidents (Lyndon B.
Johnson in 1964).
Just last year, the
nation’s leading infectious
disease expert, Dr. Anthony
Fauci, made a surprise
appearance in the virtual
celebration, encouraging
the Class of 2020 to unite
in helping society overcome
its challenges, including
COVID-19.
But perhaps the most
recognizable face to grace
a College graduation was
Albert Einstein, at left with
Swarthmore President
Frank Aydelotte (and a
young Eugene Lang ’38,
H ’81 in the background).
The legendary physicist
addressed the 156 members
of the Class of 1938 a year
before the start of World
War II.
“Moral conduct does
not mean merely a stern
demand to renounce some
of the desired joys of life,
but rather a social interest
in a happier lot for all,”
Einstein told the graduates,
according to a Phoenix
article from June 6, 1938.
To achieve this, Einstein
added, everyone should
have the opportunity to
develop their own personal
gifts, because “everything
that is really great is created
by the individual who can
labor in freedom.”
—ELIZABETH SLOCUM
SPRING 2021
/ Swarthmore College Bulletin
83
spoken word
A BOLD STEP
FORWARD
With an energy plan
approved, Swarthmore
embarks on overhauling
a heating and cooling
infrastructure built in
1911. We asked Andy Feick
about the work projected
to take 14 years.
by Kate Campbell
We don’t often think about the
campus mechanical system, but you
need to know everything about it.
What might surprise people about
the steam system?
Though it is simple and reliable
technology, it’s very inefficient. We
combust either natural gas or heating
oil (almost exclusively gas) to create
high-pressure steam. That happens
inside the boiler plant that is next to
the smokestack. The steam pressure
forces the steam throughout the
campus through an underground
84
Swarthmore College Bulletin /
SPRING 2021
distribution system. Buildings receive
the steam, which, in most cases, is
used to heat water through a heat
exchanger that circulates throughout
the buildings to heat them or to create
hot water for domestic uses. As the
steam gives its energy to create the hot
water, it condenses back to water itself,
and that condensate flows back to the
central plant through underground
piping and is heated again to create
more steam. A lot of energy is required
simply to keep the distribution
network pressurized year-round. A
full third of the energy used to produce
the steam is not used by our buildings,
but is consumed to either keep the
system pressurized or is lost in leaky
distribution piping.
Have you ever found tools in the
current system that you were not
familiar with or that are no longer
used in the industry?
Honestly, no. What surprised me is
some of our infrastructure is more than
a century old and still in operation.
That’s a testament to generations
of maintenance staff members
who’ve been good stewards of the
infrastructure. Because of its age, a
lot of investment would be required to
renew the steam infrastructure. When
we performed a life-cycle cost analysis,
it’s no more expensive to replace the
steam system with combustion-free,
low-temperature hot water than it is to
keep it going.
Swarthmore is one of only a few
higher education institutions in
the U.S. to take on a renewableenergy plan of this scale. Why is it
important for Swarthmore to lead?
A few institutions have already
converted from high-pressure steam
energy. This method is rooted in
proven technology: renewable energy
as a means of power, water as a means
of thermal-energy conveyance,
and the earth as a means of heat
storage. It’s a bold step to embrace a
wholesale infrastructure replacement,
but it’s also a recognition from our
institutional leadership and Board of
Managers that doubling down to rehab
our legacy steam infrastructure is not
how the College should position itself
for energy efficiency and a carbonfree future. Beyond the importance to
the College to fulfill this plan for our
own interests is for us to demonstrate
to other regional institutions that it
is achievable; that with thoughtful
analysis, careful planning, and
excellent engineering, colleges and
universities can become combustionfree, or nearly so.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
LAURENCE KESTERSON
“By the time the
plan concludes, we
will no longer have a
tall smokestack that
is symbolic of fossil
fuel combustion,”
says Associate
Vice President
for Sustainable
Facilities Operation
and Capital Planning
Andy Feick.
What exactly does a geo-exchange
plant do?
The geo-exchange plant is the heart of
the new low-temperature hot-water
system. It will house all of the pumps
required to move heating and cooling
water throughout the campus and to
and from the well field. When built out,
the plant will house four heat-recovery
chillers. In the summer, the chillers
will extract heat that is taken from
buildings to cool them and send the
heat to the well field, where it will be
stored for winter extraction. Currently,
the heat extracted from buildings for
summer cooling is exhausted into
the air through cooling towers, and
then we combust fossil fuels to create
needed heat for winter comfort or for
summer uses in other buildings. In the
winter, the heat-recovery chillers will
extract the stored heat from the well
field and use it to deliver hot water to
the campus buildings for heating and
domestic hot water.
in this issue
QUACKING UP
NEW JOURNEYS
44
Away Games
After one year of suspended sports,
three student-athletes share what
they’ve learned.
JAMES POULSON
by Roy Greim ’14
Swimmer Anna Kottakis ’22 traded
Swarthmore’s Ware Pool for Alaska’s
Sitka Sound after COVID-19 canceled
student athletics.
Zane Meyer ’21 prepares to throw a rubber duck from
the roof of Singer Hall into the Science Quad as part of
the Engineering Department’s annual April Fools’ Day
prank on campus. See him in action: bit.ly/SwatDuck
SPRING 2021
Periodical Postage
PAID
Philadelphia, PA
and Additional
Mailing Offices
SPACE EXPLORERS
p28
500 College Ave.
Swarthmore, PA 19081–1306
www.swarthmore.edu
SWARTHMORE COLLEGE BULLETIN
SWARTHMORE IS ANYWHERE YOU ARE.
Connect with our community through online SwatTalks, virtual networking, and home-based
learning opportunities. Visit swarthmore.edu/alumni to learn more.
LAURENCE KESTERSON
CREDIT
FA
S
P LR LI N2G0 2 0 2 1
a stitch in time
MYTH MAKERS
p34
TEAM PLAYERS
p44
Swarthmore College Alumni Bulletin 2021-04-01
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
2021-04-01
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.